A good Master guides

The old man had no idea how to start with the answer to Flare's question.

Can someone even count the amount of things that he possessed?

Looking at his entangled expression, Flare thought that the man was so poor that he did not know what to tell him.

He felt guilty for asking such a question but he did not take his question back. After all, if the man asked him to be his disciple, then he had to give him something in return, right?

He had to be able to give him something.

Hence he kept quiet.

The old man finally opened his lips and answered with a single word, "Immortality?"

The answer somehow sounded like a question but it is still enough to make the usually calm and collected Flare's eyes go wide open in shock.

'Immortality? Is it something someone could possess?' Flare thought to himself.

The old man could see the doubts in his eyes and spoke, "Do you want immortality too?"

This question made Flare even more shocked. "Immortality can be given to someone like that too?"

The old man chuckled once again. He felt that having this kit under his wing would never allow him to have a boring day. Hence the urge to make him his disciple increased in his heart.

"I can't give you immortality," Before Flare could take a breath of relief, the old man continued, "But I can guide you to acquire it."

Flare choked on his breath when he heard his words. "You can guide me?"

"Yes, guide you. Isn't that what a master does to his disciple? Guide them towards their goal. That is what I would do too," the old man calmly replied back.

Indeed!

The little Flare had once heard his human father saying that a good master is not one that gives his student the answer. Instead it is the one that guides the student towards the answer.

It should always be the student that should search for his own answers. Not rely on someone else to get the answers for his questions.

When Flare thought of this, he felt that though this old man looked suspicious in many ways, he could still be said to be a responsible master.

As he dwelled in his own thoughts, the old man did not make the kit to speed up. He let him think for as long as he wanted.

Even if Flare asked for a few days' time, the old man would not reject him. Of course, him wanting this cute little one to be his disciple faster is not imprecise.

If possible, the old man may abduct the little raccoon baby but he would never admit that he had such immoral thoughts in his old 'pure' mind.

Flare, though, did not think for too long. After contemplating everything for a few minutes, he pursed his lips in determination and raised his head to look straight into the old man's eyes.

"Okay. I will be your disciple," he pursed his lips as if he doesn't want to continue any further but still managed to spill out the last word with some difficulty, "Master."

The old man's lips twitched severely at the blatant reluctance the little one was showing to address him as his Master.

Instead of accepting him immediately, he bent his torso a little and knocked over his new little disciple's head while chastising, "You kid, why do you look so reluctant to call me Master, huh? It looks like I am forcing you to call me so. If you are that reluctant, then I don't need you as my disciple either. Shoo! Get out of my place now. Go! Go! Don't show me your stupid face again."

After saying his words, he went back to his position and closed his eyes as if he was meditating but his pouty lips showed that he was actually sulking like a little kid.

Flare was dumbfounded by this old man's sudden childishness. From the moment they met until now, the old man has always been calm and cool as if none of the worldly things could ever affect him.

He looked like he was beyond everything else.

But now? He looked so childish that Flare didn't even know how to respond to this sudden change in the man's character.

'Did I choose the wrong master for myself?' He couldn't help asking himself.

He really, strongly and badly wanted to back off from being the disciple of this weird and crazy old man.

But being a brother to two human kids, Flare's instincts didn't allow him to leave a pouty and sulky person despite him not being a kid.

He sighed to himself and resigned to his fate, "I say old man, how old are you, huh? Since you said that you can guide me through immortality, it would mean that you are a few good amount of years old, right?"

The old man that did not want to talk about his age was stumped.

He too no longer wants this insensible raccoon as his disciple. 'Hmph'.