The morning after Hanna's sleepover. When she opened her eyes, Elsa’s sleeping face was right in front of her.
Her hair was a pale gold, her eyelashes long, and her skin so fair it was almost translucent.
"...Beautiful," Hanna thought. As she watched Elsa sleep, Barbara sat up in the bed beside them. Though she was the Village Chief’s niece, she was a village girl at heart; she woke up early.
"Ah, I slept well....Morning, Hanna-chan."
"Morning."
The two exchanged quiet greetings. At the sound of their voices, Elsa stirred and woke as well.
"Mmh... Is it morning?"
"Good morning, Elsa-onee-chan."
Hanna greeted the bleary-eyed Elsa. Elsa seemed to recall the events of the previous night and returned the greeting with a soft, warm smile.
"Good morning, Hanna-chan. Good morning, Barbara-san."
After dressing, the three of them went to wash their faces.
Naturally, that meant heading to the well outside. Elsa had grown accustomed to the modern conveniences of Kunlun Island, but she remembered that most of the inns she had stayed at during her travels required washing up at a well in the courtyard.
"Elsa-onee-chan, you can go first."
With those words, Hanna pumped the handle. Water came gushing out. Elsa’s eyes widened in surprise.
She had heard about the pump Jin made during their conversation the previous night, but seeing it in action was different.
A pump that could draw water from the depths of a well without a drop of magic. Jin truly could create the most wonderful things.
One day, I want to make things that help people like this, too. A small seed of ambition began to sprout within Elsa's heart.
Breakfast consisted of white bread made from finely sifted flour, a salad of wild mountain herbs, salt-grilled river fish, and tea.
"This tea is a bit unusual, but it’s delicious."
"Oh, that? We make it from leaves we pick in the forest," Hanna explained, joining them for the meal.
"Is that so?"
While it was a common drink in the northern parts of the Klein Kingdom, Elsa, hailing from the Shouro Empire, had never tasted it before.
"Do you want to go pick some with me later? The query tree flowers are still blooming in the mountains, so it’s really pretty right now."
Hanna’s invitation tempted Elsa. Almost without realizing it, she nodded.
"Yeah."
＊ ＊ ＊
Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside. It sounded as if the entire village was in an uproar.
"I wonder if something happened?"
Just as Barbara stood up to check, the door flew open.
It was Giebeck.
Slightly out of breath, the Chief looked straight at Hanna and delivered the news.
"Jin-kun is back."
"What!"
The exclamation escaped all three of them at once. Hanna was the first to find her feet.
"Onii-chan!"
She bolted for the entrance.
When she threw open the front door and stepped outside, she saw Rock, Jonas, Linus, Bill, Jeff, Dave, Howard, Rick, Tom, Jan, Sley, Kurt, Jim, Patty, Mario, Jessie, and Martha.
A massive crowd of villagers had gathered.
And at the center of everyone’s attention stood a man who was, without a doubt, Jin. Reiko was right there beside him.
The villagers were all calling out to him at once.
"Jin! What have you been doing with yourself?! You didn't even send us a single word!" Martha scolded, though her tone was thick with relief.
Jin began walking slowly toward Hanna.
The villagers instinctively cleared a path, allowing him through. Tears welled up in Hanna’s eyes. Not wanting Jin to see her crying, she looked down at her feet.
When she finally looked up again, Jin was standing right in front of her.
All the things she had planned to say when he finally came home vanished from her mind. All she could manage was a single, trembling sentence.
"Welcome home, Onii-chan."
Jin smiled at her, his expression soft and gentle.
"I'm home."
"Onii-chan!"
Unable to restrain herself any longer, Hanna lunged forward and threw herself into Jin’s arms. He caught her tenderly.
"Onii-chan, Onii-chan..."
Hanna’s face was already a mess of tears. Jin held her close, gently stroking her back as she sobbed against his chest.
"...Please don't leave again."
When Hanna pleaded with him through her tears, a flicker of hesitation crossed Jin’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile as he nodded.
"Onii-chan."
Hanna clung to him once more.
Nearby, Reiko watched the reunion with a kind, serene smile.
"...Jin-nii."
Jin looked up at the sound of the voice to see Elsa standing there.
"Elsa, I'm glad you're safe. I knew you were here last night, but I couldn't very well come barging in at midnight, so I waited until morning."
As Jin spoke, Elsa’s eyes grew watery.
"Are you... not angry?" she whispered.
Jin looked genuinely puzzled. "Why would I be angry? You disappeared, I searched for you, and I found you. That's all there is to it. You’ve already reflected on what happened, haven't you? Then there’s nothing more for me to say."
At those words, the dam finally broke, and tears overflowed from Elsa’s eyes.
"I'm... I'm so sorry."
She leaned against Jin’s shoulder and wept quietly.
＊ ＊ ＊
Once Hanna and Elsa had finally calmed down, Jin stood before the gathered villagers.
He bowed deeply to them all.
"I'm sorry for making you all worry so much."
Rock was the first to close the distance. He grabbed Jin and promptly locked him in a playful headlock.
"Ow, ow, ow! R-Rock-san?!"
"You little brat, vanishing without a word. Talk about being cold-hearted!"
Despite his rough words, Rock’s eyes were crinkled in a warm, affectionate smile.
Jonas, Linus, Bill, and Jeff were all laughing as they watched the display.
Then, the villagers hoisted Jin into the air for a victory toss.
"Jin's back! Welcome home!"
"Welcome home, Jin!"
They cheered as they threw him up again and again.
As he was tossed about by the crowd, Jin felt a few quiet tears of his own escape. He realized then, more clearly than ever, that this village was truly his second home.
Not a single person asked how he had returned or where he had come from.
They all knew Jin was no ordinary magi, but none of them let that distance them from him.
Jin was home, and for them, that was more than enough.
Jin truly was a lucky man.