Work was over! Time to log in!
"I’m home—... Wait, what?"
I spawned back into Penpen’s Home, but Tria’s equipment had completely changed. She had been barefoot until last night, but now she was wearing something called Turtle Hide Sandals.
Her clothes had also been replaced with clean ones, and a Turtle Shell Breastplate had been added as torso armor. It was a single hexagonal panel, exactly like a section of a turtle’s shell, fashioned into a chest protector.
Given the name, I thought it might slow her down, but her movement speed had actually increased slightly. I suppose having proper footwear is always better than going barefoot. Obviously.
"Oh, Tria-chan’s Spirit! Good work at the office!"
"Ah, Penpen. Is this...?"
"Yeah! I made them using those turtle materials you gave me. I couldn't stand seeing Tria-chan walking around barefoot! I had to beg her to let me help her get dressed, but she finally equipped them."
Apparently, she had taken pity on Tria’s "starter" look and done something about it.
She’d even crafted proper clothes out of grass-processed cloth. The defense was practically non-existent, but they looked like real clothes. The sundress was actually pretty cute. She had a good eye for design.
Up until a moment ago, Tria really had looked like she was in rags. Like she was still in her "sacrificial victim" state.
"Thank you. As for the price... I don’t have any money, so I’ll give you enough for one or two more turtles."
"Eh? Oh, no, I just gave them to her because I wanted to. You don't have to pay. But... if you're offering, can I really have them? They seem like top-quality materials."
"Sure. I have a bunch of loose parts taking up space in my inventory, so take the whole lot."
The deal was struck. I handed over the various parts of the Young Turtles—the ones I’d hunted at the very beginning.
"Do you want the innards too? Take them, take them. Here you go. Use them for fertilizer in your field or something."
"Whoa! Thank you, thank you! My Crafting Skill level is going through the roof! I’m gonna grill the meat too and max out my Cooking Skill! Hyah-ha!"
"Leveling up production skills... so that’s an option too!"
I was a little envious. Maybe I should pick up Crafting... no, if I took it on a whim, I’d just end up as a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. It would be better to keep teaming up with Penpen like this—I’ll provide the materials, and she can handle the production.
"Ah! That reminds me, Tria-san. I totally forgot, but can we do a Friend Registration?"
"Oh, right. I forgot there was a feature for that."
"Yeah, I was so shocked to see another player yesterday that it slipped my mind, but it’s definitely there!"
I completed the Friend Registration with Penpen.
I should give my colleague my friend code tomorrow as well. I’d completely forgotten about it. I’ll have to make a note so I don’t forget again.
Once we were registered, I could see Penpen’s status on my Friend List.
Right now, her name was a bright green, indicating she was logged in. According to the help menu, Away (Auto) would be yellow, and being logged out would show as gray.
"I look forward to working with you from now on!"
"Yeah, likewise."
Actually, her attitude seemed a lot more relaxed than yesterday. It felt like we’d grown closer.
Speaking of growing closer, that reminded me of something.
"By the way, Penpen."
"Since we’re friends now, you can drop the formalities! Penpen is fine. Can I call you Tria-chan or Tria-shi too?"
"Yeah, that’s fine. Anyway, Penpen. Did you know you can pet the characters?"
"What? I didn't know that! Tell me more, please!"
I taught Penpen how she could use the Petting System by tapping or mousing over the character while in Auto Mode.
"Great info! I’m gonna try it right away! Penpen, switching to Auto Mode... fa. Ah, u... hello... there."
With a small bow, Penpen lowered her head with a timid, nervous expression.
Apparently, that was the girl in Auto Mode over there... her version of Tria. I’ll call her Penpen-chan for now.
"Hyah!?"
Penpen-chan’s eyes suddenly snapped wide and her body jolted. Her large chest bounced along with the movement.
Whoa.
Wait.
Hold on, whoa, whoa...
"Mngh... ah, ah... Spirit-sama...! Ah, ah...!"
Whoa.
Oh, so that’s how it works? Heart marks? Really?
It actually turns out like that? Even though she’s fully dressed? Seriously?!
Wait, Tria, you shouldn't be looking at this! Ah, but there’s no command to cover her eyes, so she has no choice but to watch!
This is intense. ...Wow. Just... wow.
"Hyau... ah, ah, ah... ahhh...! Mnh, ngh...!"
...
...Phew.
Suddenly, Penpen-chan, who had collapsed as if she’d run a marathon, sprang back up.
"I’m back! My body feels all warm and tingly, and my status changed to 'Good'! As in 'Good Condition'! I see, that’s a pretty useful technique you taught me!"
"O-Oh. Yeah. I guess so."
It seemed the "real" Penpen was back. It looked like the state she was in just a second ago didn’t carry over to her consciousness. That was for the best, right?
The Penpen-chan who had just been in a total state of disarray didn't exist anymore...!
"Um, if you do it too much, there’s a chance her Affection Level might actually drop, so you should probably keep it in moderation."
"Oh, like how cats get annoyed if you pet them too much? Got it! ...Hmm? She says she wants me to do it every day? So I guess it’s fine!"
"Ah, right. B-But you should probably avoid doing it in public."
"You think so? Maybe... oh, wait. She says I shouldn't worry about it."
"No, please worry about it! Definitely worry! If you’re going to pet her, do it at Home! Okay?!"
"Y-Yes, sir."
At this rate, the game’s genre and age rating are going to change. This Petting System is terrifying...!
I mean, just how vigorously did she pet herself? Wait, was her view in Voxel mode?
She must not have known how to hold back... or maybe there's no limiter when the display is in Voxel mode... visually speaking...
"Sp-Spirit-sama. Tria would also like... some petting..."
...Later! And I won't be doing it that intensely, okay?!
I mean, Penpen-chan is one thing, but if I do that to Tria, it’s going to be a legal incident! I know it’s just a game, so it’s technically legal, but still!