It was already evening back in Kaina Village, so Jin and the others decided to head back immediately.
Since Elsa had not yet been granted permission to operate a Warp Gate on her own, Edgar held hands with Reiko while Jin took Elsa’s hand as they stepped through the gate together.
"Ah, Honi-hyan, Elsa-honee-hyan, welcome back!"
Hanna greeted them, her voice lisping through the gaps in her teeth. She froze when she saw Reiko leading a strange boy by the hand.
"...Who'th that?"
"Hanna, this is Edgar. He's an automata Elsa made. You could say he's Reiko's younger cousin."
With that explanation, Hanna seemed to grasp the situation.
"Ith that right? Tho your name'th Edgar. I'm Hanna, nithe to meet you!"
"Yes, Hanna-sama. It is a pleasure to meet you as well."
Hanna grimaced at his formal tone.
"Edgar, I don't like being called 'thama.'"
Elsa agreed with her. "Edgar, Hanna-chan is Hanna-chan. Please call her that."
"Yes, I understand... Hanna-chan. Is this acceptable?"
"Yep, that'th fine!" Hanna chirped.
Hanna and Elsa both nodded in unison.
"Welcome back, Jin-sama. Elsa, too... and who is this child?"
"Oh, this is Edgar. Elsa built this automata herself."
Mine’s eyes went wide. She hadn't realized her daughter had become capable of constructing such a sophisticated automata so quickly.
"I think Elsa has a real gift," Jin added.
"I-is that so?" Mine stammered.
"Yeah. I can't help but feel we should have started her training earlier, but it’s not too late. She’ll master plenty of techniques from here on."
"When she was a little older, Elsa’s father focused entirely on her education as a noble," Mine recalled, her expression clouding with sadness. "He didn't have the slightest intention of letting her develop her natural talents."
Just then, Elsa called out to them. "Mother, Jin-nii, what’s wrong? Come inside, quickly."
Everyone except Jin and Mine had already entered the house.
After dinner, Jin and Elsa introduced Edgar properly to the rest of the household.
"I barely lent a hand," Jin explained. "I just gave a bit of advice and checked for mistakes. Edgar is undoubtedly Elsa's creation."
"That'th amazing, Elsa-honee-hyan!" Hanna praised her without reservation, while Martha looked on with an impressed face.
"With Edgar here, Sara can focus even more on helping Martha-san and Mine," Jin said.
Currently, because Mine was such a diligent worker, Sara—the golem maid dedicated to Martha’s house—had relatively few chores. However, since she also served as a guardian, Jin intended to keep the arrangement as it was for the foreseeable future.
The next day, May 30th.
Reinhard and Berche’s wedding was scheduled for the following day. Jin planned to return to the Shouro Empire in the evening, but he intended to spend the entire day playing with Hanna first.
"Honi-hyan, thith way!"
Hanna rode Mint while Jin followed on Koma. Reiko sat in front of Jin on the saddle as they headed toward the mountain. It was the same mountain where they had gone to forage for medicinal herbs once before.
"It'th been a while thinth I came here with Honi-hyan."
"Yeah, it has."
Kaina Village looked tiny far below them. The early summer breeze felt refreshing against their skin. Jin and Hanna lined up their golem horses and enjoyed the scenery in silence for a long moment.
"...Elsa-honee-hyan ith really great, ithn't hthe?" Hanna said suddenly.
"Eh?" Jin was taken aback by the shift in topic.
"When hthe firtht came to the village, hthe htheemed kinda weak. Hthe wathn't good at cooking, either."
That was only natural, considering she had lived as a viscount’s daughter.
"But hthe worked really hard to learn how to cook, and hthe doeth the cleaning and fetcheth water, too."
"..."
"Hthe teatheth me my thtudieth and can even uthe magic. Lately, even when Honi-hyan ithn't around, hthe'th in the workthhop practicing until late every day."
Hanna was describing a side of Elsa that Jin hadn't seen for himself. He listened intently.
"You know, Elsa-honee-hyan wath the one who hthaid we hthould let Honi-hyan do the thingth he wantth to do."
Jin had suspected as much, but hearing it from Hanna made him appreciate Elsa's consideration all the more.
"That'th why, you ththee..." Hanna paused, gathering her thoughts before speaking again. "I figured that I have to work hard, too."
"Hanna?"
"Not jutht babying Honi-hyan, but becoming able to actually help Honi-hyan."
Saying that, Hanna flashed a bright, flower-like smile.
"I'm thtill thmall, tho I don't know what I can do yet, but I'm gonna thtudy a lot, a whole lot, and when I get bigger..."
A serious light dwelled in Hanna's eyes.
"...I'm gonna become Honi-hyan'th number one."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Hanna turned bright red. She scrambled down from Mint and bolted away. Jin was left staring after her, completely stunned.
"Father, please go after Hanna-chan," Reiko urged.
Prompted by Reiko, Jin dismounted from Koma and gave chase. A grassy plain stretched across the gentle summit, and Hanna was running right through the middle of it.
"Hanna!"
Jin called her name. Hanna turned around and stopped.
"Honi-hyan!"
Then, she turned and ran straight toward him, leaping into his arms. The momentum sent them both tumbling onto the soft grass together.
"Honi-hyan..."
Jin gently stroked Hanna's head. She blushed, looking immensely happy.
"Hanna, thank you."
Jin felt a bit disappointed that those were the only words he could find, but for a while, he simply enjoyed the scent of the grass and the early summer breeze with the girl. From a distance, Reiko watched them with a warm, beaming gaze.
There was a time difference of about three hours between Kaina Village and Banne, a regional city in the Shouro Empire. For Jin to return at the promised time, he only needed to leave Kaina Village around 9:00 PM.
He spent the rest of the day playing with Hanna to her heart's content.
Then, a little before 9:00 PM, Jin stood in front of the house, ready to depart.
"Well then, I'm leaving the rest to you."
"Jin-sama, please give my regards to Reinhard-sama," Mine said.
Reinhard knew Mine was in Jin’s care, but Berche did not. Jin planned to consult with Reinhard before deciding whether or not to tell her. Personally, he hoped to eventually bring the couple to Kaina Village during their honeymoon.
"Jin-nii, the gift, please."
Reiko carried the neatly packed mascot doll Elsa had crafted.
"Jin-sama, you just got back and you're heading out again already?" Barrow asked.
Barrow and Belle had also come to see him off. Jin had decided to reveal the existence of the Warp Gates to them this time, albeit with limited details—telling them the gates couldn't be used without him and that they only connected to specific locations.
"Jin, take care on your trip," Martha said, smiling at him.
"Honi-hyan, have a thaafe trip!"
Hanna waved with a smile as well. Behind the gap where her baby teeth had been, tiny, adorable permanent teeth were already starting to peek through.
"I'm off."
Jin stepped through the Warp Gate in the workshop basement, jumping to Hourai Island via Relay Base Shinkai, and from there, he transferred once again to the carriage waiting in the Shouro Empire.