THE BALL IS NEARLY COMPLETE WHEN IT STARTS SHINING

I've never seen any hikari dorodango [shiny mudballs] in schoolkids' hands around here, or noted students comparing the lusters of their orbs on the train, I'm sure I would have noticed an increased incidence of mudballs in my vicinity. The local mud couldn't be inferior; it's used to make world-renowned pottery... The whole thing is very mysterious...

"Inside his office at the university, Kayo keeps a dorodango in a wooden box, wrapped in cloth. The shiny ball of dried mud is eight centimeters (about three inches) in diameter and is amber colored with a touch of dark green. Professor Kayo developed his own scale for measuring a dorodango's luster, and this one rates a '4.' The shiniest dorodango rates a '5,' and Kayo keeps one of these at home."

If you happen to have some suitable mud lying around and want to make an advanced-level mudball of your own...

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