Chapter 16
One week later.
Clarisse returned home from school and found her mother packing suitcases.
"Mother… what are you doing?"
"Packing. I'm getting ready to return to our home planet. I asked you to invite Dr. Kanzaki over yesterday because I wanted to say goodbye." Mrs. Durand folded clothes as she spoke.
"…" Clarisse's expression froze.
No wonder her mother had been unusually warm and welcoming yesterday — she had treated the visit with almost the highest standard of hospitality the Durand family could offer.
Mrs. Durand did not notice her daughter's silence and continued, "I already asked your aunt to handle the school transfer paperwork. It should be done soon."
"If you have any close friends, make sure to say proper goodbyes these next few days. Once we're on different planets, meeting up will become much more difficult."
Only then did Mrs. Durand notice her daughter's silence. She turned around, puzzled.
Clarisse stood there blankly, her face full of struggle.
"What's wrong, my child?"
"Mother… I… I don't want to go back!" Clarisse lifted her head and met her mother's eyes.
In her daughter's gaze, Mrs. Durand saw clear determination — even stubbornness.
"…Is it because of Dr. Kanzaki?"
"How did you know…?"
"Silly child, your mother has been through life too. How could I not see that my daughter has fallen for someone?"
Mrs. Durand stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around Clarisse.
"Don't be afraid. I won't interfere with your choices. On the contrary, I fully support you in chasing freedom and love."
"If not for the difference in status and class, someone like Dr. Kanzaki would have countless noble young ladies flocking to him."
"His character, his looks, his presence — there isn't a single flaw."
"Unfortunately, marriage for noble daughters is rarely a matter of free choice."
"Our Durand family may have some reputation at court, but in the end we're still just a small house."
"That's exactly why you don't have the shackles of family expectations weighing you down. Be brave and tell him how you feel, my daughter…"
Mrs. Durand gently stroked Clarisse's long, soft hair and gave her an encouraging smile.
"Life is short. If you don't seize the chance when it comes, it will slip through your fingers in the blink of an eye."
"Mother…"
Clarisse's nose stung. Tears welled up in her eyes as she buried herself in her mother's embrace.
"Heh… You've grown up. You're no longer the little girl who needed me to worry about her every moment. Go do what you want. Mother will always be right behind you."
"Mm!" Clarisse nodded hard, hugging her mother even tighter.
Not every child could forever feel safe and at peace in their mother's arms like a harbor.
She was undoubtedly lucky.
That night, after dinner and a bath, Clarisse returned to her room and opened her closet.
Inside hung dozens of hand-knitted sweaters and scarves.
From the early crooked and messy pieces with loose threads to the later neat and refined ones, it was easy to see how much the girl had improved.
At least several dozen had reached professional quality, yet Clarisse still felt it wasn't enough.
She picked up her knitting needles and yarn. A soft warmth filled her eyes as she glanced at the glass lamp on her bedside table.
It was one of the gifts Mr. Kanzaki had brought when he visited.
It had actually been meant for her.
Thanks to its advanced spatial folding technology, it could be used for lighting and also store things like tarot cards, makeup, or a phone.
It could even shrink down for easy carrying.
She had seen similar miraculous items before — they were never cheap.
The corners of the girl's mouth curved into a sweet smile. She sat against the headboard and continued knitting the gift for the person she loved.
When his birthday came, she would bring it to him and confess her feelings.
For that, she had to knit the most perfect one.
...
Some time had passed since Mrs. Durand's amnesia was cured.
Heavy snow had sealed the mountain paths. Anyone unfamiliar with the route could easily get lost in the pure white depths.
Clarisse was not one of them.
No one knew the way into the mountains better than she did — except Kanzaki Tomomu himself.
She had walked it for years. The snow could only slow her down a little.
But that was fine.
For Clarisse, the slower her steps, the more her anticipation grew.
Especially now that her mother's amnesia had been cured, she felt nothing but optimism.
Kanzaki Tomomu had never been in love before, but he was not completely unaware of the girl's frequent visits.
He could sense that Clarisse had grown quite attached to him.
In the past few days, she had even started testing the waters.
But knowing his own condition, Kanzaki Tomomu could only pretend he did not understand.
If this were a hundred and several decades earlier, he probably would not have turned down a girl who left such a strong impression.
But there were no ifs.
He was going to die soon.
[Remaining Lifespan: 9 days 4 hours 44 minutes 35 seconds]
When this life ended, he had no idea what path his second life would take.
He only hoped it would not begin with his family being destroyed in childhood and him becoming another casualty of war…
After taking the medicine that kept his youthful appearance, Kanzaki Tomomu was about to step into the hidden folding space when he suddenly sensed movement outside the house.
A small drone-like device flashed down from the sky.
In less than two breaths, it stopped steadily in front of him as he stepped out of the bamboo house.
Seeing the distinctive marking on the machine, he recognized it immediately as one of Yu Qingtu's.
The drone's undercarriage reshaped. A mechanical arm extended from its internal storage and retrieved a vial of vibrant emerald-green reagent.
At the same time, a light screen projected in front of him, showing Yu Qingtu's face.
"Little guy, I have urgent matters I can't avoid and won't make it for your birthday."
"The trip could be as short as a year and a half or as long as several decades. Time is short, so I'll give you this vial as a gift."
"Drink it and you can stay young forever. You won't need any other lifespan-extension methods for at least a thousand years."
"Also, happy birthday. Remember to think of your sister, okay?"
"As for that even more eccentric teacher of yours, she can do whatever she wants."
"Alright, I have to go. When I come back to see you, I expect even more delicious pastries. That shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
With those words, Yu Qingtu gave a light wink on the screen before the image disappeared.
Once Kanzaki Tomomu took the vial, the drone retracted its arm and shot back into the sky in an instant.
His expression complicated, he returned to the folding space and carefully stored the reagent.
Looking at the figure in the assembly area, Kanzaki Tomomu placed both hands on the control console and began extracting specific memory backups, feeding them into the figure's core.
"…I'm sorry, Yu Qingtu."
"I won't be able to make the pastries you like with my own hands anymore…"
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