On July 7th in Kaina Village.
"Tanabata's here again this year. I'm glad it looks like the skies will clear up."
Hanna murmured as she looked up at the sky.
Ever since Jin first introduced it back in 3458, the festival had become an annual tradition.
The custom was firmly established now, and with bamboo grass growing right in the garden of Jin Castle, getting materials was never an issue.
The colored paper used for crafting tanzaku strips and other decorations was sold at the Erik Company shop.
The price was easily affordable, even for children.
And so, this year too, the village children gathered eagerly to make their Tanabata decorations.
The venue, of course, was Jin Castle.
However, since Jin was away at the moment, Elsa's biological mother, Mine, stepped in to look after the children in his stead.
Mine had originally taught the children reading, writing, and arithmetic, so everyone affectionately called her "Mine-sensei" and held her in high regard.
Borrowing the Great Hall of Jin Castle, she was busy making Tanabata decorations together with the youngsters.
"Mine-sensei, I can't get it right..."
"There, there. Look, you fold this part like this."
"Oh, I see!"
"Mine-sensei, I want to make one like this!"
"Ah, for that, you take this side over here, and then..."
"Yay, I did it!"
...Mine was in high demand among the children.
Just then, Sally—the village's resident healer and wife of Village Chief Giebeck—arrived from the clinic.
"Hard at work, I see."
"Oh, Sally-sensei. Are you on your rounds?"
"Yes, just heading back from a house call. I came to lend a hand."
"That would be wonderful....Since Jin-san isn't here this year..."
"He seems to have guests over, after all."
"Yes..."
Sally was also quite nimble with her fingers and had a knack for crafts like these.
Thanks to her daily work as the healer of Kaina Village, she was very familiar with the local children.
"Ah, it's Sally-sensei!"
"Sensei, teach me how to make this!"
"All right, all right, let's see what you have."
Sally was fond of children herself, so having free time after her house calls, she gladly joined in to help them.
"Now then, let's write our wishes on the tanzaku."
"Okay!"
Unlike in Japan, text on Planet Ars was written horizontally, so the tanzaku strips had to be turned sideways before writing.
Because of that, the words ended up sideways and slightly awkward to read once hung from the bamboo, but that couldn't be helped.
Hanna, however, had already mastered all the hiragana and katakana, along with several kanji and quite a few vocabulary words, so she wrote her tanzaku in Japanese.
"May Grandma stay healthy and live a long life."
"May Kaina Village continue to be peaceful and tranquil."
"May Jin Onii-chan live a happy life."
Those were Hanna's three tanzaku strips.
The other children wrote wishes such as:
"I hope I can grow up big and strong soon."
"I hope I get better at my studies."
Around 4:00 PM, they set up the bamboo grass in the garden of Jin Castle.
Roughly twenty stalks of bamboo rustled lightly in the gentle breeze.
Butler B, Butler C, and the others had also arranged paper lanterns and stone-style lanterns, making sure the grounds would remain well-lit underfoot once darkness fell.
Yukatas had been prepared for all the villagers, lent out free of charge to anyone interested.
Judging by how many were taken, nearly ninety percent of the villagers were expected to dress up in them.
Hanna wore a goldfish-patterned yukata that Jin had given her.
"Your yukata is so pretty, Hanna-chan," her friend Patty said, sounding a bit envious.
"It looks great on you too, Patty."
"Heheh, you think so?"
Patty wore a yukata patterned with red dragonflies over a pale madder background.
At 6:00 PM, while faint daylight still lingered in the sky, Butler B, Butler C, and the 5-Color Maids set up festival stalls.
"Freshly roasted corn!"
"How about some popcorn?"
"Get your cotton candy here!"
"Care to try your hand at the shooting gallery?"
Naturally, everything was completely free.
Incidentally, the shooting gallery used small bows and arrows rather than guns.
By 7:00 PM, the sun had set, and stars began to dot the night sky.
This world had a Milky Way of its own.
"Do you think the stars will grant our wishes?"
"If you're on your best behavior, I'm sure they will."
Snakes of conversation like that drifted through the air. The parents had arrived to join their children, filling the grounds with warmth.
Then, around 8:00 PM...
"Sorry I'm late, everyone."
None other than Jin appeared before them.
"Onii-chan?!"
There was about a three-hour time difference between Ekishi in the Shouro Empire and Kaina Village.
At the Randol Mansion, it was currently 5:00 PM—right in the middle of the banquet.
Jin had slipped away for just a brief moment under the pretext of using the restroom.
"I'm quite busy right now and have to head right back, but please keep having fun even if I'm not around."
Jin smiled as the children swarmed around him.
"Jin-san, it must be exhausting with how busy you are," Mine said, stepping forward to offer him some gentle words of appreciation.
"No, not at all. I'm actually having a good time."
Jin smiled, looking up at the night sky.
The Milky Way stretched across the heavens, and countless stars sparkled brightly.
Because the Moon, Uni, appeared noticeably smaller in the sky than Earth's moon, its light did little to wash out the brilliant stars.
Stepping forward, Jin gently hung his own tanzaku strips among the leaves.
Written upon them were his wishes...
"May my brother-in-law Moritz, sister-in-law Ingrid, and their eldest daughter Henrietta live in happiness."
"May Her Majesty the Empress Emerita stay in good health and enjoy a long life."
"May Yuu, Mio, and Elsa stay healthy and happy."
Those were his three strips.
A gentle breeze blew in from the Erme River, rustling the hanging tanzaku strips tied to the bamboo.
Silent and wordless, the stars in the night sky simply looked down, watching over the earth with quiet tenderness.