Giving in to Neige and Rouge, who were reluctant to part ways, the members of the Jin Family—with the exception of Jin and Elsa—decided to stay a little longer at the Elder's house.
In addition to Beena, the two girls had taken a fond liking to Hanna:
"Onee-chan Hanna, let's play!"
And they quickly roped Lishia into their games as well:
"Big Sister Lishia, play with us!"
Furthermore:
"Auntie Mine, teach us that thing called sewing!"
Mine gladly showed them how to sew.
"Auntie Martha, teach us cooking!"
And Martha, for her part, took it upon herself to teach them how to cook.
Similarly, the pair grew attached to Vivienne, Stearena, and Milowina. It seemed they yearned not only for female companions their own age, but also for figures who radiated a maternal warmth.
Meanwhile, Reinhard, Goose, Rodrigo, Toa, and Louis took advantage of the occasion to ask the Elder about various topics.
"I see. So that's what this represents."
"To think such a thing happened in the distant past..."
"Aha, so one must properly structure not just the outer form, but the interior as well..."
The Elder appeared to genuinely enjoy providing these explanations.
Naturally, Marikka remained behind as well, accompanied by Sion, Lordtoss, and Ludmila.
"I'd like to take it easy for a while."
"Sion-san, please make sure not to overexert yourself."
"That's right, Great-Grandmother."
"Here, let us massage your shoulders."
Lordtoss and Ludmila used the opportunity to show great-grandfilial piety.
＊ ＊ ＊
Leaving with reluctant backward glances, the party that returned to Hourai Island consisted of Jin, Elsa, Reiko, and Hope.
The time was 5:00 PM on January 14.
After bathing, the two of them sat down for dinner alone together for the first time in a long while.
Tonight's meal was chestnut okowa. Maruon (chestnuts) harvested from Hourai Island were peeled, mixed with eighty percent glutinous rice and twenty percent regular white rice, and steamed in a bamboo basket. Midway through, a mixture of salted water and sake was sprinkled over the rice to infuse it with rich aroma and flavor.
This dish had not been recreated from Jin's personal memories, but rather from the memoirs left behind by the Magus Shuuki Tsetse.
Perido and the others had refined the method through trial and error, perfecting a recipe tailored precisely to Jin's palate.
Since the okowa was the star of the meal, it was accompanied simply by a side of shimeji suimono and oshinko.
To savor the chestnut okowa to the fullest, Jin preferred to keep his side dishes sparse.
And Elsa, too, had grown accustomed to his preferences. In short, they were two peas in a pod.
"It feels like it's been quite a while."
"Nn."
With Reiko and Hope waiting outside the room, the two enjoyed an intimate, undisturbed atmosphere.
Lately, there had always been one member of the Jin Family or another present on Hourai Island, so having time completely to themselves was a rare treat indeed.
"Ah, but we were alone together in the Kingdom of Franz too."
"That's true. Good point."
Even so, being alone in the Mansion where they could truly unwind was something they hadn't experienced in ages.
"What time do we leave tomorrow?"
"It's the Shouro Empire, after all. There's a time difference of five hours and twenty minutes. If we want to arrive there at ten in the morning, wouldn't it be best to leave here around three in the afternoon?"
Their transport craft would be Hurricane, but as long as they had the transporter send them directly into the airspace above the Shouro Empire, they wouldn't have to endure a tedious flight.
"We have quite a lot of free time..."
"Yeah, we really do."
"In that case..."
Elsa decided to propose an idea that had just crossed her mind.
"...How about making a model?"
"A model, huh?"
She meant the tentative "Adriana Memorial Hall" they planned to construct on the shores of Lake Tosmo.
In Jin's mind, the concept was already virtually complete.
"It might be fun to build something like that again after so long," Jin said, his eyes lighting up.
"We build it tomorrow, okay?" Elsa interjected, setting ground rules.
"Understood. Let's just take it easy tonight."
Knowing that another whirlwind of busy days was about to begin, Jin yielded to Elsa's wish and decided to spend the rest of the evening relaxing.
"Considering the time difference, should we stay up a bit late tonight and sleep in tomorrow morning?"
"Nn. Go to sleep around twelve, wake up around eight?"
"That sounds about right."
Normally, Jin went to bed at ten and woke up at six.
Of course, those hours went out the window whenever he was pressed for time or slipped into workaholic mode.
With their schedule settled, Jin and Elsa set to work brainstorming the design for the Adriana Memorial Hall together.
"I don't want to make it too eccentric."
"Nn, I agree."
"On the first floor, we'll place the main hall, an event space, and the primary exhibition room..."
"A cafeteria and a shop, too."
"On the second floor, maybe the secondary exhibition room and a library."
"It would be good to have restrooms and an infirmary as well."
"We probably don't need a third floor. But I'd love to make the rooftop an observation deck."
"Nn. If anything, I'd like a basement."
"Right. We could build a secret chamber and set up a Warp Gate."
That way, Hourai Island could provide direct logistical support. It would also double as an operational outpost.
Consulting back and forth, they jotted down their decisions... and finally headed to bed at midnight, instructing Reiko to wake them at eight.
It was a sensible schedule, made possible only because Elsa was so adept at managing Jin.
The next day, on the 15th, Jin ended up waking around 7:40 AM.
"Going back to sleep now feels like a waste..."
Left with little choice, he decided to get up.
"Nn... Jin-nii, are you up?"
Because Jin had rustled around, Elsa woke up as well.
"Yeah. It's a little earlier than planned, but let's just get out of bed."
"Nn."
After rinsing their mouths, washing their faces, and changing clothes, they headed to the dining room, where steaming bowls of morning porridge were waiting for them.
Umeboshi, kombu tsukudani, takuan, and salt. They savored the warm porridge with an assortment of toppings.
"Ah, that hits the spot."
Then they sipped the miso soup with fu and green onions. It had a rich, fragrant dashi broth that was utterly delicious.
Elsa was just as fond of the meal, helping herself to two extra servings of porridge.
They finished breakfast with a cup of freshly roasted hojicha.
"I won't be able to enjoy this taste again for a while."
"Nn."
While Jin was generally far from a picky eater, the familiar flavors he had grown accustomed to were always exceptional.
＊ ＊ ＊
Following a brief post-meal rest, Jin set to work building the model of the memorial hall, just as they had planned the night before.
Piling clay onto a board roughly sixty by forty-five centimeters, he sculpted the undulating contours of the terrain to recreate the actual site.
During this stage, he had Laojun project an accurate topographical map, allowing him to match the landscape with near-perfect fidelity.
After that, he set the building in place and meticulously arranged man-made features such as trees, streetlights, and paved paths.
Whenever he ran short on materials, Reiko fetched what was needed.
"Nn, this is fun."
Completely absorbed in crafting the model, Jin and Elsa continued their joint work right up until their scheduled departure.