"The time has come, My Lord. There is something I must tell you."
The day after Reiko had wept, Laojun addressed Jin.
"Hm? What on earth is it?"
Wondering what could possibly be left to tell him at this point, Jin tilted his head.
"Yes, on the Moon."
Reiko added her voice as well, leaving Jin with an even more puzzled look on his face.
"I wish for My Lord to be surprised, so I will not share the details. Please, go and see for yourself on the Moon."
"Doesn't telling me you want me to be surprised kind of defeat the purpose?"
Despite his quip, Jin's curiosity was thoroughly piqued as to what could possibly be waiting for him there.
"Well, if you go that far, I might as well take a look."
Jin headed for the Warp Gate Room, with Reiko naturally following close behind.
Upon their arrival on the Moon, the voice of the magi-brain Jack welcomed them.
"Welcome, Jin-sama. We have been expecting you."
"Hey, Jack. Laojun was saying something about having a surprise for me."
"Yes, that is correct."
"So you know about it too, Jack....Well, I suppose it's here on the Moon, so of course you do. So, what is it?"
"Please confirm that with your own eyes."
With those words, a door slid open.
"This way, please."
"Understood."
Passing through the doorway Jack had opened, Jin walked straight down the corridor ahead.
"This sector... have I ever been here before?"
The interior of the Moon had been hollowed out on a massive scale to serve as a residential district, leaving several areas Jin had never set foot in.
"Is this... a residential district?"
Most of the residential sectors were completely uninhabited, so it was only natural that Jin had never had a reason to visit them.
"This way, please."
A large door beyond a right turn opened automatically.
"Right."
Without hesitation, Jin stepped through, and Reiko followed right after him.
The entrance was built like an airlock, just like the other residential doors; the outer door sealed shut before the inner door began to part.
"Please step inside."
"Okay."
The interior possessed a slightly different atmosphere from the other residential districts Jin was familiar with.
"What is this place...?"
While the other residential sectors primarily replicated the climate around the former Leonard Kingdom, this area was slightly more humid.
To put it simply, while the other areas offered an environment where a single long-sleeved shirt felt just right, here a short-sleeved shirt was perfectly comfortable.
"I see, it feels like the pleasant spring weather on Hourai Island."
"That is correct, Jin-sama," Jack's voice echoed.
"Please proceed further inside."
"Father, this way."
Reiko took Jin by the hand and guided him forward.
There, a house stood before them.
"This is..."
It was a Japanese-style house, much like the House on Hourai Island. However, this building was grand enough to truly be called a mansion.
It featured a magnificent gate, and the entryway visible beyond it was correspondingly spacious.
"Everyone is waiting for you."
Guided by Reiko, they passed through the gate and reached the entrance.
Then, the sliding front door was drawn open.
The "surprise" Laojun had spoken of.
The person who greeted Jin there was...
"Welcome, Jin-nii."
"...Eh... E-Elsa?"
It was Elsa, his beloved wife of the past—and the present.
"...Is it really you, Elsa?...No..."
"Mm, what you're thinking is right, Jin-nii. The current me is a duplicate, with my memories and knowledge transferred into a homunculus body."
"Even so, you're still... Elsa, right?"
"...Yes, Dear."
"Elsa!"
Jin rushed forward and pulled Elsa into a tight embrace.
"Jin-nii... I missed you so much."
"Yeah, me too."
He had thought such emotions had faded after becoming a duplicate, but feeling her warmth against him made him realize they hadn't disappeared at all—they had merely been lying dormant.
The two held each other close, reaffirming one another's warmth, before eventually loosening their hold.
"...Everyone else is waiting too."
Elsa took Jin by the hand and led him deeper inside.
Letting himself be guided, Jin headed toward the back of the mansion. Reiko had read the room and quietly slipped away at some point.
When the fusuma slid open, a gathering of dear, familiar faces was assembled within.
"Onii-chan!"
"...Hanna?"
The first to run up to Jin was a young woman of about eighteen, her golden hair styled in twin braids.
"Yep, it's me!"
"You've grown so much...!"
"Ehehe~"
Though she had taken on an adult appearance, her cheerful essence was unchanged from the past, warming Jin's heart.
Then, a woman in her twenties who bore a striking resemblance to Hanna spoke up.
"Jin, it's been a long time."
"Uh... Martha-san?"
"That's right, it's me....Good grief, to think Hanna would pull off something like this."
"I'm truly happy to see you again."
"Same here, dear."
"Jin-san, you look well."
"Lishia!"
"I am so very glad to see you again!"
"Me too."
"Jin! We meet again!"
Next came Beena, and—
"Jin, what a strange twist of fate."
It was the count and countess, Louis and his wife.
Having spent recent days interacting with their descendants in various ways, Jin felt an indescribably surreal sensation.
"Hey there, Jin!"
Marcia was there as well.
"It seems like I get to enjoy this world a little longer."
Her bashful, slightly embarrassed smile was just as it had been when they first met.
"Well now, Jin, it's been a while!"
"It really has! I'm so glad to see you."
Naturally, his close friend Reinhard was there.
"We owe our thanks to Hanna-chan."
"Truly, we do."
The two exchanged a firm handshake.
"Jin-sama, it has been a long time."
Reinhard's beloved wife, Berche, was also there, looking youthful... or rather, completely radiant and fresh.
"It seems I can spend a little more time with my husband."
"Kufu, Jin, long time no see."
"Ah, Saki, it really has been too long!"
Dressed in her familiar attire, Saki narrowed her eyes with fond nostalgia.
"Jin-sama, I look forward to your continued favor."
"Uh... could you be, Mother-in-law?"
Chestnut hair, brown eyes. That woman was...
"Yes, it is Mine."
Mine, too, had taken on the appearance of a woman in her twenties.
"Jin-kun, I've ended up in a body like this as well. Truly, what a curious bond we share."
"Toa... san?"
In his twenties, Toa was quite the handsome young man, and Jin felt as though he could finally understand a glimpse of why Saki's biological mother, Shirley Theoderic von Morley, had gone so far as to elope with him.
"Jin-kun, my husband is quite handsome, isn't he? It almost makes me worry."
The woman with copper-colored hair who said that was, of course—
"Stearena-san!"
...none other than her.
"Another legend to add to your name, Jin-kun."
The one who spoke next was Vivienne.
"Vivienne, so we meet again."
Seeing all these cherished, familiar faces, Jin's eyes welled with tears.
"Jin, I'm glad we could finally meet."
"Goose!"
"With this, our freedom of movement will increase considerably."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"Why, because Jin-dono has finally become aware of our presence, of course."
"...Rodrigo-san?"
Marcia's father, Rodrigo, had also regained his youthful appearance.
"We caused Jack quite a bit of trouble, you know."
"Milowina-san!"
The last person to have moved to the Moon, Milowina, had likewise returned to a youthful form.
"Wait, then does that mean Marikka is here too...?"
"Yes, Jin-shama."
"Marikka!"
Restored to the form of her youth, Marikka stood there, blushing after stumbling over her words.
"...I am sorry to have caused you such worry."
Overwhelmed by profound nostalgia, Jin could only nod in response.