"It feels a little nostalgic, doesn't it?"
Late at night, after Hanna and Martha had fallen fast asleep, Jin and the automata Reiko returned to the Magi Craft Meister’s laboratory.
"It’s bright even at night... Right, I forgot there were magi-lamps."
Magi-lamps were stationed at key points throughout the facility. Because the previous automata had maintained them diligently, the laboratory’s equipment remained fully functional.
In exchange for that service, however, the automata herself had exceeded her operational lifespan and had eventually crumbled away before Jin’s eyes. Jin had repaired her—or more accurately, performed a complete magical overhaul—to create the Reiko who stood there now.
"Now then, let's start by giving you some upgrades, Reiko."
"Is that acceptable, Father?"
"Yeah. I’ll be relying on you quite a bit from here on out....Lie down over there."
"Yes. Thank you very much."
Reiko lay down on the same workbench where she had first been modified.
"I’m going to cut the mana for a moment."
"Yes."
As soon as he deactivated the mana driver, Reiko’s movements ceased. Jin had already constructed an upgrade plan in his head, so he immediately went to fetch the necessary materials.
"Alright, this should do nicely."
From the vast stores of mana material kept in the warehouse, he selected two particularly exquisite pieces of magi-obsidian.
Next, he took out some transparent magi-quartz and combined them with the obsidian to form a pair of eyeballs. As he worked, he carefully inscribed the magi-formula.
"Okay. Mana detection, life-sign detection... telescopic vision, magnification, night vision, and even X-ray vision."
He finished the modifications after adding a suite of truly outrageous functions. But he wasn't done yet.
"Wait, some of these parts have deteriorated slightly. I might as well reinforce them while I’m at it."
Jin noticed a slight rattling in her arm and leg joints.
"As I thought, light silver isn't strong enough to handle Reiko's output. I'll swap it out for light mithril."
Keeping the shape of the skeleton identical, he replaced the components with the stronger material and then applied a thin coating of adamantite to the surface. This would increase her durability several times over.
"I was in such a rush last time that I didn't touch the muscles much. While I'm here, I'll thin the individual strands of the magical fiber and increase the total count. That should improve her flexibility and her overall durability."
It was the same principle as a wire rope made by braiding together many fine steel wires.
"Oh, there's some material here that wasn't here before... Ah, the wings of the Sham Dragon that Reiko defeated. These are perfect for her magical skin."
Working with focused abandon, Jin completed the entire overhaul in roughly four hours. While her outward appearance remained unchanged, her internal systems had been upgraded to such an extent that she was practically a new machine.
"Alright, Reiko. 'Wake up.'"
He restarted the mana driver. Since she had plenty of stored mana this time, she opened her eyes immediately.
"Father."
"Reiko, how do you feel?"
Reiko sat up and stepped down onto the floor. For a few moments, she moved her limbs in small increments, testing her condition.
"I feel excellent. Thank you very much."
She gave him a polite bow.
"Good to hear. Well then, shall we head back to the village for now?"
Reiko looked surprised at Jin's suggestion.
"Eh? Will you not be staying here permanently?"
"No, I have a promise to keep with Hanna. Besides, there’s no food or water here..."
Reiko seemed genuinely shocked by Jin's practical concerns.
"I-I see. You require sustenance, don't you, Father..."
She looked dejected. While Jin was struck by how much emotional depth was developing within the automata, he continued.
"Yeah. That’s why I want to go back and forth between the village and here. Eventually, I'd like to set up a proper living environment in the lab as well."
"...Yes. I will do my best to help."
With that, Jin and Reiko used the Warp Gate to return to Kaina Village. Jin slipped quietly back into his bed, while Reiko stood vigil by his side.
"You know, I can't really relax with you just standing there," Jin noted.
But Reiko was firm. "However, it would be a disaster if anything happened to you, Father. Furthermore, I do not experience fatigue, so please do not concern yourself."
"Then at least sit in that chair over there."
"But..."
"Do as I say."
"...Yes."
After that short exchange, Jin finally fell into a brief sleep.
The next morning.
Because he had stayed up late at the laboratory, Jin was oversleeping. Hanna came to wake him up, but she was blocked.
"Father is still sleeping," Reiko announced.
Hanna frowned. "Move aside. It's breakfast time, so I'm waking Onii-chan up."
"Please allow him to rest a while longer."
"But breakfast is ready!"
"Sleep deprivation is detrimental to one's health."
"He'll be hungry if he doesn't eat!"
"...Too much noise."
With such a commotion happening right by his pillow, Jin had no choice but to wake up.
"Ah, is it morning already? Hanna, did you come to get me?"
"Yup!"
For some reason, Hanna looked at Reiko with a triumphant expression.
"..."
Reiko simply hung her head.
Jin changed, washed his face, and headed in for his meal.
"Morning, Jin. It’s rare to see you oversleeping," Martha remarked.
It was unusual for the normally early-rising Jin to sleep in, and Martha had noticed.
"Yeah, I was working on a few things until late."
"Making something again? You certainly do love your work."
Martha knew all about Jin's passion for crafting, so she left it at that.
After breakfast, once she had finished helping with the dishes, Hanna went out into the yard. Reiko was waiting for her. Hanna tried to sidestep her to go to the workshop where Jin was, but Reiko spoke up.
"Hanna-chan, please wait."
"What is it? I'm going to see Onii-chan."
"Could we talk for a moment?"
"I don't have anything to say to you."
Despite Hanna's bluntness, Reiko persisted. "Please, don't say that. I was hoping you could tell me about Father."
"About Onii-chan?"
Hanna stopped in her tracks.
"Yes. Right after I was rebuilt, Father disappeared... he was gone. Yesterday was actually the first time in my life I was able to speak with him."
"Oh... I see..."
Hearing that confession, Hanna felt a pang of sympathy for Reiko.
"Hanna-chan, you have lived with Father for six months. I believe you know much more about him than I do. That is why I want to hear your stories."
Faced with such a request, Hanna couldn't bring herself to refuse. In fact, she began to speak with a hint of pride.
"...I was the very first person to find Jin Onii-chan! I went to the forest to pick tea leaves, and there he was, just lying on the ground!"
"Onii-chan saw me carrying water and said it was too much work, so he made a pump for me!"
"He made a handcart, too, so moving water became really easy!"
"He made a tool for sifting wheat, so now we get to eat delicious bread!"
"He made a stove! It makes cooking so much easier, and we don't even need firewood!"
"He made balls and handballs for me, and he plays tag with me. Onii-chan is so kind."
"He made the golems Gon and Gen, and he made my horse—her name is Mint. She's really fast!"
Though the timeline was a bit jumbled, Hanna’s enthusiastic stories made it clear just how much Jin cherished and doted on her.
"I see. Father truly treasures you, Hanna-chan."
The words escaped Reiko’s lips naturally.
"Do you... really think so?"
"Yes. Absolutely. As for me, I only finally reached Father yesterday, and he spent the night fixing my broken parts."
"Really?"
Hanna realized once again that she had been keeping Jin almost entirely to herself, while Reiko had been searching for him all alone. She began to feel a little guilty.
"I see....Reiko-oneechan, you were lonely too because you couldn't see Onii-chan... I was like that once, I guess."
Hanna remembered the loneliness she had felt after losing her parents, a void that had only been filled when she met Jin.
"I'm sorry. I guess I was just worried that Reiko-oneechan was going to take Jin Onii-chan away..."
Reiko reached out and gently stroked Hanna's head.
"It is alright. Father said so last night. He told me he has a promise to keep with Hanna-chan."
"A promise..."
Jin had told her he would stay in the village until spring.
"I see! Onii-chan really said that!"
Hanna’s face lit up. Reiko looked at her and spoke softly.
"Hanna-chan, would you be willing to be my friend as well?"
She held out her hand. Hanna stared at it for a moment, then firmly grasped it with both of her own.
"Yup! Reiko-oneechan and I are friends! Nice to meet you, Onee-chan!"
"Yes, Hanna-chan."
Jin watched the two of them from the shadows of the workshop, a gentle smile on his face.