April 25th, Kaina Village.
The sunlight was growing stronger, bringing occasional days touched with the warmth of early summer.
The mountains were blanketed in vibrant fresh greenery, and the wheat in the fields was beginning to head. The breeze had lost all trace of cold, making for a truly pleasant season.
At Martha's house, an expansion project was well underway.
The workshop Jin had been using originally belonged to Martha's late blacksmith husband, measuring roughly six tatami mats in size.
The plan was to double its floor space to twelve tatami mats and add a second story to create living quarters.
Now that Elsa and Mine were living with Martha, Jin had taken the opportunity to build a proper space of his own.
"Hey, Jin! Came to give you a hand... wait, you're already halfway done?!"
The men of Kaina Village took turns dropping by during breaks in their work to pitch in.
As usual, Jin used magi-craft to shape logs into pillars and floorboards.
Moreover, heavy tasks like raising the frame were handled by Gon, Gen, and above all, Reiko, allowing the pillars to go up and the floor to be laid in the blink of an eye.
Far from just raising the frame, about eighty percent of the construction was finished before noon.
After a break for lunch, the afternoon was spent on the interior.
"Man, a magi craftsman really is something else."
Every onlooker who stopped by was equally astonished by the sheer, dizzying speed of the build. And yet...
"Well, it's Jin."
The fact that this single thought settled the matter was, in its own way, quintessential Kaina Village.
The exterior was a two-story structure topped with a shed roof, featuring the workshop on the ground floor and living quarters above.
The front of the ground floor boasted a wide entrance sheltered by a deeply extended earthen canopy. In fair weather, it offered an ideal spot to work outside.
Jin had also excavated a new basement to serve as material storage. Naturally, he made sure to secretly install a small Warp Gate down there as well.
The second floor was divided into two six-tatami-sized rooms. The space right at the top of the stairs served as a living room, while the inner room functioned as a combination study and bedroom.
Because rush grass didn't grow near Kaina Village, tatami mats weren't an option; even so, Jin's Japanese sensibilities compelled him to make the wood-planked bedroom a place where one took off their shoes.
"Onii-chan, can I come up?"
Hanna called out to Jin from downstairs.
She had been sticking close to him since morning, watching the work unfold. Now, she was exploring the rooms. Since the Village Chief's home was the only two-story house in the village, the second floor was a rare novelty.
"Yeah, come on up."
Having just finished sweeping the second floor and making sure no dangerous wood scraps or debris remained, Jin called her over.
"Yay!"
Hanna scampered up the stairs in high spirits and immediately went over to the window.
"Wow, what a great view!"
Seen from the second story, the village looked entirely different.
"Ah, I can see the well! And over there is the hot springs roof!"
Hanna cheered with delight.
Incidentally, the addition had neither a dining room nor a kitchen, entirely because Martha had laid down the law:
"Don't you dare think of eating your meals separately from us!"
Jin had gratefully taken her up on the offer.
In exchange, Martha's house had undergone minor renovations as well, remodeling the main entrance and back door so that the two houses faced each other, making going back and forth seamless.
"Father, I have finished roofing as well."
Having taken on the roofing duties thanks to her nimble footing, Reiko came down.
"Reiko-oneechan, thanks for your hard work!"
"You are welcome, Hanna-chan."
Reiko offered Hanna a gentle smile before turning back to Jin.
"All that remains are the desk, chairs, and bed."
Jin gave a nod.
"Yeah. Linus offered to make those as a housewarming gift."
Linus, one of the village men, possessed an unexpected knack for woodworking. Most of the tables and chairs throughout the village were his handiwork.
"I can't hold a candle to your craft, but take it as a token of my appreciation," he had told Jin, which was why Jin had specifically cautioned Reiko beforehand not to nitpick his work.
"Jin-nii, Linus is here."
This time, Elsa's voice drifted up from downstairs. Looking out the window, Jin spotted Linus pulling a handcart loaded with a wooden bed.
Jin hurried down the stairs.
"Linus-san, thank you so much for going out of your way."
Linus laughed, waving off the thanks with a broad hand.
"Ah, don't mention it! Compared to everything you've done for us, this isn't even a tenth of it."
He gestured to the cart.
"First up's the bed. Once we get this inside, I'll bring over the table and chairs."
"Thank you very much. Reiko, could you carry it in?"
"Yes."
Reiko gave a brisk nod, lifting the heavy bed with effortless grace and carrying it inside. Watching her go, Linus marveled:
"Jin's extraordinary enough, but Reiko-chan is really something else, too."
Chuckling in admiration, he pulled the handcart around to fetch the rest.
In the end, the entire expansion and renovation were wrapped up in a single day, and a modest housewarming celebration was held that evening.
The gathering was small: Jin as the host, Reiko (though she didn't eat or drink), Hanna, Martha, Elsa, and Mine.
For the villagers who had lent a hand, Jin intended to deliver gift boxes of citrans the following morning.
"Well then—thank you all so much for everything today!"
"Jin, congratulations on finishing the house!"
"Onii-chan, congrats!"
"Jin-nii, congratulations."
"Jin-sama, congratulations."
Voices chimed in, smiles all around.
They all tucked into the heartfelt cooking prepared by Martha and Mine—or rather...
"Jin-nii, I made this soup."
It seemed Elsa had done her part as well.
"Yeah, it's delicious. You're really getting the hang of cooking, Elsa."
"Mm."
"Onii-chan, Onii-chan! I chopped the vegetables and peeled the citrans, too!"
Hanna piped up, eager for her own share of praise.
"Haha, thanks, Hanna. It's great."
"Ehehe~"
Inside Martha's home, warmth and laughter filled the air as dusk gently settled over Kaina Village. It was the sort of peaceful day that made one think: all's right with the world.
After dinner, Mine brought something up with Jin.
"Jin-sama, we will be starting our study sessions tomorrow."
She explained that they were ready to begin teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, just as they had discussed earlier.
"We plan to borrow space at the Village Chief's house and start with about two or three hours a day."
"Ah, the Village Chief's living room is plenty spacious, after all."
Because it was sometimes used for village gatherings, his home had a large central room. Mine confirmed they had secured permission to use it.
"That's wonderful to hear. Do your best. If there's anything I can do to help, just say the word."
Mine smiled and bowed graciously at Jin's offer.
"Thank you very much. Elsa has offered to help out as well, so we should be in good hands."
"Is that so? You're helping too, Elsa? Give it your all."
"Mm, Jin-nii."
Despite her quiet demeanor, Elsa was surprisingly good with children. Knowing that, Jin figured the experience might be a refreshing change of pace for her.
"Come to think of it, let me handle the writing supplies for practice."
An idea having struck him, Jin made the proposal.
"Oh, are you sure? At first, I thought we might have them practice by writing with water on flat stone slates."
Dripping water onto a smoothed slate altered its color temporarily, which she had planned to use as a makeshift writing surface.
"No, I have something much better in mind. I'll hand them over tomorrow."
With a confident smile, Jin gave his word.