Cento-san looked a bit bewildered at first, but the moment I pulled out the piece Nebula had crafted, her eyes went wide. She began to stare at the pottery with such intensity she seemed ready to devour it.
I’d brought a vase this time, adorned with a design that captured the landscape of the garden back at my house.
"I... I can't believe it. You're right—the only way to achieve this kind of depth is to apply the glazes before firing rather than painting them on afterward. But wait... ten colors? That’s impossible! No one has even managed six yet. And yet, the firing method is unmistakably the same as Sinfonia’s Five-colored Pottery... No, even if a new technique or glaze made this possible, to apply ten different shades and have them turn out this perfectly... The skill involved is simply staggering."
"Well, it just looks like a pretty vase to me, but if you’re this shocked, Cento, it must be something truly special."
"More than special?! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this single piece fundamentally rewrites the history of pottery!"
Apparently, Nebula’s new technique and glazes were even more revolutionary than I’d realized. Cento’s reaction was identical to the way Ein-san and Jutia-san had acted when discussing the Black Tea Revolution.
"This has to be a masterpiece born of years and years of painstaking research... Oh? Wait a second, Kaito-san. Didn't you mention you were planning to buy a kiln back during the Founding Anniversary Festival?"
"Huh? Yeah, I bought the kiln after the Founding Festival of the Kingdom of Sinfonia... And as for that ten-colored piece, well, based on what she told me, she just decided to give it a shot and started working on it about a month ago."
"What? One... one month? She did this in a month? It’s true that a breakthrough doesn't always require decades of work, but even so, this is absurd. Nebula-san will have a monopoly on this technology for years. Once word gets out, every potter in the world will try to replicate it, but reaching this level would take anyone else an immense amount of time. It’s safe to say Nebula-san is currently standing at the absolute peak of the craft."
"Actually, Nebula doesn't seem to care much about keeping it a secret. She’s planning to share the technique and the glaze recipes with everyone through Lilia-san."
"Ehh?! No, no, no... this is an achievement that should carve her name permanently into history!"
In truth, Nebula had zero interest in becoming a legendary potter. To her, it was just another hobby; she had no desire for the fame or fortune it could bring. She seemed perfectly content to let the new method spread far and wide.
While Cento-san’s mouth twitched in utter disbelief, Tre-san spoke up with her characteristic nonchalance.
"Well, that's the creator's choice. Some people want to hoard their ideas for profit, and others just want to share. If things are as big as Cento says, then the entire industry is about to take a massive leap forward once the technique gets out. People might even iterate on it and create all sorts of new styles."
"It is... truly wonderful. Especially because Sinfonia’s Five-colored Pottery was so perfected that even the slightly simpler Four-colored style was dying out because it was too difficult to master. Seeing the field advance like this is a joy. Honestly, I’d love to learn the method myself."
"I'll have to check with Nebula first, but I'm sure I can share it with you. Actually, it looks like she’s going to use this technique for a new service we’re launching under the Nifty brand... Nebula mentioned that while ten colors are a bit tricky, doing seven is actually fairly easy."
"That’s just... staggering. I can’t hide how rattled I am—it feels like my common sense was pulverized in an instant. But if seven-colored firing is actually possible, then I can't wait to see it."
I was sure Nebula wouldn't mind, but even if she explained the technical details to me, I doubted I could convey them accurately to Cento-san. I’d probably just have Nebula write down a memo or something to pass along.
"Oh, and by the way, I have Nebula’s permission to give you that vase, Cento-san. If you’d like it, it’s yours."
"Wha...?! But shouldn't this be in a museum? I... how do I put this... I think I finally understand a little of what Lilia-san goes through."
As Cento-san stared into the distance with that dazed look, her expression seemed... remarkably similar to the one Lilia-san often wore.
Serious-senpai: "A new victim... and next is Cien's turn, huh..."