As the long spring day waned, dusk began to settle over Taji Village.
Jin had just finished giving his general explanations to the assembled village craftsmen.
"Thank you for your hard work, Jin-san."
Helga and Kachea offered their appreciation.
"Ever since you arrived, Jin-san, it feels like everything's been moving forward all at once."
Since Jin had come with that very intention, it was perhaps only natural.
That evening, Jin was treated to dinner at Kachea's family home.
Kachea had insisted on it.
The meal was prepared by the three women of the house: Kachea's mother, Tanya; her aunt, Sonya; and Kachea herself.
Half of the cooking was in the traditional style of Taji Village, while the other half was a kind of borderless fusion cuisine that Kachea had presumably picked up in Avalon.
Gathered around the dining table were Jin, Reiko, Kachea, Tanya, and Sonya.
Although they had already explained that Reiko was an automata, the family had practically begged for her to at least take a seat with them.
Two more people sat at the table as well.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you properly, Jin-san."
Tanya's eldest son and Kachea's older brother, Pavel, greeted him.
"We're truly glad to have you here."
Beside him sat his wife, Inessa. Her belly was swollen large.
Because Inessa was nearing full term, she had sat out the meal preparations.
In a situation like this, maybe I should have brought Elsa along—or at least Lise or Enju, Jin thought.
(No, I might still be able to manage something.)
Jin excused himself under the pretense of using the washroom—which he did, in fact, use—and used his bracelet to contact Laojun.
"Laojun, under the circumstances, could you transfer an assistant automata over to the Hurricane?"
"Yes, My Lord. In that case, I shall dispatch Enju 2."
"Understood."
The Enju series were female-type assistant automata.
They were being developed out of concern over the shortage of medical personnel in the world, particularly in Avalon.
Until now, Saki had been running operational field tests with Enju 1, but Jin figured it would be just as well to put another unit to good use elsewhere.
Upon returning to the dining room and chatting a bit longer, Tanya and Sonya withdrew to wash the dishes.
Kachea stayed behind to keep Jin company.
Inessa went back to her room to rest and play it safe, accompanied by her husband, Pavel.
Having seen several pregnant women in Kaina Village, Jin felt a twinge of worry wondering what would happen if she went into labor in her current state.
He decided to casually bring it up.
"Is there a midwife in this village?"
He had already confirmed that morning that there were no medical practitioners around, but he wondered how things stood regarding childbirth.
"We don't have a formal midwife, but both my mother and aunt can handle things to a degree," Kachea said.
"I see..."
It seemed experienced women in the village stepped in to assist with deliveries.
While that was hardly unusual for a rural settlement, Jin murmured with a hint of regret, "Still, to lower the infant mortality rate, you'd really want a proper doctor."
Kachea nodded in agreement.
"Yes..."
Here, Jin steered the conversation naturally toward a suggestion.
"I actually keep an assistant automata aboard my Hurricane in case of emergencies. She's usually set to Stop, but from what I heard earlier about the medical shortage, I wouldn't mind lending her to the village for a while."
"Jin-san, please! We would be so grateful!"
Kachea was the first to plead.
That was how deeply she worried for her sister-in-law.
"Understood....Reiko, could you go fetch her?"
"Yes, Father."
Jin and Reiko stepped out to where the Eagle Unit 1 was parked.
She would use the craft to fly out to the Hurricane.
Only Reiko, who could see clearly even in the pitch-black night, could make the trip with such ease.
"In that case, please keep this by your side in my stead."
Reiko retrieved Mini Reiko, who had been standing guard over the Eagle Unit 1, and handed her to Jin.
"All right."
After watching Mini Reiko settle comfortably onto Jin's head, Reiko said, "Well then, I shall be on my way," and vanished into the night.
"...Jin-san, who is that little girl?"
When Jin returned, Kachea's eyes went wide at the sight of Mini Reiko, whom she had never seen before.
"This is Mini Reiko."
"Oh, my... Jin-san, to think you can make automata so small as well."
At the current Go-lab, they were in the middle of developing a 40-centimeter-class small golem, yet Mini Reiko was only about 30 centimeters tall—and an automata on top of that.
Kachea was once again reminded of the vast technological gulf between herself and Jin.
"Though I suppose that's precisely what makes you the Magi Craft Meister."
Alongside Helga, Kachea was one of the few people in this era who had witnessed Jin's craftsmanship from the very beginning.
"The more I look at her, the more incredible she seems..."
Watching Mini Reiko, Kachea let out a sigh.
While Kachea herself was not a craftsman, she possessed a remarkably sharp eye and keen discernment.
"I get the feeling even the materials used are completely different."
"Spot on."
Over eighty percent of the things Jin crafted made lavish use of top-quality materials without sparing any expense.
At the same time, having seen Jin work wonders even with scarce resources in the past—such as with Hope—Kachea knew that genuine skill was the true foundation of it all.
Just then, Tanya and Sonya returned, having finished the dishes.
Mini Reiko swiftly slipped out of sight, judging that being seen by too many people might lead to unnecessary complications.
Thus, Tanya and Sonya chatted with Jin without noticing a thing.
In the middle of the conversation, Tanya spoke up.
"Jin-san, wouldn't you tell us about what happened after she left the village? This girl hardly tells us anything, you see."
"Of course," Jin replied.
"Mother..."
Jin could tell Kachea was simply embarrassed to have her family hear about her, but he also wanted to reassure a mother who had undoubtedly spent all that time worrying for her beloved daughter.
He decided to give them a condensed summary. Telling the whole story from start to finish would have taken until dawn.
"...And so, with her talent for mathematics recognized, Kachea..."
"Oh my, is that so?"
"...Even over there, her skill with budget management was highly valued, and..."
"I knew it..."
"Jin-saaan... please, that's enough already..."
Tanya and Sonya looked delighted to hear the tales, in stark contrast to Kachea, whose face was bright red.
Seeing this, Jin figured it was about time to wrap things up.
"At any rate, Kachea's talent for accounting is truly invaluable," he said, bringing the topic to a graceful close.
Just then—
"Father, I have returned."
Reiko walked through the door.
Naturally, she brought Enju 2 along with her.
"Jin-san, w-who might this be?!"
"Just who in the world is she?!"
Tanya and Sonya were startled.
"Jin-san, is this person the medical assistant you mentioned earlier...?"
Seeing Enju for the first time, Kachea also wore a look of surprise.
"This is an assistant automata named Enju 2."
Introduced by Jin, Enju 2 politely bowed.
"My name is Enju 2. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I look forward to serving you."
As a trivial side note, Mini Reiko swapped places with Reiko and returned to guard the Eagle Unit 1.
They say that being well-prepared leaves no room for sorrow, but that night, Inessa's condition remained entirely stable, and the hours passed in peace.