Dawn of Symbiosis #40 Chapter 13 Section 1: The Open Window - Serial Novel

A quiet wind was blowing.
The remnants of spring permeated the street corners, and the green of the tree-lined streets was deepening little by little.

On the bulletin board of the Community Liaison Division in a corner of the city hall.
At the edge of it, a small, eye-catching piece of paper was posted.

[Notice Regarding the Community Cooperation Point System]
<To foster a cycle of gratitude and support within the community>
This city will introduce an experimental cooperation system utilizing Aya/Yura.
Depending on the records of 'Aya/Yura' exchanged between registered users, benefits that can be used at public facilities and shopping districts within the city will be provided.

'So, the administration has finally made a move,' Sou muttered.
Rei stared at the paper for a while, then nodded.

'I think someone on the ground has been watching all along. At the welfare center, at school, in the shopping district. Quietly, without saying a word.'

The introduction was a trial operation that could not yet be called a 'system'.
However, the fact that it was being introduced at an 'official window' was certainly different from the flow of events up until then.

At the municipal library, regular workshops began.
Children are practicing writing their feelings of 'thank you' on cards, turning them into 'Yura', and delivering them to others.

'This is not for giving scores,' the staff explained.
'It is a 'means' to notice your own feelings and deliver them to the other person.'
In schools, some teachers began to adopt it voluntarily.

Not as an evaluation, but as an exchange of hearts.
'Did you send a 'Yura' to someone today?'

Such a question was added to the morning homeroom.
Meanwhile, in the local shopping district,

a certain shop posted a small sticker next to the register.
'Aya/Yura accepted here.'

It doesn't mean you can exchange it for products.

But when you express gratitude to the shop staff,
a warm reply of 'Thank you, too' comes back.
Conversations increase just a little.

Just a little, expressions soften.
The accumulation of that changes the atmosphere of the town.
One day, Sou said to Rei,

'I thought a 'system' was something given from above, but it can also be born like this, can't it? A sprout grows, the ground accepts it, and eventually it becomes a 'root'.'

Rei nodded quietly.
'Aya/Yura is not yet a currency. But the 'exchange of value' has already begun. I think whether or not we have the resolve to accept that is what will be tested in the society of the future.'
And then, next to the paper on the bulletin board, a new flyer was posted.

[Notice of Opinion Exchange Meeting]
We will hold a place to talk with everyone in the community about the future of the Aya/Yura system.
Those who wish to participate, please contact the City Hall Community Liaison Division.
The wind gently shook the paper.

As Rei and Sou looked up at it, they felt that the 'next door' had certainly been opened.

⬇️Continued