"Eh?"
Clarice unconsciously touched her cheek, feeling moisture.
"Strange, why would I suddenly cry..."
Only when she unconsciously looked at the soybean cake she'd bitten into did she understand the reason.
Rrakavasha followed her gaze.
"Does it taste bad?"
"Not at all!"
Clarice's expression grew complex, looking like she couldn't quite sort through the surging emotions within.
"...How should I put it? I can't find quite the right description. Roughly speaking, after eating it, all sorts of past regrets seemed to gather into a wave and suddenly rushed into my heart."
"That mystical?"
Rrakavasha himself didn't know the plum-pickled soybean cake had such an effect.
Under the young woman's watchful gaze, he also picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, his movements gradually slowed.
Clarice noticed Rrakavasha's eyes losing focus, his thoughts clearly drifting far away.
A single clear tear silently slid from the corner of his eye.
"Mr. Rrakavasha...?"
"Mm..."
Rrakavasha responded softly, pressing the back of his hand against his chin to catch the tear about to fall.
Looking down at the wet trace on his hand, he closed his eyes to savor the moment.
The taste itself wasn't the issue; in fact, it surpassed any pastry he'd made before, unforgettable.
Yu Qingtu's requirements could be said to have been perfectly met.
But why did it turn out this way...
Rrakavasha speculated... it had probably become a consumable Curio, which was why it possessed this unexpected special effect.
Forget it. Dwelling on it was meaningless.
Even if it became a Curio, at its essence it remained a carefully crafted pastry.
Purpose: to be eaten.
Nothing more.
"Don't worry about it. Life inherently holds many surprises. Just consider it an extra gift."
"Oh, how did Mr. Rrakavasha research such a special pastry?"
"Hmm... like clenching your fist, I felt I could do it this way. I don't remember researching it. If you like eating it, take this plate of plum-pickled soybean cakes home with you."
"...I do like it, but crying with every bite, won't I get dry eye syndrome?"
"Dry eye syndrome generally has no direct relationship with how much you cry..."
In the end, Clarice carefully packed up that plate of soybean cakes and waved goodbye to Rrakavasha.
"See you next time, Mr. Rrakavasha~~"
"...See you next time."
Rrakavasha smiled as he watched her leave.
He could still say it... But perhaps, at most, only one "next time" remained.
When the day came to say "see you next time" a second time, he probably wouldn't speak those words.
He didn't want to break his promise.
Things he could accomplish with complete certainty, he wouldn't equivocate on. If he couldn't, then he wouldn't give others false hope and add needless disappointment.
"Meow~"
Little Orange rubbed its head against Rrakavasha's leg.
Rrakavasha bent down and lifted it onto his lap, gently stroking its back.
"Thank you for these three years of companionship. In a few more days, I must leave and won't be able to continue caring for you."
"Go find a new owner. If you want to leave, you can go anytime."
"Or, if Clarice is willing to adopt you, you can go with her. But regardless, you must lose weight..."
"When she comes next time, shall I ask her for you?"
As his words fell, Rrakavasha didn't hear Little Orange's voice for quite some time.
It hadn't fallen asleep, just squinted peacefully, its round, plump body curling even further into his embrace.
"I see..."
Rrakavasha seemed to understand, sighing softly.
Before long, extended string notes drifted from within the bamboo house, faintly carrying traces of loneliness.
...
Winter daylight always seemed shorter.
Near nightfall, a starship silently descended onto the snow plain, its hatch slowly opening.
A richly and flamboyantly dressed man stepped out, heading straight toward the bamboo house.
Living in deep mountain forests with inconvenient transportation, few people typically disturbed Rrakavasha.
Those who occasionally found their way here were patients afflicted with rare, difficult conditions who remained uncured despite exhausting all methods.
After experiencing despair, some among them would pin their hopes on that old saying: Masters hide among common folk.
Rrakavasha had lived in seclusion in these remote mountains for over a century. Seeking peace and quiet, he'd always instructed patients who found him not to casually reveal his existence.
But over time, some inevitably let word slip.
Thus, those rumors circulating through marketplaces, never fully verified, would reach the ears of desperate people with nowhere else to turn, treating a dead horse as if it were still alive.
Those who could find their way here, if Rrakavasha could treat them, he would. If he couldn't... well, he'd yet to encounter a case that left him helpless.
Generally speaking, having three or four people find him in a year already counted as many.
Aside from exceptionally rare special cases like Mrs. Durand, Rrakavasha could complete treatment for other patients in a single day.
Among the extremely few remaining cases, only one person existed.
"Long time no see, Mr. Rrakavasha."
"Nine years. That is quite long, Mr. Agate." Rrakavasha set down the zhongruan.
Agate, affiliated with the Interastral Peace Corporation's Strategic Investment Department, is one of the core ten elites under the Diamond-rank Manager serving Qlipoth.
Of course, that was just a codename.
His real name was neither known nor needed to be known
"I thought your condition had relapsed and you'd already passed away."
"...Hey, hey, is it really appropriate to say such harsh things at a long-awaited reunion?"
Agate rolled his eyes irritably and casually took a seat.
"After all, I've been your patient for over forty years. Shouldn't that at least count as friendship?"
"I didn't mean to curse you. Nine years ago, the medication you took was only enough for six years. When you didn't come last year, I assumed the position of 'Ten Stonehearts Agate' had changed hands." Rrakavasha stated the facts.
Agate startled, realization crossing his face. "No wonder I didn't see your delivery request this year."
Every late autumn, Rrakavasha would send him a delivery request to ship express packages to a certain uninhabited planet in a remote corner of the universe.
That wasn't an ordinary mailing; it was the Corporation's delivery department's highest-tier service.
One could say that unless targeted by a deity or Emanator-level opponent, absolutely nothing would go wrong.
So it was because of this... wait!
Agate suddenly recalled that before coming here, he'd checked the delivery department records; there was no order from Rrakavasha this year at all!
"Did you personally travel to that planet this year?"
"No."
"...No need to send packages anymore?"
"Not that. I just asked a senior who was passing by to help deliver them. You're such a busy person, you wouldn't come here today just for this matter, would you?"
"There's that aspect, but it's not entirely that."
Agate casually reached for the teapot, only to have Rrakavasha's hand stop him.
"...Not even willing to serve a cup of tea? Are you serious?" Agate looked stunned.
Rrakavasha smiled. "Of course not. We won't be drinking crude tea today."
Saying this, he retrieved a jar of plum blossom wine from folded space.
A thread of enticing fragrance flowed from the jar's seal, firmly capturing Agate's attention.
"Well, well, the sun's rising from the west today. You're actually willing to bring out this treasure to entertain me..."
"Heh..."
Rrakavasha offered no explanation, sweeping aside the small teacups and replacing them with large bowls. Gripping the jar's rim edge with his backhand, he poured the wine.
This somewhat bold manner made Agate increasingly surprised.
Something's off... could he have noticed something?