Fine-tuning the business association’s Kalta tent was going smoothly. Different frames and fabrics went back and forth. Today, I was heading to the meeting hall to look at the latest prototype.
As I left the drugstore, Elaine called out to me. “You’ve visited town quite a bit lately, Sir Reiji. Is something going on?”
“Uh, we’re designing a tent.”
“Tent…?” the young aristocrat cocked her head.
“Tent almost ready, Drills!” Noela exclaimed.
That statement did little to illuminate poor Elaine. “R-really…?”
Noela’s probably trying to tell Elaine that she should wait till the tent’s done. That’s not getting across, though.
“See you later,” I said to Noela, leaving the drugstore behind.
I totally understood why everyone in the business association liked the tent production plan. Although folks visited Kalta during events, the town was in the middle of nowhere. If we hadn’t held events, there wouldn’t have been any tourism. And apparently, no adventurers used tents or anything similar right now. So, selling tents could definitely attract visitors to Kalta.
✦ ✦ ✦
I entered the meeting hall and greeted the business association members. “Hey, everyone! Thanks for all this hard work.”
Several people were already checking a prototype frame’s strength. “If it’s too thin, the whole tent will be more fragile,” an artisan pointed out. “But the frame doesn’t bend as easily if it’s too thick. It could snap…”
I tried bending a section of the disassembled frame. As the artisan had said, thin tentpoles curved easily, while thicker ones didn’t bend at all. They seemed more likely to break as I applied more force.
This issue had come up because I’d asked that the frame be collapsible. Carrying an assembled tent around would get in an adventurer’s way. The problem was, a collapsible frame was definitely less sturdy overall.
I pulled a new product from my bag. “I made this. What do you think?”
Protective Coating: Increases any surface’s durability. Provides glossy finish.
“What’s that, Pharmacist?”
“It’s easiest just to show you. Let’s see…”
With everyone’s eyes on me, I brushed the protective coating on a slim prototype tentpole. The product reflected the light beautifully; the middle-aged men of the business association seemed shocked.
“What an incredible finish!”
“Whoa! It’s so clear and pretty!”
“It’s really shiny!”
“That’s not actually the protective coating’s main purpose, though,” I pointed out. After letting the coating dry, I grabbed the tip of the rod and bent it with all my might. Screeeech!
“You’re bending it a ton!”
“It’s definitely curving!”
“It’s not snapping, though.”
Thank goodness. I hadn’t been able to test the protective coating myself in the lab first, since I didn’t have a prototype frame there, but clearly it was very effective.
“We won’t need to apply the coating to thick sections of the frame,” I explained. “All that matters is that the thin upper rods bend.”
I picked up the slender tentpole sections that made up the top of the frame, applying the protective coating, then grabbed and attached the four thicker pieces. The others supported the frame carefully, but the connected tentpoles worked as I’d expected. Voilà! We’d completed the tent frame.
“Is this finished?!” the artisans exclaimed.
“Ph-Pharmacist, ain’t this tent frame done?” one added disbelievingly.
I was as surprised as he was. Moved, even. Just as I’d requested, the artisans had created connecting tentpoles that curved slightly, which ultimately made them easy to assemble. “Yeah, pretty much!” I replied. “You guys created a better frame than I expected.”
The men looked a bit embarrassed at my straightforward compliment.
“All right, let’s drink today!” one cried.
“Hell yeah!”
That was how things usually ended at the business association. All that was left to do was to see how the tent’s water repellent material worked when exposed to water.
At that point, Paula rushed over holding a handkerchief-sized rag. “Gah ha ha ha! Guys! Look at this!” She turned to me. “Ah, you’re here too, Rei Rei? Perfect timing.”
“Is the tent cloth ready?”
“Yup! Hit it with an Eraser.” She passed me a water gun.
I pumped the handle, loading the ammunition-water. “Ready! Aim!”
“Tee-hee! Bring it.”
The onlookers gulped in anticipation as I fired the Eraser at the fabric Paula held. The water jet struck the cloth directly but bounced right off.
“Whoa!” everyone exclaimed.
I ran my finger across the fabric’s smooth surface. Not a single drop of water had soaked into it. “W-well, that was just one shot from the Eraser,” I pointed out. “Until we push this fabric to the limit, we won’t know how much continuous water exposure it can take.”
Splash. Splash. Splash. I emptied the Eraser onto the material, but it did great; it wasn’t soggy by any stretch of the imagination.
To test the fabric’s resilience further, I plunged it into a bucket of water. Soon, it floated back up to the surface. It was so waterproof that droplets just sat on top of it.
The others were thunderstruck by the results.
“That water repellent’s ridiculous!”
“It kept the fabric bone dry.”
I originally made the water repellent for umbrellas and armor; I was glad it was still proving useful.
“Dang, the tent frame’s all done?!” Paula demanded, finally realizing what we’d been up to.
I patted it. “Check it out, Paula. I’d like you to waterproof enough fabric to cover this thing right here.”
“Roger that! I’m on it, babe!”
“No kidding, babe!” She’s got me talking like her now.
✦ ✦ ✦
A few days later, Paula finished the tent fabric. She brought the material all the way to Kirio Drugs, so I carried it to the meeting hall.
We decided to assemble the prototype outside. The canopy had sleeves for the tentpoles to slide through. As I put the tent together, Paula and the business association members involved with the project watched curiously, along with Noela and Elaine.
When I told the two girls that the tent design was basically complete, they couldn’t help but want to check it out.
“Tent ready, Master?”
“Th-this is a tent?”
“Yup. Just hold on a sec.” I finished passing tentpoles through the fabric, connected rods here and there, and then staked the entire prototype to the ground to stabilize it. “Okay. Finished.”
Not too bad at all, I thought. A classic tent, if I do say so myself.
“We made this together…!” I heard a business association member exclaim, sounding impressed.
Even Paula seemed genuinely moved.
“Well, remember, this is just the prototype,” I reminded everyone.
Noela wagged her tail excitedly. “Groo! Tent finished!”
“Th-this is a tent,” Elaine stammered again as Noela immediately crawled through the tent entrance.
“How is it in there?” I called.
“This secret base! For sure!”
“I just don’t see the point of something like this,” Elaine said. “When would one use it?” Despite her confusion, she followed Noela into the tent. “W-wow! It’s way more spacious than I expected. This…this is a secret base!”
Peeking inside the tent, I saw Noela rolling around. “Arroo! Gonna sneak snacks in.”
The business association guys wanted to look inside the tent too, so I had the girls swap spots with them. In the end, everyone had the same general reaction; they were surprised and moved by the product of all their hard work.
I was the last one to go inside the tent. In terms of comfortable resting conditions, I’d say this could fit about two men or three women.
We already tested the fabric’s water resistance, so all that was left was to see how tough this thing was. If it broke or collapsed in strong winds, it’d be useless.
“I brought Griffy, Mr. Reiji!” Mina walked the griffin up to the tent.
“Kyuu! Kyuu!”
“All right, Griffy. I need you to really beat your wings and get some wind going. Can you do that for me?”
“Kyuu!”
We all moved to stand behind Griffy. The griffin flapped as powerfully as it could, whipping up wicked winds that gusted into the prototype tent. The tent creaked and rustled from the force.
“Griffy! No destroy secret base!”
Noela’s desperate cry weakened Griffy’s flapping. “Kyuu?”
“Noela, we’re testing the tent right now. Keep going, Griffy,” I told the griffin.
I was relieved when it resumed fanning the tent forcefully. “Kyuu! Kyuu!”
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Despite the powerful winds buffeting it, the tent was doing fine.
Ten minutes later, Griffy slowed its pace, having exhausted itself. “K-kyuu…” The tent was in good shape.
“Pharmacist…?”
“Rei Rei…?”
“Master…?”
“Mr. Reiji…?”
“Sir Reiji…?”
“Kyuu kyuu…?”
Everyone waited for me to say the words. I looked at all their faces and nodded. “The tent’s done!”
Cries of joy erupted from the crowd.
Kalta Tent: Standard tent. Easy to assemble and carry. Light, sturdy bamboo frame. Highly water resistant. Provides excellent shelter from rain.