Since Maru was coming today, Leon didn’t head straight off the farm. Instead, he went back into his cabin and called Robin.
“Hi, this is Robin! What can I help you with today?” The mont the call connected, Robin’s warm, enthusiastic voice reached Leon’s ears.
“Robin, it’s , Leon. I wanted to ask—Maru’s still at ho?” Leon asked directly.
“She left a while ago. You should be able to see her soon.” Robin replied.
“Got it. Thanks for the info. Bye.” With a clear answer, Leon hung up.
He then checked today’s fortune and found that his luck was perfectly average. Pouring himself a cup of hot water, he stepped out onto the porch and sat on the cabin steps, sipping noisily. At that mont, he couldn’t help but sigh—if only he had a pouch of quality tea leaves.
Once the cup was empty, Leon set it back inside and walked to the edge of the farm. Glancing down the dirt road leading straight to Pelican Town, he didn’t see Maru, but he did spot Pam in her jacket.
The distance was far, but Leon’s sharp eyes could make out Pam clearly. She, however, didn’t seem to notice him. At the fork in the road, she turned toward the bus stop.
“Well, soone’s motivated,” Leon murmured.
It was just past eight o’clock. Pam showing up here likely ant she was heading to work. Compared to the ga, where she only arrived at the bus stop at ten, reality’s bus driver started her shifts a lot earlier.
If not for waiting on Maru, Leon might have gone to try the new bus himself—maybe even head to Calico Desert for a look around and pick up so Starfruit seeds early.
Just as he was about to head back to the farm, Leon heard a loud, aggressive engine roar coming from the eastern road. Squinting, he saw the source—a motorcycle.
The rider was Sebastian.
The bike was fast. In monts, Sebastian was right in front of him, pulling a stylish brake-slide to a stop less than a ter away.
Only then did Leon notice that Maru was riding pillion, clutching a large box.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Leon.” Maru hopped off, box in hand, offering a quick apology before turning to Sebastian. “Thanks for the ride, Sebastian. I appreciate it.”
“She’s all yours. I’ve got things to do—see you.” Sebastian didn’t answer Maru directly. Instead, he spoke to Leon, twisted the throttle, and shot away in a spray of dust.
“Speed demon,” Leon muttered. Then, seeing Maru’s faintly downcast look, he added, “That brother of yours is probably just a bit tsundere. Don’t let it get to you. He still went out of his way to bring you here—ans he cares.”
“Maybe,” Maru sighed, shaking her head. “But I think he’s just finishing a chore for Mom.”
Leon didn’t push it. Every family had its own troubles. With a stepfamily, a busy mother, and a distant stepfather, it was no wonder Sebastian didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for his stepsister.
He quickly changed the subject. “Co on into the farm. Let’s test out your water pump. Lunch is on .”
“Mm.” Maru’s mood brightened. She followed Leon into the farm, heading to the edge of the fields. There, she opened the box, revealing a water pump and a coil of hose, and began assembling the parts.
Leon eyed it curiously. About half a ter long, thirty centiters tall—looked a lot like a motor.
Lifting it, he found it was lighter than it appeared. There was only one hose connector for water output, and the intake seed to be under the louver-like panels on both sides.
Not spotting any power cable, Leon asked, “Is it rechargeable?”
“Yes. For portability, I designed it with a solar-charging system. Just open this part and place it under direct sunlight, and it charges right up.”
As she spoke, Maru demonstrated, pulling a hidden solar panel from the pump’s rear. Leon noticed five LED lights on it—all glowing green.
“This shows battery level. Because of material limits, I kept it simple. All five lights green ans full power. If they’re all off, you’ll need to recharge.” Maru explained as she noticed his gaze.
“How long does a full charge last?” Leon asked.
“At full power, about two hours of operation. To fully charge under direct sun takes three hours. On cloudy days, seven to nine.”
“Impressive.” Leon gave her a thumbs-up. The efficiency of such a small solar panel was better than he expected.
“It’s not that amazing—just a simple setup. A lightning-charged battery pack would be far more efficient,” Maru said modestly.
“Simple for you, maybe. For us non-tech folk, this is high-tech.” Leon chuckled. Then he rembered—this was the sa girl who could hand-build a robot. No wonder.
In this world, magic might be powerful, but the “black tech” could be just as outrageous. Thinking of himself as just an ordinary farr, Leon felt a bit wistful.
After putting the panel away, Maru crouched beside him and pointed at a switch on the pump.
“Leon, when you use it, turn this on first. Then drop it into the water. But that’s just the power—if you want it to actually run, you’ll need this.”
She pulled out a walnut-sized round device. “This is the remote. Press once to start pumping, press again to stop. Roll it upward to increase power, downward to decrease power—makes it easy to control output.”
“This thing has a remote?” Leon said, half-joking. “Anything else you haven’t ntioned?”
“Yes. Besides pumping water, it can pump air—as long as it’s not full of particulates. It can vacuum-seal a closed space or quickly fill an oxygen-poor area with fresh air. Just a little bonus feature.”
Leon blinked. “…Why?”
“I made it for you to take into the mines. Dad told
you’ve gone into the Abandoned Mines behind the mountain more than once. I’ve never been there, but books say miners often run into oxygen shortages or toxic gases underground. So I added it for safety.”
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