At Giebeck’s house, Elsa, Barbara, and Hanna sat with their heads close together, deep in conversation.
“Now, where were we?” Barbara asked, tilting her head.
“...We were talking about the person who left the village,” Elsa replied.
Hearing that, Hanna spoke up. “Do you mean Onii-chan?”
This time Elsa tilted her head, looking puzzled. “Onii-chan?”
Sensing her confusion, Barbara added a clarification. “The one Hanna-chan is talking about is Jin-san. He came from... Japan, was it? He’s a magi craftman.”
“What? You mean Jin-nii?!” Elsa stood up from her chair in shock.
Hanna was just as surprised. “Jin-nii? Big sister, did you say Jin-nii? Are you Onii-chan’s sister?”
“Yes. I’m Jin-nii’s younger sister.”
At those words, Hanna’s face lit up.
“Jin Onii-chan! He really made it home! Hey, hey, is Onii-chan okay? Where is he now? What’s he doing? How is Reiko-oneechan?”
Hanna fired off questions one after another, leaving Elsa quite overwhelmed.
“J-Jin-nii is at home. He’s healthy. He seems to be... making various things. Reiko-chan is with him, too,” Elsa finally managed to answer.
“I see. That’s such a relief! I was so worried about him! Not just me, everyone was!”
“That’s right, Elsa-san. Your brother is a benefactor to this village. He was one of us.”
“How interesting. Jin-nii never told me.”
Since Elsa seemed genuinely surprised, Barbara and Hanna were taken aback.
“Is that so? Well, you see...”
“Listen, listen! Onii-chan was like...”
“Jin-san built the hot spring for us, and...”
“Onii-chan made Mint for me!”
Both of them tried to tell Elsa about Jin at the same time, throwing her into further confusion.
“W-Wait a moment. Please, one at a time.”
As she spoke with a wry smile, Barbara and Hanna looked at each other and laughed.
“Hanna-chan, what about dinner?” Barbara asked once things had settled.
“Yeah, I already ate. I told Grandma I was going to the chief’s house.”
“I see. In that case, why don't you stay over? That way you can take your time talking with Elsa-san.”
When Barbara suggested it, Hanna accepted joyfully.
“Yeah! I’ll stay over!”
Barbara went out to tell Hanna’s grandmother, Martha, that Hanna would be spending the night.
While she was away, Hanna told Elsa all sorts of stories about Jin. Once Barbara returned, the three of them continued their talk.
They chatted until late into the night. When Hanna’s eyelids finally began to droop, they moved to the bedroom.
Hanna decided to sleep in the same bed as Elsa, as she had insisted on it.
“Hehe. I’m with Big Sister. Good night.”
“Mm, good night, Hanna-chan.”
Hanna fell asleep almost instantly.
Barbara and Elsa continued their conversation in whispers to avoid waking her.
“Hanna-chan is lonely because she doesn’t have parents, you see. When Jin-san came last year and lived with them, she grew very attached to him. But then he left again.”
“...I see. So that’s what happened.”
“Yes. That’s why she’s like this with you, Elsa-san... because you’re Jin-san’s sister.”
Hanna was clinging to Elsa’s right arm with her small hand.
“Hanna-chan...”
Elsa gently stroked the girl's head. Hanna’s hair smelled like the sun.
＊ ＊ ＊
The sun rose the following morning.
“It’s eight-thirty. That means it’s six-thirty in Kaina Village. I wonder if everyone is awake yet?”
Jin was pacing restlessly, unable to sit still.
“Father, didn’t you say you would go pick her up at eight o’clock, Kaina Village time?” Reiko chided him.
“I know that, but I can’t settle down.”
Seeing Jin like that, Anne asked a question.
“Master, if it is a place you want to visit so badly, why have you not gone back even once until now?”
When asked, Jin groaned and gave an answer.
“I suppose... I didn’t want to cause trouble.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, when I was in Kaina Village, I was suspected of being the one who created the golems that were attacking the area.”
“But those were false accusations, were they not?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Then there is no need to worry. I am certain everyone is worried about you.”
“I’d like to believe that, but when I think they might have felt it was ‘good riddance’ once I left, I start to hesitate.”
“What is that? Master, you occasionally have these hopelessly pessimistic thoughts.”
Jin couldn’t help but give a wry smile at Anne’s blunt words. It was a trauma rooted in his past.
It went back to his days as a salaryman. He had been dispatched for about two weeks to a factory owned by a subsidiary—actually, since Jin’s company was a subsidiary, it was technically a sub-subsidiary.
Whether the employees there lacked motivation or there was some other reason, the place was a disaster.
Everything was terrible: the factory was cluttered, materials weren't organized, and the machine tools were poorly maintained, grinding with strange noises because they were out of oil.
Jin checked every single detail, gave instructions for organization, and worked hard to create manuals for machine maintenance. He had even worked on the manuals outside of his regular hours.
Thanks to his efforts, after two weeks, the inside of the factory was noticeably clean and tidy, and the machines ran quietly.
When Jin finished his assignment and was leaving, the workers told him, “Thank you for everything.” However...
After leaving the factory, Jin realized he had forgotten some documents and naturally went back to retrieve them. At that moment...
(Seriously, there’s no way I’m doing something as tedious as a checklist.)
(I already knew where everything was. Now that he went and ‘tidied’ things up, I don’t know where anything is anymore.)
(Acting so high and mighty just because he came from the parent company.)
(Well, he’s gone now, so let’s just go back to doing things the way we used to.)
He heard those voices from behind the door. Jin felt the strength drain from his body, wondering what his two weeks of hard work had been for.
Because of that experience, Jin had become timid.
“Besides, you know, I wouldn’t want Kaina Village to be targeted by the Unifilar because of me.”
But Anne rejected Jin’s reasoning.
“No, Master. Such a passive approach will not stop the influence of the Unifilar. You must crush them proactively.”
“Even if you say proactively...”
“In any case, right now you are going to Kaina Village to pick up Elsa-san. And you are going to greet everyone. I am certain everything will turn out well then.”
“I wonder...”
Persuaded by Anne, Jin cast aside his remaining hesitation. He had partially intended to go secretly and bring Elsa back quietly.
“Father, it is a bit early, but let us go.”
The time was 9:00. In Kaina Village, it was 7:00.
“Martha-san and Hanna-chan should be awake and finished with breakfast by now. Rock-san and the others should have already headed out for work in the fields.”
“I see. Yeah, you’re right.”
Encouraged by Reiko, Jin stepped into the Warp Gate to Kaina Village with a complex mix of emotions.
He emerged inside the shelter. He did a quick check; there was no signs of deterioration.
“Father, let us go.”
Urged on by Reiko, Jin stared at his own internal conflict—not knowing if he wanted to go or didn't—as he climbed the stairs and opened the door to step outside.
It was a clear day. Spring sunlight poured down, and Jin squinted against the brightness.
Grass was growing in the rocky area surrounding the shelter; it was truly spring. As a disguise, the vegetation was well-done.
“It’s been almost a year since I first came here, huh.”
As he walked slowly toward the village, Jin recalled the events of the previous year.
His thoughts were interrupted by the voices of villagers.
“Jin!”
“Wait, isn’t that Jin?”
“It’s Jin! Jin is back!”
“What? It’s true, that’s Jin!”
At those voices, people gathered from their houses and fields.
“Hey! Come see, Jin has come home!”
“It’s true! Reiko-chan is with him too!”
Everyone came running toward him. Some even abandoned their farm work in their excitement.
“Jin! You look well!”
The one who said that was Rock.
“Jin-niichan, where have you been? Everyone was worried about you!”
The one who said that was Kurt.
More people gathered.
“Jin! What have you been doing all this time?! You didn’t even send a single word!”
The one who said that was Martha.
And then, Hanna, standing in front of the chief’s house...
“Welcome home, Onii-chan.”
There was only one thing Jin could say in response.
“...I’m home.”