White Determination

I have come to keenly feel the preciousness of building things up one by one.
One today, half tomorrow; if you pay the appropriate price, there might even be times when you can gain two or three.

****

It seems that in this world, the things we cherish most are often the most fragile, while the things we treat with indifference are unexpectedly difficult to break.
I wouldn't say this is true for everything, but it feels somewhat similar to how breakups are an inherent part of romantic relationships, while friendships rarely come to an end unless something drastic happens.

****

Fighting a battle alone can sometimes be painful.
However, reinforcements can suddenly appear.
The people watching you struggle on your own are often closer than you think.
Just having someone reach out a hand makes the goal that once seemed invisible feel not so far away.
That is why life is not something to be given up on.
The blurred outline of the future gradually converges and turns into a clear, solid line.

****

Even if you accomplish something with the help of others, the next goal immediately stands before you.

I ask myself.
Should I stop here, or should I move forward?

Even if I struggle, the world moves on regardless of me.
And as if riding the current, I reach out my hand.
Toward that brand-new bundle hanging by my side.

****

Every festival, no matter what kind, eventually comes to an end.
Will the next one be in a year?
But it might not be in the same form.

I don't know how far I can go, but I have decided to face things calmly without stopping my progress.
Until the very end.

Spring is already just around the corner.

(Loose translation)
The Yamazaki Spring Bread Festival 2024 has begun, and for the first time in my life, I decided to seriously try collecting the stickers.
It seems the points vary depending on the type of bread, with 0.5 points, 1 point, 1.5 points, and so on.
If you collect 30 points worth of stickers, you get a white plate.

As is often the case, my parents' house has several Yamazaki bread plates, and during the Great East Japan Earthquake, while the Ryukyu glass I bought in Okinawa shattered into pieces, the Yamazaki plates remained unscathed.
Even if I treat them roughly, I'm sure they won't break.
They are undoubtedly the strongest plates in the world.

Naturally, if you only eat bread for lunch, you eventually get tired of it.
Just when I started thinking this might be impossible, I noticed my boss quietly sticking stickers onto the edge of my PC monitor.
It must be the result of my daily training, letting him witness me ostentatiously sticking stickers onto the card I keep in my desk mat.
Thank you, my unhealthy-looking boss, who eats nothing but Mini Snack Gold (1.5 points) and Nice Stick (1.5 points) from the crack of dawn.
I took the liberty of providing additional training, telling him, 'Royal Bread is 2.5 points, and Double Soft is 3 points.'
Go ahead and diligently increase your calorie intake.
The sense of acceleration is incredible.

After doing that for a while, the first card was filled in no time.
This... should I go for a second one?
Before I knew it, I was reaching for a new card hanging in the bread aisle.

This one looks like it would be perfect for serving salad, so I'd like to get about three of them during the campaign period.
The days of eating bread will continue until April 30th, when the sticker distribution ends.

(Afterword)

At Daily Yamazaki, known for being a slight disappointment when it's the only convenience store nearby, stickers are also attached to bento boxes and rice balls.
It's wonderful that there's a backup plan of rice if you reach your limit with bread.
It's a wonderful support system.
In that sense, you could even call it a 'Rice Festival'.
If I say things like this, people might say, 'Old guys love making dad jokes,' but I am an old guy, so it can't be helped.
Please just leave me alone.

Also, please don't say things like, 'If you have the money to buy that much bread, couldn't you just buy a plate normally?'
It's not so much that I want the plate, but rather that I find it fun to collect the stickers little by little.
Please don't rain on the parade of a commoner like me and my simple happiness.

Since a pointless remote meeting, a specialty of my workplace, is currently being held connecting all branches, I am reporting this announcement to you all here.