“Wow…”
Bora looked different today. The Bora who used to have a slightly worn-out office worker’s body was gone, and in front of me stood a Bora with a slim and smooth figure.
If before, Bora looked like she was in her mid-20s despite being older, now she could easily pass as a freshman who just entered university.
When I found out Bora was in her late 20s, this level of change was something you rarely see.
“Hana.”
Bora hugged me and spoke. She smelled nice too. Being next to Bora felt like standing in a field where a pleasant floral scent was gently wafting.
“Hmm?”
“Can you make the fruit you made yesterday again?”
She was probably asking if I could make the apple again. But I didn’t know when it would be ready again. The only thing I knew for sure was that it would bloom again. It just took a long time.
“It’ll probably take a while…”
I hung my head, feeling like I was committing a crime. I wasn’t sure what effect my apple had, but it seemed to have some pretty good benefits. After all, it was a fruit that came from my body, so it was only natural it had outstanding effects.
“Really?”
Bora patted my head as she spoke. She didn’t seem too attached to the fruit.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem. If the fruit appeared every day, it would’ve been a big issue, but since it’s irregular, it’s not a big deal.”
Seeing Bora smile, it didn’t seem like a big deal. I leaned into Bora’s embrace and drifted back to sleep. The pleasant scent from her arms felt like a sleeping pill.
—
“I asked Hana, and she said it doesn’t appear every day.”
“Really?”
There were only two slices of the apple left, and even those were reserved for research purposes, not for eating. They were being analyzed for their components.
The amount needed for the effect was just one slice. Eating more than that didn’t make you any younger. Still, even a few years of rejuvenation was something you couldn’t buy with all the money in the world.
The only problem was that the amount of this apple with such effects was extremely limited…
But the good thing was that the quantity was so small that commercialization was impossible. And even if someone who was already sick ate it, it didn’t have much effect.
Anyway, I thought it would be better to analyze the effects of this apple and share the benefits with more people. If a medicine based on the apple’s contents were commercialized later, wouldn’t it have a positive impact on society?
If this apple could rejuvenate someone in their 50s or 60s back to their 20s, things like wars or kidnappings could’ve happened. Thankfully, Hana’s apple didn’t make you that young.
If it had the power to rejuvenate, the world would’ve been turned upside down. Powerful people around the world would’ve gone to war just to get their hands on Hana.
Even the smallest thing could start a war. So, those in power would’ve gone to war to get an apple that could extend their lives. That’s how desperately they desired youth.
They had money and fame, but youth was something they couldn’t buy, no matter how much they paid.
—
“Wow!”
I watered the pot. The plant that grew from my tooth was a cherry tomato. It hadn’t been long, but it was already bearing fruit. Don’t you usually need insects to pollinate for fruit to grow?
Since I didn’t know much about plants, I had no idea how it was bearing fruit so quickly.
The cherry tomato, which grew dozens of times faster than other plants, was bearing so much fruit that its branches were bending. Seeing this, I felt like a parent watching their child grow. Isn’t this how parents feel when they see their child thriving?
Unable to hide my pride, I rushed to the office to give Haru a cherry tomato to eat. She’d never imagine that a cherry tomato grew from my tooth.
If I asked someone on the street if cherry tomatoes could grow from teeth, nine out of ten would probably think I was crazy. It made no sense, but for me, it did.
It was already past quitting time, so Haru was the only one left in the office. She looked bored, yawning while working on her computer. She also seemed a bit tired.
“Haru, try this delicious cherry tomato!”
I handed her a shiny cherry tomato. Haru took it and looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Huh? Hana, where’d you get this cherry tomato?”
“Just try it! Eat it!”
“Look!”
Haru made a strange face as she was attacked by the gaze urging her to try eating, and she popped a cherry tomato into her mouth. Her reaction was immediate. Was it a really delicious expression? Or a hesitant one?
Her expression was somewhat comical. Haru held the stem of the cherry tomato and said, “Hana, where did this come from? Did you buy it from a convenience store?”
Haru seemed to mistakenly think that this precious cherry tomato was bought from a common convenience store. I proudly replied, “No! It’s the fruit that grew from my tooth last time!”
“What?!”
Haru looked shocked, then hugged me and rushed to my room. Upon arriving, she looked at the pot where the cherry tomato had grown and said with a dumbfounded expression, “No way, does it make sense for it to bear fruit in just a week?”
Honestly, I didn’t know it would grow this fast in just a week. I just thought my tooth was special. But Haru thought differently. She gave me a knock on the head.
“Ouch!”
I had given Haru something good, but she gave me pain. With tears welling up, I looked at Haru and asked, “Haru! Why did you hit me?”
I held my aching head and asked, “Hana, next time, you should tell me where it came from before letting me eat it.”
“Why?”
“Because someone might get a stomachache from eating your fruit.”
Hmm… I had to admit, that was a valid point. I meant well, but it was possible that someone might have a bad reaction.
“Can I take this for a bit?”
“Sure! Just don’t throw it away!”
“Of course not.”
Haru took the pot with the cherry tomato. Maybe she’s going to study it in the lab? Since she said she’d borrow it for a while, I gladly lent it to her. Surely, Haru wouldn’t take it and not return it.
——————————-
“Is this the cherry tomato that came from Hana’s tooth…?”
A senior researcher spoke in a voice full of disbelief. A cherry tomato growing from a human tooth? It sounded like a joke even a passing dog would laugh at. But the evidence was right there, so they had no choice but to believe it.
Bora plucked a cherry tomato from the branch and placed it on the desk.
“This cherry tomato… it’s unusual. We checked its nutrients and calorie content, and it’s unbelievable.”
“How so?”
“It’s faster if you just look at the data.”
Bora handed the senior researcher the nutrient analysis report of the cherry tomato that came from Hana’s body. The senior researcher, with a serious expression, read the document and then said to Bora in disbelief, “Is this… really true?”
“Yes. The results came out like this.”
“Not only does it contain the basic nutrients of a cherry tomato, but it also includes various components usually found in nutritional supplements…”
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins A, B, C, etc… All the nutrients you’d expect to find in supplements were packed into this tiny cherry tomato. Should this even be called a cherry tomato? It looked and tasted similar, but it was practically a different plant.
“Moreover, its calorie content is also unusual.”
“What? This tiny cherry tomato has 1000 calories?”
It was the size of a 500-won coin, but its calorie content was equivalent to a full meal. This… could be seen as both a good and a bad thing.
“The cherry tomatoes we experimentally cultivated also had the same effects.”
We couldn’t cultivate Hana’s apple because it had no seeds, but this cherry tomato could be grown separately. Hana cried and searched for her pot, so the original cherry tomato returned to her care. The ones we see now are the second generation.
They were descendants grown from Hana’s cherry tomato. They had similar growth rates and bore many fruits, just like the original.
