Upon arriving at the home of Elder No. 700672, Jin immediately set to work on constructing the bathhouse. His first task was to locate a water source.
"There are quite a few underground water veins around here," Jin noted.
Being at the foot of a mountain, the area was naturally suited for this; rain falling on the peaks seeped into the earth, eventually emerging as sub-surface flow.
"The water volume is a bit low, though."
"That stands to reason," the Elder replied.
Fortunately, the water veins were located at relatively shallow depths. Further investigation revealed that most of the water was soft.
"I suppose that’s to be expected, given how little time it spends flowing underground."
Jin selected two veins with the highest water volumes and began construction to pump the water to the surface. He chose to draw from two separate sources out of concern that extracting too much from a single vein might impact the flow downstream.
"How large should we make the tub?"
"It does not need to be massive," the Elder said.
"In that case, let’s make it about the size of a family bath."
With a size that could comfortably accommodate a parent and two children in mind, Jin proceeded to build the bathtub and the surrounding bathing area. The tub measured two meters by one and a half meters, with a depth of fifty centimeters. The entire bathing room, including the tub, was a three-meter square.
"Oh, this looks like just the right size."
He also ensured that the drainage and sewage treatment systems were properly installed.
For the bathtub itself, Jin used hinoki wood harvested from Hale. He applied 'Stabilize' to the wood and treated it for rot resistance. For the floor, he laid down flat natural stones—andesite. It was a material remarkably similar to the stone known as teppei-seki in modern Japan.
"It has a wonderful atmosphere. As expected of Jin-dono."
The bathroom window faced east, offering an excellent view. Jin had made it quite large, so the room was bright; during warmer weather, opening it wide would provide a refreshing sense of openness.
"You understand how to draw the hot water and adjust the temperature, right?"
"Umu, I shall be fine."
As Elder No. 700672 was a veteran when it came to handling magi-devices, Jin had no concerns on that front.
"Also, it would be a good idea to place a refrigerator next to the dressing room to keep some Persica juice chilled."
"I see. To drink after one's bath, then."
Marikka had assisted Jin with the construction of the dressing room. The floor was made entirely of hinoki, filling the room with the pleasant scent of wood that felt wonderful against the soles of one's bare feet.
"You did a great job, Marikka."
When Jin praised her, Marikka’s face turned bright red.
"It’sh an honor!" she stammered, looking overcome with joy.
"And... Reiko, please ask Laojun to send over some Persica juice."
"Yes, Father."
Persica juice from Hourai Island was rich in free ether and highly effective for nourishment, recovery, and mana restoration. Over the course of four hundred years, they had continuously processed and stockpiled overripe Persica. The resulting supply was so astronomical that even if No. 700672 drank ten bottles every single day, he wouldn't even make a dent in it.
Since Laojun never reported the exact quantities, Jin had no idea just how much was stored. He felt a little afraid to even ask.
Jin had several dozen bottles brought over. In situations like this, he preferred to let Reiko handle the communications with Laojun. While he could use the Fellowship Bracelet himself, relying on her for such tasks made Reiko's mood visibly improve.
To return to the matter at hand.
By the end of the morning, Jin had finished installing the complete suite of bathroom facilities at the Elder’s home.
Meanwhile, Rubina was continuing her modifications on the large-class Magi Puppet with the help of Neige and Rouge.
"Um, does this wire go here?"
"Yeah, thanks, Ru-chan."
"Should I run this wire around like this?"
"That's right. That'll work perfectly, Ne-chan."
Rubina had always loved golem crafting, and after receiving Jin’s personal guidance, her title as the First Generation Magi Craft Queen was proving to be well-deserved. By the end of the morning, the bulk of the modifications were complete.
Then, just before noon...
"Oh, it looks like you're nearly done."
Jin returned with Elder No. 700672 for lunch.
"Hoshino, thank you for looking after things here and preparing the meal."
"No, it was my pleasure," Hoshino replied as Jin thanked her for her hard work.
The lunch menu was Japanese soba. Hoshino had prepared an assortment: Matcha-soba, Nihachi-soba, Hikigurumi (made with buckwheat flour ground with the hulls), and Yamaimo-soba. For side dishes and condiments, she provided various types of tempura, such as shrimp and vegetables, along with grated daikon, wasabi, sliced green onions, and shredded nori.
"It's so slippery and delicious!"
"The tempura is a perfect match for this dipping sauce."
Rouge and Neige were skillfully slurping their noodles.
"Ho, this is an interesting texture. And the aroma is quite pleasant," Elder No. 700672 remarked, having taken a liking to the soba as well.
"I’ve never had Matcha-soba before, but the flavor is very refined," Amanda added, enjoying the meal.
Marikka was equally enthusiastic. "I like the Hikigurumi the best because it has such a rich buckwheat scent!" she said as she reached for seconds.
Jin once heard at a soba shop he frequented that because Japanese soba loses its flavor and texture over time, it is better to eat several small servings rather than one large one. He kept this in mind as he ate.
"I’ll start simply, with the Mori Soba."
Jin first enjoyed the noodles with just the dipping sauce, then gradually added the condiments. A bite with wasabi, two with green onions, and three with shredded nori. He ate the tempura dipped in the sauce, added more sauce as needed, then tried it with the grated daikon... and so on.
Since he repeated this process for each variety of soba, he was quite full by the time he finished.
To finish the meal, he had soba-yu. Jin’s preferred way to drink it was to add the water used to boil the noodles to the leftover dipping sauce, mixed with a little bit of wasabi or grated daikon.
"This is a very pleasant way to finish the meal," Elder No. 700672 agreed.
The lunch concluded to rave reviews from everyone.
"Ah, the buckwheat tea is wonderful."
Despite having just finished his soba-yu, Jin was now enjoying a cup of buckwheat tea as well. The others followed suit.
"This tea is excellent."
"Yeah, I think I really like this."
"It’s delicious, isn't it?"
Neige and Rouge were thoroughly enjoying every aspect of life in the outside world.
"Rubina, how are the modifications coming along?" Jin asked while sipping his tea.
"Everything is mostly on track. All that's left is to attach the exterior plating."
"Oh, is that so? I'm looking forward to it. Do you need a hand?"
Rubina shook her head.
"No. Since we've come this far, I want to see the finish through with Ru-chan and Ne-chan."
Jin nodded with a smile.
"I see. I understand. Good luck, then."
"Right!"
With that, the afternoon's work began.