CHAPTER 23 — Clay, Cracks, and Courage
📅 27 April, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — 7
👦 Luffy — 5
👦 Kiro — 7–8
📍 Windmill Village → Beachside
A full week had passed since Ren expanded his salt production, and Windmill Village had grown used to seeing the boy walk along the shore with baskets of tools and clay.
Today, Ren's heart was restless with a mix of pride and anxiety.
He had spent three whole days preparing new clay, mixing soil with riverbed silt, kneading it carefully, and shaping three large basins—his biggest ones yet.
If these worked, his production would double.
If they failed…
Ren shook the thought away.
Luffy hopped beside him, holding a stick like a sword.
"REN! TODAY THE BIG BOWLS WILL LIVE!"
Ren winced. "They're not bowls. They're basins."
"BASINS OF SOUP—"
"No."
Kiro snorted. "Just let him believe what he wants."
They reached the drying area shaded under a cloth sheet held by stones. Ren lifted the cover gently, expecting to see smooth, perfect basins that had hardened over the last three days.
Instead, he froze.
Cracks.
Thin at first.
Then spreading like spiderwebs.
Ren whispered, "No…"
He touched the first basin.
The crack widened and split in half.
The second basin followed.
Then the third.
Within seconds—
crunch—crk—CRACK
—all three collapsed into piles of broken clay.
Ren stared as his hours of effort crumbled in front of him.
His throat tightened.
His chest felt strangely heavy.
He whispered, barely audible:
"…I did everything right."
Luffy crouched beside the ruins, holding a broken piece.
"Ren… the bowl died."
Kiro rubbed his forehead.
"Damn. They broke fast."
Ren didn't answer.
He couldn't.
PART 1 — FAILURE HURTS IN SILENCE
Ren sat down in the sand, staring at the pieces.
His mind automatically listed the causes:
mixture imbalance
lack of binding soil
shade too warm
uneven moisture
drying too quickly
He understood the science.
But understanding didn't stop the pain.
The basins were his hope. His proof that he could build something meaningful from scratch.
Seeing them fail so spectacularly—
—it hurt deeply.
Kiro sighed and knelt beside him.
"Ren… hey. Don't look like someone stole your lunch."
Ren didn't move.
Luffy poked Ren's cheek.
"Ren is broken like the bowls."
Ren whispered,
"…Maybe I rushed. Maybe I'm not good enough."
Kiro's eyes softened.
"You're seven. You're doing more than grown men."
Ren said nothing.
His silence worried both boys.
PART 2 — MAKINO'S GENTLE ARRIVAL
Makino's footsteps approached softly on the sand.
She had come with a basket of laundry, but when she saw the broken clay and Ren's still posture, she placed the basket aside immediately.
She knelt next to him.
"Ren? Look at me."
Ren didn't want to.
He felt embarrassed.
Ashamed.
But she touched his chin and gently lifted his face.
Her eyes weren't disappointed.
They were warm.
Understanding.
Motherly.
"Ren," she said softly, "you didn't fail today."
Ren swallowed hard.
"…The basins broke."
Makino shook her head.
"They broke. You didn't."
His eyes widened slightly.
She brushed sand from his hands.
"You learned something important. That's what matters."
Ren's lip trembled.
"…But I worked so hard. And I messed it up."
Makino smiled and placed a hand on his cheek.
"Ren… even grown potters crack their clay. You're learning a craft in days that took others years."
Her kindness washed over him like warm sunlight.
Luffy hugged Ren's arm tightly.
"Kino is right! Ren is the best!"
Ren blinked quickly, trying not to tear up.
PART 3 — THE VILLAGE SHOWS UP
As if sensing the commotion, several villagers wandered over.
Old man Roji scratched his beard.
"Clay dried too fast, boy. That's what did it in."
Mrs. Muri nodded.
"You used the wrong soil mix. Needs stickier mud. Darker, richer."
Mr. Wolt added,
"Heat was uneven. Try turning them while they dry."
Ren stared at them.
"You all… know this?"
The villagers laughed kindly.
Roji chuckled.
"We've lived here for 50 years, Ren. We've made pots and ovens since we were kids."
Mrs. Muri smiled warmly.
"We were watching you from afar. You're very smart, but sometimes, you forget to ask for help."
Ren blinked.
He really had forgotten.
Makino gently squeezed his shoulder.
"You're not alone here, Ren."
His chest tightened again—but now in a warm, overwhelming way.
PART 4 — TRYING AGAIN, TOGETHER
For the next several hours, villagers helped Ren:
find the right river mud
test stickiness
knead the clay evenly
shape smoother walls
dry them under proper shade
Luffy helped by stepping in the clay like a human mixer…
and getting stuck.
He screamed,
"THE MUD IS EATING ME! SAVE ME!!"
Kiro facepalmed.
Makino laughed helplessly.
Ren—
Ren laughed too.
It felt good.
It felt like family.
PART 5 — THE SECOND ATTEMPT
By late afternoon, Ren shaped two new basins.
They looked stronger.
More stable.
Evenly balanced.
He placed them carefully under a shaded cloth, weighed down with stones.
Makino rested her hand on his back.
"These will hold. I believe in you."
Ren nodded, breathing deeply.
"…Thank you."
PART 6 — NIGHTFALL REFLECTION
Back at his shed, Ren opened his notebook and wrote:
Attempt 1: Failed
Reason: Fast drying, wrong soil ratio
Fix: Stickier river mud, even shade drying
Lesson:
Science grows with patience.
And people… will stand by me.
Ren touched the leather notebook villagers gifted him during the festival.
He whispered:
"…I'm really not alone."
A soft, peaceful smile touched his lips as he blew out the lantern.
END OF CHAPTER 23