As the shopkeeper wrapped up the katsuobushi, he offered a word of caution before handing it over.
"I'm sure a customer like you already knows this, but please keep it away from heat and humidity when storing it. Also, take care that pests don't get into it."
"Yes, that won't be a problem."
With karebushi, the surface mold serves as a protective layer, so storing it at room temperature in a cool, dark place was standard practice.
Hourai Island had proper storage facilities for that, so there were no concerns.
"Thank you very much. Please come again."
Jin left the shop thoroughly satisfied with his purchase.
"Where to next?"
"Let's see. Shall we wander around for a bit?"
The sun was still high. Jin and Elsa decided to spend a little more time sightseeing in Seki Town.
They turned down a street slightly off the main thoroughfare.
Foot traffic was sparse, making for an easy stroll. And while not completely spotless, there was very little litter on the ground, giving Jin the impression that he was walking through the back alleys of modern Japan.
"Ah, what a pretty shop."
Elsa pointed toward a cozy storefront decorated with flowers out front. On closer inspection, the flowers were artificial.
"Looks like a paper shop."
Drawing nearer, it indeed seemed to be a shop selling colorful varieties of paper.
"I'd like to look inside."
At Elsa's request, Jin walked into the shop with her. Reiko and Hope followed right behind.
"Welcome."
Aside from Jin's party, two other groups of customers were inside: a parent with a child, and a couple.
"Wow, so pretty."
"I want that one!"
"Which one should we get?"
The other patrons seemed to be enjoying their shopping just as much.
"I think this would look pretty pasted onto a box."
Elsa appeared to have taken a liking to some patterned paper.
"What was this kind of paper called again...? Right, 'Yuzen washi.' No, 'Yuzen mokushi,' I suppose."
As Jin dredged up memories from craft stores in his past life, the shop clerk spoke up in a pleased tone.
"My, you're quite knowledgeable, sir."
She was a composed woman who appeared to be in her late twenties.
"If I remember correctly, you use stencils to print layer upon layer, right?"
"Wh-Where did you learn that?! That's supposed to be a closely guarded secret..."
"Ah, is that so?"
Jin hurriedly clamped his mouth shut. Relieved that the other patrons hadn't seemed to overhear, he offered a vague excuse.
"I just happened to come across the information."
"Jin-nii, is this origami?"
"Let's see."
Elsa called out to him just then, so Jin walked over to her side.
Before them lay square-cut sheets of paper printed with intricate, vibrant designs.
"Yeah. If anything, this is 'chiyogami.'"
Among square-cut sheets made for folding, Western paper was often referred to as 'origami' while Japanese paper was called 'chiyogami'—a distinction Jin had thoughtlessly spoken aloud.
"...Dear customer, just who are you...?"
Jin had thoroughly startled the clerk once again.
"The term 'chiyogami' isn't supposed to be widely known at all..."
"Like I said, I just had a chance to learn about it," Jin repeated.
The clerk pressed him with yet another question.
"...Could it be that you know how to fold a 'yakko-san'?"
"Yes."
That answer seemed just as unexpected to her.
"How do you know how to fold one?! What even is a 'yakko-san' in the first place?! Why do you know about it?!"
Evidently, while she knew the folded design called 'yakko-san,' she had no idea about its origin—the yakko servant.
"Well, uh..."
Jin struggled with how to explain it.
By then, the other patrons had already filtered out, leaving only Jin, Elsa, Reiko, Hope, and the clerk in the shop.
"I only know because I know, really..."
"In that case, can you fold other things as well?"
"Well, yes, a few."
"...What else can you fold?"
"Let's see... a double-hulled boat, a sailboat, a balloon, a crane, a box, a shuriken, a hakama..."
"A hakama? Is that the garment you put on a 'yakko-san'?"
"Hush, what is all this racket? Tsumugi, what are you making such a fuss about?"
"Ah, Grandma."
"Didn't I tell you to call me Owner while in the shop?"
"Ah, yes, Owner....This... this customer here seems remarkably knowledgeable about paper and origami, so I got excited and couldn't help asking all sorts of questions."
"Oh, is that so?...My?"
The shop's owner appeared to be the clerk's grandmother. She was a slender, petite woman who looked to be in her mid-sixties.
"Could you perhaps be the 'Current Generation Magi Craft Meister,' Lord Jin Nidou?"
"Eh? Ah, yes, that's me."
The old woman seemed to recognize his face.
"Oh my, it really is you! What an honor, Jin-sama!"
She smiled warmly.
"Are you visiting Mitsuho for sightseeing?"
There was no need to hide anything here, so Jin gave an honest answer.
"Ah, no, I came to purchase asphalt."
"Oh, is that so?...I happen to know a merchant. Would you like me to introduce you?"
"That would be a huge help."
Jin was delighted to have formed a helpful connection in such an unexpected place.
"If you have the time, would you care for some tea?"
At the offer, Jin looked back toward Elsa.
"Elsa, what do you think?"
"Mm, why not accept her kindness?"
"In that case, we'd love to, just for a short while."
"Of course, right this way."
She led them toward the back of the shop.
It opened into a raised Japanese-style tatami room partitioned by sliding shoji screens.
"Master, I will wait here," Hope said.
Reiko, meanwhile, stepped up into the tatami room alongside Jin and Elsa.
This feels just like an old candy shop.
The atmosphere reminded Jin of the traditional candy shops that had remained near the orphanage facility where he grew up.
"Ah, a kotatsu," Elsa noted happily.
Beyond the shoji screens lay a tatami-matted floor with a kotatsu set in the center.
Resting atop it was a confectionery dish filled with mandarins.