It was a day at the end of September in Kaina Village. A cool breeze had begun to blow, finally carrying away the lingering heat of summer.
Elsa and Mine were sitting on a bench outside, tending to the twins, when a voice called out to them.
"Look, I’ve finished it. Not bad, right?"
The "it" in question was a baby carriage designed to carry two children. Unlike modern Japan, the footpaths here were never crowded with people, making such a vehicle quite practical.
"It has a sunshade, and between the rubber tires, the suspension system, and the dampers, the ride should be perfectly smooth."
"Thank you. You really are amazing."
Elsa and Mine immediately settled the twins into the carriage.
"Shall we take them for a walk?"
"I don't think they can really see yet, but..."
Despite her modest words, Elsa was clearly eager. She reached out and took hold of the handle herself.
"I’ll do it."
Without so much as a rattle, the baby carriage began to roll forward. In this world, taking newborns out for fresh air was a perfectly common practice.
"Be careful out there."
"Mhm, it's fine. If I don't get some exercise, it’s bad for my health."
Her postpartum recovery had proceeded without any issues, and Elsa was recuperating steadily.
"Well then, we’re off."
The twin-laden baby carriage moved slowly along the narrow paths of Kaina Village.
"Oh, Elsa-san."
They ran into Barbara.
"Are you out for a stroll?"
"Mhm. I had a baby carriage made for me."
"So this is a 'baby carriage'? It’s wonderful!"
While a few noble families were known to use them, this was a first for Kaina Village. It was no surprise that Barbara didn't recognize it.
"These are Mio-chan and Yuu-chan, right? They’re so adorable."
At the moment, both were fast asleep.
"They were awake just a minute ago."
Infants often fell asleep when swayed by the motion of a vehicle or when being carried. Mine, Elsa’s biological mother, had mentioned that Elsa had been exactly the same way—no matter how fussy she was, she would stop crying and drift off the moment someone started walking with her in their arms.
"Well, see you later."
"Mhm."
After parting with Barbara, Elsa began pushing the carriage again. Lately, she felt as though her body had grown much lighter and her strength had finally returned.
She eventually wandered near the cold storage room. The area was open, offering a clear view of the surrounding mountains.
"The cold storage room... How nostalgic."
She remembered the day she had accidentally stepped through a Warp Gate and ended up lost in Kaina Village. She had met Hanna and realized they shared a mutual acquaintance in Jin. Then Jin had come to fetch her, and it was decided she could stay in the village for a while longer.
Jin had built this cold storage room for the sake of the villagers. Since it had been summer at the time and there was no snow to collect, he had used his own magic to create snow and fill the interior. To Elsa, it all felt like a lifetime ago.
"Oh, Elsa-san."
"Ah, Village Chief."
"Out for a walk, are you?"
"Yes."
"Ho, what a curious contraption. You can move the babies around in that?"
"That's right."
As he spoke, the Village Chief was loading harvested vegetables into a wheelbarrow.
"Oops, mustn't dally. These are the vegetables for tonight's dinner. If I’m late, Sally will have my head."
"In that case, see you later."
"Yes. Don’t overdo it, Elsa-san. Make sure you head back home at a sensible time."
"I will."
Village Chief Giebeck pushed his wheelbarrow and hurried home. Elsa turned the baby carriage around and slowly began to retrace her steps.
However, she took a left turn halfway back, descending a gentle slope that took her past the side of Jin Castle and toward the banks of the Erme River. The river breeze felt wonderful in this season.
It was just before 3:00 PM.
"...It’s about time to head back."
The twins were still sleeping soundly, but it was nearly time for them to wake up and cry for food. Elsa turned the carriage back toward the house.
"Here we go."
The path out had been a gentle descent, but that meant the return trip was an uphill climb. For Elsa, whose stamina hadn't fully returned, it was a bit taxing.
"I shall assist you, Elsa-sama."
"Ah, thank you."
Land A, one of the Golems tasked with watching over the villagers’ safety, stepped forward. Elsa, who was starting to get a little winded, gratefully accepted the offer.
"Quietly, please."
"Understood."
Land A pushed the baby carriage with careful, steady movements. They passed Jin Castle once more and arrived back at the Martha residence.
"Thank you. This is fine."
Now that the road was level again, Elsa thanked Land A and took back the handle.
"Please call upon me or my comrades at any time," Land A said before returning to his post.
"Ah, you're back."
"I'm home."
"How did the carriage handle?"
"It was very good."
"Haha, that's great to hear. I made one for Juliana, after all, and I've even registered the design with the Magi Engineer Guild."
"As expected of Rai-nii. You’re as much of an engineering geek as ever."
"...That was a compliment, right?"
"I wonder?"
The cousins, Reinhard and Elsa, shared a laugh. Just then, Yuu and Mio woke up and began to wail.
"Oh dear, someone’s hungry. Don’t worry, it’s all ready."
Mine came rushing out of the house, nursing bottles in hand.
"Thank you, Mother."
Though Elsa was breastfeeding, feeding two children was a heavy burden, so they were supplementing her milk with formula.
"Ah, can I try too?"
"No, their necks aren't stable enough yet. It’s better if you wait, Hanna."
"I guess so..."
Admonished by Martha, Hanna listened obediently. In the end, Martha and Mine handled the bottles. Truth be told, even Elsa still struggled with it occasionally.
"Oh, look at them go."
Both twins had healthy appetites; in just over a month, their weight had already increased to four kilograms.
"They've finished already."
"It’s good to see them so energetic."
After patting the babies' backs to make them burp, Martha and Mine carried them into the house.
"Oh, this one has a wet diaper."
They set about changing them inside.
"Ah, thank you so much."
Elsa hurriedly put the carriage away and ran into the house.
"There, doesn't that feel better?"
With full bellies and clean diapers, the twins were in high spirits, cooing and smiling.
"Now that they’re satisfied, I expect they’ll be heading back to sleep soon."
"By the way, what should we do for dinner tonight, Elsa-chan? How many portions should I prepare?"
"Umm..."
Just then...
"I have returned."
"Ah, Reiko-chan, welcome back."
Reiko made her announcement in her usual composed tone.
"He says he will be dining here."
"Really?"
Then, another voice spoke.
"Yeah. The task of recovering all the Space Isolation Barriers I deployed is finally finished."
Elsa turned around, a radiant smile spreading across her face as she welcomed him.
"Welcome home, Dear."
In the evening sky, wispy cirrocumulus clouds were dyed a deep vermillion, softly announcing the arrival of autumn.