July 7th.
"So, tonight is Tanabata," Jin announced at his workshop in Kaina Village.
"Ta-na-ba-ta? What’s that?" Hanna asked, her voice tilting in confusion. She had clearly never heard the word before.
Last year, the village had been in an uproar over a Gigant Peeder just before the festival. Jin had been so preoccupied with developing barrier bombs and the Absolute Zero magic that the 7th had slipped by unnoticed.
"Well, you could call Tanabata a 'Star Festival.' We write our wishes on strips of paper called tanzaku, hang them on bamboo grass, and pray for them to come true," Jin explained simply.
"Oh, so you make a wish to the stars?"
"That’s right."
As it happened, there was no bamboo grass to be found near Kaina Village. However, a thicket of it grew on the eastern side of Hourai Island.
"Laojun, send some bamboo grass over."
"As you wish, My Lord."
Three minutes after Laojun’s reply, a bundle of bamboo grass appeared on the first floor of the workshop.
"Ruby 2 went to retrieve it in a great hurry," Laojun added.
"I see. Tell her she did a good job."
"Jin-nii, isn’t that just 'bamboo'?"
"Yeah, people call it that too."
Jin himself wasn't entirely clear on the botanical distinction. Generally, if the sheaths remain on the stalk after it grows, it’s considered bamboo grass; if they fall off, it’s bamboo. However, the nomenclature was a mess—some plants called "bamboo" were technically bamboo grass, like arrow bamboo, while others named "bamboo grass" were actually bamboo, like okame-zasa.
Shaking off the tangent, Jin got to work. "Now, we make decorations like this..."
"Wow, how pretty!"
Using wood-paper—washi dyed with various pigments—Jin crafted paper chains, lanterns, nets, and stars. Hanna began mimicking him, and she proved to be surprisingly skilled.
"You're quite good with your hands, Hanna."
"You think so?" Hanna tilted her head, though she looked delighted by the praise.
"Jin-nii... what are you making?" Elsa asked as she joined them.
"Tanabata decorations. Since tonight is the Star Festival," Jin said, giving her the same explanation he had given Hanna. Then he had a thought. "I suppose we should prepare yukatas as well."
They had the ones they’d used for last year’s summer festival, and Jin initially thought of having them wear those again.
"Father, why not craft new yukatas for them?" Reiko suggested, having watched silently until now.
"Good point. I think I will."
Hanna was in a growing phase, and Elsa was now his fiancée. Since both of them were at different stages of their lives compared to last year, it felt right to give them something new to wear.
Jin immediately set about the task. For the fabric, he used cotton obtained from Mitsuho. By blending in a tiny amount of ground spider silk, he created a material that was remarkably resistant to wrinkling.
"Hmm, what should I do for the patterns..."
He settled on light blue for Elsa and pink for Hanna, but the specific designs were harder to choose.
"Goshujin-sama, it might be easiest to decide first whether you want a floral design or a geometric pattern," Anne advised, stepping into the Hourai Island workshop.
Having served various masters in the Dinar Kingdom before joining Jin, Anne possessed a broad perspective that often proved invaluable.
"You're right. Let's go with flowers. Dianthus for Elsa... and goldfish for Hanna."
The decision made, he set to work. Once the patterns were finalized, the rest was just like drafting a technical blueprint—Jin’s specialty. He believed that yukata patterns didn't need to be flashy or eccentric.
"I want to respect tradition," he muttered to himself.
In about an hour, the yukatas were finished, patterns and all. While it was 4:00 PM on Hourai Island, it was only 1:40 PM in Kaina Village—broad daylight.
"Wow, Jin-nii, thank you!"
"Thank you, Jin-nii."
Both girls beamed as they received their new clothes. They went up to the second floor of the workshop to change. Jin noticed that Hanna no longer changed her clothes in front of him, a poignant reminder of how much she had grown.
"Onii-chan, sorry to keep you waiting!"
"...Jin-nii, how do I look?"
As they came back downstairs, Jin’s face softened into a smile. "Yeah, they really suit you. You both look wonderful."
Since they had worn yukatas the previous year, they knew how to dress themselves properly. The collars were folded correctly, and the hems were neat.
"All right, let's write our tanzaku."
"Okay!"
I hope Grandma lives a long life. I hope everyone stays healthy. I hope the village remains safe. I hope the World Conference is a success. I hope the world stays at peace.
They began hanging their written wishes on the branches.
"Jin-nii, I can't raise my arms high enough."
"Ah, for that..."
The structure of traditional Japanese clothing made it difficult to raise one's arms straight up. To do so, one usually had to tuck up the sleeves, which was why accessories for tasuki-gake existed. For now, Jin helped Elsa roll back her sleeves.
"There, that should do it."
"Thank you." Elsa reached up to tie her tanzaku to a high branch. Jin felt a momentary flutter in his chest at the sight of her pale, slender arms revealed by the lifted fabric.
"The stars really are beautiful when you take a moment to look at them."
The night sky over Kaina Village was incomparably clearer than the skies of modern Tokyo that Jin remembered.
"The fact that we can see the Milky Way means this world is part of a galaxy, too."
With the World Conference looming, they were all quite busy, so this Tanabata was a small, private affair for just their group. Tomorrow would bring a whirlwind of preparation. With the silent understanding that tonight was their only time to rest, Jin and Elsa savored the quiet moment.
High above, the stars twinkled, and the approaching long-period planet shone with a brilliance that outshone them all.