Published: July 25, 2025
“Ugh! Just when I thought the paper problem was solved, now it’s the ink! What am I supposed to do?!”
Not only are the familiar ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, pencils, and fountain pens unavailable, but even ink and sumi ink can’t be found anywhere nearby.
If only I could use ink freely, I could sharpen a piece of wood and write with it, but the ink is too expensive and impossible to get.
I know the price of a single stylus, but since I don’t know how much the special salary will be when budgeting time comes, I can’t calculate the cost of ink.
How much is it to work for three years without pay?
Buying, picking up, receiving, stealing, or making it myself… when I consider the process of obtaining ink, it always comes back to making it myself.
Stealing it from the night duty room is out of the question…
It seems I’ll have to make not just the books, but the ink by hand as well. But how exactly does one make ink? I know it’s pigment and drying oil, but where could I possibly find pigment and drying oil around here?
“Maybe I should just catch some octopus or squid? But where’s the sea?!”
Clutching the unfinished wooden tablet tightly, I couldn’t help but shout, making Lutz jump and turn around.
“What’s with the sudden outburst!?”
“Lutz, what do you think this ink is made of!? How do you think I’m supposed to make it!?”
I understand that traveling to find the sea and catch octopus or squid isn’t realistic. But I have no idea if ink or sumi ink can be made from things around me.
“What even is ink, anyway?”
“Well, it’s a black liquid used for writing characters on boards like this…”
It’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t usually see it. As I rambled, Lutz tilted his head and said,
“Black stuff? If it’s okay that it’s kind of like dirt, maybe we can use ash or soot?”
“That’s great! Let’s try it!”
Soot and ash come from the remains of burning firewood, so there’s plenty at home. They’re even made today. Surely, I can get some easily.
When I got home, I immediately asked my mother.
“Mom, can I use this ash?”
“No.”
She refused immediately.
“What? Why not?”
“Ash has so many uses—making soap, melting snow, dyeing fabric, selling to farmers—you can’t just take it without permission.”
Now that I think about it, I helped spread ash in early spring, feeling like the Old Man Who Makes Flowers Bloom without understanding why; it was actually to melt snow. I’ve only just realized that.
Since soap-making also uses a lot of ash, it’s definitely important.
It seems hard to get ash that can be spared because it’s sellable, but what about soot, the other option? Does that have uses too?
“So, Mom, how about soot?”
When I suggested this second option, my mother frowned a little but then smiled and oddly gave permission.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but soot is fine.”
“Great!”
“You’re going to clean the hearth, right? If you clean the chimney too, you’ll get even more.”
“Wha—!? Ah, yeah… I guess so…”
Pushed by my mom’s smile, I ended up cleaning the hearth and the chimney. This wasn’t what I expected, but if it’s to get soot, I have no choice.
Picking up the cleaning tools with determination, my mother suddenly stopped me with a serious look.
“Wait a minute, Myne! You’re going to clean in those clothes?!”
“...Huh? Is that a problem?”
I didn’t understand why cleaning in my already dirty, ragged clothes was an issue.
My mother brought over a sewing kit and a rag basket.
“I’ll make you something right away, wait here.”
In no time, my mother happily put together a patched rag suit.
I changed into the rag clothes, pinned my hair up with a hairpin despite being told not to, so it wouldn’t get dirty, and used another rag as a triangular scarf.
Wow, if I don’t think of it as a Cinderella cosplay, I can’t bear it.
I started by scooping out the ash from the hearth. Then I stuck my head inside to clean off the clinging soot and gather it. Being small really helped this time.