Chapter 21
The time that remained was not long, but it flowed steadily onward.
[Remaining Lifespan: 3 days 23 hours 46 minutes 27 seconds]
The plum blossoms that had been sugared two days earlier had finished removing their astringency. All that remained was to add white wine, seal the jars, and let them age for more than a year before they could be opened.
The longer they aged, the better the flavor became.
"The process for making plum blossom brew is so simple, and you didn't even use any special ingredients I don't recognize. Why does it taste so good?"
Clarisse blinked her large eyes, her face full of confusion.
The most difficult step was simply going up the mountain to pick the blossoms in person.
The rest — draining, sugaring, and finally adding white wine and sealing — was something even a young child could remember and learn.
"Maybe plum blossom brew is just like that. Simple to make, but the taste is exceptional."
"Hmm…"
Even as she said it, Clarisse still felt there must be more to it.
The plum-preserved soybean cakes she had taken home two days earlier had made her mother cry nonstop after tasting them. She had hugged her and sobbed for half the night.
It seemed the richer a person's experiences and the older they were, the deeper they felt the flavor.
If the plum-preserved soybean cakes made people confront long-buried regrets and sorrow from the past,
then the plum blossom brew Kanzaki Tomomu made did the opposite — it let people temporarily set aside their worries.
Could it be…
Clarisse suddenly remembered that in the academy principal's office there was a rather special water dispenser.
Water poured from that dispenser would taste sweet.
A student had once curiously asked the principal how it worked. The principal explained that the dispenser was a curio.
She had also explained the different kinds of curios.
They came in all shapes and forms.
A puddle of water could be a curio. A ball of fire could be one. Or an object with a solid form.
Even food could be a type of curio.
Something with special effects might not necessarily be a curio, but anything without special effects definitely wasn't — whether those effects were useful to humans or not.
Never mind. She would stop thinking about it for now.
"Mr. Kanzaki, when are you leaving? I'll come see you off."
"…The day after tomorrow at this time." Kanzaki Tomomu answered with a calm expression.
"Huh?" Clarisse looked surprised.
"What is it?"
"Three days from now is your birthday. I thought you would wait until after your birthday to leave."
She had thought Kanzaki Tomomu might celebrate with someone important.
But then she remembered he had always celebrated alone in the past.
Every year on that day, he would drink until he was almost drunk to mark the occasion.
"Mr. Kanzaki, are you going to celebrate your birthday with your teacher this year?" she couldn't help asking.
"No. My teacher won't see me again. The reason is complicated, so I won't go into detail."
"I'm sorry. I asked something I shouldn't have…"
"It's fine."
Kanzaki Tomomu sealed the last wine jar and carried them all to the wine cellar.
Just as he was about to stand up, a wave of intense dizziness hit his brain. His body went weak and he collapsed to the side.
"Mr. Kanzaki! Mr. Kanzaki?!"
Before his consciousness sank completely into darkness, he faintly heard the girl's panicked cries.
He didn't know how much time had passed when Kanzaki Tomomu slowly woke up.
Clarisse's familiar face came into view, but that pretty face was now filled with worry and exhaustion.
Her eyes were red and swollen, tears still wet on her cheeks. She had clearly been crying for quite a while.
"You're finally awake…"
Clarisse's voice was hoarse, completely lacking her usual youthful energy.
Kanzaki Tomomu tried to push himself up, but he found himself so weak he couldn't muster any strength.
"I'm fine…"
The moment he spoke, he froze.
His voice had none of the clear tone of youth. It was the hoarse, aged voice of an old man.
Which meant…
"You suddenly collapsed, and then in less than ten seconds you aged. And you say you're fine?!"
Clarisse didn't believe him at all. Her voice carried an obvious sob.
"…What exactly is going on, Mr. Kanzaki? Please don't hide it from me, okay?"
Kanzaki Tomomu let out a long sigh, but he didn't explain right away.
Unexpected things always happened in life.
The special medicine he had made had developed resistance in these final days.
Or perhaps his failing body could no longer fully absorb the medicine's power.
In any case, the reason no longer mattered.
He had wanted to die quietly by himself. It looked like that was no longer possible.
"Clarisse, I'm going to die of old age. It will happen on my birthday."
"What?!"
Seeing the disbelief in the girl's eyes, Kanzaki Tomomu confirmed it again.
"I'm dying soon."
Clarisse's expression froze instantly. A few seconds later, she shook her head desperately. "That's impossible! You're joking, right? How could a perfectly healthy person suddenly…"
"I'm not joking."
Kanzaki Tomomu interrupted her, his voice weak but firm enough to cut off all her hopes.
"All these years, I've been taking medicine to maintain my youthful appearance. What you're seeing now is what I really look like."
The atmosphere suddenly became terrifyingly quiet.
Clarisse opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Looking at his calm face, then at his withered hands, she suddenly realized—
All the talk about going away on a long trip, short or long term…
It had all been lies!
Liar!
"Why… didn't you tell me the truth…" Her voice trembled as tears poured down uncontrollably.
"It would only add unnecessary sorrow."
Kanzaki Tomomu smiled, his expression open and accepting.
"Being able to die of old age is a blessing for humans, but people always define permanent parting as sorrow."
He looked out the window. The sky was growing dark.
"So there's no need to be sad, kid. Not everyone has the fortune to die naturally of old age. You should be happy for this old man who's almost 175 years old."
Clarisse bit her lip hard.
Kanzaki Tomomu was going to die of old age…
The tarot reading from three months ago had not been completely wrong. It couldn't be said to be completely wrong either.
Her feelings… the gift she had prepared for so long, the confession she wanted to make — how could she say any of it now?
From the day she met Kanzaki Tomomu, today's regret had been inevitable.
He would never accept her. If anything, he might feel guilty.
After all…
She knew Kanzaki Tomomu too well. Even if she confessed everything, he would refuse on the grounds that he didn't want to hold her back.
…He wouldn't even say he felt nothing for her or that he didn't like her as a reason to reject her.
Kanzaki Tomomu was just that kind of gentle person…
He always took all the responsibility and blame onto himself.
But where had he gone wrong?
Clarisse felt completely drained.
Fate had been a little cruel to her. The person she loved was right in front of her, yet she could not say a word.
Adding any burden to Kanzaki Tomomu in his final days would be too selfish.
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