Kino no Tabi:Volume11 Chapter5

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The Country With the School

— Assignment

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Along a forested path rode a Motorrad, meaning both a two-wheeled vehicle and a vehicle unable to fly. On either side of the back wheel hanged two black boxes, and on the top rested a pipe-frame carrier, though nothing was loaded in either.

The motorrad’s driver was a young person, apparently in the early teens, with short dark hair. The rider wore a hat that covered her collar and ears, wore goggles over her eyes, and a dusty black leather jacket.

A fat leather belt coiled about the driver’s waist, and at her right thigh, snug in its holster, waited a revolver, an expensive model known throughout the land as a Persuader.

At the front of the rider’s body, one more Persuader, heavily modified to fire rat-shot, hung from a strap. Its long smoothbore barrel and the perforated heat sink atop particularly stood out.

Under the blue sky, through the verdant forest, and with the sun shining at its right hand side, the motorrad raised a cloud of dust as it sped along. The forest path ran straight, lending itself to easy visibility and high speeds, and the driver held the throttle open accordingly. Occasionally she would readjust the slipping Persuader at her front.

“Hey, Kino.”

The Motorrad often spoke to its driver, a fact that troubled its driver not in the least. The rider, Kino, answered, “if you’re going to complain about the speed, don’t bother. We need to get used to going fast and for long hours.”

“No, that’s all fine with me. Where are we going today? Shopping?”

“Didn’t I say?” Kino slowed down. They lurched awkwardly as their speed decreased and the rider countered as well as she could. Once the engine quieted down, Kino said, “school.”

“School?”

“Yep. I’m going to a certain school in this country we’re headed to. For five days.”

“Oh. Uhm... why?”

“Master told me there’re skills taught there no other school teaches. It’s a great opportunity, so go, she said. If it’s an opportunity to become stronger, I’ll do anything.”

“Hmm. So that’s how it is.”

“That’s why the next coupla days, we’re going to be moving fast and far.”

“Speaking as a motorrad, that’s fine. The weather this time of year is very nice.”

“And it makes good driving practice.” So saying, Kino twisted the accelerator again. Hermes tore off over the hard-packed earth.

As soon as they’d left the forest behind, tall walls greeted them. The walls loomed gray and large, and surrounded the country in their embrace. It was well before noon. The sun was climbing to its zenith and warmed the earth as it did so. Kino stopped Hermes before a rifle-armed sentry at the front of the gate. She popped down the kickstand and removed her goggles.

“Good morning. Nice to meet you,” Kino said with slightly exaggerated friendliness and the mandatory smile. “I’m Kino. This is my partner, Hermes. Please allow us in.” Her eyes caught a second, better concealed guard and gave him a nod as well.

Having given proper greetings to these two sentinels, Kino walked to the bag on the back wheel and produced a letter.

The elder guard, a man well into his fifties, took this letter. He opened it, read it, and then—

“Alright, understood. Come on in. However, we have very strict rules regarding Persuaders. We’ll have to hold them until you leave.”

“Understood,” Kino assented, hiding her reluctance. She removed the modified Persuader from its holster and ejected nine rounds. They and the revolver at her hip whose barrel, cylinder, and grip she quickly and expertly disassembled, she placed in the cardboard box offered by the sentries.

“You have an impressive model. I apologise for any inconvenience, but in one part of our vast country, terrorists unhappy with the government are running rampant. It’s marked on the map, be careful not to approach it. Any other location should be fine. —Oh! There are speed limits posted too. I’m afraid the fine is considerable.”

“Understood, and thank you.” Kino pushed Hermes through the gates.

After seeing off the vehicle and the rider, the younger sentryman turned to his superior. “Uh…are you sure?”

“What... about him?”

“Who is that boy?” Kino had taken great care to present the appearance of a compact young man.

“Who knows? First time I’ve met him.”

The subordinate said nothing.

“He had an introduction letter from that old lady. Can’t reject that.”

“By ‘that old lady,’ you mean the one who lives in that forest…the one everyone is scared of?”

“Who else?”

“Was he her grandson, maybe?”

“Far as I know, she’s always lived alone. Rumour says she picked him up while the kid was lost in the woods.”

“What’s up with that…? Besides, what kind of lady is she, anyway?”

“Kid, there’s something I heard the captain say some time ago. And he heard it from the regimental commander, who heard it directly from the general. ‘If you’d like to live a long life, don’t look into it. Just don’t.’ Not patronizing you, understand. Just for your own sake I’m tellin’ you.”

“Huh! Okay.”

“I wonder what’s for dinner today.”

The younger man noted the abrupt change in subject and shrugged. “Beats me. Hope it’s fish.”

---

Within the curving walls of the country, woods and fields stretched to the horizons. Sparse houses dotted the green landscape here and there. Kino spread out the map the sentries had given her, took a note from her jacket, compared the two, then concluded, “okay. We go straight for a while, and then left at the second intersection. A little bit further down there’ll be a small town. That’s our destination.” Kino flipped the two papers over and showed them to Hermes.

After a moment, “Yup. No mistake about it.”

Kino pocketed the map and note and then Hermes sped her on their way.

---

“Okay, hello everyone. Today, we’ll be having a new student in our class. This here’s Kino. Kino, this is our class, altogether, twelve people. They’re about the same age as you, a few are older. Everyone, say ‘hi.’”

“Hello,” the young woman answered, keeping her voice low and even and hoping that and her short hair would do the trick. “My name is Kino.”

“I think you can all guess, but Kino wasn’t born or raised here. There’s a big forest outside this country, right? She lives with an old granny there who takes care of her. But that’s something we all should consider confidential. Let’s get along and work hard together. Just because Kino doesn’t look like you doesn’t mean you should shun her. Every person lined up alongside you is your comrade. Clear? Okay, then, let’s begin. Kino, please take the desk and chair over there. Work hard to catch up to us, okay?”

“Oh yes. My regards, all. I’ll do my best.”

---

If it’s an opportunity to become stronger...

...I’ll do anything.

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The sun slanted through the forest that Kino and Hermes drove through, shadows following to their left. Just as before, the rat-shot Persuader was strapped to the front of her body, and as before, she drove very fast. The sound of the shrill motor re-echoed through the trees.

“So! How was school today?” Hermes shouted over the noise. Hearing no reply, he repeated the question.

“Huh? —Ah! Yeah, it was fun!” Kino bellowed her reply, too. At the speeds she was driving, the trees and leaves at either side blurred by.

“What’d you learn?”

“How to make stuff!”

“What kind?” asked Hermes. So Kino elaborated on the “stuff.”

“Huh. That sounds pretty fun.”

“It was fun. Pretty interesting. The people in the class weren’t exactly open, so I felt kinda left out, but… I think that’s just because I was nervous. Everyone worked diligently and listened to the teacher, and during a brief recess we all got along fine. They think hard, kinda brood over their futures. Probably because they’re country-folk.”

“Uhm hm. And the teacher?”

“She’s a good person! Still twenty, blonde hair, she’s pretty. Very kind. She laid everything out for me today. She doesn’t talk too fast and it’s easy to follow her. There were a lot of terms I didn’t know that I had to ask about, but she explained them to me without getting frustrated. So I understood everything so far.”

“Hmm.”

“When Master told me to go to school so suddenly, I wondered why. But it’s a lot more fun than I expected.”

“That’s wonderful! Your long-suffering chauffeur, however, was nothing but bored. There was a wild dog who tried to mark my tires, for crying out loud.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean it was about to piss on me! Y’see, that’s why I hate dogs. Fortunately it whimpered and ran off when I yelled at it.”

“If you’re too loud, you’re going to be noticed, you know.”

“Relax! I yelled so high nothing human would be able to hear me.”

“…Huh? What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain some other time, maybe. It’ll be nice to teach something to you.”

“You and Master and the teacher all know so much. There’s still so much I don’t know.”

“That’s alright. You’re young, you’ve got time.”

“Well, yeah. We’re going back tomorrow and the day after that. The class will end in five days, as planned So, until then.”

“Well, I prefer running along the road to sleeping in the woods all day.”

“When we get back, I’ll tell Master about what I learned. Oh! The teacher told me something amazing about Master.”

“What?”

“She teaches everything that she knows, and whatever she doesn’t know, she sets out to learn it, and then teaches whoever is willing to learn. So she learn exactly what she doesn’t know. Isn’t that clever?”

“I see... I think. But to think there was a school in this country that taught — this! I’m a bit surprised. Hey, learning for its own sake is fine and well, but is what you’re learning practical?”

“I wonder. I really don’t know. But I remember when I first started to learn the alphabet I thought, ‘Is this ever going to be useful? Rather than learn all this, I want to go play outside, I want to learn how to climb a tree.’ But now, I don’t think that anymore. Master’s taught me several alphabets, and that allows me to read lots of interesting books. So in the same way, I suppose what I’m learning now will be useful, someday.”

“I see, although motorrads don’t really have to know how to read for their whole lifetime.”

“Hermes, what’s a Motorad’s lifetime like?”

“Ha! Now that’s tough to explain.”

Then the fast-cruising Kino and Hermes turned at a crossroads in the forest. After following the road for some time, a log cabin appeared. One part of the forest had been cultivated into vegetable fields, and from the cabin’s chimney, smoke trailed, fortelling a hot meal. Kino cut her speed and stopped Hermes in front of the log cabin.

A thin old woman soon appeared from the house. She wore an apron, and her graying golden hair tied back. Beside her hip, a short-barreled revolver dangled in its holster.

“Welcome back, Kino.”

“Hello, Master,” Kino smiled, for real this time.

The old woman called Master stepped down from the wooden deck onto the road and asked Kino if she’d used her rat-shot rounds. Kino shook her head.

“Then go around to the field and try shooting the scarecrows.”

“Okay!” Kino answered enthusiastically and took off with Hermes. After moving a little ahead, her hand squeezed the brakes for Hermes’s back wheel. The vehicle angled sharply and skidded, spinning around to face the other direction.

“Let’s go, Hermes.”

“Be gentle with me.”

Kino took off with Hermes. She accelerated fast and by intervals shifted the gears. As they passed the front of the log cabin, Kino let both hands go. Still straddling Hermes and letting the momentum push them on, she yanked the modified Persuader from its holster and popped the safety. Then she leaned slightly, turning them to the left.

At the far end of the field, just bordering the forest, stood five scarecrows built of wood. Each wore a metal pan like an apron.

Kino fired. The tiny pellets blasted outward and struck the scarecrows, each in turn, sparks and shrill sounds ringing from the metal plates.

Kino skillfully compensated for the recoil and quickly pump the expended shells with her left hand as she fired. Rumbling echoes rippled through the forest. A flock of birds nearby flapped away.

By the time she’d crossed the field Kino had fired five shots, all of which struck the scarecrow in places that would have been fatal to humans.

Kino put her hands back on the handlebars and quickly hit the brakes, turning Hermes around once more. She accelerated again, this time aiming to the right and spinning around.

She fired again, and her remaining four rounds hit four of the scarecrows. The last shell ejected and joined its eight counterparts on the ground.

“Excellent,” the old woman commented, pleased, when Kino returned to the front of the house. “You’ve become good.”

Kino stopped Hermes and killed the engine. She let down the kickstand and hopped off.

“How was school, Kino?”

“It was fun,” Kino replied quickly.

“Then let’s have dinner. Sausage stew tonight.”

Hermes noted Kino’s grin at the mention of the stew. “No, I ain’t envious at all,” he muttered quietly to himself.

---

The next morning. The second day of class.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Granted permission by the guard, Kino and Hermes entered the gate.

---

“That’s right. Any questions up until now?” the teacher asked. “Any? Well then, everyone knows the fundamentals, now. I’m glad I have so many bright students. Nothing good comes from flattering my students, you’re thinking? True enough.”

She knelt down beside Kino’s workspace. “Kino, you’re learning just about as fast as everyone else, if not faster. At first, I was worried that you might fall behind, but that’s not the case. You’re doing very well.”

“Thank you.”

“This class has had twelve excellent pupils for some time, but now we have a thirteenth, don’t we?” she said to the group. “That’s all for today. Next class will be day after tomorrow. I recommend you spend your day off reviewing your notes, because we’ll be starting slightly more complicated tasks next time. Bye, everyone. Careful on your way back—”

---

And two days later...

“Hey, here you are again.”

Granted permission by the guard, Kino and Hermes entered the gate.

---

“Everyone, the most important thing about construction isn’t the dexterity of your hands. We aren’t here to make wristwatches, you hear? More important than that -- in fact the most important thing of all -- from start to finish, make the product accurately. Properly-made objects that work reflect well upon the person who made them. It’s pointless to assemble objects that have no real-life application. So, while you shouldn’t make them, in class it’s okay. If something goes wrong, I’ll help you think through why it didn’t work. Then all you have to do is make sure you don’t repeat the same mistake the next time you build it. Now, let’s run a check of everyone’s work.”

She stepped from one student’s workspace to the other. “Oh, that’s good. Very well-made. This too. Wonderful, you followed exactly what I said. Oh, if you don’t pass the cord through here, it’s going to snag. But other than that, looking good. We’ll fix that later. Mm-hm, very good. Kino’s… ah, you have some parts you need to fix. Now this part shouldn’t be visible from the outside. Let’s hide it. And hide the seam, too. You can let this tip out, so let’s hide that for now, too. Don’t worry, it’s fine. If you fix these parts, yours will also work, Kino. No need to look so worried.”

“Teacher, I have a question.”

“Yes, Kino?”

“About the way you loop this cord, can you thread it through the top, too?”

“Good question. That’s a case-by-case basis. The issue would depend on where you would wear it on your body. If you were to put it over your belly, then yes, thread it through the top. For your back, through the bottom.”

“I see. Got it. Thank you very much.”

“Any other questions? —Oh! Everyone’s making excellent progress! It seems like your diligence is rubbing off on everyone, Kino.”

---

“So yeah, I got praised by her.”

“That’s great, Kino.”

“I’ll be going again tomorrow. After two more times, it’s done!”

“That’s wonderful. When you’re done, take it home and show me, okay?”

“Okay.”

---

For those two days, Kino rode to school on Hermes,

“Kino, do your best,” Hermes cheered.

And Kino was praised by her teacher.

“You wanna piece of me? Then come get it!” Hermes roared at a dog.

---

“Everyone? Class is finally over! I’m very proud of all your efforts.” Kino stood in the classroom she’d commuted to for five days. In the remodeled room nestled in this otherwise old building, the concrete pillars were chipped here and there, and the windows had no glass but, rather, were boarded up. Though many bare light bulbs dangled, it was still dim. Counting Kino, thirteen boys and girls sat in chairs and desks that bore obvious scars of frequent repair. With the exception of Kino, who wore a plain white shirt, the others wore patched and stitched clothes.

In front of every individual, atop their desks, lay a bag. Leather and cloth, backpack and cross-shoulder and handbag, all manner of bags. Their slightly bulgy appearance suggested something solid inside them.

These were undoubtedly not top-of-the-line bags, but they all exuded an aura of handmade care, diligently put-together.

Before Kino rested a light beige cross-shoulder bag. It too had a distinct bulge, about the size of a large lunch box.

“We’ve finally done it, haven’t we? Here we are, with not one failure in sight. There’s nothing left for me to teach you. The last thing to do is to take the bag home and show it to your mother and father, brother or sister —show it to everyone in the world! They’ll definitely love it!” In front of the sewing machine on the teacher’s desk, the beautiful woman with her golden hair tied back declaimed proudly. Every pupil broke into a smile. “Well, now we must part ways, but I trust that every one of you will fulfill your purpose wonderfully!”

A firm assent answered her voice.

“One last point. This doesn’t directly have to do with the class, but there’s something else I’d like you to learn. Please listen.”

Twenty-six eyes focused on the teacher’s face. She slowly met every gaze, and then... “we wonder, what is the most important thing that leads to success in life? I personally believe that it’s your conviction. The power to accomplish what you want to do, what you set your mind on. That is vital to your life. You must base all your actions on this conviction. When you do, someone is bound to ask you, ‘Is that the right thing to do?’ But, you mustn’t falter. Your heart must not waver. You mustn’t let it waver. Hold fast to your goals and race forward. Until now, I’ve told you not to lie in class, haven’t I? But after this, when you go into the outside world and you begin to act upon your convictions, it’s okay to lie. Above all, hold fast to your beliefs. Even if it will grind your soul to bits, stand firm and fight!”

The teacher trembled a little with passion as she spoke. Finally she smiled, with a wide smile like a flower in full bloom,

“I know that you can do it. Everyone here can do it. Class, you have graduated. Congratulations.”

---

Soon, Kino put the light beige shoulder bag into the box at Hermes’s back wheel.

“I’m back, Master.”

And she returned to the log cabin in the forest.

“I’ve done it, Master!” She stood at the threshold, heralded by the cry of forest birds and framed by a red sky.

The old lady saw the bag, looked inside, and said, “I see. Interesting. They use this sort of timber and construction these days, don’t they?”

Kino then showed it to Hermes, who was just as impressed.

---

The next day, before noon.

“Then let’s begin. Kino, carry the bag.”

“Yes, Master. I have it here.”

Kino and the old lady carefully dismantled the device and checked every element of its construction.

“Good. This makes for a very useful reference. You’ve done well. It’s put together neatly. We’ve even got the details diagrammed. Let’s try putting it back together.”

“Sure!”

Soon everything was set back in place as if it had never been taken apart.

---

That noon.

Two people and a vehicle entered the forest away from the house.

Kino hung that beige bag on a branch connected to a tree trunk. The original cord leading out from the bag was tied to another, longer string. And at the other end of that thread stood the old lady and Hermes, hidden behind a thick tree trunk.

“Ready, Master?”

“Yes, any time.”

“Hermes?”

“I’m fine too.”

“Here goes, then. I hope it goes well!”

Kino yanked hard on the string. A short snap could be heard as the string left the bag. The bag made a hissing sound as white smoke poured from its seams for two seconds.

And then it exploded!

The high-power military bomb detonated. The nails set around it shot off in all directions and stabbed into the hearts of neighboring trees. The blast wove through the forest and whipped up fallen leaves.

The tree from which the bag had hanged from had most of its trunk gouged out by the bomb. As the black smoke cleared, it crumbled and collapsed into the woods.

Pounding the forest, the echoes of detonation shook the earth, threw avians into a squawking panic, and faded off into the sky.

“Success! It exploded perfectly,” The old lady told the excited Kino and Hermes as she pulled the plugs from her ears.

“That was awesome!” Hermes added.

“Then we ought to tell your teacher, shouldn’t we? How about visiting town again tomorrow? I have things I want you to buy, so you can do that, too.”

---

I suppose what I’m learning now will be useful, someday.

---

Kino and Hermes again left the house early and covered the familiar distance quickly, arriving at the gates just before noon. Just like before, they checked in with the guards and entered the little town.

Soon they reached the heart of the low, clustered buildings and turned the corner of the back road.

“Oh, the school’s…!” Kino stammered.

“Whoa...!” Hermes said.

A little ahead of them, the school building was being destroyed. An enormous bulldozer trampelled the growing pile of rubble and mercilessly rammed the building.

Kino and Hermes continued from the back road and halted in front of the rubble. It was surrounded by many armed policemen. Squadcars and trucks were parked on the wide thoroughfare, and behind the caution tape, residents watched the scene with gloomy expressions.

They glimpsed Kino and Hermes and brightened up a little, then once again feigned their apathetic countenances.

“A young, blonde woman stood in front of the crumbling building, her back to the crowd. She was surrounded by burly policemen, her hands cuffed behind her. Quiet and tranquil, she gazed at the dying building.

“That’s… your teacher,” whispered Kino to Hermes.

“I wonder what happened.”

“Should we ask?”

Kino pushed Hermes up to the tape and spoke with a young policeman.

“Hm? You must not be from around these parts. Best you leave this town soon. Wouldn’t blame ya.” He answered her query, paying little attention to the residents in their immediate vicinity.

“The police crushed one of the terrorist cells,” he continued. “This dump of a town was a hideout. It’s such a poor place here, it bred a low-down group who thought they could overthrow the government with their dirty tricks.”

Kino pointed to the back of her teacher. “Um, who’s that pretty woman you’ve caught there?”

“Her? Might not look like it, but she’s one of those terrorists.”

“Huh. What was she caught for?”

“You wouldn’t believe it…” the policeman answered with a sour face. “She was running a ‘school’ in this crummy building. Was teachin’ little boys and girls your age how to make high-power, hidden bombs.”

“Hmmm. And then?”

“And then… yesterday, those kids pretended to go on a trip to the government district in the heart of the capitol. And…they set off the bombs in crowded buildings and marketplaces. All twelve. Suicide bombers, they’re called.”

“Why? Did they think life sucked or something?”

“Who knows! They were raised by terrorists, so who knows what went on in their heads. Crazy loons who think dying is part of their ‘faith.’ It’s obvious they were encouraged by their parents, relatives and siblings. Now we have hundred of casualties, everone howling in rage — what bastards these terrorists are! Anyway, we pinpointed this building and apprehended her.”

“So that’s how it is,” Kino replied indifferently.

“She’ll be executed soon. If we just put her in prison, there’ll be other terrorists demanding we let her go, so we shoot ‘em soon as we get ‘em.”

The building lay completely reduced to rubble. The roar of the bulldozer faded and died. The police ordered the blonde woman to climb into the black truck parked off to the side. The teacher turned her eyes to the residents.

She turned, her eyes met Kino’s, and she slowly smiled.

The young officer, watching his colleagues take the terrorist, sharply asked Kino, “Do you know her?”

She replied firmly, in a voice even the teacher could hear. “No. How could I?”

Quietly and with a satisfied smile, the teacher let herself be pushed by the policemen into the windowless truck, and presently disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Officers stood guard with Persuaders. After a brief while, an officer wearing a black mask appeared. In his hands was a large caliber rifle. He loaded one large bullet into the gun, aimed inside the truck, whose door was still open.

He fired.

The oppressive sound reverberated from the buildings.

“Withdraw!”

The police returned to their respective vehicles. The bulldozer leading the line, the cars and trucks left the city.

The black truck was the last to leave. A body was thrown out from the back. Its face was gone, gouged out. The blonde, bloodied hair floated in the air before hitting the ground.

After the line of cars left, the people gathered about the corpse. They gently covered the absent face and folded the corpse’s hands over its breasts.

And then, together, they cheered their hero. The town shook with their shouts.

But the motorrad and its driver were already gone.

---

...all you have to do...

...is make sure you don’t repeat the same mistake the next time.

---