Jin and Reinhard were so engrossed in building the distiller that they forgot about lunch entirely.
Ultimately, Reiko lost patience and had to forcibly drag them both to the dining room. After swallowing their meal in a frantic rush, the two ran back to the workshop and resumed their task.
"If we do this like so..."
"Yeah, let’s give that a try."
They threw themselves into the work, tweaking and refining the design to improve efficiency and maximize the water yield in the shortest possible time.
"Reiko, get me some copper."
"Yes, Father."
"Reiko-chan is so efficient! I'm jealous, Jin!"
Reinhard was deeply impressed by Reiko’s skill as an assistant, which only fueled his enthusiasm. Working alongside the intensely inquisitive Reinhard, Jin also pushed himself to the limit without compromise.
They built two prototypes, then a third, only to scrap them all.
In the end, Jin never did go to see the city with Reinhard that day; the afternoon was consumed entirely by the distiller. In exchange, however, they completed a high-performance model.
"..."
Consequently, Elsa—who had been looking forward to touring the city of Borgia together—was in a foul mood.
"E-Elsa, I'm sorry."
"I don’t care."
"Guh!"
As Reinhard went to pat her on the shoulder, Elsa’s elbow drove cleanly into his solar plexus.
"...Are you okay?" Jin asked, watching in concern.
"..."
Doubled over and drenched in a cold sweat, Reinhard’s face went pale, and he was unable to answer. Just as Jin was considering casting Cure on him, Reinhard finally managed to draw a breath.
"Gu... ugh... that stung... That’s the Elsa I remember..."
Whether she heard him or not, Elsa shot a quick glance their way. When her eyes met Jin’s, she quickly turned on her heel and ran off.
"Reinhard, I really think we’re the ones in the wrong here."
"Well... yeah. Regardless of the reason, we’re the ones who broke the promise."
"We have to go apologize."
When Jin said that, Reinhard only offered a hesitant, "U-Umu." Finding this odd, Jin pressed him for an answer, and Reinhard finally confessed his hesitation.
"When Elsa is angry, she won't listen to reason..."
Jin argued that surely that wasn't the case, but Reinhard countered by pointing at his own midsection.
"Ever since we were kids, she's been impossible to handle when she’s mad."
Jin thought that if Reinhard knew her that well, he shouldn't have broken the promise in the first place. Then again, he doubted whether he himself would have stopped their work even if Reinhard had suggested doing it later.
"Still, I don't know how it will go if you're the one who goes, Jin."
"Why me?"
Jin didn't understand the logic, but Reinhard replied that Elsa seemed to act differently when she was with him.
"Even so, what am I supposed to say to apologize..."
While Reinhard was still nursing his pain, Jin gave it some thought. He didn't know much about girls Elsa’s age, but he remembered a time back at the orphanage when he’d unintentionally broken a promise to one of the younger girls. When he apologized then...
"Alright, let's try this. Reinhard, find me some beautiful fabric, thread, and some hard wood."
"Eh? Yeah, sure."
Reinhard went around asking the maids and the butler at the marchioness's villa, gathering the materials Jin requested in short order.
"Are you going to make something?"
"Just watch."
With that, Jin invoked his Craft Magic.
First, he applied Shaping to the wood to form several parts. He then connected them with Joint and refined the overall silhouette. With Surface Treatment, he bleached the color and smoothed the texture. Next, he took black thread, bound it together with Bind, and attached it with Joint.
"Ho, this is..."
He then picked out a single piece of beautiful fabric and handed it to Reiko with specific instructions. On his end, he used fabric of a different color to sew together an unfamiliar shape.
"Lastly, the tabi."
He found some white fabric and used Shaping to form the traditional socks. For the finishing touches, he placed black stones for the eyes and applied rouge to the lips. The Finish was complete.
Jin had made a Japanese doll.
"Now, to put the kimono on..."
He had once learned the basics of Japanese attire—from Hakata and Kyo dolls to Ichimatsu dolls—to help the younger children at the orphanage who had cried for Hina dolls. That knowledge finally served a purpose.
"What a strange doll. Is that an ethnic costume?" Reinhard asked, sounding impressed. "And somehow, she resembles Lady Reiko."
Dark eyes, black hair, and a bob cut. If the hair were slightly longer, she would indeed be the spitting image of Reiko.
"I suppose so. I tried making it in the likeness of a doll I saw a long time ago."
The materials were different, but it was unmistakably a Japanese doll—an Ichimatsu-style one. Though the kimono was made from Western fabric, it suited the doll surprisingly well.
Jin took the newly completed doll and prepared to head to Elsa’s room.
"Reinhard, where is Elsa’s room?"
And so, Reinhard, Jin, and Reiko headed toward Elsa’s quarters together. Reinhard knocked on the door.
"Yes?"
The door was opened by Mine, the wet nurse.
"Lord Reinhard, what happened? The young lady came running in and has been shut up in her room ever since... She won't open the door no matter how many times I call to her."
She looked genuinely worried. Then, noticing Jin, her expression soured. "Master Jin, surely you didn't..."
It seemed Mine still harbored some suspicion toward him. Reiko immediately stepped in front of Jin.
"Cease your false accusations. If you insult Father any further, I will not let it slide."
"Hieee!"
Having witnessed Reiko’s capabilities firsthand, Mine turned pale.
"Stop it, Mine."
"Cut it out, Reiko."
Reinhard and Jin calmed their respective companions down.
"Jin, we’ll wait here. You go on in."
Jin nodded and entered the suite. Mine didn't try to stop him this time. He moved to the inner door and knocked. When there was no answer, he knocked again.
"Elsa? It’s Jin. Can you open up? I want to apologize."
The door opened a crack after a short pause. A small, muffled voice came from within.
"...What?...I don't particularly want an apology."
Seeing that she was completely unreceptive, Jin held out the doll.
"Well, an apology is part of it, but this is a peace offering. Please take it."
For a moment, Elsa stared at the doll with a blank expression. Unable to see it clearly, she opened the door a bit more. Her expression softened instantly.
"Cute... You’re giving this to me?"
Elsa slowly reached out. Jin practically pressed the doll into her hands.
"I'm sorry about today. I'll definitely make it up to you tomorrow. Right, Reinhard!"
Jin turned back to prompt his friend. Reinhard nodded his head vigorously.
"A-Ah. That's right!"
"See, Reinhard says so too. So please, cheer up. And take good care of that doll, okay?"
As Jin turned to leave, Elsa pinched the hem of his jacket to stop him.
"Wait....What’s her name?"
"Eh? Her name? Hmm, let’s see..."
Jin thought of the Five Constant Virtues—Benevolence, Justice, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trust. He briefly considered the name Nobuko, taken from the virtue of Trust, but it didn't feel right for this world.
"Her name is... Non."
In his mind, he associated the name with "Nobuko," even if the nickname usually came from elsewhere. It didn't matter; Jin wasn't one for complex naming conventions.
"Non... Thank you....She's cute."
Watching Elsa hug Non to her chest, the entire group breathed a collective sigh of relief.