"That’s definitely a kite."
Moft Village was situated in a mountainous region, so there were plenty of places where the wind blew strong. It wasn't unusual to see kites being flown. Jin didn't care much for the history of kites, but he found the objects themselves fascinating.
Memories surfaced of him making kites for the younger children back at the orphanage.
The local kites were diamond-shaped with an elongated bottom, built on a simple cross-frame of vertical and horizontal struts.
"I wonder what they use for the sails, since it isn't paper?"
He hadn't seen any paper in this world—neither Japanese washi nor Western-style. So far, he’d only seen parchment or thin wooden boards used for writing, so he was curious about what was pasted onto the frames.
"Oho, do you have those where you come from as well, guest?"
Jin turned to find the Village Chief standing behind him. In the bright light, his sun-bronzed face looked like weathered paper, though he seemed surprisingly young.
"Yes, though the shape is a bit different."
"Is that so? How interesting. I hear you're a magi craftman. I'm sure kite-making is child's play to you, but would you mind making one for us to see?"
The Village Chief suggested it as a way to kill time, and Jin felt inclined to agree.
"I’d love to. Could you provide the materials?"
"Of course."
With that, Jin returned to the Village Chief’s house.
"Father? Are you making something?"
Reiko, who had been learning to cook the dishes Jin liked at the Chief's house, approached him.
"Yeah, a kite."
"A kite? Those are flown during the New Year where you come from, right?"
Reiko, who had parts of Jin’s knowledge irregularly transferred to her, seemed to know the basics.
"Yeah. Because the wind is stronger in winter."
In Jin's original world, the dry winter monsoons made winter the kite season in the Kanto region. Of course, festivals were held in May in Hamamatsu or around April in Nagasaki, but those were specific cases.
Setting that aside, Jin looked at the materials the Village Chief had prepared and considered what kind of kite to build.
"Hmm, I didn't expect them to use tanned leather for the sails."
It was the hide of an animal that closely resembled a mountain goat. It was white and had been processed until it was extremely thin, yet it was still heavier than paper.
"A kite that's too elaborate might actually be a bad idea."
Jin decided on a "Flexible Kite."
The design used a square or vertical rectangle as a base, divided into four vertical sections. The frame was attached along the two inner lines, excluding the center.
The bridle was the key: attaching it at the top third of the sail was the standard. A shorter attachment made it a "ceiling kite" that climbed to high altitudes, while a longer one allowed the kite to fly further away.
By cutting the sail into a straight line from the bridle points to the top of the outer frame pieces, the kite took the shape of a modified hexagon with a long bottom.
"It's a bit heavy, so I'll make the bridle shorter than one-third."
He produced three versions with slight variations.
"Oh, you're finished already?...This is quite unusual."
The Village Chief, who had come to check on his progress, let out a voice of surprise. Jin figured this was the perfect time for the finishing touches.
"I'd like to paint something on these. Do you have any dyes or paints?"
"Oho, you're going to paint them? That sounds like fun."
The Chief brought out paints used for dyeing leather.
After agonizing over what to draw, Jin finally dipped a brush in red paint and wrote the character for "Dragon" in large, bold strokes.
"What is this? Is it a picture, or a character?"
Naturally, the Village Chief could not read kanji.
"It's an ancient script meaning 'dragon'," Jin answered.
"Hoh, a dragon in the ancient script. It certainly suits a kite flying in the sky."
Jin continued by writing the character for "Dragon" on the remaining two kites in blue and black. It was a good decision not to try drawing an actual picture.
Finally, he applied the craft magic <Dry> to the paint. For the line, he used a sturdy hemp twine.
"Now then, shall we try flying them?"
"I shall accompany you," Reiko replied immediately.
"I have a bit of paperwork to finish up, so I will join you shortly," the Village Chief said, retreating into his office.
Accompanied by Reiko, Jin went outside and walked toward the area where the other kites were in the air.
The spot was a cliffside that dropped off toward the east. A sturdy fence had been erected to prevent anyone from falling.
A large crowd of children had gathered there—some flying kites, others just watching.
Among them was a single figure watching the children.
"...Elsa?"
It was Elsa. She wasn't wearing a dress, but her everyday walking clothes. Even so, the lace and decorative buttons radiated her high-class upbringing.
"...Jin-kun."
When Elsa turned around, her face looked somewhat lonely.
"What are you watching?"
"The children. I was thinking they look like they're having fun."
"You should go talk to them and join in."
Elsa shook her head. "No. I'm bad with children."
"You're just not used to them; it doesn't mean you dislike them, right?"
Jin showed her the kite in his hand. Elsa looked at it, appearing unsure of what it was.
"...Jin-kun, what is that?"
The primary feature of a Flexible Kite was that it could be rolled up for transport. It was no wonder she couldn't recognize it as a kite while it was bundled.
"It's a kite. Want to try flying it?"
"A kite? That is?" she asked, her interest piqued. "...I'll try."
"Alright."
Ignoring the slight scowl on Reiko's face, Jin took Elsa over to where the children were playing.
The younger children, who were only watching the flight, were the first to notice them. They swarmed around Jin’s group.
"Hey mister, you're the guest staying at the Chief's house, right?"
"Hey, hey, what's that in your hand?"
"The lady is so pretty. Are you a noble?"
"You're small. Are you a guest too?"
The last comment was directed at Reiko. The children were roughly the same size as her, and they seemed to feel a sense of familiarity.
"Listen up, everyone. This is a kite, too. This lady is going to fly it for you now."
Jin handed the kite with the red "Dragon" character to Elsa.
"Eh, me?"
"That's right. Go on."
"But... I've never flown a kite before."
"It'll be fine," Jin insisted. "A kite I've built won't fall down easily."
Unable to refuse, Elsa took the kite and the line and headed toward the flying area.
Noticing her approach, the older children cleared a space for her right in the center of the clearing.
"Ah, ugh..."
Jin gave the faltering Elsa a gentle push on the back. "Go on, go on. Making friends with kids is easy; you just have to play with them on their level."
"...Understood."
Setting her resolve, Elsa went to the fence and unfurled the kite. Caught by the mountain breeze, the Flexible Kite snapped open instantly. Then, Elsa let go.
The kite caught the wind and gave the string a firm tug. The ball of twine in Elsa's hand began to unravel rapidly, and the kite soared up into the great blue sky.
"Whoa! It really flew!"
"Awesome!"
The older children were shocked to see a kite soaring with perfect stability, despite having no tail for balance or manual adjustments.
"You're good at this, lady!"
Some children mistakenly thought Elsa was skillfully maneuvering it.
High in the sky, the Flexible Kite held the character for "Dragon" against the brilliant blue.