Ever since awakening my Heart Tool during that incident with Megiddo, I’d been making an effort to use it once a day to increase my mastery. I was content to take things slow and let it grow at its own pace.
With those thoughts in mind, I turned my attention to the large magic kiln sitting before me. Illness and Nebula had purchased it together, and it had been installed in the backyard just a few days ago.
It was an elegant piece of equipment that didn’t look out of place in the yard. Since it didn’t emit any smoke, the two of them seemed quite satisfied with its performance.
"Thank you for waiti—ng."
"Thanks... So this is the teacup you and Nebula made?"
"Yes! This is the very first one!"
Illness placed a cup of tea in front of me as I took my seat. Nebula and Illness had crafted this cup together, and they were letting me be the first to use it.
True to their skills, the craftsmanship was so refined it could have easily passed for something bought in a high-end shop. As I poured the black tea, a floral pattern appeared on the rim... Wait, what?
"Oh? Did a pattern just appear?"
"Yes! It’s designed to reveal a pattern in response to the heat. Since we're using these for ourselves, I thought I’d add a little whimsical touch!"
"Heh, that’s interesting..."
I seemed to recall having seen cups that reacted to temperature like this back in my old world. However, the design on this teacup was stunning. It was vivid and beautiful; the trick of a plain white cup suddenly blooming with color once tea was poured was quite clever.
When I actually took a sip, I found the cup sat comfortably in my hand and was easy to drink from. It was clear they had put a lot of thought into the functionality as well.
"By the way, I’m also making versions that have the patterns visible from the start!"
"We’ve only made about three varieties so far, but we’re experimenti—ng with all sorts of thi—ngs. Pottery is quite deep and fascinati—ng, isn’t i—t?"
"It really is. Once we get a bit more used to the process, it might be fun to engrave formulas into them to add features like heat retention."
"But do you think we can fit a magic crystal large enough to hold a formula into a cup of this size?"
"I think it would be possible if we combine multiple ultra-small magic crystals and link them together so the formula only activates when they work in tandem. For example, like this—"
"I see—... That is a wonderful idea—."
Nebula began sketching something on a piece of paper as she made her proposal, and Illness nodded in genuine admiration. Illness had been full of praise for Nebula's creativity, and it looked like she might have just come up with another breakthrough.
"Instead of a partition formula... do you mean splitting the formula itself? If this actually works, it will revolutionize magic tool production, won’t i—t?"
"It’ll take some testing, but I’m confident we can do it."
"To make that work, wouldn’t the pottery itself need to be made of a material that conducts magic power easily?"
"I think we can manage by grinding magic crystals into a powder and kneading them into the clay. The goal isn't to store a formula in the clay itself, but rather to enhance its conductivity."
"I see—. If that’s the case, then indeed... Shall we try it out?"
"Yes! Let’s do it!"
It seemed they had reached a conclusion and were ready to jump straight into testing. Watching them discuss the finer details of their work with such enthusiasm made me smile. They really did get along well. I was content to watch them while sipping my tea until a Hummingbird message bird flew toward me.
Wondering who it was from, I checked to find a message from Rosmiel. It concerned something Camellia had mentioned to me before—an invitation to the Garden of Myriad Flowers, where Rosmiel lived, to discuss the dates for a potential visit.
Since I had heard about the invitation beforehand and had been looking forward to seeing her home, I checked my schedule and sent a reply.
An idea suddenly occurred to me, and I called out to Illness and Nebula, who were still deep in their discussion.
"...If it's possible, I’m planning to visit Rosmiel’s house soon. Would you mind if I took a teacup the two of you made as a gift?"
"Rosmiel... Ah, the flower-loving spirit who visited the house before?"
"Yeah, that’s her."
"In that case, it might be best to make a new one— tailored to her tastes—, wouldn’t it?"
"I agree! She’s a Rose Spirit, after all, so let’s make one with a rose motif!"
It had been a casual suggestion on my part, but the two of them were even more enthusiastic than I’d expected. The conversation quickly evolved into creating a dedicated cup just for Rosmiel.
Well, Rosmiel did seem to enjoy tea, and since she was inviting me to her home, it would be nice to have a proper souvenir to bring along.
"That sounds great. If you two don't mind, I’d love for you to make one for her."
"Yes—. Please leave it to u—s."
"We'll make something she'll absolutely love!"
The two of them seemed to be genuinely enjoying their new hobby, and they gave me a cheerful smile in response. Now, I was looking forward to both the visit and seeing how the finished gift would turn out.
Serious-senpai: "He’s so blinded by his doting-parent attitude toward Nebula that he hasn’t noticed... even though Illness is talking about a new technique on the level of 'revolutionizing magic tool production'..."