For the first time in months, Rian woke up without a shovel in his hand, without a list of crops to inspect, and without worrying about the next harvest.
Instead, he stood in front of the mirror wearing a simple T-shirt and a pair of jeans. His hair was slightly messy, and his skin had grown noticeably darker from spending nearly every day under the sun, but his face looked more relaxed than it had in a long time.
“Jojo, we're taking the day off.”
Jojo, who was sprawled across the sofa, opened one eye. After staring at Rian for a few seconds, he closed it again as if the announcement wasn't important enough to deserve a response.
“A day off?” he murmured. “Are you certain the agricultural world won't collapse without you for twenty-four hours?”
Rian chuckled. “We have twenty workers now. They can handle the farm. I've already prepared the watering and harvesting schedules.”
He reached for his wallet and slipped it into his pocket. After months of doing nothing but work, Rian felt that he deserved at least one day to breathe. Besides, ever since discovering that the antique trash can could be upgraded, one question had continued to bother him.
The stone.
He wanted to find out whether other stones might have similar properties.
“We can look around for something that might work for upgrading the trash can, too.”
Jojo's ears immediately perked up.
“Now you're finally talking sense.”
Rian gave him a flat look.
“Don't tell me you just want to go shopping.”
Jojo stood and stretched lazily.
“I never reject an opportunity to improve my quality of life.”
Rian shook his head.
---
They spent the morning wandering around the city. Rian bought several pieces of equipment he had needed for a while—soil-testing tools, storage containers, harvesting equipment, and a few household items he'd kept putting off because he always believed the money was better spent on the farm.
Every time he saw a price tag, however, his old habits returned.
“One hundred thousand... reasonable.”
He placed an item into his basket.
“Two hundred thousand... a little painful.”
He picked up another item.
“Five hundred thousand?”
Rian slowly put it back on the shelf.
“No. We're not that rich yet.”
Jojo, sitting comfortably inside the shopping basket, stared at him with obvious amusement.
“Yet you once counted every coin before buying instant noodles.”
Rian sighed.
“Old habits die hard.”
There was a small smile on his face as he said it. For the first time, he could buy something because he genuinely needed it rather than because it was absolutely necessary.
After finishing their shopping, they continued walking without any particular destination. That was when a small jewelry stall caught Rian's attention.
Inside the glass display were various pieces made from natural stones—necklaces, bracelets, pendants, and rings in different colors.
Rian stopped.
His eyes immediately settled on one particular ring.
Its stone was a beautiful golden-yellow color. It wasn't particularly large, but it had a strange luster. When sunlight struck its surface, something inside the stone seemed to shimmer faintly.
“That one.”
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow.
“The yellow stone?”
Rian nodded.
He picked up the ring after asking permission to examine it more closely. The moment his fingers touched its surface, he felt a faint warmth.
It wasn't like the serum.
It wasn't like the energy he felt from the antique trash can either.
But there was something unusual about it, and his instincts refused to ignore it.
“How much?”
“Fifteen million rupiah.”
Rian immediately fell silent.
Fifteen million.
He looked at the ring again, then at his wallet.
His mind began calculating.
If this turns out to be an ordinary stone, I just wasted fifteen million.
Yet that strange warmth was still lingering at his fingertips. Something about the stone made him reluctant to put it back.
“I'll take it.”
The shopkeeper looked slightly surprised that Rian hadn't negotiated. After the payment was made, the ring was placed inside a small box.
Rian carefully slipped it into his pocket.
“If this turns out to be nothing more than an expensive rock...” he muttered.
Jojo stared at the little jewelry box.
“At least you bought something pretty.”
Rian looked at him.
“Do you know something?”
“No.”
“Then why did you say that?”
“Because I wanted to see you become a little poorer.”
Rian narrowed his eyes.
“What kind of friend says that?”
“A cat who values honesty.”
Rian could only shake his head.
---
Around noon, they reached a more upscale shopping district. The smell of fresh seafood suddenly caught Jojo's attention.
The cat stopped so abruptly that Rian nearly walked into him.
“What is it?”
Jojo didn't answer.
His eyes were fixed on a luxurious seafood store across the street.
Rian followed his gaze.
“Oh, no.”
Jojo looked at him.
“No what?”
“I already know that expression.”
Inside the store's glass display case lay an enormous tuna on a bed of ice. The fish was almost the size of a small child, its body thick and heavy, its flesh looking exceptionally fresh.
Rian stared at it.
Jojo stared at Rian.
“Rian.”
“No.”
“Look at its size.”
“I can see it.”
“Ten million.”
“I can see the price too.”
Jojo sat down in front of the display.
“I feel that we've been working very hard.”
Rian pressed his fingers against his temples.
“Jojo, it's a fish.”
“This is not merely a fish. This is a moral investment.”
Rian almost choked.
“What kind of moral investment?”
Jojo looked at him with absolute confidence.
“A cat given quality food will maintain better health. A healthy cat can work longer. A cat that works longer generates greater profits.”
Rian stared at him in silence.
“So now you're using economics to justify buying tuna?”
“Correct.”
Rian tried to resist.
“No.”
Jojo remained seated.
“Ten million.”
“No.”
“Five million?”
“It's still ten million!”
“I was negotiating emotionally.”
Rian closed his eyes.
A few minutes later, he walked out of the store carrying a large cooler containing the premium tuna, his face resembling that of a man who had just made the worst financial decision of his life.
Twenty-five million rupiah.
Fifteen million for a stone ring.
Ten million for a single tuna.
Rian walked down the street with the expression of someone questioning every decision that had brought him to this moment.
“Twenty-five million,” he muttered.
Jojo walked beside him with light, satisfied steps.
“A very wise expenditure.”
“If I'm eating rice with salt tomorrow, this is your fault.”
“We still have the farm.”
Rian sighed.
“And now we have a ten-million-rupiah fish living in my head rent-free.”
Jojo flicked his tail.
“Don't worry. I'll make sure the investment doesn't go to waste.”
---
By late afternoon, they decided to head home. The streets were becoming increasingly crowded, filled with vehicles, street vendors, and people returning from their shopping trips.
Rian carried several shopping bags while Jojo walked beside him. The day, which had originally been meant as nothing more than a short break, had ended up costing far more than Rian had expected.
Strangely enough, however, he didn't regret it.
At least for one day, he had done something that had nothing to do with farming.
Then the crowd ahead made him stop.
“What happened?”
Several people were gathered around an elderly man lying on the sidewalk. His face was pale, one hand clutching his chest as several people frantically tried to figure out what to do.
Rian watched from a distance.
A man crouched beside the elderly man.
“Sir! Can you hear me?”
There was no clear response.
Rian didn't move.
His first instinct was to leave.
Don't get involved.
He had heard enough stories about people pretending to be sick in order to scam others. And now he had far too much to hide.
Jojo stood beside him, staring at the crowd.
“Rian.”
Only Rian could hear his voice.
Rian swallowed.
“I know.”
He looked at the elderly man again.
The man's face was genuinely pale. His breathing was short and irregular. The people around him weren't laughing, filming a prank, or waiting for some kind of trick.
This was real.
Someone genuinely needed help.
Rian's hand unconsciously touched his jacket pocket.
Inside was a small bottle containing diluted magical serum. He always carried one as a precaution, though he had never intended to use it on a human being.
If I use it... what if someone sees?
His thoughts raced.
What if they ask where it came from?
Then the elderly man suddenly clutched his chest again.
Rian clenched his teeth.
“To hell with the secret.”
He handed his shopping bags to Jojo and rushed toward the crowd.
“Excuse me! Give him some space!”
Several people turned in surprise. Rian knelt beside the elderly man, his heart pounding.
“Sir, can you hear me?”
The man's eyelids moved weakly.
Rian pulled out the small bottle.
His hand trembled.
It contained only a small amount of diluted serum. He had no idea whether it would affect a human the same way it affected plants and animals.
But there was no time to think.
“Please work...”
He opened the bottle and carefully helped the elderly man drink the liquid.
Several seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Rian's anxiety began to rise.
Don't tell me I was too late.
Then the man's breathing changed.
His chest began rising and falling more steadily.
The pale color slowly disappeared from his face.
The fingers clutching his chest gradually loosened.
Someone behind Rian gasped.
“He's moving!”
Rian stared at the elderly man.
The old man's eyes slowly opened.
“Where... am I?”
The crowd immediately erupted.
“He's awake!”
“Sir, can you hear us?”
“Call an ambulance!”
Rian felt the blood drain from his face.
People were beginning to look at him.
Some were already asking what he had given the man.
Rian stood abruptly.
“Jojo!”
The cat immediately understood.
He turned and began walking away.
Rian grabbed his belongings and slipped through the crowd before anyone could stop him.
“Hey! Wait!”
Someone shouted from behind.
Rian didn't look back.
He quickened his pace, turned into a narrow alley, and finally stopped after making sure nobody had followed him.
He was breathing heavily.
Cold sweat covered his back.
“I just did the stupidest thing I've ever done.”
Jojo sat in front of him.
“Stupid?”
Rian stared at the cat.
“I almost exposed our secret in front of dozens of people.”
Jojo remained silent for a moment. Then his expression softened slightly.
“Yet you saved his life.”
Rian lowered his head.
He knew Jojo was right.
Despite his fear, he didn't regret what he had done.
In the distance, the sound of an ambulance began to approach.
Rian took a deep breath and looked toward the orange sky.
What was supposed to be nothing more than a day off had left him with something far more significant than a fifteen-million-rupiah ring or a ten-million-rupiah tuna.
For the first time, the magical serum had been used to save a human life.
And Rian had no idea that his impulsive decision might change his life far more profoundly than he could ever imagine.