Published: July 26, 2025
Being lifted up by Benno and on the way to Simple-chan Rinshan’s workshop, Benno hesitated a bit before speaking.
“Hey, Myne. About that hair-washing liquid…”
“Yes? Is there something wrong with ‘Simple-chan Rinshan’?”
“It’s long and hard to say. Isn’t there another way to say it?”
Indeed, for someone like Benno and the people in this world, who had no idea what the sound meant, it probably felt too long.
That meant that even as a product name, nobles would likely have a hard time accepting it.
“Ah, I just joked around and said it to Tulli, and it stuck. Changing it wouldn’t be a problem, really.”
“...Is that so?”
Benno blinked in surprise, and I smiled and nodded.
I was excited because my itchy scalp felt refreshed, and my previously dry hair was silky smooth. That casual remark was how it all started—no special attachment to the name.
“Yeah. Feel free to give it whatever name you like.”
“But hearing that makes it quite difficult.”
Benno furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
Naming a new product takes a lot of sense. To be of some help, I decided to offer some hints.
“Since it’s a product name, I think it’s better to change it to something easy to say and understand. Instead of calling it a shampoo or dirt remover, words that mean adding shine, beautifying, or soothing would sound better, right?”
“Hmm… mmm…”
With each word I added, Benno’s expression grew harsher and more troubled. Perhaps instead of helping, I was just adding pressure.
Lutz shrugged lightly beside us.
“I’ve been saying it all along, so Kan Yi Chang Rinshan or whatever is fine by me?”
“Myne, is there another way to say it? Anything at all?”
Benno turned to me, as if asking for help, unable to think of a better phrase.
Since ‘Simple-chan Rinshan’ had already stuck, alternative names didn’t come to mind immediately. There were similar words, but they still wouldn’t make sense in this world.
“Hmm? I can only think of something like ‘rinse-in shampoo’?”
“...Is ‘rin’ and ‘shan’ really necessary?”
“No, not really, Benno-san, if you want to name it yourself…”
Benno muttered for a while, but maybe because no name fit well, or he had fixed on Simple-chan Rinshan in his mind, or maybe because of the second candidate I suggested, the name Rinshan was finally decided on.
Huh? Is that seriously okay?
Benno turned left at the Central Plaza’s west side and started walking. I blinked in surprise because, since it was an oil-pressing workshop, I had assumed it would be on Artisan Street.
“Are there workshops on the west side too? I thought they were on Artisan Street.”
“It was originally a food processing workshop. Since there’s a lot of goods coming and going, it’s more convenient to be closer to the West Gate, where the market is.”
“Meryl’s fruit is edible, after all. Lately, I’ve mostly used it for Rinshan…”
When I made Simple-chan Rinshan, it was from desperation—my scalp was unbearably itchy, and I needed to wash it. I never imagined it would become a commercial product.
At first, I didn’t have rice washing water or seaweed, and I wondered what to do. I tried to recall everything I could about hair washing from memory and remembered an article in some natural or eco-living magazine about making beauty serums from natural ingredients.
The article mentioned mixing plant-based oils with powdered salt or powdered orange peel as a scrub for washing hair. Other ideas included using whipped egg whites as a pack or making homemade lotion from pickled plums and sake, but children didn’t need such things. What I urgently needed was shampoo ingredients.
…Though extracting the oil was tough.
I wandered in the kitchen looking for ingredients that would yield oil. When Meryl, which looked like avocado, appeared on the dining table, I thought I might be able to extract oil from it. Back then, I didn’t even know the name Meryl, couldn’t gather it myself, and my head was itching terribly—it was rough.