Rubina was waiting for Jin when he emerged from the bath.
"..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
She stood there with her head bowed, saying nothing, so Jin prompted her.
"Um..."
"?"
"I-I’m thorry about today!...Ow..."
Despite gathering the courage to apologize, Rubina tripped over her words at the very last second and turned bright red.
Jin said nothing, simply reaching out to pat her head.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered, apologizing once more in a small voice.
"There, you did well. I’m not bothered by it anymore."
"Really...?"
"Yes, really. It’s late, so you should head to bed."
"Okay!"
As he watched her jog off toward the bedroom, Jin reflected that she was actually quite a sincere girl at heart.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Ances—Jin-sama."
A voice called out from behind him.
"Ah, Ada... and Merlina."
It was two of his older descendants. They must have also just finished their baths, as their hair was still damp.
"Would you like a cold drink after your bath?"
"Ah, that sounds good."
The three of them stopped by the dining hall. Reiko, who had been waiting outside, joined them as they walked, though she naturally didn't have anything to drink.
"Ah, this is cold and delicious."
"Isn't it?"
In the dining hall, they found what appeared to be coffee milk.
"It’s authentic coffee milk, made properly from coffee beans and Cowbull milk."
"I see."
The taste was unmistakably coffee milk, and Jin nodded in satisfaction.
Coffee beans were said to have been discovered about 200 years ago on the Lashier Continent in the Southern Hemisphere.
"It was a member of House Eschenbach who discovered them," Merlina explained.
Apparently, an ancestor of hers named Graus Eschenbach had found them.
"I wonder if he was a descendant of Goose... No, someone from Toa-san's line would likely do something like that, too," Jin mused aloud. "But I didn't see any on Hourai Island..."
When Jin murmured that, Reiko spoke up.
"We do have them, Father."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yes. Though the quantity is still small... I believe Laojun kept their existence a secret out of respect for Graus-san, who first discovered them, until you learned of them here."
"I see. So Laojun was being considerate."
Hearing that, Jin was satisfied. He recalled commissioning a survey of the Lashier Continent a while back. He figured he could ask Laojun later about exactly when they had been discovered.
Jin liked coffee, but not quite as much as green tea. He imagined that Laojun's decision had taken his personal preferences into account as well.
Furthermore, while a beverage called kahyi—which was very similar to coffee—had existed for a long time, it seemed it was a case of "similar but different" compared to the real thing.
"...Still, to think I’d be able to drink coffee milk here."
I wonder if they have fruit milk too? When Jin muttered this, the answer came back that they did.
"Well, since they have it on Hourai Island, I suppose it’s only natural they’d have it here too."
Even though he had just finished his bath, Jin decided against drinking a second bottle to avoid having to wake up for the toilet in the middle of the night.
After parting ways with Ada and Merlina, Jin returned to his bedroom and lay down—not on a bed, but on a futon.
"They even have proper Japanese-style rooms."
The hospitality was truly thorough.
＊ ＊ ＊
After a sound sleep, Jin woke the next morning feeling refreshed.
"Good, no problems with jet lag..."
It was around 6:00 AM. Although Onogoro Island was exactly half a day apart from Hourai Island, Jin wasn't suffering from any fatigue. He had taken the liberty of adjusting his sleep schedule starting two days prior.
"Father, are you awake?"
The fusuma opened, and Reiko poked her head in.
"Morning, Reiko."
"Good morning."
He rinsed his mouth in the washroom, washed his face, and stepped outside. The building's layout seemed to be modeled after the laboratory on Hourai Island, so he didn't feel lost. However, since the fine details were slightly different, a faint sense of strangeness remained.
There were already people waiting outside.
"Ah, Jin-sama, g-good morning."
It was Marikka.
"As I get older, I’ve started waking up earlier and earlier."
"No, I’ve always been an early riser myself..."
"I used to sleep in when I was young," she admitted.
"I-I see."
Then another voice called out.
"Oh? Marikka-sama and, Ances—Jin-sama?"
It was Shu Nido.
"Morning."
"Good morning."
"You’re up early, Shu."
"Yes, I’m not much of a night owl."
He explained that even if he tried to stay up late, he would simply get sleepy.
"Haha, so you’re a morning person."
Then another voice joined them.
"Oh, Jin-sama... and everyone."
It was Ada Nido.
"My, everyone is up early, aren't they?" Merlina Eschenbach appeared as well.
"Wow, everyone's here!"
"Oh, good morning."
Rubina and Amanda joined the group too.
"My, my."
"Good morning, everyone."
Stephanie, Natalia, Alvin Eschenbach, and even the couple Trihart Randol and Susanne emerged.
"Everyone sure is up early."
I suppose it runs in the family, Jin thought, feeling genuinely impressed.