Kei: No, no, not really. Umm… Kei-kun? Kei-san?
(Kei): Either one is fine.
Kei: Okay… then, Kei-kun.
I wait for the addressee to nod in return, then raise my gaze at the tree, towering behind him.
Kei: Huh……?
(Kei): Is something wrong?
Kei: No, it’s nothing.
What was that? Just now, I felt like I was about to remember something…
Kei: Anyway, this tree… is an amazing size, isn’t it?
(Kei): It’s every bit as big as it is old, after all.
(Kei): The tree is called “Enju.” It’s also written sometimes with the characters in “increasing one’s lifespan,” actually. (TN: Again, 槐 is the character for the tree, itself. In “increasing lifespan” or “寿命を延ばす,” (jumyou wo nobasu) if you put 延寿 together, it can be read “Enju.”)
Enju…
Kei: Wow, so that’s how it grew so big.
(Kei): It’s the humans whose life span is lengthened, though. Every part, from the flowers, nuts, leaves, and bark, to the roots, can all be used as medicine.
Kei: Wah, are you a tree expert?
(Kei): Mostly for this one. This tree and I have a connection, you see.
Kei: Hmm, a connection……
If you’re using the same “Enju,” it comes to me a lot more easily if you use the characters “縁樹” (TN: Tree of Connection).
Kei: I see. Do you have a lot of memories of this place?
(Kei): That’s right. This tree is like a part of someone important to me.
Kei: Eh?
(Kei): No…… it’s nothing.
Really…?
Continue…