The day after Seriana did her first stretch.

The morning had been taken up by small errands, which I used up my time finishing. But in the afternoon, I had no plans at all.

So, once again, we gathered in my room today.

And unlike yesterday, I wasn’t just assisting—this time I was participating too. So the three of us were arranged in a triangle-like shape.

“…I always watch you, but… you really can bend like that, huh.”

“If you do it every day, Seria-sama, you’ll be able to do it too, you know?”

We started with some warm-ups, beginning with a forward bend. Seeing how I could fold my body forward like a hinge, Seriana let out a voice of admiration.

Flexibility, as I just said, isn’t something you need circus acrobat or top ballet dancer levels of unless you’re aiming for that. If you do it every day, anyone can get reasonably good.

Well, I guess I can be proud that I’ve kept at it daily since forever!

The warm-ups continued smoothly, and we quickly finished the routine we did yesterday. Then we moved on to other stretches, like forward bends with legs spread open.

Even Seriana, who normally wouldn’t be keen on spreading her legs like that, seemed to have gotten used to the stretches and went along without resistance.

After we finished a full round, we took a short break. During it, I decided to ask Seriana what she thought of today’s routine.

“Seria-sama, getting used to it?”

“Hm? I suppose so. It’s not like I’m exposing any skin or anything… Well, it’s not exactly a bad thing. Not something I feel the need to strongly reject.”

Her words still had a slight edge to them, but not too bad…

“Hooh hooh…”

Today, Seriana’s outfit was similar to yesterday’s—far from everyday wear.

That might be why she mentally puts this in the same category as training.

Even though we’re in a regular indoor setting, changing clothes might help her switch mindsets.

This stretching was something Seriana herself had suggested again today, so I was a bit worried she was forcing herself out of obligation—but looks like she’s genuinely okay.

That’s a relief…

After about ten minutes of chatting, Teresa clapped her hands to signal the end of the break.

“Alright then, let’s resume. From here it’s going to get a little tougher, so please don’t push yourself too hard, Madam.”

“Yes. I’ve been watching you both do it, so I understand.”

Seriana nodded in response to Teresa’s cue to start the second half.

From here on, it starts to look more like yoga, under Teresa’s guidance. I’m fine, but even Teresa and Elena seem to be just barely keeping up.

Seriana says she won’t push herself, but she tends to overdo it in strange ways.

When I glanced over at her, she looked oddly fired up… I should probably keep an eye on her.

Resolving that quietly to myself, I started posing along with Teresa.

◇

Night… After dinner, Teresa had already returned to her own room, and now it was just Seriana and me in her bedroom.

There, Seriana was lying face-down on the bed…

“…Oww…”

She groaned as I pressed down on her waist and back from above.

“I told you not to overdo it or you’d hurt yourself…”

“…You don’t know unless you try!”

Even in this state, Seriana kept her strong-willed attitude and talked back.

During the more intense second half of the stretching session, she ignored my warning to stop and pushed on.

And now, here we are.

She didn’t injure any tendons or anything, but doing movements she’d never done in her life must have caused some light muscle strain.

She probably thought she was hiding it, but her movements were a little stiff. Teresa and Liesel didn’t say anything, but I’m pretty sure they noticed too.

Liesel cut the after-dinner tea short, and Teresa also went back to her room earlier than usual.

“You should know before you do it… Okay, that’s it for this side. Now turn over.”

Despite everything, the fact remains she got hurt. Seriana obediently turned onto her side in response to my words.

I got off her back and moved to her other side, then placed my hands on her back and activated both 【Prayer】 and 【Mira’s Blessing】.

Then, I began pressing again, firmly but gently.

◇

About 20 minutes later, I finished massaging the upper half of Seriana’s body.

With this level of care, the pain should be gone by tomorrow. But unlike magic or potions, my blessings don’t heal instantly, so she should take it easy for the rest of the day.

Anyway, all that’s left is sleep.

And since she’s just going to rest, I figured it’s the perfect opportunity to bring out something I made a while ago.

Before the massage, I’d gone to the 【Hideout】 to put away some Blessed Items and picked this up while I was there. Holding it in my hand, I sat down at Seriana’s feet.

“…Sera?”

There was a hint of unease in her voice—probably because she didn’t know what I was about to do.

Well… she’ll find out soon enough.

“Alright, don’t move. Here we go…!”

Ignoring Seriana’s words, I grabbed her foot and, with a shout, drove the pressure point stick into place.

She let out a rather uncharacteristic yelp, but I didn’t pay it any mind.

She still had enough energy not to shove me off, so she’s fine. Totally fine.

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera ・【Hideout】+1 【Prayer】 【Mira’s Blessing】 【Wind Garment】 ・【Floating Orb】+1 【Shadow Sword】 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 【Fairy’s Eye】 【Dragon’s Lung】 【Amber Sword】 【Danrem’s Thread】 【Serpent’s Tail】 【Ankle Bracelet】 【Amber Shield】 【Purple Wings】 【Red Sword】 【Monkey’s Arm】 ・4 cards

Seriana ・【Range Detection】・【】・39 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】 【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec ・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards