Chapter 161: Can I hope for something?

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Translator: Soafp

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Preparing in advance is always tough. The next day, Ginji and Sora were at the factory workshop from early morning.

“Is it okay to use this place so early?”

“Of course, we got permission from the boss. Besides, we're not occupying it all day or anything. First, let's check the parts. They've been deburred, but still.”

“Okay.”

Sora wore her coveralls, and Ginji put on his welding protective gear. They were finally entering the stage of actually making the piece for the art festival. Sora was visibly excited, while Ginji looked a bit nervous.

They pulled parts out from cardboard boxes. The stainless steel parts didn't have a mirror-like shine like polished store items but gave off a minimal gloss. Ginji took out about twenty parts, large and small, including the support rods and attachments, and carefully matched them against the design plans. Even though Sora had memorized them, Ginji followed the procedure, knowing that checking was important. Sora nodded in satisfaction as she looked over the laid-out parts.

“The parts are perfect, and they're clean too. I'm so moved that we can work right here in the factory.”

Sora, who loved factories, was buzzing with energy.

“It cost a bit more, but choosing stainless steel was probably a good call. Alright… let's wash them.”

“Wash them?”

“The edges are smooth, but other than that, they came as-is. We have to do surface treatment. From here on, we'll use chemicals, so be careful.”

“I know, I use stuff like that when painting, so it's fine.”

The two of them soaked sponges in chemicals and thoroughly wiped off the oils on the parts.

“Well then…”

“Finally, welding, right?”

“Nope, now comes surface roughening. It's for prepping the parts to paint on later.”

Ginji's expression turned serious as he pulled out sandpaper and a powered grinding disc.

“We're going to scratch the surface over and over.”

“But it's so clean already…”

“If we don't do this, the paint base won't stick well later. Mostly it's done with the power tool, but the small parts are by hand. Stainless steel is harder than iron, so get ready. Honestly, this is the most annoying part.”

Ginji's eyes looked distant. Having done similar work before, he knew just how tedious this task was.

Still, he understood that doing this properly would make a huge difference in the finished product.

“…I-I'll do my best.”

They finished washing the parts and started roughening their surfaces around 10 a.m. Time flew by, and soon the noon chime rang. They moved to the break area, and Sora's voice was barely holding on.

“So hot…”

“Don't push yourself. We're not even halfway done. But it looks like the power tools will handle most of it, so the second half should go fast—don't worry.”

The workshop was a blazing furnace. Although their section was one of the cooler areas, the heat inside was too much for air conditioning to handle. Wearing masks while working took a big toll on Sora, who lacked stamina.

“I didn't realize it'd be this hard… When I first started oil painting, it was a lot of work, but painting and welding are tough too. It's a different kind of challenge than sculpting.”

“Working with metal means heavy physical labor. Drink plenty of water and let's push through a bit more.”

“Okay…”

“You don't sound too energetic.”

After their break, the two returned to the workspace, where Genichiro in his work clothes was holding and inspecting the parts they had polished.

“Gen-san, thanks for checking on us.”

“H-Hey there.”

“You're working hard. I was watching a bit, but some parts need redoing.”

“Eh!”

Sora let out a shocked voice.

“…Well, I kinda expected that.”

“You gotta be overly careful with stuff like this. The finishing polish isn't enough. Ginji, use a finer grit disc to polish. If you ask, the young guys will handle stuff like this quickly—want me to ask them to help?”

Genichiro offered, but they shook their heads.

“If we don't do it ourselves, it doesn't mean anything. Thanks, Gen-san. We'd appreciate it if you could check again later.”

“Yeah, we'll do our best ourselves.”

“Alright then, stay motivated.”

Under Genichiro's guidance, they thoroughly reworked the roughening process. By the time they got the go-ahead, their stamina was nearly gone. After carefully putting away the parts, the two staggered back to Momoi's house.

“…Ginji, can I use your shower?”

“…Sure.”

Despite the delicate situation of showering at her boyfriend's place, there was no hint of romance as they took turns and then collapsed in the living room.

“I didn't think it would be this tough.”

Sora looked utterly exhausted, a face she wouldn't show to anyone else.

“…Me neither. This was way harder than the piping work I do in my part-time job because the finish quality has to be top-notch.”

By the way, because of stamina issues, Ginji forced Sora to take breaks, so Ginji actually did more work. Polishing parts in the scorching factory, wearing dust masks and work clothes for hours on end, was brutal for Sora. Ginji was somewhat used to it but got tired from having to focus more than usual due to the higher quality requirements.

“Tomorrow the workshop isn't open in the morning, so we'll start work in the afternoon.”

“Yeah, finally welding. No other tasks, right?”

The two lay back and checked their schedule for the next day.

“Nope. Fix the parts in place and weld. But we need to double-check the part placements.”

“Got it. Hehe, I'm excited.”

“Oh, by the way, we rented a paint booth, but can you do the painting, Sora?”

“I can… but never on metal, so I'll take it slow. Important areas will be done with a brush, I think.”

“You gonna do the finishing paint too?”

“Of course.”

“So, spray for the base and broad parts, then brush for finishing and topcoat. It'll be uneven, but that's okay, right?”

“Yeah, I actually want it that way.”

“Well, I can't do a perfect paint job either. It's going to look uneven no matter what.”

“I think that's part of the charm. I want the piece to use the flaws in the paint.”

Talking like that, Sora squeezed Ginji's hand. Still feeling dreamy, she moved closer, their faces coming near. Their lips drew close—

Just then, Tetsuya stood silently in the hallway watching them.

“T-Tetsu!”

“Wah, Tetsu-kun!”

“…Good work. Should I leave?”

““No, don't!””

Even when tired, the two vowed in their hearts not to let their guard down.