After they finished breakfast, Maya dropped by to see Jin and his group.
"Morning to ya. Are ya ready to head to Seki Town with Daro-san today?"
Seki Town was effectively the final inspection site for Mitsuho—a checkpoint in the literal sense of the word.
"Yes, we’re ready. How far away is it?"
Between the information from John Dini and observations from the surveillance satellite Watcher, Jin already knew the distance was just under sixty kilometers.
"I reckon it’s about sixty kilometers."
"In that case, leaving after noon should give us plenty of time."
"Hm? Is that automobile really that fast?"
"Yes, it can maintain twenty kilometers per hour."
Upon hearing that figure, Maya nodded, seemingly convinced.
"A bicycle might be a bit faster in a sprint, but ya can’t keep that up for long. In that regard, Magi Machines really are somethin' else."
Since it was clear they had time to spare, Maya kept her promise from the previous day and explained the nature of the nightlights.
"It’s called moonlight grass. Though, it’s more of a moss than a grass, really. It grows out in the Mitsuho wastelands. Folks harvest it, dry it, grind it up, and then mix it into paint. That’s how ya get the glowin' paint."
"I see, so it's a phosphorescent paint."
Jin recognized it as a substance that absorbed light energy to emit its own glow, similar to how luminous paint was used for watch faces on modern Earth. Just as Saki had gathered at the inn, this moonlight grass was indeed the source of the nightlights.
"I wonder what mechanism it uses to store the light?" Saki mused, tilting her head.
"Sorry, I’m not much for the technical details. There’ll be folks who know more in Seki Town, so ya ought to ask there."
Even without understanding the underlying principles, humanity had utilized various natural phenomena since ancient times. Of course, Jin knew that uncovering those principles was the key to more advanced applications.
"Kufu. I'm looking forward to Seki Town."
"I reckon folks like you will be more than welcome there, Jin-han."
"I hope so."
As they were talking, Daro, the vice-bailiff of Seki Town and chief of Kari Village, arrived.
"Oh, is Maya here as well?"
In his capacity as vice-bailiff, he also held the responsibility of vetting those who wished to enter Mitsuho.
"Jin-dono, is it acceptable for us to depart for Seki Town later today?"
"Yes, I was just discussing it with Maya-san. I believe if we leave shortly after noon, we can arrive before the day is out."
Daro, sensing that this estimate was based on the performance of the automobile, looked genuinely impressed.
"Ho ho, you truly are an extraordinary individual, Jin-dono."
Ignoring Reiko, who was puffing out her flat chest with pride behind him, Jin offered a more detailed explanation.
"The automobile can run at twenty kilometers per hour all day long—and twice that for short bursts. Besides the driver, Edgar, there is room for seven people, so you can join us, Daro-san."
Jin had prepared an auxiliary seat for emergencies. It was usually used for luggage, but it could accommodate one extra passenger.
"Oh, that would be wonderful. You would truly allow me to ride with you?"
"Of course."
With that settled, they decided to have a slightly early lunch and depart at noon. It was currently around ten o’clock.
Daro mentioned they should have lunch together and took his leave for the moment.
"Oh? Daro-han left already? And I just brewed some tea, too."
"Well, let's all have some then."
Since Maya had gone to the trouble of brewing it, the group decided to relax and enjoy the tea together.
"So ya’re leavin' already. I wanted to talk more about all sorts of things," Maya said, her face clouded with reluctance.
"Once the Shouro Empire and Mitsuho establish formal diplomatic relations, people will be able to come and go much more frequently," Jin assured her.
"Yeah, I guess so. I’ll look forward to the day we can meet again."
"And once those relations are established, I'm sure you'll be able to be with Oliver-san officially as well."
"Sputter!"
At Jin’s words, Maya spectacularly sprayed her tea everywhere.
"Cough! Hack! Cough!"
The tea seemed to have gone down the wrong pipe, leaving her gasping and wheezing. Unable to watch her suffer, Elsa cast a healing spell.
"Behandeln."
The spell, designed for both internal and external ailments, quickly calmed Maya’s breathing.
"Th-thanks a bunch, I appreciate it... Jin-han, don’t go sayin' weird things like that!"
Her face bright red, Maya lunged toward Jin. Her eyes were watery and her nose was running.
"Wait, was it that strange?"
Jin was surprised; he had assumed the relationship between Oliver and Maya was common knowledge.
"Maya-onee-chan, your nose is running."
Hanna pointed this out with the bluntness of a child, which effectively took the wind out of Maya’s sails.
"Ah... ugh."
After pulling out a handkerchief and vigorously wiping her face, Maya turned back to Jin, though her earlier intensity had vanished.
"Ah... sigh, fine. It’s true I like Oliver, but there’s no way a family like his would ever accept someone like me. Not a woman like this."
She began to mutter about being an orphan and her mixed heritage as a quarter foreign tribe. As she laughed self-deprecatingly, Saki was the one to speak up.
"Maya-san, my father was just a commoner. And my mother was the eldest daughter of a Marquis."
"Eh?"
"Their social standings were so different that marriage was strictly forbidden. But I’m standing right here now."
"Does that mean...?"
"My father took my mother and they eloped. My mother has passed away now, but today my grandfather—my mother’s father—has finally forgiven them both."
"Saki-han..."
"So, you shouldn't give up. Unless, of course, you’re saying that Oliver-san has rejected you."
"..."
In a rare moment, Saki had become passionate about something other than her research.
"Saki-han, thanks. I won’t give up; I’ll give it my best shot."
"Kufufu. I suppose that was a bit out of character for me."
Turning back to Jin and the others, Saki looked a little bashful.
"No, it was certainly a surprise, but I think those were words only you could have said, Saki," Jin replied.
"Saki-nee, you were very cool," Elsa added.
"Saki-onee-chan, you were wonderful!" Hanna chimed in.
Jin wasn't sure how much of the context Hanna actually understood, but his and Elsa’s praise was heartfelt.
"...This is embarrassing."
Scratching her head with blushing cheeks, Saki scurried to hide behind Aaru.
Finally, the time for departure arrived.
"Jin-han, Saki-han, Elsa-han, Hanna-chan, come back and visit again, ya hear?"
Maya stood by to see them off. Since she had been told that Reiko, Aaru, and Edgar were automata, Jin wondered if she would ignore them, but she surprised him.
"Reiko-chan, Aaru-han, Edgar-han, make sure ya protect your masters well."
She addressed them all properly. Hearing that, Jin had a stray thought.
(Her pronunciation of Reiko’s name is remarkably close to the native Japanese phonetics...)
"Well then, shall we go?"
With Daro seated in the automobile, Jin gave Edgar the signal to depart.
"Starting the vehicle."
With that brief announcement, Edgar pressed the accelerator. The automobile began to roll forward smoothly.
Daro seemed captivated by his first ride in an automobile, silently observing every detail of the interior.
"...From what I can see, the tires are made of wood. And yet, the ride is so smooth..." he murmured.
A moment later, he whispered, "Even with this many people inside, it is neither hot nor cold. It isn't even stuffy. Just what kind of machine is this...?"
Jin gave a wry smile at Daro’s mutterings and decided to leave him to his wonderment. It wasn't until they were more than halfway to Seki Town that Daro finally regained his composure.