"Phew..."
In the command room of Hourai Island, Jin stood up from the cockpit of his Doppel.
Outside, the sun had already risen. Elsa, who was supposed to be napping nearby, was nowhere to be seen.
"Father, it is already 6:30 in the morning," Reiko informed him.
"Ah, is it that time already?"
"Elsa-sama should be preparing breakfast by now."
"Now that you mention it, I am getting hungry..." Jin stood up and stretched. "I’ll be away for a bit. Laojun, I’m leaving the rest to you. Let me know if anything happens."
『Yes, My Lord.』
Leaving the command room behind, Jin headed back toward the house.
"Ah, Jin-nii."
In the kitchen, Elsa was right in the middle of preparing their morning meal.
"It will take a little longer, so why don't you take a bath?"
"Good idea. I think I’ll do just that."
Jin loved his morning baths. Since the bath in the Nidou household was a natural hot spring, it was ready for him at any hour.
"Phew... I can feel the fatigue melting away."
Jin stretched his limbs in the tub and rolled his neck to work out the kinks.
"Father, would you say things have settled for the time being?" Reiko asked as she stood by, ready to scrub his back.
"I suppose so. Though we won't know how effective our countermeasures really were until a bit more time passes."
"Even so, those people from Onogoro Island are truly baffling."
"They are... However, that long-distance telescope of theirs was a great reference. I’ll try to see if I can make one myself later."
Jin had heard the basic principle: transmitting light waves using mana waves as a carrier. He understood the concept of radio—transmitting sound via radio waves—from his time in school. He wondered if he could apply that same logic to light.
He decided to spend his sudden bit of free time experimenting with the idea.
"Ah, this miso soup is wonderful."
"I'm glad you like it."
It was miso soup with aburaage, one of Jin’s favorites. Accompanied by umeboshi, oshinko, and grilled fish, it was a perfectly classic breakfast.
"Phew, I feel much more relaxed now." Jin let out a soft sigh as he sipped his post-meal hojicha.
"What's the plan for today?" Elsa asked.
"Well, things are stable at the moment. There isn't much I can do until I've monitored the situation for a full day, so I’m thinking of working on a different set of countermeasures."
"A different set?"
Jin explained the concept of a tele-observation device to her—a tool that would allow them to observe distant locations without leaving their seats.
"I remember that woman from Onogoro Island... Helente? She mentioned something like that, but... can you really make one?" Elsa asked, a bit concerned. Even for Jin, finishing an entirely new invention in less than a day seemed like a tall order.
"I have a rough idea of the principle, at least. I’ll give it some thought. If I can get it to work, it would be an incredibly useful tool."
"In that case, I’ll help."
"Father, I shall assist as well."
"I’m counting on you both."
However, as noon approached...
"...This might be a bit much."
It seemed that even Jin couldn't develop a completely new technology in such a short window.
"If I keep at it, I still won't finish today. I think it’s best to just give up on this for now."
"That’s a shame."
"It is a pity, Father."
"Yeah, but I had zero preparation time, so I suppose it can't be helped."
Jin suspended the work, though he made it clear he wasn't abandoning the project entirely.
"Shall we have lunch?"
"Mm."
Since Jin, Elsa, and Reiko had all been busy, Soleil and Luna had prepared lunch in their stead.
"Oh, three-color soba?"
"We have soba-yu as well."
On Hourai Island, the "three colors" consisted of Sarashina, Hikigurumi, and Cha-soba.
When buckwheat seeds are ground with a stone mill, the first flour produced is white and possesses a refined aroma; soba made from this first milling was called Sarashina, a name Jin had given it based on his own vague memories.
The version made by removing only the outermost husk and grinding the seed with the pellicle still attached was called Hikigurumi on Hourai Island. This was because grinding the husks in as well made the texture far too crumbly.
Finally, Cha-soba was based on Sarashina flour mixed with matcha powder, offering a faint, pleasant scent of tea. With wasabi, nori, and green onions available as toppings, there were plenty of ways to enjoy the meal.
"Yeah, this is great."
"It's delicious. I think I like the Hikigurumi best."
As a soba enthusiast, Jin found it hard to pick a favorite, but he tended to agree that the Hikigurumi offered the most authentic flavor and aroma. Once they finished the noodles, they drank the leftover dipping sauce diluted with soba-yu and finished the meal with buckwheat tea.
"Phew, that was satisfying. Thank you for the meal."
"Thank you for the meal."
Elsa looked equally content.
"Now then, I’ve checked in with Laojun, and the situation hasn't changed. It looks like we have about a seven-hour window."
"What will you do then? Go back to the tele-observation device?"
"No, I think I’ll focus on something else."
"Like what?"
"Reinforcing our planetary defenses."
Jin intended to prepare for the possibility of micro-class fragments approaching Ars.
"They might be too small to catch every single one, but I want to reduce the numbers as much as possible."
It would be fine if they burned up in the atmosphere, but he wanted to prevent even a few from reaching the surface.
"What will you do specifically?"
"I’m going to install transporter cannons on the Watcher satellites. I’ll also increase the 10-meter class spaceship fleet from five to ten vessels and put them on high alert."
"...Understood. I’ll help."
"Thanks. But don't push yourself too hard. Laojun can handle most of the heavy lifting."
Since these were all things he had built before, Jin only needed to give the orders for the installation on the Watchers. In fact, he had already sent the instructions.
"Then what will you be doing, Jin-nii?"
"Upgrading Laojun’s capabilities."
Jin was thinking of the ancient magi-brain left behind by the Progenitors beneath Onogoro Island. He was determined to make Laojun into a magi-brain that wouldn't just match it, but surpass it entirely.
This decision would, in time, prove to be Jin's salvation.