【The Tree Growing in the Depths of the Mist】

Chapter 1 - The Child of the White Morning

The mountain village was wrapped in white air every morning.
The cold breath rising from the valley softly dissolved the outlines of the world,
making even the shadows of the trees ambiguous.

Ritsu was born in such a quiet village.

As a young child, Ritsu could not run around innocently like the other children.
Every time he took a step,
“What lies ahead?”
a small anxiety would tremble deep in his chest.

His heart, like the white morning air,
was soft and lacked a defined outline.
He was cautious, quiet, and somehow mature for his age.

One day, the village children invited him to climb a large rock on the cliff.
The rock surface was faintly visible through the thin haze.

“Let’s go, Ritsu!”
“You can see the whole village from the top!”

Ritsu stopped in his tracks.
As he stared at the vaguely floating rock, anxiety spread deep in his chest.

—It might be dangerous.
—What if I slip?

Rather than a childlike impulse,
his caution took precedence.

Ritsu shook his head.
“I’ll pass today.”

The laughter of his friends faded away,
and the white air descended quietly around him.

On his way home, Ritsu walked through the woods alone.
Damp air drifted between the trees,
and droplets falling from the tips of leaves quietly wetted the ground.

“Why can’t I move like everyone else?”

A tremor swirled deep in his chest.
Whether he was cowardly or just cautious,
young Ritsu did not yet know.

He only felt that he, standing still in the white world,
was somehow left behind.

Suddenly, he noticed a small plant growing at his feet.
A pale purple flower covered in morning dew.

It was a medicinal herb his grandmother had taught him about.
A plant valued in the village for its power to heal wounds.

Ritsu crouched down and touched it gently with his finger.
In the cold air, only that flower felt warm.

“With this... I might be able to be of use to someone.”

The tremor in his chest subsided just a little.
It was as if a small light had been lit in the depths of the white world.

Ritsu picked the herb and ran to his grandmother.
It was his first time running through the white morning.

His grandmother smiled and said quietly,
“Ritsu, you have hands that heal people.”
Those words

took deep root in Ritsu’s heart.

Chapter 2: Adolescence - To the Place Where the Light Is Seen

Descending the mountain, Ritsu began attending school in town.
A world wider than the village.
Voices overlapped, buildings lined the streets,
and unknown scents mingled in the clear air.

Even so, deep in his heart,
the presence of the village’s white morning still drifted quietly.
A sensation that was cautious, easily swayed, and softly outlined.
However, inside the adolescent Ritsu,
“grains of light” that were not there in his childhood were gradually beginning to mix in.

At school, Ritsu was captivated by chemistry and biology classes.
The moment substances change,
images of cells dividing,
the mechanism of how medicine works in the body.
They seemed like lights shining into the depths of an ambiguous world.

The world was not just hazy air;
there were certain laws and kindnesses deep within it—
such a feeling sprouted in his chest.

When class ended, Ritsu would stay in the lab alone,
staring intently at the liquid swaying in the test tube.
It was as if the tremor his younger self had carried
was gradually gaining form.

However, the heart of adolescence does not clear up completely yet.
One day, when a professor recommended he give a research presentation,
Ritsu shook his head quietly.

“I think there is someone more suitable than me.”

In truth, a small light was flickering deep in his chest.
He wanted to present.
He wanted to tell someone what he had discovered.
But that light was still weak,
and his caution gently pulled him back.

Ritsu knew he felt more at ease in the “position of a shadow.”
That was not a weakness,
but the natural form of his soul.

One evening, a junior student remained in the lab alone.
They were handling chemicals in a panicked state.
Their hands were shaking, and a dangerous reaction was about to occur.

Ritsu did not hesitate.
Faster than the tremor in his chest,
his hands moved.

“Calm down. Hold this here and lower the temperature.”

The junior looked at Ritsu, trembling.
“Senior... thank you.
I’m glad you were here.”

Those words
made the light that had been flickering deep in his chest
shine exceptionally bright.

Ritsu realized.
He was not born to stand in front.
He was here to support someone’s back
and quietly accept their hesitation.

That night, when he left the lab,
there was a rare, thin haze outside.
The light of the streetlamps swayed in gold within it,
drifting like particles.

The white world of his childhood had been thick and heavy.
It was a symbol of anxiety and caution.
But now, the air before him was tinged with gold,
contained light,
and while swaying, it was flowing forward.

Deep within it,
he felt the presence of a tree quietly extending its roots.
It had not yet shown itself above ground,
but it was certainly there.

The root of the power to heal.
The root of the power to support.
The first pulse of the great tree that would support Ritsu’s life.

Ritsu took a deep breath
and began to walk through the golden air.
His steps were still cautious
and still quiet,
but he was certainly heading forward.

Chapter 3: Society - In the Swaying Air

After graduating from the town school, Ritsu
advanced into the field of medicine.
Wearing a white coat and walking down the hospital corridor,
the air was thick with the presence of people, different from the village.

The smell of disinfectant,
the rhythmic sound of machines,
the breathing of others.
They mingled together,
making the “tremor” deep in Ritsu’s chest tense up just a little.

However, he knew.
Deep inside, there was a small light that had been lit since he was a child.
And beneath the soil,
a tree was quietly continuing to spread its roots.

Work at the hospital was
cautious, certain, and
suited Ritsu’s nature.

He did not choose flashy treatments.
He would do what was necessary, as much as was necessary,
and build upon it with certainty.

When he held a patient’s hand,
the tremor deep in his chest would quiet down.
That is because the warmth of that hand
lit a lamp inside him.

“Doctor, thank you.”

Every time he was told that,
he felt as if the tree growing deep in his chest
was thickening its trunk just a little bit.

However, the air of society is sometimes rough,
sometimes changes direction,
and swayed as if to test Ritsu.

One night, an emergency patient was brought in.
The supervising doctor was in another surgery,
and Ritsu was the only one who could make a decision.

Deep in his chest, anxiety swirled.

—Is it okay for me to decide?
—What if I make a mistake?

The light of his youth was still weak,
and he was about to be swallowed by the tremor.

But the moment he held the patient’s hand,
the light flickered deep in his chest.

The scent of the medicinal herb he picked as a child
suddenly revived in his chest.

“It’s okay. You have hands that heal.”

His grandmother’s voice
seemed to echo in the quiet air.

Ritsu took a deep breath
and chose the necessary procedure.
His hands were not shaking.

The result was a success.
The patient’s family shed tears
and gripped Ritsu’s hand tightly.

In that moment,
the tremor in his chest flowed into the wind,
and his vision cleared.

In the hospital’s backyard,
a young tree had been planted.

Every time he took a break, Ritsu would stand in front of that tree
and close his eyes quietly.

The young tree was still thin, but
it was growing straight toward the sky.
Its shadow was small, but
it was certainly becoming a place for someone to rest.

Ritsu thought,

“I was not born to stand in front.
I will live to become someone’s shadow,
so that people can rest in that shadow.”

The leaves of the young tree swayed in the wind,
and that sound dissolved into the air.

The tremor was no longer
just hesitation.
It was a tremor that included responsibility and quiet determination.

And deep within it,
the young tree was certainly growing.

In front of that tree, Ritsu
opened his eyes gently.

“From here on.”

Those words,
like a signpost in the swaying air,
lit up his chest quietly.

Chapter 4: Family - Beside the Lamp

Ritsu started a family
when his role in society had finally begun to take root within him.

The night he married and saw the light lit in a small house for the first time,
a soft tremor moved gently deep in his chest.
It was not the anxiety of the past,
but a tremor that contained a somewhat warm, orange light.

A tree was planted in front of the house.
It was still young, but it was beginning to spread its branches.
Looking at that tree, Ritsu
quietly realized that his life had entered a new stage.

As his family grew,
the house was filled with new sounds.

The crying of a child,
the laughter of his wife,
the sound of dishes clinking.

Those were sounds that warmed the depths of Ritsu’s chest.
The internal tremor took on an orange hue,
and spread softly as if to wrap around the house’s lamp.

However, the air of a family is not just warm.
The weight of responsibility
had settled quietly deep in his chest.

One night, his child ran a high fever.
The small body trembled, and their breathing became shallow.
Ritsu felt a stir spreading deep in his chest.

He had medical knowledge.
But when it came to his own child, his judgment wavered.

At that moment, an emergency call came from the hospital as well.
They said a patient’s condition had suddenly changed.

The air became heavy for an instant.
His heart swayed, wondering which to choose.

Ritsu stood still.
Deep in his chest, his shadow was swaying.

My wife said quietly.

“Go where you need to go.
I will protect this place.”

That voice was
like a light glowing in the depths of the house.

Ritsu took a deep breath and headed to the hospital.
As he ran, he felt the wavering in his chest gradually calm down.

He knew.
That his family was supporting him.
And that he lived to support someone else.

After finishing his duties at the hospital and returning home before dawn,
the house was quiet.

The child was breathing calmly in sleep.
His wife was sleeping beside them.

Ritsu gazed softly at their faces.
Deep in his chest, an orange light swayed gently.

The lamp that is family,
warmed the wavering inside,
and supported the tree growing deep in his chest.

The tree in front of the house
had spread its branches a little more than yesterday.
Its shadow stretched as if to wrap around the family.

Ritsu touched the tree.
The trunk was still young, but it had a certain warmth.

The word “protect”
fell quietly into his chest.

The wavering was soft,
the tree stood quietly,
and the house's lamp burned warmly.

Ritsu's life
was moving toward a place where light, shadow, and trees overlap.

Chapter 5: Middle Age — In the Deep Silence

Having reached middle age, Ritsu
had naturally come to stand at the center of the “supporting side” in the hospital.
Although he had the title of chief,
he was never the type to step forward and raise his voice.
Rather, he would quietly look around,
and lend a hand exactly where it was needed—
that was the kind of presence he was.

The wavering that had been deep in his chest
had turned into a deep blue silence.
There was little hesitation,
and he was as calm as clear air.

One day, a young doctor made a serious mistake.
The patient's condition changed suddenly,
and the hospital's atmosphere became tense in an instant.

The young doctor turned pale,
clutching the medical chart with trembling hands.

Seeing that figure, Ritsu
felt a small wave rise deep in his chest.
He saw his own past hesitation
within that young person.

“Why did this happen...”
The young doctor's voice trembled.

Ritsu said quietly.
“Don't run away.
But you don't have to carry it alone.”

Those words
contained a quiet relief,
like when one enters deep shadow.

Together, they searched for the cause,
compiled improvement measures,
and explained sincerely to the patient's family.

The young doctor bowed his head while shedding tears.
“It really helped that you were here, Doctor.”

Ritsu shook his head.
“I just stood beside you.”

In that moment,
the silence deep in his chest deepened even further.
The feeling of deep blue
was no longer hesitation, but
a symbol of “unwavering support.”

When he returned home,
a shadow that had been with him for a long time stretched across the garden.
It was wider than before,
falling as if to wrap around his family.

Ritsu stood under that shadow,
and reached out his hand gently.
The warmth transmitted to his palm
spread quietly deep into his chest.

The word “support”
sank into his chest more deeply and
quietly than ever before.

The deep blue silence spread in his chest,
and his family, colleagues, and patients
were all protected by that quiet presence.

Ritsu thinks.
He does not live to stand in front of someone.
He lives to stand beside someone,
and to stay quietly by their side
until they start walking again.

That night,
a deep silence flowed slowly,
and the shadow swayed softly.

Ritsu's life
was wrapped in a soft light called stability.

The “tree” will be replaced with “the shadow that has been with me for a long time” and “the signs of the seasons” as it progresses.

Chapter 6: Old Age — Transparent Air and the Accompanying Shadow

In his later years, Ritsu
retired from the hospital,
and spent quiet days with his family.

In the morning, when he went out into the garden,
thin air was drifting just above the ground.
It lacked the weight he felt in his youth,
and possessed a transparency that let light pass right through.

It was a presence like a quiet membrane,
softly dissolving the boundary between the world and himself.

In the garden, a shadow that had been with him for many years stretched out.
It was a shadow that had accompanied Ritsu's life,
changing its shape with every season.

Stripping away the unnecessary,
a presence that gave peace to those around it
just by “being there.”
That figure was the very heart of Ritsu in his later years.

One day, a neighborhood child fell and was crying.
Blood was oozing from their knee,
and they were standing still, not knowing what to do.

Ritsu approached slowly,
and said, “It's okay.”
That voice contained the same deep silence
as when he supported the young doctor.

He returned to the house,
opened an old first-aid kit,
disinfected the wound, and applied a bandage.

The child stopped crying,
and smiled, saying, “Thank you, Grandpa.”

Ritsu smiled.
A transparent light spread softly deep in his chest.

The act of healing
was no longer anything special.
Just by being there,
someone's heart would calm down.
He had become that kind of presence.

At dusk, when he went out into the garden,
the shadow stretched long.
The shape of the branches changed with the seasons,
swaying while reflecting the color of the sky just as it was.

Ritsu stood under that shadow,
and reached out his hand gently.
The warmth transmitted to his palm
spread quietly deep into his chest.

“I've stood here for quite a long time.”

As if speaking to the shadow,
Ritsu whispered quietly.

The air deep in his chest
remained transparent,
slowly dissolving into the wind.

In his later years, he
no longer rushed,
no longer hesitated,
and was simply, quietly,
in harmony with the world.

The transparent air swayed thinly,
the shadow accompanied him quietly,
and within that, Ritsu's life continued peacefully.

Final Chapter: Enlightenment — When the Air Clears

One morning, Ritsu
went out to the garden as usual.
The sky before dawn was a pale gray,
and a thin membrane of light was drifting near the ground.

It lacked the weight he felt in his youth,
and only a quiet transparency remained,
as if softly dissolving the boundary between the world and himself.

Ritsu took a deep breath,
and stood within that air.

The “wavering” that had been with him since he was young
was anxiety, caution,
and also the source of his kindness.

It changed color at every turning point in his life,
changed how it swayed,
and continued to reflect Ritsu's heart.

That wavering,
was now quietly about to clear up.

In the center of the garden,
a shadow that had been with him for many years had fallen.
It was a shadow that had watched over Ritsu's life,
changing its shape with every season.

Ritsu stood before it,
and reached out his hand gently.
The warmth transmitted to his palm
was the same warmth as when he once held a patient's hand.
It was the same warmth as when he supported the young doctor.
It was the same warmth as when he wrapped his family's hands.

Healing,
was not an act,
but existence itself,
Ritsu realized quietly.

The air slowly clears.
The wind blows,
the light shines in,
and the garden's scenery reveals itself clearly.

Ritsu closed his eyes.
The wavering that had been deep in his chest
was quietly, quietly clearing away.

The white wavering of his childhood.
The golden lamp of his youth.
The air of tension he felt in society.
The orange warmth that wrapped his family.

The deep blue silence of middle age.
The transparent light of his later years.

All of that
was dissolving into one clear light.

In the garden where the air had cleared,
only a soft light remained.

In that light, Ritsu
smiled quietly.

“I have lived my life
by supporting someone.”

Those words
rode the wind, swayed the shadow,
and turned into particles of light, rising to the sky.

There was no wavering anywhere anymore.
Only light, silence, and
peaceful enlightenment were there.

Afterword — The Star Dwelling at the Bottom of Wavering and Shadow

This story
quietly reflects the presence of a certain star,
borrowing the life of one human being.

The name of that star is
Tenroku-sei.

Solid, cautious,
and a soul that shines by standing beside someone
rather than stepping forward.

A star that, while wavering,
quietly shapes itself.

Within the story,
the presence of that star is
gently submerged in several scenes.

For example—

that moment when young Ritsu
avoided danger and picked medicinal herbs.
The budding of caution and healing
was the first light of Tenroku-sei.

When he entered society,
the figure of supporting people as a shadow rather than standing in front.
That was the form in which this star shone most beautifully.

In his later years,
that time when his very existence became healing,
and he continued to accompany them as a quiet shadow.
That was the state of stability that Tenroku-sei finally reaches.

Wavering is hesitation and kindness,
shadow is support and maturity,
and both of them
were the quiet breathing of this star.

Now, as I close the story,
the air is clear,
the shadow stretches softly,
and only a quiet light is there.

Hoping that that light
gently illuminates the essence of the soul called Tenroku-sei.