Episode 34: Yuto, Asset Building, and War

Peaceful Daily Life and Asset Building

That night, Yuto was watching the news on television.

The news anchor spoke quietly.

"Today is August 15, the anniversary of the end of World War II. It has been 81 years since the war ended."

Yuto stared at the screen.

Next, a news segment showed conflicts still taking place around the world.

Footage from Ukraine showed destroyed buildings and people forced to leave the places they called home.

For a moment, Yuto couldn't say anything.

If our peaceful daily life were taken away, would I still be able to think about saving for the future?

The question suddenly came to mind.

What if the electricity went out?

What if essential infrastructure, such as water supplies and communications, were destroyed?

Under such circumstances, even setting aside money regularly for the future might become difficult.

"I see..."

Yuto murmured softly.

The life he usually took for granted.

The lights turn on.

Water flows from the tap.

He can watch the news on his smartphone.

He takes the train to work.

And little by little, he sets money aside for his future.

Perhaps all these ordinary routines are possible because they rest on the foundation of a peaceful society.

Until now, Yuto had been thinking about asset building.

Taking care of Naehika.

Continuing his monthly investments, one step at a time.

Learning about the SDGs.

And donating to help others in need.

Perhaps being able to do all these things was also a gift of living in peace.

"By cultivating my own garden, I can also turn my eyes to the world's garden..."

Thinking about it that way, Yuto felt just how precious his everyday life was.

Suddenly, he remembered something from the past.

Come to think of it, I learned this at school.

This town, too, had been subjected to air raids during the war.

Houses had burned down.

Fields had been destroyed.

Many people had lost their ordinary daily lives.

"There are traces of the war left in this town, too..."

Come to think of it—

There was a large camphor tree in the park near the station.

Yuto had passed by that tree many times.

It had a thick trunk and spreading branches.

In summer, its leaves grew lush and green.

But if you looked closely, a large scar could be seen on its trunk.

Some of its branches also bore marks that looked as though they had been broken off.

Yuto didn't know when or how those scars had formed.

He did a little research.

He learned that some trees had survived even after being burned or damaged during wartime.

In Nagasaki, some trees survived the intense heat and blast of the atomic bomb. Even today, they still bear scars from that time.

Yuto didn't know whether the camphor tree near the station had experienced anything similar.

Even so, he felt deeply moved by the sight of a tree that had lived through so many years.

Trees say nothing.

They do not explain the horrors of war.

They simply stand there.

And when the season comes, they sprout new leaves.

"That's amazing..."

Yuto put his phone away.

He glanced at the clock.

"Is it already this late...?"

He had work the next day.

He had stayed up a little later than he intended.

"Looks like I'll be short on sleep tomorrow."

With that, Yuto turned off the television.

The room grew quiet.

He looked out the window.

Across the nighttime cityscape, lights shone as they always did.

Yuto gazed at them for a while.

Then he quietly headed to bed.

Tomorrow, another ordinary day would begin.

With that thought, he drifted off to sleep.