She immediately clamped her mouth shut and ground her teeth together. In her lower abdomen, a strange and deeply unsettling sensation began—almost as if something beneath her skin were shifting rapidly from place to place. The movement continued for nearly a full minute. Resisting the throbbing pain, Elenor clenched her hands into fists and bit down so hard on her lower lip that one or two drops of blood slipped free, dispersing like faint crimson smoke into the clear bathwater. When the process finally came to an end, the contractions in her abdomen ceased. Elenor drew in a long, shuddering breath that filled her lungs to their limit.
"This had better have worked! I don't want to go through that pain for nothing! Otherwise, I'm going to beat Grandfather until he ends up hospitalized."
The ache she had just endured was not as horrifying as the excruciating agony of that first integration moment, yet it had still been vicious enough to make her tremble. The young woman remained motionless for several minutes, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. Eventually, she turned her gaze back to the hologram suspended before her.
"…Why is there a question mark on my chest?"
Elenor focused on the chest area of the hologram. Just as she was about to touch the question mark, a sudden thought struck her, and excitement flared in her eyes.
'Don't tell me I can reduce my breasts? Can I finally get rid of this unnecessary weight?!'
With great hope, she tapped the screen. But the moment she read the text that appeared, she froze where she sat. It was nowhere near what she had imagined. For a few seconds, her thoughts went utterly blank as she stared at the hologram with dull, unmoving eyes, struggling to process what she was seeing.
[Initiate milk production?]
• Yes
• No
For several seconds, Elenor could not bring herself to look at either "Yes" or "No." When she finally regained her composure, her gaze hardened with fury; her ruby-colored eyes glowed a deep, burning red, as though flames flickered within them. This truly pushed her to the brink. When she spoke, her voice was so low it seemed capable of freezing the very air around her.
"What does this mean, Grandfather?! Why does this thing even have such a feature?! I need to beat you until you're on the verge of death!"
Elenor was genuinely enraged. Yet there was a truth she failed to grasp in that moment: LYRA's fundamental principle was to bring the human body to its full potential and grant the user autonomous control over every biological function. In reality, poor Soren was entirely blameless in this matter. The possibility had likely never even crossed his mind; it was simply the consequence of his invention being so flawless that it encompassed every biological process without exception. But Elenor was in no state to interpret it rationally. Gathering a portion of the energy coursing through her body, she continued in a hushed, dangerous whisper.
"Hehehehe… So you have interests like this, do you, Grandfather… I must have misjudged you. When we meet for the first time, I'm going to make you pay dearly for this!"
With visible irritation, she returned to the main menu. Letting out a deep sigh, she decided to stop dealing with the watch for now and submerged her head beneath the water, trying to calm herself. Only a few bubbles rose and burst at the surface of the tub. After a short while, she lifted half her face out of the water; her gaze was still restless, but her ability to think rationally was gradually returning.
'…Grandfather isn't that kind of pervert… His love for Grandmother was truly legendary… LYRA is just a device that allows my body to function at full capacity and potential, placing every system at my command… So even if something like this is uncomfortable, technically it makes sense… But I will absolutely never use it… It's completely useless to me…'
She lifted her head fully from the water. A faint amount of energy had returned to her body. Accessing the LYRA interface once more, she checked the laboratory system's reboot status.
[Elenor's Laboratory]
[Status: Rebooting.]
[Time Remaining: 12 minutes]
Elenor exhaled slowly. Her stomach growled again, reminding her of her hunger, but the memory of the kitchen's messy and filthy condition instantly killed her appetite. Seeking some relief, she tapped a button on the bathtub's control panel.
[Massage function activated]
A rhythmic motion began beneath the platform supporting her back.
'Mhmm… This feels really good… After all that stress, pain, and exhaustion, a proper massage is like medicine.'
She carefully washed herself, knowing it would not be wise to waste more time in the bath. About ten minutes later, she stepped out of the tub and walked through the house until she reached the veranda. The sharp, unpleasant odor outside hit her again, and she grimaced.
'Ugh! This is horrible… Why did something like that even come out of my body?'
A sudden chill swept over her, making her shiver. Without wasting another second, she headed toward the carrier where her belongings were stored.
'I need to get dressed quickly, or I'll get sick.'
She opened the suitcase containing her clothes, took out her undergarments, and began to put them on. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fasten the hooks at the back of her bra. Elenor's expression darkened. Lowering her head in frustration, she glared at her chest. Clenching her fists, she shut her eyes and drew several deep breaths, trying to calm herself.
'Normally, women want to enlarge their breasts to look beautiful… They think it will make them more attractive… But I'm not like them… Then why… WHY did they go from an H cup at 98 centimeters last year to 120 centimeters this year?!'
Elenor kept breathing in and out, trying to suppress her fury.
'They prevent me from moving the way I want! They're practically dead weight! I tried every possible way to reduce them! BUT INSTEAD, THEY GREW EVEN MORE! WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE IS THIS?! I CAN'T WRAP MY HEAD AROUND IT!'
She was struggling to calm down.
'Now most of my clothes don't even fit me! I only have a few custom-made pieces left… Normally, I was going to order a whole set of clothes in different measurements for tomorrow… But of course, these seams chose today of all days to give out…'
As the wind outside brushed against her skin, she began shivering again, fumbling through her belongings in search of something she could wear. Just as she was about to get dressed, a sharp sting shot through her left wrist. LYRA vibrated faintly. Elenor squeezed one eye shut in pain and clenched her teeth. Already tense from the battle she was waging against her own body, her irritation deepened.
'Aaahhhh! Damn it! Getting used to this is going to take a lot of time!'
She glared at the watch screen.
[Host's body temperature drop detected. Activate heater?]
• Yes
• No
Elenor was surprised by the offer. Curiosity getting the better of her, she tapped "Yes." The watch instantly began glowing with a warm red light. Elenor shuddered at the sensation coursing through her body and lightly bit her lower lip.
'…This feels so strange… As if warm water is flowing through my veins…'
Yet before she could fully savor the comforting heat, the sensation gradually began to fade. The red glow of the watch dimmed as well. When she looked at the screen, she saw why the system had halted the process.
[Heater deactivating…]
[Analyzing cause…]
[Result:]
• Excessive dehydration detected!
• Low body energy detected!
[Reason for heater shutdown:]
• Mid-level cause: Heating induces sweating, which accelerates fluid loss. The body should not lose additional fluids in its current state.
• High-level cause: The body cannot generate the necessary energy to sustain heater operation.
[Recommended solutions:]
• Drink water
• Consume high-calorie food
After reading carefully, Elenor understood the situation, but she couldn't stop herself from wondering one thing.
'If LYRA is fused to me like this, how does its charge never run out? Where exactly does it draw its energy from?'
She exited time mode and entered the menus. To an outside observer, LYRA looked like a sleek and perfectly ordinary smartwatch—but the truth was far more complex. When there were no notifications, the display showed nothing but the time. Just as she was about to access the information section, Elenor suddenly sneezed.
"ACHOO!"
'…I need to get dressed first. Otherwise, I really will get sick… Just because my watch is magnificent doesn't mean I'm immune to illness, and something tells me that whatever process the system uses to eliminate microbes would be at least as painful as everything I've already endured.'
Elenor quickly tried to put on a white bra and matching underwear she had found, but she realized there was a problem at the very first attempt.
"WHY WON'T IT FIT?!"
No matter how hard she tried to fasten the clasp at the back of the bra, it was useless. The two ends of the hook were only millimeters apart, so close that it seemed they should connect at any second—yet they simply would not close. Elenor's face flushed a furious red, and with all the frustration boiling inside her, she let out a scream that echoed through the empty bathroom.
"…AGAIN!?"
Unable to restrain herself, she hurled the bra violently onto the floor. Without wasting a second, she pulled another one from her suitcase—but the result was the same. Faced with the same obstacle, she threw that one down as well and began stomping on it with seething resentment.
"Stupid bra! Stupid body measurements! Damn body! What is your problem!? WHY DO YOU KEEP GROWING?!"
When she finally stopped, her chest was rising and falling rapidly, each breath deep and ragged with anger. She no longer had the strength to continue fighting this physical obstacle. Pulling out her loosest sweater and a comfortable pair of pants from the suitcase, she put them on directly without wearing anything underneath. The fabric of the sweater and trousers clung to her still-damp skin, but Elenor did not care in the slightest. She strode quickly toward the veranda, yet the moment she stepped outside, she was assaulted once more by that sharp, nauseating odor.
"I should really clean this damned place! Wonderful—the apocalypse is raging outside, and I'm stuck here dealing with everyday life crises!"
At that very moment, an intense, throbbing pain pulsed through her wrist. Gritting her teeth, she raised her arm and shot the watch an irritated glare.
'THIS BETTER BE IMPORTANT!'
[Elenor's Laboratory]
[Systems ready to reboot.]
When Elenor saw the glowing text on the screen, her anger subsided—if only slightly. She returned inside and let herself drop onto the only single-seat armchair that still looked clean and untouched. Crossing one leg over the other, she accessed the laboratory settings through the panel on her left wrist.
[Reboot process completed.]
[Full-Authority Users:]
• Soren Altarez
• Elenor Altarez
[Status Report:]
• All systems stable.
• Generators operating at full capacity.
• Water system functional.
…
[General Analysis: Elenor's laboratory is secure.]
'Good. Now, just in case, let's make a few adjustments.'
Her fingers moved decisively across the screen. She tapped the section labeled [Full Authority: Elenor Altarez] and marked the box next to her grandfather's name.
[Soren Altarez's authority downgraded.]
[Full Authority: Elenor Altarez.]
When the process was complete, Elenor leaned back and released a deep sigh.
'Sorry, old man… But the projects I'll be conducting here are extremely sensitive. I can't allow you to monitor me—or risk my work being leaked.'
As she continued adjusting the settings, she decided to implement another fundamental change.
[Main computer changed.]
• Main Server >>> L.Y.R.A (Lifelink Yoked Reprogramming Activator)
'If I already have a remote control fused to my wrist, why would I store authority in a fixed computer? What if, one day, someone infiltrates this place and seizes control of the system? What if my own house turns against me? No. I would rather be paranoid than risk falling into a trap.'
One by one, Elenor confirmed the commands on the screen, transferring the laboratory's entire control center into the device bound to her wrist. Then she entered the cleaning menu.
[Elenor's Laboratory – Cleaning Drones]
• Light cleaning
• Medium cleaning
• Deep cleaning
Without hesitation, she selected the most comprehensive option.
[Deep cleaning initiated. Please set cycle count.]
After thinking briefly, she entered the command:
[Interior will be cleaned 3 times.]
[Total cleaning duration: 8 hours 52 minutes 22 seconds]
[Starting…]