"Hmmm, what should I do?

<

"What's wrong, Rubina?"

Then came Zion. He was looking around at the participants who were making automata.

"Ah, Mr. Zion!

"Everyone has already started making them, right?"

"......"

"What's wrong?"

Zion asks again.

"Actually, ......"

Rubina told Zion what was bothering her.

"So that's what's going on."

Sion smiled gently and patted Rubina's head.

A year ago, you would have just rushed into it and made it all up at once, without worrying about anything.

But now Rubina seems to have grown both technically and mentally through her many competitions, Zion concluded.

"Well, I don't know about technique, but ...... why do you think Jin trusts you, Reiko?"

"What?　Because ...... they are strong. ......"

Zion shook his head at the answer.

"No," he said. Well, that may be part of it, but the most important reason is that he understands djinn."

"Understanding ......."

"Yes. Reiko was Jin's first automata, and she's been with him ever since.

Reiko is the automaton who has been with Jin for a long time, supporting him when he is in pain, eliminating danger when there is danger, and having fun ...... with him when he is happy.

Jin cherished Reiko and gave her a performance that would not let her down no matter what.

"It is an expression of Jin's will to protect Reiko, who protects him, rather than to have her protect him."

"......"

"That's why Reiko is strong. I don't think that strength is a strength of a single person, but a strength of a bond."

"......I think I understand ...... somehow."

Rubina is thinking again. However, unlike before, her expression was not distressed, but rather she had a faint smile on her face.

Seeing this, Zion quietly left the place.

* * * * * *

Only two of the participants, Shu Nido and Natalia, owned automata or golems that belonged to the first Jin family.

As for Shu, well...

"Well, I guess I'd have to go with the girl type," he said.

He was working on the basic structure of the doll in front of a pile of materials.

"Will she be my second cousin ......?

"Well, for Edgar, she will be a distant relative ......."

Edgar was created by Elsa, Jin's beloved wife 400 years ago.

After that, Jin helped to improve Edgar, so Edgar's parents are Jin and Elsa.

"This time, I will make an automata that I am satisfied with.

Shu has a rough idea of what he wants to do, and reaches for the materials.

Natalia, who owned three other automata, Arrow, Arco, and Vale.

"I've been able to examine them in this way, and once again I can see how great Jin-sama is. ......"

Natalia sighs as she overhauls and inspects the Arrow.

"I don't know how close I can come to that. ......"

Ever since she was a little girl, Natalia had heard Arrow's stories about the that her ancestor Marcia had participated in with Hitoshi and Reiko, and she had always been fascinated by it.

He had been making boats since he was old enough, but since participating in the organized by Jin, he had rediscovered the joy of craftsmanship.

"I think it's important to have fun making things. ...... right, Arrow?"

asked the rebooted Arrow,

"Yes, Natalia. Jin-sama always enjoyed making things.

She replied.

"Yes, he did. Let's go to ...... and try our best!"

* * * *

Of course, there are many of us who have not inherited the automata/golem, but have been around them since childhood and have been watching them.

Shireen Eschenbach, who is related to the Eschenbach family, has seen the automata <> since she was a child, and Werner Randall has grown up with the golem <>, which was handed down from the Randall family.

Greenina Kuzma was taken care of by an automata <> when she was a child.

Many of them may not have owned one in their own house, but they may have seen one in their relative's house.

After all, there were many opportunities to see automata and golems created by Jin and his friends, and all of them had more or less the same yearning and desire to possess them.

For such people, the <> was an appropriate place to fully express their longing.

Therefore, everyone, without exception, was absorbed in their hard work.

* * * * * * * * *

"After all, the main material is light silver ...... or 64 light silver.

"We have to use carefully selected muscle materials.

"Jin-sama has adamantite coating on the joints. Let's use it as a reference.

Each of them has his or her own ingenuity.

Among them, Rubina showed a novel idea.

"X-1, I need your help here."

"Yes, Rubina-sama."

Rubina first created an assistant golem to help her with the work.

This is,

"<> is important. So, it might be better to make a tentative model at an early stage, and then slowly bring it closer to a finished model.

This is what I have been thinking.

This idea came from what Zion had told me, that Reiko is the automata who has been with Jin the longest.

"X-1, when this is finished, it will be your new body.

"Yes, I'll make it happen."

In other words, even though the period of time is short, they share the same control core and are trying to upgrade their bodies, just as Jin did with Reiko.

"Now, it's time to finish!"

Rubina's face was shining as if the time when she was troubled was a lie.

* * * * * *

"Hanako, how are you doing?"

"Yes, Marikka-sama, I feel much better. Thank you very much."

Marikka was upgrading and improving her automata <>, which she had made in admiration of Reiko.

"I put everything I could into it. Please get used to your body until the competition.

"Yes, I will."

Yes, I will.

"Hmm, here's the ......"

And Rhodes was also struggling day and night to make his best automata.

<25 days to go until the competition.