Jin remembered that there was sulfur at the same rack where he had found the Magi Crystal, so he went to pick some up.

“Jin, what are you going to do with that sulfur?”

Grinning at a doubtful Saki, Jin measured the amount of Perhya sap with Engineering magic and added the corresponding amount of sulfur.

“Okay, Saki, come here for a second.”

Jin called Saki over while waving his hand.

“What are you going to do?”

“Well, I’m doing something useful, so please sink your hands in this.”

“Huh? Well, if you say so…”

Saki thrust her hands into the Perhya sap without any hesitation.

“Alright, please take them out now. …Linking.”

The linking reaction of Perhya sap and sulfur progressed… and the resulting product was rubber gloves.

“Separation.”

And so, the process of separation of the gloves that had been stuck to Saki’s hands was completed.

“Jin, what are these?”

“These are rubber gloves. You can use them when you handle lacquer or something you do not want to touch with your bare hands. But they may get stuck if you wear them for a long time”

Saki stood in awe, facing those snug rubber gloves that were now covering her hands completely. Looking closely at her palms, she closed and opened her fists as if she was testing the gloves’ elasticity.

“I see! They’re great! Thank you, Jin! You truly are an amazing Magi Engineer. No wonder Reinhart speaks so well of you.”

“Isn’t that right? That’s my friend for you!”

Reinhart was also puffed up with pride. Looking at his display, Saki couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ohoho, Reinhart! You really adore Jin, don’t you? Well, I can’t blame you. I might even fall in love, too.”

After saying that as a joke, Saki’s face showed a hint of loneliness once again.

But still, it lasted only an instant.

Wearing those rubber gloves, Saki immediately stretched out her arms towards the flask containing that black lacquer-ish liquid.

“This one doesn’t get dry at all. I’ve applied it to a wooden board, but it’s not dry yet, even after one whole day.”

Placing it flat on the table, Saki touched the black-stained surface of the wooden board with the tip of one of her fingers. That fingertip got painted black.

“… Just as I thought, it’s not dry yet.”

br>Saki wiped her fingertip clean with an old rag while having a disappointed look on her face.

She probably started getting that red swelling as she was constantly handling that substance bare handed.

“Hmm, just a moment.”

Jin had remembered a very small detail about lacquer.

Normally, when living an ordinary life, there would not be many chances to see lacquer used as paint outside of lacquer ware.

However, Jin had just managed to remember the word ‘glazing’.

During the Sengoku period, many samurai used to wear suits of armor that got their color from lacquer. And that was done by a process called ‘glazing’. Jin had learned about those two facts on TV.

“Perhaps if we heat it up, it will dry… no, it will probably solidify.”

After hearing Jin’s suggestion, Saki’s face began to sparkle with excitement. She then turned to Reinhart.

“Did you hear that, Reinhart? Come on, pleeeasee!”

“… You really haven’t changed at all, have you?”

“Ohoho! That’s right. Just as sure as you can’t pick Pels.h.i.+kas from apple trees.”

After such interaction, Reinahart put on a bitter smile and approached the black-stained wooden board.

“Heat.”

He used Engineering magic to heat the board. Of course, he adjusted the temperature so that it would not catch fire.

Looking at it together with Jin, the surface looked glossy as if it wet at first, but after one minute had pa.s.sed, the gloss had disappeared completely.

Furthermore, it got a perfect matte after another minute. As Reinhart noticed this, he stopped his spell.

Saki then tried once again to poke at the board while wearing the rubber gloves. This time, no paint had gotten stuck to her fingertips. It was dry, or rather, cured.

“Ohhh! You made it! Just as you said, Jin! I didn’t realize you had to heat it up!”

br>Saki seemed delighted.

“I can use this lacquer-like sap as a painting material! And then I can study its special characteristics! It’ll be so much fun!”

As she said that, she looked outside through a window, and made a p.r.o.nonuced frown.

Jin, who could not help but notice her frowning, decided to ask Saki directly.

“Saki, forgive me if I’m wrong, but your eyes… they don’t see very well, do they?”