The night in Seki Town, Mitsuho, passed peacefully, giving way to dawn without incident.
The sky was lightly overcast.
Because Seki Town was located slightly north of the Tropic of Cancer, it remained reasonably warm despite being winter.
However, being so far inland meant the dry air posed a problem.
"...We're fine, but... I bet a lot of people get sore throats," Elsa remarked.
With Jin possessing a body forged of magiatoms and Elsa being a homunculus, such ailments were entirely irrelevant to them.
"It'd be nice if they put humidifiers in their rooms and wore masks."
"Getting everyone to adopt that all at once might be tough, though."
Masks in particular tended to feel suffocating or bothersome to those unaccustomed to them, leading many to take them off almost immediately.
"If there's a clinic around, let's drop by."
"Mm."
After a buffet-style breakfast and a brief rest, they headed out into the town. Reiko and Hope accompanied them, as always.
"First, let's go talk about the asphalt."
"Mm."
The time was eight-thirty in the morning. Apparently, the trading company in question opened right at eight-thirty.
Their hours are almost like an independent family shop, Jin mused, strolling along at a relaxed pace.
"Is this the place...?"
"Relatively... large."
A signboard reading "Ikeda Trading Company" hung prominently outside.
Although technically a branch office, the premises spanned a wide area, evidently dealing in a diverse array of building materials.
Glancing over, Jin spotted several drum cans lined up toward the back.
Corrugated metal sheets and what looked like paint cans were also arranged in neat rows, catching his eye.
It truly resembled a full-scale retail store rather than a simple branch outpost.
"Let's just head inside."
The wide front entrance was fitted with sliding doors.
"Welcome."
A middle-aged man stepped forward to greet them.
"Um, could you take a look at this?"
Jin handed over the letter of introduction he had received yesterday from the elderly woman at the chiyogami paper shop—Akari Yuuki.
"Oh, this is Akari-san's handwriting."
The man deduced it was from Akari Yuuki the moment he laid eyes on the penmanship. Evidently, she was quite well-connected.
"Hmm, let's see... Huh?! Are you the Third Generation Magi Craft Meister, Jin-sama?!"
The title of "Magi Craft Meister" clearly carried immense weight in Mitsuho, even for the Third Generation.
"P-Please, right this way! Madam, and the servants as well!"
The middle-aged man turned out to be the manager, and he eagerly ushered Jin and the others into a reception area at the back of the store.
Instead of a traditional tatami room, this space was furnished with Western-style chairs and a table.
He then called out, "Bring some tea," to a teenage girl who was clearly working at the shop.
Once the tea was served a minute later, the manager straightened his posture and introduced himself formally.
"I am Yahato Ikeda, the manager entrusted with this Ikeda Trading Company Seki Branch. And this is my daughter, Yoriko."
The girl Jin had assumed was merely an employee turned out to be his daughter.
"Thank you for the warm reception. I am the Third Generation Magi Craft Meister, Jin Nidou. This is my wife, Elsa Nidou."
Jin then introduced Reiko and Hope.
Upon hearing Reiko's name, Yahato Ikeda lit up with recognition.
"Oh! She shares her name with the automata the Second Generation had by his side!"
He was familiar with Reiko as well.
What was more:
"And this is Hope-dono? If I recall correctly, the automata accompanying the Second Generation's wife was named Edgar-dono."
He even knew about Edgar. He was truly a dedicated enthusiast of all things Magi Craft Meister.
Given his excitement, Jin realized that revealing Reiko was that exact same Reiko would cause quite an uproar, so he chose to keep quiet about it.
After a bit more small talk, they turned to the business at hand.
"Well, the reason we came is that we're looking to purchase some asphalt."
"Yes, that was mentioned in Akari-dono's letter. How much will you be needing?"
"Our purpose is to pave an airfield. That said, how much would typically be required for a project like that?"
As skilled as Jin was, he had never done asphalt paving before and had no real frame of reference for the required volume.
"Let's see... If you are looking for an easy, convenient option, there is 'asphalt emulsion,' which allows for simple paving just by pouring it over crushed stone."
Under standard methods, gravel and asphalt were mixed, heated to around 160 degrees Celsius, spread evenly, and then compacted into place.
Because of the extreme heat involved, construction during the summer months was universally despised.
"I see."
There was plenty here that Jin had never learned, and he listened with keen interest.
"Ultimately, asphalt paving is simply binding crushed stone together using asphalt as the adhesive. In this context, it serves as a binder."
"I see."
Listening to the explanation, Jin figured that simple paving would be plenty for the walkways around the provisional Adriana Memorial Hall.
(It only needs to support foot traffic, after all.)
Besides, the initial laying and any future repairs would be far easier.
"In that case, I think we'll start with asphalt emulsion."
"An excellent choice. How much would you like to order?"
Apparently, it was sold in three container sizes: 18-liter square cans, 250-liter half-size drum cans, and full 500-liter drum cans.
"For now, let's go with about ten drum cans."
"T-Ten drum cans?!...Right now, our on-hand stock consists of seven full drum cans, five half-size drum cans, and twenty 18-liter cans."
Purchasing everything in stock would fulfill the volume, but Jin decided that clearing out their entire inventory would be unfair to other local patrons.
"In that case, let's take five full drum cans and two half-size drum cans."
"U-Understood. Um, how will you be handling transport?"
If the order were on the scale of a hundred drum cans, they would have needed Eagle 1, but a modest batch like this could easily fit inside the Hurricane.
"If you can deliver them to the airfield, we'll handle the loading ourselves."
"Understood....When would be best for the delivery?"
"Could you have them there tomorrow morning at nine o'clock?"
Jin wanted to spend the rest of the day sightseeing around Seki Town.
"Yes, that suits us perfectly."
"...By the way, if we ever need a massive quantity in the future, should we go directly to your headquarters rather than this branch?"
"Indeed, that would be much faster. Shall I write down the address for you?"
"Please, that would be a big help."
With that, Jin received directions to the main store along with another letter of introduction.
The headquarters was located in a town called Kushima, south of Seki. However, the precise location of the asphalt source was a closely guarded trade secret, so not even Jin was privy to it.
(I never did go look for it four hundred years ago, did I...)
Jin felt a fleeting pang of regret, knowing they likely would have shown him back then.
"Now then, let's go find that clinic."
"Mm."
Leaving the Ikeda Trading Company behind, Jin and the others set off at a leisurely pace through town in search of a clinic.
They were in no real hurry, but after wandering for a while without spotting one, Jin and Elsa agreed to ask a local for directions.
Yet, as luck would have it, every person they crossed paths with turned out to be a fellow tourist.
Growing slightly exasperated, Jin turned to Elsa.
"Well, I'm getting a bit thirsty anyway. Let's head into that shop over there and ask."
With that, he made a beeline for a nearby coffee shop.