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Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Chapter1

2019-02-15T01:06:18Z

Napen123: Changed some wording

==“A Tale of Feeding Off Others”<ref>Story covered in anime episode 2.</ref> —I Want to Live.—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_014-015.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

It was inside a forest of snow.

The snow that accumulated in one winter crushed all of the grass underneath. Only the tall trees with long and narrow leaves grew out of the white surface.

Even now, snow continued to fall from the sky through gaps in the branches. Low, dull clouds were spread out, and the sun's light was weak.

It was a quiet place. Nothing could be heard other than the sound of the occasional snow pattering from the branches. The wind was not blowing either.

In such a place, there was a wild rabbit. Its fur was pure white except for the tips of its ears.

The rabbit advanced a little, leaving shallow footprints in the snow. It stopped and moved its ears and head bit by bit. Then, it leapt forward again.

The rabbit repeated this for a while, then stopped. Its ears moved. A red dot appeared on its white head — a red light.

<center>—</center>

Inside the same forest was a human.

This person was clad in a hooded snowsuit and overpants that covered up to the tip of her shoes. She wore a furred hat and yellow single-lens goggles. A face warmer extended from her neck up, covering her face.

She was leaning against the trunk of a tree, sitting with her legs bent and knees forward. With both hands, she was balancing a hand persuader (Note: A gun. In this case, a pistol) placed between her knees. The persuader was a slender automatic fitted with a harmonica-shaped silencer. A red light extended from the tiny hole under the barrel — a laser sight for alignment with the target. This light was aiming towards the head of the rabbit.

She breathed out a wisp of white air. She slowly pressed the trigger. A clink was heard from inside the persuader.

The next instant, blood spurted out from where the red point of light marked the rabbit’s head.

The rabbit trembled for a moment but soon fell and stopped moving. The blood from its head slightly stained its white fur, and the snow beneath it melted a little.

<center>—</center>

Inside the forest was one road. The road was perfectly straight, cutting its way through the trees. It was covered with hardened, pure white snow.

On top of this road was a parked motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. It cannot fly). Its back seat was converted into a sturdy carrier. However, there was no luggage on top; only a bag was tied to it.

The motorrad was customized to be able to run on snow. There were studs around both tires to pierce through the frozen road. On the frame in front of the engine, arms resembling a bicycle’s training wheels stuck out on both sides. On the tips of these arms were planks for the feet to be placed in, at the bottom of which were tiny skis. This was to prevent the motorrad from falling down in case the tires slid.

“I caught one, Hermes.” The human greeted the motorrad as she appeared from inside the forest. The rabbit, with its legs tied together, was dangling upside down from her hands. A covered holster was attached obliquely in front of her stomach.

The motorrad called Hermes replied cheerfully, “Good job! With this, you don’t have to lessen your supply of portable rations, Kino.”

The human called Kino nodded, put the rabbit inside the bag, and secured it onto Hermes’ carrier.

Kino took off her goggles and bandanna and lowered her face warmer. It was a person around mid-teens, with short black hair, big eyes, and a face carrying an intrepid expression. She lightly wiped off the sweat on her face and fixed her hat. Then she spoke,

“Now, let’s hurry back. If those guys die, I’ll be in a bind.”

“In a bind?” Hermes asked.

“What I mean is, I would lose face.”

“To whom?” Hermes asked once more.

“The rabbit,” Kino answered.

Kino turned on Hermes’ engine. The sound of the engine broke the stillness of the forest. Kino fixed on her goggles and face warmer, placed both of her feet on the support skis, and launched Hermes off.

<center>—</center>

In one corner of the white road was a relatively new kind of truck. The tires and lower half of its body was completely buried in the snow, rendering it immobile. Snow had accumulated heavily on its roof.

A bit ways off the truck, on the border between the forest and the road, there was a big tent. Only the place where the dome-shaped tent stood was below the surface, as if the snow there caved in.

Eventually, the sound of an engine was heard, followed right after by the arrival of Kino and Hermes.

One man crawled out and peeked from inside the tent. The face of the man, who seemed to be about thirty, looked like it couldn’t be any thinner. His beard and hair had grown as much as it could, and the winter clothes he wore were dirty all over.

Kino took out the rabbit from the bag and showed it to the man. The man looked up at it with a delighted face and put his head back inside the tent. Then two other men stuck their heads out — a man wearing eyeglasses who seemed to be in his twenties, and a man in his forties who had greying hair. Both looked pitifully thin but smiled from ear to ear when they saw the rabbit.

“I’ll cook it for you. Let me borrow a pot,” Kino said.

“It’s good enough! We’ll eat it raw!” The man in his thirties said, his face wrought with impatience.

The other men pleaded to let them eat it right away, but Kino shook her head.

“That won’t do. It would be terrible if you get infected with Tularemia<ref>More commonly known as rabbit fever.</ref> or something.”

A look of disappointment loomed over the men, but they obediently took out two pots of different sizes from the tent. Kino took the pots and told them,

“I’ll call you when it’s done, so please rest until then.”

“Yes, we understand…. Miss Kino…” The man in his thirties called out to Kino who had already turned around.

“What is it?”

The man gazed straight into Kino’s eyes.

“Thanks.”

Kino smiled lightly. “It’s still too early for that, but… you’re welcome.”

<center>—</center>

The morning before.

Kino and Hermes were riding on the frozen road, thick clouds overhead.

Thanks to the studded tires and support skis, they were able to ride at a considerable speed.

Other than the bag, Hermes’ rear carrier was loaded with a winter tent, a sleeping bag, and lots of traveling luggage.

Then Hermes spoke all of a sudden, “There’s a truck up ahead.”

Kino slowly loosened the accelerator. She rode using the momentum, and without using the brakes, she slowly stopped in front of the truck buried in the snow. She cut the engine, climbed off Hermes, and let down her goggles and face warmer.

Kino opened the cover of the holster in front of her stomach and took out the persuader inside with her right hand. It was the revolver-type she called ‘Canon’.

As Kino approached the truck, she soon noticed the tent near it. Then she met the gaze of a man who hurriedly poked his head out of the tent’s opening.

The bearded man in his thirties looked at Kino with a surprised face. Kino returned Canon in its holster but did not let go of its grip as she greeted the man with a ‘hello’.

Without answering Kino, the man crawled out of the tent and stood up feebly. From the tent, two other men peeked out with equally surprised expressions.

The man looked at Kino and Hermes, and asked with a weak voice, “Y-you travel with that motorrad, don’t you…? C-can you spare us some food…?”

While looking at their pitiful state, Hermes spoke nonchalantly. “I see. I think I understand what your circumstances are.”

“I’m sorry, but I have none. Since when were you here?” Kino said.

“Don’t be surprised…. We’ve been here since the beginning of winter.”

Kino’s face faintly gave away a look of surprise, while Hermes spoke. “I am ''very'' surprised.”

“Yeah. Snow fell earlier than we expected. Soon it turned into a furious snowstorm, and we were passed up here ever since…”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t pass away,” Hermes said, but nobody laughed.<ref>Hermes mentioned a not so funny pun. The man said ''‘tachioujou’'' meaning to get stranded or passed up, while Hermes said ''‘daioujou’'', which means peaceful death.</ref>

“And I suppose there’s no food in that truck, either,” Kino asked to confirm, and the men replied in anguish,

“There was food, but we ate everything already… that was a long time ago. Of course, we had plenty, but we didn’t expect that we would be held up like this. We were careless. Since then, we’ve been waiting for someone to pass here. We beg you! Please share with us something, anything we could eat…. There are three of us…”

The man pointed to the tent, and the two men looked at Kino with a clinging expression.

“We beg you…”

The man curled his fists together and appealed to Kino. Kino breathed lightly before she replied. “I do have portable rations. But I have to leave enough for myself. The reserves I have would be barely enough for three.”

The men gulped as they listened to Kino.

“However,” Kino continued. The men raised their faces.

“I can hunt something for you. I’m sure there are animals around this area, and since it’s starting to get warmer, I would be able to catch one somehow. If you regain enough strength, you might be able to move your truck. You still have fuel, don’t you?”

“Yes, there’s still some left! Then that means…?” The man happily asked Kino in return. Kino felt the men’s warm, expectant gazes, and lightly nodded.

“Yes. I’ll accompany you for a few days.”

Broad smiles appeared on their faces upon hearing Kino’s words. They thanked her in chorus.

“Your name is?” the man in his thirties asked.

“Kino. This here is Hermes.”

“Miss Kino, eh? Here, take a look at this.”

While saying so, the man took out a small box from his pocket. He opened it and showed it to Kino. Inside was a ring. It was a silver ring set with several small green gems.

“I believe this has a bit of value. It’s our appreciation for your help. Please take it.”

“It’s still too early to thank me.”

“That’s fine. Take it. I wanted to take this back home for my wife, but it would be pointless if I die here.”

“……”

Kino took the box in her hands and looked at it. She gazed at it for a while without any discernable change in her expression.

“I understand. I’ll take this as a reward after everything is over. Until that time, I’ll hold on to it.”

Kino put the box in her pocket and instructed the men. “Please wait here for a while. I’ll catch some game. I’ll leave my luggage here, so please watch it for me until I return. Just so you know, meat is more delicious than my portable rations.”

Kino removed all of her luggage from Hermes and tied up just one bag on the carrier.

And then she went out to hunt.

<center>—</center>

Kino started to cook.

She dug up the snow beside a tree until the ground became visible. Here she put together solid fuel, old newspapers, and some twigs, and set it on fire. She suspended the pot to the tree with a rope and adjusted it so that it would be on top of the flame. Then she put some clean snow inside.

Kino placed the rabbit on top of the iron plate she normally used for her shooting practice. She looked at the motionless rabbit for a moment, then closed her eyes for a few seconds more.

After a simple silent prayer, she began to cut it apart.

Kino removed the gloves she wore in favor of thin rubber gloves, which she used to cover up to the sleeves of her winter suit.

Then she took out a folding hunting knife and made cuts around the fur near the center of the rabbit’s abdomen.

After this, she pulled the fur sideways with both hands. She continued to pull until the neck and the tips of the feet were bare, and then cut off the rabbit’s hide from the rest of its body.

The rabbit, a size smaller than before, had turned into a pink mass of flesh.

Kino cut open the abdomen of the rabbit from the throat down to the anal area and took out its internal organs. She wiped the hollow interior of the wide-open belly using some snow and paper, and lightly drained the water.

To remove the limbs, Kino made cuts around the region where they connected with the body, broke the hip joints, and severed the hind legs with the knees. Then she chopped the torso into appropriate sizes.

After she finished cutting it up, the rabbit has become ‘meat’ that could normally be sold in shops.

Kino adjusted the bonfire and scooped out the scraps from the water in the pot.

Then she put the meat into the pot. Using snow, she wiped the iron plate she used in place of a chopping board and hoisted it above the fire to sterilize it. For the first time, Kino removed her rubber gloves.

The meat was ready after a while.

<center>—</center>

The men were called out by Kino, and with their plates and cups in hand, they wobbled out of the tent towards the fire. Their eyes that looked big in their gaunt faces had a bizarre glint in them.

Kino sprinkled the meat with salt and pepper and divided it among the men. The men gazed at the food in front of them in silence for a while. Soon, tears trickled down their dirty cheeks.

“Damn. This better not be a dream…”

“You’ll find out once you eat it. It’s not supposed to disappear… maybe,” Kino said.

The men broke the meat into small pieces with their fingers and slowly carried it to their mouths. They chewed several times before gulping it down, then closed their eyes and inhaled deeply.

“It’s so good…” The man in his forties muttered in between his broken sobs.

“Delicious…” The man in his twenties said as his tears trickled down silently, his hands working on the food slowly but incessantly.

The last man’s eyes remained closed as he chewed on the meat for a while longer, as if confirming that it was real, and swallowed. “Yeah. It’s really delicious. It has been such a long time since we last tasted something this good…. It’s a bit salty though.”

The men laughed as they wept. They rubbed their teary faces with their hands, and the dirt on their faces was washed off, if only a little.

Kino made some tea with the hot water in the other pot and filled the men’s cups. She handed the men some tablets.

“Those are vitamin tablets. They’re my spares.”

“Thanks. It’s a full course meal.”

“Kino, are you fine with us eating all the meat?” the man in his twenties asked.

“I thought there would be more than enough for everybody, but in your condition, it seems like you could finish everything. I’m fine with the usual stuff I have,” Kino said, showing them the square, clay-like portable rations.

“Thank you.” “Thanks.” The men meekly expressed their gratitude.

“If you can, please thank that guy over there too.” Kino pointed to the tree.

On the branch of the tree were the fur and pieces of the upper and lower body of the rabbit. The four looked at the dark, round eyes that has lost its light.

Then, the men put down their plates and cups on top of the snow, clasped their hands together in front of their faces, and closed their eyes.

Kino, and Hermes who was parked behind her, looked at the men as they softly expressed their gratitude to their God.

“God, thank you. For us, the blood of another being was sacrificed…. And God, please forgive us for having to kill others to survive…”

The prayer of the men continued for a while, and Kino looked at them while eating the unappetizing portable rations.

Afterwards, the men took their time in finishing all of the meat.

<center>—</center>

As the day came to a close, the sky, which was not too bright in the first place, became even darker. The scenery changed into a gray hue that quietly grew thicker.

Kino spread out her one-person tent on the opposite side of the men’s tent, interposed with the truck.

She made some tea for the men by the end of the day. They thanked her once more and returned to their own tent.

Kino covered Hermes’ engine and tank, and slipped into her own tent.

<center>—</center>

The next morning.

The surroundings were still dark when Kino woke up. As usual, the sky was covered with clouds, and powdery snow fluttered about.

Kino exercised on top of the snow and practiced drawing out Canon several times.

After eating her portable rations alone, she tapped Hermes awake, turned on his engine, and strapped her bag on his carrier.

She asked the men who were stirred awake with the engine’s roar to bring their cups. She put some snow in the cups and placed them on Hermes’ engine and exhaust pipe. The snow soon melted.

“My engine was not made to make hot water, you know.”

“Then that means you can be useful to me in many ways, Hermes.”

<center>—</center>

That day.

Once again, Kino and Hermes went out to hunt. She brought down two big rabbits in a row.

Upon returning, she cut them apart like she did the day before. She cooked the first one in the afternoon in the same manner.

The men came out of the tent, and once again, gave thanks after their meal. And then, they returned to their tents and rested.

Kino cut down a branch of the tree for kindling and cooked the other piece of meat as evening neared.

The men ate everything. The neatly gnawed bones piled up beside the bonfire.

While eating, the men told Kino about their country with smiles on their faces.

“In case you come to visit, we’ll treat you to anything, you’d get twice as heavy!” they promised Kino.

As they regained their body strength, they were eventually able to walk normally without staggering.

<center>—</center>

By nightfall, the snow has completely stopped falling and rifts manifested on the clouds little by little. The stars became visible in the sky one by one.

Kino was inside her sleeping bag in her tent. Hermes, who was parked right in front of the tent, spoke. “Kino, are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it really okay for you to go out of your way like this?”

“It’s not. Even though it’s getting somewhat warmer, I want to get out of this forest as soon as possible.”

“Then why?”

“Because there’s the reward. I accepted the ring.”

“What’s so great about that thing?” Hermes said.

For a while, there was a rummaging sound from inside the tent. And then, Kino gently slipped her left hand under the hem. The ring was inserted on her middle finger.

“What do you think?” Kino asked, turning her hand over.

“It doesn’t suit you,” Hermes replied immediately. She slowly drew back her hand.

“…I think so too. It would be on the way when I grip your clutch. But it must be worth something if I sell it. Besides, it’s not a bad thing to do an act of mercy from time to time,” she answered back.

“Whatever,” was Hermes’ only reply.

<center>—</center>

The next day, that is, the morning of the third day since Kino met the men.

The sky was tinged a light blue when she woke up. It was absolutely clear and devoid of clouds.

The orange lump of light began to rise behind Kino as she performed her morning exercises. Her shadow became longer and extended on top of the snow.

Soon, the men woke up. They tried to walk steadily and prepared hot water on their own.

“I see you’re doing much better now,” Kino said, and the men nodded.

“Yeah, thanks.”

For breakfast, Kino divided her portable rations among themselves. The four ate their meal rather uncomfortably.

During their after-meal tea, the men talked merrily about their home country.

“Those folks will surely be surprised once we get home. None of them would think that we would get stranded like this. I’m sure they believed that we were shot dead.”

“They probably made graves for us already.”

“Isn’t that funny? We could visit our own graves.”

When the man in his thirties asked Kino about her home country, Kino only answered with a shake of her head.

“I see… sorry about that,” the man said, and brought the discussion to a close.

<center>—</center>

As the sun went up, the air slowly but steadily became warmer.

The men talked to Kino about moving their truck. If they divided work and dug up the snow around the truck to create a slope, they could possibly get the truck out of its current condition of being buried. As long as the truck was still in running condition, they could get to the nearest country.

The man in his thirties asked Kino, “First, we want to remove our luggage from the vehicle. It would be nice if you can help.”

Kino and the men turned to the back of the truck.

The truck’s loading platform had three locks. The man in his thirties asked for the keys of the other two, opened the door and went inside. After a while, they heard some clicking sounds, and the man in his forties separated Kino a bit and talked to her.

“Miss Kino, will that motorrad be fine?”

Kino, who did not understand what he meant, turned around. At the same time, the man in his thirties quickly got out of the truck’s platform. He was holding a long persuader with both hands and aiming it towards Kino.

The moment Kino saw the man’s persuader, she reached for her holster with her right hand but stopped herself from pulling Canon out. She calmly faced the persuader pointed at her.

“Good decision. If you pulled out that persuader, I would have shot you without a moment’s delay,” the man said as he climbed down the platform. There was no opening in his stance.

“Well, thanks for that,” Kino said with her usual tone without any hint of surprise. The other two men backed off from Kino a few steps, their faces now stern.

The man in his thirties spoke. “The truth is I wouldn’t have fired at you. We take ''pride'' in delivering our important goods without a single scratch, you see.”

“Goods?” Kino asked, and the man in his forties answered.

“Yeah. We work for an employment agency. What we refer to as ‘goods’ are people.”

Hermes, who was parked a bit ways off behind Kino, spoke in a tone not different from usual. “Oh, so you guys are kidnappers. Or to be more specific, slave traders.”

“You don’t have to put it so bluntly… but well, that’s correct. Now that we are strong enough to move, we have to do our real job. So, Miss Kino, we will take you with us to a place where someone would buy you. Don’t put up any resistance now.”

“Well, that’s that, but I’m a little concerned,” Hermes said.

“Don’t worry, Hermes. Your partner is quite a beauty. She’ll shine with a bit of polishing, and because she’s young, she’ll definitely be sold for a high price. We always adorn our goods with jewels and pretty clothes; it’s a complete package. We’re not going to give her any injuries,” the man in his forties assured.

“Anyway, you sure make it sound easy,” Kino replied indifferently, her body not moving an inch.

While gazing into Kino’s eyes, the man in his thirties spoke with his persuader still aimed at her. “Please don’t think badly of us. We are truly grateful to you for saving us. It was great… really great. However, you can say that we are wolves. And wolves have no choice but to live like wolves. This is in order for us to survive, you see.”

“I see.” Kino slowly raised her hands.

“Okay. Now, remove that revolver in front of your stomach. Slowly, with your left hand.”

Kino slowly removed Canon’s holster from her belt with her left hand.

“Throw it away.”

Kino tossed it, and it fell between her and the men. There was a thud, and it was stuck halfway into the snow.

The man in his twenties went to pick it up, but the man in his forties beside him stopped him and spoke. “Remove your winter suit. Slowly. One hand at a time, and throw it up front.”

Kino removed her winter suit as she was told. Underneath, she was wearing a black jacket fastened with a wide belt on the waist. There were several pouches attached to the belt.

“Face to the back. Slowly now.”

Kino turned around. Lightly inserted on her belt was the holstered persuader she used to shoot down the rabbits. Kino called this one ‘Woodsman’.

“I knew it. Pull that persuader out slowly with your right hand. Then throw it. Slowly, remember.”

“I’m impressed you knew,” Kino said while looking at Hermes. With her right hand, she gripped Woodsman’s barrel, removed it from its holster and tossed it away.

“Face here, hands up. Slowly.”

Kino raised both hands and slowly faced the men.

Two of them tried to approach Kino, but this time, the man in his twenties stopped them.

“Wait. You have a knife, right? Where is it?”

Kino, with a somewhat dejected look, replied bluntly. “I have them all over.”

“Throw them all away.”

Kino slowly put her right hand in the pocket at her jacket’s hem. She took out the folding knife she used for cooking and flung it away.

Kino slowly reached out for the pouches on her belt with her right hand. From there, she pulled out the grip of a knife, flicked open the folding blade, locking it automatically. She threw this away.

Kino slowly put her right hand inside the left cuff of her jacket and extracted a double-edged knife. She tossed it. And then, she put her left hand inside the right cuff and took out a similar knife, and threw it away.

“……”

The men silently looked on. Kino slowly began to take off her overpants. She zipped down the fastener on her side and removed it one leg at a time. The boots and pants she was wearing underneath could now be seen.

Kino slowly squatted down and took out a thin knife from a sheath tied up on the shin part of her boots. She threw it away. She removed a similar knife from her left leg with her left hand and tossed it.

The knife fell down and hit the other knives on the ground, making a clinking sound.

“Are you… a knife merchant?” the man in his thirties muttered impulsively.

Kino slowly reached at the belt behind her right waist with her right hand and pulled out a sheathed knife. It was a knife with a double-edged blade around fifteen centimeters in length, and a fat, cylindrical grip.

Kino gripped it with her right hand and held the blade part with her left.

She spoke slowly, looking at the eyes of the man holding the persuader. “This one’s the last.”

“Throw it away,” said the man in his thirties. A red dot appeared on his forehead — a red light.

''Bang bang bang!''

There were three gunshots in succession. Between the blade and the grip of the knife were four small holes, from three of which bullets flew out.

Blood spurted out of the place where the red point of light marked the man’s forehead.

At the same moment, as the shots were heard, the man in his forties saw Kino advancing towards him and flailed his left hand. Kino passed underneath and restrained the man’s left hand from behind with her left. She stabbed all of the knife’s length through the left side of his back.

''“Guh—!”''

At the same time as the man let out this sound, the man that had three holes opened in his forehead collapsed.

Kino then pushed forward the knife and the man towards the man in his twenties.

As the thin man fell over, Kino retrieved Canon from the snow.

Kino immediately raised the hammer and stood in front of the man, pinned on his back underneath the corpse.

''“Aaaah—!”''

The man shrieked. Kino took a short glance towards the other man whose face was stained red with blood. And then she pointed Canon towards the last man.

“Save m——”

There was a thunderous roar and a white smoke as Kino’s right hand bounded up. Several of the man’s teeth burst flying like popcorn.

The man’s head leaped as if hit by an electric shock, then became still. Blood pooled from inside his mouth, and at once, the air pushing out of the lungs bubbled out. The blood overflowed, melting the snow beneath the man’s neck little by little.

Kino stood in front of the three men’s corpses. There was a faint steam rising up from the blood.

“That was a close call,” Hermes said to Kino from behind. “Are you hurt?”

“Nope,” was Kino’s only reply. Then she added, “That was scary. I thought it was the end for me.”

Kino stood for a while, holding Canon in her right hand.

In the middle of the clear blue sky and the glittering snowscape, the sound of Kino’s molars grinding in fear resounded.

<center>—</center>

“Are you fine now?” Hermes asked.

“I’m okay now,” Kino nodded. Steam no longer came out from the corpses.

Kino stood in front of the truck’s loading platform.

While holding Canon cautiously, she slowly opened the door.

“I see,” Kino muttered, and looked for a while inside the truck. And then, she opened both doors. Light shone inside the truck.

A number of white bones rolled off from the narrow interior of the truck.

Human bones. Thin ribs. Small finger bones. Broken pelvic bones shaped like spatulas. Broken thighbones — the marrow inside thoroughly slurped.

Several used up containers of solid fuel rolled off. An iron plate was torn off from one part of the truck. Above it, there were several charred pieces of a backbone.

In one corner of the truck was the head of the person who owned these bones.

Long blonde hair was tied on the truck’s pipe, from which the head was suspended, lightly facing downwards. It was a young girl, perhaps about the same age as Kino.

The eyes and the nose were gone. There were only the silently gaping black holes, the whittled skin and flesh of the cheeks and jaws, and the exposed part of the skull underneath the face. The lower jaw was barely connected to the rest of the head.

A hole as big as a person’s fist was gaping wide on the forehead. All of the brain was gone.

Hung neatly in one corner opposite the head was a bright yellow dress.

“…Hermes, can you see it?” Kino asked.

“Yup. Food scraps,” Hermes answered.

Kino looked at the corpses of the men by her feet.

“Before that, this was their important ‘goods’ eh…”

“And before that?” Hermes asked, catching Kino's mumbled words.

While looking at the glittering blonde hair, Kino spoke gently.

“I don’t know.”

As Kino slowly closed the door, she spoke to the girl.

“It’s not right. But, they didn’t want to die.”

<center>—</center>

“We’ve been held up so much. Let’s leave as soon as possible,” Kino said, picking up all the knives she tossed earlier.

Snow accumulated inside the Woodsman's barrel. Kino picked it up, and without aiming at anything in particular, fired two shots. Then she closed the safety and returned it behind her waist.

She took the knife piercing the back of the man with one forceful pull. She thrust the bloodied blade in the snow back and forth until it was clean. Then she wiped it with the clothes of the dead man.

Kino opened the screwed lid at the bottom of the knife’s grip. She took out three small, empty cartridges from inside. Then she took out Woodsman’s spare bullets from her belt and put them inside the knife’s grip.

And then she returned this persuader-knife to its sheath in her right waist.

Kino put on her overpants and winter suit. Then she returned Canon to its original place.

She quickly packed her tent and loaded her luggage on Hermes. Then she started the engine.

Suddenly, Kino returned to the side of the truck. She squatted beside the corpse holding the persuader.

She removed the glove in her left hand. A ring was inserted on her middle finger. It was a silver ring, with several small green gems attached to it.

Kino looked at her left hand for a few seconds.

Kino removed the ring and took out the box from her pocket. She put it inside the man’s breast pocket. And then she spoke to him softly.

“I’m returning this to you… because I wasn’t able to save you in the end.”

Then Hermes spoke with a voice as soft as Kino’s,

“What? I thought you liked that thing?”

<center>—</center>

Kino straddled Hermes. She covered her face with her hat and goggles.

Kino lightly revved the accelerator, and the engine roared in excellent condition.

“Shall we go?” Hermes proposed.

“Yeah.”

Kino turned her head back lightly to check whether she left anything. Then she looked at the remains of the three rabbits lined up on the branch of the tree.

“Please don’t think badly of us. We’re only humans, after all.”

The motorrad ran off. It passed through the truck, the tent, and what remained of the four corpses, and soon disappeared.
[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_045.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>

==Translator’s Notes==
<references/>

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Prologue|Prologue]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Prologue

2019-02-15T00:56:43Z

Napen123: Changed some wording

==“In the Middle of the Desert · b” — Beginner’s Luck · b —==

It was raining. Water pounded the earth without pause. Nothing could be seen in the landscape except for the raindrops and mist created by the rain. The fierce sound of water pouring onto the earth never seemed to cease. Although it was daytime, the sky had a dark, gloomy hue.

There was, amidst this downpour, a solitary standing figure. The person was young — around fifteen. Her long brown coat sheltered only her body from the rain. Her short black hair was completely soaked; bangs plastered to her forehead. From there, water ran down her face. Her tongue caught the drops that reached her mouth.

“It is so unlikely for such heavy rain to fall in a place like this. How strange…” someone spoke to her. The voice sounded like a young boy's, but its owner was nowhere to be seen.

The brown-clad figure casually raised her head to stare at the sky. Rain mercilessly beat down upon the girl’s face and fell from her eyes like tears.

“Aha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha!”

Then, all of a sudden, she laughed. Head still raised, she opened her mouth wide and reached out to the sky with both arms.

“Aha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha!”

She continued to laugh gleefully, skipping and twirling her body around. The hem of her coat fluttered in the air like a gown.

“Aha ha! Aha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha!”

She danced and laughed maniacally for a while, then turned to a particular spot shrouded in mist.

“So what do you think?”

As the question went unacknowledged, she asked once more.

“What do you think, Hermes?”

This time there was a reply. “There’s nothing all that great about it…”

“Nothing?”

After hearing the previous words repeated, there came an unenthusiastic response, “I don’t find this amusing at all, but right now I’m having mixed emotions.”

“Aha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha ha——”

The girl raised her head again in unrestrained laughter.

The voice asked, “Kino, what do you plan to do next?”

“I don’t know. What to do? Why bother worrying?”

After the girl named Kino replied, she began to laugh once more.

This rainstorm, perhaps, would continue for a while.

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Frontispiece|Frontispiece]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Frontispiece

2019-02-15T00:48:22Z

Napen123: More grammar changes

==“A Tale of a Sniper” —Fatalism—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_002-003.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

There was a dense forest. And there was a tall hill, from which one could observe the forest in its entirety.

Atop the hill, a sniper lay in wait. Armed with a powerful long-range persuader (Note: A gun) built for sniping, he kept a watchful eye over every corner of the forest.

Something moved beside a serene lake. The sniper shifted his attention in that direction.

The image of a joyful looking man, stark naked, reflected on the sniper’s eyes.

The sniper hesitated for a while, then brought his rifle to bear down on the short but rather good-looking man. Once he pulled the trigger, and the bullet flew at an amazing speed, the man would probably be dead, and the lake would probably be tainted with bloody red.

The sniper slowed his breathing to reduce any shaking in his hand. When he was ready, his finger reached for the trigger.

“Please don’t do that.”

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_005.jpg|x200px|thumb|right|"Please don't do that."]]

The sniper heard a sharp, determined voice speak behind him. Caught up in surprise, he slowly turned his head and came face to face with a woman.

She wore elegant clothing and had dark, glossy hair. A beautiful woman, without a doubt. With her right hand, she held a high-caliber revolver aimed squarely at the sniper’s head.

“Sorry to have frightened you, but please don’t move. If I miss, it would be a waste of bullets and powder.”

“Why do you want to kill me?” the sniper asked guardedly.

The woman smiled, her persuader never moving an inch.

“Because you have killed those who entered the forest. The friends and families of the victims wanted you dead.”

The sniper replied tensely now, “So you are here to kill me.”

The woman nodded and the sniper continued, “Then what are you waiting for?”

A pained look appeared on the woman’s face. “Good question.” The woman ventured to explain: “Actually, after I accepted this assignment, I agreed to another contract from some people from the same country.

“They paid me equally to not kill you because they wished for everything to remain unchanged. There are many who hate you. But there are also people who are grateful to you for removing their enemy, letting them receive their inheritance early, releasing those with incurable diseases, and allowing some to start anew. So there are just as many people who wish for you to remain alive. To them, you are like a god of good fortune.”

“Really.”

“I was indecisive on what to do as I came here to scout you out. I still can’t make up my mind right now.”

“If that’s the case…”

“If that’s the case?”

“If that’s the case, then please give me an order. Before now, I would kill all who I found, but from now on I will only kill a person upon a certain count. That way, the number of deaths would drop yet there will still be victims. As for this count, it is up to you to provide.”

“I see.”
[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_004.jpg|x200px|thumb|right|...the man was still swimming naked in the water...]]
The woman gave the sniper a number, then left him on the hill and returned to the forest. Since it was a complex number that required very difficult calculations, it will not be written here.

At the lake, the man was still swimming naked in the water. Upon seeing the woman, he ran towards her with a look as if he was about to cry.

“Master! What took you so long! I thought we were done for.”

The woman stood rooted to her spot and told him to shut up and put on his pants.

As the man pulled on his pants, he turned to face the woman.

“We are still alive. That means you killed him, right?”

“Nope.”

The man leapt when he heard this, accidentally putting both legs into the same leg of his long pants, causing him to trip and fall.

The woman explained the deal.

“B-but with that number, the possibility of getting shot at any moment is…”

The woman barely gave the matter any thought and walked towards their car, a run-down little vehicle on the verge of falling apart. The man hastily followed her.

Once inside the car, he asked, “What now? We can’t return because we didn’t kill the sniper and yet we didn’t let him continue killing unchecked. We can’t receive a reward from either side.”

“I know.”

The woman smiled gracefully and started the engine.

“Since we already have the down payment from both parties, let’s just disappear with it.”

“……”

The man was about to say something, but the woman ignored him and stepped hard on the gas.

The moment the car jerked forward, a bullet came flying toward them, splitting a tree where the car had been just seconds ago.

To this day, the forest still remains and the sniper still waits on the hilltop.

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_006-007.jpg|x200px|thumb|left|...a bullet came flying, splitting a tree where the car had been just seconds ago.]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Prologue|Prologue]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Frontispiece

2019-02-15T00:28:40Z

Napen123: Minor grammar fix (comma)

==“A Tale of a Sniper” —Fatalism—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_002-003.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

There was a dense forest. And there was a tall hill, from which one could observe the forest in its entirety.

Atop the hill, a sniper lay in wait. Armed with a powerful long-range persuader (Note: A gun) built for sniping, he kept a watchful eye over every corner of the forest.

Something moved beside a serene lake. The sniper shifted his attention in that direction.

The image of a joyful looking man, stark naked, reflected on the sniper’s eyes.

The sniper hesitated for a while, then brought his rifle to bear down on the short but rather good-looking man. Once he pulled the trigger, and the bullet flew at an amazing speed, the man would probably be dead, and the lake would probably be tainted with bloody red.

The sniper slowed his breathing to reduce any shaking in his hand. When he was ready, his finger reached for the trigger.

“Please don’t do that.”

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_005.jpg|x200px|thumb|right|"Please don't do that."]]

The sniper heard a sharp, determined voice speak behind him. Caught up in surprise, he slowly turned his head and came face to face with a woman.

She wore elegant clothing, and had dark glossy hair. A beautiful woman, without a doubt. With her right hand, she held a high-caliber revolver aimed squarely at the sniper’s head.

“Sorry to have frightened you, but please don’t move. If I miss, it would be a waste of bullets and powder.”

“Why do you want to kill me?” the sniper asked guardedly.

The woman smiled, her persuader never moving an inch.

“Because you have killed those who entered the forest. The friends and families of the victims wanted you dead.”

The sniper replied tensely now, “So you are here to kill me.”

The woman nodded and the sniper continued, “Then what are you waiting for?”

A pained look appeared on the woman’s face. “Good question.” The woman ventured to explain. “Actually, after I accepted this assignment, I agreed to another contract from some people from the same country.

“They paid me equally to not kill you because they wished for everything to remain unchanged. There are many who hate you. But there are people who are grateful to you for removing their enemy, letting them receive their inheritance early, releasing those with incurable diseases, and allowing some to start anew. So there are just as many people who wish for you to remain alive. To them, you are like a god of good fortune.”

“Really.”

“I was indecisive on what to do as I came here to scout you out. I still can’t make up my mind right now.”

“If that’s the case…”

“If that’s the case?”

“If that’s the case, then please give me an order. Before now, I would kill all who I found, but from now on I will only kill a person upon a certain count. That way, the number of deaths would drop yet there will still be victims. As for this count, it is up to you to provide.”

“I see.”
[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_004.jpg|x200px|thumb|right|...the man was still swimming naked in the water...]]
The woman gave the sniper a number then left him on the hill and returned to the forest. Since it was a complex number that required very difficult calculations, it will not be written here.

At the lake, the man was still swimming naked in the water. Upon seeing the woman, he ran towards her with a look as if he was about to cry.

“Master! What took you so long! I thought we were done for.”

The woman stood rooted to her spot and told him to shut up and put on his pants.

As the man pulled on his pants, he turned to face the woman.

“We are still alive. That means you killed him right?”

“Nope.”

The man leaped when he heard this, accidentally putting both legs into the same leg of his long pants, causing him to trip and fall.

The woman explained the deal.

“B-but with that number, the possibility of getting shot at any moment is…”

The woman barely gave the matter any thought and walked towards their car, a run-down little vehicle on the verge of falling apart. The man hastily followed her.

Once inside the car, he asked, “What now? We can’t return because we didn’t kill the sniper and yet we didn’t let him continue killing unchecked. We can’t receive any reward from either side.”

“I know.”

The woman smiled gracefully and started the engine.

“Since we already have the down payment from both parties, let’s just disappear with it.”

“……”

The man was about to say something, but the woman ignored him and stepped hard on the gas.

The moment the car jerked forward, a bullet came flying toward them, splitting a tree where the car had been just seconds ago.

To this day, the forest still remains and the sniper still waits on the hilltop.

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_006-007.jpg|x200px|thumb|left|...a bullet came flying, splitting a tree where the car had been just seconds ago.]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Prologue|Prologue]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Frontispiece

2019-02-15T00:24:09Z

Napen123: Wording change

==“A Tale of a Sniper” —Fatalism—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_002-003.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

There was a dense forest. And there was a tall hill, from which one could observe the forest in its entirety.

Atop the hill, a sniper lay in wait. Armed with a powerful long-range persuader (Note: A gun) built for sniping, he kept a watchful eye over every corner of the forest.

Something moved beside a serene lake. The sniper shifted his attention in that direction.

The image of a joyful looking man, stark naked, reflected on the sniper’s eyes.

The sniper hesitated for a while, then brought his rifle to bear down on the short but rather good-looking man. Once he pulled the trigger, and the bullet flew at an amazing speed, the man would probably be dead, and the lake would probably be tainted with bloody red.

The sniper slowed his breathing to reduce any shaking in his hand. When he was ready, his finger reached for the trigger.

“Please don’t do that.”

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_005.jpg|x200px|thumb|right|"Please don't do that."]]

The sniper heard a sharp, determined voice speak behind him. Caught up in surprise, he slowly turned his head, and came face to face with a woman.

She wore elegant clothing, and had dark glossy hair. A beautiful woman, without a doubt. With her right hand, she held a high-caliber revolver aimed squarely at the sniper’s head.

“Sorry to have frightened you, but please don’t move. If I miss, it would be a waste of bullets and powder.”

“Why do you want to kill me?” the sniper asked guardedly.

The woman smiled, her persuader never moving an inch.

“Because you have killed those who entered the forest. The friends and families of the victims wanted you dead.”

The sniper replied tensely now, “So you are here to kill me.”

The woman nodded and the sniper continued, “Then what are you waiting for?”

A pained look appeared on the woman’s face. “Good question.” The woman ventured to explain. “Actually, after I accepted this assignment, I agreed to another contract from some people from the same country.

“They paid me equally to not kill you because they wished for everything to remain unchanged. There are many who hate you. But there are people who are grateful to you for removing their enemy, letting them receive their inheritance early, releasing those with incurable diseases, and allowing some to start anew. So there are just as many people who wish for you to remain alive. To them, you are like a god of good fortune.”

“Really.”

“I was indecisive on what to do as I came here to scout you out. I still can’t make up my mind right now.”

“If that’s the case…”

“If that’s the case?”

“If that’s the case, then please give me an order. Before now, I would kill all who I found, but from now on I will only kill a person upon a certain count. That way, the number of deaths would drop yet there will still be victims. As for this count, it is up to you to provide.”

“I see.”
[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_004.jpg|x200px|thumb|right|...the man was still swimming naked in the water...]]
The woman gave the sniper a number then left him on the hill and returned to the forest. Since it was a complex number that required very difficult calculations, it will not be written here.

At the lake, the man was still swimming naked in the water. Upon seeing the woman, he ran towards her with a look as if he was about to cry.

“Master! What took you so long! I thought we were done for.”

The woman stood rooted to her spot and told him to shut up and put on his pants.

As the man pulled on his pants, he turned to face the woman.

“We are still alive. That means you killed him right?”

“Nope.”

The man leaped when he heard this, accidentally putting both legs into the same leg of his long pants, causing him to trip and fall.

The woman explained the deal.

“B-but with that number, the possibility of getting shot at any moment is…”

The woman barely gave the matter any thought and walked towards their car, a run-down little vehicle on the verge of falling apart. The man hastily followed her.

Once inside the car, he asked, “What now? We can’t return because we didn’t kill the sniper and yet we didn’t let him continue killing unchecked. We can’t receive any reward from either side.”

“I know.”

The woman smiled gracefully and started the engine.

“Since we already have the down payment from both parties, let’s just disappear with it.”

“……”

The man was about to say something, but the woman ignored him and stepped hard on the gas.

The moment the car jerked forward, a bullet came flying toward them, splitting a tree where the car had been just seconds ago.

To this day, the forest still remains and the sniper still waits on the hilltop.

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_006-007.jpg|x200px|thumb|left|...a bullet came flying, splitting a tree where the car had been just seconds ago.]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Prologue|Prologue]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume4 Chapter4

2017-06-29T03:49:11Z

Napen123:

==“Tradition” —Tricksters—<ref>The unabridged version of the slightly modified part 3 of episode 3 in the anime.</ref>==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v4_064-065.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

Kino and Hermes arrived in a small country.

At the bottom of a mountain covered with a dense forest was the expanse of a town with a modest castle in its center. One can go full-circle around the ivy-covered walls in one afternoon walk.

Kino knocked on the gates and asked the gatekeeper for permission to enter the country.

The guard, who was wearing a helmet which seemed like a traditional costume, beamed upon learning that it was Kino and Hermes’ first time to visit this country.

The guard talked to someone on the phone. From within the gates, the clanging of bells was heard.

“I alerted the whole country because it is very rare for us to have guests. It’s so that they can prepare for the welcoming party,” the guard said with a smile.

Soon the gate opened, and Kino pushed Hermes inside. Upon passing through the gates, a great number of the citizens came to receive them.

“……” “……”

Both Kino and Hermes fell silent.

The citizens were wearing ‘ears’ on their heads. A pair of ears was sticking out of their hair, symmetrically positioned on both sides. The neatly triangular-shaped ears were exactly like a cat’s.

“Welcome! Traveler and motorrad, welcome to our country!”

A representative of the citizens said this and shook hands with Kino. It was a man in the prime of his life who seemed to be the leader. Above his smiling face and firmly hardened hair, dark brown ‘cat ears’ were attached.

<center>—</center>

Kino and Hermes introduced themselves, and the man with the dark brown cat ears, who was the country’s ruler, guided them to the castle which was being used as his office.

As soon as a female secretary with purple cat ears left after serving tea, the man gave a simple explanation about the country.

A long, long time ago, a town was built around a castle which a certain royal family used as a summer vacation house. After that royal family perished, the citizens continued to thrive on the land.

The population was small but they lived in utter peace. And—— it was a tradition from those times for the citizens to wear cat ears on their heads.

“The sweet nature of a person is drawn out by using these. No matter how furiously angry someone is, once we flick these ears, his anger would dissipate as if by magic, and a smile would cross his face. People long ago must have thought of this as a means of making harmonious human relations. It’s a wonderful tradition,” the man said warmly while shaking his ears.

With very few and rare exceptions, such as changing one’s hairstyle or replacing them as one grows older, the citizens were always required to wear the cat ears on their heads.

There was an ancient-looking oil painting decorating the wall, featuring a gracefully smiling naked woman wearing cat ears.

The man asked, “Miss Kino, as you are our long-awaited guest, why don’t you try and experience our country’s tradition?”

“What do you mean?” Kino replied.

The man took out a box the size of a dictionary from under the table. He opened it and showed its contents to Kino. Inside was a set of chic black ears.

“I’ll lend these to you, Miss Kino. We thought you’d feel ill at ease if everyone except for you were wearing cat ears. Won’t you wear them while you’re here? It has the same color as your hair, Miss Kino. I’m sure they would suit you well. Of course, you are not obliged to, but…”

<center>—</center>

“You should have agreed to wear the ears if it’s just for today. That man yesterday really looked dejected you know,” said Hermes.

It was early in the afternoon of the second day. Kino was pushing along Hermes as they slowly toured the narrow townscape. All of their luggage was left in the room which they received for free. But for the time being, Kino was holding the cat ears she was given the previous day.

Children waved their hands when they saw Kino and Hermes. All of them were wearing cat ears of various colors. The ears swayed cutely as they shook their heads.

“Aren’t you going to wear the ears, miss traveler?” they asked innocently.

In the shop where they had their meal and tea,

“Oh my—, you have a pretty face. But everyone becomes prettier when they have the ears on, you know,” a nice-figured waitress wearing wide ears said rather regretfully.

When they visited the castle, a small child pointed his finger.

“Mommy. That person is not wearing ears. She’s so weird—”

The mother spoke to the child. ‘That person is a traveler. She was born in a different country, so she is a bit different from us. She doesn’t have to wear ears,’ she gently scolded.

Along the road, a middle-aged woman spoke to Kino. ‘If you wear the cat ears, I’m sure you will be popular with boys,’ she said.

“For some reason, the ears suit anyone, and the charm of the person wearing them changes. When I was young, there was a research saying that in order for you to look your best, you should look at the mirror everyday,” and she furtively informed her to try this secret.

<center>—</center>

That night.

They opened the welcoming festival for the traveler. Soon they announced the start of the traditional cat-ear dance for the citizens. The people made a circle, bent their hands like cat paws, and hopped with the rhythmical music.

Kino who was looking on comfortably, was also invited to wear ears and to participate in the dance.

“People often say that I don’t have any talent for dancing. I would just end up stepping on everybody’s feet,” Kino politely refused. And then she added,

“Even so, it’s a wonderful dance. I was deeply moved. I’m glad I came here.”

<center>—</center>

The next morning.

Kino and Hermes set off after the cat-eared citizens bid them farewell.

When the traveler was already out of sight, the leader removed the dark brown cat ears from his head with a somewhat regretful look on his face. The other citizens removed their own cat ears as well while the crowd dissolved.

The female secretary beside the man came and took his ears and removed her own. She put them in a basket with the words ‘Collection Box’ written on it.

The woman spoke to the man who still looked disappointed. “It’s no good, huh? She didn’t join in.”

“Yeah, it’s no good…. Ring the bell to announce that it’s over.”

“I’ve arranged for it.”

“With this, we already have 549 wins and 233 losses. In my tenure, we had 3 wins and 8 losses…. The travelers we had for several years must have circulated rumors about this country to several others.”

“Indeed.”

“Well, that’s that. Now, what do we do next time? We should decide quickly, or else we won’t be able to prepare and practice. We have to change the painting too——”

<center>—</center>

A motorrad was running along a road in the forest.

“Cat ears…, I didn’t see that coming. Everyone was cute to some extent. I cannot count the number of times I had to stop myself from laughing, you know. That dance was really amusing too,” Kino said with a smile.

“It would be amusing if you wore them too, Kino. I’m sure they would suit you very well.”

“Well, whatever. Riding with lies is something I’m not good at, after all.”

And then, with an extremely serious tone,

“They did not show the slightest bit of a character’s element of surprise, even if it’s for the spirit of service, don’t you think Kino?”

“What’s that about…? But they sure don’t run out of ideas. I only heard this but…, it was said that they also wore turtle shells on their backs, attached lion tails on their bottoms, imitated how crows walk, used an intense dance as a greeting, cry suddenly while greeting, ate while they sang…. What will they do next?”

“Decorate their heads with crow feathers, enter a room hopping with their right leg, eat while their left hand is pointing at the sky, put on white make-up around their eyes, greet with thumbs up and say ‘Yay!’, maybe?”

“Yeah, that’s it. I too won’t give any spoilers to the travelers we meet. Everyone will be happy if they get to drag someone to their tradition.”

“Jeez…, there’s one over here too,” <ref> Not sure if it’s an expression, but Hermes said something to the effect of, ‘If over there, there’s those people, right here we have this person’, which I assumed to mean that Kino was being naughty like the citizens.</ref> Hermes said with an upset expression to the very relaxed Kino.

<center>—</center>

“——Now that I think about it, that traveler which came half a year ago was a nice one,” the leader suddenly muttered in his office.

“Hmm? Oh yeah. That time, it was the ‘putting an apple on your head’ tradition. Really, he did it right away. He also joined in on the apple dance,” the secretary replied, and the man, while looking at the ceiling,

“There were no others who were as polite and as earnest. He even said, ‘This tradition is great’. He must have been raised very well…. Ah, I wish more people like that would come,” he said with profound emotion.

The secretary slightly smiled as she remembered that time.

And spoke.

“Indeed, it was a guy wearing a green sweater who came riding a buggy, wasn’t it?”

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v4_73.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>

==Translator’s Notes==

<references/>

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume4_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
}}

</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume4 Chapter3

2017-06-29T03:39:39Z

Napen123: Grammatical changes (commas changes, particle changes, present to narrative tense, and minor rewordings for flow).

==“A Land of Two People” —Even a Dog Doesn’t Eat—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v4_012-013.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

“Step right up! Welcome to our country, traveler!” The guard said this with genuine enthusiasm.

“These are some questions we ask people entering the country. Please answer them. It’s nothing serious; just write the first thing that you think of.”

By himself, the guard was waiting inside a small post in front of the gates of the tall castle walls. As soon as the traveler arrived, he immediately presented a thick packet of papers. A pen too.

The traveler was slightly taken aback and stared at the papers.

The traveler was in her teens. She had short, black, unkempt hair, but her face with its big eyes had a fearless look. Goggles hung from her neck.

She wore a black jacket and a wide belt with some pouches around her waist. On her right thigh, there was a holster for a hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case, a pistol). Inside was a revolver with an octagonal barrel.

The traveler asked the guard, “Just me is okay? He is also going to be entering.”

The traveler then pointed with her thumb to a motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly) parked behind her. It was heavily loaded with a bag, a sleeping bag, and traveling luggage.

“Just you is fine. Let’s see… what was your name?”

“Kino,” the traveler Kino spoke, then pointed once again to the motorrad.

“Over there is my partner, Hermes.”

“Pleased to meet you,” the motorrad named Hermes greeted from a distance. The guard bowed in greeting.

“Again, welcome to our country. As for the questionnaire, Miss Kino would be good enough. It may take some time, but if you can please try to answer everything. You may use the chair and table over here.”

“Okay but… is this really a requirement for entering the country?” confirmed Kino.

“That is correct,” the guard nodded firmly.

Kino said she understood, sat on the chair, and began looking through the stack of papers.

It asked things like name, age, sex, height, and weight. Then it asked about hobbies, favorite foods, favorite colors, tastes in music, self-conscious qualities, thinking style, and clothing preferences.

Then it asked what you can see in a picture that looked like an ink spill; what kind of animal would you rather be; how you feel about watching boxing; what you think about farm work; whether you like children; wake up early; like raising pets; tend to cry when watching a play or reading a story; prefer cats or dogs; dream in color; worry about being judged by others; mind living together with elderly people; like gambling, and so on.

“…Sigh”

Although Kino sighed several times the whole time, she was able to answer all of the questions. Then she returned it to the waiting guard with a smile.

Afterwards, the guard took Kino’s picture, as it was necessary to complete the inspection papers. He took one frontal bust shot and one full body shot. She was asked to smile, but no matter how you looked at it, she had a sour look on her face.

“Okay, thank you very much.”

Finally, she was granted an entry permit, and the thick and heavy gates were opened. Kino tapped awake Hermes, who was soundly sleeping.

It was nearly sunset by the time Kino entered the country. To make matters worse, dark clouds had started to form. Kino looked for a cheap hotel and went in. Before long, it was raining. Kino gave up on going out for the day. She ate a meal, took a shower, and went to bed.

<center>—</center>

The next day, Kino woke at dawn break.

The rain had let up. Kino did some light exercises in her room, and then practiced with her persuader called ‘Canon’.

After having her breakfast in the hotel, Kino tapped Hermes awake. She left her luggage to the care of the hotel and decided to go out for some sightseeing.

It was not a very big country. Castle walls surrounded the level land. The streets were neatly divided and lined up abundantly with plain concrete buildings that didn’t seem to have any history.

“It’s not a very pretty country, is it?” said Hermes.

Kino asked people walking down the street about the country’s highlights. The replies were about the same.

“What a traveler would find interesting, eh…. Well, it’s a very safe country.”

“….That’s a tough question, but if I had to say then…. That really is a tough question.”

“The alcohol is great, I suppose. Hmm? You don’t drink? Then there’s nothing really special…”

“There’s none. This is a new country, so it’s not very good for sightseeing.”

Kino rode Hermes around randomly. Eventually, they reached the edge of the country and turned back.

Kino decided to stop by an open street café for some tea. As she finished her break and returned to the sidewalk where Hermes was parked, Kino heard someone shouting.

Kino and Hermes turned towards the voices. In front of a ramp leading to the roadway was a young couple yelling at each other. Things quickly became violent.

“What’s going on?” Kino said, surprised. Hermes who seemed to be enjoying himself spoke.

“As you can see, it’s a street fight. If I had to say, then the man has the advantage with the hooks he keeps on sending. But that lady’s kicks are pretty good too. Ah, that left high kick just decided it.”

“Nobody asked for a play-by-play commentary…”

“Should we stop them?”

“Hey, break it up. Let’s just talk this out,” said Kino as she approached them.

“Ah! Miss traveler, what is it you intend on doing?”

From behind, a young police officer in uniform called out to Kino and stopped her.

“You’re just in time officer,” said Hermes.

“There are people fighting. You can stop them instead,” said Kino.

The officer shook his head. “It’s probably best if we leave them be.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Yes, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong. Besides, it looks like they’re already finished.”

When Kino looked again, she saw that the fight was settled. The couple was walking away together.

The officer warned Kino, “Miss traveler, there’s one request I have of you. Even if you see a man and a woman fighting, you must never interfere. In this country, nobody gets involved in couples or spouses who are fighting. The fights settle before becoming serious anyways.”

“That’s really how it is?” Kino asked doubtingly.

The officer smiled and said, “Even if by chance you did get involved, I’m not sure you would gain anything from it. Even so, please enjoy your visit in our country. You won’t find something like it anywhere else, and there are many good places. Now then, if you’ll excuse me.”

The officer saluted and left.

“Good places? Where?” muttered Hermes.

<center>—</center>

Kino had a satisfying lunch, then she refilled Hermes' fuel tank. After a short argument, they both agreed to end the day’s sightseeing and rest at the hotel.

While waiting at a stop light, a voice from the car next to them called out.

“Hello traveler!”

The driver was a man in his thirties wearing glasses and a suit with a tie.

“Miss traveler, if you like, won’t you come over to my house for some tea? I’m on my way home right now, it’s very close. What do you say? You can meet my wife too; we’d love to talk with you about traveling and our country.”

“We’re free now so why not?” said Hermes. Kino nodded. She told the man that they would follow his car.

<center>—</center>

The man’s house was one of two-storey apartments connected side by side.

The man’s wife came out of the entryway to greet them. She had long hair and a beautiful face.

“This is my wife. A beauty isn’t she?” The man said this quite happily then kissed his wife on the cheek.

“Please make yourselves at home, miss traveler and mister motorrad,” greeted the wife with a smile. Kino returned the greeting, and introduced herself and Hermes.

The man showed everyone in, and the wife, who had stayed behind to close the door, caught a glimpse of Canon on Kino’s right thigh. Her eyes opened wide for a moment, then she spoke quietly. “Miss traveler, you carry a persuader?”

“Hmm? Ah, if you don’t like it I will put it away,” Kino hastily said. The woman shook her head with a smile.

“Not at all, I’m fine with it as is. Traveling is dangerous isn’t it? How long will you be in this country?”

“Until tomorrow, I will probably leave in the morning,” answered Kino.

“I see…,” the woman muttered softly.

<center>—</center>

The man offered Kino a seat in the dining room. Hermes stood behind on his center stand.

The man called his wife who was in the kitchen. “Bring our guests something to drink. Thanks.”

“Of course, sorry to leave you waiting,” responded the wife with a lively tone.

The man politely spoke to Kino. “Welcome to my house. I don’t get much chance to speak with foreigners. Miss traveler, mister motorrad, what do you think of this country?”

“It’s boring,” Hermes said straightaway.

The man laughed, “Hahaha. You’re a frank one, aren’t you, mister motorrad. To tell you the truth, this country ''is'' boring. There’s no beautiful scenery or deep history to be found here. But it’s a good place. It’s peaceful and there’s little crime. We can live our lives carefreely. On my days off I always play tennis with my friends.”

The woman set down a tray and carried over a bottle and cups. It was alcohol. She filled the man’s cup to the brim. The man gave a surprised look, but quickly emptied the glass in a single gulp and let out a gasp. His face slowly began turning red. The man asked his wife by his side, “Hey, where’s the snacks?”

“Ah, sorry, hold on,” the wife said as she turned back.

At that moment, the man shouted angrily, “Why am I waiting?! It should already be out you idiot!”

The man stood up, grabbed his wife’s hair with both hands, and dragged her.

“Eek!” The woman yelped and the two of them disappeared into the next room.

The sound of something being hit was heard several times.

“Bitch! Bitch! Stupid bitch!”

The man’s shouts were heard. The slander continued.

“You fool! Be more considerate! Are you trying to embarrass me?! Are you trying to be lazy?! You think people are just going to feed you?! Hey! Are you listening? ''Sand!''”

For a short moment, there was no noise. Then suddenly the man’s voice was heard,

“Whatever, just hurry up and cook something. Make it snappy. I’m in a good mood today so I’ll let you off with this. Now hurry up idiot!”

There was a thud. It sounded like something was dropped.

The man returned to the dining room completely red-faced. He sat down, suddenly looking rather embarrassed, and politely spoke. “I’m very sorry you had to see such an unsightly thing. She tries a little harder every time, but she can’t help being a fool. Please don’t take it against her, and if you can, please forgive her. Ah, that’s right, miss traveler, how about a drink?”

“No, thank you, I don’t drink,” Kino said. Her expression has not changed from before.

“Ah, well would you like one of these?” The man offered the biscuits sitting on a small plate on the table.

Kino thanked the man, picked one up, and put it in her mouth. At that moment, the woman came staggering into the dining room. Her hair was a mess, and she was holding the side of her forehead. She walked towards the kitchen like a ghost.

“Bring the traveler some tea! Hurry up!” the man shouted at her back.

Staying in a good mood, the man poured himself a drink and gulped it down. He became talkative, and his tone cheery.

“Man, I’m jealous of travelers! Really jealous! They travel around, going to all sorts of places. Yep. You know, I’ve also ridden on a motorrad before. The engine had exhaust pipes on both sides…. I don’t mean to brag, but I was pretty good at it too. But, to be honest, I did fall over too. I was only borrowing it so I was only able to ride it a bit. Yep… ''*hic*!'' I wanted to go on a journey. Hey, miss traveler, traveling must be fun, eh?”

Kino gave the man a smile. “Yes, very. You can witness the various differences in each country’s customs.”

“Kino thinks so too,” Hemes muttered inaudibly.

“That’s right!”

The man slapped his knee. He wobbled as he arose from his seat and exclaimed with a smile.

“Different countries. There’s so many of them and you get to tour them. Yep. It sure is nice…. You have to do it while you’re still young! Oops!”

The man started leaning forward and lost his balance. His arm hit the wife who was carrying out the food. The woman dropped the plate, and the food completely scattered on the floor.

“Ah!” shouted the woman.

The man’s expression quickly changed. He glared at his wife with an almost demon-like rage.

“What do you mean, ‘Ah!’? Hey! Stupid! Don’t just stand there! The snacks are ruined! Ahhh! You’re useless! Trash! Pick that up and eat it!”

Kino ate another biscuit.

The man grabbed the woman’s long hair, pulled her towards himself, and dragged her off into the next room in this state.

“You stupid bitch!”

A number of slapping sounds were heard, and the man’s jeering continued.

“Seriously! You can’t even bring one snack to our guest! You’re useless, a burden to everyone! …Tsk! I can’t believe I’m even with someone like you! Say something! Hey stupid! ''Sand!'' Are you listening?”

There was silence for a moment.

“Your stupidity makes me sick! Our guests came all this way! Who do you think you should thank for the food you eat? Whose money is keeping you alive? Who’s working? Eh? …Forget it, I’m tired from work! I’m going to sleep! I want you to clean up! Make that floor sparkle! Got it?”

Then, the sound of something dropping was heard once more.

The man came back to the dining room.

“I’m very sorry to trouble you, miss traveler, mister motorrad. I’ll have to say goodnight here. I enjoyed our conversation. Please make yourselves comfortable. If you need anything, feel free to command my wife — even though she’s really useless.”

The man left these courteous words and entered the next room.

“Get to work!”

The wife was dragged back out. The spot on her forehead where she was first hit was swollen. Blood was coming out from a cut on her lip. The man flung his wife on the floor as if she were garbage.

The man disappeared into the room with shaky steps. Soon, his tottering footsteps were heard climbing up the stairs.

Kino glanced at Hermes, then stood up from her chair. Kino attempted to help the woman who was cleaning up the food that had fallen on the floor.

“It’s fine, please stop.” The woman held back Kino.

“Sorry, but it’s all right. Please return to your seat.”

“She’s right, Kino. There’s no need for you to help her pick those up.”

Hermes said from behind. Kino looked at Hermes once more and sat on the chair.

While restraining the blood spreading from her mouth, the woman picked up the scattered food and wiped the floor.

The woman cleared up the table, washed her hands in the kitchen, and wiped her face. Afterwards, she handed out a cup of tea to Kino. Kino thanked her as she received it.

“Please wait for a while.”

The woman left these words and went out of the dining room. The sound of climbing up the stairs, and then of climbing down, was heard.

The woman returned to the dining room and sat opposite of Kino. There was a conspicuous swelling above her right eye, and the blood on her lower lip had clotted.

“You must have been surprised…,” the woman opened her mouth to speak.

“Well, sort of. But you see, this morning, we saw a couple relentlessly fighting right in the middle of the street. I tried to stop them, but a police officer stopped me.”

“I see…”

“This country is just like this, isn’t it?” Hermes said, and the woman nodded once.

“Yes. In this country, it was custom and law that couples shouldn’t hold back from each other. For that reason, fighting with your spouse is not a crime as long as no one gets killed.

“……” “……”

“But this isn’t something to be surprised about. After all, it has always been like this even in olden times.”

“I see,” Kino said.

“Hey, why did you marry that kind of person anyway?” Hermes asked forthright.

The woman smiled. It was a smile of self-mockery mixed with amusement, as if she had been asked the same question many times already.

“That’s so true. If I had the choice, would I have married such a man?”

“Was he like that even before you got married?” Hermes asked further, as frank as ever.

“No, he was different. When I first met him in our ‘omiai’, I thought he was a wonderful and sincere man,” the woman said.

“What’s an ‘omiai’ <ref>Literally, ‘looking at each other’. You can think of it as the equivalent of matchmaking or arranged marriages in Japanese culture.</ref>?” Kino asked.

“Is that the name of the restaurant where you had your first date or something?” Hermes answered, and the woman shook her head.

“An ‘omiai’ is a custom in this country, where a man and a woman who hope to get married meet for the first time. With a mediator’s help, two people of similar family backgrounds and economic status meet and talk to each other to look at the possibility of a good match. If everything goes well, the marriage will push through…”

“Then that means it’s possible to get married with a person you don’t love?” Kino asked in surprise.

“Yes, but that’s not all…. In this country, adults who don’t get married are not considered genuine grown-ups. Men should have a family to protect. Women should stay at home and take care of the household,” the woman answered.

“Hmm”

“And so everyone’s in a hurry to get married once they reach their late twenties. Perhaps they think that if they don’t get married soon, they wouldn’t be able to for the rest of their lives. They're afraid of never becoming ‘genuine adults’. During those times, there are many who were encouraged to attend an ‘omiai’.”

“I see…. But, isn’t marriage something that two people who love each other do, because they want to stay together for the rest of their lives?” Kino asked.

“Yes”

“But then, if this ‘omiai’ you’re speaking about is for choosing a partner in order to get married…, doesn’t the purpose defeat itself?”

The woman pondered for a while, then lightly nodded.

“You can probably put it that way. But miss traveler, results-wise, the means of getting a partner doesn’t have much to do with a successful married life. Things don’t always turn out well even if one marries for love, and there are cases when a couple could live happily even though their marriage was arranged through an ‘omiai’. To give you an example, my parents also met each other through an ‘omiai’, but they were able to have a happy family. I observed this as I grew up, so I looked up to my parents as my models, and it was my dream to have the same kind of family. Miss traveler, don’t you agree?”

“……”

“But in your case, you had a husband like that.”

Hermes replied while Kino fell silent.

“Yes…. Before, and for a while after we got married, we were conscious of each other’s needs, and I didn’t realize it. However, after living together for a while, we became too familiar with each other…, and it was already too late. Once, he noticed a little dust on the floor; all of a sudden, he got angry and hit me. At that time, I was too surprised to grasp what just happened, and he continued beating me.”

“Uh-huh,” Hermes interjected.

“Since then, he would become violent over the most trivial matters. Alcohol makes him even worse. He had pushed me down the stairs, pressed his cigarette on my skin…, shut me out of the house, thinly clothed, right in the middle of winter.”

“……”

“Anything else?” Hermes asked as if enjoying himself. The woman continued nonchalantly.

“He did all kinds of harsh things to me. When I told my old friend, she got angry and lectured me for a whole hour as to how something was wrong with me emotionally, and ‘how a woman should behave’ regardless of the violence you receive. Nothing was left of my belongings that I had before I got married. Everything was either thrown away or destroyed. I was keeping a cat until last year. However, while I was gone, that person threw it on the floor…; I had no choice but to kill it out of pity. That time, he was fined for being cruel to animals. But later on, he beat me and told me it was my fault for keeping a cat in the first place.”

“……”

“Uh-huh”

“All of my books and study manuals were burned. He told me there was no need for a housewife to learn anything else other than housekeeping. And so I bought books on cooking and housekeeping. Then he told me that I was hopeless no matter what I do, and threw away the books, which, according to him, were a ‘waste of money’. Ever since, I did nothing other than keeping the house. My life insurance was canceled, and I almost have nothing for my personal expenses. He told me: ‘Slaves don’t need money, you just do as I tell you.’”

“Hmm. I see, I understand it very well,” Hermes said with an awed tone. The woman continued.

“Even so, after behaving so violently, the next morning he would be on his knees, crying and apologizing. I would also cry and think, ‘Oh, this person is really gentle, deep inside,’ and I would forgive him for everything. But it would happen again and again. For a while after, he wouldn’t act terribly and would be kind. I would be constantly worried as to when he would be angry from my incompetence and inexperience as a wife. Perhaps, it was his weakness as a human, and I’m the only one who could help him with it — maybe it was my mission. Such thoughts crossed my mind,” the woman said and laughed.

“Uhm, can’t you file for divorce?” Kino asked. The woman had an expression more sorrowful than when she was being beaten.

“So you weren’t aware of it, huh…. What am I saying, of course a traveler wouldn’t know, I’m sorry. In this country, divorce is considered lowly, and no one approves of it. Either way, the only other means to end your marriage is to die.”

“Oh, dear. Religion?”

“No. It’s just a widely accepted view, I suppose. It seems they decided a long time ago that there is nothing more disgraceful than divorce. A divorced person was not able to protect his family, and hence he’s an inadequate member of society, a useless person. To avoid having such people, divorce was completely banned.

“…I see,” Kino muttered in a lifeless voice and glimpsed at Hermes.

As Kino was about to say something,

“Miss traveler,” the woman faced Kino with her lightly bruised face and spoke with a forceful tone.

“I have one request of you…”

Kino looked back at the wife. She returned a silent gaze.

“What is it? Is it something that I can do?”

“Yes. Only you can do it, miss traveler. You can get me out of my trouble. I’m willing to thank you to the best of my ability. It doesn’t matter to me even if you take everything of use to you in this house. My request has something to do with my husband…”

“I think I know what’s coming,” Hermes said.

“What is it?” Kino asked.

The woman looked back once and confirmed that there was nobody else. She made a brooding expression, and, with a low but clear voice, she spoke to Kino.

“Miss traveler, with that persuader, I want you to kill my husband.”

“Okay! She’ll do it!” was Hermes quick and cheerful reply.

“I’m sorry, please ignore what this guy says for a while,” Kino corrected.

The woman’s expression did not change. She looked at Kino.

“Please. He’s sleeping right now. I have the key to his bedroom.”

Kino lightly shook her head and spoke. “To make things short, it’s not possible. I can’t do this for you.”

“Oh, you won’t?” Hermes asked in a light tone.

“Of course not. That’s murder you know,” Kino said, and Hermes replied with a somewhat repulsive tone.

“Kino, don’t you remember how many people you have shot down until now? It’s not like you have ‘persuading powers’.”

“The circumstances are different. In this case, I can be punished by this country’s laws. That’s what I mean by murder. I don’t want to go to jail here.”

“Well, whatever—. What does this wife’s circumstances have to do with you, as long as you don’t die and continue to travel, Kino. Now that I think about it, it’s none of your business,” Hermes spoke with much sarcasm.

“Uh, uhm…” the woman shyly interjected and spoke firmly,

“You don’t have to worry about that. You are not going to be charged with murder.”

Kino looked as if she has just woken up in the middle of the day.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s the law. In this country, even if a person from outside the country commits a crime, if he gets out of the country within the day, no crime could be charged against him. As to why…. Well, originally, the police would desperately chase after the culprit. However, they couldn’t arrest them once they have escaped outside the country. To avoid people criticizing the police’s incompetence, they made a law that dismisses any illegal act committed by a foreigner. That is why no matter how many people you kill here today, you can walk out of the gates tomorrow morning without any problems.”

“……”

“But,”

Hermes tried to speak while Kino remained silent.

The woman continued. “I’m sure the reason for the rigorous check at the gates is this law. However, if they found out that I told you about this, I will be punished…, even so, I don’t care.”

Kino thought for a while, then said, “…Can I ask you one… no, two questions?”

“Go ahead.”

“If in case you could no longer stand your husband’s violence, and you killed him, what will be your punishment?”

“Death penalty. A person who kills his spouse will be charged with first-degree murder and will definitely be sentenced to death. Because the violence between husband and wife is acceptable and is not a crime, I have no legal motive to kill my husband.”

“…….. My other question may be a bit strange. When your husband said ‘sand’, what exactly does he mean?”

The woman smiled and answered, “He meant ‘sandbag’. You can see for yourself the reason for that name.”

“……”

“But… Kino, are you listening to me?” Hermes asked.

“I am.”

The woman looked at Kino pleadingly, with almost a worshipping expression.

“I beg you…, please…”

“What will you do, Kino?”

Kino stood up. She looked at her right thigh towards Canon, which was loaded with six bullets. And then she spoke.

“Let’s go back, Hermes.”

“I knew it.”

At the same time as Hermes’ short answer, the woman’s face was filled with a look of disbelief. She kicked the chair away as she stood up and clung to Kino’s leg.

“No way! I beg you! I cannot stand this sort of life anymore! You saw it yourself! You saw it, didn’t you?! I was being completely battered! Miss traveler! There’s no other way! Don’t you see?! This is my first and final chance! I have endured until now for a chance like this! Can you hear me?!”

“We’ll be… leaving,” Kino slowly and gently removed the hands of the pleading woman.

She removed Hermes’ stand and started to push him towards the entrance.

“I beg you…. Please…”

As Kino passed through the door, she turned to the woman who has broken down crying on the floor.

“Thank you for the cookies.”

She then faced the woman whose tears was flowing down her big, gaping eyes, and finally said,

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be a God.”

<center>—</center>

Kino and Hermes went out to the street from the apartment complex.

“I don’t feel well,” Kino said shortly.

Hermes spoke, as if consoling Kino. “I understand how you feel, Kino. But this country has to solve its issues by itself. No matter what a traveler says or does, the people will still stick with their own rules. Madeline said so.”

“Who? …You mean, ''meddlesome''? <ref>Hermes’ saying for the day. He said ''naizeru kanchou'', which translates to ‘Captain Nigel’, Kino corrects with ''naiseikanshou'' which means ‘intervention’. Sorry, I can’t think of a better pun… ^^;</ref>

“Yeah, that,” Hermes said and fell silent.

“It’s just as you say, Hermes. I understand that… all the more.”

“I sympathize with you. Kino, you’ll feel better if you eat something sweet. Ah, I just know.”

Kino sighed. “I’ll do that. I wonder if they have something in that café we went to in the morning…”

Kino started Hermes’ engine. She put on her hat and goggles, and rode through the street.

“Kino, I thought you noticed, but…,” Hermes said hesitantly while they were riding.

Kino nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t say anything, but this morning, she brought out a strong alcohol and let that dish drop on purpose. …I saw it.”

“That was some fine acting. I was deeply moved.”

“Indeed…. There really are different types of people.”

<center>—</center>

“Hey there, miss traveler.”

The police officer they met that morning called out to Kino and Hermes. He was leisurely standing in front of the open street café, which was just closing shop. Kino straightened her hat with a dejected face.

Without responding, Kino approached the police officer. There was a strange expression on her face as she walked past the right side of the officer, completely ignoring him.

At that moment, Kino reached for the holster on the man’s hip with her right hand, and drew out the hand persuader.

The policeman noticed immediately, but at the same time, he felt something pushing against his back and froze. Soon he heard a voice by his ear.

“Please don’t move. You don’t have to raise your hands.”

“M-miss traveler? W-w-w-w-what’s the meaning of this?”

“Nothing. However, if I pull this trigger, something ''really'' bad will happen, right? But it’s permissible. By the way, I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.”

The police officer became speechless for a moment. And then he spoke slowly.

“…F-from who did you hear about this? Rather, who told you? Will you tell me? I-I would really appreciate it if you do, and let me r-report it to the headquarters.”

Hermes poked fun at the officer. “Kino, this person sure is dedicated to his work. How wonderful. You have my respect. You should be promoted two ranks.”

Kino spoke, her tone not different from usual. “It doesn’t mean that someone told me. I tortured someone, and he confessed to me. He told me that if I leave tomorrow, ''anything'' I do here today wouldn’t be considered a crime.”

“……”

“Now, can I shoot?”

“…U-uhm, well…no. I have a wife that I love. I’m saying the truth. I don’t want to die yet.”

“…I see. Then, I’ll be returning this,” Kino said and returned the persuader inside its holster.

The surprised police officer turned around and took a relieved breath as he saw that what was pointed on his back was only Kino’s finger. He shook his head many times and took in one more mouthful of air.

After a while, Kino spoke. “That’s one weird law, you know.”

Even though he was staring at Kino somewhat sullenly, the police officer answered with a polite tone,

“I agree. To tell you the truth, I was just thinking yesterday how that law should be revised.”

“I totally approve. We might have been tempted to do something, you see.”

“Over-speeding, theft, kidnap for ransom, running away without paying for food…”

Kino and Hermes happily enumerated, and the police officer took one more deep breath.

“Don’t worry. We’ll definitely be gone by tomorrow. We won’t do anything. Also, I promise not to tell about this to anybody. …By the way, there’s just one question I would like to ask.”

“…What is it?”

“’Whatever happens between a married couple wouldn’t be considered a crime.’ Have there been any plans or moves to amend that law?” Kino asked.

“What for?” the police officer said and made an expression as if he didn’t completely understand what she meant.

“There’s no need for that to be changed, is there?” the officer said clearly.

“But look here, mister policeman. Is it really acceptable to hit your partner for whatever reason?” Hermes asked immediately.

“Yes”

“You mean, it doesn’t bother you?” Kino asked, and the policeman muttered a small ‘yes’. And then slowly, as though he was lecturing a child in the street, he spoke to Kino and Hermes.

“If it’s just that, then there should be no problems. They’re a married couple, you see.”

“……” “……”

“In any country, spats between married couples are unavoidable. It’s impossible to get rid of that, and it’s unreasonable for the police to intervene in such matters.”

“Even in cases of abuse?”

The police officer gave a slight nod to Kino’s question.

“Yes. Well, I suppose you can call it ‘abuse’ if one continues to win in a couple’s fight. Even so, the police cannot interfere because that is a problem between husband and wife. No matter what, an outsider should not intervene with the problems of a couple; it wouldn’t make any difference. That’s called being meddlesome.”

“Being meddlesome, it is,” Hermes said.

“Each person has the right and duty to choose how he should live. A couple was bound by marriage to cooperate with each other forever, in times of pain and illness; sharing the joys and sorrows fate would grant them; to live under one roof and look after each other. A stranger, much less the law, has no business restricting what a couple should do. Rather, nothing in this world should restrict them.

“……”

“I’ve mentioned it earlier, haven’t I? I’m married. That’s why I understand. A couple is closest to each other and loves each other the most because they live together. Still, disputes between them are inevitable. I’ve said it a lot of times now, but whatever their problems may be, they have to resolve it on their own. And with that, their relationship becomes even deeper.”

“Really?” Kino asked very doubtfully.

“Miss traveler, you would understand this once you get married. At that time, you would say, ‘Ah, so it was really like this, eh?’”

“……”

“I see,” Hermes muttered.

“Kino, how are you feeling? Are you in the mood to shoot someone?”

The police officer twitched and stiffened for a moment.

“Eh?! …Uhm”

Kino lightly tapped Canon on her right thigh and glanced at the police officer she threatened. Then she spoke with a completely detached expression.

“Not really…”

The sigh of the police officer was heard. At the same time, Kino glowered at him.

Once again, he stiffened under Kino’s stare. As she sent him sharp glares, she asked,

“I’m looking for a shop selling sweets. Is there one around here?”

<center>—</center>

Evening. Kino had already gone to bed.

In the house Kino visited in the morning, the man has woken up and went down to the dining room. He ordered his wife, who was sleeping prostrate on the table, to cook something.

The wife asked what he wanted to eat.

“Anything you make’s fine. It would be as bad as pig slop, anyway,” the man said gently.

The woman cut meat in the kitchen and made some steak. She then carried the dish to the dining room, still in the frying pan.

The woman spoke gently to the man who was seated in front of his plate.

“You know dear, there’s something I realized today.”

The man replied disinterestedly. “What is it, sandbag?”

The woman smiled, her eyes deep red from weeping out.

“In this world, there’s no such thing as a God or a Buddha. Therefore, there’s no such thing as miracles. Humans should solve their problems with their own hands. Then that means…. I was mistaken. I thought… even though I don’t make any effort, everything that I wish for will go my own way…. I thought that someday, a kind fairy godmother would appear out of nowhere and grant my wishes…. My father and my mother, even though they did nothing to each other, it doesn’t mean their relationship was always great. Probably…. No, I’m sure it’s like that.”

“Hmph. You’re a hopeless idiot as usual. Quit saying useless things and serve me quick. Bring some alcohol too. I have to do some exercise after my meal so stay right there, sandbag. Idiot. Trash,” the man said. The woman remained standing, holding the sizzling frying pan in her hands.

“Hurry up. Or do you want me to hit you right now?”

The man spoke without looking at his wife’s face. Even so, the woman remained standing dazedly, thinking about something. The man raised an irritated voice.

“Hey!”

Even so, the woman remained standing.

At last, the man kicked the chair and stood up.

Soon a scream was heard from the dining room of a house. It was a long, high-pitched scream. It resounded in the neighborhood, but nobody paid attention.

<center>—</center>

The next day. The morning of the third day since Kino entered the country.

When Hermes woke up, Kino has finished loading all of her luggage.

“Ah, good morning. Are we leaving already?”

Kino answered Hermes’ question while wiping the lens of her goggles.

“Yeah. Even if we stayed any longer, there wouldn’t be anything interesting here. …It’s a dull country.””

Kino rode Hermes towards the western gate.

‘What are you going to do?’ Hermes asked Kino along the way.

“Let’s leave things as is. There’s nothing much that person can do anyway.”

“Maybe so, but the same goes for you.”

Upon arriving in front of the gates, Kino stopped Hermes. She cut the engine and got off. As she started to push Hermes into the gate,

“Miss traveler!”

Kino looked back. The woman she met yesterday was smiling and waving from a car slightly far away.

The woman drove the car and stopped near Kino and Hermes.

The woman quickly got out of the car and stood in front of Kino and Hermes. The bruise on her forehead was still distinctly blue in color, but she had a bright expression.

“Good morning. I came to see you off. I’m glad I caught up with you.”

“Thank you…. Good morning,” Kino returned the greeting with a complex expression. Still smiling, the woman tapped the car from the outside.

“Look, dear. Let’s bid miss traveler farewell together. Quickly now.”

The woman’s husband slowly emerged from the car.

A net was covering the man’s head, the side of his head was wrapped in bandages, and his left arm was in a cast hanging from his neck.

“W-what happened?” Kino asked. The man did not answer. The woman laughed, slightly embarrassed.

“Well, last night, you see…” was her only answer. And then she hit her husband’s shoulder.

The man twitched and his body shook. As he stood silently, the woman from behind asked.

“Dear. Aren’t you going to greet miss traveler here?”

“Ah, yeah…. Hey…, g-good morning…,” the man chirped. The woman took out a stick from the car seat. It was a rolling pin used in kneading dough for a pie.

With this, the woman hit her husband’s back.

“Agh!” the man shrieked and twisted his body. The woman continued and hit the helpless man’s back seven times.

“What’s with that tiny voice? Give her a proper greeting.”

“I-I’m sorry,” were the only words the man managed to say. The woman bent over and hit her husband’s thigh strongly with the rolling pin. The man collapsed. He fell on his left arm and gave a shriek.

Like before, Kino just looked on without changing her expression.

Ignoring the man groveling on the ground, the woman tried to say something to Kino. At that time,

“Hey, miss traveler! Are you leaving already?” A loud voice called from afar. It belonged to the uniformed police officer Kino threatened the previous day. He approached Kino with a quick gait.

“Hello there. We meet again. It seems you’re going out of the country. Did you enjoy your stay?” the policeman asked with a smile. Kino answered with a yes, and Hermes retorted,

“Very much. By the way, I see you’ve been tailing us since morning. You’re not very good at it are you?”

The policeman narrowed his eyes for a moment. Then he replied awkwardly, “A-ah, well…, so you noticed, eh? I’m sorry, but this is part of my job…. I am dedicated to my work, after all.”

“Ah, well that’s funny,” Hermes said, and they both laughed.

In the midst of this cheerful atmosphere,

“P-please help me!”

The man suddenly got up and shouted. He clung to the police officer’s foot with his right arm.

“O-officer! You’re just in time! H-help me! T-this woman is heartlessly beating me!”

The policeman looked gloomily at the man. Then he turned his face to the woman.

“Yes. He’s my husband,” the woman said.

“S-s-save me! I beg you! Protect me! I’m going to get killed!”

“Please calm down, mister.”

The police officer slowly and gently removed the man’s hand.

The woman slowly got closer to her husband’s face and spoke with a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry, dear. I am not going to kill you.”

“Eep!” The man drew back as if trying to escape.

“I know about vital spots. You do realize that I took medicine when I was not yet married, don’t you?”

“See, your wife said it herself. Mister, you have to pull yourself together,” the officer said, and the man pointed at the bandages on the side of his head.

“Just look at the wounds she gave me yesterday! Last night she struck me with a sizzling frying pan without warning! After that, while I was collapsed, she recklessly hit me with a chair and broke the bones in my left arm! Look!”

“So that was the aftermath of your fight, eh? How unmanly of you!” the police officer said, making a small triumphant pose. An old man with an old woman who seemed to be his wife, snickered as they passed through.

“No way…,” the man muttered. Immediately, the wife’s kick connected with his flank.

“Guh!” the man bent and pressed down on his flank. He collapsed and became quiet.

The woman bowed to the police officer several times. “I’m really sorry, officer. We’re causing you trouble.”

“Nope, it’s okay. My job is to protect everybody’s safety. Do not hesitate to approach me for the slightest concern… is what I would like to say. But the truth is there’s so little crime around that I have so much free time,” the police officer said as he saluted and winked.

“Well,” the woman gave a slightly surprised smile.

“Help me…. Please, I’ll get killed…. Officer…,” a weak voice was heard.

With a disappointed look on his face, the police officer squatted down and spoke to the man groaning on his side.

“Ok, ok. Mister, police officers do not have that much free time, you know. Please stop this notion of you getting killed. You should get along with your wife. If there’s any problem, you should solve it together. You are a married couple, after all.”

The police officer stood up, turned to Kino and Hermes, and saluted respectfully.

“Miss traveler, I’ll have to excuse myself now. I apologize for tailing you. However, I truly thank you for staying here. I’ll be leaving you to the care of the gate sentry. Oh, that store’s root beer float was delicious, wasn’t it?”

Kino lightly bowed her head. “Yes, thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome,” the police officer said and walked away.

When the police officer could no longer be seen, the woman spoke to Kino and Hermes.

“Miss traveler, I wanted to thank you. That’s why I wanted to see you.”

“You wanted… to thank… me?”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “Yes. Yesterday, at that time, you did the right thing. Thank you.”

“……”

“Because this is my… no, our problem, we have to solve it by ourselves, right? I already quit waiting for God. From here on, I will seize my happiness with my own hands. I will do my best to live honestly. Oh, right! I wanted to give you something as a souvenir to remind you of this country. I’ll take it and return here immediately, so wait here okay?”

The woman squatted, pulled her husband’s ear and brought it close to her mouth.

“Dear, I’ll be back soon. Don’t do anything stupid in front of miss traveler.”

“……”

“Answer me!”

The man’s face crumpled as his wife suddenly shouted in his ear.

“…Y-yes. I understand.”

“Ah, hand me your wallet. I’ll hold onto it from now on. I can’t let you have excess stuff. Understand?”

“…Yes”

The moment the man said this, the woman let go of his ear. The man’s head fell on the road with a blunt sound. His eyeglasses fell off.

The woman took out a wallet from the man’s breast pocket. She lightly sauntered to a nearby store and went inside.

With the same expressionless face, Kino looked on as the man slowly raised himself up.

The man sat up. Blood seeped out of the bandages from his head. He looked up at Kino with a pleading, almost worshipping expression.

“M-miss traveler…. I-I have one request,” the man spoke feebly.

“What is it?”

“C-can you kill ''that''?”

“What do you mean by ‘that’?”

Kino asked with an extremely normal tone. The man spoke wildly while his head trembled.

“My wife! I-It’s only in this country… where there’s a law that if you’re a traveler, anything you do won’t be held against you as long as you leave immediately. B-but, if they found out that I told this to you, I will be punished…, even so, I don’t care! S-so please, with that persuader, shoot my wife to death! I’ll do anything to thank you!”

“But… what are you going to do, Kino?”

“I refuse.”

The man looked as if he was about to cry at Kino’s reply. Soon, he really did burst into tears.

While hanging his head and sobbing bitterly, the man muttered.

“…W-why do I have to suffer like this…? Why…? I don’t understand at all. Have I done anything to her for her to treat me like this? Is there any reason why my wife would suddenly become violent and attack her husband like this?”

“I don’t know. I’m single, so I don’t understand,” Kino said.

‘Ah,’ the man muttered softly. He sniffled several times.

“…Until now, I did a fine job supporting my family. I did all that I can to do what was expected of a husband. I dismissed socializing with others, came home from work early…, set aside some time for conversation with her, stayed with her during holidays. I even had the same hobbies as her.”

“……” “……”

“Of course, she was pretty demanding…, but I tried my best to do everything for her, even if I had to make sacrifices… because I was aiming for a harmonious married life. And so…, I thought she would be very happy… Why, why did it turn out like this…? There’s something utterly wrong with her since yesterday. Maybe I should have her checked in the hospital even if she’s against it? Ah…”

“Until yesterday, was there anything your wife should be angry about?” Kino asked.

“I don’t know…. I couldn’t think of anything…”

“Like punching her all of a sudden or something?”

The man slightly raised his head to Hermes’ question. He became slightly garrulous.

“Well that’s…, whenever my wife makes a mistake, I would hit her, but since she’s a woman, I go easy on her. If that’s——”

The man’s upper body suddenly collapsed.

“Aagh!”

His eyeglasses flew away. The man’s face was scraped on the road. The woman who just came back pitilessly kicked away the man’s right arm.

The woman ignored her husband and handed a tiny paper bag to Kino.

“Here. A souvenir from this country. Open it.”

Kino looked inside. Carved on a tiny iron plate was a pair of water birds that resembled wild ducks nestled close together. She showed it to Hermes.

“It’s a charm. I thought a big one would be a bother to take with you.”

“Thank you very much. What kind of charm is this?” Kino asked, and the woman answered with a smile.

“It’s for a happy marriage. These are called ‘Mandarins’. It is said that these birds live their whole life with the same partner. A long time ago, married couples with good relationships were called ‘Mandarin couples’ <ref> This is true. In China, Mandarin ducks are regarded as a symbol of faithfulness and a happy married life. </ref>. Someday, somewhere, I wish that you would find a wonderful partner, miss traveler.”

“……. Thank you… very much.”

With an indescribable expression on her face, Kino thanked the woman. And then, she pushed Hermes into the gates. She looked back once and saw the woman striking the man several times.

<center>—</center>

“Tadah! Look here, please!”

The sentry cheerfully greeted and showed a panel to Kino across the ticket window of the guard post. Over there were photos of several men with general profiles written underneath.

“What… is this?” Kino asked.

“Listen well! This is something originally developed in our country. A historical couple compatibility diagnostic method we call the ''‘Perfect Matching Method’''. After our calculations, we produced a list of men which would be perfect husband-material for Miss Kino!”

“What?”

“Let me see! Let me see!” Hermes said energetically, and the sentry changed the angle a little for Hermes to see.

“When you entered the country, you answered a questionnaire, didn’t you? With that, we determined Miss Kino’s hereditary disposition and judged based on different possibilities. On top of that, we’ve chosen men from our country who are perfectly compatible with Miss Kino’s values, way of living, thinking, attributes, and feelings!”

“What for?”

The guard grinned. “It’s only in this country. If you agree to have an interview with these men, you will be given permission to stay in our country for one month. And if you decide to marry one of them, we will grant you citizenship unconditionally.”

“……” “That’s amazing!”

Kino kept silent while Hermes gleefully exclaimed.

“Isn’t it? Wow, you are so lucky, Miss Kino. You dropped in during our campaign period, purely by chance. This is such a great opportunity, don’t you think? I doubt you’ll have a chance like this elsewhere. There are few chances for you to get to know someone wonderful during your travels, right?”

“True, true! That’s spot on. Kino seldom meets anyone. On rare occasions, they would either be shot to death or would escape frazzled all over. It’s really thrilling to watch from below, you know.” Hermes was truly enjoying this. The sentry continued.

“How about it, Miss Kino? According to our data, 67% of single men and 82% of single women think that marriage will make them happy. However, only 43% of men and 29% of women think that they will meet someone even if they don’t do anything. Maybe you have to take one more look at your life, and try it out for the time being? We have data for thousands of men, and among these, we can send you about fifty files to peruse every week. We also sponsor wonderful get-together parties twice a week. Moreover, the government runs this system, so the national assembly hall can be used as the reception hall! There is live music from the national orchestra, and from time to time, the state leader even comes to give a speech!”

“……”

“What do you think? There was a scholar who said that humans are animals who live to support each other. There was also a poet who left the words, ‘Marriage is the least and last form of human interaction.’ He also said this: ‘Marriage is half pain and twice the pleasure.’”

“……”

“Don’t you think people who are not married and talk about life are mistaken? Marriage is the goal of a human’s existence, and marriage is just the beginning of a person’s life. Everything that you do in your life before that is just in preparation for marriage. It’s just a ''rehearsal'', you know?”

“……”

“Miss Kino, you’re still young, but if you take your time, you will be an old maid in no time! So now! Sign this contract immediately and find a wonderful partner in our country!”

Kino poked her finger on the man’s head, who slowly raised his face. And then,

“Don’t you know? Anything I do here wouldn’t be considered a crime,” she threatened in a whisper.

“Have a nice trip—!” The guard gave her a refreshing smile and said this energetically. Then he closed the guard post’s shutters in an instant.

“……”

While shaking her head several times, she climbed on Hermes and started the engine. She strapped her goggles on.

“Let’s go, Hermes.”

“Is it okay if you don’t get married?” Hermes teased.

“Traveling is much safer,” Kino answered.

“I guess so.”

While riding away, Kino looked back at the towering walls and muttered,

“I wish you happiness.”

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v4_63.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>

==Translator’s Notes==

<references/>

<noinclude>

{{Navigation

| Kino no Tabi

| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]

| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume4_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]

}}

</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume4 Chapter1

2017-06-29T02:14:32Z

Napen123:

==“A Land with a Statue” ―Angel?―==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_V04C01_notext.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

Once upon a time, a traveler came to a small country in a valley.

The traveler who came riding a motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly) was looking around leisurely at the rich and beautiful farmlands and at the old and narrow historical town roads. They stopped in front of a wooden statue in the plaza.

The statue simply had the appearance of a human, and it was holding a long stick in its hand. At its feet, there was a creature which can’t be clearly identified.

The young traveler asked a resident, “What is this?”

The resident answered with a smile.

“This is the statue of an angel which descended from the sky a long time ago to save the country. With his club, he quickly exterminated twenty-two demons that tormented the people and restored peace in this country. And then he went back to the sky.”

“Angel? Descended from the sky? What’s that?” the motorrad asked.

The resident narrowed his eyes, and answered,

“It’s a fairy tale. It has been handed down in this country up to now――”

<noinclude>

{{Navigation

| Kino no Tabi

| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume4_Prologue|Prologue]]

| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]

}}

</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume3 Chapter1

2017-06-18T02:54:00Z

Napen123: flied -> flew, where -> were, and remove some unneeded commas.

=="A Land Without Borders" —Designated Area—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v3_014-015.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

Across a meadow ran a single motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly).

There, nothing could be seen but the moderately wet earth, the grass across which winter was slowly beginning to spread, the sky and the clouds, and the sun. There were no mountains in the distance, and grass circled around from all sides. Ninety percent of one’s vision would be occupied by the sky.

The motorrad was packed full of travel luggage. On top of the rear pipe carrier sat a large briefcase, above which several containers of water and fuel were lined up. As if cutting through it, on each side of the rear wheel was a box. A rolled-up sleeping bag was tied to the headlight.

“This is so boring…,” said the motorrad.

“That’s the one hundred eighty-fourth time,” the rider said.

“……”

“……”

And then they both fell silent.

The rider wore a brown coat, the excess hem of which was rolled up to her thighs. She wore a brimmed hat with long flaps that covered her ears, as well as a pair of goggles. The face behind those goggles was young; the girl seemed to be in her teens. She had large eyes, and wore an intrepid expression across her face.

There wasn’t anything like a path along the grassy field, so while running across the grass, avoiding the occasional bump, the motorrad casually continued along.

Eventually, the sun rose so high that the motorrad’s shadow extended completely horizontal to it.

“Are we taking a break anytime soon, Kino?” the motorrad asked.

“Well,” the rider named Kino spoke. “Not yet. But maybe we can stop early today, and take it easy this evening.”

“Got it… but even so, this is boring,” said the motorrad.

“One hundred eighty-fifth time,” said Kino. Then she asked with a carefree tone, “I thought about asking you this yesterday. Do you get bored even when we’re moving?”

The motorrad called Hermes replied, “That’s right, especially when it’s like this, where the land is all flat and we’re going at the same speed, it’s as if I’m on a factory roller, and it feels as though only my wheels are moving. Or rather, I feel like a mouse inside a cage.”

“I see….”

“What about you, Kino? Just like this, when the scenery doesn’t change a bit, doesn’t it get tiring?” Hermes asked.

Kino answered, “Whether it’s tiring or not, I think about other things while riding, so that notion passed me by a long time ago.”

“Eh? What kinds of things? Tell me a bit about it,” Hermes requested. Kino said that it will probably be uninteresting, but Hermes pressed on.

“Just now I was thinking, if I were having a knife thrust at me from the right, and I hit the attacker’s hand to drop his weapon, do I make a shoulder throw, or do I twist his hand back and pin it down? Or, should I take one step back and kick his hand? Or is it better to dodge the thrust with half of my body while going for an elbow strike?”

“……”

“Those sorts of things.”

“… That’s not interesting.”

“I told you.”

The motorrad continued to run across the meadow.

“So boring…,” Hermes sighed.

“One hundred eighty-six…”

Kino stopped in the middle of her utterance. She stood up while riding. ‘What’s wrong?’ asked Hermes.

“What a surprise…”

“Hmm?”

At first, from their location, Kino and Hermes could see things that seemed like specks of trash. When they advanced further, there were several black dots in the green space below the horizon. They gradually came closer and realized that some of the dots were big while others were tiny.

Before long, they found something else. The larger things were dome-shaped tents, several of which were constructed close together. The smaller things around them were groups of livestock, and the people next to them.

Hermes whistled, “That is surprising indeed. There are people here. And cows and horses and sheep. And houses too.”

“This isn’t a country, is it…? They’re nomads…”

“There are actually people living here. That’s amazing.”

Kino slowed Hermes down a little. A person on a horse turned to Kino and rode over to them. It was a young man in his prime wearing peculiarly-made clothing.

“What do you think, Kino?” Hermes asked.

“If they don’t welcome us, we’ll take a detour. I’ll talk to him first.”

Kino stopped Hermes. The man came over. He wasn’t carrying anything. With a smile, he said, “Hello, traveler. We are a clan living in these meadows.”

Kino returned the greeting. The man asked Kino where she was headed.

“A country to the west. I have no intention to get in the way of your lifestyle. I’m just passing through.”

Thereupon, the man shook his head.

“There’s no need for that, and that’s not what we want. For generations, it has been our tradition to welcome the travelers we occasionally meet. We’ll share with you our food and dwellings. By all means, please become our guest. I came as a representative of our leader.”

“I see…” Kino muttered. Kino asked Hermes what to do.

“I don’t mind as long as you’re fine with it.”

After pondering for a moment, Kino spoke to the man, “I understand. Please excuse me for the intrusion.”

With a truly happy expression on his face, he exclaimed, “Then please follow me!”

He rode his horse towards the settlement. Kino launched Hermes and slowly approached.

<center>—</center>

In the settlement, there stood approximately twenty portable tents. Heavy cloth covered the large, dome-shaped objects. One huge tent stood out from the rest.

An uncountable number of cows and sheep casually chewed on grass in the area near the settlement. Men riding on horses were shepherding the flocks around.

A group of about twenty people awaited Kino and Hermes. Various ages were apparent in the group, from young people under twenty to middle-aged women. About half of them have pipes stuffed in their mouths, from which smoke came out.

Before the group, Kino cut Hermes’engine and got off. Then she removed her hat and goggles.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Kino, and this here is my partner, Hermes.”

“Hello there.”

The oldest-looking man among the crowd, who had a pipe in his mouth with smoke rising from it, spoke, “Mister Kino, Mister Hermes. Welcome. I am the chief of this family. Since we are constantly relocating, it is rare for us to meet a traveler. Please do relax and rest your tired body with us.”

After Kino thanked him, a kind-looking middle-aged woman led her to one of the tents. Along the way, children could be seen peeking out timidly from several tents.

The tent’s interior was so spacious that it seemed like several people could sleep inside it at once. Wooden frames radiating outward from a central wooden pillar supported the roof. Soft felt was laid out underfoot.

The entrance was made larger for Hermes so he could enter. When Kino heard that this tent normally served as the woman’s house, but will be made into her personal quarters for a while, she voiced her thanks once more.

After the woman left, Kino removed her coat. Kino was wearing a black jacket underneath, with a belt strapped around her waist. Attached on the belt were several pouches, and on her right thigh hung a revolver-type hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case a pistol). Behind her hung another weapon, a .22 caliber automatic. Kino called the revolver ‘Canon’ and the other ‘Woodsman’.

Removing Woodsman from its holster, Kino toppled over, face up, inside the tent.

“This is comfortable,” she muttered instinctively.

“It is,” agreed Hermes. “If you think about it, this tent seems like it would be warm in the winter and cool during summer. See, the hems are open. It must be so that it could be put together and taken down quickly.”

“In order to search for pasture, they must have to relocate plenty of times every year. The chances of us meeting them like this may be miraculous. Have they been living in this meadow, existing side by side with earth and nature their whole lives? And with no high protective wall surrounding them…” Kino said this with profound emotion.

“Are you jealous? I bet they’ll be your friends if you ask.”

Kino got up and spoke, “No, I’ll pass. I doubt I’d fit in either.”

“Well, where would you fit in?” Hermes asked.

“Is that something,” Kino started, “I should look for?”

<center>—</center>

In the evening, Kino was invited to supper.

Since Hermes was asleep, Kino left him in the tent and was introduced to everyone in front of the large tent which belonged to the chief. The entire clan consisted of a little less than fifty people. There were about ten children who were no more than twelve years old.

After that, she was treated to a meal in the chief’s tent. Lined up on a low and long table was a simple and frugal meal primarily made from dairy products. When Kino was asked if the food suited her tastes, she honestly replied that it was delicious.

However, because of the incessant smoking of their pipes, the inside of the tent was considerably filled with smoke. Kino’s eyes began to sting, and she asked for permission to leave. She went outside in search of fresh air.

Outside the tent, while she was looking at the burning dusk sky, someone suddenly spoke from her side.

“You are…”

Kino, startled, turned toward the voice’s origin. Before her eyes, with the completely red sky set as the background, a man who appeared to be in his thirties stood. He had well-ordered features, and it may have been because he seemed so emotionless.

Kino’s expression changed slightly when she saw the man.

Though he was wearing the same clothes as the rest, his eyes were of a different color – a light shade of gray. The color of his skin was also somewhat different, and he was noticeably taller than the others.

“Don’t mind me,” he said to Kino, who was looking at him dubiously. He continued to stare fixedly at her with his gray eyes and asked with a flat tone, “Are you the traveler who came today?”

“That’s right,” Kino nodded.

“Everyone thinks that you’re a man. You’re not, are you?”

“……. What about it?” Kino returned.

“Nothing,” the man said without changing his expression.

He looked at Kino for a while longer, and then left without going into the tent.

<center>—</center>

The next day.

Kino woke up at dawn as usual. The weather was good.

When she went outside, everyone was already awake and milling about with their daily activities. A woman was milking the sheep. A young fellow was grooming a horse. There were children helping to light a fire. Occasionally, an adult would come over to the fire to light his pipe.

When a woman who happened to pass by told Kino that it’s fine if she sleeps a little longer, she replied that she was accustomed to waking up early.

The woman who had spoken to her smiled and said, “That is a very good thing.”

Back inside her tent, Kino practiced drawing Canon and Woodsman. After giving them a quick tune-up, she returned them to their holsters.

After everyone had finished their tasks, they gathered in small groups in various places and began their breakfast. The meal consisted of what seemed like bread and a topping of melted cheese. Kino said that it was very delicious, and then offered them some of the clay-like portable rations she had for them to try. To this, they made a complex expression, and ended up only eating a little bit of what she gave them.

<center>—</center>

After the meal, the men mounted their horses and left to shepherd the animals. The women who were left were in charge of cleaning up, mending clothes or the tents, and looking after the children. They occasionally took a break and smoked their pipes under the blue sky.

While she was examining Hermes, Kino noticed that the children were looking on from afar.

“If you want a closer look, go ahead. He doesn’t bite,” said Kino.

“How rude! … But yeah, that’s right.”

The children approached timidly. The youngest among them were mere toddlers, while the oldest were about eleven or twelve years old. Since it was rare for them to see something like Hermes, some of them touched him with deep interest.

“Whoa, it’s stiff!”

“Amazing… it’s an iron horse.”

“His name is Hermes,” so Kino said, and immediately, cries arose from the children.

“What a weird name!”

“How strange!”

“That’s a funny name!”

“Hurr-meez?” one of them asked.

“No, no! It’s Hermes. Not ''‘hur’'', but ''‘her’''. It sounds weird when you say it like that!”<ref>
A slight modification. In Japanese, his name is really pronounced as ‘E-RU-ME-SU’, but the problem is, it is actually pronounced with an ‘H’ in English, which is what he was trying to correct here.</ref>

“Hurmeeees!”

“I told you it’s not ''‘hur’''! ''‘Her-mes’''!”

While the innocent children and the shameless Hermes let loose on each other, Kino noticed that a few of the children had small pipes in their mouths. Looking closer, she saw that there was no grass in them.

“What are those pipes? Do you all smoke too?” Kino asked the oldest-looking boy.

“Nah, we just have them around. Only the adults can smoke them. Because the adults work for the sake of everyone, they get to smoke as a reward. When we’re recognized as adults, we get to smoke for the first time.”

“Uh-huh.”

“In order to be recognized as an adult, the boys have to ride horses. But not only do we have to ride them, we also need to be able to order around the flocks of animals, too.”

“What about you?” Kino asked.

“I’m still in training…,” the boy replied in a small voice. He then pulled out a sickle from behind his waist and said, “B-but! If it’s harvesting grass, I’m the best! If my mom helps, yeah, it’s the best…”

The boy said this proudly, but a girl behind him who looked about twelve said,

“Harvesting the grass is the women’s work. A boy who can’t ride a horse is pretty uncool.”

“……”

The boy fell silent. The girl turned to Kino and said,

“I’m going to bear his children. He’s going to be my husband.”

“Huh…? It’s already decided?” Kino asked.

“Yup. From the time I was born. That’s why he has to become cool. But he’s no good as he is right now,” the girl said energetically as she gave a big nod.

“Pfft, whatever. You’re just a tomboy,” the boy sourly responded.

The girl ignored him and continued, “It’s quite sad, actually. I’m better at horse-riding than him.”

Kino made a wry smile.

“If that’s the case, then can’t you guys just exchange jobs once you’re living together?”

The girl stared blankly at her for a moment, and then,

“Oh. You’re right. I’ll ride the horses when I grow up!”

“You can’t do that. That’s so dumb.”

“It’s fine! I’ve already decided. I’ll go tell my father now.”

“You can’t.”

“Can too!”

Kino followed the pair with her eyes as they chased each other in high spirits. When she turned around, Hermes was still chatting with the kids surrounding him.

“I! Told! You! It’s not ‘hur’, it’s ‘her’!”

<center>—</center>

At noon, the men returned, and everyone had their lunch and afternoon naps.

After that, Kino was invited to try riding a horse. The clansmen instructed Kino, who had never ridden a horse before.

At the beginning, she was only making slow strides, but when she became used to it, she became able to ride at a fairly high speed.

Kino’s brilliant riding skill was watched upon closely by the adults with admiration. The chief, with the smoking pipe in his mouth, curtly said,

“It’s decided.”

The adults surrounding the chief nodded in silence. From a place slightly farther away, a horseman watched this scene with his gray eyes.

<center>—</center>

Evening. It was after the usual meal in the smoky tent.

In front of her own tent, Kino, who was sitting on Hermes who was set on his center stand, looked up at the sky. Clouds were gathering over the western horizon, and the sunset was darkish.

“So, did they ever end up getting your name right, Hermes?”

“No… All those children still think that you told them ‘Hurmees’.”

Kino stifled a laugh. “… You know, when we leave tomorrow, you won’t have another chance to correct them.”

“I suppose so…” Hermes muttered, and continued, “It looks like the weather will be bad tomorrow, Kino.”

“You’re right…. Even so, we can only stay for three days.”

“… Roger,” said Hermes. Kino got off Hermes. Right then,

“You…”

“Whoa!”

The ashen-eyed man from the previous night had suddenly spoken up from behind. Hermes let out a yelp while Kino turned around to him with a glare.

The man took a few steps toward them. The man stood beside them and looked down on Kino and Hermes.

He asked, “Where are you from?”

Kino, without breaking her gaze on the man, shook her head.

The man asked again, “Have you decided on a country where you will be staying permanently?”

Kino spoke slowly, “I’m still… going to travel for a long time.”

The man made several small nods. He continued with his accent-free voice, “I see. You’re able to accustom yourself to that destitution you call freedom? That’s quite something.”

“……”

“What’s wrong?” the man asked Kino, who was silently staring at him.

And then Kino asked, “This may be rude, but… were you a traveler before?”

“No,” the man replied immediately.

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s a lie,” the man replied immediately again. As if seeking confirmation, Kino slowly asked,

“You… you weren’t born with these people, were you?”

“……. What about it?” the man responded and turned on his heels.

Kino followed his back with her eyes. When he could no longer be seen, Hermes asked,

“He’s sharp. Just who in the world is he?”

Kino responded truthfully.

“I don’t know…”

<center>—</center>

The next day, that is, the morning of the third day since Kino encountered the clan.

The sky was covered with low, heavy clouds. Though the sun had risen, the dimness of the sky hasn’t changed.

After breakfast, Kino informed the chief of her intention to leave that day. With a surprised face, he asked if they had done something that displeased her.

“No. It’s only because I have decided to stay for only three days in any single country…. I’m enormously grateful for your hospitality.”

The chief, taken by surprise for a moment, immediately said,

“The truth is, we already planned a welcoming celebration for you, and we will be holding our first dinner party in a long time tonight. We will be choosing a cow to be slaughtered for everyone to eat, so everybody’s looking forward to it. Besides, the weather is bad, so can’t you stay for one night longer?”

“……. I really thank you for taking that much trouble, but…”

Upon seeing Kino’s hesitation, the woman who had lent Kino her tent spoke,

“Chief, we can start the preparations immediately. If we do that, then we’ll be able to hold the party a little past noon. That way, Miss Kino could take part as well.”

“Ooh, how about that?” the chief asked. Kino nodded in assent.

The chief really looked pleased and alerted everyone to the plan.

<center>—</center>

“—— and because of that, we will be leaving after the feast,” she told Hermes while piling her luggage on him.

“Okay. Have fun.”

After she had finished her preparations for departure, Kino left Hermes in the tent, put on her jacket and turned toward the chief’s tent.

The sky was still covered, and there was very little light.

<center>—</center>

“Well, this is boring…”

Soon after Kino left, Hermes complained by himself in the tent.

Right then, the hem on the opposite side of the entrance was raised soundlessly. A man’s shadow slipped inside.

“Who’s there? Kino’s not here right now.”

“Yeah,” returned a voice, its owner approaching.

“Oh, it’s just the mister with the gray eyes…” Hermes said somewhat nervously. The man grabbed Hermes’ handlebars, removed him from his stand, and pushed him forward.

“Well, let’s go.”

“Where to?” Hermes asked.

“To put it one way,” the man replied, “Hell.”

<center>—</center>

In the chief's tent, several long tables had been lined up, with about thirty people in all sitting around them. As usual, everyone was inseparable from their pipes, and the inside of the tent was awash with the stench of burning weed. At the center was a chunk of well-roasted beef.

Kino was offered a seat near the center of the tent, and with that, the party began. The man in charge cut up the meat into sections with a large kitchen knife. Salt and dried garlic was spread adequately across the cuts.

When Kino asked where the children and the rest of the family were, the man next to him responded,

“We couldn’t fit everyone in this tent, so they’re in a different one. Besides, there are those who have to guard the animals and look after the children. They’re taking turns doing it, you see. It’s been a long time since we’ve had meat after all. Also, it’s our custom to not let the children participate. They must be frustrated right now, and wanting to become adults sooner.”

The man whiffed a puff of smoke from his pipe and took a sip of liquid from a flask fashioned out of intestines. He offered Kino some, but when she learned that it was alcohol made from sheep’s milk, she politely declined.

“Miss traveler, how about some of this?” A woman passed a wooden cup to Kino. It had tea in it.

Kino thanked her and accepted it. Kino sniffed the tea, and then asked, “It has an interesting aroma. What kind of tea is this?”

“Huh? Um, uh… well, you see, it doesn’t have a name…,” the woman was taken slightly aback, but gave a smile and continued, “Well, go ahead and have a taste.”

Kino stared at the tea for a few moments. And then,

“I think this tea might be a bit too intense for me. I apologize, but I’ll have to decline.”

She placed the cup on the table.

The man next to Kino looked at her suspiciously.

Kino slowly stood up. “Everyone, I am very grateful for this feast, but it’s about time for me to leave.”

Every member of the family simultaneously looked at her with an astonished expression.

“Is that so? Well then, let me escort you outside,” said the woman who offered her the cup of tea.

She then led Kino toward the exit. Kino slowly turned her back, and suddenly twisted her body around.

The woman brought down a club, missing the back of Kino’s head and sweeping her shoulder. Kino took a leap backwards. She kicked up the table behind her, scattering some of the food.

Everyone in the tent stood up at once. With clubs in their hands, they looked at Kino with stiff expressions. The young men blocked the only exit, and the rest surrounded Kino.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Kino asked.

The chief spoke from behind, “Miss Kino. Won’t you please just keep quiet and drink that tea? We don’t want to give you a painful experience. We won’t take your life; you just have to endure for a while.”

Kino slowly turned around and questioned the chief.

“What if I refuse?”

Without answering, the chief waved his hand lightly. The sound of clubs being gripped tightly was heard.

Kino slowly pulled Canon out of the holster in her right thigh.

Everyone faltered for a moment, but soon the chief took one step closer to Kino.

“Hoho! Are you planning to use that? However, you can’t keep on firing that forever, can you? You may be able to bring down a few people, but after that, it’s over!”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right,” Kino said, and slowly returned Canon to its holster.

Several men approached Kino. Then Kino trampled violently on the end of the table by her feet.

As the men flinched from the table that flew up, Kino moved to the opposite side of the exit. She pulled out the kitchen knife still stuck in the meat and seized the nearest person ——the chief. She grasped his hair from behind with her left hand and poked his throat with the kitchen knife with her right.

“Nobody move!” Kino cried sharply. Everyone’s movements came to a complete halt.

“Y-you bastard…,” the chief who was forced to face upward said in anguish.

“''I won’t take your life; you just have to endure for a while'',” Kino said bit by bit.

“Hah! It’s futile. There’s no way you’ll get out of here. Your motorrad must have been destroyed by now.”

“Then it’s like that time…,” Kino whispered absentmindedly. At the same time, she grabbed the chief’s hair more fiercely, pushing the knife’s blade against his throat.

Amidst his distress, the chief shouted,

“… Everyone! Even if I die, don’t let her leave the tent! Don’t let her take a single step outside!”

“How admirable.”

Kino tossed away the knife and let go of the chief at the same time. Before the knife fell, she pulled out Canon and fired three shots in succession.

A thunderous roar echoed inside the tent. It was from the lower part of the central pillar. All three bullets hit that place, and the wood was hollowed out. While watching the men springing towards her, Kino gave the pole a violent kick, toppling it over.

The roof of the tent fell in a moment.

Kino crawled out from under the hem of the tent. Not a single soul could be seen under the dark sky; only the similar-looking tents lined up in silence.

When she looked back, she saw the adults wriggling under the flattened tent. Somebody cried out.

“Damn! Look for her! Chase her! Bring her back alive! Blood! Precious blood!”

Kino began to run to her own tent. However, when she passed through one side, a man who leaped out from there found her.

“You’re not going anywh——”

Kino shot the man’s foot. He tumbled over, shrieking in pain.

“There she is! Over there!”

Hearing someone’s voice from behind her, Kino clicked her tongue.

She took a roundabout path to conceal herself among the nearby tents. At that moment, her mouth was covered violently from behind her head.

“!”

Kino flailed at her right side, pushed Canon at the chin of the person behind her, and pulled the trigger.

No bullet came out. Kino’s face froze.

“Don’t say a word. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She heard an emotionless voice speak from behind her ear. The force restraining her mouth loosened, allowing her to turn her neck.

Ashen eyes stared back at her. His right hand gripped Canon, his thumb interposing the hammer. He slowly drew his hand away from Canon and released Kino.

“Don’t use your persuader. It’ll give out your location.”

Kino looked up at the man.

“Aren’t you going to attack me?”

“No, I won’t.”

Right when he said this, another man’s voice was heard.

“There she is! Rauher’s got her!”

Three men with clubs approached them.

“Use this. Leave two of them to me,” said the ashen-eyed man called Rauher.

He handed Kino a club similar to theirs.

The three men had rushed to them unprepared and became confused when they were attacked by Kino and Rauher.

While Kino knocked out one of the men, Rauher had beaten down the other two.

Rauher pulled a knife from his waist, and swiftly cut through their windpipes. They writhed as blood gushed out from their throats and soon died. He then did the same with the man Kino took on.

“Why? Why is it all right with you for me to escape?”

Rauher lightly shook his head.

“I’m doing this for their sake. They’ve been living in suffering for a long time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come over here.”

Rauher forcefully pulled Kino to a nearby tent.

“This is my tent.”

Right when Kino entered,

“Kino! You’re safe!”

“Hermes?”

Kino raised her voice without thinking. Inside the tent was Hermes, propped up on his kickstand and piled with luggage.

“I convinced him to come with me earlier. If we’re in here, they won’t find us for a while,” Rauher said, putting a pipe in his mouth.

“Thanks for doing that. Things turned out just as you said, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s just that, it was too early for this to happen. As expected of you, Kino. On top of not drinking tea, you were also able to escape from the tent,” Rauher said as he lit his pipe. He was using a match from Kino’s luggage.

“I’m borrowing this,” he said shortly. Then he began to smoke; he seemed to find it relaxing.

“Can I question you?” Kino asked as she replaced Canon’s cylinder.

“Go ahead.”

“Why are they trying to attack me? Furthermore, why are you helping us?”

Rauher glanced at Kino.

“They have decided to take you in into the clan. As for the reason, it is to bring in new blood from the outside to this small tribe. They have been doing this for hundreds of years. They give passing travelers a warm welcome, and once they have appraised the person’s value to be high, they take them into the family. If a person’s value is low, he would be killed. They were really pleased with you. Do you get it so far?”

“Yes… but how? It didn’t look like they were bowing down and begging me, though.”

“With this.”

Rauher held out the pipe in his right hand before Kino’s eyes.

“You saw how all the adults were smoking this, right? There’s a strong poison in this grass. Smoke one once and it becomes a habit. It reaches a point where you can’t live without it. If you stop smoking for half a day, your head begins to hurt. Three days and your hands start trembling. Five days and you start seeing hallucinations. If you hold out for ten days, you die from madness, slobbering all over yourself. That tea you refused was laced with an extract of this grass.”

“If it’s as you say… what would happen if I drank it?”

“You would lose consciousness right there and then; you will be bedridden, moaning nonstop for days on end. During that time, Hermes would be taken apart and scattered under the ground, and the clan would relocate.”

“……”

“I don’t want to think about it,” said Hermes.

“You would be smoked even through your moans, so you’ll be perfectly addicted once you woke up. You won’t be able to live at all without this. The grass doesn’t grow anywhere other than this field, and the only time it can be harvested is during a short period in autumn. You can either spend your life doing your compulsory duties as part of the clan, or you can die of withdrawal symptoms. It’s your choice either way.”

“I see. I understand very well now.” Kino nodded several times. She then asked Rauher, “When did you…?”

“Five years ago. I was careless.”

“How… has it been?”

Rauher gave a bitter smile, and put some more grass into his pipe.

“Ah… When I first woke up, I wondered what on earth had happened. I spat curses out, and to make things worse, the negative response from the poison was gut-wrenching. I began to familiarize myself with death. I thought for sure I was going to die.”

Rauher lit his pipe and put it back in his mouth, which had curled into a smile.

“But, the woman who was attending to me, well, she was more of a young girl back then, but anyways, she said this to me: ‘It’s no good if you die. You can’t die!’ She said this to me again and again through a sea of tears, ‘If you live, good things will surely happen!’ Heh. That’s right.”

“……”

“And so I chose to live here. I memorized my duties quickly, and I was accepted by everyone. And then… I became married to that woman. Well, it was actually decided the moment I had been ‘evaluated’, though.”

“Were you happy?” Hermes asked.

“You could say that, I guess,” he said. “That was, perhaps, the happiest time of my life.”

“What happened to your wife…?” Kino asked.

“Last year, around this time, she was killed,” Rauher responded with a voice devoid of emotion.

“Why was that?”

Rauher breathed a puff of smoke. Voices could be heard outside the tent.

“She’s not in here either!” someone shouted as they passed by.

“It’s because she couldn’t bear children,” Rauher answered the question.

“?”

“She bore my child, but it was miscarried. She became unable to bear another child for the rest of her life. If a woman could not produce children, she has no value. Such people are a waste of precious food and grass, a waste that they could not tolerate. Not here. Kino… don’t glare at me like that.”

“… Excuse me.”

“So it was immediately decided, at the order of the chief, that she had to die. She accepted that, was killed, and then buried. As to where, I no longer know.”

“What were you doing all that time, mister?” Hermes asked. Rauher took another huff of smoke.

“In the end, I told her the same exact thing she first said to me.”

“……”

“……”

“And that’s how it is.”

Rauher took one last puff of smoke, tossed the ashes, and put away the pipe. And then he muttered,

“It’s about time, I think.”

“What?” Kino asked.

Rauher didn’t answer and moved silently to the side of the tent’s entrance.

A clansman poked his head into the tent and saw Kino.

“There she is! She’s here after all!” the man yelled, and in the next moment, great splashes of blood spewed forth from his throat.

Rauher went over to the man’s corpse and kicked it outside.

“Well, let’s go outside… it will be all right.”

Rauher opened the entrance wide. Kino unfastened Hermes’ kickstand, and slowly pushed him along.

Outside, all of the adults had the tent surrounded. When they saw Kino and Rauher step outside the tent, a commotion spread across the crowd. The sky was darker than it had previously been. Hermes muttered, wondering if it would rain.

“What’s going on here?” the chief asked while glaring at them.

“There’s nothing to be said about it. I seem to have simply gone off and done as I wanted, Chief.”

“Hand over the traveler. I’ll consider your punishment later.”

Rauher pulled out his pipe, then leisurely and carefully stuffed it with grass.

“Don’t bother. Your time is over.”

“Nonsense!” the irritated chief shouted. He issued orders to a few men holding long rods. “Attack all at once! Don’t let them escape! I don’t care if you have to give them a few injuries!”

Rauher struck a match. He slowly transferred the flame to his pipe——

''Bam—!''

A muffled explosion echoed in the settlement. The adults whirled around, and a pained scream emanated from the one who found its origin.

“F…Fire! The grass tent is burning!”

“What?!”

From a single tent, copious amounts of smoke were rising out of a hole in the roof.

“I told you. If you don’t do something fast, everything is going to burn up,” Rauher said while taking a smoke.

Everyone’s faces became pale. They rushed toward the burning tent, as if they have completely forgotten about Kino and Rauher.

The smoke from the tent began to rise with increased vigor, and flames could be seen flickering from inside.

“The grass! The ''grass!''”

“The grass of life!”

“Put out the fire! Put it out somehow!”

Rauher, Kino, and Hermes watched on from behind as the people screamed madly.

They hit the fire with their clubs and whacked it with their clothes, but their desperate attempts to put out the fire were entirely ineffective. The fire, unrestrained, grew more furious.

“That was the tent where all the grass that they’ve saved from last year was stored. I rigged it earlier. I asked Hermes if I could use a little bit of oil and gunpowder. ——Without that grass, everyone’s got ten days left to live,” said Rauher. Kino turned to face him.

“Including me.”
Rauher breathed a puff of smoke.

The fire grew more and more, and the flames shined on the figures of the people surrounding it.

One man moved closer to the fire, resolving to salvage some grass. The sleeves of his clothes and his hair caught fire, and soon, his whole body was lapped up in flames.

The man danced, engulfed by fire, screaming an otherworldly scream all the while. No one helped him, and he eventually danced his last and fell down. There were several more people whose bodies caught fire.

The faces of numerous people desperately trying to put out the fire turned a ghastly pale as they collapsed from suffocation.

As people were tossed out of the way or stepped upon, the futile fire-dousing operation continued.

The roof of the tent fell. As the flames engulfed the entirety of the grass, the smoke grew more tempestuous. White smoke signals flared upward.

Kino gazed at the depressing situation before her as she watched person after person collapse. Others desperately breathed in all the smoke they could, thrusting their faces deep into the fumes. White foam began to appear from their mouths as they staggered, making strange shrieks before fainting.

Finally, the tent and the grass had burned down entirely. Around the burned wreckage, the motionless bodies of several people tumbled about.

The people who could still move ended themselves.

Suddenly, a man grabbed the neck of a nearby woman and pinned her to the ground, choking her to death. Then, he began to bludgeon to death the people cowering around him. As the sound of heads splitting open could be heard, the number of motionless people increased. There were also people who burned as they set themselves on fire.

One man tottered towards Kino. Both of his hands had been turned into charcoal.

“Heheheh…”

The man laughed, and then closed his hollowed eyes. Rauher slashed at his throat in a moment.

And then, Rauher moved closer to the charred ruin, putting the others out of their misery: the people who sank down the floor, those who were weeping, laughing, or embracing each other, those with foams coming out of their mouths, those who were bludgeoned to death, and those who were burned halfway through.

He impassively stabbed his knife into their necks. Slowly, the number of the living decreased.

“Y-you… what are you…”

The last remaining person, the one once called the chief, spoke to Rauher, who was standing before his eyes.

“One year ago, if you hadn’t done that, maybe there would have been another way…”

The man with the bloodstained knife looked back at him with his ashen eyes.

The chief held his head in his hands and muttered as he tore at his hair.

“Ooh… it’s the end… it’s the end of everything…”

Rauher shook his head sideways.

“No. Not everything. Goodbye, father.”

<center>—</center>

With the knife remaining in the neck of the chief, Rauher turned around. Kino and Hermes looked on as he came over to them.

“Hell has ended. You can go now.”

“Let’s go together. Gather up as much of the remaining grass from everybody’s pockets, and go to some country nearby. Maybe somehow, the poison will be released from you. If you’re just going to die by staying here, why don’t you try what little possibility there is?”

The man looked at Kino and muttered, “Maybe that’s what would be good….” Then, he clearly said, “But I’m staying here.”

“Why? … There’s nobody here anymore,” Kino said.

Rauher smiled.

“Have you forgotten?”

“?”

“The children.”

“Oh!”

“Not everything has ended.”

“……”

“I’ll explain to them what the adults did, what they were smoking, and why I did this. Also, I’ll teach them how they could live on their own until I die of madness. Yes, I have to show them that death as well. If I can do that, they should be able to use the remaining animals and survive. They should be able to make a new future, one without smoke. That’s why I’m… staying here.”

“… I understand,” Kino gave a small nod. And then she asked, “Where are you from? If it’s a place I pass by…”

Rauher shook his head.

“There’s no need for that, and it’s better if you don’t do something like that. In the country I was born in, I was a murderer.”

“……”

“What did you do? Since this is the end, tell us.”

Hermes said this with emphasis on ‘since this is the end’. Rauher gave a sad smile.

“The end, huh…? I was a soldier then. Ever since I was a little kid, I received special training. When war came, I assassinated lots of enemies. I thought I had killed for the country’s sake, for everyone’s sake. But, after the war, I became a nuisance. For a country that has won a fight in the name of justice, it couldn’t be said publicly that an assassin took lives in its place. As a broken-down, murderous demon whose usefulness had expired, I was expelled from the country. I didn’t want to go on a journey or anything like that. I wanted to spend my whole life in the place I was born in. I wanted to build my family and live a normal life there. When I came upon these people, I wondered if I could start from scratch.”

“… I see. Thank you so much,” said Hermes.

“Don’t mention it,” replied Rauher.

Kino remained silent, putting on her coat, pulling her hat and goggles on. As she was about to start Hermes’ engine,

“You look a lot like her,” Rauher said suddenly.

“Huh?”

“You asked me why I helped you earlier, right? I still haven’t answered you. It’s because you reminded me so much of her. No, not your face, but your eyes… Your eyes are so much like hers. They’re exactly the same.”

Rauher slowly narrowed his ashen eyes.

“Your… wife?” Kino asked. Rauher nodded.

“Yes. Even now, it’s like a dream.”

“……. By any chance, if I was taken into the family, would I have been made your wife?”

“That’s right.”

“……”

“This is goodbye. I was really glad that I met you.” Saying this, Rauher turned his back to Kino.

“I won’t ever forget that you saved me for the rest of my life… goodbye,” Kino said to the man walking away from her.

The man didn’t turn around; he simply, lightly, waved his hand.

<center>—</center>

The sound of a motorrad’s engine echoed throughout the settlement, and then it was gone.

The children were shuddering in one tent. Finally, the entrance opened, and an ashen-eyed man entered. He told them that he had something to tell them. He said that it was something very important, something he wanted all of them to hear.

The children slowly gathered around the man in a circle. The man surveyed each of the children. He opened his mouth, but in that instant, a sickle was stabbed into his throat, and not a sound came out of it.

‘I saw you! You’re the enemy of everyone!’ someone said. The man tried to say something, desperately moving his mouth, but no voice came out, and he finally died.

The children went outside of the tent. And then they cried. When they grew tired of crying, someone spoke up.

‘From now on, we have to live on our own.’

Everyone nodded.

‘From now on, we have to do everything that the adults did.’

Everyone nodded.

In the tent of the chief, the children searched for anything useful. Someone found a bag with lots of ‘strange things’ in it, and everyone looked.

It was grass. Nobody recognized it, but it was the grass that the chief had stored up for use in times of emergency. There was a considerable quantity of grass.

Someone realized that this must be what all the adults were smoking, and suggested that they try smoking it.

‘That’s only for the adults!’ someone scolded. But then, someone said,

“We are now the adults. And so, these are our rewards.”

This view became accepted, and every one of them put a pipe in their mouth and began to smoke. At first, it gave some of them an awful sensation and found it sickening, but in order to become adults, they endured.

<center>—</center>

Half a month later, this family——

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v3_055.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>

==Translator’s Notes==
<references/>

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume3 Frontispiece

2017-06-11T20:59:41Z

Napen123: comma changes and old fashioned -> old-fashioned

==“A Land of Love and Peace” —Power Play—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v3_002-003_notext.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

My name is Riku, I am a dog. My master, Shizu, is a traveler. This is a story about a certain time in a certain country.

<center>—</center>

“What is that?”

From the driver’s seat of the buggy, Master Shizu sounded surprised as a country came into view. Usually a country would barricade itself with castle walls for protection against foreign enemies; however, this country had nothing but a small fence to keep animals in. Master Shizu met with the leader and asked if there were no walls because the country had an unmatched army.

“There are no such barbaric things in our country,” said the leader with a sinister grin.

“Then how do you protect your citizens?” Master Shizu asked somewhat shamelessly — as expected of the former prince.

“You’re too old-fashioned,” said the leader with a condescending tone.

Master Shizu asked if there had been any attacks up until now.

“Based on my personal experience, there’s more than I can count on my hands and feet. Despite this, all matters were resolved peacefully, and it will stay that way. We have no need for murderous groups or walls that will hinder the natural scenery.”

Then the leader said this with a dubious look on his face and with his chest stuck out,

“We have a ‘Love and Peace Song’. If we sing it, we can defeat our enemies without fighting.”

<center>—</center>

“They seem to be at ease even without gates. It’s bothering.”

Master Shizu’s expression indicated his worry about staying for too long in this country. He had wanted to leave, but because the buggy needed repairs, we decided to stay.

One morning, the entire country was in an uproar. Word came from across the plains that a neighboring country’s army would be attacking. The enemy troops sent a messenger, who informed us that a general offensive will be launched the next morning.

The leader came to see Master Shizu with a pleased face, and spoke to him with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, “Well then mister traveler, I’m going to show you a beautiful spectacle. Tonight will be fun.”

<center>—</center>

It became night. Light from a campsite could be seen beyond the fences. On our side, a bonfire illuminated a large stage which had been prepared beforehand. Master Shizu was beckoned by the leader, and he came, wearing his favorite sword at his side. Master Shizu sat on a chair on the side of the stage, and I settled between his legs.

The enemy troops formed its ranks and began marching until they were lined up in front of the stage.

“Look at these fools only capable of violence. And yet they will lose to us again.”

The leader scornfully laughed and gave his subordinate some instructions.

Master Shizu whispered to me, “When it’s time to run, stick to the usual plan.”

People gathered on top of the stage. No matter how you looked at it, they seemed like a chorus group. Matching the rhythm of the conductor’s baton, they suddenly began singing. It was a gently hummed melody. Before long, a beautiful woman in a flashy dress appeared on the stage. Accompanying the back chorus, a lovely voice began singing.

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v3_004-005_notext.jpg|x200px|thumb|right]]

The lyrics were along the lines of: love and peace are best, fighting is foolish, kindness deep down in your heart, throwing away weapons and picking up farming tools in their stead, and so on. Master Shizu looked like he had overslept and had a headache.

Suddenly, the enemy soldiers who had just been staring at the spectacle started to change. Everyone put their weapons at their feet and moved to the beat of the song. The songstress had just stopped singing and was hailed with applause. Everyone joined in happily with the merrymaking.

“Take a look, mister traveler. They no longer have any interest in fighting. The ‘Song of Love and Peace’ changed them. Hmm… that’s right. Mister traveler, our messenger relayed the following message: ‘The war is over. We listened to your splendid song, and we shall now return home.’ Now, shall I treat you to some food and wine? Why not also lay down your weapon, mister traveler?”

Before the beautiful woman on the altar who was singing strongly from a sense of duty, the recklessly roused onlookers in military uniforms, and the leader triumphantly speaking in his mocking tone, Master Shizu had been thinking about something.

The next morning, the buggy’s repairs were finished so Master Shizu and I quickly left. Around noon, we caught up with the soldiers from the night before who were taking a break.

Glaring at a soldier from a distance who was pointing a persuader (Note: A gun) at us, Master Shizu said,

“Are you going to shoot me? Are you in charge here? If not, doing as you please won’t be good for your superior officer.”

After saying this about five times, we wound up in front of the general. He formally apologized for his subordinate’s impoliteness.

Master Shizu carefully introduced himself as a traveler who had no intention of ever returning to that country. And then he said,

“You were never planning to invade that country from the beginning, were you?”

The general laughed and nodded.

“Yes. That’s where the soldiers relax. The lyrics have no meaning to them, and they don’t know about the declaration of war either; they’re just happy for an opportunity to party. We told them our vassal state was having a celebration banquet to thank us for protection, but we must be ‘quiet at first’.”

“I see. Then who is your real enemy?” [[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v3_006_notext.jpg|x200px|thumb|right]]

“A large country across the mountain range. It has incoherent national policies. They are an evil empire, and exterminating them is our noble mission. If they were to invade that country then they would be ‘committing an injustice to our vassal state’, and an all-out war would start. Justice is on our side though, so victory will be as well.”

We returned to the buggy, and I asked Master Shizu if we will be visiting that army’s country. Master Shizu shook his head.

“I’d rather go to a country that doesn’t only think about war.”

“Those are hard to find.”

“Yeah… Sorry for making you live such a vagabond life,” said Master Shizu as he leaned on the steering wheel, looking at the blue sky.

“It doesn’t matter to me. Wherever Master Shizu is, I will be,” I answered honestly and Master Shizu looked at me.

“……”

Master Shizu was silent for a moment, and then gently smiled as always.

“Shall we go?”

“Sounds good.”

He started the buggy’s engine as usual.

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v3_007_notext.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume3_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Epilogue

2017-06-11T20:57:42Z

Napen123: water-proof -> waterproof

==“In the Middle of the Desert · a” —Beginner’s Luck · a—==

Kino stood staring at a cloudless sky, in the middle of a stone and sand desert.

She looked down the stone well in front her. It was dry as a bone.

She had tried lowering a cup into the well, but there was no sound of water. And when she pulled it up, it didn’t have a drop of moisture on it.

This caused her to shake her head in dejection.

“Told you so! Something like this was bound to happen.”

This came from Hermes, who was propped up on a stand behind Kino, who wore a white shirt and a black vest.

“This is bad…” Kino stared into the stone well.

Hermes quickly chirped in, “We have to go back to Master. It’s still not too late you know.”

But Kino rejected the idea by shaking her head vigorously.

“No!”

“This ain’t getting us nowhere.”

Kino shook her head again.

“I know… but I don’t want to go back.”

“You are a stubborn one. I understand, but we can’t go on without water. If you dry up that’s just fine, but what will happen to me? I don’t wanna be buried next to your mummified body.”

“I don’t want to end up a mummy either. But…”

“But what?”

Frustrated, Kino suddenly slapped her hands on the stone well and shouted into its depth.

“Why? Why must this be all dried up?”

“Karma is probably catching up to you. For God, that is, the power who protects travelers, is telling you to go home,” Hermes reflected coldly.

Kino wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.

“I am so thirsty after that shouting.”

“Let’s go back.”

“No!”

“…You could at least take us somewhere where I could be found before dropping dead.”

“Too bad, but I can’t grant that wish.”

After a short rummage through her packs, Kino removed a coil of rope from the luggage.

“Are you gonna hang yourself?” Hermes asked.

<center>—</center>

A large waterproof canvas hung on the rope tied between the stone well and Hermes. In the cool shades lay Kino.

“Kino. You asleep…or are you already dead?”

“No, I am not asleep and still alive…”

“If you don’t make up your mind, you’ll be dead soon.”

“…Yeah.”

“The way I see it, we have two choices: try to go back with whatever water we have left and receive an earful from Master for secretly leaving. Or stay in the desert until you die.”

“Don’t like either of them.”

Kino pulled herself from the ground and got out from underneath the canvas.

A small gust of wind was picking up across the desert, sending some dust flying.

“Kino, a traveler needs to be decisive. No matter if you’re a greenhorn or a veteran.”

Hermes tried to sound serious as he delivered the admonition.

But Kino paid him scant attention. She put on her coat, dragged the canvas off and covered Hermes with it.

“Kino?”

She smiled at Hermes from behind the waterproof canvas.

“No, what we need is luck.”

“Eh?”

“What a traveler needs is that boost after a long struggle, a little bit of luck.”

There was a single drop of water that fell on the canvas, followed by another and then another in a rhythmic drumming before finally coming to a roar.

It had begun to rain.

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Anecdote|Bonus Chapter]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Chapter4

2017-06-08T18:50:46Z

Napen123: Comma and preposition changes

==“Land of Free Press” —Believers—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_098-099.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

'''MEDIASQUARE DAILY PRESS'''

'''5th of Doe, Year 893'''

'''TRAVELER SHOT MAN, THE POLICE DEEM SELF-DEFENSE'''

The 4th. Daytime. At West 56th Street, a traveler (age unknown) who entered the city two days before, shot a businessman (age, 55), inflicting severe injuries. The police recognized that it was an act of self-defense on the part of the traveler, who was able to leave the borders that evening. Police will further discuss enforcement of laws regarding self-defense and persuader ownership.

'''MALE BUSINESSMAN WOUNDED SERIOUSLY FOR “SUSPECTED THEFT”'''

Morning of the 4th, around 11:29. On 56th Street in the western district, a visiting traveler who entered the city two days before got into an argument with a male company executive who wished to take a closer look at the traveler’s motorrad. When the man tried to approach, the traveler quickly shot him twice with a persuader, hitting him in the right shoulder and right leg. The man was immediately taken to a nearby hospital by medics but would require a full month to recover from his severe injuries.

The traveler stayed for police interrogation, where the traveler claimed self-defense against the company executive, who allegedly attempted to steal the motorrad. The police accepted the explanation, and the traveler was allowed to leave the country the same evening without any further incident.

The case took place in the crowded shopping district in front of the western gate, causing quite a commotion among the onlookers. Luckily, no one else was hurt by stray bullets.

In relation to “justifiable self-defense”, there was a case four days ago in the southern district where a policeman fired without warning at a young man who attacked his fellow police officer. The young man died from 14 bullet wounds. The police also deemed the shooting as an act of self-defense, but many who believed that it was an act of police brutality took to the streets in protest. ''(See page 39 for details.)''

'''STREET KILLINGS? THE TRAGEDY OF “SELF-DEFENSE” SHOOTINGS'''

A peaceful street was disturbed by a loud gunshot, followed by cries of panic. All this happened in broad daylight and in plain view of pedestrians.

At the scene, a man was found curled up on the pavement, his shoulder and leg bleeding profusely. A frantic young woman was at his side providing medical assistance. Witnesses reported that the traveler with the smoking persuader did not act to aid the wounded man, but merely stood and looked on coldly.

The 55-year old man is a company executive from a leading medical equipment firm. On the day of the incident, the man was visiting the area for business reasons. He was dining with his colleagues at a nearby restaurant before the shooting occurred.

According to his colleagues’ statement, the man was engaged in lively conversation when he noticed the parked motorrad by the street. He purportedly remarked that it was “a nice motorrad.” Its owner appeared shortly and sternly warned the man to stay away from the motorrad.

Although the man gently rebuked the young traveler for his tone, the traveler paid no heed and shouted at the man to stay away from the motorrad. When he attempted to step closer, the traveler open fired without warning. The man was wounded in his right shoulder and right leg, and the pain caused him to collapse onto the pavement.

He was immediately sent to a hospital to undergo an emergency surgery, but due to the severity of his wounds, it would take at least a month for him to completely recover. The shot to the leg was particularly treacherous, narrowly missing major arteries by a few inches. The lead surgeon commented that if the shot was any closer, it would have sent him into a critical condition. The trauma from the injuries affected the man’s memory of the incident.

The man’s family also gave their statements about the incident. Unable to hide their disbelief, one of them remarked: “How could something like this happen?” Later that evening, upon learning that the police had marked the case as rightful self-defense and allowed the traveler to exit the borders, the family member was outraged further into saying, “Even though he (the man) had done nothing wrong, he was shot, while the shooter was able to walk off scotch free! This is unjust!” The man’s attorney expressed, “We can’t let the police continue with their tyranny.” They are considering filing charges against the police who resolved the case as a mere act of self-defense.

'''EXPERTS’ VIEW'''

JUSTIFIABLE SELF-DEFENSE WILL BE THE DOWNFALL OF THIS NATION

''(Tony Methone - Former Judge of the South District Court)''

I believe that the traveler had chosen to fire unnecessarily. It would not be hard to imagine that the traveler believes himself to be above the law and beyond retribution, just because of the fact of him being a foreigner. To shoot a citizen without provocation tells us that the traveler is a bloodthirsty fiend. It greatly disappoints me that the traveler was not arrested and brought to a court of law. This was indeed a failure for the nation.

TOLERANCE TOWARDS SHOOTING INCIDENTS

''(Nihal Ruthbator - Chairman of Citizen’s Eye on the Police)''

Lately, there have been many cases where the police use rightful self-defense as an excuse for shooting incidents. Since the fatal shooting four days before, persuader ownership and the definition of self-defense have been a hot topic on everyone’s lips. Now with the latest shooting, I can’t help but think that this is too great a coincidence. Could it be that someone is manipulating the situation behind the scenes? The traveler probably was in no danger of being arrested in the first place. The traveler could be getting paid for his involvement this very moment just beyond the border!

'''MEDIASQUARE DAILY PRESS'''

'''7th of Doe, Year 893'''

'''READER’S REVIEW CORNER'''

STRICTER IMMIGRATION INSPECTIONS

''(Betty Teteths — Female, Age 28, Homemaker)''

“Ouch! Ouch!”

Was my first response when I heard about the west district shooting on the radio. The one where a man was badly wounded by a traveler with a persuader.

I also heard there was an uproar over the police’s decision regarding the shooting. But what troubles me is how someone like that could be allowed to enter our border? I demand that the immigration office take responsibility!

For us law-abiding citizens, to own a persuader would require a strict background check, especially for small firearms. Yet, this traveler who openly displays a persuader was allowed to enter the border. I was even more shocked to learn that the traveler was allowed to leave the country on the same day after the incident. It pains me to hear the situation of the hospitalized man.

When the news was released, I was called back to reality by my 5-year-old son. He was asking me with a serious face, “Where did it hurt, Mommy?” I hurriedly told my boy, “Don’t worry, mommy’s fine now.” To think that my dear boy would be worried about me, it fills me with tears. As I hold him tightly, my heart is filled with rage towards the callous traveler. To let someone so dangerous enter our country armed is a huge mistake! For the safety of my child, I hope immigration will impose stricter regulations.

“PLEASE THROW AWAY YOUR PERSUADER, TRAVELER”

''(Anne Yelets — Female, Age 7, Grade school student)''

Something bad happened near my home: a man who was looking at a motorrad was shot by the owner, hurting the man’s shoulder and leg.

Why would the traveler do that? I don’t understand why.

“He was trying to steal my motorrad,” the traveler said. But I think the man just wanted to take a closer look at the beautiful motorrad. I think the man must be really hurt, and his parents must be hurt too. Can’t the traveler feel their pain? I believe the traveler has a waiting mommy and daddy at home, too; how would the traveler feel if they were hurt? I would like to know.

Persuaders are bad things that are used to hurt and kill people and animals. I wish they would disappear so that no one will get hurt again. Please throw away your persuader, traveler. And please have a heart for others.

ON THE TRANSPARENCY OF COMPETITIONS’ CLOSED-DOOR SCREENING

''(Eliza Blau - Female, Age 64, Homemaker)''

A few days back, this paper announced the results of the naming contest of a 2-month-old forest panda. I too have participated in the contest and eagerly awaited the result.

To conjure up the serene image of adorable pandas living peacefully in the lush green forest, I named the newborn “Woods”. A simple name that even children can easily pick up, yet still carries the majesty of the forest, I believe there can be no better name than this and was very confident with the contest.

But my heart sank when the results were announced.

Not only did my submission not make it into the consolation, the biggest shock was that the winning name was “Woody”, a mere single character’s difference from mine. I would not have minded so such if they were both vastly different, but this result makes me doubt the decision of the panel of judges.

The winning name came from a 17-year-old girl from the northern district. Could a girl shallow in life’s experiences come up with a winning name?

I know that my suspicion seems beastly, but I think the panel of judges took my submission and altered it slightly. Pretending it was submitted by the pre-selected girl, they announced her as the winner.

There have been previous cases of corruption between the organizer and the judging party, and it would be hard to warrant that such handy-panty did not happen this time also.

So, for future contests such as this, there should be a neutral third party audit overseeing the process much like the Anti-Corruption Agency for the government.

'''NEWSWORKS DAILY'''

'''5th of Doe, Year 893'''

'''TRAVELER SHOT MAN, THE POLICE DEEM SELF-DEFENSE'''

On the 4th, a traveler (age unknown) who entered the border two days earlier, shot a man at West 56th Street in broad daylight. The man (age, 55) was reportedly fiddling with the traveler’s motorrad. As the man refused to stop even after repeated warnings, the traveler fired his persuader out of necessity. Police deemed the shooting as a case of legal self-defense, and the traveler was able to leave the country the same evening.

'''ATTEMPTED THEFT? MAN RECEIVES MINOR WOUNDS'''

At around 11:29 on the morning of the 4th, on West 56th Street, a traveler who entered the country for sightseeing found a man trying to mount a motorrad that belonged to him without permission. The traveler issued several verbal warnings to the man, but he was too drunk to take heed and replied with threats. When the man grabbed the traveler, the traveler was forced to shoot him with a persuader (a .22 automatic) twice. The man was hit in the right shoulder and right leg and was rushed to the hospital with minor wounds. Doctors reported that recovery would take no more than a week.

The traveler was questioned by officers at the scene, and after collecting reports from witnesses, the police deemed the traveler acted in self-defense and was released from custody and allowed to pass through the border that evening. According to the police, the traveler held no grudge towards the country for this incident.

The man was under the influence of alcohol during the incident and was unable to recall what happened after he was sent to the hospital. He was given a stern warning by the police.

Crime is on the rise in our nation, and it has become a serious concern. Four days before in the southern district, there was a case of a drug addict injuring his physician-in-charge to escape the hospital. He later attempted to take a patrolling police’s persuader by force with a knife, and another officer was forced to shoot the addict to avoid a catastrophe. ''(More detail in Local News Section)''

'''ARROGANT BEHAVIOR UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL; NO CHARGES FILED'''

At the time, the man probably thought he was allowed to do whatever pleased him. He meddled with another person’s possession, attempting to handle and operate a motorrad without permission from its owner.

The thing of note in yesterday’s incident was that the man was clearly intoxicated and was barely standing when he was shot by the traveler.

He was participating in a company function at a nearby restaurant. According to restaurant staff, they had been drinking a lot and were being loud and disrespectful to other patrons. One of the staff who tried to calm them down received a face full of vulgarity.

After the man left the restaurant, the motorrad caught his attention and he immediately went to it, grabbing the handles and knocking on the gas tank. He was on the verge of hopping onto the motorrad when the traveler returned carrying fresh sandwiches for lunch.

The collection of witnesses reported that the traveler was being tactful with the encounter, but the man would have none of it, spouting phrases such as, “You’re not the boss of me!”, “I once rode something like this, so this is mine!”, “Show your respect, youngster, and get lost!” and more unintelligent babble. The traveler continued to request that the man leave the motorrad several times in a cool and calm voice, but the man somehow took offense at the traveler’s tone and kicked the motorrad several times. He also repeatedly threw curses and tried to grapple the traveler. This is when the traveler was forced to shoot him.

Even though the bullet hit him in the shoulder, the man continued to yell and stagger toward the traveler, forcing another shot to the leg from the traveler to finally stop his rampage.

Examination reports from the hospital tell us that the persuader used was of low caliber range, and would not be fatal as long as it did not hit the head or chest. In the man’s case, the wounds he received clearly show that the traveler is a highly-skilled persuader-user, as he was able to avoid major arteries and bones.

Being the victim of this incident, the traveler was released and allowed to leave the country that evening. No charges were pressed against the man, thus no punishment was issued and his name was not revealed.

But that was probably not the end; the rampaging of drunks might not only cause trouble to travelers but could also quite possibly harm citizens.

'''EXPERTS’ VOICE'''

THE CAUSE AND EFFECT OF SELF-DEFENSE SHOOTINGS

''(Ole Tucker - Retired Director of Ministry of National Defense)''

The traveler acted to protect the safety of his life and property, a fully understandable act of self-preservation. The man had been messing with the traveler’s property and chose to ignore repeated warnings by the traveler. Witnesses of the incident point out that the man was shouting gibberish and was prepared to attack the traveler. Under no circumstance should violence be used as a solution, but I would like to applaud the experienced and cool-headed officer for classifying this incident as legal self-defense.

INTENSIFY ALCOHOL INTOXICATION LAWS

''(Timothy Tenostor — Chairman of “Parents Who Lost Children to Alcohol Abuse”)''

“Lawless, shameful and childish” might be the words the traveler would think of at the mention of this nation. If he or she were to be further charged with criminal offenses, that would truly be tragic. I wish to applaud our police force for their correct decision, for we always turn a blind eye to drunks. Now is the time to face this growing social issue! Including the problem of underage drinking, laws against alcoholism need to be enforced now before our children become the next victims because by then it will be too late.

'''NEWSWORKS DAILY'''

'''7th of Doe, Year 893'''

'''CITIZENS’ OPINION'''

ONE STEP AWAY FROM VICTORY

''(Eliza Blau - Female, Age 64, Homemaker)''

A few days back, this paper announced the results of the naming contest of a 2-month-old forest panda. I too have participated in the contest and eagerly awaited the result.

To conjure up the serene image of adorable pandas living peacefully in the lush green forest, I named the newborn “Woods”. A simple name that even children can easily pick up, yet still carries the majesty of the forest, I believe there can be no better name than this and was very confident with the contest.

But my heart sank when the results were announced.

Not only did my submission not make it into the consolation, the biggest shock was that the winning name was “Woody”, a mere single character’s difference from mine. I have participated in similar public contests before, and this was the first where I was so close to victory, making the defeat all the more bitter.

But I will not give up and will use this experience as a drive to perform better next time, even if my friends call me stubborn and out of league. ''(Editorial department: An edit has been made.)''

“ARMED EQUALS VILLAIN” MENTALITY

''(Norgen Heidini — Male, Age 76, Unemployed)''

There was a case of a shooting on the 4th involving a man and a traveler, and when I heard the man’s family attempted to sue the police force for their decision, it filled me with disgust.

The man was drunk in broad daylight, disturbing other’s property, and was ignoring warnings from the owner while being aggressive towards him. It boggles my mind that the man still thinks he is innocent and not in the wrong. I would very much like to see the people who raised this brute!

Some might think the traveler had murder in mind, but the traveler only shot him in the shoulder and leg after repeated warnings. As someone who has served forty years in the police force on the front lines against crime, if murder was the motive, the traveler would have aimed for the head or chest instead. If we were to frame the traveler as a criminal just because of the shooting, that would have been a grave mistake.

Can we afford to hide our heads and assume that “all those who use weapons, e.g. persuaders, are bad guys,” making judgments without considering the circumstances? Imagine you are caught in this situation; what actions would you take? I hope everyone would cool their heads and not overreact over this incident.

TRAVELER’S ACTION REMINDS ME OF A DARK PAST

''(Anonymous — Female, Age 30, Company Employee)''

The incident reminds me of something that happened to me before.

I was sexually assaulted by a drunk when I was fifteen.

Although it was broad daylight, a red-faced drunk in his 50’s suddenly grabbed me on the street. I wasn’t even able to scream out of panic. The man continued to grope me, and with his breath stinking of alcohol, he spat obscenities at me before staggering off laughing.

It was several hours later before my mother found me crying by the street, and took me to the hospital, reporting the incident to the police.

The police brought the man shortly, and in my rage and shame, I vowed to bring him to justice. So I identified him as the culprit. But the man proclaimed loudly, “I am the headmaster of a renowned high school, there is no way that I could have done this! If you continue this nonsense, I will sue you and your parents for defamation of character!”

Suffice to say, he was released due to lack of evidence. He left not before hurling more obscenities and threats, and my father later found out that the man truly was as he said, a headmaster of a renowned high school and quite high up in the education ministry.

When he passed away several years later, rumors of his past started to surface. That he could not hold his liquor and had repeatedly used obscenities in PTA meetings. But I don’t wish to dig up filth on a dead man since I have no proof that the incident even took place.

I just wish to express my admiration to the officer who decided to let the traveler go.

<center>——</center>

“——and that’s it, Hermes.”

Someone spoke in the middle of a desert.

She sat on a sea of hardened sand that spread out in all directions. The sun was setting in the west, staining the earth and sky a bright orange.

She was about fifteen, with a mop of short black hair. Large eyes adorned her fearless face, and she wore a black jacket over her shoulders, a simple but thick belt around her waist, and a holster containing a hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case, a pistol) over her right thigh.

In her hands was a newspaper that she had just finished reading out loud, and scattered all around her were more newspaper sheets that she had finished perusing.

Parked nearby was a motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly).

A rifle-type persuader was leaning against the motorrad, next to a large travel bag.

Hermes, the motorrad, happily chirped in. “A persuader-user who travels on a motorrad? That sounds just like you Kino! I bet anyone who has read the news would have gone ‘Oh! That’s Kino!’”

The girl named Kino smiled sourly and said, “You are being rude…. I would never open fire on a street like that.”

“Oh well, maybe.” Hermes paused and asked, “Why do you think the fellow opened fire?”

She stared at the dipping sun in the far horizon and answered honestly.

“I don’t know. I can’t make a sound conclusion from these reports. He might be a trigger-happy sadist who likes to taunt his victims, or he could be a man of justice who only retaliates when forced. Or he could be both.”

“Is that so… but Kino, have you realized the most critical thing that is missing from all of these reports?”

“Hm? What?” Kino tilted her head to one side with a look of confusion. Hermes quickly solved the mystery himself.

“The motorrad’s side of the story, of course! They never bothered to interview the biggest witness to the incident! And they call this unbiased reporting?”

Hermes continued to fume, while the orange in the sky was slowly replaced by shades of purple, with stars beginning to appear.

Kino removed a blanket from the luggage and laid it out on the ground, then put on her brown coat. She picked up the rifle that was leaning on Hermes and checked its chamber to see whether it was loaded. After readjusting the scope on the persuader, she laid it down next to the rug.

“Why do you carry ''those'' newspapers anyway?” The question suddenly popped into Hermes’ mind.

“The news is just a coincidence… as to why,”

Kino started to remove single sheets of paper from the stack, and twisted them as if drying a towel, then laid them out in a sunburst formation.

“When there’s no firewood around, they become a useful replacement.” Kino lit a match with a single stroke on her boot, and as she let the tiny flame lick the newspapers,

“What’s printed on them doesn’t matter.”

<center>—</center>

Under the deep, starry purple sky, the earth was pitch black.

Except for a tiny dot of light.

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_121.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Chapter3

2017-06-08T18:02:11Z

Napen123: preposition changes, flied -> flew, and gall nut -> gallnut

==“Land of Wizards”<ref>The source story for anime episode 8, which made a few changes.</ref> —Potentials of Magic—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_056-057.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

Amidst a sultry marshland was a lone road.

This flat land was mottled with stagnant pools of water blanketed with water-dwelling vegetation. The road twisted and turned as it traced a path around the swamps.

The road made of reddish-brown earth was wide, but its edges had been completely decayed by rainfall. Not even its center was spared from dampness. It seemed to have melded with its surroundings due to the intense heat and humidity.

The brightly-feathered waterfowl creating a clamor in the swamps with their choking caws suddenly took flight all at once. A lone motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly) emerged, making its way through the slushy road.

It was a motorrad which, instead of a back seat, had a carrier loaded heavily with traveling luggage. The raucous roar of its engine reverberated freely.

Its rider donned a black vest on top of a shirt, lapels undone. A wide belt was fastened around her waist. She wore a brimmed hat on top of her black hair, and had goggles strapped over her eyes. The face beneath it was young, around mid-teens.

A hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun, in this case, a pistol) was installed inside a holster over her right thigh. It was a single-action revolver, which means that its hammer had to be raised every time was fired.

The rider drove the motorrad prudently, yet thick mud would occasionally accumulate inside the front wheels, making her lose balance. At times, she would have to make the rear wheel spin madly, hurling sludge all over, just to escape from a muddy rut.

“I’ve said this many times over… this is such a bad road.” The motorrad spoke to its rider.

“Yeah. I wonder if this takes us longer than expected. Here goes…” The rider answered as she hoisted up the motorrad that slipped on its rear wheel once more. Beads of sweat formed on her cheeks.

“But you know, Kino,” the motorrad initiated after running for a while.

“What?” the rider called Kino replied.

“After suffering this much, it would be a ''real'' waste if the country we’re heading to is a bore.”

“That’s true, but like we were told before, ‘There is always something worth seeing in any country, one way or the other.’”

“I wonder if that’s true.”

Kino loosened the gaze beneath the goggles.

“But if that’s the case, then it wouldn’t really matter where we go…. Hermes, since it’s not yet too late, how about we change our route?” Kino suggested. She stopped the motorrad called Hermes on a relatively dry part of the road. “What should we do? Anywhere’s fine. There’s also a road just a bit to the south. There should also be a country over there.”

Hermes considered the proposition for a while before he replied,

“It’s nice asking my opinion for once, but it’s your call.”

“All right… Then let’s continue this way.”

“Okay. But why?”

“Just a hunch. It’s not like there’s anyone waiting for me, or there’s anyone who needs me badly in some country. I just thought it would be troublesome to go back. Besides, there’s no assurance that the other road will be better than this one.”

“That’s it?”

Kino launched Hermes, and pressed forward, cutting through the mud. They ran as slowly as ever.

Kino complained teasingly. “It would be great if you could run over water, Hermes. That way we could cross the swamps and run in a straight line.”

“That’s absurd. Motorrads can’t run over water.” Hermes spoke with utmost seriousness that Kino had to ask,

“Wanna try?”

“No need, I already know. There are many things motorrads can’t do. We’re different from humans.”

“What, I can’t walk on water either.”

Hermes immediately countered, “But you can build a boat and ride it… because you’re human.”

“I see…. But,”

“But?”

“I can’t do it after all. I may have grown fond of traveling on you, Hermes,” Kino answered after a pause.

“Ah! You just told me something nice! Let’s go faster!”

“Okay!”

And so Kino and Hermes proceeded with much enthusiasm.

But soon after, the rear wheel got stuck in a deep mud, rendering the motorrad immobile once more.

“Ah!” “Ah!”

<center>—</center>

“Welcome, traveler! Welcome to our country! It has been a long time since we’ve had a guest. This is really fortunate! Did you have any trouble on the way here?”

The soldier who stood eagerly in front of the towering walls and gigantic gates beamed at the rider coming with her motorrad.

“Not really.”

Kino took off her hat and goggles and replied with poise despite her legs being caked with mud from sole to knee, and her gloves and shirt sleeves in no better state. There were even tiny splotches of dried mud on her face. Meanwhile, both of Hermes’ wheels had been dyed brown, and the clods of mud that clung onto his engine were baked dry with the heat.

“That’s great!” the guard said with a smile.

<center>—</center>

Kino and Hermes passed the gates as soon as they finished the entry procedures.

Before the gates was an elliptical plaza. Just a bit ways off was a row of wooden, one-storey houses crowded together. Every single one was elevated, with stout, wooden pillars that pierced the ground. The narrow road was entirely paved, a step higher than the ground itself.

There were several men in the park. They approached with smiles, perhaps in anticipation of Kino and Hermes.

“Good afternoon, traveler. Welcome to our country. I am the person who was given charge of this country’s affairs.”

Kino took off her hat and gave a slight bow to the middle-aged man who introduced himself as the chief.

“Good afternoon. I am Kino, and this is my partner, Hermes.”

“It’s really wonderful of you to come. You are the first guest we’ve had in five years. There’s no hotel in our country, so we’ll have to accommodate you in our country’s reception hall. Of course, we won’t ask for payment of any sort. You deserve no less, being our country’s guest.”

The chief then bowed deeply, and the other men followed suit.

Hermes voiced out a whistle. “Isn’t that great, Kino? It’s the first time you get to be treated like this. It’s a good thing we chose this road – just how many times did we think of turning back? That road was so ''horrible''; you couldn’t blame anyone thinking that the country ahead’s inhabi––”

Kino kicked Hermes in the middle of his dialogue, and bowed to the chief and his followers. “That’s really kind of you. We’re very grateful.”

<center>—</center>

Kino and Hermes were guided to the reception hall.

Though it was called such, it was only a larger version of the stilt houses they saw earlier. When Kino inquired, she was told that this building was typically used for harvest festivals, concerts, and elections. Around it was the town hall, the chief’s residence, the courthouse, and so on, but it was really hard to tell which one is which.

The only difference is that the road facing these buildings was more impressive. It was wide, and paved like a highway. More importantly, there were magnificent bronze statues standing at its center.

The chief introduced it as the country’s one and only main road. And that the bronze statues on its center were of those leaders who have accomplished great deeds for the country.

Then, as if in a trance, he spoke fervently of how he was working hard to attain his lifetime dream of someday having his own statue that can watch over this road for eternity.

Kino borrowed a tap and thoroughly washed the mud off herself and Hermes. By the time she finished, the beautiful orange rays of the evening sun was already shining across the sky.

They were given a fine room. Kino placed Hermes in one corner and removed the luggage from him.

The chief eagerly invited Kino to that night’s welcome party. But some sensible person suggested pushing the event to the next day, as the traveler must be tired.

Kino ate her dinner in the dining hall, took a longed-for shower, and went straight to sleep.

<center>—</center>

The morning of the next day.

As usual, Kino woke up at dawn.

She performed her exercises in the spacious room, then cleaned and practiced with ‘Canon’, the persuader on her right thigh.

Just when Kino finished her free breakfast, the chief came to invite her to a welcome tea party in his official residence.

“It will be boring. I’m sure of it,” Hermes commented in a voice audible only to Kino.

“I know,” Kino said with a nod. “But they lent us a room. We have to get along with them, you know, to return the favor.”

“Hmph.”

Kino and Hermes went out to the main road. The weather was good, but there was a strong, damp wind blowing. The chief explained, “During this season, there is a strong wind that blows only during the morning. But it will be calm for the rest of the day.”

Kino drank tea together with the chief, his wife, and his followers in the lobby of the official residence.

At first, they were talking about Kino’s travels, but after a while, the conversation turned into a solo recital of the chief, who rattled on about the greatness of their country.

Originally, this country was part of a swampy, uninhabitable region. But with the persistent efforts of their great ancestors, it turned into a fertile agricultural land. Though small, it was abundant in food. Everyone lived in harmony with each other, and the public order was good. Just as he said the day before, the chiefs who had achievements worthy of merit will have a bronze statue made for them.

“Well as for me, I haven’t done much yet. It’s embarrassing.” Then the chief added confidently, “But since my appointment, the grain harvest has improved by three percent!”

While Kino interjected as appropriate during the chief’s harangue, she noticed that Hermes had fallen asleep behind her.

Kino was invited for lunch in the official residence’s dining hall. After the splendid meal, they went back to the lobby again, where tea has been prepared.

“Oh right! There’s this story too…” the chief began. It was time for another long story.

<center>—</center>

“Chief! I have a request!”

Along with the high-pitched voice, the door slammed open and a woman in her late twenties came in. With her oil-stained overalls, she headed straight to the chief’s seat.

The people around tried to stop her, but wasn’t able to do anything. Without giving so much as a glance towards Kino and Hermes, she stood in front of the chief and took out a letter from her breast pocket.

With a look of exasperation, the chief read her letter. Soon his face stiffened, and he raised his voice,

“Absolutely not! How many times do I have to tell you before you understand?!”

The trespassing woman and the chief began to argue.

“Just two would do! And it’ll be only for that time!”

“Even if it’s only one, I won’t allow it! What do you take our great leaders for?!”

“Didn’t you want to be merited for great achievements? I can help you get a bronze statue for yourself, Chief.”

“You can’t grant it! Not with something out of a fantasy!”

“We won’t know if we don’t try!”

Kino drank her tea as she watched the two.

“We know even if we don’t!”

“We won’t!”

“Good grief, please come to your senses!”

“You’re the one who ought to do that!”

“Enough!”

“I won’t give up! Eh… wait! Let me go!”

Before the argument turned to insults, the woman was dragged out of the building.

The chief drew a deep breath and shook his head several times, then explained to Kino, “Ah, that was unsightly. But it was decided that the chief had to listen to the citizen’s appeals no matter where or when.”

“I see. Then, that person just now, what was she appealing about?”

“She was asking to take down the bronze statues. …Well please don’t concern yourself with it, traveler…. More than that, let’s return to our stories.”

“Ah, I’d love to but,” Kino slowly stood up and politely,

“I have learned a lot about your history. Thank you very much. Next, we would like to tour the country on our own. Is that all right?”

<center>—</center>

After finally being released, Kino and Hermes exited the chief's residence and rode among the pedestrians.

“You were asleep the whole time weren’t you, Hermes,” Kino grumbled with a hint of envy.

“Yup, I had a good sleep. That racket woke me up, though.” Just as Hermes replied, Kino saw the woman before. She was on a bicycle, but she rode with the speed of a motorrad.

“It’s that person.” Kino overtook the woman and gave her a bow without stopping Hermes. The woman spoke to Kino as she rode her bicycle.

“You were that traveler earlier, right?”

“Yes,” Kino replied out loud.

“I’m sorry for causing such a ruckus.”

“I don’t mind. I was able to escape that place thanks to you.”

The woman snickered at Kino’s answer.

“By the way, why do you want to have the statues taken down?” Hermes asked. The woman looked at them for a while.

“Oh, about that… do you have time, traveler?”

“We have. As long as it’s not another boastful speech about this country.”

“You’re a frank one, aren’t you? Anyway, I’ll show you something interesting. Come with me.”

Then the woman swiftly turned into an alley. It was so sudden that Kino rode past it, and in a flurry, turned around and followed the woman.

<center>—</center>

As they neared the country’s outskirts and the walls became more visible, the number of houses lessened and the view became increasingly dominated by fields and paddies. People doing farm work could be seen everywhere.

Without slowing down, the woman made a turn at a narrow and winding road, and stopped in front of a warehouse surrounded by fields. Nearby was a splendid manor and a crane truck.

The woman slipped off the upper half of her overalls and tucked it at the waist over her shirt. She poured tap water over her sweaty head and dried it with a towel. Then she faced Kino.

“Welcome to my house. I’m Nimya, Nimya Tchuhachkova. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello. I’m Kino, and this here is my partner, Hermes.”

“Hi there.”

Nimya half-opened the door to the warehouse and invited Kino and Hermes inside.

The interior was dark, humid, and reeked of machine oil.

“Now I’ll answer your question. I want to turn the main road into a long, straight path. That’s why the bronze statues have to be moved,” Nimya explained.

Still doubtful, Kino asked. “What for?”

“It’s… for this.”

At the same time, Nimya pressed a switch in her hand. The lights hanging from the ceiling slowly lit up, and ventilation fans also started to run.

There was a transport crane dangling from the ceiling. The floor was lined up with various construction machines, and one corner of the room was littered with a mountain of scrap metal. There were several desks cluttered with documents. There were also a number of bicycles hanging side-by-side in one corner.

And at the center of the warehouse was a silver machine.

Roughly the size of a truck, it had a body like that of a fish with its streamlined form and dorsal and tail fins. At its tail end was a device that looked like a three-bladed fan, and arranged symmetrically on its sides were two panel-like protrusions, the span of which was longer than the machine’s overall length. And below these protrusions were two legs that had tires at the end.

“What… is this thing?” Kino asked after trying to figure it out for a while.

“It doesn’t have a name yet, but…” Nimya turned to Kino and Hermes. Then she declared with a bold yet beautiful smile, “With this… I will soar to the skies!”

Kino asked immediately, “You can fly with that? How?”

Nimya nodded and quickly explained.

“If you hold a plank horizontally against the wind, nothing will happen, right? But if you place it at an angle, even if it’s only a little, a force that moves the plank forward and upward is generated. The same idea is in effect when you raise your head while riding a bicycle, causing your hat to fly off. So using this concept, if you attach an angled plank to an object – it doesn’t have to be a bicycle – and let it run at a particular speed, it will be lifted to the air by the plank. And that object should be able to fly.”

After listening to her words, Kino only muttered, “How… nicely thought out.”

“I guess. But I haven’t had the chance to test out this machine yet. For it to fly, I need a long, flat, and perfectly straight road. No other place could meet those conditions inside or outside this country, except for that road. But those bronze statues are in the way. I’ll do whatever it takes to have them moved!”

“Now I understand. But the chief is against it…. Does he think it’s impossible?”

“Yes. And not just him. Everyone in this country thinks that it is not possible for humans to fly using a machine. No matter how many times I explain the theory to them, it’s no use. That’s why I wanted to show them proof!”

“Oh…”

Kino stared at the machine in its bare, metallic form, and observed a nine-cylinder engine installed in front of its body.

Meanwhile, Nimya prepared Kino some tea. As it was served to her, Kino asked, “It has an interesting scent. What kind of tea is it?”

“Hmm? It’s tea brewed from the gallnut of a tree in this country. Oh, and it’s very nutritious.”

Afterwards Nimya sat on a desk, and offered Kino a chair. Then as if finally having gathered up her resolve, Nimya asked, “Hey, Hermes. Since you’re a motorrad, do you know whether it will function just as I imagined it? Or won’t it?”

Hermes answered right away. “I do. I’ve known the moment I heard your explanation. I don’t mind answering, but before that, let me ask you the same question. What do you think? Do you honestly believe it will fly?”

“……!” Nimya was tongue-tied for a moment, then answered without hesitation, “It will fly! I can’t be wrong! It will fly!”

Nimya gripped her mug so hard that the tea slightly spilled. Kino sipped a mouthful from her own.

“Correct. Judging from its appearance, it can fly. You can also control it. The only thing you need is a long and level runway,” Hermes said.

“I knew it!”

“Hmm…”

Kino only muttered as Nimya leaped in joy.

But Nimya’s joy soon turned into a deep sigh, “A road, eh? But that’s the toughest hurdle of all…”

At that moment, a car’s engine was heard from outside followed by a violent rapping at the entrance.

“Nimya Tchuhachkova. Please open the door. It’s me.”

It was the chief’s voice. Nimya clicked her tongue and pressed the switch beside the desk. The warehouse shutters opened, allowing the sunlight to get in. Footsteps of more than ten people, led by the chief, came in.

“Good afternoon, Chief. For you to pay me a visit… could it be that my appeal was already approved?”

“Of course not. …Oh, traveler, how come you’re here?”

“I invited her out for tea and told her my story. I’m just welcoming our honored guest, am I not allowed to do so?”

The chief made a sullen face, but finally calmed himself after some effort.

“Nimya. There is something I would like to tell you.”

“And what would that be?”

“All citizens are free to do anything they want as long as they don’t commit crimes or create trouble for the community. However, this country’s council has decided that you shall no longer be allowed to waste time and money on this ‘flying machine’ and other worthless matters.”

The chief delivered his speech with a dignified and deliberate tone. Nimya only glared back, though not impolitely, and gave a curt reply, “It’s not ‘worthless’. That’s all I have to say.”

Kino and Hermes could almost hear the molars of the chief grinding in frustration.

A middle-aged man spoke up. “Chief. It’s no use no matter what you tell her. This woman has gone crazy. Just look at this ''weird'' machine.”

“Don’t you dare touch it!” Nimya gave a piercing shriek to the man who tried to approach the machine.

“Hah!” he jeered. “I’m not going to touch such a bizarre object.”

The man peered at the machine from the front, and with a tone full of mockery, “Oh my. To use such a fine engine on a thing like this… You can see for yourselves, this is nothing but an enormous fan!”

“Exactly. In theory, it’s the same as a fan.”

“Ohh? So you’re saying that if I use a fan in a particular way, it will fly! Care to tell this foolish old man the trick?”

Laughter erupted from the crowd. Nimya, unfazed by the taunt, began her explanation.

“The machine will be drawn forward by that.”

“Drawn forward? By this fan?”

“Yes. The wind that it generates can produce the force to move it towards the opposite direction. When these ‘wings’ turn at a high speed and send wind towards the machine, it will move forward. It will run.”

There was a two second gap before the man burst into laughter.

“Hahahahahaha! Isn’t that amazing!”

“What’s so funny?!”

“Hahaha. Come to think of it, I have used fans for years — haha — But not one ''ever'' moved from my desk! —ahaha— Isn’t that funny?”

The man doubled up in laughter. Several people from the crowd also started to laugh.

“For it to work in the case of a normal fan, it needs to overcome friction with the desk! You should try it on a big flat, frozen surface, and you’ll see how strong wind power is!” Nimya insisted.

The man continued as he wiped his tears from laughing too hard. “Okay—. Then, what sort of magic spell should you use to get this giant fan moving?”

Laughter resounded once more in the warehouse. Nimya muttered, “These ignorant geezers.”

After some time, when the laughter has completely subsided, another man spoke to Nimya.

“Assuming that this thing does move… well, it does have tires. But you also claim that it could fly?”

“Yes. If it moves at a fast enough speed, it will be lifted by those wings,” Nimya explained as she pointed to the panels at the sides.

“By wings, don’t tell me you mean those flat protrusions from the sides?”

“Yes.”

“How do I say this… there must be some mistake in the design,” the man pointed out seriously, and Nimya promptly retorted.

“What did you say?!”

The man put on airs, and continued, “But see, if they’re fixed on the body… there’s no way they could flap.”

Another round of laughter from the crowd. And another explanation from Nimya.

“They don’t have to flap! As air flows from the front to back, a difference in the amount of air above and below the wings will develop. When that happens, there will be a force that will make it move upwards. I can show you my experiment!”

Nimya flicked the switch of the fan on the table.

A board placed perfectly in front of the wind moved diagonally, and then it floated.

“What do you think? It uses the same principle.”

The man was not particularly surprised, and answered without hesitation. “Such a light plank must be able to float. But how heavy do you think this weird contraption is? Perhaps as heavy as you are?”

“……”

For the third time, laughter filled the room, and Nimya became silent out of disgust. The chief finally spoke, “Good grief. To go along with this frivolous talk.”

“All of you…” Nimya spoke slowly. “Won’t you let me test it at least?”

“If you’re going again about tearing down the bronze statues for the sake of that test, then no way. Do you feel like destroying your house just to see if you can talk with ants?”

“If there is any possibility at all, I’ll do it as early as tomorrow. I will need your help then.” Nimya glared at the chief. The chief shook his head.

“Dear, dear. If only you made a machine that can be helpful in farming…. To waste the hard-earned fortune of your parents like this…”

“It’s not a waste! This ''will'' fly!”

“Only if you are a wizard! Oh my, isn’t that thing too fat to use as a broom, miss witch?”

Another one mocked, and everyone laughed. The chief issued a final warning to Nimya.

“Tomorrow afternoon, we will come to dismantle this weird machine. I’m afraid to say that as long as this thing exists, you will not be cured of your delusions. This is a final and immediate decision by the council. We will buy the engine and use it for a generator. Do you have anything to say?”

“I have.”

“What is it?”

“Won’t you move the bronze statues?”

The reply came immediately.

“Rejected.”

“……”

“Now everyone. That’s it for today. Go home. We’ll continue this tomorrow.”

The chief turned away and the rest of the crowd also left the warehouse.

The low hum of the ventilation fan echoed in the empty warehouse.

Nimya gulped down the already cold tea, and spoke to Kino and Hermes, who only looked on quietly from the start.

“Phew. It’s just as you’ve seen. Not so boring, huh?”

“Well, yeah. …But there’s one more guy left.”

“Eh?”

Nimya turned around. There was indeed one person left — a young man wearing a neat, wrinkle-less, uniform. He gazed at Nimya grimly.

Nimya turned to Kino and Hermes, “Let me introduce you. This is my fiancée. It has been a long time since we met.”

Kino bowed. The fiancée talked as he approached Nimya, “Nimya. You should understand by now. Won’t you stop doing this sort of thing?”

“What do you mean by ‘this sort of thing’?”

“Dreaming of riding this machine and flying. I don’t want to say this, but I know that there’s almost nothing left of the fortune you inherited from your parents. I also know that you haven’t eaten any decent meal recently. And that you will most likely be broke by next week.”

“……”

“You can live with me starting tomorrow. Move out of this place.”

“……”

“There doesn’t seem to be any malice in his proposal. But you know——” Hermes spoke to Kino who formed her fingers into a shush gesture.

The fiancée pleaded gently to the wordless Nimya.

“Can I stay here for tonight? I have something I would like to discuss with you.”

“…I’m sorry, I have something to do.” Nimya answered brokenly.

“What is it? Can I help you?” The fiancée offered at once, but Nimya only shook her head. Then she grabbed him aggressively at the collar and planted a light kiss on his lips.

“No… just go home for today, I’ll get in touch with you tomorrow.”

<center>—</center>

The warehouse shutters were firmly closed as soon as the young man left.

Then Nimya walked briskly towards the flying machine and slapped its silver body with her palm.

“I have no time to waste! This will have to fly by tomorrow morning. And when it does, those obstinate mules will have to acknowledge it!”

“If only we have a road,” Hermes quipped.

“Yeah! It will fly if only we have that. I’ll be satisfied as long as it flies – even if it’s just once! After that, I don’t really care. I don’t even mind crashing it in the chief’s house!”

“Really?” Hermes asked amusingly, and Nimya’s tone reverted back.

“…Well in any case, I’ll have to think things through calmly.” Nimya returned to the desk, handing a chair to Kino, who lightly thanked her and seated herself. Kino leaned on Hermes.

“At things stand, the gliding distance is still too short. I’ve computed it many times already, but even with the strong wind in the morning, there will still be at least one bronze statue on the way. It will be able to lift, but it will get dragged by that one statue,” Nimya said as she looked at a piece of paper full of calculations.

“Even if you maximized the engine output?” Hermes asked.

“It won’t be enough.” Nimya and Hermes whined. Kino, who had no chance to speak earlier, casually chirped in.

“What about making a ramp before the statue to jump from? That’s what’s normally done to clear obstacles in the case of motorrads. This machine should be able to do the same thing…” Nimya stared at Kino dumbfoundedly. Kino added, “…Maybe?”

Nimya considered it for a moment before speaking. “That’s right. If we do that, we don’t have to move the statues…. That may work!”

“Kino, you’re so smart!”

Kino slightly scratched her head at Hermes’ gleeful praise. “Eh? Well, thanks.”

“Just wait! I’ll make the calculations.” Nimya got to work on her desk and made numerous calculations. But her face returned to its bitter look after a while.

“It won’t work. Even if I make a ramp before the statue, it will still require much speed. If I jump with what I have, I’ll fall immediately.”

“So it won’t do, huh.”

“But I’ll work on this idea! I only have to do something about the launching speed. That’s the only thing left for this to work.” Once again, Hermes and Nimya grumbled, and once again Kino casually remarked.

“Well you could launch it with a gunpowder explosion, the way bullets are propelled in a persuader. Maybe…”

Nimya took one glance at Kino but quickly shook her head. “That’s not possible. I understand that idea, but to propel something this big, we will need a tunnel just as huge. Besides, even if we do have something like that, the machine will break.”

“Is that so…”

“Rejected. Sorry,” Hermes said. Kino pointed her finger at Hermes beneath her. Then,

''“Bang.”''

She mimicked the firing of a hand persuader. Then she lifted her right hand.

Nimya who was looking at her, knitted her eyebrows together and asked, “Kino. Just now, you were pretending to fire a persuader, right?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“But you raised your right hand.”

“Of course. The recoil of this persuader is pretty strong,” Kino said as she tapped Canon on her thigh. Nimya’s gaze froze, though she was not looking at anything in particular.

Then she cried out, “That’s it!”

“Huh?”

“I don’t need the blast, the recoil would be enough! Just like in a persuader, I’ll put gunpowder inside a pipe, ignite them consecutively to produce a gas at high speeds! If I put several such pipes on the machine, it will be able to dash!” While pointing inside the warehouse, “I have pipes! I have gunpowder! I can do this!”

“I get it! Kino, you’re smart after all!” Hermes squealed in excitement.

But Kino could only mutter.

“What?”

<center>—</center>

The next day, that is, the third day since Kino entered the country.

The chief did not wake up at dawn.

He continued his pleasant slumber on top of his bed, where a refreshing wind passes through.

The sunlight filtered through the windows, and just when a powerful breeze blew in, noises coming from the main road wakened him: the low drone of a truck’s engine, and the crashing sounds of something being laid down.

At that moment, fierce knocks were heard from the door, and his subordinate entered in a panic.

“Chief! Y-you have to see what’s happening outside!”

The chief hurriedly put on his clothes. And upon coming out to the main road, he was rendered speechless.

In front of the official residence, the shortest bronze statue had turned into a ramp. It looked as if it was saddled with pipes and iron plates.

“Good morning, Chief.”

The one who greeted the chief with a smile was Kino, who was going through the road placing ropes on the boundary with the walkway. The ropes were wrapped in yellow cloth printed with the words ''‘Danger. Please do not go to the road beyond this line’'' in black letters.

The chief turned his gaze to the nearest bronze statue. Just before it was a machine, glittering silver underneath the morning light. It was the flying machine from the warehouse. But it had an added touch that was not there the day before – several thick pipes attached below its body. Nearby was the crane truck owned by the Tchuhachkova family.

The chief shook his head several times, and blinked his eyes.

On the opposite walkway, Kino was briskly laying down the ropes. Several people have come out, staring in shock and wondering what was going on. Kino addressed them with a smile.

“Everyone. Please do not go beyond these ropes. It’s dangerous.”

Hermes was parked obliquely in front of the plane. Nimya in her overalls was tying a rope on Hermes’ carrier. The other end of the rope was tied to the tires of the flying machine.

Nimya climbed up the machine and sat in its cockpit. She put on her working goggles and gloves, and fastened the four-point seat belt. Then she waved to Kino who was now sitting astride Hermes, and gave her a thumbs up.

Kino started Hermes’ engine. The boisterous roar of the engine reverberated across the road. The chief rushed to Kino and asked, “Traveler! What in the world is happening here?!”

“Chief. It’s extremely dangerous, so please stand back.” Right after saying these words, Hermes’ engine let out three explosive roars. The engine of the flying machine roared, and the giant fan began to turn.

The chief tried to say something, but Kino could no longer hear it.

The explosion prompted the people to gather, and soon the sidewalk was filled with bystanders. There were also those who looked out from their houses.

Kino gestured to the Chief to stand back, and then turned to Nimya who was looking back at her.

The roar coming from the machine became even louder.

Nimya raised both fists high in the air, and crossed them over her head. Then the moment she opened her arms, Kino quickly launched Hermes. The tirestops of the flying machine disconnected at the same time.

The machine began to slide forward. At the next moment, its engine gave off a roar that seemed three times louder. The pipes underneath its body spouted white smoke with great force.

“It exploded!”

“No. It’s fine.”

The chief shouted and Hermes muttered to no one in particular. The machine accelerated, as if it was kicked by some invisible giant, and sped to the ramp in no time. The buildings trembled with the explosion, and the necks of the onlookers turned swiftly towards one direction.

The machine ran up the ramp in an instant, and leaped against the wind while spouting out smoke from its rear.

Kino lost sight of the flying machine amidst the smoke. By the time the wind cleared up the fumes, she found its tiny form with the blue sky as its backdrop. The pipes that no longer emitted fumes became dislodged and fell away. It fell on the marshland outside the country, piercing into the slushy earth.

When it was almost invisibly small, it made a turn and returned towards the country and became bigger and bigger in view.

Soon, the people craning their necks into the sky gathered on the road. Everyone except for Kino had their mouths wide open in shock. They muttered simultaneously.

“It flew. That heavy thing is in the sky…”

“The machine is flying…”

“I don’t believe this… it’s impossible… but…”

“A human… flying…”

Kino, who had a smile on her face since Nimya dove to the sky, asked Hermes, “Any thoughts?”

“I’m a bit jealous. That’s all.”

<center>—</center>

Meanwhile, Nimya was yelling to the top of her voice.

“What now?! Didn’t it fly?! It ''is'' flying! I was not wrong! Not my calculations, not my experiments! Nothing was a waste!”

Then the flying machine suddenly ascended even more, and just as it is, turned in the air.

“It’s working perfectly! It can be maneuvered flawlessly! I was not wrong!” With utmost faith in her machine, Nimya turned in the air many times over, flying up and down and making abrupt turns again and again.

Eventually, it settled down with Nimya muttering.

“Ugh. I feel sick…”

<center>—</center>

“Everyone!”

Kino suddenly called out to the enthralled citizens.

“For the flying machine to land safely, it needs a long and perfectly straight road. If you wish to send back that person, who had done such a great deed, back to the ground, kindly move at least three of the statues. It will be even more helpful if you move four of them.”

“U-understood! Right away!” The chief said with several nods.

“Everyone! Those statues are in the way! Move them, quickly!”

On the command of the chief, the people snapped back into reality and quickly took action. Using Nimya’s crane truck, the bronze statues were rooted out, foundation and all. Then the planks used for the ramp were laid out above the holes. In their panic, they moved away seven statues.

In no time, they completed a long and perfectly straight path, on both sides of which gathered numerous people.

Soon the flying machine glided down to the main road. It lowered down slowly; its three tires touched the ground at the same time, then its engine stopped.

The machine ran from the momentum and stopped right before Kino.

The crowd timidly surrounded the machine. As Nimya took off her goggles and stood up from the cockpit, a noiseless stir spread through the crowd. Kino and Hermes watched from behind.

“Nimya…” The first to speak was her fiancée.

“See, it’s just as I told you!” Nimya exclaimed happily, tapping the machine.

“Let’s go on our honeymoon with that. Let’s get married tomorrow!” The fiancée gently proposed as he looked up at Nimya.

“I didn’t know… you… no, everyone…” Nimya said doubtfully and her fiancée cried out.

“You’re a mage, aren’t you?!”

“Huh?”

“We didn’t realize it, and until now, we were acting foolishly and have been very rude to you. Please, forgive us helpless fools!”

“What?” As another question leaked from Nimya’s lips, her fiancée dropped on his knees before her.

''Forgive us! We’re sorry! Please forgive us! Our apologies! Pardon us! We beg your forgiveness! We apologize! Sorry! Sorry! SORRY!''

The people dropped to their knees one after another. It was like a spreading ripple, with Nimya and the flying machine at its center.

“Eh? W-wait, everyone!” Nimya became flustered.

“Lady Nimya! Oh, great mage! We truly regret our actions!” The chief, on his knees like the rest, pleaded with only his face raised.

“Please guide these helpless beings with your power! By the authority vested upon me as this country’s leader, I hereby proclaim you governor! Please accept it.”

“……”

While Nimya received expectant gazes from the chief and the citizens, Kino was busy packing her luggage on Hermes.

Someone noticed her and talked to her with an equally eager tone. “Great traveler! Could it be that you are a mage as well? If so, then by all means——”

“No, thank you! I’m about to go!” Kino said decisively as she tied her luggage firmly to Hermes.

Kino fixed her hat and strapped on her goggles. Nimya got off the machine and approached Kino. The crowd parted to make way for her.

Kino spoke to Nimya, “We’re going to leave right now.”

“Eh? But, wait——” Nimya asked in surprise.

“I’m really sorry. I have to go. Things might get complicated…. By the way, congratulations.”

“Congratulations. That was very impressive!”

Nimya looked around her and took a big breath. Then she looked back at Kino and Hermes, “You have my gratitude. This is all thanks to you.” And with solemn eyes, “…It may only be chance or a whim that brought you to this country, but for me, it’s fate. If it weren’t for you, the machine would have been destroyed, and I would have lived the rest of my life in disappointment… I’m serious. Words can’t express how grateful I am to you.”

Nimya smiled and stretched out her hand. Kino gripped the hand offered to her, and once more,

“Congratulations. …I had so much fun.”

“Me too. …Take care.”

Nimya did not take away her glance from the motorrad until it vanished at a bend in the road. Then she gazed at her followers prostrate before her, and muttered,

“Then, what should I do from now on?”

<center>—</center>

Kino and Hermes passed through the unmanned gates and came out of the country.

It was filled with swamps like before, but not as muddy. It was much more easier to run through it than when they first came. Hermes spoke happily as the gates got smaller behind them.

“Wow, that was amazing! Just look at those surprised faces! They were like peas hit by a dove shooter!”

''“…Doves hit by a peashooter?”''

“Yeah, that’s it,” Hermes said and fell silent.

And the motorrad continued to make its way through the marshland.

After a while, Kino broke the silence. “Even so, that was unexpected. I was really surprised.”

“Wasn’t it? They shouted ‘Mage! Please forgive us!’ out of nowhere. It will take a while before the misunderstanding gets cleared. I’m sure a statue will be erected for her very soon,” Hermes said, and now it was Kino who turned mute.

“…Nope. I wasn’t referring to that…”

“Eh? What do you mean?” Hermes probed into Kino’s ambiguous reply.

“I didn’t think that machine could really fly,” Kino answered.

“Kino… what did you just say?”

“I said, I didn’t think that there could be one — a machine that could fly. I understood the theory she explained to me, but I didn’t believe it was possible…. It was really amazing.”

For a while, only the hum of the motorrad’s well-regulated engine could be heard. The waterfowl at the side of the roads let out choking cries, and flew away all at once.

“Kino! Then why did you cooperate in the first place?”

Hermes’ question was met with an impassive response. “Why? Well, if it worked I would see something interesting. If it didn’t, that person would probably give up. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“I was bored.”

Dead silence. After a while, Hermes asked reluctantly, “…T-then, assuming you weren’t bored in that country, would you have helped her?”

“I may not have. Why, under normal circumstances, if you told me a thing like that could fly, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

“……”

And Kino dealt the final blow to the speechless Hermes. “It really flew — just like magic. To see something that amazing was worth going through all that mud. …What’s wrong, Hermes?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just pondering over the range of potential human beings have.”

“Uh-huh…”

Kino replied half-heartedly to Hermes’ serious ramblings as they leisurely traversed the road by the side of the swamp.

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_097.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>

==Translator’s Notes==
<references/>
<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Chapter2

2017-06-08T17:53:06Z

Napen123: Remove frivolous space

==“Overprotection” —Do You Need It?—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_046-047.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

It was the second day in the country.

While on her way to pick up Hermes at the car park after lunch, Kino encountered a bickering couple in front of the motorrad. They appeared to be a married couple in their thirties, and beside them stood a boy, about ten years old and looking more than a little lost.

The father spoke. “That’s why I’m telling you —— you’re being overprotective!”

The mother retaliated. “No! You are being stubborn. This is for his own good!”

The three were blocking her way to Hermes.

Kino began by clearing her throat, “Ahem!”

Before she could manage to say “Excuse me, may I pass through and get to my motorrad behind you?” the father noticed her and asked,

“What do you think?”

“About what? I didn’t hear the conversation…” Kino cocked an eyebrow, amused by the sudden question. But before the father could explain himself, the mother interjected,

“This stubborn man insists that our boy doesn’t need a bulletproof vest.”

“Why would he need something like that?” asked Kino.

“The war, of course! Our son is joining the army,” replied the father.

“War?”

“Yes, it broke out a few months back. It is the first one we’ve had since the country was founded. The army has been recruiting soldiers for the front lines. My son will be joining the army today. Not to boast, but he will make a fine soldier, and probably return a hero too! But this foolish wife of mine keeps insisting that he wears a bulletproof vest. What nonsense.”

“Honey, the vest will protect our son from shrapnel!”

“He just needs to crouch down to avoid that, not to mention there are trenches to take cover in.”

“Even so, it will protect him from all sorts of things. He can’t be a hero if he gets hurt; our son needs to be able to do his best to become a hero.”

“But won’t the vest be heavy? He can’t move freely if he’s bogged down. Soldiers should have the grace of a butterfly and the sting of a bee! Also, his squad will ridicule him if he’s the only one wearing one.”

“All he needs to do is say it’s a gift from his loving mother.”

After listening to the parents, Kino glanced at the boy and said in a carefully neutral tone,

“Why don’t you ask the boy’s opinion?”

“Oh… you’re right! What do you think, Timmy? You will listen to mommy, won’t you?” The mother bent down to gently place her hands on his shoulders.

The father also squatted down next to him, and held up an encouraging fist. “Come on son! You are a man, right? Real men don’t need this junk.”

“Don’t worry, mommy and daddy will respect your decision.”

“That’s right, boy!”

The boy answered with a quaver in his voice, “I… I don’t wanna go to war!”

The father immediately stood up, and with a tone completely different from before, “We’re doing this for your own good!”

The mother also stood up and stared down at her son. “You need to join the army and become a hero. That way, you will be able to enter a good college and university, and then you will get to work for a large company. Don’t you understand? We are doing this for you. Didn’t you say that everyone in your class is joining? Do you want to lose to them? Is it okay with you if you get left behind?”

“But… Johnny’s parents won’t let him go.”

The mother began to raise her voice at her son. “What Johnny does is not our problem. You should decide for yourself!”

“That’s right! You shouldn’t compare yourself to others!”

The poor boy’s face went pale with terror after this outburst from his parents.

The mother took out a brand new bulletproof vest from her bag. The small vest was still wrapped in plastic. An attached card read: “To our brave young soldiers! Specially designed to reduce stress on the shoulders. Now with adjustable height to suit growing children. Ideal for long term use.”

She half-squatted and placed one hand behind her son, gently urging him. “Put this one on and let’s go to the recruitment center. Don’t be scared. Mommy will be with you.”

“See? Like I said, you are being overprotective.”

“I just want the best for our son!”

“I know. Just stop overdoing it.”

And so the bickering began anew. In the midst of it, the boy timidly said again, “I don’t wanna go.”

“Not again! You must have inherited that cowardice from your mother’s side.”

“What?! Ooooh! He’s as stubborn as you are, you old mule!”

Again the boy protested, now almost crying, “I… really… don’t want to go!”

Kino interjected, her voice still carefully controlled,

“Maybe you should rethink this with the boy.”

The parents gave Kino a horrified and insulted look.

“Why don’t you mind your own business? This is a family matter.”

“Yeah, this is our problem! We are doing this for our child.”

“Right,” Kino nodded. “I’ll do that.”

“Come on.” The mother grabbed the boy’s hand and began to drag him away. “We should head to the recruitment center before it’s too late. We’ll decide about the vest once we get there.”

“Let’s go, Timmy.”

Kino watched as the parents dragged their son away.

She shook her head, and turned back towards Hermes. The motorrad greeted Kino as she kicked up the stand.

“Must have been tough.”

Kino answered honestly before hopping onto Hermes.

“Yeah. It was.”
[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_055.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
}}
</noinclude>

User:Napen123

2017-06-08T17:30:44Z

Napen123: Created page with "Eh? What brings you here? I'm just a lowly editor. I can be reached at napen123@gmail.com"

Eh? What brings you here? I'm just a lowly editor. I can be reached at napen123@gmail.com

Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Chapter1

2017-06-08T17:23:05Z

Napen123: Grammatical changes (comma changes, add/fix particles, and changed flied to flew).

==“A Tale of Feeding Off Others”<ref>Story covered in anime episode 2.</ref> —I Want to Live.—==

[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_014-015.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]

It was inside a forest of snow.

The snow that accumulated in one winter crushed all of the grass underneath. Only the tall trees with long and narrow leaves grew out of the white surface.

Even now, snow was still falling from the sky visible from gaps in the branches. Dull low clouds were spread out and the sun's light was weak.

It was a quiet place. Nothing could be heard other than the sound of the occasional snow pattering from the branches. The wind was not blowing either.

In such a place, there was a wild rabbit. Its fur was pure white except for the tips of its ears.

The rabbit advanced a little, leaving shallow footprints on the snow. It stopped and moved its ears and head bit by bit. Then it leaped forward again.

The rabbit repeated this for a while, then stopped. Its ears moved. A red dot appeared on its white head — a red light.

<center>—</center>

Inside the same forest was a human.

This person was clad in a hooded snowsuit and overpants that covered up to the tip of her shoes. She wore a furred hat and yellow single-lens goggles. A face warmer extended from her neck up, covering her face.

She was leaning against the trunk of a tree, sitting with legs bent and knees forward. With both hands, she was balancing a hand persuader (Note: A gun. In this case, a pistol) placed between her knees. The persuader was a slender automatic fitted with a harmonica-shaped silencer. A red light extended from the tiny hole under the barrel — a laser sight for alignment with the target. This light was aiming towards the head of the rabbit.

She breathed out a wisp of white air. She slowly pressed the trigger. A clink was heard from inside the persuader.

The next instant, blood spurted out from where the red point of light marked the rabbit’s head.

The rabbit trembled for a moment, and soon fell down and stopped moving. The blood from its head slightly stained its white fur, and the snow underneath it melted a little.

<center>—</center>

Inside the forest was one road. The road was perfectly straight, cutting its way through the trees. It was covered with hardened, pure white snow.

On top of this road was a parked motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. It cannot fly). Its back seat was converted into a sturdy carrier. However, there was no luggage on top; only a bag was tied to it.

The motorrad was customized to be able to run on snow. There were studs around both tires to pierce through the frozen road. On the frame in front of the engine, arms resembling a bicycle’s training wheels stuck out on both sides. On the tips of these arms were planks for the feet to be placed in, at the bottom of which were tiny skis. This was to prevent the motorrad from falling down in case the tires slid.

“I caught one, Hermes.” The human greeted the motorrad as she appeared from inside the forest. The rabbit, with its legs tied together, was dangling upside down from her hands. A covered holster was attached obliquely in front of her stomach.

The motorrad called Hermes replied cheerfully, “Good job! With this, you don’t have to lessen your supply of portable rations, Kino.”

The human called Kino nodded, put the rabbit inside the bag, and secured it onto Hermes’ carrier.

Kino took off her goggles and bandanna and lowered her face warmer. It was a person around mid-teens, with short black hair, big eyes, and a face carrying an intrepid expression. She lightly wiped off the sweat on her face and fixed her hat. Then she spoke,

“Now, let’s hurry back. If those guys die, I’ll be in a bind.”

“In a bind?” Hermes asked.

“What I mean is, I would lose face.”

“To whom?” Hermes asked once more.

“The rabbit,” Kino answered.

Kino turned on Hermes’ engine. The sound of the engine broke the stillness of the forest. Kino fixed on her goggles and face warmer, placed both of her feet on the support skis, and launched Hermes off.

<center>—</center>

In one corner of the white road was a relatively new kind of truck. The tires and lower half of its body was completely buried in the snow, rendering it immobile. Snow had accumulated heavily on its roof.

A bit ways off the truck, on the border between the forest and the road, there was a big tent. Only the place where the dome-shaped tent stood was below the surface, as if the snow there caved in.

Eventually, the sound of an engine was heard, followed right after by the arrival of Kino and Hermes.

One man crawled out and peeked from inside the tent. The face of the man, who seemed to be about thirty, looked like it couldn’t be any thinner. His beard and hair had grown as much as it could, and the winter clothes he wore were dirty all over.

Kino took out the rabbit from the bag and showed it to the man. The man looked up at it with a delighted face and put his head back inside the tent. Then two other men stuck their heads out — a man wearing eyeglasses who seemed to be in his twenties, and a man in his forties who had greying hair. Both looked pitifully thin but smiled from ear to ear when they saw the rabbit.

“I’ll cook it for you. Let me borrow a pot,” Kino said.

“It’s good enough! We’ll eat it raw!” The man in his thirties said, his face wrought with impatience.

The other men pleaded to let them eat it right away, but Kino shook her head.

“That won’t do. It would be terrible if you get infected with Tularemia<ref>More commonly known as rabbit fever.</ref> or something.”

A look of disappointment loomed over the men, but they obediently took out two pots of different sizes from the tent. Kino took the pots and told them,

“I’ll call you when it’s done, so please rest until then.”

“Yes, we understand…. Miss Kino…” The man in his thirties called out to Kino who had already turned around.

“What is it?”

The man gazed straight into Kino’s eyes.

“Thanks.”

Kino smiled lightly. “It’s still too early for that, but… you’re welcome.”

<center>—</center>

The morning before.

Kino and Hermes were riding on the frozen road, thick clouds overhead.

Thanks to the studded tires and support skis, they were able to ride at a considerable speed.

Other than the bag, Hermes’ rear carrier was loaded with a winter tent, a sleeping bag, and lots of traveling luggage.

Then Hermes spoke all of a sudden, “There’s a truck up ahead.”

Kino slowly loosened the accelerator. She rode using the momentum, and without using the brakes, she slowly stopped in front of the truck buried in the snow. She cut the engine, climbed off Hermes, and let down her goggles and face warmer.

Kino opened the cover of the holster in front of her stomach and took out the persuader inside with her right hand. It was the revolver-type she called ‘Canon’.

As Kino approached the truck, she soon noticed the tent near it. Then she met the gaze of a man who hurriedly poked his head out of the tent’s opening.

The bearded man in his thirties looked at Kino with a surprised face. Kino returned Canon in its holster but did not let go of its grip as she greeted the man with a ‘hello’.

Without answering Kino, the man crawled out of the tent and stood up feebly. From the tent, two other men peeked out with equally surprised expressions.

The man looked at Kino and Hermes, and asked with a weak voice, “Y-you travel with that motorrad, don’t you…? C-can you spare us some food…?”

While looking at their pitiful state, Hermes spoke nonchalantly. “I see. I think I understand what your circumstances are.”

“I’m sorry, but I have none. Since when were you here?” Kino said.

“Don’t be surprised…. We’ve been here since the beginning of winter.”

Kino’s face faintly gave away a look of surprise, while Hermes spoke. “I am ''very'' surprised.”

“Yeah. Snow fell earlier than we expected. Soon it turned into a furious snowstorm, and we were passed up here ever since…”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t pass away,” Hermes said, but nobody laughed.<ref>Hermes mentioned a not so funny pun. The man said ''‘tachioujou’'' meaning to get stranded or passed up, while Hermes said ''‘daioujou’'', which means peaceful death.</ref>

“And I suppose there’s no food in that truck, either,” Kino asked to confirm, and the men replied in anguish,

“There was food, but we ate everything already… that was a long time ago. Of course, we had plenty, but we didn’t expect that we would be held up like this. We were careless. Since then, we’ve been waiting for someone to pass here. We beg you! Please share with us something, anything we could eat…. There are three of us…”

The man pointed to the tent, and the two men looked at Kino with a clinging expression.

“We beg you…”

The man curled his fists together and appealed to Kino. Kino breathed lightly before she replied. “I do have portable rations. But I have to leave enough for myself. The reserves I have would be barely enough for three.”

The men gulped as they listened to Kino.

“However,” Kino continued. The men raised their faces.

“I can hunt something for you. I’m sure there are animals around this area, and since it’s starting to get warmer, I would be able to catch one somehow. If you regain enough strength, you might be able to move your truck. You still have fuel, don’t you?”

“Yes, there’s still some left! Then that means…?” The man happily asked Kino in return. Kino felt the men’s warm, expectant gazes, and lightly nodded.

“Yes. I’ll accompany you for a few days.”

Broad smiles appeared on their faces upon hearing Kino’s words. They thanked her in chorus.

“Your name is?” the man in his thirties asked.

“Kino. This here is Hermes.”

“Miss Kino, eh? Here, take a look at this.”

While saying so, the man took out a small box from his pocket. He opened it and showed it to Kino. Inside was a ring. It was a silver ring set with several small green gems.

“I believe this has a bit of value. It’s our appreciation for your help. Please take it.”

“It’s still too early to thank me.”

“That’s fine. Take it. I wanted to take this back home for my wife, but it would be pointless if I die here.”

“……”

Kino took the box in her hands and looked at it. She gazed at it for a while without any discernable change in her expression.

“I understand. I’ll take this as a reward after everything is over. Until that time, I’ll hold on to it.”

Kino put the box in her pocket and instructed the men. “Please wait here for a while. I’ll catch some game. I’ll leave my luggage here, so please watch it for me until I return. Just so you know, meat is more delicious than my portable rations.”

Kino removed all of her luggage from Hermes and tied up just one bag on the carrier.

And then she went out to hunt.

<center>—</center>

Kino started to cook.

She dug up the snow beside a tree until the ground became visible. Here she put together solid fuel, old newspapers, and some twigs, and set it on fire. She suspended the pot to the tree with a rope and adjusted it so that it would be on top of the flame. Then she put some clean snow inside.

Kino placed the rabbit on top of the iron plate she normally used for her shooting practice. She looked at the motionless rabbit for a moment, then closed her eyes for a few seconds more.

After a simple silent prayer, she began to cut it apart.

Kino removed the gloves she wore in favor of thin rubber gloves, which she used to cover up to the sleeves of her winter suit.

Then she took out a folding hunting knife and made cuts around the fur near the center of the rabbit’s abdomen.

After this, she pulled the fur sideways with both hands. She continued to pull until the neck and the tips of the feet were bare, and then cut off the rabbit’s hide from the rest of its body.

The rabbit, a size smaller than before, had turned into a pink mass of flesh.

Kino cut open the abdomen of the rabbit from the throat down to the anal area and took out its internal organs. She wiped the hollow interior of the wide-open belly using some snow and paper, and lightly drained the water.

To remove the limbs, Kino made cuts around the region where they connected with the body, broke the hip joints, and severed the hind legs with the knees. Then she chopped the torso into appropriate sizes.

After she finished cutting it up, the rabbit has become ‘meat’ that could normally be sold in shops.

Kino adjusted the bonfire and scooped out the scraps from the water in the pot.

Then she put the meat into the pot. Using snow, she wiped the iron plate she used in place of a chopping board and hoisted it above the fire to sterilize it. For the first time, Kino removed her rubber gloves.

The meat was ready after a while.

<center>—</center>

The men were called out by Kino, and with their plates and cups in hand, they wobbled out of the tent towards the fire. Their eyes that looked big in their gaunt faces had a bizarre glint in them.

Kino sprinkled the meat with salt and pepper and divided it among the men. The men gazed at the food in front of them in silence for a while. Soon, tears trickled down their dirty cheeks.

“Damn. This better not be a dream…”

“You’ll find out once you eat it. It’s not supposed to disappear… maybe,” Kino said.

The men broke the meat into small pieces with their fingers and slowly carried it to their mouths. They chewed several times before gulping it down, then closed their eyes and inhaled deeply.

“It’s so good…” The man in his forties muttered in between his broken sobs.

“Delicious…” The man in his twenties said as his tears trickled down silently, his hands working on the food slowly but incessantly.

The last man’s eyes remained closed as he chewed on the meat for a while longer, as if confirming that it was real, and swallowed. “Yeah. It’s really delicious. It has been such a long time since we last tasted something this good…. It’s a bit salty though.”

The men laughed as they wept. They rubbed their teary faces with their hands, and the dirt on their faces was washed off, if only a little.

Kino made some tea with the hot water in the other pot and filled the men’s cups. She handed the men some tablets.

“Those are vitamin tablets. They’re my spares.”

“Thanks. It’s a full course meal.”

“Kino, are you fine with us eating all the meat?” the man in his twenties asked.

“I thought there would be more than enough for everybody, but in your condition, it seems like you could finish everything. I’m fine with the usual stuff I have,” Kino said, showing them the square, clay-like portable rations.

“Thank you.” “Thanks.” The men meekly expressed their gratitude.

“If you can, please thank that guy over there too.” Kino pointed to the tree.

On the branch of the tree were the fur and pieces of the upper and lower body of the rabbit. The four looked at the dark, round eyes that has lost its light.

Then, the men put down their plates and cups on top of the snow, clasped their hands together in front of their faces, and closed their eyes.

Kino, and Hermes who was parked behind her, looked at the men as they softly expressed their gratitude to their God.

“God, thank you. For us, the blood of another being was sacrificed…. And God, please forgive us for having to kill others to survive…”

The prayer of the men continued for a while, and Kino looked at them while eating the unappetizing portable rations.

Afterwards, the men took their time in finishing all of the meat.

<center>—</center>

As the day came to a close, the sky, which was not too bright in the first place, became even darker. The scenery changed into a gray hue that quietly grew thicker.

Kino spread out her one-person tent on the opposite side of the men’s tent, interposed with the truck.

She made some tea for the men by the end of the day. They thanked her once more and returned to their own tent.

Kino covered Hermes’ engine and tank, and slipped into her own tent.

<center>—</center>

The next morning.

The surroundings were still dark when Kino woke up. As usual, the sky was covered with clouds, and powdery snow fluttered about.

Kino exercised on top of the snow and practiced drawing out Canon several times.

After eating her portable rations alone, she tapped Hermes awake, turned on his engine, and strapped her bag on his carrier.

She asked the men who were stirred awake with the engine’s roar to bring their cups. She put some snow in the cups and placed them on Hermes’ engine and exhaust pipe. The snow soon melted.

“My engine was not made to make hot water, you know.”

“Then that means you can be useful to me in many ways, Hermes.”

<center>—</center>

That day.

Once again, Kino and Hermes went out to hunt. She brought down two big rabbits in a row.

Upon returning, she cut them apart like she did the day before. She cooked the first one in the afternoon in the same manner.

The men came out of the tent, and once again, gave thanks after their meal. And then, they returned to their tents and rested.

Kino cut down a branch of the tree for kindling and cooked the other piece of meat as evening neared.

The men ate everything. The neatly gnawed bones piled up beside the bonfire.

While eating, the men told Kino about their country with smiles on their faces.

“In case you come to visit, we’ll treat you to anything, you’d get twice as heavy!” they promised Kino.

As they regained their body strength, they were eventually able to walk normally without staggering.

<center>—</center>

By nightfall, the snow has completely stopped falling and rifts manifested on the clouds little by little. The stars became visible in the sky one by one.

Kino was inside her sleeping bag in her tent. Hermes, who was parked right in front of the tent, spoke. “Kino, are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it really okay for you to go out of your way like this?”

“It’s not. Even though it’s getting somewhat warmer, I want to get out of this forest as soon as possible.”

“Then why?”

“Because there’s the reward. I accepted the ring.”

“What’s so great about that thing?” Hermes said.

For a while, there was a rummaging sound from inside the tent. And then, Kino gently slipped her left hand under the hem. The ring was inserted on her middle finger.

“What do you think?” Kino asked, turning her hand over.

“It doesn’t suit you,” Hermes replied immediately. She slowly drew back her hand.

“…I think so too. It would be on the way when I grip your clutch. But it must be worth something if I sell it. Besides, it’s not a bad thing to do an act of mercy from time to time,” she answered back.

“Whatever,” was Hermes’ only reply.

<center>—</center>

The next day, that is, the morning of the third day since Kino met the men.

The sky was tinged a light blue when she woke up. It was absolutely clear and devoid of clouds.

The orange lump of light began to rise behind Kino as she performed her morning exercises. Her shadow became longer and extended on top of the snow.

Soon, the men woke up. They tried to walk steadily and prepared hot water on their own.

“I see you’re doing much better now,” Kino said, and the men nodded.

“Yeah, thanks.”

For breakfast, Kino divided her portable rations among themselves. The four ate their meal rather uncomfortably.

During their after-meal tea, the men talked merrily about their home country.

“Those folks will surely be surprised once we get home. None of them would think that we would get stranded like this. I’m sure they believed that we were shot dead.”

“They probably made graves for us already.”

“Isn’t that funny? We could visit our own graves.”

When the man in his thirties asked Kino about her home country, Kino only answered with a shake of her head.

“I see… sorry about that,” the man said, and brought the discussion to a close.

<center>—</center>

As the sun went up, the air slowly but steadily became warmer.

The men talked to Kino about moving their truck. If they divided work and dug up the snow around the truck to create a slope, they could possibly get the truck out of its current condition of being buried. As long as the truck was still in running condition, they could get to the nearest country.

The man in his thirties asked Kino, “First, we want to remove our luggage from the vehicle. It would be nice if you can help.”

Kino and the men turned to the back of the truck.

The truck’s loading platform had three locks. The man in his thirties asked for the keys of the other two, opened the door and went inside. After a while, they heard some clicking sounds, and the man in his forties separated Kino a bit and talked to her.

“Miss Kino, will that motorrad be fine?”

Kino, who did not understand what he meant, turned around. At the same time, the man in his thirties quickly got out of the truck’s platform. He was holding a long persuader with both hands and aiming it towards Kino.

The moment Kino saw the man’s persuader, she reached for her holster with her right hand but stopped herself from pulling Canon out. She calmly faced the persuader pointed at her.

“Good decision. If you pulled out that persuader, I would have shot you without a moment’s delay,” the man said as he climbed down the platform. There was no opening in his stance.

“Well, thanks for that,” Kino said with her usual tone without any hint of surprise. The other two men backed off from Kino a few steps, their faces now stern.

The man in his thirties spoke. “The truth is I wouldn’t have fired at you. We take ''pride'' in delivering our important goods without a single scratch, you see.”

“Goods?” Kino asked, and the man in his forties answered.

“Yeah. We work for an employment agency. What we refer to as ‘goods’ are people.”

Hermes, who was parked a bit ways off behind Kino, spoke in a tone not different from usual. “Oh, so you guys are kidnappers. Or to be more specific, slave traders.”

“You don’t have to put it so bluntly… but well, that’s correct. Now that we are strong enough to move, we have to do our real job. So, Miss Kino, we will take you with us to a place where someone would buy you. Don’t put up any resistance now.”

“Well, that’s that, but I’m a little concerned,” Hermes said.

“Don’t worry, Hermes. Your partner is quite a beauty. She’ll shine with a bit of polishing, and because she’s young, she’ll definitely be sold for a high price. We always adorn our goods with jewels and pretty clothes; it’s a complete package. We’re not going to give her any injuries,” the man in his forties assured.

“Anyway, you sure make it sound easy,” Kino replied indifferently, her body not moving an inch.

While gazing into Kino’s eyes, the man in his thirties spoke with his persuader still aimed at her. “Please don’t think badly of us. We are truly grateful to you for saving us. It was great… really great. However, you can say that we are wolves. And wolves have no choice but to live like wolves. This is in order for us to survive, you see.”

“I see.” Kino slowly raised her hands.

“Okay. Now, remove that revolver in front of your stomach. Slowly, with your left hand.”

Kino slowly removed Canon’s holster from her belt with her left hand.

“Throw it away.”

Kino tossed it, and it fell between her and the men. There was a thud, and it was stuck halfway into the snow.

The man in his twenties went to pick it up, but the man in his forties beside him stopped him and spoke. “Remove your winter suit. Slowly. One hand at a time, and throw it up front.”

Kino removed her winter suit as she was told. Underneath, she was wearing a black jacket fastened with a wide belt on the waist. There were several pouches attached to the belt.

“Face to the back. Slowly now.”

Kino turned around. Lightly inserted on her belt was the holstered persuader she used to shoot down the rabbits. Kino called this one ‘Woodsman’.

“I knew it. Pull that persuader out slowly with your right hand. Then throw it. Slowly, remember.”

“I’m impressed you knew,” Kino said while looking at Hermes. With her right hand, she gripped Woodsman’s barrel, removed it from its holster and tossed it away.

“Face here, hands up. Slowly.”

Kino raised both hands and slowly faced the men.

Two of them tried to approach Kino, but this time, the man in his twenties stopped them.

“Wait. You have a knife, right? Where is it?”

Kino, with a somewhat dejected look, replied bluntly. “I have them all over.”

“Throw them all away.”

Kino slowly put her right hand in the pocket at her jacket’s hem. She took out the folding knife she used for cooking and flung it away.

Kino slowly reached out for the pouches on her belt with her right hand. From there, she pulled out the grip of a knife, flicked open the folding blade, locking it automatically. She threw this away.

Kino slowly put her right hand inside the left cuff of her jacket and extracted a double-edged knife. She tossed it. And then, she put her left hand inside the right cuff and took out a similar knife, and threw it away.

“……”

The men silently looked on. Kino slowly began to take off her overpants. She zipped down the fastener on her side and removed it one leg at a time. The boots and pants she was wearing underneath could now be seen.

Kino slowly squatted down and took out a thin knife from a sheath tied up on the shin part of her boots. She threw it away. She removed a similar knife from her left leg with her left hand and tossed it.

The knife fell down and hit the other knives on the ground, making a clinking sound.

“Are you… a knife merchant?” the man in his thirties muttered impulsively.

Kino slowly reached at the belt behind her right waist with her right hand and pulled out a sheathed knife. It was a knife with a double-edged blade around fifteen centimeters in length, and a fat, cylindrical grip.

Kino gripped it with her right hand and held the blade part with her left.

She spoke slowly, looking at the eyes of the man holding the persuader. “This one’s the last.”

“Throw it away,” said the man in his thirties. A red dot appeared on his forehead — a red light.

''Bang bang bang!''

There were three gunshots in succession. Between the blade and the grip of the knife were four small holes, from three of which bullets flew out.

Blood spurted out of the place where the red point of light marked the man’s forehead.

At the same moment, as the shots were heard, the man in his forties saw Kino advancing towards him and flailed his left hand. Kino passed underneath and restrained the man’s left hand from behind with her left. She stabbed all of the knife’s length through the left side of his back.

''“Guh—!”''

At the same time as the man let out this sound, the man that had three holes opened in his forehead collapsed.

Kino then pushed forward the knife and the man towards the man in his twenties.

As the thin man fell over, Kino retrieved Canon from the snow.

Kino immediately raised the hammer and stood in front of the man, pinned on his back underneath the corpse.

''“Aaaah—!”''

The man shrieked. Kino took a short glance towards the other man whose face was stained red with blood. And then she pointed Canon towards the last man.

“Save m——”

There was a thunderous roar and a white smoke as Kino’s right hand bounded up. Several of the man’s teeth burst flying like popcorn.

The man’s head leaped as if hit by an electric shock, then became still. Blood pooled from inside his mouth, and at once, the air pushing out of the lungs bubbled out. The blood overflowed, melting the snow beneath the man’s neck little by little.

Kino stood in front of the three men’s corpses. There was a faint steam rising up from the blood.

“That was a close call,” Hermes said to Kino from behind. “Are you hurt?”

“Nope,” was Kino’s only reply. Then she added, “That was scary. I thought it was the end for me.”

Kino stood for a while, holding Canon in her right hand.

In the middle of the clear blue sky and the glittering snowscape, the sound of Kino’s molars grinding in fear resounded.

<center>—</center>

“Are you fine now?” Hermes asked.

“I’m okay now,” Kino nodded. Steam no longer came out from the corpses.

Kino stood in front of the truck’s loading platform.

While holding Canon cautiously, she slowly opened the door.

“I see,” Kino muttered, and looked for a while inside the truck. And then, she opened both doors. Light shone inside the truck.

A number of white bones rolled off from the narrow interior of the truck.

Human bones. Thin ribs. Small finger bones. Broken pelvic bones shaped like spatulas. Broken thighbones — the marrow inside thoroughly slurped.

Several used up containers of solid fuel rolled off. An iron plate was torn off from one part of the truck. Above it, there were several charred pieces of a backbone.

In one corner of the truck was the head of the person who owned these bones.

Long blonde hair was tied on the truck’s pipe, from which the head was suspended, lightly facing downwards. It was a young girl, perhaps about the same age as Kino.

The eyes and the nose were gone. There were only the silently gaping black holes, the whittled skin and flesh of the cheeks and jaws, and the exposed part of the skull underneath the face. The lower jaw was barely connected to the rest of the head.

A hole as big as a person’s fist was gaping wide on the forehead. All of the brain was gone.

Hung neatly in one corner opposite the head was a bright yellow dress.

“…Hermes, can you see it?” Kino asked.

“Yup. Food scraps,” Hermes answered.

Kino looked at the corpses of the men by her feet.

“Before that, this was their important ‘goods’ eh…”

“And before that?” Hermes asked, catching Kino's mumbled words.

While looking at the glittering blonde hair, Kino spoke gently.

“I don’t know.”

As Kino slowly closed the door, she spoke to the girl.

“It’s not right. But, they didn’t want to die.”

<center>—</center>

“We’ve been held up so much. Let’s leave as soon as possible,” Kino said, picking up all the knives she tossed earlier.

Snow accumulated inside the Woodsman's barrel. Kino picked it up, and without aiming at anything in particular, fired two shots. Then she closed the safety and returned it behind her waist.

She took the knife piercing the back of the man with one forceful pull. She thrust the bloodied blade in the snow back and forth until it was clean. Then she wiped it with the clothes of the dead man.

Kino opened the screwed lid at the bottom of the knife’s grip. She took out three small, empty cartridges from inside. Then she took out Woodsman’s spare bullets from her belt and put them inside the knife’s grip.

And then she returned this persuader-knife to its sheath in her right waist.

Kino put on her overpants and winter suit. Then she returned Canon to its original place.

She quickly packed her tent and loaded her luggage on Hermes. Then she started the engine.

Suddenly, Kino returned to the side of the truck. She squatted beside the corpse holding the persuader.

She removed the glove in her left hand. A ring was inserted on her middle finger. It was a silver ring, with several small green gems attached to it.

Kino looked at her left hand for a few seconds.

Kino removed the ring and took out the box from her pocket. She put it inside the man’s breast pocket. And then she spoke to him softly.

“I’m returning this to you… because I wasn’t able to save you in the end.”

Then Hermes spoke with a voice as soft as Kino’s,

“What? I thought you liked that thing?”

<center>—</center>

Kino straddled Hermes. She covered her face with her hat and goggles.

Kino lightly revved the accelerator, and the engine roared in excellent condition.

“Shall we go?” Hermes proposed.

“Yeah.”

Kino turned her head back lightly to check whether she left anything. Then she looked at the remains of the three rabbits lined up on the branch of the tree.

“Please don’t think badly of us. We’re only humans, after all.”

The motorrad ran off. It passed through the truck, the tent, and what remained of the four corpses, and soon disappeared.
[[File:Kino_no_Tabi_v2_045.jpg|x200px|thumb|left]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

<noinclude>

==Translator’s Notes==
<references/>

<noinclude>
{{Navigation
| Kino no Tabi
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Prologue|Prologue]]
| [[Kino_no_Tabi:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
}}
</noinclude>

Kanon:Volume 1 Chapter 1

2017-06-06T03:53:58Z

Napen123:

==Chapter 1 - The First Day of Transfer==

“Let’s go.”

Nayuki called to Yuichi at the door.

“It’s going to get dark if you don’t go now.”

“I don’t want to. It’s too cold.”

Yuichi had his jacket on, but he was still reluctant.

“It’s not that cold. Besides, I’m going out to buy stuff for mum. You promised you’d go at noon.”

Pouting her small lips, Nayuki curled her braid around her fingertips.

Nayuki with braids. Nayuki at primary school, those days when Yuichi came to this town every winter. It seemed like a dream to him, but it was him all right.

“I didn’t think it would get so cold.”

In his dreams, Yuichi, a primary school kid, kneeled at the door.

“You’ll need to swallow a thousand needles if you don’t abide by your promises. It’s in its growing period, so you’ll have to swallow one thousand and five hundred.”

“…I understand.”

The two of them walked outside, shoulder to shoulder. His ears were frozen in pain by the cold air. Yuichi turned around.

“Forget it, I’m not going.”

“Dinner for Yuichi tonight will be red ginger.”

“…”

“Filling his bowl with red ginger, and letting him eat red ginger as a side dish. The soup is also going to be juice squashed from red ginger.”

''There were only red gingers left in the fridge. So those who don’t buy stuff are going to eat ginger, fair?''

Nayuki’s eyes told him.

He couldn’t stop her, now. He turned around again and got out. The snow stacked at a side emanated a biting chill. There was no way he could go out to the shopping district to buy something, Yuichi thought.

“No. I’m going back.”

“You just came out.”

Nayuki looked troubled. This look on her face drives Yuichi mad. Since primary school, looking back at his dreams, he's always been so repellent.

“Nayuki, you said it isn’t cold, but it is. That’s a lie, so you’ll have to swallow a thousand needles too.”

“Ah…”

“They’re put on top of each other also, because they’re in their growing period.”

“I can’t swallow such large needles.”

You wouldn’t even be able to swallow normal needles, but seemingly satisfied by Nayuki’s answer, Yuichi turned around and took off.

Yuichi also knew Nayuki didn’t really hate his silly jokes.

Like this, he came to Nayuki’s side every winter. How many years had past? The first time they met, both of them were very shy. But, gradually, they could talk to each other without holding back.

Gentle and leisure-like, Nayuki was almost the opposite to Yuichi, who was impatient and dissentious, but this probably made things the better.

“Wait here, Yuichi, I’m going to go buy things before the shops close.”

In front of the entrance of the shopping district, Nayuki and Yuichi parted ways. There was a shop for kids nearby, and Yuichi waited for Nayuki while looking at the toys and video games inside.

At that time, Nayuki made a big fuss.

“I told you many times you have to wait for me.”

Right. I should have been waiting for Nayuki…I…

“The sun. The sun is coming out.”

“Woah?!”

The sudden girl’s voice ringing in his ear made him jump.

“Eat breakfast, and go to school!”

“Is it Nayuki?”

There was no other person who could produce such a sleepy voice. But after a glance at his surroundings, all he could find were paper boxes stacked like a mountain.

“The sun, The sun is coming out.”

And then came a voice completely the same as before. Now he realised it was the alarm clock placed beside his bed.

“Eat breakfast, and go to school!”

Enough. Yuichi pressed the button of the alarm clock. More of its squeaking would only make him more sleepy than awake.

This alarm clock was borrowed from Nayuki yesterday night.

Although he took a day’s rest yesterday home because of fatigue and holiday, he had to wake up today so as not to be late for the first day of transferring school.

Nayuki told him this was her favourite alarm clock, but he couldn’t believe it recorded her own voice as the ringing tone. Giving it a better look, he could find a record button behind the alarm clock.

''Let me tell her to give a normal alarm clock for me to use then.'' Yuichi changed, left his room, and came to a door with the sign ‘Nayuki’s Room’.

And at that moment.

Ding, ding ding. Dong, dong, dong. Beep, beep, beep.

Alarms ringing in unison came from the room.

“What the hell?”

Yuichi couldn’t help but step back. He glimpsed at a corner of the stairs, where Nayuki’s mother Akiko was calling for him.

“Yuichi, breakfast is ready.”

“Oh, okay. Um…”

“I’m going to wake Nayuki up. Please eat breakfast first, Yuichi.”

“Okay.”

So Yuichi left the ringing room alone and went to the kitchen, scratching his head.

Minase’s house composed of the kitchen, the living room, Akiko’s bedroom, all on the first floor, while Nayuki’s room and two guest rooms were in the second.

“This house is quite big and lonely for the two of us. It’s great you had come to live with us, Yuichi.”

While they were having a chat, Nayuki’s mother Akiko smiled and talked with a gentle voice much like Nayuki. Akiko was young and beautiful. It was impossible to tell that she had a daughter, Nayuki, as old as Yuichi.

Minase’s family consisted of, since Yuichi was a kid, Nayuki and her mother only.

Why were there only two? Were the parents divorced? Yuichi didn’t know and didn’t want to either. Everyone had their own personal affairs. Besides, there were only two people. He would come to know soon enough by living here, for Akiko and Nayuki were spending their days happily together.

On the table were a brown toast, orange juice, half-simmered eggs, and salad with small tomatoes. The juice was self-made, squeezed appropriately. The salad’s seasoning was Akiko’s secret. Look. Even you could tell from a simple breakfast the harmony of this family.

“Thanks for the food.”

Hungry, Yuichi took a big bite of the toast, while Akiko served coffee. It smelled really great. Yes. A peaceful, winter morning.

Having served the coffee, Akiko returned upstairs. The ringing sounds subsided eventually. When she came back to Yuichi, he had finished the toast and the eggs, thinking of whether to ask for another cup of coffee.

“…Good morning.”

Her eyes half-open, Nayuki came out from behind Akiko. Although she had her uniform worn, she looked almost the same as sleeping, wobbling from head to toe.

“Ku.”

Making an alien sound, she, instead of sitting, fell into the chair beside the table.

“Have you woken up yet?”

“…maybe.”

Although her voice and face seemed like sleeping, Nayuki’s hands were busy with spreading strawberry jam on the toast. She then slowly stuffed the well-painted crimson bread into her mouth.

“Yummy. Strawberry jam.”

Nayuki smiled, and slowly drank coffee from her cup with cats on it.

“Nayuki, hey.”

“Yes?”

“I think it’s healthy to eat breakfast slowly, but can we make it in time?”

Substituting the function of an alarm clock, the television in the living room was broadcasting the last show, the fortune telling program.

“It doesn’t matter. But we have to run a bit.”

“Doesn’t that imply it does matter?!”

Yuichi got up in a flurry. From what he had learned through waiting for her and her sleepy mornings, he knew he couldn’t trust Nayuki’s perception of time.

“I’ll be waiting at the door. Hurry, Nayuki.”

Yuichi transferred to the same school as Nayuki. If he didn’t go with Nayuki, he wouldn’t even how to go to school.

“Yes. I’ll be quick.”

Words were merely words. In the end, it was already past eight when they got out.

“It’ll be fine if we run a bit.”

“Okay, quicker!”

The worst thing on earth was for a transfer student to be late.

Snow was piled up on both sides of the road.

Even the tress and the walls of the house were piled with snow, glowing under the sunlight.

Yuichi had no time to appreciate the scenery leisurely. Neither did he have the time to complain about the cold. He just puffed white smoke and kept on running with Nayuki.

“How many minutes do we have left?”

“Five…six…maybe seven.”

Although Nayuki ran along with Yuichi who ran with all his might, there was no sign of pain on her face. Yuichi remembered that she was the captain of the track team.

“We’re there.”

When his stomach was starting to ache, they had passed through the gates of the school at last. It was a white and big building with a large sports ground. And there was a classical lecture room, a thing that no other schools have. Many male students wearing flannel shirts and female students wearing the same uniform as Nayuki walked alongside.

“We made it….starting from today, this is your school, Yuichi.”

Nayuki raised her hand deliberately, as if introducing it to him like a tour guide.

At this moment, someone patted that hand lightly from behind.

“Morning, Nayuki.”

“Ah, Kaori. Good morning.”

Kaori had the ribbon with the same colour as Nayuki. There were also students with ribbons of colours green and blue.

“By the way, what a strange uniform we have.”

Male students wear old, dark blue flannel shirts and pants, while female students wear dark red one piece, with a white cape and big ribbons. It looked warm, fit for a school in the coldest place.

“How rude. Our school’s uniform is very popular. Some girls run to this school only for the uniform.”

Kaori refuted, and then…

“Um, who are you?”

“I can’t tell you who I am even if you ask.”

“He’s Yuichi, my cousin.”

“Ah! You’re that person Nayuki talked about on the phone!”

Kaori nodded as if she understood, and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Kaori Misaka. You can call me Kaori.”

She nodded lightly and smiled, her beautiful brown hair swaying.

“I’m Yuichi Aizawa. You can call me Yuichi too.”

“I’ll remain more polite, Aizawa.”

Kaori smiled mischievously. Forget it, it didn’t matter how she called me.

“Is which class you’re in decided yet?”

Kaori seemed to be a positive, direct young girl.

“Not yet. I’m going to the office now.”

“I’m in the same class as Kaori. It would be nice if you’re in our class.”

“Ah, yeah…”

It didn’t really matter if we were in the same class. That being mentioned, if someone else knew I was living with a female classmate in the same house and studying in the same school and even in the same class, it would be quite embarrassing.

“Yeah, it would be nice.”

But I had to nod a bit since Nayuki looked at me so intently.

“…right.”

“Yes!”

Nayuki smiled ecstatically.

I didn’t know whether God heeded Nayuki’s wish, but I was brought to the classroom where Nayuki and Kaori were in.

“I am Yuichi Aizawa. Nice to meet you.”

With a cold greeting, I bowed, lifted my head, and saw Nayuki secretly waving at me. Although it was only I who could see it, I still felt a bit embarrassed.

“Okay, sit there then, Aizawa.”

The position the teacher pointed to was beside Nayuki, diagonally in front of Kaori. Nayuki greeted me with all smiles, and Kaori looked at my face with a weird face, smiling.

After I sat down, the teacher started speaking.

Because today was the opening ceremony, there was only a class meeting but no real lessons. While I was listening without paying much attention and glancing at the new list of textbooks to buy, my back was poked several times.

“Hey.”

Turning back, I found an unfamiliar male student looking at me. Well, I didn’t know anyone other than Nayuki, so everyone was unfamiliar.

“It’s a waste to buy the textbooks only for the third semester. Take my textbook and copy it. It’s fine.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Kitagawa.”

“I’m Aizawa.”

“I know, I heard your introduction.”

“It’s only polite to tell your name after the other person tells his.”

“Oh, wait. Could you be a freak?”

“I'm sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter. Look, here’s the textbook.”

“Yes.”

“Hey, Aizawa. You already have stuff to talk on your first day of transfer.”

The teacher said, smiling wryly, followed by laughter in the classroom. Even Nayuki and Kaori laughed.

I wasn’t the type of person who liked to attract attention.

Escaping everyone’s eyes stealthily, I heaved a sigh.

“You can’t help it. It’s the destiny of a transfer student.”

Kaori commented, after the class meeting.

“But when we talk about sudden transfer students, they should be beautiful young girls.”

Sitting at the back, Kitagawa hopped in the discussion.

“Yeah. I’m used to transferring to schools only to see the boys in the class becoming disappointed.”

“Uh, are you used to changing schools, Aizawa?”

“His parents' jobs made them move around. When he was small, he always moved here and there.”

“So it’s not the first time Aizawa is in this town.”

“Ah?”

Hearing Kaori say something out of the blue, I looked at Nayuki at my side. Nayuki, who was just about to go to her club activities, looked back at me with a face of question marks.

“I heard it from Nayuki. That Nayuki and Aizawa always played together when they’re small.”

“Oh…”

Yuichi corrected her, saying he had only come during the winter break.

“So you’re coming back to a town you miss.”

“I don’t really miss it…”

I wasn’t quite sure. All of the hectic stuff about transferring schools had kept me quite occupied to think about it. And when I now do, I couldn’t bring myself to remember anything about this town in the past.

Suddenly, I remembered the dream I had this morning. And this dream reminded me some memories I had.

On that day, I was going to buy some things at the shopping district with Nayuki. I…

“It’s time I head to the club.”

Cutting in the time I was silent, Nayuki spoke.

“So I’m heading off.”

“Let’s go down the door below together.”

“Me too.”

“Count me in.”

As a result, with Kaori and Kitagawa, we four walked to the corridor.

During our walk, Nayuki talked to me, her face wide with smiles.

“Yuichi, do you remember Kaori and Kitagawa?”

“Seems so.”

“Hey, hey.”

Surprisingly, Kitagawa criticised me.

“So the person who greeted us and got out of the classroom was Saito.”

“Okay.”

“Good luck. You only have 36 people left to remember.”

“Thanks.”

“Work hard.”

Nayuki put her hands in front of her and clenched into small fists.

“Nayuki, you always say that.”

Kaori spoke.

“Yes, I get full of energy every time I say that before my club activities.”

“I don’t know why every time I hear Nayuki say that I get depleted of energy.”

“I kind of agree.”

''Is that so?'' Nayuki spoke, and Kaori and Kitagawa assented, laughing.

From my copious experience of transferring schools, I could tell these three were originally a small group, and they were inviting me to join them and form four.

“By the way, why aren’t you joining any clubs, Yuichi?”

Nayuki switched the topic back to me.

“Clubs aren’t my thing.”

I immediately replied. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to enter any under any circumstances, but that Nayuki had been carelessly talking too much about me.

Nayuki wasn’t the person who would care about such communication nuances, but thinking it another way, I may have just cared too much.

“What a pity. But no one could do anything about it.”

But once I look at her gentle smile, the more I couldn’t forgive myself for not being able to remember the past, as well as my resistance to this city.

“So I want to go somewhere first.”

Reaching the entrance, I headed off by myself quickly.

Nayuki, Kaori, and Kitazawa couldn’t even hear what he was saying and tilted their heads in astonishment.

There wasn’t any place for me to go to, as I was unfamiliar with the town.

But a lot of things had happened today, tiring me out. I wanted to be by myself and get some deep breaths the sooner the better.

Even when I was back home, Akiko was at work, so I was all by myself.

Nevertheless, I would only think of useless stuff if I just bore myself in the lonely and silent house, so I went to the shopping district for a walk.

The large shopping district, stretching from the station, through the broad street like a cross, was a good place to kill time. I could look around for convenience stores with commodities, bookshops, CD shops—everything was here.

I must have come here quite a few times when I was small.

But I didn’t know whether this street had changed or remained the same.

I stopped suddenly in front a shop. It was a shop selling kid stuff. Beside the round door were toys and games boys would like, as well as decorations and beautiful stationery for girls.

I did dream of this shop this morning.

And the child waiting for me was Nayuki…and then…

“That person there!”

“Eh?”

Dong.

Then suddenly something hit me at the back.

“Ugu…it hurts.”

Swaying from side to side, a short girl with wings at her back held her nose with her gloves.

Wait, wings?

“Ugu…I told you to move aside.”

“Did you say it?”

The young girl still showed a crying face while she scratched her nose, but her other hand was holding a brown paper bag.

Looking at that face, I could tell something was forming in my memories.

The sunset at the shopping district. A crying girl. A brown paper bag.

“Hey.”

“Ah, let’s talk about it later!”

The young girl took my hand and ran off.

“I’m being chased right now!”

“What are you saying?”

I followed her and ran along the shopping district, a girl I had no idea where she came from.

Of course, I did run with another girl this morning.

Within my vision, I was seeing the running girl, her white feathers dancing lightly.

Then it ran left and right like playing tricks. Finally, the girl went through a small path in the shopping district and stopped at a big open space at the end.

“I-It’s fine now, being here.”

Panting, the girl held the paper bag tightly.

“So who and why are you being chased?”

There was a lot of things I wanted to ask, but let’s start with the basics.

“I can’t tell you.”

The girl looked depressed.

“Because I don’t want to pull irrelevant people in.”

“I think I’m totally pulled in.”

“Ugu…ah, right. Do you want to have a bite? Taiyaki.”

The girl was obviously trying to change the topic, as she took out a hot taiyaki from the paper bag.

“Don’t you want it?”

Looking at my reluctance, the girl was astonished.

Actually, I stole glimpses behind me as I was running.

An old man wearing an apron looked around, searching for someone, and ran along the shopping district. Although I wasn’t a-hundred-percent sure, I did remember seeing him sell taiyaki.

By common sense, there was only one reason for someone to hold a taiyaki bag while being chased by a taiyaki seller.

“Taiyaki is most delicious when eaten after it is just baked.”

The young girl took a taiyaki from the paper bag and took a big bite.

Looking at her, I also felt my hunger unable to withstand.

Besides, the sweat I produced by running had cooled down by the night wind.

I needed something to eat.

“Give me one.”

“Okay.”

I quickly took a bite and talked to the girl while munching.

“But you have to pay for it when you have the money.”

“Ugu…”

The two of us sat on the old tires on the ground and ate the taiyaki.

I took one, while she was eating her third.

“You eat quite a lot, for someone as small as you.”

“I’m not small. You’re a student, right? My age is similar to yours.”

“Really? For someone wearing wings at her back.”

“Wings?”

The young girl widened her eyes, tilting her head.

“What are wings?”

“Wings are wings. Those wings at your back.”

At first glance, it looked like those pair of wings were on her back, but with a closer look, you could tell they were on the bag.

“My back…”

The young girl stood up and turned around. When she turned to the back, the wings came to the front.

“I can’t see them.”

The young girl spun a good few circles to see them, but she couldn’t.

“Ugu…I can’t see them.”

After looking at her spinning circles, I was certain of one thing.

Right.

This girl was a freak.

I had forgotten I had been said the same thing by my classmate before.

“Hear me. Don’t move your legs and try turning your head around.”

“Hmph.”

Doing what I had said, the young girl seemed to have finally noticed her wings and smiled.

“Woah. It’s real.”

The young girl shook her back, vibrating the wings.

“How cute wings.”

“Do you know there were wings on your backpack?”

I tried to touch the dancing wings. They were light wings made of plastic or the sort.

“This must be quite popular now.”

“I’m telling you.”

The short, young girl, with small legs, and who calls herself ''boku'' (used exclusively for young boys in Japanese), looked well with her toy-like wings.

“I’m Ayu.”

Finishing the last Taiyaki, the young girl squeezed the open bag with a flapping sound.

“Ayu Tsukimiya.”

Speaking of which, I remembered I hadn’t told her my name.

“I’m Yuichi. Yuichi Aizawa.”

“Yuichi.”

Ayu repeated my name.

“Yuichi…?”

“Yes, what’s the matter? Why the weird look on your face?”

“Weird looks are not needed…”

Ayu repeated my name, with a sophisticated look.

“Hmm.”

“Yes?”

Could we have seen before?

“…nothing.”

Although I wanted to ask, I hesitated.

Ayu was certainly a strange person, but it made me quite spirited from talking with her.

There was no need to add in those memories I couldn’t remember to our spirited talk.

The orange sunset had, when I had not noticed, turned into a dark blue colour.

“So let’s say goodbye now!”

“Yeah.”

“It would be nice if we could meet each other again.”

“Would it?”

“Ugu…it would!”

''Ugu'' seemed to be a constant expression of hers. When we meet the next time, I would probably pretend to make one at her face.

“Yeah. It would, if we could.”

“Yes!”

Ayu nodded with a spirited, smiling face.

I felt a bit sorry for having her to smile at me so genuinely.

She ran off, waving her hand incessantly and saying ‘goodbye’, her wings swaying.

I didn’t even have a single idea of where she would be going back.

<noinclude>

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| Back to [[Kanon:Volume 1 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Kanon|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kanon:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
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</noinclude>

Kanon:Volume 1 Chapter 1

2017-06-06T03:12:26Z

Napen123: grammar (was -> were; learnt -> learned)

==Chapter 1 - The First Day of Transfer==

“Let’s go.”

Nayuki called to Yuichi at the door.

“It’s going to get dark if you don’t go now.”

“I don’t want to. It’s too cold.”

Yuichi had his jacket on, but he was still reluctant.

“It’s not that cold. Besides, I’m going out to buy stuff for mum. You promised at noon that you’d go too.”

Pouting her small lips, Nayuki curled her braid around her fingertips.

Nayuki with braids. Nayuki at primary school, those days when Yuichi came to this town every winter. It seemed a dream to him, but it was him all right.

“I didn’t think it would be so cold back then.”

In his dreams, Yuichi, a primary school kid, kneeled at the door.

“You’ll need to swallow a thousand needles if you don’t abide to your promises. It’s in its growing period, so you’d have to swallow one thousand and five hundred.”

“…I understand.”

The two of them walked outside, shoulders to shoulders. His ears were frozen in pain by the cold air. Yuichi turned around.

“Forget it, I’m not going.”

“Dinner for Yuichi tonight will be red ginger.”

“…”

“Filling his bowl with red ginger, and letting him eat red ginger as a side dish. The soup is also going to be juice squashed from red ginger.”

''There were only red gingers left in the fridge. So those who don’t buy stuff is going to eat ginger, fair?''

Nayuki’s eyes told him.

He couldn’t stop her, now. He turned around again and got out. The snow stacked at a side emanated a biting chill. There was no way he could go out to the shopping district to buy something, Yuichi thought.

“No. I’m going back.”

“You have just come out.”

Nayuki looked troubled. This look on her face drives Yuichi mad. Since primary school, looking back at his dreams, he had always been so repellent.

“Nayuki, you said it isn’t cold, but it is. That’s a lie. So you’d have to swallow a thousand needles too.”

“Ah…”

“They’re put on top of each other also, because they’re in their growing period.”

“I can’t swallow such large needles.”

You wouldn’t even be able to swallow normal needles, but seemingly satisfied by Nayuki’s answer, Yuichi turned around and took off.

Yuichi also knew Nayuki didn’t really hate his silly jokes.

Like this, he came to Nayuki’s side every winter. How many years had past? On the first time they met, both of them were very shy. But gradually, they could talk to each other without holding back.

Gentle and leisure-like, Nayuki was almost opposite to Yuichi, who was impatient and dissentious, but this probably made things the better.

“I’m going to buy things before the shops close. Wait here, Yuichi.”

In front of the entrance of the shopping district, Nayuki and Yuichi parted ways. There was a shop for kids nearby, and Yuichi waited for Nayuki while looking at the toys and video games inside.

At that time, Nayuki made a big fuss.

“I told you many times you have to wait for me.”

Right. I should have been waiting for Nayuki…I…

“The sun. The sun is coming out.”

“Woah?!”

The sudden girl’s voice ringing in his ear made him jump.

“Eat breakfast, and go to school!”

“Is it Nayuki?”

There was no other person who could produce such a sleepy voice. But after a glance at his surroundings, all he could find were paper boxes stacked like a mountain.

“The sun, The sun is coming out.”

And then came a voice completely the same as before. Now he realised it was the alarm clock placed beside his bed.

“Eat breakfast, and go to school!”

Enough. Yuichi pressed the button of the alarm clock. More of its squeaking would only make him more sleepy than awake.

This alarm clock was borrowed from Nayuki yesterday night.

Although he took a day’s rest yesterday home because of fatigue and holiday, he had to wake up today so as not to be late for the first day of transferring school.

Nayuki told him this was her favourite alarm clock, but he couldn’t believe it recorded her own voice as the ringing tone. Giving it a better look, he could find a record button behind the alarm clock.

''Let me tell her to give a normal alarm clock for me to use then.'' Yuichi changed, left his room, and came to a door with the sign ‘Nayuki’s Room’.

And at that moment.

Ding, ding ding. Dong, dong, dong. Beep, beep, beep.

Alarms ringing in unison came from the room.

“What the hell?”

Yuichi couldn’t help but step back. He glimpsed at a corner of the stairs, where Nayuki’s mother Akiko was calling for him.

“Yuichi, breakfast is ready.”

“Oh, okay. Um…”

“I’m going to wake Nayuki up. Please eat breakfast first, Yuichi.”

“Okay.”

So Yuichi left the ringing room alone and went to the kitchen, scratching his head.

Minase’s house composed of the kitchen, the living room, Akiko’s bedroom, all on the first floor, while Nayuki’s room and two guest rooms were in the second.

“This house is quite big and lonely for the two of us. It’s great you had come to live with us, Yuichi.”

While they were having a chat, Nayuki’s mother Akiko smiled and talked with a gentle voice much like Nayuki. Akiko was young and beautiful. It was impossible to tell that she had a daughter, Nayuki, as old as Yuichi.

Minase’s family consisted of, since Yuichi was a kid, Nayuki and her mother only.

Why were there only two? Were the parents divorced? Yuichi didn’t know and didn’t want to either. Everyone had their own personal affairs. Besides, there were only two people. He would come to know soon enough by living here, for Akiko and Nayuki were spending their days happily together.

On the table were a brown toast, orange juice, half-simmered eggs, and salad with small tomatoes. The juice was self-made, squeezed appropriately. The salad’s seasoning was Akiko’s secret. Look. Even you could tell from a simple breakfast the harmony of this family.

“Thanks for the food.”

Hungry, Yuichi took a big bite of the toast, while Akiko served coffee. It smelled really great. Yes. A peaceful, winter morning.

Having served the coffee, Akiko returned upstairs. The ringing sounds subsided eventually. When she came back to Yuichi, he had finished the toast and the eggs, thinking of whether to ask for another cup of coffee.

“…Good morning.”

Her eyes half-open, Nayuki came out from behind Akiko. Although she had her uniform worn, she looked almost the same as sleeping, wobbling from head to toe.

“Ku.”

Making an alien sound, she, instead of sitting, fell into the chair beside the table.

“Have you woken up yet?”

“…maybe.”

Although her voice and face seemed like sleeping, Nayuki’s hands were busy with spreading strawberry jam on the toast. She then slowly stuffed the well-painted crimson bread into her mouth.

“Yummy. Strawberry jam.”

Nayuki smiled, and slowly drank coffee from her cup with cats on it.

“Nayuki, hey.”

“Yes?”

“I think it’s healthy to eat breakfast slowly, but can we make it in time?”

Substituting the function of an alarm clock, the television in the living room was broadcasting the last show, the fortune telling program.

“It doesn’t matter. But we have to run a bit.”

“Doesn’t that imply it does matter?!”

Yuichi got up in a flurry. From what he had learned through waiting for her and her sleepy mornings, he knew he couldn’t trust Nayuki’s perception of time.

“I’ll be waiting at the door. Hurry, Nayuki.”

Yuichi transferred to the same school as Nayuki. If he didn’t go with Nayuki, he wouldn’t even how to go to school.

“Yes. I’ll be quick.”

Words were merely words. In the end, it was already past eight when they got out.

“It’ll be fine if we run a bit.”

“Okay, quicker!”

The worst thing on earth was for a transfer student to be late.

Snow was piled up on both sides of the road.

Even the tress and the walls of the house were piled with snow, glowing under the sunlight.

Yuichi had no time to appreciate the scenery leisurely. Neither did he have the time to complain about the cold. He just puffed white smoke and kept on running with Nayuki.

“How many minutes do we have left?”

“Five…six…maybe seven.”

Although Nayuki ran along with Yuichi who ran with all his might, there was no sign of pain on her face. Yuichi remembered that she was the captain of the track team.

“We’re there.”

When his stomach was starting to ache, they had passed through the gates of the school at last. It was a white and big building with a large sports ground. And there was a classical lecture room, a thing that no other schools have. Many male students wearing flannel shirts and female students wearing the same uniform as Nayuki walked alongside.

“We made it….starting from today, this is your school, Yuichi.”

Nayuki raised her hand deliberately, as if introducing it to him like a tour guide.

At this moment, someone patted that hand lightly from behind.

“Morning, Nayuki.”

“Ah, Kaori. Good morning.”

Kaori had the ribbon with the same colour as Nayuki. There were also students with ribbons of colours green and blue.

“By the way, what a strange uniform we have.”

Male students wear old, dark blue flannel shirts and pants, while female students wear dark red one piece, with a white cape and big ribbons. It looked warm, fit for a school in the coldest place.

“How rude. Our school’s uniform is very popular. Some girls run to this school only for the uniform.”

Kaori refuted, and then…

“Um, who are you?”

“I can’t tell you who I am even if you ask.”

“He’s Yuichi, my cousin.”

“Ah! You’re that person Nayuki talked about on the phone!”

Kaori nodded as if she understood, and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Kaori Misaka. You can call me Kaori.”

She nodded lightly and smiled, her beautiful brown hair swaying.

“I’m Yuichi Aizawa. You can call me Yuichi too.”

“I’ll remain more polite, Aizawa.”

Kaori smiled mischievously. Forget it, it didn’t matter how she called me.

“Is which class you’re in decided yet?”

Kaori seemed to be a positive, direct young girl.

“Not yet. I’m going to the office now.”

“I’m in the same class as Kaori. It would be nice if you’re in our class.”

“Ah, yeah…”

It didn’t really matter if we were in the same class. That being mentioned, if someone else knew I was living with a female classmate in the same house and studying in the same school and even in the same class, it would be quite embarrassing.

“Yeah, it would be nice.”

But I had to nod a bit since Nayuki looked at me so intently.

“…right.”

“Yes!”

Nayuki smiled ecstatically.

I didn’t know whether god heeded Nayuki’s wish, but I was brought to the classroom where Nayuki and Kaori was in.

“I am Yuichi Aizawa. Nice to meet you.”

With a cold greeting, I bowed, lifted my head, and saw Nayuki secretly waving at me. Although it was only I who could see it, I still felt a bit embarrassed.

“Okay, sit there then, Aizawa.”

The position the teacher pointed to was beside Nayuki, diagonally in front of Kaori. Nayuki greeted me with all smiles, and Kaori looked at my face with a weird face, smiling.

After I sat down, the teacher started speaking.

Because today was the opening ceremony, there was only a class meeting but no real lessons. While I was listening without paying much attention and glancing at the new list of textbooks to buy, my back was poked several times.

“Hey.”

Turning back, I found an unfamiliar male student looking at me. Well, I didn’t knew anyone save Nayuki, so everyone was unfamiliar.

“It’s a waste to buy the textbooks only for the third semester. Take my textbook and copy it. It’s fine.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Kitagawa.”

“I’m Aizawa.”

“I know, I heard your introduction.”

“It’s only polite to tell your name after the other person tells his.”

“Oh, wait. Could you be a freak?”

“I'm sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter. Look, here’s the textbook.”

“Yes.”

“Hey, Aizawa. You already have stuff to talk on your first day of transfer.”

The teacher said, smiling wryly, followed by laughter in the classroom. Even Nayuki and Kaori laughed.

I wasn’t the type of person who liked to attract attention.

Escaping everyone’s eyes stealthily, I heaved a sigh.

“You can’t help it. It’s the destiny of a transfer student.”

Kaori commented, after the class meeting.

“But when we talk about sudden transfer students, they should be beautiful young girls.”

Sitting at the back, Kitagawa hopped in the discussion.

“Yeah. I’m used to transferring to schools only to see the boys in the class becoming disappointed.”

“Uh, are you used to changing schools, Aizawa?”

“His parents' jobs made them move around. When he was small, he always moved here and there.”

“So it’s not the first time Aizawa is in this town.”

“Ah?”

Hearing Kaori say something out of the blue, I looked at Nayuki at my side. Nayuki, who was just about to go to her club activities, looked back at me with a face of question marks.

“I heard it from Nayuki. That Nayuki and Aizawa always played together when they’re small.”

“Oh…”

Yuichi corrected her, saying he had only come during the winter break.

“So you’re coming back to a town you miss.”

“I don’t really miss it…”

I wasn’t quite sure. All of the hectic stuff about transferring schools had kept me quite occupied to think about it. And when I now do, I couldn’t bring myself to remember anything about this town in the past.

Suddenly, I remembered the dream I had this morning. And this dream reminded me some memories I had.

On that day, I was going to buy some things at the shopping district with Nayuki. I…

“It’s time I head to the club.”

Cutting in the time I was silent, Nayuki spoke.

“So I’m heading off.”

“Let’s go down the door below together.”

“Me too.”

“Count me in.”

As a result, with Kaori and Kitagawa, we four walked to the corridor.

During our walk, Nayuki talked to me, her face wide with smiles.

“Yuichi, do you remember Kaori and Kitagawa?”

“Seems so.”

“Hey, hey.”

Surprisingly, Kitagawa criticised me.

“So the person who greeted us and got out of the classroom was Saito.”

“Okay.”

“Good luck. You only have 36 people left to remember.”

“Thanks.”

“Work hard.”

Nayuki put her hands in front of her and clenched into small fists.

“Nayuki, you always say that.”

Kaori spoke.

“Yes, I get full of energy every time I say that before my club activities.”

“I don’t know why every time I hear Nayuki say that I get depleted of energy.”

“I kind of agree.”

''Is that so?'' Nayuki spoke, and Kaori and Kitagawa assented, laughing.

From my copious experience of transferring schools, I could tell these three were originally a small group, and they were inviting me to join them and form four.

“By the way, why aren’t you joining any clubs, Yuichi?”

Nayuki switched the topic back to me.

“Clubs aren’t my thing.”

I immediately replied. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to enter any under any circumstances, but that Nayuki had been carelessly talking too much about me.

Nayuki wasn’t the person who would care about such communication nuances, but thinking it another way, I may have just cared too much.

“What a pity. But no one could do anything about it.”

But once I look at her gentle smile, the more I couldn’t forgive myself for not being able to remember the past, as well as my resistance to this city.

“So I want to go somewhere first.”

Reaching the entrance, I headed off by myself quickly.

Nayuki, Kaori, and Kitazawa couldn’t even hear what he was saying, and tilted their heads in astonishment.

There wasn’t any place for me to go to, as I was unfamiliar with the town.

But a lot of things had happened today, tiring me out. I wanted to be by myself and get some deep breaths the sooner the better.

Even when I was back home, Akiko was at work, so I was all by myself.

Nevertheless, I would only think of useless stuff if I just bore myself in the lonely and silent house, so I went to the shopping district for a walk.

The large shopping district, stretching from the station, through the broad street like a cross, was a good place to kill time. I could look around for convenience stores with commodities, bookshops, CD shops—everything was here.

I must have come here quite a few times when I was small.

But I didn’t know whether this street had changed or remained the same.

I stopped suddenly in front a shop. It was a shop selling kid stuff. Beside the round door were toys and games boys would like, as well as decorations and beautiful stationery for girls.

I did dream of this shop this morning.

And the child waiting for me was Nayuki…and then…

“That person there!”

“Eh?”

Dong.

Then suddenly something hit me at the back.

“Ugu…it hurts.”

Swaying from side to side, a short girl with wings at her back held her nose with her gloves.

Wait, wings?

“Ugu…I told you to move aside.”

“Did you say it?”

The young girl still showed a crying face while she scratched her nose, but her other hand was holding a brown paper bag.

Looking at that face, I could tell something was forming in my memories.

The sunset at the shopping district. A crying girl. A brown paper bag.

“Hey.”

“Ah, let’s talk about it later!”

The young girl took my hand and ran off.

“I’m being chased right now!”

“What are you saying?”

I followed her and ran along the shopping district, a girl I had no idea where she came from.

Of course, I did run with another girl this morning.

Within my vision, I was seeing the running girl, her white feathers dancing lightly.

Then it ran left and right like playing tricks. Finally, the girl went through a small path in the shopping district and stopped at a big open space at the end.

“I-It’s fine now, being here.”

Panting, the girl held the paper bag tightly.

“So who and why are you being chased?”

There was a lot of things I wanted to ask, but let’s start with the basics.

“I can’t tell you.”

The girl looked depressed.

“Because I don’t want to pull irrelevant people in.”

“I think I’m totally pulled in.”

“Ugu…ah, right. Do you want to have a bite? Taiyaki.”

The girl was obviously trying to change the topic, as she took out a hot taiyaki from the paper bag.

“Don’t you want it?”

Looking at my reluctance, the girl was astonished.

Actually, I had stole glimpses behind me as I was running.

An old man wearing an apron looked around, searching for someone, and ran along the shopping district. Although I wasn’t a-hundred-percent sure, I did remember seeing him sell taiyaki.

By common sense, there was only one reason for someone to hold a taiyaki bag while being chased by a taiyaki seller.

“Taiyaki is most delicious when eaten after it is just baked.”

The young girl took a taiyaki from the paper bag and took a big bite.

Looking at her, I also felt my hunger unable to withstand.

Besides, the sweat I produced by running had cooled down by the night wind.

I needed something to eat.

“Give me one.”

“Okay.”

I quickly took a bite and talked to the girl while munching.

“But you have to pay for it when you have the money.”

“Ugu…”

The two of us sat on the old tires on the ground and ate the taiyaki.

I took one, while she was eating her third.

“You eat quite a lot, for someone as small as you.”

“I’m not small. You’re a student, right? My age is similar to yours.”

“Really? For someone wearing wings at her back.”

“Wings?”

The young girl widened her eyes, tilting her head.

“What are wings?”

“Wings are wings. Those wings at your back.”

At first glance it looked like those pair of wings were on her back, but with a closer look, you could tell they were on the bag.

“My back…”

The young girl stood up and turned around. When she turned to the back, the wings came to the front.

“I can’t see them.”

The young girl spun a good few circles to see them, but she couldn’t.

“Ugu…I can’t see them.”

After looking at her spinning circles, I was certain of one thing.

Right.

This girl was a freak.

I had forgotten I had been said the same thing by my classmate before.

“Hear me. Don’t move your legs and try turning your head around.”

“Hmph.”

Doing what I had said, the young girl seemed to have finally noticed her wings and smiled.

“Woah. It’s real.”

The young girl shook her back, vibrating the wings.

“How cute wings.”

“Do you know there were wings on your backpack?”

I tried to touch the dancing wings. They were light wings made of plastic or the sort.

“This must be quite popular now.”

“I’m telling you.”

The short, young girl, with small legs, and who calls herself ''boku'' (used exclusively for young boys in Japanese), looked well with her toy-like wings.

“I’m Ayu.”

Finishing the last Taiyaki, the young girl squeezed the open bag with a flapping sound.

“Ayu Tsukimiya.”

Speaking of which, I remembered I hadn’t told her my name.

“I’m Yuichi. Yuichi Aizawa.”

“Yuichi.”

Ayu repeated my name.

“Yuichi…?”

“Yes, what’s the matter? Why the weird look on your face?”

“Weird looks are not needed…”

Ayu repeated my name, with a sophisticated look.

“Hmm.”

“Yes?”

Could we have seen before?

“…nothing.”

Although I wanted to ask, I hesitated.

Ayu was certainly a strange person, but it made me quite spirited from talking with her.

There was no need to add in those memories I couldn’t remember to our spirited talk.

The orange sunset had, when I had not noticed, turned into a dark blue colour.

“So let’s say goodbye now!”

“Yeah.”

“It would be nice if we could meet each other again.”

“Would it?”

“Ugu…it would!”

''Ugu'' seemed to be a constant expression of hers. When we meet the next time, I would probably pretend to make one at her face.

“Yeah. It would, if we could.”

“Yes!”

Ayu nodded with a spirited, smiling face.

I felt a bit sorry for having her to smile at me so genuinely.

She ran off, waving her hand incessantly and saying ‘goodbye’, her wings swaying.

I didn’t even have a single idea of where she would be going back.

<noinclude>

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| Back to [[Kanon:Volume 1 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Kanon|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kanon:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
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</noinclude>

Kanon:Volume 1 Chapter 1

2017-06-06T03:09:32Z

Napen123: grammar (all in the first floor -> all on the first floor)

==Chapter 1 - The First Day of Transfer==

“Let’s go.”

Nayuki called to Yuichi at the door.

“It’s going to get dark if you don’t go now.”

“I don’t want to. It’s too cold.”

Yuichi had his jacket on, but he was still reluctant.

“It’s not that cold. Besides, I’m going out to buy stuff for mum. You promised at noon that you’d go too.”

Pouting her small lips, Nayuki curled her braid around her fingertips.

Nayuki with braids. Nayuki at primary school, those days when Yuichi came to this town every winter. It seemed a dream to him, but it was him all right.

“I didn’t think it would be so cold back then.”

In his dreams, Yuichi, a primary school kid, kneeled at the door.

“You’ll need to swallow a thousand needles if you don’t abide to your promises. It’s in its growing period, so you’d have to swallow one thousand and five hundred.”

“…I understand.”

The two of them walked outside, shoulders to shoulders. His ears were frozen in pain by the cold air. Yuichi turned around.

“Forget it, I’m not going.”

“Dinner for Yuichi tonight will be red ginger.”

“…”

“Filling his bowl with red ginger, and letting him eat red ginger as a side dish. The soup is also going to be juice squashed from red ginger.”

''There were only red gingers left in the fridge. So those who don’t buy stuff is going to eat ginger, fair?''

Nayuki’s eyes told him.

He couldn’t stop her, now. He turned around again and got out. The snow stacked at a side emanated a biting chill. There was no way he could go out to the shopping district to buy something, Yuichi thought.

“No. I’m going back.”

“You have just come out.”

Nayuki looked troubled. This look on her face drives Yuichi mad. Since primary school, looking back at his dreams, he had always been so repellent.

“Nayuki, you said it isn’t cold, but it is. That’s a lie. So you’d have to swallow a thousand needles too.”

“Ah…”

“They’re put on top of each other also, because they’re in their growing period.”

“I can’t swallow such large needles.”

You wouldn’t even be able to swallow normal needles, but seemingly satisfied by Nayuki’s answer, Yuichi turned around and took off.

Yuichi also knew Nayuki didn’t really hate his silly jokes.

Like this, he came to Nayuki’s side every winter. How many years had past? On the first time they met, both of them were very shy. But gradually, they could talk to each other without holding back.

Gentle and leisure-like, Nayuki was almost opposite to Yuichi, who was impatient and dissentious, but this probably made things the better.

“I’m going to buy things before the shops close. Wait here, Yuichi.”

In front of the entrance of the shopping district, Nayuki and Yuichi parted ways. There was a shop for kids nearby, and Yuichi waited for Nayuki while looking at the toys and video games inside.

At that time, Nayuki made a big fuss.

“I told you many times you have to wait for me.”

Right. I should have been waiting for Nayuki…I…

“The sun. The sun is coming out.”

“Woah?!”

The sudden girl’s voice ringing in his ear made him jump.

“Eat breakfast, and go to school!”

“Is it Nayuki?”

There was no other person who could produce such a sleepy voice. But after a glance at his surroundings, all he could find were paper boxes stacked like a mountain.

“The sun, The sun is coming out.”

And then came a voice completely the same as before. Now he realised it was the alarm clock placed beside his bed.

“Eat breakfast, and go to school!”

Enough. Yuichi pressed the button of the alarm clock. More of its squeaking would only make him more sleepy than awake.

This alarm clock was borrowed from Nayuki yesterday night.

Although he took a day’s rest yesterday home because of fatigue and holiday, he had to wake up today so as not to be late for the first day of transferring school.

Nayuki told him this was her favourite alarm clock, but he couldn’t believe it recorded her own voice as the ringing tone. Giving it a better look, he could find a record button behind the alarm clock.

''Let me tell her to give a normal alarm clock for me to use then.'' Yuichi changed, left his room, and came to a door with the sign ‘Nayuki’s Room’.

And at that moment.

Ding, ding ding. Dong, dong, dong. Beep, beep, beep.

Alarms ringing in unison came from the room.

“What the hell?”

Yuichi couldn’t help but step back. He glimpsed at a corner of the stairs, where Nayuki’s mother Akiko was calling for him.

“Yuichi, breakfast is ready.”

“Oh, okay. Um…”

“I’m going to wake Nayuki up. Please eat breakfast first, Yuichi.”

“Okay.”

So Yuichi left the ringing room alone and went to the kitchen, scratching his head.

Minase’s house composed of the kitchen, the living room, Akiko’s bedroom, all on the first floor, while Nayuki’s room and two guest rooms were in the second.

“This house is quite big and lonely for the two of us. It’s great you had come to live with us, Yuichi.”

While they were having a chat, Nayuki’s mother Akiko smiled and talked with a gentle voice much like Nayuki. Akiko was young and beautiful. It was impossible to tell that she had a daughter, Nayuki, as old as Yuichi.

Minase’s family consisted of, since Yuichi was a kid, Nayuki and her mother only.

Why were there only two? Were the parents divorced? Yuichi didn’t know and didn’t want to either. Everyone had their own personal affairs. Besides, there were only two people. He would come to know soon enough by living here, for Akiko and Nayuki was spending their days happily together.

On the table were a brown toast, orange juice, half-simmered eggs, and salad with small tomatoes. The juice was self-made, squeezed appropriately. The salad’s seasoning was Akiko’s secret. Look. Even you could tell from a simple breakfast the harmony of this family.

“Thanks for the food.”

Hungry, Yuichi took a big bite of the toast, while Akiko served coffee. It smelled really great. Yes. A peaceful, winter morning.

Having served the coffee, Akiko returned upstairs. The ringing sounds subsided eventually. When she came back to Yuichi, he had finished the toast and the eggs, thinking of whether to ask for another cup of coffee.

“…Good morning.”

Her eyes half-open, Nayuki came out from behind Akiko. Although she had her uniform worn, she looked almost the same as sleeping, wobbling from head to toe.

“Ku.”

Making an alien sound, she, instead of sitting, fell into the chair beside the table.

“Have you woken up yet?”

“…maybe.”

Although her voice and face seemed like sleeping, Nayuki’s hands were busy with spreading strawberry jam on the toast. She then slowly stuffed the well-painted crimson bread into her mouth.

“Yummy. Strawberry jam.”

Nayuki smiled, and slowly drank coffee from her cup with cats on it.

“Nayuki, hey.”

“Yes?”

“I think it’s healthy to eat breakfast slowly, but can we make it in time?”

Substituting the function of an alarm clock, the television in the living room was broadcasting the last show, the fortune telling program.

“It doesn’t matter. But we have to run a bit.”

“Doesn’t that imply it does matter?!”

Yuichi got up in a flurry. From what he had learnt through waiting for her and her sleepy mornings, he knew he couldn’t trust Nayuki’s perception of time.

“I’ll be waiting at the door. Hurry, Nayuki.”

Yuichi transferred to the same school as Nayuki. If he didn’t go with Nayuki, he wouldn’t even how to go to school.

“Yes. I’ll be quick.”

Words were merely words. In the end, it was already past eight when they got out.

“It’ll be fine if we run a bit.”

“Okay, quicker!”

The worst thing on earth was for a transfer student to be late.

Snow was piled up on both sides of the road.

Even the tress and the walls of the house were piled with snow, glowing under the sunlight.

Yuichi had no time to appreciate the scenery leisurely. Neither did he have the time to complain about the cold. He just puffed white smoke and kept on running with Nayuki.

“How many minutes do we have left?”

“Five…six…maybe seven.”

Although Nayuki ran along with Yuichi who ran with all his might, there was no sign of pain on her face. Yuichi remembered that she was the captain of the track team.

“We’re there.”

When his stomach was starting to ache, they had passed through the gates of the school at last. It was a white and big building with a large sports ground. And there was a classical lecture room, a thing that no other schools have. Many male students wearing flannel shirts and female students wearing the same uniform as Nayuki walked alongside.

“We made it….starting from today, this is your school, Yuichi.”

Nayuki raised her hand deliberately, as if introducing it to him like a tour guide.

At this moment, someone patted that hand lightly from behind.

“Morning, Nayuki.”

“Ah, Kaori. Good morning.”

Kaori had the ribbon with the same colour as Nayuki. There were also students with ribbons of colours green and blue.

“By the way, what a strange uniform we have.”

Male students wear old, dark blue flannel shirts and pants, while female students wear dark red one piece, with a white cape and big ribbons. It looked warm, fit for a school in the coldest place.

“How rude. Our school’s uniform is very popular. Some girls run to this school only for the uniform.”

Kaori refuted, and then…

“Um, who are you?”

“I can’t tell you who I am even if you ask.”

“He’s Yuichi, my cousin.”

“Ah! You’re that person Nayuki talked about on the phone!”

Kaori nodded as if she understood, and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Kaori Misaka. You can call me Kaori.”

She nodded lightly and smiled, her beautiful brown hair swaying.

“I’m Yuichi Aizawa. You can call me Yuichi too.”

“I’ll remain more polite, Aizawa.”

Kaori smiled mischievously. Forget it, it didn’t matter how she called me.

“Is which class you’re in decided yet?”

Kaori seemed to be a positive, direct young girl.

“Not yet. I’m going to the office now.”

“I’m in the same class as Kaori. It would be nice if you’re in our class.”

“Ah, yeah…”

It didn’t really matter if we were in the same class. That being mentioned, if someone else knew I was living with a female classmate in the same house and studying in the same school and even in the same class, it would be quite embarrassing.

“Yeah, it would be nice.”

But I had to nod a bit since Nayuki looked at me so intently.

“…right.”

“Yes!”

Nayuki smiled ecstatically.

I didn’t know whether god heeded Nayuki’s wish, but I was brought to the classroom where Nayuki and Kaori was in.

“I am Yuichi Aizawa. Nice to meet you.”

With a cold greeting, I bowed, lifted my head, and saw Nayuki secretly waving at me. Although it was only I who could see it, I still felt a bit embarrassed.

“Okay, sit there then, Aizawa.”

The position the teacher pointed to was beside Nayuki, diagonally in front of Kaori. Nayuki greeted me with all smiles, and Kaori looked at my face with a weird face, smiling.

After I sat down, the teacher started speaking.

Because today was the opening ceremony, there was only a class meeting but no real lessons. While I was listening without paying much attention and glancing at the new list of textbooks to buy, my back was poked several times.

“Hey.”

Turning back, I found an unfamiliar male student looking at me. Well, I didn’t knew anyone save Nayuki, so everyone was unfamiliar.

“It’s a waste to buy the textbooks only for the third semester. Take my textbook and copy it. It’s fine.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Kitagawa.”

“I’m Aizawa.”

“I know, I heard your introduction.”

“It’s only polite to tell your name after the other person tells his.”

“Oh, wait. Could you be a freak?”

“I'm sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter. Look, here’s the textbook.”

“Yes.”

“Hey, Aizawa. You already have stuff to talk on your first day of transfer.”

The teacher said, smiling wryly, followed by laughter in the classroom. Even Nayuki and Kaori laughed.

I wasn’t the type of person who liked to attract attention.

Escaping everyone’s eyes stealthily, I heaved a sigh.

“You can’t help it. It’s the destiny of a transfer student.”

Kaori commented, after the class meeting.

“But when we talk about sudden transfer students, they should be beautiful young girls.”

Sitting at the back, Kitagawa hopped in the discussion.

“Yeah. I’m used to transferring to schools only to see the boys in the class becoming disappointed.”

“Uh, are you used to changing schools, Aizawa?”

“His parents' jobs made them move around. When he was small, he always moved here and there.”

“So it’s not the first time Aizawa is in this town.”

“Ah?”

Hearing Kaori say something out of the blue, I looked at Nayuki at my side. Nayuki, who was just about to go to her club activities, looked back at me with a face of question marks.

“I heard it from Nayuki. That Nayuki and Aizawa always played together when they’re small.”

“Oh…”

Yuichi corrected her, saying he had only come during the winter break.

“So you’re coming back to a town you miss.”

“I don’t really miss it…”

I wasn’t quite sure. All of the hectic stuff about transferring schools had kept me quite occupied to think about it. And when I now do, I couldn’t bring myself to remember anything about this town in the past.

Suddenly, I remembered the dream I had this morning. And this dream reminded me some memories I had.

On that day, I was going to buy some things at the shopping district with Nayuki. I…

“It’s time I head to the club.”

Cutting in the time I was silent, Nayuki spoke.

“So I’m heading off.”

“Let’s go down the door below together.”

“Me too.”

“Count me in.”

As a result, with Kaori and Kitagawa, we four walked to the corridor.

During our walk, Nayuki talked to me, her face wide with smiles.

“Yuichi, do you remember Kaori and Kitagawa?”

“Seems so.”

“Hey, hey.”

Surprisingly, Kitagawa criticised me.

“So the person who greeted us and got out of the classroom was Saito.”

“Okay.”

“Good luck. You only have 36 people left to remember.”

“Thanks.”

“Work hard.”

Nayuki put her hands in front of her and clenched into small fists.

“Nayuki, you always say that.”

Kaori spoke.

“Yes, I get full of energy every time I say that before my club activities.”

“I don’t know why every time I hear Nayuki say that I get depleted of energy.”

“I kind of agree.”

''Is that so?'' Nayuki spoke, and Kaori and Kitagawa assented, laughing.

From my copious experience of transferring schools, I could tell these three were originally a small group, and they were inviting me to join them and form four.

“By the way, why aren’t you joining any clubs, Yuichi?”

Nayuki switched the topic back to me.

“Clubs aren’t my thing.”

I immediately replied. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to enter any under any circumstances, but that Nayuki had been carelessly talking too much about me.

Nayuki wasn’t the person who would care about such communication nuances, but thinking it another way, I may have just cared too much.

“What a pity. But no one could do anything about it.”

But once I look at her gentle smile, the more I couldn’t forgive myself for not being able to remember the past, as well as my resistance to this city.

“So I want to go somewhere first.”

Reaching the entrance, I headed off by myself quickly.

Nayuki, Kaori, and Kitazawa couldn’t even hear what he was saying, and tilted their heads in astonishment.

There wasn’t any place for me to go to, as I was unfamiliar with the town.

But a lot of things had happened today, tiring me out. I wanted to be by myself and get some deep breaths the sooner the better.

Even when I was back home, Akiko was at work, so I was all by myself.

Nevertheless, I would only think of useless stuff if I just bore myself in the lonely and silent house, so I went to the shopping district for a walk.

The large shopping district, stretching from the station, through the broad street like a cross, was a good place to kill time. I could look around for convenience stores with commodities, bookshops, CD shops—everything was here.

I must have come here quite a few times when I was small.

But I didn’t know whether this street had changed or remained the same.

I stopped suddenly in front a shop. It was a shop selling kid stuff. Beside the round door were toys and games boys would like, as well as decorations and beautiful stationery for girls.

I did dream of this shop this morning.

And the child waiting for me was Nayuki…and then…

“That person there!”

“Eh?”

Dong.

Then suddenly something hit me at the back.

“Ugu…it hurts.”

Swaying from side to side, a short girl with wings at her back held her nose with her gloves.

Wait, wings?

“Ugu…I told you to move aside.”

“Did you say it?”

The young girl still showed a crying face while she scratched her nose, but her other hand was holding a brown paper bag.

Looking at that face, I could tell something was forming in my memories.

The sunset at the shopping district. A crying girl. A brown paper bag.

“Hey.”

“Ah, let’s talk about it later!”

The young girl took my hand and ran off.

“I’m being chased right now!”

“What are you saying?”

I followed her and ran along the shopping district, a girl I had no idea where she came from.

Of course, I did run with another girl this morning.

Within my vision, I was seeing the running girl, her white feathers dancing lightly.

Then it ran left and right like playing tricks. Finally, the girl went through a small path in the shopping district and stopped at a big open space at the end.

“I-It’s fine now, being here.”

Panting, the girl held the paper bag tightly.

“So who and why are you being chased?”

There was a lot of things I wanted to ask, but let’s start with the basics.

“I can’t tell you.”

The girl looked depressed.

“Because I don’t want to pull irrelevant people in.”

“I think I’m totally pulled in.”

“Ugu…ah, right. Do you want to have a bite? Taiyaki.”

The girl was obviously trying to change the topic, as she took out a hot taiyaki from the paper bag.

“Don’t you want it?”

Looking at my reluctance, the girl was astonished.

Actually, I had stole glimpses behind me as I was running.

An old man wearing an apron looked around, searching for someone, and ran along the shopping district. Although I wasn’t a-hundred-percent sure, I did remember seeing him sell taiyaki.

By common sense, there was only one reason for someone to hold a taiyaki bag while being chased by a taiyaki seller.

“Taiyaki is most delicious when eaten after it is just baked.”

The young girl took a taiyaki from the paper bag and took a big bite.

Looking at her, I also felt my hunger unable to withstand.

Besides, the sweat I produced by running had cooled down by the night wind.

I needed something to eat.

“Give me one.”

“Okay.”

I quickly took a bite and talked to the girl while munching.

“But you have to pay for it when you have the money.”

“Ugu…”

The two of us sat on the old tires on the ground and ate the taiyaki.

I took one, while she was eating her third.

“You eat quite a lot, for someone as small as you.”

“I’m not small. You’re a student, right? My age is similar to yours.”

“Really? For someone wearing wings at her back.”

“Wings?”

The young girl widened her eyes, tilting her head.

“What are wings?”

“Wings are wings. Those wings at your back.”

At first glance it looked like those pair of wings were on her back, but with a closer look, you could tell they were on the bag.

“My back…”

The young girl stood up and turned around. When she turned to the back, the wings came to the front.

“I can’t see them.”

The young girl spun a good few circles to see them, but she couldn’t.

“Ugu…I can’t see them.”

After looking at her spinning circles, I was certain of one thing.

Right.

This girl was a freak.

I had forgotten I had been said the same thing by my classmate before.

“Hear me. Don’t move your legs and try turning your head around.”

“Hmph.”

Doing what I had said, the young girl seemed to have finally noticed her wings and smiled.

“Woah. It’s real.”

The young girl shook her back, vibrating the wings.

“How cute wings.”

“Do you know there were wings on your backpack?”

I tried to touch the dancing wings. They were light wings made of plastic or the sort.

“This must be quite popular now.”

“I’m telling you.”

The short, young girl, with small legs, and who calls herself ''boku'' (used exclusively for young boys in Japanese), looked well with her toy-like wings.

“I’m Ayu.”

Finishing the last Taiyaki, the young girl squeezed the open bag with a flapping sound.

“Ayu Tsukimiya.”

Speaking of which, I remembered I hadn’t told her my name.

“I’m Yuichi. Yuichi Aizawa.”

“Yuichi.”

Ayu repeated my name.

“Yuichi…?”

“Yes, what’s the matter? Why the weird look on your face?”

“Weird looks are not needed…”

Ayu repeated my name, with a sophisticated look.

“Hmm.”

“Yes?”

Could we have seen before?

“…nothing.”

Although I wanted to ask, I hesitated.

Ayu was certainly a strange person, but it made me quite spirited from talking with her.

There was no need to add in those memories I couldn’t remember to our spirited talk.

The orange sunset had, when I had not noticed, turned into a dark blue colour.

“So let’s say goodbye now!”

“Yeah.”

“It would be nice if we could meet each other again.”

“Would it?”

“Ugu…it would!”

''Ugu'' seemed to be a constant expression of hers. When we meet the next time, I would probably pretend to make one at her face.

“Yeah. It would, if we could.”

“Yes!”

Ayu nodded with a spirited, smiling face.

I felt a bit sorry for having her to smile at me so genuinely.

She ran off, waving her hand incessantly and saying ‘goodbye’, her wings swaying.

I didn’t even have a single idea of where she would be going back.

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