Ding Ding Dinggg! A Great Feast!

Hey, Ineffa! Oh, Jahoda! You're here, too?

Well, after all that hard work, I at least deserve a slice of cake for my efforts, don't you think?

Wait, there's cake!?

Yes. You two are here just in time.

Aino wanted to thank you for your help, so now that Krum-Clank is back safe and sound, she thought it would be nice for everyone to try out his baking.

Clank... clank...

Wow, so this is what Krum-Clank was supposed to look like!

Yes. Luckily, the core was still intact, so all Aino had to do was make a new body.

Clank... clank...

Ooh, is it ready?

Gulp...

Hey, he ate it!

It's not unusual for a chef to take a few bites before serving a dish.

No need to worry. Once he's had his fill, he can get started on the desserts for everyone else. It'll just be a moment.

Alright... Wait, speaking of desserts, where's Aino?

Ah, she thought of a new idea for a robot and shut herself in the workshop to get started. When inspiration strikes, she jumps into action. That's just who she is.

Why does Aino like building robots so much?

Hm... Retrieving historical records from data bank...

At first, I believe Aino was just shocked to find something that fascinated her more than desserts.

And fortunately, her friends respected her passion — even if, aside from struggling to make ends meet, there was little time for much else.

Then, one day, an acclaimed teacher discovered her and recognized her passion for what it truly was... genius.

Just like her friends, she finally discovered what she wanted to do. And not only that, she excelled at it.

And when genius and passion collide, there's not much that can get in the way.

So, Aino left her childhood friends, established the Clink-Clank Krumkake Craftshop, and started making all kinds of robot companions.

Perhaps it all comes down to the natural instinct of a genius... the drive to see their imagination come to life.

Oh... So that's what draws her to robotics?

Based on my own experience with Aino, I think there's more to it than that.

Long before she took me in, she was already pushing her skills to the limit in an effort to give each robot a distinct personality, and she already treated them like companions.

What I mean is, it's not something that started with me, just because I have a unique background.

I think, after walking the path of a genius for so long, she looked around and realized there was no one at her side, and it made her feel lonely.

So, me, Krum-Clank, and all the other robots Aino has added to the workshop... We're not just proof of her genius.

We're her family. We give her the companionship she longs for.

As I see it, that's the true relationship between Aino and her robots.

Oh, wow. So, you really mean a lot to her...

Yes. And for that reason, it did not matter to Aino how powerful Krum-Clank could become, nor how feared or coveted his technology might be among the factions.

And she decided that he would join this family, and that meant she would spare no effort to save him.

Yeah, that makes sense! But, it makes Paimon wonder why someone like Aino would choose to stay in Nod-Krai...

...I'm afraid my logic unit cannot make sense of that question.

Well, the way Paimon sees it, Nod-Krai is a dog-eat-dog place full of scheming and scamming. The people that thrive here seem to be built for that kind of thing.

Anyone else would use the kind of tech Aino has to make weapons and threaten people.

But Aino... she takes something that could be a weapon and turns it into a robot that makes cakes. It just doesn't seem like she fits in...

No, my view is the exact opposite.

I've encountered the full spectrum of people that live here in Nod-Krai. But, in my experience, very few of them can be said to represent this place.

You say Aino doesn't fit in here, but I believe the opposite. If I were to attempt to define what a person from Nod-Krai should be... no one is a better match than Aino.

Ding... Ding...

Ooh, the desserts should be done!

Yes. One moment. Allow me to serve them.

I want the one with the most frosting!

Alright, everyone. Dig in.

...Mmm! So worth it!