"...Hmm? Did something change just now?"
"Huh? Wh-what’s wrong, Tria? Did you feel something too?"
That day, while watching over Penpen’s ranch, Tria and Penpen both felt a strange sensation—a faint shockwave. It was as if a ripple in water had passed straight through their bodies.
Nika, who had been resting in a separate room, soon emerged into the Home’s living room as well.
"Tria, Penpen... you felt that too, didn’t you?"
"Yeah. Did you feel it, Nika?"
"I did. What was that?"
"I’m not sure, but the Lord Spirits probably did something."
Whenever something unusual happened, the Spirits were almost always involved. Since the girls hadn't been doing anything in particular, there was really no other explanation.
Even if the Great Demon King of Terror himself had appeared, these girls—who had dedicated their entire lives to their masters—would only think of it in terms of whether the newcomer was an enemy of the Lord Spirits. Therefore, they were certain this was related to them.
"I wonder if we could ask the Lord Spirit what happened?"
"They said they’d be back Home tonight. We can ask then. Do you want to wait?"
"No, let’s try to figure it out ourselves before the Lord Spirits get back."
Nika was ready to investigate proactively. The Lord Spirit had told her to rest and recover her strength, but to her, that was just another way of saying she had nothing to do. For a spirit-possessed who had surrendered everything to her master, a situation where she couldn't be useful was deeply unsettling.
Even if it was a mandatory rest ordered by the Lord Spirit, and even if she understood logically that she needed to recover, Nika couldn't stand the idleness.
"You were told to rest, Nika. Are you sure you’re okay?"
"My HP and MP are already full, so I think it would actually be better to move around a bit."
"W-Well, if that’s the case, I guess it can’t be helped, right? Hehe, then let’s start the investigation... heehee."
With that, the three of them decided to see what had changed.
"I-If the Lord Spirits did something that affected us, then I think it must be something significant."
"Something significant that’s hard to notice at first glance?"
"Maybe things we couldn't do before have become possible now. Something like that."
"I see. So we should check if our capabilities have increased? Hmm..."
Tria started by testing her physical limits. Stretching: no change in range of motion. Punching speed: no change. Jumping power: no change.
"Maybe Tria or Penpen can eat Defilement now?"
"If that were the case, it shouldn't have affected me. I don’t think that’s it."
"Y-Yeah, it must be something we all have in common. I wonder what it is?" Penpen tilted her head.
"Tria, why don’t we try the things we specifically couldn’t do until now?"
"Things we couldn't do... Like being able to eat even more steak?"
"It doesn't feel like my stomach capacity has increased, though."
"I could already do handstands... Hmm. Maybe we’re faster?"
Tria ran a lap around the ranch, but the time was within the usual margin of error. It was safe to say nothing had changed there.
"M-Maybe our training efficiency has gone up?"
"That’s possible. I’ll try training while keeping a close eye on my Status."
"Oh, then I’ll join you! It’ll be the Boot Camp the Lord Spirit taught us!"
"...I think that would definitely violate the order to rest."
Tria stopped Nika right there. Pushing her body to its absolute limits with Strength Training while being told to recover was clearly a bad idea.
"I-Is it really no good? I thought so."
"If you 'thought so,' you shouldn't have suggested it. But I think it’s fine as long as you don’t go as far as a full Boot Camp."
"W-We have the equipment, too! Dumbbells, Multi-Ab Benches, Treadmills, Exercise Bikes..."
Penpen had already crafted various pieces of Strength Training equipment. While she didn't have a full gym's worth of professional gear yet, she had quite a few machines set up.
Tria was already planning to suggest adding these to their own Home when the Lord Spirits returned—specifically the machines for training legs.
However, after some light exercise, they found that nothing felt significantly different from usual. They were left tilting their heads in confusion.
"Let’s leave it at that for now. I’m going to take a bath. I want to purify my body before the Lord Spirits get back."
"Oh, then I’ll go too!"
"I’ll join you ssu!"
The bath in Penpen’s Home was spacious. She had built an oversized tub specifically so she could soak comfortably in the future. For now, they still entered while wearing clothes.
While the Spirits seemed to be under a curse that made them fall asleep whenever they tried to bathe, the spirit-possessed girls were free to use it as they pleased.
"Phew... Nnh."
"Bath time, bath time... Hah."
"Soaking in clean, hot water feels so wonderful."
They filled the massive tub with hot water and added bags of fragrant herbs, sinking into the warmth after washing off their sweat.
"...By the way. Does it feel like you were able to wash yourself more thoroughly just now?"
"Aun. I noticed that too."
"I can't believe we can finally take care of our bodies properly... I’m so happy."
And just like that, they found the change.
It was related to their physical maintenance. Previously, there were certain parts of their own bodies they couldn't touch directly due to the system, but those restrictions had been lifted.
"Penpen, I’m going to touch you."
"Hyah?! ...Oh, I see, this part is still a no-go."
"It seems the change only applies to our own bodies."
When Tria tried to touch Penpen, a mysterious barrier appeared, blocking her hand. Hmmm.
"Oh! I know. Massage!"
"Huh? What is it, Nika?"
"I’ll give you a massage. Is that okay? I have the Massage Skill."
"...Hmm? S-Sure, please."
"Here I go!"
With that, Nika reached out and grasped Penpen’s ripened fruits.
"Mihyaah?! ...Ah, y-you’re actually touching me?"
"I can touch them! Penpen, your skin is so smooth!"
"Wh-Why?!"
"The Lord Spirit said the system is more lenient with medical acts!"
"...I-I see. Oh, that feels so good. These are actually quite heavy, you know..."
Penpen narrowed her eyes in bliss. After kneading her for a while, Nika finally let go. Tria watched the display and nodded thoughtfully.
"If it’s a massage, it works... I see. This means we should maintain our bodies even more carefully for the Lord Spirit’s sake."
"S-Should we report this to the Lord Spirit?"
"When in doubt, always report. It’s common sense for a Shakai person."
"Is Shakai the name of the Lord Spirit’s homeland?"
"Probably."
"If it’s the Lord Spirit’s common sense, then we definitely have to follow it!"
And so, they decided to report their findings that night.
Meanwhile, for the Lord Spirits themselves, the Touch Detection for anyone other than themselves remained as strict as ever. Cries of "Damn it all!" and "It’s a lie! Tell me it's a lie!" echoed through the air.
It’s probably because you’re thinking about it like that that you still can’t touch them ssu, Penpen’s spirit thought to herself.