It's Okay, I'm Not Crazy
Cassandra answered hesitantly, a question mark written all over her face.
"Copyright…? Well, I suppose so? Everything my mother left behind was inherited by me, and—oh."
She soon smiled, as if she'd finally grasped what I was getting at.
"If you're suggesting I sell the design rights to a company, that's not really a realistic idea."
Artistic value didn't automatically translate into commercial value. There was a reason the words "art" and "poverty" so often went hand in hand.
"No company is going to pay top dollar for a unique design this hard to mass-produce. And…"
Cassandra's expression turned bitter as she went on.
"Jun, the reason I mentioned a secondhand marketplace instead of an auction is… unfortunately, the work of a relatively unknown artist just doesn't sell for that much."
She looked over the dozens of pieces with sad eyes and continued.
"To most people, these are just 'pretty dishes.' You can find pretty dishes anywhere these days, so of course no one wants to spend a lot of money on them."
That was fair enough. I would have thought the same.
"When I said they still change hands from time to time, I meant that I recognize my mother's work on those sites—not that her name is famous."
I stepped closer to her as her spirits visibly sank with every word.
"But Cassandra, even if that isn't true now, you said there were collectors who sought out your mother's work back then. I think these pieces are more than capable of being recognized as art."
And I meant it. Even to an outsider like me, every piece in that room was beautiful.
"Let's try as hard as we can not to sell them."
"…How?"
"What if we film videos recreating these pieces, earn money from the content, and then sell the limited reproductions to people who actually want them—at a price you think is fair?"
Videos showcasing high-level handcrafted skill made for solid content. Even in a field you knew nothing about, there was always something satisfying to watch.
"If we edit them with ASMR elements, we could make videos that deliver both artistic value and a sense of calm. And for anyone who wants one, there'd be the option to buy the piece."
Really—at the very least, it had to be better than dumping her mother's keepsakes on a secondhand site for next to nothing.
"Um, Jun, so you're saying…"
Unlike usual, I was pushing an idea with real energy, and Maria and Cassandra both seemed to be doing their best to respect my opinion.
But I could tell perfectly well from their faces just how far-fetched my words must have sounded.
I understood. They probably thought I was just a young guy carried away by enthusiasm.
Cassandra tried hard not to show any negativity as she worked to talk me out of it.
"But Jun, who would even want to make these? Every piece has a high technical difficulty, and that means they take forever to produce. Even if you found a ceramicist who could make them, they wouldn't want to pour that much time into designs that aren't their own. They'd rather use that time on their own work."
"I'll try making them myself, Cassandra."
At that, both women couldn't hide their surprise.
"Wait—Jun, you're a ceramicist? There's no way."
Right. Of course there was no way. But I asked back shamelessly anyway.
"Why would you think that? Neither of you knows everything about my private life, do you?"
"Well… that's true, but…?"
While the two of them exchanged dazed looks, I quickly scanned the inside of the garage.
Against one wall sat a small refrigerator-like machine. That was probably an electric kiln. Good.
An electric kiln would naturally be expensive, and Cassandra could handle the firing for me. I didn't need to spend points on a kiln.
On either side of the machine were a pottery wheel, water buckets, carving tools, and everything else needed for ceramics. I asked casually,
"Cassandra, does that electric kiln still work?"
"Ah… I don't really know. It hasn't been used in a long time… I just brought everything over when I was clearing out Mom's place."
She added that if anyone had wanted to buy it, she'd have sold it cheap.
So it was an electric kiln. I grinned again and said,
"If it's broken, I think I can fix it. Just in case, I'll bring my tools. Lucky for us, the weekend starts tomorrow. Could you set up a workspace so we can get started right away?"
Maria and Cassandra's faces were a sight to behold.
Even I had to admit I probably looked like someone who'd slightly lost his mind.
But showing them tomorrow would save far more time than trying to convince them now. Playing the madman, I walked toward the tools and asked,
"Do we have everything we need for the work?"
I have no idea what we need, so please come over here and list the names of the necessary tools for me.
Cassandra had said she'd given up because she had no talent for it, so she should at least know what kinds of supplies were required. More than I did, at any rate.
Fortunately, she approached with a half-believing look on her face.
"Yes… as you can see, I've got everything sorted here for now. Let's see—we've got a cutting wire, a rib, and… we'll need to buy new glaze. Hmm, and also…"
I matched each item she pointed to with its name and diligently typed them into my phone's notes app.
Pottery wheel, clay cutting wire, carving tools, clay, glazes by color…
Then I quickly reordered every ceramics-related item in the garage using points. Thankfully, I had plenty to spare.
I confirmed the order had gone through, closed the Manito App, and turned back to Cassandra with a triumphant look.
"The supplies we'll need should arrive here tomorrow. The packages will probably get here before I do, so please take them in for me."
This time Cassandra truly jumped, looking at me as if I'd finally gone insane.
"Jun! Don't tell me you bought all new tools? An electric wheel too? Those things are expensive! Why not just use what's already here? The wheel works fine!"
I delivered what was probably the last of the day's remarks that would sound completely crazy to anyone listening.
"I have to buy the things I work with myself. Otherwise I get this jinx where I can't work at all."
"…Then why did you even ask what was here?"
"It's been a while since I did ceramics. I didn't want to order something and realize I'd forgotten a piece."
"……"
The next day.
After a solid breakfast, I headed out with Luca. The weekend hours were precious, so I moved early.
"Appa! Abu! Booboo…!"
Someone was excited. Did babies always love going out this much?
While waiting for the taxi I'd booked, I found myself thinking about cars.
We probably needed one, right? Things were already pretty inconvenient as they were…
But between the price of a car and the thought of maintenance and insurance costs, my head spun.
…For now, I'd just work hard and make money. The car could come later.
The taxi sped along the quiet weekend streets and reached Cassandra's house in no time.
"Luca!"
"Eee…!"
Charlie came running out in his pajamas to greet us.
"Charlie, you'll catch a cold—get back inside!"
Cassandra looked at me and said hello.
"Come on in. You actually showed up…"
I smiled brightly and returned the greeting.
"Of course. The packages arrived okay?"
"Yes… and that's the weird part. You ordered Friday night—how do you get deliveries Saturday morning?"
"I know someone in that line of work."
"……"
Cassandra shook her head as if she'd given up on understanding. Without another word, she led me to the garage.
"Oh…"
In a single night, the garage had transformed into a surprisingly proper workshop.
It hadn't been dirty before, but the bulbs must have been replaced—the interior was brighter than yesterday—and a heater was running, so it wasn't cold.
The newly arrived tools had already been set up. After spending half the previous night watching every pottery-making video I could find, tools and a workspace that had felt completely foreign the day before now made perfect sense to my eyes.
I offered a simple appraisal.
"Nice. This should be comfortable to work in."
"…Right."
Cassandra still wore a look that said, Is this really okay?, but I walked over to where her mother's pieces had been neatly arranged.
"Which of your mother's works would you call the centerpiece? Something that could go up first on YouTube."
Without hesitation, Cassandra picked up a vase.
"This one. Snow Lily. Mom loved this vase the most."
Snow Lily. So it had a title. True to its name, the vase took its inspiration from lilies and snowflakes.
"I see. I think I understand why she loved it. And which piece is your favorite?"
"Me… I'd say this mug. It's pretty, and practical."
It was a mug with leaves and branches carved in relief across the outer surface.
"If we really do end up selling pieces the way you said… I think things like this might spark more interest. A vase like that is beautiful, but the price would be a burden too…"
"Got it. All right—I'm leaving Luca in your care."
Cassandra took Luca into her arms with practiced ease.
"Of course. Don't worry about the kids. I won't take my eyes off them for a second…"
"Don't worry! I'll play with Luca lots! I finished all my homework yesterday so I could play as much as I want today!"
"That's our Charlie—so reliable. I'm counting on you."
Before taking the children into the house, Cassandra finally voiced her lingering unease.
"Listen, Jun. I honestly have no idea what's going on. Last night I cleaned this place up like I was under a spell after listening to you, but…"
"Don't worry. And until I call for you, no coming out, okay?"
"……"
"Luca, go play nice with big brother Charlie."
"Booboo…!"
Smiling, I ushered them inside, then rolled up my sleeves with real enthusiasm.
"All right, then…"
After a brief moment of thought, I decided to start with the vase Cassandra's mother had loved most.
It looked far more difficult, which made it the surest way to put Cassandra's worries to rest.
I lifted the vase and turned it slowly through a full three hundred and sixty degrees, committing its form to memory.
It was a milky-white vase of soft, beautiful curves—as if the petals of a great lily had been layered one upon another, each gentle contour of the flower carefully preserved.
After studying every tiny detail of the piece, I got straight to work.