Unexpectedly, a single pill wasn't enough to maintain his physical condition.
The setting sun slipped behind the western mountains, trading places with the crescent moon.
The wind picked up, causing the evening to become chilly.
Rrakavasha took the opportunity to step away briefly, urgently increasing his dosage before throwing on a white coat and bringing Clarice a jacket.
Clarice didn't think much of it.
Wrapping herself in the jacket Rrakavasha brought, she greedily absorbed the lingering scent on it, one that brought her a peace of mind.
In others' eyes, she was a rather unusual girl.
As a child, she always pestered adults with strange questions, often mocked by her peers and gradually isolated.
Questions like: Where do people come from? Who created us? How did this world begin?
She also relentlessly pursued stories of the past, those things called history.
Her father had died early. Apart from her mother, no one understood why a child would fixate on such matters.
Until she met Rrakavasha, now there was one more person in this world who understood and accepted her.
No matter what questions she asked, regardless of how absurd they were or whether standard answers even existed, Rrakavasha would respond with complete honesty.
The five years since meeting him had been the most relaxing and beautiful time of her entire life.
Beyond the safe harbor of home, it was the only warmth she could grasp in this world.
In those deep brown eyes flowed a gentleness profound enough to drown in it.
Yet the young woman had a vague feeling that beneath that gentleness lay a trace of distance and melancholy.
Whenever she tried to draw closer to Rrakavasha's heart, she always felt as if she hit an invisible wall.
Clarice wasn't certain whether this feeling she had for him was simply affectionnnnn or even love.
Perhaps... it is?
Her mother once told her that if you could feel unprecedented peace in someone's presence, that might be one form of love.
"Mr. Rrakavasha, Mother's condition is still deteriorating, isn't it?" She stopped her wandering thoughts.
"Yes."
"There's really no way to cure it completely...?"
"Of course there is." Rrakavasha smiled warmly, offering Clarice reassurance.
The young woman's eyes immediately lit up, gazing at him with anticipation.
"In two more months, I'll completely cure Mrs. Durand's amnesia and return your mother to perfect health."
"You're amazing~!"
The young woman exclaimed in delighted surprise, her eyes, like dusk and night sky mingling together, sparkling brilliantly.
She had absolute faith in his abilities.
"By then, you'll be able to return to your home planet and won't need to make these frequent trips through the mountains with Mrs. Durand."
"..."
At these words, the joy and excitement on Clarice's pretty face suddenly froze.
Home...
There was nothing left there worth holding onto.
She didn't want to go back. Otherwise, seeing Rrakavasha wouldn't be as easy as it was now.
She'd decided...
Once Mother's amnesia was completely cured, she'd find an opportunity to confess her feelings to him.
They might be innocent, naive.
But they were absolutely sincere.
Mother had said that endless waiting might ultimately lead to regret.
She didn't want to live with regrets.
"Let's not talk about that! Mr. Rrakavasha, I want to read your future, it's gonna be very accurate, I promise."
As she spoke, Clarice produced a tarot deck.
"How accurate?" Rrakavasha asked with gentle amusement.
"Accurate enough that five years ago, I roughly divined the region where your bamboo house was located."
"Oh? That's rather impressive. Let's try it then. Though I don't know anything about tarot, is that alright?"
"It's fine! What aspect would you like to have divined? How about... we try romance first?" Clarice suppressed the nervousness in her heart, terrified of being refused.
"Heh... alright. What do I need to do?"
"Let's keep it simple. You just need to draw three cards from the deck, but no peeking~"
Rrakavasha didn't hesitate or deliberate, casually drawing cards and smiling to indicate the young woman could proceed.
Clarice eagerly flipped the first card.
The moment she saw it, her smile froze.
The Three of Swords...
A bad start.
She continued to the second card.
The Ten of Swords!!
Her delicate face grew faintly pale as her fingers trembled slightly, turning over the final card.
The Star Reversed...
"What's wrong? Did I draw an extremely unlucky combination?" Seeing her poor complexion, Rrakavasha asked gently.
"No, no! Very, very auspicious! I'm just shocked you could draw such a rare combination..."
Clarice hurriedly shook her head, secretly gritting her teeth as she skipped the complex interpretation and stated a conclusion completely opposite to the cards' meaning.
"Your future holds a deeply loving partner with whom you'll walk hand in hand. You'll become each other's spiritual refuge, simply put, eternal love."
"I see... then I accept the great diviner Miss Clarice's auspicious prediction."
Taking in Rrakavasha's trusting smile, Clarice's hands beneath the table clenched involuntarily.
The true meaning of this spread was profound heartbreak leading to a relationship's end, bringing bone-deep despair.
Ultimately, the beautiful future once imagined would lose all possibility of becoming reality.
Divination wasn't infallible, its accuracy was far from absolute.
But... for the first time, Clarice fell into such deep self-doubt.
Rrakavasha treated patients regardless of how severe their conditions were, always charging only nominal fees.
Over five years, the credits spent treating Mother's amnesia didn't even amount to a tenth of what it cost to travel by starship from their home planet to this one.
Someone so kind, who treated life with such gentleness, how could he face such a future?
...It couldn't be... because of her, could it?
No, no, how could she possibly harm him?!
This divination was probably inaccurate.
Still, the flame of hope Clarice held for their future was temporarily extinguished.
The young woman's thoughts were simple, and her quietly deflated mood was keenly perceived by Rrakavasha.
He didn't expose her, it was, after all, a well-intentioned lie.
The divination result must have been the complete opposite of what she'd said.
For someone about to die, where would there be a deeply loving partner to walk beside, and where would eternity come from?
Dying alone and quietly was the inevitable conclusion he'd chosen.
Even a complete life couldn't avoid leaving certain regrets.
That research, Ruan Mei most likely wouldn't change her mind.
He couldn't dissuade her.
Deep into the night.
Weighed down by heavy thoughts, Clarice fell asleep exhausted at the table.
Rrakavasha gently lifted her, transferring her to a bamboo couch layered with soft padding, and covered her with a blanket.
After confirming Mrs. Durand showed no abnormalities in the medical pod, he entered the folded space to continue his unfinished work.
Looking at the cold components on the alloy workbench, Rrakavasha put on protective goggles and methodically proceeded with the next step.
...
Warm sunlight penetrated the swaying bamboo branches, forming dappled golden points of light scattered across the fallen leaves on the ground.
Clarice's eyelashes fluttered gently as she slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up, gazing blankly around before her eyes settled on the handsome face sitting at the window, gazing into the distance.
Morning light draped him in a layer of golden amber, dreamlike and ethereal.
For a moment, Clarice gradually lost herself in the sight.