Only a few days left in 3458.

On New Year's Eve, it's just Jin and Elsa. The night goes on without the couple.

In the tatami-matted room, a brazier made by Jin is placed, and a magi crystal of the fire attribute is emitting red-hot heat.

Although charcoal was also made, it was an ingenious idea of Jin who did not want to get carbon monoxide poisoning.

On the brazier, an iron (?) jar made of adamantite is emitting steam. On the brazier, an adamantite iron (?) jar is emitting steam.

A basket of citrons was placed on the sunken kotatsu, instead of tangerines.

Reiko is in the kitchen, busy making New Year's Eve soba noodles.

"Here you go, sir.

"Oh, thank you, Reiko."

Thank you, Reiko.

"No, thank you."

Jin made his specialty, morisoba, and Erza had hot tempura soba.

"Yes, it's delicious."

"Delicious, Reiko."

"Thank you."

Jin drinks soba-yu (buckwheat water) and Elsa drinks soba-cha (buckwheat tea).

"So much has happened this year. ......"

Jin muttered.

"I've been in the Kunlun Kingdom, there was a change of king in the Kingdom of Selroa, and I had a row with Rokure..."

"Hmm. I went to ...... Mitsuho, met Mr. Goose, and learned about my predecessor and the wise man (Magus)."

Erza also looks back on the past year.

"I guess so. ...... I built a spaceship, went to the moon (Yunie), and met Milowina."

"We had the World Congress, we built the monorail, we had the Golem competition.

"The best part, of course, was getting married."

"Yes, that's right. We went on our honeymoon after traveling around the country.

"Gobbling grasshoppers, golems of the past, long-period planets."

Disaster...... on Onogoro Island.

It's been an intense year, Jin thinks.

"It feels like a year and nine months have passed. ......

Brother Jin, you're right, that's just my imagination.

I'm sure it's just my imagination.

As Jin was thinking, "I really want to hear the bell ringing on New Year's Eve," he heard the sound of bells ringing out of nowhere.

"That sound ...... I thought that craftsman (Smith)1 has been doing something since yesterday.

Apparently, Smith1 had built the bell and the bell tower on the instructions of the old man.

Jin thanked the old man for his care and attention.

"In my hometown, we ring that bell 108 times on New Year's Eve to drive out the 108 worldly desires," he said.

"Interesting. Interesting."

Jin thought Goose and Vivian would be interested in this.

And then it was midnight.

<

The old man's voice rang out, marking the beginning of the year 3459.

Happy New Year, Elsa.

"Happy New Year, Elsa."

Happy New Year, Reiko.

Happy New Year, Father.

Happy New Year to you too, old man.

Jin then received New Year's greetings from Soleil, Luna, and the other leaders of the Golems of Horai Island.

"Well, after a nap, let's go to the village of Kaina.

"Hmm."

Jin wanted to say a few words as a lord.

"After that, we will go to Leuthart and greet the New Year at the imperial castle.

As the husband of Elsa, a citizen of Shawlo, it was his duty.

That should be the end of his official duties, Jin said.

"In the evening we will have a banquet with all the family members.

"Yes, I'll be ready."

I'll get it ready.

* * * *

Because of the time difference, Jin and the others were able to get a normal six hours of sleep rather than a nap.

It's getting light outside.

"Father, it's almost time."

Reiko tells me.

"Okay, let's go outside."

Even though it is winter, it is not cold on the island of Horai, which is located on the Tropic of Cancer.

Jin takes Elsa and Reiko to the front and heads for the laboratory.

They climbed the stairs to the roof.

The sky in the east was tinted with the color of Akane.

It's the first Akane.

And the new year's sun was rising.

"It's the first sunrise of the year."

It's beautiful.

Aren't you two cold?

Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you, Reiko.

Jin and Elsa watch the sunrise on the roof of the institute. Their faces are lit up by the sun that has just risen, and they are the same shade of madder red as the sky.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Yes, it's delicious.

Jin and Erza were eating zoni at home.

It was a simple soy sauce-based soup made from chicken and pork stock, with kamaboko (fish paste) and leafy vegetables.

The rice cake is rectangular.

Jin had seven rice cakes and Elsa had three.

"Oh, it was delicious!"

Jin and Erza tasted the ozoni that Perid Reader had prepared with his best effort.

The New Year's festive dishes were black soybeans, tazukuri, lotus root stew, kinton, datemaki, red and white kamaboko, grilled prawn in devil's shell, kinpira gobo, and kombu-roll (kelp roll), each of which looked exactly like the one at .......

They were the joint work of all the five-colored golem maids.

After picking them little by little, Jin rubbed his stomach while drinking hojicha (roasted green tea) after the meal.

"Maybe I ate a little too much..."

Next to him, Erza is smiling wryly.

Around 9:00 a.m., Jin first moved to Nido Castle.

A New Year's party had been announced in advance.

It was 6:40 a.m. in Kaina Village. Since it was not customary to see the first day of the year and there was a light snowfall in Kayna that day, all the villagers, including the children, were gathered in the hall.

"Happy New Year, everyone!

This was the New Year's greeting that Jin had spread last year. All the villagers chanted in unison.

"Happy New Year!