Jin and Elsa returned to Hourai Island to begin preparing for the Celuroa Kingdom’s Founding Anniversary Ceremony.
"My Lord, while we are at it, why don't we custom-make some 'Kunlun-style' formal wear?" Laojun suggested.
"Kunlun-style?"
"Yes. Something that shows off our unique flair without being too ostentatious."
"Oh, that sounds like a lovely idea," a voice said from behind Jin.
"Stearena?"
"Yes, I just arrived. It sounded like you were discussing something interesting."
"Do you agree, Stearena-san?...My Lord, I am not suggesting we go so far as haori and hakama, but perhaps it is time to decide on a signature look?"
Laojun pressed the proposal once more. Jin had given it some thought himself, so he was fundamentally in agreement.
"Hmm... I think it’s a good idea. The question is, what kind of clothes are we talking about?"
"Father, wouldn't a standard suit be sufficient?" Reiko asked.
"A suit, huh..."
Jin had worn suits during his job-hunting days, and he’d even donned rented formal wear for a senior colleague's wedding. That was the kind of attire he had in mind. He certainly had no desire to wear a tailcoat.
"All right. Let's work in that direction."
"Mhm. I'll help," Elsa offered.
"Hehe, and we’ll have to be very picky about the materials!" Saki added, joining the group. "We should be clever with the colors, too. Jin, as the Lord of Kunlun and the master of Hourai Island, should wear black. His wife, Elsa, should wear navy. The rest of us can take blue or green."
"W-Wife!?" Elsa turned bright red at Saki’s teasing.
Ultimately, Jin, Elsa, Saki, and Stearena spent the rest of the day consulting and brainstorming. By that night, the Hourai Island-spec formal wear was complete.
"Yeah, Jin, you look quite dashing."
"It suits Elsa-san perfectly as well."
The ensemble was a classic three-piece. Jin’s version featured a jacket, slacks, and a vest, while Elsa’s swapped the trousers for a pencil skirt. Jin wore black; Elsa wore navy. Both were accented with crisp white ties.
To match the standards of the world of Ars, the silhouette was roomier than modern Earth fashion—perhaps even a bit baggy. A "loose fit," so to speak.
The outer fabric was made from Ancient Dragon leather, stretched to the absolute limit of thinness. Despite its light weight, the material was so resilient that it would be impossible for a sword to even scratch it once magic was channeled through the fibers.
The lining was made of ground spider silk, or GSS. It was lightweight, durable, wrinkle-resistant, and naturally repelled stains. The white dress shirts were also crafted from GSS.
"Saki, sorry about this. It looks like the vest you made for me the other day is going to be retired," Jin said, referring to the vest made from Ancient Dragon materials. "But don't worry—I'll use that one for everyday wear. This suit is strictly for formal occasions."
Jin didn't relish the idea of wearing formal attire outside of public venues anyway, so the previous vest certainly wouldn't go to waste.
"By the way, what about Hanna’s outfit?" Jin asked.
Stearena’s expression immediately shifted to one of shock. "Wait... Jin-kun, you aren't seriously planning to take Hanna-chan to the ceremony, are you!?"
"Well... yes," he replied, taken aback by her intensity.
"What are you thinking? Absolutely not! Taking a small child to such a dangerous, bleak city would be terrible for her upbringing!" Stearena was visibly agitated.
"Er... is it really that bad?"
"It’s fine for you and Elsa-san because you already know how the world works, but not for Hanna-chan. You shouldn't take her to a city like that until she's at least fourteen or fifteen!"
According to Stearena, compared to the regional city of Goua where she had lived, the capital city of Dali was under the oppressive authority of the royal family. Surveillance was everywhere; eyes were always watching from the shadows.
"We even ran into those 'selfish siblings' in Goua! You absolutely must not take Hanna-chan to Dali!"
"O-Oh... I see..." Jin muttered, completely overwhelmed by Stearena’s rare display of vehemence.
"...Jin-nii, if Stearena-san is this adamant, it must be for a good reason. We should listen to her advice this time," Elsa added.
"Yeah... you're right."
Having been cautioned by both women, Jin gave up on the idea of bringing Hanna along.
"Man... I'll have to make it up to her somehow." Jin was notoriously soft on Hanna.
Finally, they updated the outfits for Reiko and Edgar. Though their clothes were made of GSS, they had become quite worn, so Jin insisted on new ones. The designs remained the same, however. Reiko had been particularly insistent on that point.
"I prefer these clothes—the ones Father first gave me," she had declared.
She did, however, receive a new squire's cape featuring Jin’s crest—two horizontal lines within a circle.
"Next, we need defensive gear," Jin said.
Since they were heading into the Celuroa Kingdom, he wanted to be prepared for even a one-in-a-billion emergency. His primary concern was defense—specifically, the timing of a barrier's activation.
Saki provided the solution. "Jin, why don't we have Laojun monitor the situation? If things look dangerous, he can trigger the barrier for you."
"Ah, right..." Jin realized that letting Laojun have an activation switch was a smart move. There was always a chance their own reactions would be delayed if they were distracted. "If I’m going to do that, I might as well make it a symbol of the Jin Family and include a manacam function."
"A ring might be a bit too small for all that," Saki noted.
"...A bracelet?" Elsa suggested.
Jin nodded. "Yeah. That might be just right."
He likely had an image of a high-tech communicator watch in his mind.
In this way, the Jin Family protection bracelets were created. The base was made of 64 light silver—essentially titanium—making it safe even for those with metal allergies. He set a magi-crystal into the frame, wrote in a magi-formula, and formed the magi-circuit. Since the magi-formula was engraved on the interior, the device would remain functional unless the frame suffered catastrophic physical damage.
"While I'm at it, I'll make one for Hanna, too," Jin decided. It was both a peace offering for leaving her behind and a safety precaution for the future.
He color-coded them: jet black for his own, light blue for Elsa’s, yellow for Hanna’s, light purple for Saki’s, and copper for Stearena’s.
"I also made it so they can serve as an emergency light." Essentially, it was a high-powered flashlight that could also be used to blind an attacker.
"This is excellent." Saki beamed as she fastened the bracelet to her wrist. Elsa put hers on her left arm, admiring it from several angles.
"Now, as for Laojun's surveillance devices..."
"Ultra-miniature golems. Preferably ones that can fly," Elsa suggested, matching Jin’s thoughts exactly.
"Yeah, that’s perfect. We’ll make them five centimeters long, using the same chassis as Finger and Sam."
He equipped them with built-in force generators, invisibility, and barrier functions.
"Instead of weapons, I want them to have built-in transporters so they can escape any situation."
If the teleportation distance was limited to about fifty meters, he could just barely fit the device inside the small frame. Being able to move that distance in an instant would allow them to evade almost any threat.
"And in the absolute worst-case scenario... they’ll self-destruct."
It was a grim thought, but necessary. In the event of capture, they would destroy their primary magi-devices to protect Hourai Island's secrets.
"I just hope I can collect the remains and fix them later," Jin added with his typical concern for his creations.
The golems were powered by a magi reactor and ethenol. While the magi reactor handled standard operations, the high energy demand of the force generator for flight required ethenol. This limited their flight time to approximately two hours. They wouldn't be able to stay airborne indefinitely.
"Well, they can just stick to the ceiling most of the time."
"Yes, considering the need for stealth, that should be more than adequate performance," Laojun confirmed.
Thus, the Shinobi Squad was born—a surveillance unit directly under Laojun’s command. The initial batch consisted of ten units. Jin had originally tried to call the SP units the "Ninja Squad," but "SP" had been easier to say and stuck instead. Now, the name was revived for these mini-golems.
"Their designations shall be Shinobi 1, Shinobi 2, and so on," Laojun announced, sounding a bit pleased with the naming convention.
"So, Jin-nii, have you decided on a gift yet?" Elsa asked.
The "official gift" was a headache for every visiting nation. Elsa had been trying to think of something appropriate, but nothing had felt quite right.
"Yeah. In my opinion, giving them a magic tool would be a mistake."
Jin suspected that if the Celuroa Kingdom received a magic tool, they would immediately disassemble it to assess its threat level and reverse-engineer its technology.
"If we had sent Tia, they probably would have taken her apart."
"...When you put it that way, Jin-nii, you really did save her."
"I suppose so. That's why magic tools are out. And we should probably avoid raw materials as well."
"Then what, Jin?" Saki asked.
"I think a work of art is the best choice."
"Aha, I see. If they take it apart, it loses all its value, and it’s a great way to show off. But what specifically are you going to make?"
"Well, when it comes to things I make..."
"...A figure?" Elsa asked, her voice tinged with a hint of skepticism as she remembered the Marcia figure he had made in Port Rock Town.
"...Well, something like that."
"Then what is it?"
"A masterpiece."
The image Jin had in his mind was the Venus de Milo.