A week after we’d finished persuading Hiiragi-san’s parents, we were traveling by train and taxi toward Kyosuke-san’s workshop. We had received word that the reforging of Shiranui and the other weapons was finally complete.
We waited for Kyosuke-san in the same reception room as before, passing the time with tea.
“Sigh...”
“What’s wrong, Hiiragi-san?”
After taking a sip of her tea, Hiiragi-san let out a deep sigh while staring out at the garden. It was a heavy, world-weary sort of sigh.
“It’s just... I was thinking about the payment amount Kyosuke-san mentioned...”
“Ah, that...”
Understanding the meaning behind her sigh, I let out one of my own. When Kyosuke-san had called a few days ago, the final quote he gave us was slightly over one million yen. It wasn't an impossible sum for us to pay, but for Hiiragi-san, it meant her debt would only continue to grow.
“On the bright side, we’ve officially become proper sole proprietors.”
“Well, yeah.”
Yesterday, we had visited the tax office and the Legal Affairs Bureau to submit our notification of business commencement and the minor’s registry. By registering as sole proprietors, we could process these costs as business expenses, which would lower our taxes. Total annual sales minus necessary expenses equals profit—and only that profit is taxable. The forging costs for these weapons could be handled as startup costs.
Still, I wondered what the useful life of a sword was supposed to be. Because of the price, the government treated them as assets, but I honestly wished they’d let me categorize them as consumables. After all, the original Shiranui hadn't even lasted six months.
“From now on, we have to make sure we get receipts whenever we spend money on the explorer profession.”
“...Ugh, what a pain. I’ve never asked for receipts for food or transportation in my life.”
Hiiragi-san sighed again. I felt like joining her, but I held it back. When I had asked the taxi driver for a receipt on the way here, he’d given me a very strange look. I suppose it’s rare for a youth around high school age to ask for a business receipt, so it couldn't be helped.
Just as I took another sip of tea to calm my nerves, the sliding door to the reception room opened and Kyosuke-san appeared.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Kyosuke-san looked noticeably exhausted compared to the last time I’d seen him.
“Man... they were quite the difficult pieces. I certainly learned a lot.”
Sitting across from us at the table, Kyosuke-san offered a bit of a roundabout complaint. It was a little awkward to have him vent to us right off the bat, though...
“I reached out to a contact at the university to help. They managed to successfully re-refine the blades while adjusting the composition.”
“The university?”
“Yeah. My workshop can handle simple melting, but adjusting chemical components is outside my field. Since it was only enough material for a few swords, I couldn't go to a commercial steel mill, so I turned to a contact of mine at the university.”
“I see.”
So Kyosuke-san had those kinds of connections.
As I was feeling impressed, Kyosuke-san began to speak with a slightly strained expression, as if the topic was difficult to broach.
“Also, I apologize for asking for permission after the fact, but as a condition for the university re-refining the blades, they asked for a small amount of the ultra-high purity iron for research purposes. I let them have it. I’m sorry for making that decision on my own without consulting you first.”
“Oh, no. We left that material in your hands to use as you saw fit. You’re free to use it however you like, so please don't worry about it.”
“...I see. Thank you.”
Hearing my words, Kyosuke-san let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart. Well, ultra-high purity iron is worth over a million yen per kilogram. We had given him about ten kilograms this time; if sold, it would be worth nearly ten million yen. Even if it was only a small amount, giving it away before getting permission must have kept him on edge.
While Kyosuke-san was relaxing, the sliding door opened again. A woman carrying tea and a binder, along with a young man carrying five wooden boxes, entered the room.
“Kyosuke-san, I’ve brought the items you requested.”
“Ah, thank you. Just leave them on the table.”
“Understood... Excuse us, then.”
The two left the tea, the binder, and the wooden boxes before departing the room.
After taking a sip of his tea, Kyosuke-san slid four of the wooden boxes toward us. In front of me was a wooden box about a meter long. In front of Yuji were two boxes about sixty centimeters long, and in front of Hiiragi-san was a box about two meters long.
“First, take a look at the finished products. They turned out beautifully.”
“Yes. If you'll excuse me...”
Each of us began checking the contents of the wooden boxes.
Untying the cords and peeling back the purple cloth, the weapons revealed themselves.
“Ohh!”
“Whoa.”
“Wow...”
I was captivated by the sight of my reborn partner resting in the box. It seemed the same was true for Yuji and Hiiragi-san.
The scabbard featured a black-based lacquer finish that gave off an elegant luster. The hilt was meticulously wrapped in a twist-braid style using black-dyed cotton cord. The crossguard featured the re-plated locking lug that had been transplanted from Shiranui.
The exterior finish was nothing short of magnificent.
“Would you mind taking a look at the blades as well?”
“Ah, right.”
Prompted by Kyosuke-san, we snapped out of our daze and took our reborn partners into our hands.
The hefty weight felt incredible, but...
“Wait? It feels a bit heavier than before...”
Feeling a sense of incongruity, I tilted my head with a puzzled expression, wondering if I was just imagining it. However, Yuji and Hiiragi-san were doing the same, tilting their heads in confusion.
As we stood there puzzled, Kyosuke-san provided the answer.
“Ah, did you notice? I actually made each blade a little bit thicker to increase their strength.”
“I see. But why?”
“Listening to how you all intended to use them, I figured that while sharpness is important, durability was the critical factor. That’s why I took this approach. They’ve become a bit heavier as a result.”
“...I see.”
Sharpness was certainly important, but the most vital thing was that they didn't break during use. It would be a nightmare if a weapon snapped in the middle of a fight with a monster.
“I forged the swords this time using the kobuse method. I used the hard steel refined from your old blades as the kawagane, and for the shingane, I used soft steel synthesized from ultra-high purity iron and high-purity carbon. Thanks to that, I believe they’ve turned out tougher and more resistant to breaking than ever before.”
“Is that so... Well then, I'll take a look at the blade.”
I pressed the locking lug to release it and broke the seal of the scabbard. As I drew it out slightly, a shimmering silver blade revealed itself. Unlike the previous Shiranui, the blade now bore a beautiful wave pattern.
“This is amazing. I can't think of any word for it but ‘magnificent.’”
“Hearing you say that makes the hard work worth it.”
I praised Kyosuke-san, though my mind was elsewhere as I stared blankly at the blade in awe. Kyosuke-san didn't take offense at my distraction and simply let out a wry smile.
With his chuckle in my ears, I drew the rest of the blade from the scabbard and held it up to the light, admiring the reborn Shiranui Kai.
While I was mesmerized by my sword, Hiiragi-san was posing a question to Kyosuke-san.
“Kyosuke-san. My spear—not just the spearhead, but the shaft has changed too, hasn't it? Beyond the weight, the grip feels one or two sizes thicker than my previous spear.”
“Yes. For your spear, Hiiragi-san, I used a thin tubing made of ultra-high purity iron to reinforce the shaft.”
“Reinforcement?”
“The original shaft was wood, you see. To meet your request for it to not break even when clashing with swords, I decided to sleeve it with iron tubing. It got a bit heavier, but thanks to the ultra-high purity iron, I believe I’ve achieved your requirement.”
“I see.”
“Oh, and right. The wrap on the shaft is carbon tape. That's also part of the reinforcement.”
Curious about their conversation, I sheathed Shiranui and turned toward Hiiragi-san.
In her hands was a spear with a black shaft and a silver spearhead engraved with a wave pattern. Compared to the previous Isuzu, it had a much more imposing presence.
“...”
Being careful not to hit anything nearby, Hiiragi-san lightly swung the spear in various directions with one hand to test it. Kyosuke-san's eyes widened slightly at the sight.
“...Is it not heavy? I tried to be careful, but as I said, it should be two or three kilograms heavier than before...”
“Not really. I can handle this much weight just fine.”
“I-I see.”
Kyosuke-san seemed a bit taken aback by Hiiragi-san's nonchalant reply. Well, I suppose anyone would be surprised to see a girl like her effortlessly swinging a spear that weighed several kilograms with one hand.
“Yeah. The balance seems fine too.”
Finishing her check, Hiiragi-san put the sheath back over the spearhead and placed Isuzu Kai back into the wooden box.
While Hiiragi-san and I were talking to Kyosuke-san, Yuji was quietly inspecting his two kodachi.
“Hmm.”
“Um... do you have any questions?”
“No. This is wonderful work, Kyosuke-san. They’re a bit heavier, but the center of gravity is almost the same as the original weapons. I'll be able to get used to these in no time.”
“I-Is that so?”
Yuji sheathed his kodachi and put them back in their boxes.
Watching this, Kyosuke-san let out a weary sigh.
“Phew... For some reason, I’m strangely exhausted.”
Kyosuke-san placed his hand on his forehead and shook his head slightly before taking a sip of his now-cold tea.
“Whew. Well, then. Can we consider the handover of the commissioned items complete?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then, take this.”
Kyosuke-san slid the last wooden box toward the center, in front of me. It was about thirty centimeters square.
I untied the cord and opened the lid.
“...What is this?”
Inside the box were three kaiken in plain wood scabbards. I didn't recall ordering anything like this.
“I made them using the offcuts from when I was making Kokonoe-kun's and Hirose-kun's swords. Since I ended up pushing the delivery date back by a week... well, they're an apology gift.”
“Oh, I see...”
“Since they’re made from offcuts, the blades are short, but the strength is equivalent to your main weapons. You can use them as practical tools.”
Each of us took one kaiken from the box. Pulling the blade from the scabbard revealed a silver edge with the same beautiful wave pattern as Shiranui.
...Could I use this as a sub-weapon?
Looking at the blade that reflected light just like Shiranui, that was the thought that crossed my mind.
“Well then. Can we consider the handover of the requested items finished with this?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then, if there are no issues with the items delivered, could you please sign this delivery note?”
“Yes.”
We looked over the delivery note Kyosuke-san took out of his binder and added our signatures to the receipt column.
“...Yes, that's perfect. The delivery is complete then.”
Kyosuke-san nodded with satisfaction. Come to think of it, our request was his first job as a professional swordsmith. He must be relieved to have successfully completed the commission.
“Now, shall we move on to the payment?”
“Yes.”
Returning the delivery note to the binder, Kyosuke-san gently placed three invoices in front of us. The amounts written on each invoice were different, but everyone's was well over six figures.
“As I told you over the phone, it ended up being higher than the estimate....Is this okay?”
Having presented invoices that were higher than the initial estimate, Kyosuke-san looked at our faces with an anxious expression. If we told him we couldn't pay the difference, it would be a major financial blow for a rookie swordsmith like him.
“It's fine. We heard the final amounts beforehand, so we’ve come prepared. Please rest easy.”
“I-I see.”
When I pulled a bulging brown envelope from my pocket, Kyosuke-san breathed a visible sigh of relief. I felt that showing such an attitude in front of a customer might be a bit unprofessional, but to him, we probably just looked like ordinary high schoolers. I could understand why he was so relieved, so I decided not to press the issue.
We each handed over our respective invoiced amounts to Kyosuke-san, completing the payment.
“...Confirmed. Alright then, here are your receipts.”
“Thank you. With this, everything including the payment is finished, right?”
“Yes. That’s all.”
We tucked away the receipts, and Kyosuke-san clipped the money into his binder.
“Still... your request was quite the challenge for a first job.”
“Haha, so it seems.”
“It really was. But it was a great learning experience.”
“Well, we'll probably have more requests for you eventually, so we'll be counting on you then.”
“Haha, please go easy on me next time.”
“I'll think about it.”
We said our farewells to Kyosuke-san and left the workshop.
Incidentally, the results of using Appraisal Analysis on Shiranui and the others were as follows:
Shiranui Kai +31, Isuzu Kai +42, Shigure Kai +46, Murasame Kai +46, Kaiken +10, Kaiken +15, Kaiken +15.
As a result of the reforging, Shiranui and the others had successfully carried over their level up effects. On top of that, the kaiken also had level up effects added to them, though it was only about a third of the main weapons. The +10 kaiken was mine, while the +15 ones belonged to Yuji and Hiiragi-san.
It cost quite a bit of time and money, but this was good news. If we were going to continue as explorers, we would need to value our connection with Kyosuke-san from now on.