Kino no Tabi:Volume6 Chapter1

"Her Journey" —Chances—

In a lush deep green forest, where lakes reflect the blue sky in its clear water, there was one country.

Inside this vast country, buildings were lined up with roads of various sizes laid out in between like spider webs.

At the western part of the country, by the walls, there was a gate. Beside the gate, a room was provided to deal with emigration procedures.

A single motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly) was parked a little distance away from the room, in a place designated as a rotary square. It was a motorrad loaded with traveling luggage on top and on both sides of its rear wheel.

A person was leaning on the motorrad. It was the driver, who was wearing a black jacket, a belt tightened on the waist and a hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case, a pistol) suspended from her right thigh. She was around mid-teens in age, with short black hair, big eyes and an intrepid expression. She was wearing a brimmed hat with goggles strapped around it.

There was nobody else in the square. Several birds were hopping around looking for food. The sun just above the eastern wall warmed the driver’s back, and only its long shadow fell within the gates.

“Not yet? Kino,” asked the motorrad.

“Not yet. Not a minute has passed since you asked that, Hermes,” the driver called Kino answered.

A cleaning vehicle came, noisily rattling by the road.

The cleaning vehicle drove off the birds, dampened the wide road beside the square, and went away.

When the shadow became a little shorter,

“Not yet?” Once again, the motorrad called Hermes asked.

“Not yet,” was Kino’s short answer. Soon after the reply, the door of the room beside the gates opened.

“Hmm? I wonder if it’s finished?” Hermes said, as a man came out of the room.

The man was about in his mid-thirties. For easy movement outdoors, he was wearing clothes which seem sturdy but easy to move in and a vest with several pockets for carrying various things. A rifle-type persuader hung on his back.

It was a military rifle with a body made of plastic, and with a sniper’s scope with built-in night-vision and laser sight attached to it.

The man noticed Kino and Hermes, walked a few steps closer and gave them a morning greeting. Kino raised herself from Hermes and returned the greeting.

“Were you lined up for departure procedures? I’m sorry but there’s one more person inside. It will take a little more time. The document screening is quite cumbersome,” said the man.

“You are a citizen of this country? Going out on a journey?” Hermes asked.

“Yeah..., that’s right,” the man answered, his expression darkening a little.

Without the slightest ceremony, Hermes continued, “But then, not a single one came to say goodbye? People here sure are cold.”

“That was harsh...” The man answered with a sour expression, and turned once to the room where he came out. The door was closed.

“Must be some complicated matter, huh?” Kino said. ‘Sort of’, the man nodded.

“I couldn't tell this to anyone, but... if it’s outsiders like you, then I guess it’s fine. I don't mind sharing this story with another person. It’s good for passing time while waiting. Would you like to listen? As to why I am going out on a journey?” The man asked, looking straight at Kino.

Kino raised the brim of her hat a little. “Sure, go ahead.”

The man’s expression darkened a little, and then he let out a light laugh. As a preface, he said,

"It’s to obtain forgiveness. At any cost."

—

“To obtain forgiveness?” “What do you mean?” Kino and Hermes asked.

The man’s mouth changed from a smile to one full of bitterness.

“I myself think that it’s a strange reason.... But, it’s important.... To me it’s important...”

There was silence for a few seconds, and then Hermes asked, “That’s it?”

“Ah, no—. Where should I begin? The one who will go with me on this journey is the one undergoing emigration procedures right now, a woman.”

“A partner?”

“Yeah, sort of.... That person invited me to this journey.... I would travel with her to protect her in case she gets into trouble. And..., as to why...”

The man spoke in a gentle tone, “A long time ago, I killed her lover.”

“......” “Huh?”

“It was seven years ago. I did not know her at all that time. I made a mistake.... It was illegal to drive a car after drinking alcohol, but I insisted; my attention and cognition have dropped.... I was driving too fast, and wasn’t able to make a turn at the intersection...”

“Uh-huh, and then?”

“And then..., I hit a house.... That was not all. A person who was walking down the sidewalk got caught between the car and the house. In any case, I killed an innocent person...”

The man looked up at the dazzling morning sun, and breathed thin air.

“Then, I was arrested and taken into court.... At that time, the woman I told you about, that man’s lover, confronted me. ‘Murderer! Give him back!’ she said. It was natural.... That’s the only thing she can do.... That's how we first met...”

The man dropped his shoulders slightly, and Hermes spoke. “This story to kill time turned out to be quite a baby talk, huh?”

“... Heavy talk?”

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

Kino asked, “I see. And then, what did you do?”

“It was decided that I will serve 10 years in prison, and I was sent to the prison for traffic offenders. I lost my work, my life, everything. Well, both of my parents were dead, and I was not married, so there was only a few who were sad for me.”

“The figures don't add up. Did you escape from jail?” Hermes said happily, and the man shook his head with a smile.

“I’m not finished yet. While in prison, I truly repented for what I did. And then, I sent her a letter. It contained my sincerest apologies. I wrote my honest feelings; that I wanted to do anything to atone for my sin.

“Uh-huh. And then?”

“And then, there was no reply at all. Even so, I continued to send out a letter every month. Even if only a little, I wanted her to know my sympathy for her loss, and my willingness to atone for my sin. I always send it together with a small amount of money that I receive from the prison.”

The man looked back one more time. The door of the room, illuminated by the bright morning sun, was still closed.

“Six years passed. I was already quite accustomed with life in prison, and I have forgotten how a normal and free life felt like. At that time, all of a sudden, she came to visit me for the first time. I was surprised. Very surprised.... I looked at her through the glass; looked at the mountain of opened letters she was holding... and I apologized to her in tears. Just knowing that she actually read the letters made me very happy. But that’s not all. She asked me to lift up my face, and made a proposal that I would never have expected.”

“To get out of the country, right?” Kino said in confirmation.

“Yes. ——She said she wanted to get out of this country because there were painful memories here. She wanted to go to a different country and start a new life. She asked me to come with her because she needed a bodyguard. I only have less than five years to serve in prison, and it seemed that it was possible for me to leave the country on one condition — that I am banned from entering it ever again. It was a loophole in an old law. More than this, I was surprised and asked her, ‘You would want me to come with you, but aren't you bearing resentment against me?’”

“So?” “And then?”

“She then said this: ‘I still have grudge and hate against you. But, you promised in your letters that you would do anything to atone for your sin. And so——'”

“What did you do?”

“I suffered. I suffered so much. After four years, I can finally get out of jail. However, it never crossed my mind that I had to go on a journey and leave my beloved homeland for eternity. In this country where I was born and raised and where my dead parents rest — I would have chosen to die and be buried here as well. I thought, after I got released from prison, that I would do my best to start my life over again. But——”

“But?”

“I thought this was the only way to atone for my sin.... Above all, she herself wanted to do it this way. I agonized over her proposal for about a year, before I decided to accept it. To never again return to this country, to become her escort to a journey that may continue for who knows how long. I told her this the next time she came to visit. I cannot describe how I felt when she said ‘Thank you’ to me with a gentle smile.”

The man then held back the tears which suddenly came to his eyes. He excused himself for a while and turned away from Kino.

“I suppose this will be the last time I get to cry in this country,” said the man in a low voice.

The door of the room was still closed. After some time has passed, the man looked up at the sky once more.

The man turned to Kino and Hermes.

“‘Not yet,’ I thought,” said the man.

“I think she hasn’t forgiven me yet. That’s why I would like to atone for what i did. I don’t know what sort of places we will go to, but I’m sure it will be a long journey. But this is not my journey, it’s hers. And I’d like to think of this as my life’s journey.... It starts from here on.”

“I see. I understand it very well,” Kino said to the man who seemed like he’s going to cry once more.

“Well, each person’s life is different from another’s. Yup, it’s quite interesting,” said Hermes.

The man laughed a bit and faced Kino, “Thank you for listening. As my senior in traveling, is it okay if I ask you a question?”

“What would that be?”

“In traveling, what’s the thing that I should be most careful of?”

“That’s simple. It’s the same as what you should do if you were living a normal life in a country,” answered Kino immediately.

“What?”

“To not lose your life. Or, to not get killed. In other words, to do everything that you can to protect your own life. ——If you want to be more specific, to kill before you get killed.”

“... I understand...”

The door of the room opened.

—

There was the woman who was about the same age and wearing similar clothes as the man, with a small hand persuader hanging by her waist. She smiled happily as the man introduced Kino to her.

She learned that Kino would be going in the same direction. ‘That’s a pity, if we were going by car, we could travel together,’ she said regretfully.

“But I have a very reliable escort,” the woman said with a smile. Then, she saw the slightly sad expression of the man, faced him and smiled.

“Hey, Miss Kino. If you finish with the procedures and catch up with us, let’s eat lunch together. I think we'll take a rest by the lake.”

Upon being told this, Kino replied sincerely, “That would be nice.”

A horse laden with luggage was waiting outside.

“Well, let’s go,” she said, and the other person slowly nodded.

The two passed through the gates.

—

“Grab what you can, when you can. I’ll try to catch up by noon,” Kino said, while pushing along Hermes to the room by the gate.

“Kino is so greedy,” said Hermes.

“Whatever,” said Kino.

It was just before lunch when Kino and Hermes finished the procedures.

—

In the forest, there was a road. The road was wide enough for a car to run in comfortably.

Kino was riding Hermes at a considerable speed.

The wall of trees continued to flow on both sides of the road, and the beautiful blue hue of the lake occasionally appeared in and out of view. The sun was high up in the sky, spilling light in the gaps between the leaves and branches.

“Let’s exit through that curve ahead,” said Hermes, and Kino released the gas pedal.

As they exited through the not so visible curve ahead, they came upon the sandy shore of the lake on the left side of the road. Over there, two horses were tethered together, and two persons were sitting by taking a rest.

Kino dropped the gear. As she approached, the man with the rifle waved at her.

Kino stopped Hermes some distance away from the two, and pushed down the stand. While walking, she removed her goggles and hung it around her neck.

“Hello. I caught up.”

The man put down his cup and stood up,

“A motorrad is fast, after all. We just settled down here for tea.”

Having his back to the woman, he made two steps towards Kino.

The woman pulled out the small hand persuader from her waist, and stood up slowly. She held the persuader in both hands and aimed it towards the back of the man right before her.

Bang.

She fired. The empty cartridge flew, and the bullet opened a hole in the man’s shoulder. Kino backed away in one jump.

“Guh!” The man raised a cry, his body bent.

Bang.

A second bullet was fired, hitting the man’s right thigh.

Bang.

A third bullet hit the left thigh.

The man soon lost his balance, and the rifle on his back was trapped underneath his fallen body.

The woman trotted towards the barrel of the rifle and stepped on it. And immediately, she fired on the man below, one bullet to the right arm, one bullet to the left arm, fired in quick succession.

Bang bang.

“Gyaah!” The man cried in reflex for each shot.

The woman pulled out and picked up the man’s rifle. She slung it on her back.

Being shot in several places, the man was lying face up on the ground, drenching it with a large amount of blood. With a surprised and vacant look on his face, he asked the woman who stood by side, looking down at him,

“Ah..., Why...? What...?”

The woman spoke calmly, without batting an eyelid. “I just shot you. Does it hurt?”

The man gave a small nod.

The woman nodded once, and asked Kino, who already backed away to Hermes’ side, “Miss Kino. Would you shoot me to help him?”

Kino, whose hand was outstretched towards ‘Canon’ in her right thigh, quietly shook her head.

The woman returned her gaze to the man.

“W-why...?”

Greasy sweat surfaced on the man’s face, along with pain, doubt and fear.

“Why I fired at you——, is that it?”

The man nodded, his eyes still wide open.

“Of course, it’s to kill you.”

“W-why?”

“Because I can’t forgive you. Because you killed the most important person to me. I can’t forgive you.”

“......”

“That’s not all. Those letters you sent every month. You wrote so many words of apology: ‘I hope you somehow forgive me. I truly pray for his happiness in the afterlife.' As far as I’m concerned, those were nothing but selfish words. ——No, there are probably people willing to forgive in this world. Receiving a letter of repentance from a sinner, ‘Ah, this person is also suffering. He is also a victim like me’ ——I suppose there are people who think so. Probably, these people think ‘What’s done is done, there’s nothing else we can do’. These people suffice for an ‘I was mistaken’. Well, I am different. The grief it caused me, when you stole him away, just got bigger over time. It got worse every time I receive one of your letters. Each time I saw them, I was reminded that his killer is still living a carefree life. It made me suffer, I wasn’t able to forgive..., and it hardened my resolve to take my revenge on you.”

Blood slowly drained away from the man’s face, and he can no longer move.

“Hey——” The woman’s face did not change expression, and she continued to speak.

“This is what I think. When you appealed to the feelings of victim's family, saying ‘I've reflected on what I've done,' the only thing you could think of was ‘I said good things, so I will be saved’, am i right? You were pleasing no one but yourself! Above all, what were you doing while I was suffering and in despair? You were safe in prison, living an orderly life, without having to fear going hungry or getting cold. And after ten years, you will be able to live openly as a free man, and live your life without anything to worry about anymore! You, a murderer, laughing and walking the streets with your lover——! You think something like that can be forgiven? I won’t allow it.”

The man opened his mouth, “B-but...”

Bang.

The woman fired at the man’s ear. The earlobe was torn, but the amount of blood which began to flow from it was nothing compared to his other wounds.

“Listen until I finish my story. ——And so I decided to take my revenge. I will lure you out of the country, to a place where the country’s laws cannot be enforced. I will kill you with my own hands, on behalf of that man. That was my plan. For that, I prepared for everything I need. So that I can appear before you with a calm demeanor, I trained myself to kill my emotions. I also practiced how to smile gently. ――And then, I worked desperately to be able to earn money for a journey. Even though I hated it, and would never have thought of touching one my whole life, I bought a persuader. I bought it with the money you sent me. After a while, I also trained my shooting skills to make sure that I can kill you when the time comes. I learned how to shoot in a way that will hurt the most. So? My plan worked rather well, don't you think? Were you listening?”

The woman peered over the face of the man.

The man was still lying on his back. Tears flowed down his temples from his unblinking eyes.

“No...” He muttered in a small voice.

“No... Not like this.... No..., I don’t want to die... in a place like this... No..., I want to go back to my country.... I don’t want to die...”

“I’m sure he thought that way, too,” said the woman. Then she secured the safety of the hand persuader and returned it to its holster. She turned, and raised the man’s rifle. She skillfully released the safety, and stood by the feet of the man sprawled on the ground.

She poised the rifle by her waist, switched on the laser sight of the scope, and aimed the tiny red dot of light at the man’s jaw.

“Please... f-forgive me...” The man muttered, moving his pale lips a little.

The woman, with a very satisfied expression, nodded several times, and showed her gentle smile.

“Yes. The truth is I really wanted to forgive you. I wanted to forgive you all along. You wrote, ‘I'll do anything to atone for my sin’. That’s why I’m ending your life. ——The earlier I end your suffering, the better, don’t you think?”

She fired.

For each shot, the woman’s body gets pushed back a little in recoil. She continued to shoot amidst the recoil.

—

In a lush deep green forest, where a lake reflects the blue sky in its clear water, there stood two humans.

Beside two horses tethered together, there was a motorrad, ——and a headless human stretched out on his back.

The woman crouched slowly, and placed the empty rifle on the ground.

Her expression was now as clear as the sky. Her face looked happy.

“Yes...” The woman spoke to the man.

“Finally, I can forgive you. Listen well. I forgive you. That’s what you wanted right? That’s what you wished from the bottom of your heart, wasn’t it? That wish, I now grant it to you. You are forgiven. Hey, listen, ——I forgive you.”

—

There was a fresh mound by the shore. A rifle was pierced on it as a grave marker.

In front of it, the woman was kneeling down, hands clasped in front of her face, praying.

Before long she stood up, turned, and asked the person behind her.

“Miss Kino, you could have shot me if you wanted. Why?”

“Because I’m not a God. That’s all.”

“Yup. Kino is Kino,” said Hermes.

“I see. ——Thank you for helping me make a grave.”

“You’re welcome.”

—

The woman approached the man’s horse, with all of its harness removed, and gently spoke to it. “Now you can go to a place you like. Living freely in the forest is okay; living for someone back in the gates is also good.”

Then she tapped the horse lightly. The surprised horse moved forward a little, looked back once, and then disappeared into the forest.

“So, what will you do after this?” Kino asked the woman.

“My journey is already over, so I will go back to the country. I intend to live with his memories until I die.”

“I see. Take care.”

“Thank you. Ah, sorry I couldn’t join you for lunch.”

“It’s okay.”

The woman collected her luggage, those which were not buried, and fastened them to her horse. Then she lightly straddled the horse, and waved with a smile,

“Goodbye”

The horse carrying the woman disappeared on the other side of the trees by the curve.

—

“Phew...” Kino breathed.

“Really, things happened just as you said, Kino. I was a little surprised, but I’m quite impressed,” Hermes said happily.

“I suppose so.... Now, let’s grab what we can, while we can.”

“Kino is so greedy,” said Hermes.

“Whatever...” said Kino.

—

On the shore where the motorrad ran, there was a fresh mound.

There, a rifle was pierced as a grave marker.

It was a military rifle with a body made of plastic, but the scope was no longer attached.

Translator's Notes

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