It had been exactly an hour since Kazuki’s negotiation with the front desk.
[Student Himeko] sat on the edge of the bed, her two lower legs dangling and swaying, as she glanced up at him: “Didn’t you clamor about needing to run away as soon as possible?
How are you still nailed to this room now?” “You think I don’t want to run?” Kazuki slumped into the armchair, one leg crossed high over the other, his back molars grinding with a creak, “It’s all Herta’s fault, she plays absolutely no fair!” A long string of push notifications on his phone filled the screen: [Warm Reminder] It has been detected that you have entered the controlled area of Azure Star.
[Global Announcement] Ms.
Herta has implemented a full airspace blockade of Azure Star.
Emergency transit requests can be submitted via official appeal.
[Special Notice from Ms.
Herta] A little thief stole something very important to me and is now hiding on Azure Star.
I will now initiate a planet-wide life scan to ferret out this thief.
If there is any offense caused, please bear with me~ These notifications were mandatory for all of Azure Star, regardless of whether you were a native-born local or a visitor from another star; not a single person could be missed.
Kazuki tossed his phone onto the bed.
[Student Himeko] picked it up, swiped through it, her mouth twitching for a long while before she squeezed out two words: “Impressive.” “I just don’t get it?!” Kazuki grew angrier as he spoke, his voice rising by half an octave, “She doesn’t hunt the Stellaron Hunters, she doesn’t retaliate against the Antimatter Legion, yet she’s hunting me, a mere spectator?
Who did I offend?” [Student Himeko]: “You’re huffing.” Kazuki: “I am not huffing.” The more he thought about it, the more furious he became, until in the end, he was actually laughed into anger.
He was truly out of options.
To catch him, Herta simply used the Herta Space Station as a dedicated satellite for Azure Star, scanning the genetic information of every living being on the entire planet, and then using other methods to sift through them bit by bit, determined to pin down his exact location.
Such a massive project, all for the sake of one target: him.
If this were following a normal novel script, he would have already slipped off Azure Star smoothly by now and started the subsequent plot.
But Herta didn’t play by the rules at all; she personally stepped in to block him before he could even develop.
[Student Himeko] leaned back, collapsing into the soft mattress, and yawned: “So?
Why call me out again?
I’m just an ordinary person.
According to the rules of your universe, two system hours can be generated in one system day.
If we make too much of a fuss, the duration gets deducted.” Just as Kazuki was about to open his mouth to reply, the back of his neck suddenly went numb, like an electric shock, but that strange sensation vanished in an instant.
He sat up straight abruptly, his voice tinged with shock: “Did you feel that just now?” When he turned his head, he saw [Student Himeko]’s long fiery red hair standing on end, looking just like a lion startled into fluffing its fur.
Kazuki pointed at her and laughed so hard he slapped the armchair armrest: “Hahahaha—that look of yours!
It’s priceless!” [Student Himeko] had a dark expression, frantically trying to smooth down her frizzy hair, and retorted unpleasantly: “Still laughing?
Prepare to surrender.” She paused, then raised an eyebrow and changed her tone, “Otherwise, why don’t you try resisting?” “Pour the water out of your brain before you speak.” Kazuki’s laughter got stuck in his throat, his expression saying ‘You must be kidding me’, “Resist?
What the hell am I supposed to resist?
I don’t have any deep grudge against Herta, and I was just complaining a bit earlier.
This isn’t one of those brainless, low-IQ power fantasies.
I’m not the hero, and she’s not a brainless villain.
Exchanging benefits is the normal procedure, okay?” After listening, [Student Himeko] rolled on the bed and waved her hand listlessly: “Fine, fine, then it’s nothing.
Send me back.
I’m still dizzy and need to take another nap.” Kazuki waved at her helplessly.
In the next second, [Student Himeko] turned into a soft white light and completely disappeared from the room.
Immediately after, he leaned against the window, waiting to see what kind of tricks Herta would pull.
Time ticked by, and the entire hotel started only allowing people to leave, not enter.
The voices on the street outside also faded away bit by bit.
At first, he didn’t pay much attention, until later he realized that the people passing by on the street no longer glanced at the hotel, as if it were just an empty lot, not even a shadow to be seen.
Later on, even the receptionist he had chatted with not long ago packed up and left.
The sounds outside became so faint they were almost inaudible, as if an invisible soundproof film had wrapped the entire hotel tightly, not letting even a whisper of wind in.
“What kind of black technology is this again?” Kazuki had only been transmigrated for less than a day, yet he was getting creeped out by this stealthy operation.
Finally, there wasn’t a single sound outside; it had gone completely silent.
“Crack.” A crisp sound rang out.
The sky above the hotel suddenly tore open.
In the purple-black spatial rift, a smooth mirror slowly emerged, its edges shimmering with fine blue light.
Immediately after, it actually started raining Herta!
That’s right, it was literally raining Herta!
[Image] Herta rain.
From that mirror, countless Herta Puppets poured down like a swarm, in all sorts of styles, babbling in some incomprehensible tune, all landing neatly within the hotel’s perimeter wall without crossing the line at all.
Once they landed, these puppets immediately surrounded the hotel, standing in a circle holding hands, and chanted in unison at the top of their lungs: “Ms.
Herta is peerless in the world!” “Ms.
Herta is extraordinarily intelligent!” “Ms.
Herta is stunningly beautiful!” The chanting made the windows buzz.
The scene was as absurd as it could possibly be.
After finishing the slogan, another group of puppets took out gongs and drums, clanging and banging to play music, a full-blown spectacle for welcoming a VIP.
[Image] “Ms.
Herta is peerless in the world!” “Ms.
Herta is extraordinarily intelligent!” “Ms.
Herta is stunningly beautiful!” Kazuki leaned against the window, dumbfounded.
He was stunned: What is Herta doing?
Putting on some massive support event?
٩(º﹃º٩) That’s the first mirror, right?
How did it appear here?
Could it be that she came in person?
That’s really giving me face.
What else is there to say, I give it to you.
Kazuki held his forehead, looking bewildered.
Sure enough, in the next second, Herta emerged from that mirror.
She sat on a floating scepter, a pointed witch’s hat perched on her head, the shadow cast by the brim covering her cheeks.
The faint purple light leaking from the rift behind her made her look bright and luminous.
[Image] Scared to tears~ She just hovered there in mid-air, looking down at Kazuki in the hotel.
With this display, who wouldn’t ask, who exactly is the protagonist here?
…
Not long after.
Herta stepped down in her uneven boots, her scepter quietly hovering at her side, and she raised her hand to lightly knock on Kazuki’s door.
“Hmph, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can knock on my door.” Kazuki’s voice drifted slowly from inside the room.
“Quite a temper.” Herta raised an eyebrow, wearing an amused smile, and was just about to dismantle the door when another sentence drifted out from the room: “Only those who meet the following conditions can enter the room.” “Human, female, young, beautiful, cute.” As soon as he finished speaking.
With a soft “click,” the door opened by itself.
Herta: (⌒_⌒) Alright, quite sensible.
Feeling Herta’s pleasant mood, Kazuki was willing to give himself full marks for this wave of operations!
[Image] Human, female, young, beautiful, cute.