[Remaining Lifespan: 7 days, 1 hour, 23 minutes, 07 seconds]
Rrakavasha glanced at the system interface. His expression unchanged, he smiled at the young woman jogging toward him.
She'd always favored purple.
Her fitted purple wool short coat hung open, revealing the beige turtleneck sweater beneath.
Below the hem, black stockings gleamed with a matte finish in the winter morning light.
The warm boots wrapped perfectly around half her calves, outlining slender, flowing lines.
A scarf wound casually twice around her shoulders, its extended portion hanging down her back.
From the front, the young woman's waist appeared even more slender, barely a handful.
"Good morning! Mr. Rrakavasha~~"
"Morning. Today's outfit suits you very well."
"Really? Do you think there's anywhere I could improve?" Her eyes sparkled.
"I don't really understand these matters. As it is now, you already look wonderful; it complements your temperament perfectly."
Hearing his praise, Clarice's eyes curved upward as a sweet smile bloomed at her lips.
"...Mr. Rrakavasha, wearing so little, aren't you cold?"
Simple thermal underwear beneath a short windbreaker, the clothing couldn't be more ordinary.
Placed in a bustling marketplace, he'd be just another unremarkable part of the masses.
Yet that exceptionally outstanding face compensated well for this shortcoming.
They say clothes make the man, but Clarice felt that with Rrakavasha, it was reversed: the man made the clothes.
Even the most ordinary garments became remarkably eye-catching when worn by him.
"Not cold. I'm used to it. Let's head out." Rrakavasha turned toward the back mountain.
The plum blossoms had been blooming continuously in recent days. After observation, he'd concluded these few days were most suitable for picking.
Reaching the mountain's base, they found the stone steps covered with a layer of fresh snow.
"Heavy snow fell last night. As expected, it's come to this."
Rrakavasha retrieved a snow-sweeping broom from his portable folded space.
"Leave the physical labor to me. You should focus on harvesting the plum blossoms." Clarice took the broom.
"...Alright."
The accumulated snow on the steps wasn't particularly thick. Rrakavasha didn't refuse her kind offer.
The snow-covered steps wound upward. Red and white plum blossoms bloomed in striking contrast on both sides.
Ice crystals clung to white plum branches, while red plums showed dark crimson through gaps in the snow.
When the wind passed, fine snow rustled down.
Several petals drifted over with the breeze, lightly brushing Clarice's cheek and leaving a trace of cold, clear fragrance.
She looked up toward the mountain peak. The ridgeline undulated gently in the snow, beautiful as a painting.
Everything in the mountains wore thin frost. The surroundings fell so quiet that only the rustling sound of Rrakavasha using his bamboo knife to harvest plum blossoms remained.
Clarice's snow-clearing efficiency exceeded expectations. After getting more than twenty steps ahead, her body warmed from the exercise as she exhaled lightly.
Looking back down, Rrakavasha was concentrating on selecting the most tender dozen or so blossoms from each plum tree, his movements meticulous.
When people focus on something, they often fail to notice time's passage.
Before she knew it, Clarice had reached the summit first.
Shaking loose snow from her shoulders, the moment her vision opened wide, she couldn't help holding her breath.
The wind suddenly shifted direction, sweeping across the entire plum grove.
The muffled sound of clustered snow falling from branches intertwined with the low tones of swaying limbs.
The clear, bitter-cold fragrance crushed by the wind, mixed with frozen earth's breath, swept past her nose.
Petals fluttered and swirled with air currents. As delicate branches trembled, red and white wove together into a beautiful wave of flowers.
The instant Clarice resumed breathing, she cleverly caught the moment after that bitter-cold fragrance passed, inhaling an even richer plum scent instead.
In this scene, traces of enchantment inevitably crossed her face.
"Mr. Rrakavasha, come up quickly! The plum blossoms are blooming so beautifully!"
Eh?
The words barely left her lips before Clarice's expression froze momentarily.
Not far away stood an old plum tree whose roots protruded through the snow, gripping tightly to a rock crevice.
And before this plum tree stood two faint phantom figures.
One silhouette appeared intellectually elegant, even from behind, clearly a graceful beauty.
Beside her stood a boy whose height didn't even reach her shoulder.
Very familiar... it was the young Rrakavasha!
Which meant this graceful beauty must be Rrakavasha's teacher.
Just then, near several other trees around the old plum, similar phantom images of the two appeared.
Young Rrakavasha carried a bamboo basket, receiving plum blossoms that his teacher occasionally picked.
Later, the boy had grown taller.
The boy held an oil-paper umbrella for his teacher with his left hand while his right hand lifted plum branches, letting her pass through first.
Still later, the boy had grown taller than his teacher, but her figure no longer stood beside him.
Through his movements, it wasn't difficult to see the solitary figure bending to plant new plum trees.
So this plum grove... originally had only those few old trees...
"Clarice? Clarice?"
"...Ah?!"
Clarice snapped back to awareness, finding Rrakavasha had already reached her side.
"Is something wrong with the plum trees in that direction? Why were you staring so intently?" Rrakavasha asked gently.
"...The scenery is so beautiful, I accidentally became mesmerized..."
She looked again, those phantoms had all vanished, as if merely an illusion.
But she knew this was no illusion.
Judging by Mr. Rrakavasha's reaction, he clearly couldn't see those phantom images.
Why could only she see them? Clarice couldn't understand.
"No need to clear snow here. Let me help with picking too, and gather parts for making sachets while I'm at it."
If she couldn't understand, she'd temporarily set it aside. Present matters were more important.
"For making sachets, do you know what kind of plum blossoms work best?"
"...Could it be like making wine, where plum blossoms from different stages also differ?" Clarice asked.
"Naturally."
Hearing her ask this, Rrakavasha knew the young woman hadn't carefully studied this area of knowledge.
Or rather, didn't quite understand how to make sachets from plum blossoms.
"For sachets, select blossoms about to bloom; their fragrance is richer and longer-lasting."
"Half-bloomed flowers work well too. At this stage, aromatic compounds in the petals have partially released, and the flowers remain relatively intact. Do you know why we come at dawn?"
"I don't." Clarice shook her head honestly.
"Because before sunrise at dawn, air humidity is relatively high. Plum blossoms are well-hydrated with rich fragrance, preserving scent and quality to the maximum extent."
Rrakavasha patiently resolved the young woman's doubts.
"You should select complete flowers without pest damage or injury to ensure the sachet's quality and fragrance."
"At the same time, avoid days with strong wind and heavy rain, as wind and rain cause floral fragrance to dissipate."
"Today's conditions aren't actually optimal; the wind is somewhat strong. Unfortunately, recent days haven't seen clear, windless weather. We can only settle for second best."
"After Dahan passes, we should see clear skies, but unfortunately..."
...He wouldn't live to see that day.