After Tetsu no Sosuke explained Shinobu Kocho's situation to Kanae, she smiled and told him, "That girl has a mind of her own now."
Tetsu no Sosuke nodded. "She's a Pillar now, after all. She can handle things on her own."
Kanae considered that for a moment, then nodded.
The Hammer Hut bustled with activity again. Every day, Tetsu no Sosuke went back and forth between the study and the Sword Forging Shed.
Meals were brought to him where he worked. If he remembered, he ate a few bites; if not, he went without.
Yuichiro stayed at his side, busy recording figures or working through calculations. Sometimes a problem stumped him, but Tetsu no Sosuke was too occupied to answer, so he wrote it down and waited for a quieter moment to ask.
For roughly half a month, Tetsu no Sosuke sought answers through practical work. He also put Meditation to use, analyzing complex problems before testing his conclusions in practice.
Half a month later, Tetsu no Sosuke sat in the courtyard with a box in his arms.
He looked up at the sky. The sun shone brightly, and the warming weather felt pleasant.
Tetsu no Sosuke gazed silently overhead, then took out several small devices.
They were little mirrors, polished to a brilliant shine.
He studied the sky, then set one mirror in place. A spike beneath its stand sank into the ground, holding it steady.
He adjusted its angle and planted another. By the time he finished, he had set out five mirrors.
He adjusted them all and aimed them toward the box.
Then he sat quietly and watched the sky.
Nothing seemed to change overhead. Now and then, a drifting cloud blocked the Sunlight, only for the wind to sweep it away moments later.
Suddenly, excitement lit