Drawn Mochi Volume 5 Chapter 19.2: To The Wide, Wide Land*6

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　I found a little information on how to use indigo in an illustrated book I borrowed, but I thought, it looked like a lot of work to dry and ferment the leaves, so I decided to try a method that uses only fresh leaves.

　I cut some of the leaves and separated the stems from the leaves. Then, I put the leaves in a cloth bag and rubbed them in water.

“…The colors are vibrant.” (Lila)

“Yep.” (Tougo)

　Even though I just rubbed the fresh leaves, the water turned greenish. …But it doesn’t turn blue.

“Eh, um… for now, I’ll try putting it in. Here I go.” (Lila)

　Then, Lila puts a white handkerchief into the water. Then, just stir it around…

“…a greenish light blue, I guess.” (Lila)

“It’s a light blue-green color.” (Tougo)

　The handkerchief that was taken out was dyed a bright pale blue-green color.

　Then Lila dyed several pieces of cloth. The color of the dyed cloths would gradually change as they were hung out to dry. The cloths that were initially ashen at first, eventually changed to a light indigo color. It’s interesting.

“…the color wasn’t what I expected, but it’s beautiful the way it is.” (Lila)

“Yep.” (Tougo)

　It’s a very beautiful color. The color is like the sky at dawn. It’s a light blue, a little cool. It made me a little happy to see it.

“Among my mother’s keepsakes, there are some indigo-colored clothes. They are much darker in color… but I’m sure there were handkerchiefs and other items that were this light in color.” (Lila)

　Lila looked a little happy as she hugged the dyed handkerchief.

“…I heard from my mother that my father was a dyer. I’ve never met him, but…” (Lila)

　Lila looked up at the sky and muttered.

“My father used to dye things with this plant, too. I’m sure.” (Lila)

　Lila’s expression was incredibly happy. She had the look on her face as if she just discovered a new treasure… She also had the look on her face like a traveler about to embark on an adventure.

“Anyway… You often find things like this. It’s not in the corner of the picture book.” (Lila)

　Then Lila showed me the book.

　Yes, I’m going to look up indigo in the book. It was quite hard to look up indigo in the catalogs. I had to look in several books before I finally found it.

“Yes… where I was from, indigo was pretty familiar. So, I knew what it was before I read the encyclopedia…” (Tougo)

“Eh?” (Lila)

　…However, when I answered that, Lila looked surprised.

“Where were you from?” (Lila)

“Huh? Um…” (Tougo)

　Woah, how do I explain it? I don’t think it’s okay to call it otherworld, I’ve already told Fay about it, so it’s not like I’m hiding anything… but umm. You know.

“…no, I don’t care where you were from.” (Lila)

　However, just as I was thinking, Lila suddenly approached me and said.

“So, do you know how to make darker colors with this plant?” (Lila)

　…that’s what I’ve heard.

　…For a while after that, Lila became an indigo dyer. It seems that she has started researching indigo, and she is experimenting through trial and error, trying to figure out whether it works like this or that.

　The only advice I could give her was, “I’m sure it’s fermented,” and “I think it has something to do with oxidation-reduction.”

　When I was in elementary school, I once went to do indigo dyeing as an out-of-school learning experience.

　The memory of that time… was really, really bad smelling.

　When asked why it smelled, the craftsman replied, “It’s fermented!” I feel like he told me that. Well, the indigo leaves themselves have a rather strange smell.

　…Also, I guess… When I dyed it with fresh leaves, the color changed if I left it for some time. I think that’s probably due to oxidation.

　So, I think that the pigment of indigo probably has to be oxidized to get that color. But I don’t think I could get a good dye if I used the solution of fresh leaves that had been left for some time. …Well, maybe the color will develop after oxidation, but it won’t stain the cloth anymore.

　So, I guess it would require some sort of process like reducing the pigment once oxidized and then oxidizing it once more. Fermentation would probably oxidize it, so I think it would be good to add some ash or something that could be a reducing agent …but I’m not sure. I’ve only taken chemistry up to beginner. My grades weren’t as good as language and stuff…

　…However, it seems that there isn’t much chemistry in this world, so when I told Lila about this, she looked dumbfounded.

　In the end, she said to me, “You seem to have something knowledgeable to say all the time…”

　…Umm. You know what… I don’t know what to say, something like this. Isn’t that a little too much?

　However, I am sure that Lila worked very hard after that.

　She flew to the Royal Capital with one of the horses, did some research at the Royal Library, asked the dyer in the Royal Capital about it, and looked up several methods that looked feasible.

　From among them, she chose the method that matched what I said, “It was fermented” and “I think it would be good if we put some ashes in it,” and decided to give it a try.

　Well, I was thinking that if they fermented, it would definitely take a long time, like half a year or a few years…

“Here. I’ll give you this.” (Lila)

　It’s been a little over a month since Lila started research. Spring was in full swing…and what Lyla gave me was paint.

“…Wow.” (Tougo)

　It was an indigo paste placed in a small container. But it’s paint. I can immediately tell at a glance.

　After Lila insisted, I use it, I tried painting with it for a little bit… and a wonderfully bright indigo line was drawn on the paper. This… this is amazing!

“I can do this in about a week from the leaves. Maybe even faster if it was warmer.” (Lila)

“……amazing.” (Tougo)

Lila’s energy is amazing, and her research results are amazing. Anyway, it’s just amazing.

“I thought about dyeing clothes, but that hasn’t worked very well yet. Besides, I thought you’d be happier with this than with clothes.” (Lila)

　That’s right! Lila knows me very well! If it were me, I would be happier with paint than clothes! I’m very happy!

“…that’s good. Looks like you liked it.” (Lila)

“Of course! I’m so happy!” (Tougo)

　I’m so happy that I want to convey it somehow, but the words don’t come out properly. At a time like this, I don’t know what else to say other than “I’m so happy.”

　…However, Lila looked at me and laughed, as if saying, “I understand without you having to say it.”

“It’s thanks to you that this indigo color was created. Thanks to you for making me plant the seeds.” (Lila)

“I didn’t do anything.” (Tougo)

“No, it’s all thanks to you. You may not think it’s a big deal, but it was a really, really big deal to me.” (Lila)

　Lila said happily… then she went through her pockets… and pulled out a small jar of paint. It was the same one she had given me. Inside, of course, was indigo paint.

“…So. Why don’t you try your hand at painting?” (Lila)

　Lila said this with indigo paint in her hand, smiling widely.

“I want to paint!” (Tougo)

　Seeing this, I wanted to paint with this paint right away.

　And so, I painted a picture of indigo.

　The sky is indigo. The shadows on the grass are indigo.

　The indigo sky is the color of dawn rather than dusk. It is the color before the sun rises, just before the night ends. The air is still cold, and the dew-soaked undergrowth may feel even more chilly than before.

　In such a situation, the composition looks out into the forest. The Redgarde territory can be seen in the distance, but all that leads up to it is just a wide, wide expanse of land.

　The indigo color goes well with such a quiet, empty landscape.

　…The shadows are all indigo, and the sky is a gradation of light and dark indigo. Anyway, when I finished the painting with all the indigo colors, it turned out surprisingly well even for me.

　Maybe it’s because this indigo color is beautiful.

　The indigo-blue scenery before dawn makes me wonder what I’m going to do next.

　…After drawing it, it feels kind of strange.

　I still want to paint. I want to paint more things. I want to paint and create various things.

　I feel strange. I feel like I want to try all kinds of things. Not only painting, but also farming, handicrafts, and many other things. I also want to visit various places. I want to go there and paint pictures and meet various creatures.

　What should I do. There are so many things I want to do. Why did it suddenly become like this? …But even as I wonder why, I don’t feel anxious about it. Somehow, I feel very calm. When I say calm, I mean, I’m kind of stable… but even so, I want to do a lot of things. Hmm…

　…What is this?