Town S’s Spring Trees

The family’s chosen cherry trees give Rié and Yuto a recurring way to remember Makoto, even as the meaning of fatherhood and family names changes.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Choosing a Tree

A Family Tradition Begins A shared outing The family visits Burial Mound Park and chooses favorite cherry trees, with Yuto selecting one for Hana before she is born. A private landmark Their chosen trees acquire special meaning through repeated visits, turning a public park into a family place.

The Tree Wins

A Gentle Competition Seasonal visits The family compares the blossoms on their trees each spring. The father’s tree wins in the year before his death. A promise postponed Yuto wants to tell his father about the result at his grave, but the family never gets to make that visit.

A Cosmos Day Out

The Family Returns A crowded park Rié, her mother, Yuto, and Hana visit the park to see cosmos blossoms. Yuto is quiet but keeps watch over Hana. Grief in the background Rié recognizes that Yuto is carrying losses he rarely expresses. The family outing holds both seasonal pleasure and unspoken sorrow.

The Truth at the Tree

The Name Revealed A direct question Yuto asks why Rié has not made a grave for his father. She tells him that the name Daisuké Taniguchi belonged to someone else. A shaken son Yuto realizes the story of Ikaho Onsen was not his father’s past. The tree now stands beside a painful truth about identity.

A Grave for Three

A Shared Resting Place Family deliberation Rié and Yuto agree to place Makoto’s ashes with Ryo and Rié’s father so none will be lonely. Memory made durable The park trees and shared grave offer a way to honor relationships that legal names and biological ties cannot fully explain.

After Rié and X marry

Spring before X’s death

Late October after the register ruling

That October afternoon

After Yuto reads Kido’s report