Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Chapter6

“Homecoming” —“She” is Waiting For You.—

I’m home.

The gray edifice visible beyond the thick forest are the walls of the place where I was born in, the country where I spent fifteen years of my life. Thanks to the trees cleared out of the way, I could make out the form of the lofty watchtower. There’s no mistaking it.

Though I haven’t seen it for five years, it was exactly as I remember it. For a while, I was looking dazedly at the scenery as if I was in a dream.

I hoisted my heavy luggage once again, and began to walk slowly along the river towards my hometown.

Just a little bit more. Perhaps I’ll arrive at the gates before it gets dark.

—

I didn’t have a father; he died before I was born. My mother made a living by selling jam she prepares at home. Her jam had a good reputation, so we lived happily and never had to worry of becoming poor.

Even back when I was a child, this country has always been peaceful, and at the same time, boring. Being a country that lives on harvested crops, our lives consisted of doing the same tasks every day. And on top of this, I would see my mother’s form boiling the same fruits day in and day out.

When I turned eleven or twelve, I started to seriously think about being an adventurer. I’ll get out of this country, go to many different places, and live each day of my life in excitement and discovery.

These feelings grew stronger and stronger, and at last on my fifteenth birthday, I decided to leave the country.

—

Of course, my mother was strongly against it.

“A human is best suited to live in the place where he was born. Why can’t you understand that?” So my mother said.

But of course, these things did not matter to me. Because she did her best to raise me on her own, I felt a little bad about leaving her, but I was too busy chasing my dreams.

Other than my mother, there was one other person who held me back. It’s Toto.

A girl younger than me by five years, Toto was adopted by my mother when I was only ten. It was because her dead parents were close friends of my mother.

Toto was a very quiet and shy girl. She couldn’t deal with people all that well, and avoided others all the time, so she could not even attend school.

Eventually, Toto learned how to make jam from mother and became good at it in no time. From then on, she always helped mother.

“Unlike the clumsy you, this girl is really useful. After I die, she’ll inherit my recipes and the shop, and you’ll be good enough as a bodyguard, right Schwarz?” I would be teased by my mother, who could now relax thanks to Toto.

—

Before long, Toto and I became close to each other. We often played together when we have no work to do.

The game we like best is pretending to have a gunfight. With a water pistol, I would hide in ambush and suddenly jump out and surprise Toto.

“If you don’t dodge, you’ll get hit! If you dodge, I’ll hit you!”

If I hit her I win, but when Toto realizes my ambush and dodge, she wins.

At first, I would always win and Toto ends up soaked to the skin. But eventually, Toto would find me no matter where I hide, and would quickly dodge even before I get to say my little speech. And then I wouldn’t win at all. Toto would always laugh heartily, seeing how frustrated I was.

—

“Do you really have to leave no matter what? I don’t want you to go, Master Schwarz. I want us to live together right here, always.”

These words, which Toto would say while staring intently at me, were much stronger than my mother’s pleadings, and would always sway my decision to leave.

Maybe the one I loved more than anybody else at that time was this little girl who adored me.

Even so, I have already made my decision, and on the morning of my fifteenth birthday, I set off. Those that I left, my country, my mother, and most especially, Toto — I tried my best not to think of them.

And Toto’s words of farewell were,

“I’m sure you’ll come home someday. Master Schwarz, you will definitely return. Until that day, I will always be right here waiting…”

—

I abandoned my country for a journey. But in the end, it granted me none of the things I desired. My vague dreams of living every day of my life in excitement and adventure, was not there. It was nowhere.

There was a severe drought in the first country I arrived in, and only harsh farm work awaited anyone who came looking for a job. But in order to earn my future travel expenses, I had to live there for a year.

In the next country, I was recruited as a mercenary for a war. I volunteered, hoping to become a distinguished hero, but all I was made to do was carry luggage. To make matters worse, the war did not push through. I was told that I was no longer needed, and I was kicked out of the country once I received my payment.

In the country I lived in next, people excavated jewels for a living. I gladly joined in, but having no knowledge or experience, I became a mere dog for an opportunist company. I worked every day in a dangerous hole, digging for ore that will never be my own. I quit and waited for spring.

In the last country, I became a prison guard. By chance, there was a vacancy, so I applied. However, this job offered me nothing but free time. The prisoners were very obedient, and have no thoughts of escaping. I got tired of it, and escaped as soon as I found an opportunity. How ironic — it’s the guard who ran away instead of the prisoners.

After that, nothing satisfied me, so I ended up wandering aimlessly from place to place. I was not able to stay long in any one country, and there was no job I was interested enough to take. Day by day, my effort all goes to searching for food inside the forest, the seas, and rivers.

I continued living this way for half a year, before I finally decided to go back to my country.

—

I walked for some time since I first saw the walls, and just when its height seemed twice as much as before, I heard the sound of splashing water — animals, no doubt.

I couldn’t see through the thick vegetation, but I could hear the noise coming from the direction of my country, just ahead of me. I pulled out the revolver from the holster on my waist. I slowly distanced myself from the river and took a little detour. And then I peered at the river from afar.

There was a human. At the opposite bank, there was a girl with only her underwear on, taking a bath. She was around fifteen years old, with a skinny body and short black hair. I knew instantly that it must be Toto.

It seems that Toto did not notice my presence. I gazed at her figure with mixed feelings――.

—

It was quite painful for me to admit that I was mistaken.

I couldn’t acknowledge it. Even though I have realized long ago that I was wrong for leaving the country, wandering for the sake of a dream that was impossible to achieve, I couldn’t admit it.

But, as I was looking at Toto’s form like this, a bitter smile came to my lips. I accepted it with utmost honesty; that I was such a big fool, and that mother and Toto were right.

In any country, the people born and raised in it would live each day in search of happiness and purpose in the existence that they were given. I used to think that this was a mediocre and dull way to live one’s life.

Now the idea seemed very appealing to me. Together with Toto, we will make a living by preparing and selling jam. Of course, there was no other way of life for us. It took five years for me to understand this, to realize how foolish I was. It didn’t go to waste.

—

Now, there are several things that I want to do.

First, I will apologize to my mother and Toto with all my heart, for making them worry about me.

Then I intend to take jam-making more seriously than I ever had in my whole life. I would take care of Toto more than anyone else, she who works so hard each day to make jam as good as my mother’s. If the house has become old, I’ll bake some bricks to repair it. Collecting, drying, and chopping firewood will also become my daily chore from now on.

But before that, the most important thing of all is to show Toto that I have come back home safely.

—

I took out all the bullets from my revolver: the nine bullets in the cylinder, and the lead ball inside the barrel protruding from the cylinder’s center. I put all of these in my pocket. So that Toto would not notice my presence, I waded through the grass silently, and approached.

Toto has finished bathing, and turned behind to reach her folded clothes. From the bushes on the opposite side of the river, I jumped out while aiming at Toto with the empty revolver. I’ve already decided what I would say to her first. ‘If you don’t dodge, you’ll get hit! If you dodge, I’ll hit you!’

“If you don’t dodge——”

As I began to speak, I suddenly felt as if someone smacked my chest hard. At the same time, Toto turned towards my direction, and I saw her right hand reaching straight towards me. That hand, for some reason, is wrapped in a white haze. It’s strange; I couldn’t hear anything.

In the next moment, my vision suddenly turned pitch black.

Why? I can’t see anyth——

I d ed

T can’t

Toto

eh?

——

From the holster hidden underneath the folded clothes, Kino pulled out a hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case, a pistol), and fired as she turned around. It was a high-caliber revolver with an octagonal barrel, which Kino called by the name ‘Canon’. The bullet did not miss its aim. It pierced the man’s chest, destroying his heart. Another bullet quickly followed and entered through the man’s mouth, penetrating his upper jaw and reaching the brain.

The two shots thundered in the forest, making the birds leave their nests. The dead man, still aiming at Kino, splashed up water ostentatiously as he fell into the river.

Kino wiped her body and dressed up. She put on her pants and boots and put on a long black vest on top of her white shirt. She then tightened the belt on her waist, and attached Canon’s holster on her right thigh.

Behind the bushes near the bank was a luggage-laden motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly). It called out to Kino in a loud voice.

“Are you okay?”

Kino replied with a voice just as loud. “Yeah, I wasn’t shot.”

“That’s great then.”

Kino walked to the motorrad’s spot. “Sorry for making you wait, Hermes.”

The motorrad called Hermes spoke in a suspicious tone. “I wonder if he’s a highwayman. But if that’s the case, it’s really strange for him to be alone.”

“I thought he was just a peeping-tom, but… I was really surprised when he suddenly aimed his persuader at me.”

“Even so, Kino. Why would there be a person in a place like this? Well, except for you that is,” Hermes asked.

“He’s probably headed to that place,” Kino said as she looked at the gray walls, her eyes narrowing a little.

Hermes asked once more, “What would he do there? That place is just full of skeletons.”

Kino gave a slight nod, “Who knows?”

“That country was disappointing,” Hermes said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Yeah… An epidemic, I’m sure it’s something like that,” Kino muttered as she fetched out a small wooden case from the box attached on Hermes’ rear wheel.

“Everyone’s annihilated?”

“There’s no doubt about it. From the state of bone decomposition, it probably happened more than two years ago.”

“Ooh…” An impressed voice leaked from Hermes. Then all of a sudden, he spoke excitedly, “Yes, that’s it! Kino, that guy was a grave robber. He must be after gold and silver treasures, and makes a living as a ‘yeager’ or a ‘hunter’. He must have thought that you were a rival, so he suddenly tried to kill you.”

“That may, or may not be the case,” said Kino, while filling Cannon with liquid gunpowder and bullets from the wooden case.

After putting away the wooden box, Kino took out a small mirror. She looked at her face and head, then pinched her bangs a little with her free hand.

“Did I cut it too much? What do you think, Hermes?”

“It’s not bad,” Hermes said without any interest. Kino put away the mirror just as indifferently.

Kino put on her hat and strapped her goggles on. Then she started Hermes’ engine.

“Well, shall we go Hermes? I hope this time we end up in a country with living people. And safe, to boot.”

“Yeah!”

The motorrad sped away into the forest.

With the man still prone on it, the river continued to flow.

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