Chapter 17
[Remaining Lifespan: 7 days 1 hour 23 minutes 7 seconds]
Kanzaki Tomomu glanced at the system interface, his expression unchanged. He smiled as he watched the girl jogging toward him.
She had always favored purple.
Her fitted purple wool short coat hung open, revealing a beige turtleneck sweater underneath. Below the hem of her skirt, black stockings caught the winter morning light with a soft matte sheen. Her warm boots wrapped snugly around her calves, tracing smooth, slender lines. A scarf was loosely looped twice around her neck, the longer end trailing down her back. From the front, her waist looked even more delicate, as though it could be encircled by a single hand.
"Good morning, Mr. Kanzaki~~"
"Morning. That outfit suits you perfectly today."
"Really? Is there anywhere I could improve it?" The girl's eyes sparkled.
"I'm not very good with fashion, but right now it already looks wonderful. It matches your vibe perfectly."
Hearing his praise, her brows curved happily and a sweet smile bloomed on her lips.
"…Mr. Kanzaki, aren't you cold wearing so little?"
Simple thermal layers and a short windbreaker, his clothes were as ordinary as they could be. In a crowded city he would blend into the crowd without a second glance. Yet that exceptionally handsome face more than made up for it.
People often say clothes make the man, but Clarisse felt it was the opposite here: the man made the clothes. Even the plainest outfit looked striking on him.
"I'm not cold. I'm used to it. Let's head out." Kanzaki Tomomu turned and started toward the back mountain.
The plum blossoms had been blooming one after another lately. After observing them, he had decided these next few days were the best time to harvest.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, the stone steps were covered in a fresh layer of snow.
"It snowed heavily last night. Just as I expected."
Kanzaki Tomomu took out a snow broom from his personal folding space.
"Let me handle the heavy work. You focus on picking the blossoms, Mr. Kanzaki." Clarisse took the broom from him.
"…Alright."
The snow on the steps wasn't too deep, so he didn't refuse her kind offer.
The snow-covered steps wound upward. On both sides, red and white plum blossoms bloomed in striking contrast. White blossoms held delicate ice crystals on their branches, while red ones peeked out with deep crimson from between the snow. When the wind passed, fine snow fell in soft flurries. A few petals drifted over and brushed Clarisse's cheek, leaving behind a faint, cool fragrance.
She looked up toward the summit. The ridgeline rose and fell gently through the snow, beautiful as a painting. Everything in the mountain was coated in a thin layer of frost. The only sound breaking the silence was the soft rustle of Kanzaki Tomomu's small knife cutting plum blossoms.
Clarisse cleared the snow faster than expected. After pulling ahead by more than twenty steps, the exercise warmed her body and she let out a soft breath of relief.
When she glanced back down, Kanzaki Tomomu was carefully selecting the freshest dozen or so blossoms from each tree, his movements precise and gentle.
When someone is focused on a task, time often slips by unnoticed.
Before she realized it, Clarisse had reached the summit first.
She shook the snow from her shoulders. The moment the view opened up, she involuntarily held her breath.
The wind suddenly changed direction and swept across the entire plum grove. The muffled thuds of clustered snow falling from branches mixed with the low creak of branches rubbing together. The crisp, cool fragrance, softened by the wind, blended with the scent of frozen earth and brushed past her nose. Petals danced wildly in the air current. Thin branches trembled, and red and white blossoms formed a beautiful waving sea of flowers.
The instant Clarisse breathed again, she cleverly missed the sharp cool note and caught a richer, sweeter plum scent instead. Caught up in the moment, a hint of intoxication crossed her face.
"Mr. Kanzaki, come up quickly! The plum blossoms are so beautiful!"
Huh?
The moment the words left her mouth, Clarisse's expression froze.
Not far away stood an old plum tree whose roots jutted out of the snow and gripped tightly into a rock crevice. In front of that tree were two faint, translucent figures.
One figure was graceful and refined. Even from behind, it was clearly an elegant beauty. Beside her stood a boy who barely reached her shoulder. He looked very familiar… it was Mr. Kanzaki as a child! That meant the graceful woman must be his teacher.
At that moment, similar pairs of figures appeared around several nearby trees. Young Kanzaki Tomomu held a bamboo basket, receiving blossoms his teacher picked. Later, the boy had grown a little taller. He held an oil-paper umbrella over his teacher with his left hand while lifting a low-hanging branch with his right so she could pass. Later still, the boy had grown taller than his teacher, but the figure beside him was gone. From his movements it was easy to tell that the lone figure was bending down to plant new plum trees.
So this entire plum grove… had started with only those few old trees…
"Kid? Kid?"
"…Ah?!"
Clarisse snapped back to the present and found Kanzaki Tomomu already standing beside her.
"Is there something wrong with the trees in that direction? You were staring so intently." Kanzaki Tomomu asked gently.
"…The scenery here is just so beautiful. I got lost in it for a moment…"
When she looked again, the translucent figures had all vanished, as if they had been nothing more than an illusion.
But she knew they were not illusions.
Judging by Mr. Kanzaki's reaction, he clearly could not see them.
Why could only she see them? Clarisse could not understand.
"There's no need to clear snow here. I'll help with the harvesting too. I can gather the parts needed for making sachets at the same time."
Since she could not figure it out, she set the thought aside. The task at hand was more important.
"For making sachets, do you know which kind of plum blossoms are best?"
"…Is it like making plum blossom brew? Do blossoms from different times have different qualities?" Clarisse asked.
"Of course."
Hearing her question, Kanzaki Tomomu knew the girl had not studied this topic in detail.
Or rather, she did not know much about using plum blossoms to make sachets.
"For sachets, it's best to pick buds that are just about to open. The fragrance is richer and lasts longer.
Half-opened blossoms are also good. At that stage the aromatic compounds in the petals have been partially released, and the flowers themselves are still relatively intact. Do you know why we come in the early morning?"
"I don't." Clarisse shook her head honestly.
"Because before the sun rises in the morning, the air humidity is higher. The blossoms hold more moisture and their fragrance is at its strongest, which lets us preserve both the scent and the quality as much as possible."
Kanzaki Tomomu patiently explained.
"You should choose flowers that are whole, free of pests or disease, and undamaged. That ensures the quality and fragrance of the finished sachet.
Also, avoid harvesting on days with strong wind or heavy rain, because the wind and rain can scatter the scent.
Today's weather isn't ideal, the wind is a bit strong. Unfortunately there haven't been any clear, windless days lately, so we can only make do."
"After Great Cold there should be clear skies, but unfortunately…"
…he would not live to see that day.
---
Bonus chapters
200 Stones - 1 chapter
400 Stones - 2 chapter
600 Stones - 3 chapters
And so on
Also visit my patreon for 30 advance chapters!
patreon.com/liztl