Jin and Elsa returned to Kaina Village to rest for a while.
Since they were heading to the Kingdom of Franz the following day, staying where the time difference was minimal was far more convenient. Traveling between distant locations like Hourai Island and the Shouro Empire had made the shift in time quite noticeable. Though they hadn't succumbed to actual jet lag, they were both feeling the weight of their recent travels.
"Onii-chan, Big Sister Elsa, welcome back. You must be exhausted," Hanna said. Her kind words of greeting were a welcome comfort to the weary pair.
"Jin, Elsa-chan, why don't you two stay the night here?" Martha invited them, and they decided to take her up on her generous offer. For Jin, Martha’s home was a place where he could feel a strange, deep sense of peace.
＊ ＊ ＊
The day after they stayed at Martha’s.
"Now then, there’s something I want to make..." Jin said, relaxing in the second-floor living room of his workshop as he brought the matter up with Elsa.
"The sunscreen?" she asked.
"No, a birth gift for Reinhard."
"Ah, of course."
Jin wanted to prioritize this project, so it seemed he had decided to leave the sunscreen prototype to Laojun for the time being.
"So, I’ve been thinking about what to make."
"Hmm..."
The two of them began to brainstorm together.
"Baby products would be the best choice, after all," Jin suggested.
"Mm....So, Jin-nii, what kind of things did they have in your world?"
"Right, let's see..."
Diapers. Pacifiers. Rattles. Cradles. Pellet drums. Merry-go-rounds... Jin listed them off as they came to mind.
"A rattle? A pellet drum? A merry-go-round?...What are those?"
Apparently, such items did not exist in this world.
"Well, rattles and pellet drums are toys for children. You let them hold it, and it makes a sound when they shake or move it."
"That sounds interesting."
"Doesn't it? Though a newborn might be a bit too small to play with them just yet. But a merry-go-round..."
"What kind of thing is that?"
"Um..."
Jin began to explain the concept of a merry-go-round. "You hang it from the ceiling... and it plays music while it spins around..."
"I don't quite understand."
"I suppose not."
Realizing words weren't enough, Jin decided to draw a picture. He didn't have any wood-paper on hand, so he pulled out a spare whiteboard that Mine used when teaching the village children and began to sketch. While Jin wasn't great at original artistic design, he was quite skilled at drafting and technical illustration. He managed to produce a drawing that captured the essence of the device.
"...Intriguing."
"You use bright colors like yellow or pink. It spins and plays music. Children are supposed to love them."
"I have heard that it is good to let small children listen to songs," Elsa agreed.
"Right?"
"...I want to try making one."
Elsa added that since several babies had been born in Kaina Village this year, it could also serve as a celebratory gift from Jin in his role as their lord.
"Yeah, that’s a great idea. Let's get to work then. I’ll need this and that for materials... and as for what's missing... Reiko!"
"Yes, Father."
Reiko, who had been waiting outside the room, appeared immediately in response to Jin’s call.
"Please have some Ground Spider resin—GSP—and magic dye delivered."
"Understood."
He could have contacted Laojun via his bracelet, but Reiko always looked so pleased when he relied on her for these tasks that he preferred to ask her directly. Within minutes—less than that, even—the materials Jin requested were sent to the workshop via the transporter.
"All right."
Waiting in the first-floor workshop, Jin rubbed his hands together. "First, the prototype."
He crafted a rotating ring and a base to support it, then created several hanging decorations to attach to the frame. Since it wouldn't move on its own, he designed the power source as a windmill-type mechanism, intended to be driven by wind magic. He left the sound-producing magic tool to Elsa; it was an application of the music box they had developed for the Technology Expo.
"Now, let's see how it works."
Having finished the assembly, Jin hung Prototype No. 1 from the eaves of the workshop.
"Wow, Onii-chan, what’s that?" Hanna asked, peeking her head in after finishing her chores.
"It's a toy to soothe babies. Just a prototype for now."
"Huh. It looks like fun."
"Now then, let's start it up."
Jin spoke the keyword to activate the device. "Activate."
The merry-go-round began to spin slowly. Simultaneously, a whistling melody began to play.
"Hmm, the rotation might be a bit too fast."
"The music feels a little monotonous too," Elsa noted.
As Jin and Elsa discussed potential improvements, Hanna stared at the merry-go-round with sparkling eyes.
"Wow, it's wonderful! I'm sure the babies will be so happy with this!"
"You think so? That’s a relief." Encouraged by Hanna’s high praise, Jin felt more confident. "All right, let's refine it."
He stopped the device and went back to work.
"...Hanna-chan, what kind of music do you think a baby would enjoy?" Elsa asked, seeking advice on the musical aspect.
"Hmm, instead of whistling, maybe a sound that bounces more?"
"Ah, I see."
Prompted by Hanna’s observation, Jin recalled something. "I think I remember a sort of clink-clatter sound... I wonder what made that noise?"
"Maybe a bell that doesn't ring too sharply?" Hanna suggested.
"Eh?" Jin was slightly taken aback. Despite never having seen the actual object, her suggestion was remarkably spot-on.
"What? I mean, doesn't a 'clink-clatter' sound like a bell made of wood?"
"Ah, that’s it."
Hanna was describing what would be called a cowbell on modern Earth. While the name specifically referred to a bell for a cow, the term generally applied to bells for any livestock. If made of metal, they produced a sharp "ting," but with softer materials, the sound became a more rhythmic "clonk."
"You're right, that sound is a lot like a plastic bell," Jin realized. He thought it might be effective to have bells hanging like wind chimes that would ring as the device rotated.
"...What do you think?" he asked Elsa.
"That might work well....Though it means my part won't be needed," Elsa said with a slightly disappointed look.
"In that case, I want you to make the bells," Jin said, catching on to her mood.
"Okay!" Elsa's motivation returned instantly.
"You two really are close, Onii-chan," Hanna remarked with a hint of envy as she watched them.
For the next two hours, Jin and Elsa worked together to perfect the merry-go-round prototype.