Goddess of the Oak Tree
Translator's Note

Simultaneous publication in Korea and Japan
Keigo Higashino, a writer who is receiving worldwide attention, delivers
The Mysterious Green Tree, Part 2

“I want to know the heart of a precious person.
But as you know, there is a price to pay.”

In March 2020, to commemorate Keigo Higashino's 35th anniversary as an author, the sequel to "The Guardian of the Green Tree", "The Goddess of the Green Tree", was simultaneously published worldwide, and will be published by Somi Media after four years.
This time too, communication between the original author and the domestic publisher was carried out in real time to coordinate the publication schedule with Japan.
The prequel, which is over 500 pages long, received rave reviews for its captivating power that made it a domestic bestseller, allowing readers to read the entire book from start to finish in one sitting.
The simultaneous worldwide publication of all volumes in the series likely demonstrates Keigo Higashino's confidence in his signature moving novels to readers.

If the first part dealt with the process of Reito, who grew up in an underprivileged family and became a thief, reforming himself by learning about the mysterious memorial ritual of the zelkova tree while working as the caretaker of the Wolhyang Shrine and the guardian of the zelkova tree, "Goddess of the zelkova Tree" is about Reito getting caught up in various incidents and going through twists and turns to find the true meaning of miracles.
This time, "The Goddess of the Green Tree" is a work that will make you read breathlessly, as the worldview expands and the episodes that seemed separate fit together like cogwheels, densely and quickly, making it difficult to miss a single page.
Additionally, the story that was not finished in the previous part continues.
As Reito becomes more mature and leads an organized daily life, he uses his wit to find clues to cases and help the weak, but he still resorts to trickery, which leads to arguments with Chifune over his duty as a watchman.
If you've read the entire book, you'll also enjoy finding familiar and welcome scenes scattered throughout.

In the darkness where coincidences intertwine many times
The moment when the mystery of the oak tree is revealed
Now, only one wish is conveyed.

As you walk through the narrow thicket of Wolhyang Shrine, you will find a large and majestic zelkova tree at the end of the path.
Every night of the first and full moon, you can enter the cave of a wooden pillar and light a candle to exchange wishes with one person.
If you carve a wish on a maple tree, it is called a wish, and if you receive it, it is called a wish. The person who connects the wisher and the wisher is the watchman.
There are a few rules for watchmen.
It is said that the Wolhyang Shrine must be cleaned and maintained every day, and that the contents of the memorial must not be asked or disclosed carelessly.
Reito succeeds Chifune as the new guard, cleaning the grounds every day and guiding guests on special nights.

Then one rainy night, a guest who was celebrating collapses, forcing Reito to hurriedly vacate the office without even being able to lock the door. When he returns the next day, something is strange.
The wax, which should have been wet or fallen over, was completely burned.
And a few days later, a detective suddenly visits Wolhyang Shinsa and gets caught up in a case where two thieves and a robber break into a house one after another.
Moreover, the story gets out of hand as a high school girl who asks him to sell her poetry and a boy who loses his memory when he falls asleep appear.

A special thrill from a master of mystery novels

In this way, various incidents and accidents later influence each other, using the green tree and Rayto as turning points, and are completed as a mysteriously swirling drama.
This method of smoothly filling in the gaps in causality and unfolding a story much larger than expected also serves as a metaphor for the dazzling moments of life.
Just as when unexpected encounters and small favors give us the courage to live together.
Moreover, the story of the mysterious oak tree progresses powerfully to the conclusion without losing focus even though several episodes overlap.
The natural scene transitions and clear, speedy sentences, as if a video is unfolding before your eyes, lead to an unexpected twist and emotion at the climax.
In this way, "The Goddess of the Green Tree" is a novel that is like a comprehensive gift set by Keigo Higashino, containing not only mystery and fantasy but also warm emotions.

A miracle is in this moment, sharing your heart with the person you are with.
A good story that will mysteriously color us

Just because something is good doesn't mean it's boring and predictable.
It's hard to make good more interesting than evil, but watching Rayto use the cedar tree to unravel a complex and tangled web of events is quite fascinating to watch.
“That doesn’t matter.
The important thing is to find your own path.
As Attorney Iwamoto advises, “Don’t rely on things like coin flips” (p. 69), Reito readily chooses to help the person in front of him, following his heart.
Determining whether something is rational is not much different from flipping a coin in that it seeks the basis for the action in external circumstances.
As you immerse yourself in Rayto, you will see that no one is perfect, and that everyone is slightly imperfect and out of sync, but when we live by connecting the edges of each other, it shows how dazzling and heartwarming those moments can be.
They say that humans are inherently ugly, but if you think that even a favor offered by someone by chance is part of the makeup of a person, wouldn't life be worth living?

Chifune, who is quite educated and has a strong sense of self-esteem, suffers from dementia, which causes him to sometimes lose his memories, either little by little or completely.
Every time this happens, Chifune feels frustrated, as if he has been shaken to the core of his being, but as time passes, he says, “If I think about it that way, maybe forgetting things little by little isn’t such a bad thing” (p. 324), and he experiences the joy of adapting to the unfamiliar present and learning new things.
Motoya, who loses his memories when he falls asleep, slowly becomes an adult by writing and reading a diary every day, proving that he exists and lives in this world.
As we reach the end of the book, a new meaning of miracle naturally seeps into our hearts.
Perhaps the miracle is not the mysterious pine tree, but this very moment when you share your heart with the person you are with.
It is a novel that is as warm as a spring breeze and brings about a twist, and is good to keep by your side and read at any time.
If we do so, I hope this good story will mysteriously color us.