The adults, accompanied by the Elder, No. 700672, returned just as everyone—Jin included—finished their baths.
Amanda and Susanne were the first to go in, followed by Trihart and No. 700672.
"Hmm. This custom of 'bathing' is not bad at all. In fact, it is quite wonderful."
"Isn't it!?"
"Father, I want one at our house too."
Rouge and Neige were pestering No. 700672. Seeing their enthusiasm, Jin felt certain that his earlier idea had been the right one.
(...I really should get started on that construction work tomorrow,) he planned in secret.
That evening, Neige and Rouge stayed for dinner once again.
Just to be safe, Jin examined their physical condition with Analyze, but he was relieved to find no abnormalities.
The menu consisted of rice, satoimo and daikon miso soup, plain potato croquettes, ginger-fried pork—a Mitsuho specialty called pigu—vegetable salad, and oshinko.
"This is delicious."
"I see... so this is what it feels like for something to be 'tasty'..."
"It really is, isn't it!?"
Not only Neige and Rouge, but the Elder, No. 700672, was also clearly enjoying the meal. Since arriving on Hale, the Elder had been making all sorts of new discoveries.
"Hey, hey, you guys should stay over tonight!" Rubina suggested.
"Eh?"
"...Father, can we?"
Rouge and Neige looked to No. 700672 for approval.
"Yes, of course."
No. 700672 was pleased to see that Neige and Rouge had made a friend.
Later that night, Rubina sprawled out on the futon laid across the guest room's tatami, with Neige and Rouge lounging beside her.
"This 'tatami' is very interesting."
"Aha, the way you say that sounds just like 7-san, Ne-chan."
"...Is that so?"
Rubina had taken to calling No. 700672 "7-san," Neige "Ne-chan," and Rouge "Ru-chan."
The three girls continued to make a ruckus until Amanda eventually came in to scold them.
The next day, the 29th.
"Miso soup is so good!"
"...It’s a taste you can get hooked on."
"Mm, it is indeed flavorful."
Neige, Rouge, and the Elder had taken an immense liking to the breakfast menu of morning porridge, wakame and tofu miso soup, umeboshi, grilled salted salmon, and oshinko, clearing their plates entirely.
Rubina, too, finished three refills of the porridge with a beaming smile.
Trihart, Susanne, Amanda, and Marikka were equally delighted by the meal.
While sipping his post-meal hojicha, Jin spoke up.
"Elder, I was thinking of installing a bath at your home today."
"Oh, that would be most welcome. Neige and Rouge will be thrilled."
"What? We're getting a bath at our house too? Yay!"
"A hot spring... I can't wait."
Rouge and Neige were clearly excited, which gave Jin a sudden burst of motivation.
"Right, I'll get started on that immediately. Rubina, you can go ahead with the modifications."
"Yes, I understand!"
"We'll help Rubi-chan!"
"That's perfect!"
It was decided that having the Elder, No. 700672, present would be enough assistance for the bath installation.
"Jin-sama, as much as we would like to stay, we must return to Onogoro Island for a time," Trihart announced.
Susanne would be accompanying him, but Amanda decided to remain behind.
"I'll stay here since Rubina is staying."
Even though her granddaughter had grown, Amanda likely felt uneasy leaving the still-unsteady girl to her own devices.
"Well then, I'm off. Amanda, I'll leave things here to you."
"Yes, please leave the girls to me."
Once his preparations were finished, Jin set off for the Elder’s residence accompanied by Reiko, Marikka, and No. 700672.
Meanwhile, the trio of Rubina, Neige, and Rouge headed for the workshop in the Central Basin, with Amanda in tow.
Tsukino was assigned to look after Amanda’s needs. Hoshino remained behind to watch the house and prepare lunch.
"Right, let's do this!" Rubina cried, full of energy upon arriving at the workshop. "Since we finished the rust removal and joint adjustments yesterday, today we tackle the drive system and control system."
"Mm-hm."
"Specifically?"
Rubina thought for a moment before deciding. "We'll perform maintenance on the drive system as it is and replace any parts that are broken beyond repair."
"Understood."
"And the control system?"
"We’ll need to prepare a control core, too."
At that, Rubina realized she’d made a mistake—she had forgotten to ask Jin where the magi-crystals were kept.
"I wonder if there are any magi-crystals around here?"
Precious magi-crystals weren't the sort of things one found just lying around. The three girls decided to split up and search the area.
The sunlight in the Central Basin was quite intense, so Amanda watched over them from the shade of a temporary hut.
"Ah, it's quite cool in the shade."
Between the low humidity and the high altitude, even a location sitting almost directly on the Tropic of Capricorn was comfortable in the shade. Furthermore, Tsukino was looking after her with great care.
Rubina and the girls were working under the shade of a massive tent. Rubina took a walk around the interior, but no magi-crystals were in sight.
However...
"Rubi-chan, look what I found."
Neige had discovered several magi-crystals inside the very hole where the Magi Puppet had been found.
It was a spot Jin and the others had already searched thoroughly; one wouldn't have expected anything to be left. Rubina wondered how Neige had managed it, but her eyes lit up at the find.
"Wow, what a beautiful color. I wonder what attribute pink is? Light and... fire?"
Taking a liking to the hue, Rubina decided to test them.
"I'll start with this smallest one....Write In... Erase... Yes, the responsiveness is excellent. Thanks, Ne-chan."
"Mm. I'm glad they're usable."
"Alright then, let's get to work on the control system!"
Rubina was more fired up than ever.