Jin returned, washed his hands, and took his seat as dinner was served.
The menu featured white rice, fried eggs, fu miso soup, and kombu (or rather, a seaweed that tasted exactly like it) tsukudani.
"I tried to come up with a menu that we could serve even on a spaceship," Elsa explained.
"I see. Rice has a long shelf life, and eggs last quite a while too."
"Yes. Miso is naturally a preserved food, and fu is too. Even tsukudani is meant to last."
Jin tasted the spread and offered his approval.
"And it's delicious! Thanks, Elsa."
"I wish I could recreate that 'curry' you said you used to eat, Jin-nii..."
Since they didn't know the proper ratio for the spice blend, it remained one of the many dishes they had yet to successfully replicate.
"Ah, curry... I’d love some, but it’s a tall order. I only know about turmeric, pepper, and chili peppers..."
Even Jin didn't know the intricacies of the spice ratios, and the magus Shuuki Tsetse hadn't left behind a recipe for it either.
Still, if this was the menu for one meal a day, it would be perfectly fine even for several days in a row.
"For the miso soup, we can also use dried wakame (or seaweed just like it) and kiriboshi daikon (or root vegetables just like it)."
"It's surprising how many Japanese foods are well-suited for preservation."
"Mm. And since we have flour, I think we can bake bread whenever we need to."
Elsa added a caveat, though, saying there was a possibility they might not be able to use yeast.
"Hmm. Even so, this variety is more than enough. Thank you, Elsa."
"I'm glad I could be of help."
Seeing Jin’s genuine delight, Elsa’s face softened into a happy smile.
After the meal, they had hojicha.
"I think we can take this with us as well."
"Yeah, definitely. You’ve been a huge help with all this, Elsa."
Jin felt a fresh surge of motivation to work hard again the next day.
＊ ＊ ＊
Since the radar development was proving more difficult than anticipated, Jin decided to spend the next few days prioritizing the craft’s other equipment.
First was the reconnaissance craft.
Its design was based on Pegasus 1, powered by a force generator. Since he had a base model to work from, he finished the prototype easily within half a day.
"I should add some armaments for contingencies," Jin decided. He began installing lasers, magi-cannons, Paralyzers, and Induction Radiators.
While he was working, a sudden idea struck him.
"It might be fun to build a spaceship with the exact same exterior as Konron 2."
Konron 2 was an airship, but its silhouette wasn't entirely unlike a spaceship.
"That could be interesting in its own way," he muttered.
Laojun overheard that comment. He would likely take action on it later.
"Father, it is almost time for lunch."
Reiko, who was acting as his assistant, called out to him at the appropriate time.
"Ah, right. Let's take a break."
Now that the reconnaissance craft was finished, he could leave the rest to Laojun and the Smiths.
Jin stepped out of the large dock behind the laboratory and walked toward the house.
The weather was perfect; the May sky was a clear, vivid blue.
"Welcome back, Jin-nii."
"I'm home."
The greeting was exchanged naturally.
"Today's lunch is another menu I designed for the spaceship. I made some dried noodles and prepared them."
"Oh?"
When Jin looked, he saw udon. Dried udon noodles certainly lasted a long time, and the soup base would keep well if prepared as a concentrate.
Since the weather had turned warm, it was served as dipping noodles—zaru udon.
The rehydrated udon had been chilled in cold water and piled onto a bamboo sieve.
They ate by dipping the noodles into a soup base made from katsuobushi dashi. The garnish consisted of dried mock long onions.
"Yeah, this is great."
Jin slurped the udon, enjoying the smooth texture as it went down.
"I like that the noodles are a bit on the thinner side. The flavor of the soup is excellent, too."
Jin preferred thinner udon because it held the soup better.
"I think I could make the noodles even thinner to make hiyamugi as well."
"Yeah, definitely. It's nice to have noodles like this once in a while."
He was truly grateful to have these meals provided.
Jin offered his thanks to Elsa for all her effort.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Now then."
After finishing lunch and stretching to refresh his mind, Jin sat down in his workshop chair.
"Let's build some all-terrain vehicles."
Even when investigating a new destination, aerial reconnaissance wasn't enough. There would inevitably be times when they needed a vehicle to traverse the land.
"The question is: tires, continuous tracks, or legs?"
Jin pondered for a moment.
"Argh, in times like these..."
He decided to prepare both a 4-wheel drive vehicle and a 4-legged walking vehicle.
"We need to be able to handle any environment."
Since he had experience building both types, the drive systems were completed quickly with the help of Reiko and the Smiths.
"Next is the pressurized cabin, the airlocks, and..."
He incorporated features to ensure safety in a vacuum or toxic atmosphere, added airlocks for entry and exit, and naturally included life-support systems equivalent to those on the spaceship.
Furthermore, he equipped them with force generators, allowing them to fly for short durations.
By evening, both prototypes were complete, outfitted with escape Warp Gates and weapons.
"...Jin-nii, you’re incredible."
Elsa, who had come to check on his progress, looked half-exasperated by his speed.
"So, what are their names?"
"Hmm, let’s see..."
The reconnaissance craft, the 4-wheel drive, and the 4-legged walker.
"The reconnaissance craft will be the 'Mosquito,' the 4-wheel drive will be the 'Lizard,' and the 4-legged walker... let's go with 'Bison.'"
"Mm, I can see why."
Elsa, who had some knowledge of the animals from Earth, seemed to understand the reasoning behind the names.
Thus, the equipment for the spaceship was being prepared smoothly.
However...
"Jin-nii, I just thought of something."
Under the deepening twilight sky, Elsa spoke with a grave expression.
"What is it? Tell me."
"...If—just if—what would happen if the 'free ether' disappeared?"
"Eh...?"
Free ether was the energy source for all magic tools. What would happen if it were gone?
The answer was "Stand Still."
"There's no guarantee that won't happen. Can we do something about it?"
"Hmm..."
Elsa was uncharacteristically serious.
As a Magic Craftsman, Jin had no choice but to take her concern with the utmost gravity.