45: Carol of Misfortune / Spilled Water Returns to the Tray, Broken Cup Restores / Devil’s Gateau Magic 8

Jill took all the broken cups and plates with her and returned to her mansion.

“Why are you dressed so warmly?”

Back at the mansion, Jill changed into a long-sleeved tunic and wide pants, putting on an apron over them. She also wore gloves. While neither the apron nor her outfit was particularly thick, it was certainly too warm for the middle of summer, as Maureen pointed out.

“It’s to prevent any allergic reactions. I’m going to use *that*.”

“Oh, that strange sap you collected from the forest earlier? I thought you were starting to raise beetles or something.”

“Well, we already have a crab here, so we’re set.”

“If it’s dangerous work, let me help.”

Maureen asked with concern, but Jill waved her hand nonchalantly.

“It’s nothing to worry about, I’m good with delicate tasks. I’ll be working in the workshop for a while.”

“You’ve come up with something strange again, haven’t you? Well, fine. Just be careful.”

“It’s *not* strange! It’s going to be something wonderful! Though unfortunately, it’s not something you can try on like clothing.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”

With Maureen’s half-hearted reply fading behind her, Jill entered the workshop.

“Finally, the day has come to use this…”

Jill opened a wooden box placed under the table in her workshop.

Inside, there were small bottles filled with an earthy-colored liquid.

“I thought about making lacquerware by applying this to a wooden bowl, but I didn’t gather enough of it… With *kintsugi*, though, I won’t need that much. This should be just the right amount.”

The liquid inside the bottle was *urushi*, or lacquer.

More specifically, it was *raw urushi*.

Urushi is made from the sap of the lacquer tree. The sap, freshly harvested by cutting into the tree’s bark, is called *arami*, and when *arami* is filtered, it becomes *raw urushi*.

Usually, the lacquer used for lacquerware is not *raw urushi*. It is further refined into *clear urushi*, or mixed with pigments to create colored lacquers, like black or vermillion, which are then applied to wooden dishes to create lacquerware.

So, what can be done with *raw urushi*, unrefined and still in its natural color?

One answer is that it can be used as a hardener or adhesive.

“Alright, let’s start by bringing Carol’s cup back to life. I’ll use *kintsugi*…!”

Jill took the Acacia Book out of her pocket.

Right now, on the cover of the Acacia Book, there was a picture of a strange ceramic object.

It was a mysterious black tea bowl with golden streaks running across it, like lightning.

The title read:

“Introduction to Kintsugi.”

“But foreign tea bowls are really mysterious… They’re uneven and not uniform, yet they have a strange sense of elegance…”

Kintsugi is a repair technique where the broken parts of ceramics are adhered with lacquer, or the missing parts are filled in with lacquer, and then the repaired areas are decorated with gold powder.

One of the characteristics of this repair technique is that it does not compromise the functionality of the item, whether it be a dish or a tea utensil. Once the lacquer hardens, it does not damage the skin. Additionally, gold does not easily react with other substances, so there are no issues using the repaired piece as tableware.

Another characteristic is the way the visible changes are used to enhance the aesthetic. Kintsugi is said to have originated in Japan during the Muromachi period, within the world of tea ceremonies. The repaired parts of the cracked item were called “scenery,” and tea masters regarded these repaired sections not as flaws, but as enhancements.

When Jill first got her hands on the Acacia Book, she had stayed up all night reading it, but she hadn’t fully understood the content of “Introduction to Kintsugi.” She thought, “The tea bowl doesn’t seem all that beautiful, and wouldn’t it be better to remake it than to patch it up like this?” In fact, at first, she thought that if she were to use lacquer, she would prefer to create lacquerware in jet black or vermillion.

However, after dabbling in various dyeing crafts, making clothes with her own hands, and experiencing the aesthetic behind those works, she began to understand the concept of “enjoying the scenery of Kintsugi.” She started to think, “Ah, this is really quite interesting in its own way,” appreciating a form of beauty that would be hard to create within the aesthetic values of Algenes Island, where symmetry and pure colors were prized.

“If my guess is correct, I think gold will look really striking on this white cup.”

She took out the cups and saucers entrusted to her by Carol.

There were some light green and blue imported cups, as well as some white porcelain cups with painted decorations.

But the majority were simple white porcelain teacups with no designs at all.

White porcelain was considered a luxury item on Algenes Island.

Especially the very simple ones, with no paintings or patterns, which enjoyed a lasting popularity.

Because of their popularity, they were mass-produced, and even commoners, who were not aristocrats or wealthy merchants, could obtain them if they saved enough money. Despite their accessibility, white porcelain had an enduring elegance. It was truly white porcelain as it should be, and a teacup as it should be. Its pure color and shape were highly valued both as art and as practical items. Many tea masters cherished them as well.

However, if it broke, its use as a practical item was considered finished. That was the common belief.

But now, Jill had resolved to defy that convention.

“First, I’ll sand the edges, then apply the raw lacquer…”

She began smoothing the broken edges of the cup with coarse sandpaper, chamfering them.

Once that was done, Jill took a thin brush and started applying raw lacquer to the edges. This was to reinforce the brittle edges before fully adhering the broken pieces.

Jill carefully applied the lacquer evenly, then set the brush down for the time being.

“Rebellion isn’t accomplished in a day. That’s enough for today.”

Jill placed the broken cup into a box.

That was all the work for today.

When working with lacquer, there is inevitably a lot of ‘waiting’ time involved.

◆

The next day, Jill began her work again.

The next step was to apply *mugiurushi* to the edge of the cup where the raw lacquer had settled.

*Mugiurushi* is an adhesive made by mixing wheat flour kneaded with water and raw lacquer. This is applied to the broken edges to bond the cup back together.

“Knead it to the softness of an earlobe… Though, I don’t really know what the softness of an earlobe feels like… But most recipes involving wheat flour say ‘knead to the softness of an earlobe,’ so I guess it’s a very clear instruction for people from the country where this book was written… Well, this should be good enough.”

Muttering to herself, Jill applied the kneaded *mugiurushi* to the broken edges.

Then, she pressed the pieces together.

“Stick… and stick… This should be good. Now to fix it in place.”

However, since it takes time for the adhesive to take effect, she needed to secure the pieces in place to prevent movement by using paper coated with glue. Jill attached the glued paper to the crack in the cup.

“Alright!”

A strange sense of tenderness and joy welled up in Jill’s heart, as if she were wrapping a bandage around an injured person’s wound. It still looked awkward and painful, but she felt a sense of anticipation and accomplishment. She believed that this cup would be usable again.

“Alright, now stay in bed until the lacquer hardens… [Dense Fog], [Fever].”

Jill cast her spells.

To harden the lacquer, maintaining moisture and temperature was essential.

After repairing broken ceramics with *mugiurushi*, the pieces must be left to sit in a “lacquer bath,” a place with high humidity, for about one to two weeks. This is because lacquer hardens by absorbing moisture from the air.

So, despite calling it a “drying” process, it actually involves placing the item in an environment with 70% to 85% humidity and a temperature of 24 to 28 degrees Celsius, which is an unusual setup.

“Although I could directly infuse it with moisture using magic… I’m still not quite sure about the nature of lacquer… Well, for now, I’ll follow the textbook and try other things once I’m more experienced.”

After about a week of sitting, the fully hardened *mugiurushi* would need to be shaved and polished. This was another laborious process. First, the excess would be roughly shaved off with a carving knife, and then it would be carefully polished. Afterward, she would apply *sabiurushi*, a mixture of fine powder made from rock called *tonoko* and raw lacquer, then polish it again.

Next, she would apply lacquer to prepare the surface for the gold powder and polish again. This process would be repeated three times before finally reaching the “maki” stage, where the gold is applied to the surface. Kintsugi was a tedious and precise process that involved endlessly applying lacquer, shaving, and polishing. Even Jill, who was good at waiting through such tedious tasks like pickling vegetables, started to feel a little worn out. In the end, it took nearly a month for her to complete the Kintsugi repair.

That being said, Jill hadn’t been solely focused on Kintsugi during this time. In parallel, she had been coordinating the remodeling of a branch of a general store. Through Matthew’s acquaintance, she hired a carpenter to replace the old floorboards, fix the entrance that Karappa had accidentally broken, and apply new wallpaper. That project was progressing smoothly as well.

And now, both were nearing completion.