A young boy, a little smaller than Reiko, stood watching from a short distance away from the frolicking children. When Jin beckoned to him, he came trotting over.
"Onii-chan, what's up?"
"Do you want to try flying this?"
Jin handed the boy a kite with the character for "Dragon" written on it in blue ink. He had already adjusted the bridle to make it a ceiling kite.
"Wait, really!?"
"Yeah. But it might be dangerous to do it alone, so... Reiko!"
"Yes."
"Help this boy fly his kite."
"Understood....Come, let us begin. What is your name? I am Reiko."
Perhaps because she had become close friends with Hanna in Kaina Village, Reiko had grown quite adept at interacting with children.
"Reiko-oneechan, I'm Kaito!"
Kaito meant "kite" in English, Jin noted to himself—a trivial coincidence, but one he found amusing.
"Still, these balls of string are a pain to handle....Alright!"
One kite remained, but Jin set it aside for the moment and turned his attention to a withered log lying nearby.
"Okay, this looks usable... Forming. Shaping. And finally, Hardening."
In the case of wood, it was difficult to perform plastic deformation like one could with clay, so the magic used was Shaping. This involved whittling away everything except the necessary parts of the material.
He crafted the components and assembled them into a traditional kite spool. Using that single log, he produced five identical units.
He handed one to Reiko.
"Once all the string is out, wind it onto this," he instructed. He brought another one over to Elsa.
"Amazing, it’s gone so far!" Elsa said. She was smoothly letting out her line.
"Hey, hey, big bro, what's written on that?" one of the boys asked.
"That? That's a character that means 'Dragon'."
"Whoa, a dragon! That sounds strong!"
"Right? You read it as 'Ryu'."
"Ryu! Ryu!"
"Ryu is awesome!"
"Ryu! Ryu!"
Once the children learned the reading for the character, they all began chanting it in unison. Jin turned back to Elsa.
"It’s flying quite well, isn't it?"
"...It’s not my skill. The kite Jin-kun made is incredible."
"Haha, thanks. The string is almost all the way out. When it is, tie the end to this."
"What is this?"
"A kite spool."
The "balls of string" the villagers used were simply lengths of twine wound haphazardly around small pieces of wood; they were practically guaranteed to tangle.
"Did Jin-kun make this too?"
"Yeah, just now."
As he handed the spool to a surprised Elsa, Jin began preparing the last remaining kite so he could join them.
"Ah, are you going to fly one too, big bro?"
"Dragon-bro!"
"Hey now, my name is Jin."
"Oh, okay! Jin-niichan, then!"
While they chatted, Jin finished his preparations.
"Alright, go!"
The kite caught the wind and soared upward in an instant. This one bore the character for "Dragon" in black ink.
"Ohh!"
The bridle for this one had been set to a balance halfway between Elsa's and Kaito's.
"Ho ho, this is truly impressive. As expected of a magi craftman."
The Village Chief approached them.
"Would you like to try flying a kite as well, Village Chief?" Jin asked.
"Yes, I did it quite often when I was a boy," the Chief replied.
Jin handed him the ball of string. "In that case, please, give this one a try."
"Then I shall take you up on that offer....Goodness, what is this stability!?"
The Village Chief, who had flown many kites in his time, was astonished by the stability of the Flexible Kite.
"With ordinary kites, you have to spend ages adjusting them or adding tails just to get them to fly straight!"
Knowing that Jin had made it so quickly only added to his shock.
"Once the string is all the way out, please use this spool."
Because the kite was so stable, one could look away from it without concern.
"Oho, so this is a spool. I see, this is a fine invention indeed!"
The Village Chief was further impressed. Entrusting the kite with the black "Dragon" character to the Chief, Jin went to check on Reiko and Kaito.
"How is it, Kaito?"
"Ah, big bro! Thank you, this kite is amazing!"
Kaito’s face was flushed with excitement; the string in his hand was nearly gone.
"I see, I'm glad....Reiko, I'll leave the transfer to the spool to you once the string is out."
"Yes, Father."
Then he went over to Elsa. Her string was already completely out; she had wound it onto the kite spool and was gently tugging at the handle to feel the tension.
"You're doing well too, Elsa."
"Ah, Jin-kun....Yes, as you can see."
The kite with the red "Dragon" character was pulling the string at about a thirty-degree angle, appearing as a mere speck in the sky. It had flown quite far.
"Onee-chan, that's amazing!"
A group of girls had gathered around Elsa.
"...Do you want to try holding it for a bit?" Elsa asked.
"Yes!"
A girl happily reached out at Elsa's offer. Elsa let the girl's small hand grip the spool.
"Wow!"
Feeling the kite's powerful pull for the first time, the girl cheered. Elsa watched her with a softened expression.
"Thank you, Onee-chan."
"Are you finished? Then, you next."
"Yay!"
By letting the children take turns, Elsa was soon surrounded by happy faces, and she looked quite happy herself.
"My, I am truly beaten. You are indeed a magi craftman worthy of being invited by the nobility," the Village Chief said once they returned from the cliff.
"That kite is simple, yet its stability is excellent. Even a small child can fly it without worrying about it crashing."
Since they used tanned leather, the kites were relatively expensive, making it a relief that they wouldn't easily drop and break.
"Therefore, Jin-dono, would you please grant our village permission to manufacture those kites? And that spool as well. For the rights to both, would a fee of 100,000 Toll be acceptable?"
That was approximately 100,000 yen. There was no patent system in this world, and the kite was simple enough that anyone could likely imitate it just by looking at it. It required no special magic.
He didn't know how much profit it would generate in the long run, but Jin, who didn't care much for haggling, nodded and agreed.
"Oh! Thank you. This will surely become a new specialty of our village."
Entrusting the money he received to Reiko, Jin took another stroll through the settlement.
"Being like this reminds me of Kaina Village."
As he walked, Jin realized he still missed his life back in Kaina Village.