"..."
Herta took a slow, deep breath, trying to dispel the tangled mess of emotions welling up in her chest.
Calm down. Normal people can't comprehend the thought process of the mentally disturbed, not even geniuses.
"In your dreams."
Gazing at Caelus as if he were an idiot, Herta gave her subtle reply.
"Eh? You just said the reward would definitely satisfy us. How come you're backing out now? One doll shouldn't be a big deal for you, right?"
Over the past few days, Caelus had practically turned the space station upside down, searching every nook and cranny. There had to be at least a hundred Herta puppets scattered around.
"You want one of my puppets?" Herta paused, her tightly knitted brows relaxing slightly.
"Isn't that obvious? What use would I have for your real body?"
Caelus pouted dismissively. His contemptuous tone made Herta clench her fists involuntarily for a brief moment.
Her, the great Herta, less valuable than a mere puppet in this guy's eyes?
The thought vanished as quickly as it came. Trying to understand the thoughts of the insane was her mistake.
"A puppet... Fine." Herta stated nonchalantly.
"Huh? Big Sis, you're really giving one away?"
Stelle was stunned by Herta's straightforward agreement. After the initial shock, her expression changed drastically.
It was the face of someone who watched their roommate snag a huge free box of tissues while they missed out completely.
Pain!
Such pain!
No, I can't give up like this!
"Me, me, me! I want one too!"
Stelle shot her right hand up, bouncing as she yelled.
"I'm just a newborn baby! Give it to me! And cover the shipping, and maybe slip two million Credits inside the puppet while you're at it. After all, I was just born."
Stelle's eyes widened as she made her utterly shameless demand.
Babies have higher status than students, obviously!
Not understanding the cultural reference or meme in Stelle's words, Herta ignored most of it. Forcing her precious brain to try and decipher the logic would be torture.
"Fine, fine. You can have one too. Happy now?"
Waving a dismissive hand, Herta's tone was as flat as water, as if she were giving away something utterly insignificant.
And in truth, it was. She had 249 active puppets stationed throughout the space station, plus 32 spares.
Although each puppet, equipped with multiple complex sensor systems, wasn't cheap to produce, for Herta, who never lacked funds, they were just convenient remote terminals.
"Hooray!"
Both grey-haired individuals cheered simultaneously.
Stelle was thrilled she'd successfully scored a freebie, while Caelus heard the delightful chime of a quest notification in his mind.
[Commission Quest: Simulated Universe - Initial Test. Herta has recognized your vast capabilities and wishes for you to test it rigorously.]
[Quest Reward: 160 Stellar Jade]
Seeing the reward amount, Caelus didn't hesitate for a second. He accepted the quest instantly, then turned back to Herta, holding out his hand.
"Payment first, then the goods!"
The two of them were the goods in this transaction.
"Hah? What kind of person do you take Herta for? Since I agreed, I won't go back on my word."
Even as she said this, Herta's amethyst eyes flickered slightly.
Before long, two Herta puppets, their movements slightly mechanical and faces expressionless, walked into the office.
"However, what exactly do you plan to... do with my puppets?"
The last word hadn't even left her lips when Herta saw one of the grey-haired figures excitedly leap forward – it was Stelle!
"Lady Herta, I'm your biggest fan!"
Launching herself into a pounce, Stelle half-knelt on the floor, hugging the Herta puppet tightly.
Even though it was just a puppet, a faint, delicate fragrance lingered in its hair. The body was petite and slender, yet surprisingly soft. Holding it was pure bliss.
"Hehe, Herta, my Herta... so small, so soft, so fragrant..."
Herta watched the grey-haired girl, her eyes turned into comical swirls, mouth agape and drooling, letting out a rather creepy giggle.
Herta shook her head, expressionless.
Hopeless. Even if this kid were 'cured,' she'd still be drooling.
"Eh? How come it's a bit hard here?"
Her face still wearing a goofy grin, Stelle vigorously rubbed her head against the Herta puppet's practically non-existent chest, the flatness making her mutter complaints.
The Herta puppet tilted its small head down, offering Stelle a flawlessly polite smile. Then, it raised a small, clenched fist and brought it down towards that grinning face.
"Criminal detected. Alerting Space Station Defense Section. Preparing to apprehend..."
Thump! Thump! Thump! The Herta puppet hammered Stelle's head with its tiny fists.
"What the—?!"
Caught completely off guard, Stelle was knocked flat on the floor.
"Hey! Why is your puppet hitting people?!"
Stelle got up, clutching her swelling cheek, looking aggrievedly back at Herta. Hearing that the station's 'cops' were coming added a touch of panic to her small face.
"..."
Herta remotely cancelled the puppet's alert to the Defense Section, her eyebrow twitching.
"I'm warning you two, don't do anything... strange to the puppets."
When not under her direct remote control, the puppets possessed automatic defense mechanisms, although their combat capability wasn't on the same level as when she piloted them directly via her consciousness.
"Otherwise, all you'll end up with is some scrap metal and trash."
Given these two troublemakers' combat prowess, they could probably overpower an automated puppet, but doing so would inevitably cause irreversible damage.
"Let me be clear: I'm giving you the puppets, but I'm not responsible for any subsequent repairs or maintenance."
"Turn into trash...?!"
To Herta's surprise, hearing this didn't make Stelle crestfallen. Instead, her dejection vanished instantly, replaced by golden eyes sparkling as if reflecting tiny stars.
Whether it was the cute Herta puppet when intact, or the trash it became after being broken – both were her absolute favorites!
Herta: "..."
She was wrong. Wrong again to view these two through the lens of normal logic.
"Stelle, what the hell are you doing? How is that touching the Herta puppet's butt? You're basically slapping my face!"
Hearing Caelus's righteous rebuke, Herta paused for a second before her expression darkened considerably.
"Oh! I get it! This kind of thing needs to be done behind Herta's back!"
Stelle's expression turned into one of sudden realization.
It's not a crime if you don't get caught~!
"You fiend! What did you 'get'!?"
Caelus, adopting the tone of a celestial master scolding an errant disciple, berated Stelle. He then turned to face Herta directly, offering a gentle, refined smile.
"Rest assured, I only intend to use the puppet as a life-sized body pillow when I sleep at night."
Isn't that just as perverted!?
Herta's eyebrow twitched again. She shot Caelus a cold glance.
"Hey. My puppets weren't designed with those kinds of systems or functions."
"Eh? I thought a genius like you would create super-realistic puppets. Is this really all they are?"
Stelle poked the Herta puppet's chest with a finger, a slight smirk playing on her lips. Her eyes lowered slightly, feigning melancholy as she adopted a mocking, bratty tone.
Having lived for centuries, Herta certainly wouldn't be provoked by such a low-level taunt from a nascent Stellaron host still figuring out humanity. Herta scoffed, ignoring Stelle completely.
But Stelle's next words nearly made Herta lose her composure.
Stelle sighed, scratching her head helplessly, but then quickly perked up, clenching her fists as if facing a great challenge:
"Alright, I guess it's time to test my DIY skills. Maybe later I'll buy a component... the same size as Caelus's... and install it on the puppet?"
Hearing this, Caelus felt he had underestimated the leap in Stelle's mental state after learning about their 'relationship' and achieving enlightenment.
"Gah! No futanari!"
Caelus felt his vision go black, nearly fainting on the spot.
"Stelle, don't be impulsive."
Afraid Stelle might actually follow through, Caelus immediately grabbed her hand, speaking in a gentle, calming tone.
Caelus pinched the puppet's delicate little cheek. "Look, isn't there still a mouth you can use?"
"...Oh, right!"
Stelle blinked, stunned for a moment, before a delighted smile spread across her face.
Seeing this exchange, Herta also smiled. "I feel like two puppets isn't enough compensation for you. How about I give you a diamond as well?"
"Really!?"
Stelle was instantly overjoyed, her head snapping up.
"Mhm."
Herta beamed, revealing the brightest smile she had shown since the pair first stepped into her office.
"Never seen a diamond this big before, have you? It's yours!"
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