Jin immediately sprang into action to give shape to his idea.
"Jin-nii, what's going on?"
He had also called Elsa to help fix up its appearance, but having been dragged to the workshop without an explanation, she seemed a bit bewildered.
"Ah, sorry. Actually..."
Jin explained to Elsa that he wanted to craft a Doppel for Sion to ease her workload, which had been piling up lately.
"I understand. So I just need to handle the exterior?"
"Yeah. Please prepare the materials while I craft the body."
"Mm, got it."
In other words, Elsa would prepare the hair, skin, and clothing.
Jin set about assembling the familiar Doppel body. Since it was for Sion, it was a female-type model.
This time, rather than relying on Laojun, a dedicated auxiliary magi-brain would provide support, ensuring there would be no problems even if Sion took a break and stepped away from the cockpit.
The idea of outfitting the cockpit with a massage chair briefly crossed his mind, but he dismissed it—falling asleep at the controls wouldn't do. He decided he could simply gift her one separately.
Including the control apparatus, construction took just thirty minutes.
By that time, Elsa had finished preparing all the materials and took over the work from Jin.
"I'll make it... look just like Sion does now."
Elsa had a real knack for replicating people's appearances. Jin thought it was a true talent to finish a likeness so accurately even without a model in front of her.
Since the clothes would ultimately be Sion's own personal garments, Elsa applied only simple undergarments for now.
Naturally, leaving it at just that felt inappropriate, so they dressed it in standard Hourai Island maid attire.
"...What kind of chief maid is this supposed to be?"
Though it lacked a headdress, the figure exuded the aura of a veteran chief maid.
However, since the appearance was Sion's, she was petite and radiated a gentle demeanor; Jin had the impression of a reliable chief maid rather than a strict one.
"All right, let's go deliver it to Sion right away."
Deciding there was no time like the present, Jin had Reiko—Mini Reiko—perch on his shoulder, had Smith 77 carry the cockpit, and traveled to the Nord Federation via the Warp Gate.
Even accounting for the time difference, it was already night in the Nord Federation, but since it was still early evening, Sion welcomed Jin and his companions without the slightest hint of annoyance.
"What's the matter, Jin? Did you forget something?"
"Well, you could say that, I suppose."
With that, Jin unveiled Sion's Doppel.
"Whoa!...Me?...A Doppel of me?"
"That's right. I've been asking so many favors of you lately that I started feeling guilty."
"You really didn't have to go out of your way... but thank you."
Sion expressed her gratitude for Jin's thoughtful gesture.
"Still, why a maid outfit?"
"Ah, haha... I just didn't have any suitable clothes on hand....Since it's your Doppel, please dress it in your own clothes."
"Fair enough. Do you mind if I take it for a spin?"
"Of course not. If there are any glitches, I'll fix them right away."
And so, the control apparatus was installed in Sion's study.
Operating it was simple. All one had to do was sit in the seat provided in the apparatus and put on a helmet-like controller called a headset.
It would automatically establish a link with the Doppel.
The only catch was that this created a dual presence, so until one grew accustomed to it, they might unintentionally move their physical body or speak out loud.
Closing one's eyes during the process made the adjustment considerably easier.
"Like... this, right? Oh, this feels rather strange."
Despite her hesitation, Sion quickly got the hang of the controls.
"This is wonderful....Well then, let me try changing its clothes."
With that, Sion's Doppel, Sion D, stepped out of the study and walked toward the bedroom where the wardrobe was located.
"This is amazing. Jin, thank you."
"...If you speak out loud like that from the cockpit, your Doppel will end up saying the exact same thing."
"Wait—eep!"
Right now, Sion was the only one in the house, so no harm was done, but otherwise, anyone listening would have assumed she had lost her mind.
"When that happens, either take off the headset or pull the lever by your right hand."
"Ah, this one?"
Sion pulled the lever as instructed.
"Right. If you do that, the Doppel will temporarily act autonomously. The auxiliary magi-brain will carry out whatever action you were intending to take."
Her progress could be monitored on the screen attached to the control apparatus, which displayed exactly what the Doppel was seeing through its own eyes.
"Ah, it went straight to the closet....Yes, yes, that outfit."
Because she had already planned what to wear in advance, the auxiliary magi-brain assessed the situation and picked out those exact garments.
"As long as you program the necessary tasks, it should function smoothly. And if an emergency comes up, just contact Laojun. Just like with my Doppel, Laojun will handle things without a hitch."
"You've thought of everything. Truly, thank you, Jin."
Right at that moment, Sion D returned, draped in a nightgown.
"Yep, she's properly dressed."
Sion then switched back to manual control and brought Sion D to a stop.
"I've got the hang of it now. This will make my workload so much lighter."
After bidding farewell to an overjoyed Sion, Jin returned to Hourai Island.
"...And so, she was really happy with it."
"Mm, that's good."
Back on Hourai Island, Jin gave his report to Elsa.
He could have brought Elsa along, but he had decided against it just in case they ran into someone other than Sion.
After all, as long-lived Northern People, there were many among them who had known Elsa since four hundred years ago.
"With this, we can breathe a little easier."
"Mm."
With a bit of the weight lifted from his shoulders, Jin slept soundly that night.
The morning of September 4th.
"The AGS establishment conference finally starts tomorrow, huh."
After breakfast, as Jin was muttering to himself, a report came in from Laojun.
"My Lord, it appears portions of the draft have been disclosed in advance. Shall I deliver a report?"
"Yeah, give me a brief summary."
"Understood. First, regarding the golem grading matter raised previously."
It had originally been designated as "grades 1 through 5, with Grade 1 being the highest and Grade 5 the lowest," but a proposal had been put forward to reverse that numbering.
"The reasoning is based on the assumption that standards will likely advance in the future, in which case it would be preferable to expand upward with 6, 7, and so on above 5."
"I see."
The issue had been what to do about higher tiers if the highest grade was already set to 1. It was much like how ranking up through C, B, and A... only to tack on S, SS, and SSS at the top tended to ruin consistency.
"What else?"
"Regarding the balance between price and quality. It seems the various nations have submitted drafts detailing where to draw the line for the minimum standards that must be maintained."
That was something they would debate starting the following day.
"Is that all?"
"Yes. The main event begins tomorrow, after all."
"I suppose so....Laojun, I'm counting on you starting tomorrow."
"Yes, please leave it to me."
At that moment, Jin suddenly realized something belatedly.
Even though Jin D—his Doppel—was supposed to be in Avalon, he had gone off to Toka Village...
However.
"My Lord, please rest assured on that front. During the time My Lord was meeting with individuals outside the Jin Family, I had the Doppel depart Avalon aboard the Hurricane, so your alibi remains airtight. I also temporarily altered the hull designation of Konron 3 to 'Hurricane', so there should be virtually no risk of anyone noticing."
Hearing that, Jin breathed a sigh of relief.