Chapter 27
"Please rest assured. I have only one simple request: Please do not tell my teacher about my death. Not ever."
"My teacher once said that if a hundred years passed without contact, I should forget her."
"I am about to die. This can be considered me indirectly following my teacher's instruction and forgetting her."
"As for the birthday gift senior gave me, I am sorry but I am not worthy of receiving it."
"My life has been quite complete. I have no desire to remain young forever. My only regret… is that I ultimately failed to persuade my teacher to stop that forbidden research."
"My teacher let me complete my apprenticeship. It was probably not out of anger, but because I was truly too slow and could no longer understand any more of the knowledge she taught me."
"A long-lived species' lifespan stretches very long. Perhaps in just a few years my teacher will have completely forgotten me."
"It was my honor to have met you in this long life."
"Thank you for your favor all this time."
"That is all… Yu Qingtu… goodbye."
The recorded message ended there.
Yu Qingtu's lips parted. She stared blankly at the spot where the image had disappeared, motionless for a long time.
"When… did he pass away?"
"Based on the memory records: Tomomu Kanzaki left this world nine days after receiving your birthday gift." The mechanical doll answered.
Yu Qingtu felt as if a bottle of mixed flavors had been knocked over in her heart.
Separating the part of herself that belonged to the Genius, she examined her heart deeply and confirmed some facts.
Perhaps… she did like the little guy a little…
But the hidden arrogance of a Genius had made her always classify that feeling as appreciation rather than liking.
Now that she realized it, it was already too late.
Looking at the things in the doll's hands, Yu Qingtu carefully picked up one of the pastries and put it in her mouth.
In an instant—
Countless years of accumulated regrets gathered into a surging river and crashed hard into her heart.
The final image froze on the day she learned of Tomomu Kanzaki's death and said goodbye to him forever, stirring an emotion called sorrow.
"He only changed to calling me 'Sister' when he was on the verge of death… If I had known, I should have let you make pastries for me for the rest of your life…"
"You're so stupid…"
Yu Qingtu solemnly put away the remaining pastries. As for the birthday gift she had sent that was now being 'returned'…
She let out a soft sigh.
"Did the little guy leave a grave for himself?"
"Please follow me." The doll turned and led the way toward the back mountain.
When they reached the old plum tree, Yu Qingtu lowered her gaze to the lonely stone marker. Her heart tightened sharply.
[Tomomu Kanzaki's Grave]
Only three words. No biography. No origin.
There was no name of the person who erected the stone either.
The plum blossoms were in full bloom, branches heavy with crimson, a faint fragrance drifting in the air.
But no matter how beautiful the scenery, it could not enter Yu Qingtu's eyes right now.
She reached out and brushed the rough surface of the stone.
The touch was ice-cold to the bone, even colder than the winter day itself.
She could almost imagine how Tomomu Kanzaki had faced death alone. With his personality, even at the very end, the person he was thinking of was probably still Ruan Mei…
No one came to send him off after death. No family or friends were present.
That was why he had made a doll to handle his own remains.
All that remained was this lonely stone marker, recording a name that no longer cared for the mortal world.
In the plum grove, only the howl of the cold wind remained.
Yu Qingtu stood in front of the grave. Even though she had countless things she wanted to say, they all caught in her throat.
So a person could disappear so quietly.
Behind her came the faint sound of footsteps on snow.
Yu Qingtu turned her head.
It was a rather thin orange cat. It looked somewhat familiar.
It dragged its body step by step until it reached the side of Tomomu Kanzaki's grave.
The orange cat slowly used its front paws to clear away the snow and fallen petals until the frozen black soil underneath was exposed.
Its movements were slow, but it never paused.
Once the hole was dug — not too big, not too small, just enough to fit itself — the cat lowered its head and sniffed the patch of earth it had cleared, then turned and curled up inside.
It gently rested its chin on its crossed front paws, tail curled to the side, and quietly gazed at the name on the stone.
Yu Qingtu could see its belly rising and falling weakly with each breath — very light, very slow.
After about half a minute, those once bright but now cloudy eyes gradually lost focus and closed completely.
The wind picked up again. A few plum petals landed on the cat's back and head.
It did not shake them off. It simply lay there quietly.
Yu Qingtu understood. The cat had reached the end of its long journey.
For twenty years it had never left, staying in the place where its master had once lived.
Only when its own lifespan was nearing its end did it come to its master's burial ground to wait for death.
"…"
Yu Qingtu could not say a single word. Her eyes slowly watered.
How many years had it been?
She could no longer remember how long it had been since she had teared up for someone like this.
Uncontainable regret surged into her mind with unstoppable force.
If only she had left ten days later twenty years ago… how good that would have been…
If she wanted, there were countless ways she could have extended Tomomu Kanzaki's life.
Thinking of everything that had happened, Yu Qingtu tilted her head back and took a deep breath to calm her thoughts.
She opened the seal on the emerald-green vial in her hand and poured the life-extending liquid — something countless people would desperately seek — onto the ground in front of Tomomu Kanzaki's grave.
"You little rascal. A gift that was sent out has no reason to be returned. Whether you accept it or not, you're taking it…"
She had not even stayed with Tomomu Kanzaki as long as a single cat had.
The place she held in Tomomu Kanzaki's heart was far from enough for him to choose to remain in the mortal world for her.
"He is a short-lived species, unlike you. If you bury yourself in research for another few dozen or hundred years, he will already be dead."
"Ruan, short-lived species and long-lived species think differently."
The words she had once said to Ruan Mei echoed word for word in her ears. The corners of Yu Qingtu's mouth curved into a self-mocking smile.
All those words she throw are like boomerangs that had finally come back to hit her.
Hadn't she also left for decades because of her own matters, only to learn that Tomomu Kanzaki had died of old age without her knowing?
Hadn't she also used the mindset of a long-lived species to make decisions for Tomomu Kanzaki on her own, assuming he would remain attached to the world?
The only lesson humanity has learned from history is that it never learns from history.
Even Genius Society Member #56 chose not to extend his life and instead accepted a natural death and eternal sleep. How much more so for Tomomu Kanzaki, who had always seen himself as an ordinary person?
In truth, Yu Qingtu also understood that she should not force someone who no longer cared for the mortal world to stay.
But in this world, there were no ifs.
She simply could not accept the reality for the moment and was looking for an excuse for the overwhelming regret in her heart, an excuse that could explain it, vent it, and cover up her remorse.
That was all.
No one knew how much time passed. The cold wind gradually died down.
Warm sunlight broke through the clouds. The gentle rays fell on Yu Qingtu's shoulders and also on Tomomu Kanzaki's grave.
Yu Qingtu remained standing there quietly for a long time. Only when night was about to fall did she finally walk down the mountain.
The bamboo house was still the same. The furnishings were unchanged, as if nothing had happened.
Only, there was no longer any trace of the person who had once lived there.
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Bonus chapters
200 Stones - 1 chapter
400 Stones - 2 chapter
600 Stones - 3 chapters
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