Kino no Tabi:Volume9 Chapter4

“Land of Electromagnetic Waves” —Not Guilty—

My name is Riku. I am a dog.

I have long, shaggy white fur. My face makes me look as if I’m happy and smiling all the time, but it doesn’t mean that I am. I was just born this way.

Shizu is my master. He is a young man who always wears a green sweater, and has been traveling by buggy ever since he lost his homeland due to complex circumstances.

—

Just before this, Master Shizu was stabbed with a knife and sustained a rather critical wound. But with adequate treatment from the person who helped us, and with Master Shizu’s naturally tough constitution, the wound did not become fatal.

After the person who helped us has left, for Master Shizu’s body to recuperate completely, we stayed for a while in a beach where no one else visits and let several days pass by in peace.

And during that time, various objects were washed ashore.

Waterproof wooden boxes full of food, bottles of water, all sorts of ammunition and bombs, cans of fuel, bags of clothes. And at times, even valuable articles.

All of these, without a doubt, came from “that country”. As to what has become of this country, I do not know.

—

Muffled explosions reached us in the interior of the tent that was brightly illuminated by the morning sun. Twice, in succession. And then it became quiet.

“Going at it again, huh,” Master Shizu said with a laugh. While he sat cross-legged, he slowly removed the bandage from his stomach. When he has finally removed the gauze, he found that the wound beneath it has fully healed. There were the traces of a scar from a wound that was roughly stitched. It will probably remain there for the rest of his life.

“It’s all right now. Once we finish preparations, we can leave immediately,” Master Shizu said as he put on a T-shirt. Then he wore his usual green sweater on top of it.

“What will become of Ti?” I asked of the girl who caused Master Shizu’s wound. Right now, this person is in a nearby rocky area, catching our breakfast in a rather violent manner by throwing hand grenades underwater.

Master Shizu answered with a laugh, “We’ll be fine with the buggy.”

—

Food and fuel, change of clothing, items that seemed sellable, Ti’s beloved hand grenades and the springing knife—those were the only things Master Shizu packed in the buggy. Yet the buggy was now one size larger.

On the driver’s seat was Master Shizu, wearing a parka over his sweater, and goggles around his eyes.

And on the passenger’s seat was the green-eyed, white-haired girl, who wore a baggy black jacket as a coat; it was one of the items washed ashore that she had grown fond of.

Having lost my previous spot, I settled between her skinny legs in a rather stiff posture.

“I’m indebted. I will never forget this scenery.”

“…”

Leaving these words of salutation, we left the beach where we have spent many days.

The surface of the sea reflected in the side mirror gradually became farther away, and was soon no longer in sight. The buggy ran with the hum of the engine in excellent condition.

“It’s all right. I’m sure we’ll soon find a country pleasant to stay in.”

So as not to lose to the sound of the warm gust of wind, Master Shizu spoke with a cheerful and reassuring tone to Ti.

“…”

Ti was as silent and as expressionless as ever.

‘We’ll soon find.’

That probably won’t be the case, I thought.

And perhaps, that sort of thing doesn’t matter.

* * *

A spring shower drizzled over a vast prairie.

The temperature was neither high nor low, and the humidity was tolerable enough.

Here and there were big trees. The buggy stopped under one such tree.

A blue vinyl sheet was stretched on top of the car’s body for protection against the rain. One end was tied to the bumper, and another on a branch of the tree.

Big raindrops would occasionally fall from the branches and leaves, and drop with a plop on the tarp. Each time, Ti would look up from the passenger seat then return her gaze to the front. *Plop*. Then she would again look up.

Master Shizu lightly closed his eyes while in the driver’s seat, while I crouched over the hood, as we waited for the rain to let up. If the rain continued for the whole day, they will have to wear their rain gear and continue driving, but for now we’re taking a break. The sun peeks through the rifts in the clouds from beyond the horizon, so it will probably not take long before the rain stops.

“I wonder what kind of country the next one will be…?” Master Shizu muttered with his eyes still closed. As usual, Ti,

“…”

Said nothing. Her green eyes only took a glance at the driver’s seat, then turned back her gaze.

I myself don’t have an answer to this question. No one could possibly know what kind of place it will be. There are many countries in this world, and none of them are completely alike.

But before that, we should worry about whether we would be able to find a country in this vast meadow. Even so, Master Shizu was optimistic, believing that it will be all right as long as we find a road.

The rain was still falling, but the clouds were already disappearing overhead. The sun shined down on us, and the blue sheet gleamed with the light.

Master Shizu unfastened the strings and folded up the sheet. An enormous rainbow formed in the sky ahead of us.

Upon a closer look, it was a twin rainbow.

—

While trodding over wet grass, the buggy ran in perfect condition over the prairie. It was headed west.

Before we set off, I feared that Ti would get nauseous from the jolts, but it seems that my worries were all for nothing. Ti was not the least agitated by the hard seat (well, there was a cushion underneath), the tight seatbelt, or the shaking of the vehicle. And it seemed that she even enjoyed the sceneries that greeted her eyes for the first time in her life. Upon seeing the deer and the large prairie animals in the distance,

“…”

She craned her neck as far as it would go to follow the animals with her gaze.

We spent the whole day running through the prairie, and by dusk, we discovered a lone road.

The road that ran along the north-south direction, had tire tracks on it. It must be a road that connected one country to another. Just like Master Shizu said, if we follow this road, we would be able to arrive to some country. To decide whether to follow the north or the south, Master Shizu dug his hand into a bag behind the seat and took out a coin, which he then placed into Ti’s hands.

“…”

Master Shizu explained to Ti, who was looking at the coin curiously. “You decide by throwing that. If it comes out heads, we’ll go south, if tails, we’ll go north.”

Ti nodded deeply, then threw the coin with her left hand. With all her strength.

The coin drew a parabola and dropped about ten meters away into the grassy plains.

“Ah. Riku, please fetch it.”

It was heads. We headed south.

That evening, Master Shizu put up a tent in the middle of the prairie. And inside it—

“In this kind of wind, you can throw it lightly and let the air seize it. You place it at the back of your other hand—”

—He was teaching Ti how to toss a coin.

—

The next morning.

While basking in the dazzling sunlight from our left, the buggy continued on the road going south.

Master Shizu and I normally don’t engage much in conversation while traveling. Nothing changed, except Ti was with us— Well, of course, Ti only stared tirelessly at the sceneries without saying a word.

Having meandered around for a while, it was soon lunchtime.

“I see it.”

Those were Master Shizu’s first words for the day. Then he pointed forward. The gray walls were slowly appearing from underneath the horizon. Ti turned her eyes towards that direction.

“…”

And only stared in silence.

“It seems like we don’t have to make our own lunch,” Master Shizu said.

—

We were given permission to enter without any problems, and at last, the mud-covered, luggage-filled buggy passed through the gates.

It was a big country. Even from afar, the wide walls could still be seen, and when we looked at the map located in the plaza in front of the gates, we could make out a warped area towards the southwest.

We rode through the country. It was a very orderly country. People walked around the tidy downtown lined up with traffic lights and clean cars running through it. There were no tall buildings, but it was only because they were not needed in such a spacious country. The public order also seemed good.

After passing through the town, we headed to the outskirts, with fields visible all around. Just as the immigration officer told us, we soon arrived at an inexpensive hotel with a parking space. It was a wide, one-storey building.

Usually, Master Shizu would take the cheapest and smallest room, but this time, he took a room with two beds in it.

Master Shizu enjoyed a longed-for shower, and washed me while he’s at it. Of course, I humbly declined, though I was undoubtedly, dirty.

It seems that Ti didn’t understand what a bath tub was for, but with Master Shizu’s simple explanations, she immediately learned. This girl was more adaptable than I thought.

In a nearby restaurant, where food was delivered immediately upon ordering, Master Shizu and Ti requested for bread with different kinds of cheese on top, and ate some well-cooked meals. Of course, it was probably Ti’s first time eating such food, and hence didn’t have any complaints. However, she didn’t seem too impressed as she was with the portable rations.

We spent that afternoon assigning tasks.

Master Shizu went to sell the objects that looked valuable, and bought the things that we needed. While waiting, Ti and I remained in the room to wash our clothes. Ti did what I told her to do. For the first time, this girl was being handy in a normal way.

“Now, there’s something I want to tell you.”

It was a more or less wonderful evening in our room. After our dinner, Master Shizu spoke to Ti, who sat opposite him on the round table.

“Looking around various countries, that is, ‘enjoying traveling’, is not our goal. I am looking for a country where I could settle down; a place where I could be useful to someone with the things that I am capable of.”

“…”

“I still don’t know everything about this country, and I’m planning to find out. So far, it doesn’t seem to be a bad country. Even the food is delicious.”

“…”

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll go around the country without any preconceptions or bias. If you notice anything, I would like you to tell me.”

“…”

“I also want you to be careful. There are many people who live in this country. Right now we are guests, so we should act the way travelers should. Be careful not to say or do anything that might hurt other people.”

This was some doubtful words coming from Master Shizu, who used to stick his neck into other people’s business, but this must be just a caution to Ti, who has yet no experience in traveling.

“You understand, right?”

Ti nodded sincerely and deeply, but what would happen later on will prove that she didn’t completely understand what she was just told.

—

The next day.

Master Shizu brought me and Ti along, and rode around the country. The weather was good.

Master Shizu was in his usual green sweater and jeans while Ti was wearing her long-sleeved, round-necked brown shirt and grey short pants. Aside from the fact that it was cleaner after being washed, there was nothing different.

Downtown, Master Shizu carried his sword in a bag. Ti carried her shoulder bag that seemed to contain a water bottle and portable rations inside.

We looked all over the wide country—the urban areas, the agricultural area, as well as the residential district.

As it was rare for the citizens to see a traveler, we were welcomed again and again. The residents in the urban district all gave way for our vehicle, while in the agricultural district, we were given tomatoes.

Master Shizu inquired about immigration, and learned that there would be little problem registering as a resident in the town hall, after which he could start working to earn money and pay for his taxes. Among the countries that accept strangers, it was really unusual to find one so generous.

As it has a democratic form of government, its representatives were chosen by an impartial election. Not too bad for Master Shizu, who have seen countries made fools by dictators and kings.

Its economy was also stable, and it seems that there are very few people who die of hunger. The citizens appeared to be living their lives in peace and happiness.

After the whole-day tour, Master Shizu came back to the room in high spirits.

—

“It’s a ‘normal country’.”

Master Shizu said. And he added that it was a difficult task for a normal country to work out, as the numerous people living in it should put in a lot of effort.

When I asked him if he liked it, Master Shizu nodded.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to try living here for a while.”

“…”

Ti was silent as always, and whether she agrees or not, or simply doesn’t care, no one could tell.

The next day as well, we went around the country to observe. It was a bit cloudier, and it looked like it’s going to rain.

But this country was just so big. Of course we have no idea who made it this way, but the walls ran even through plains and forests, as if these areas were enclosed just for the sake of being enclosed.

At the northern gates, we headed to a wide avenue going south just a few steps away. We vacated yesterday’s hotel.

The southern avenue was very lively. Cars were running through the street, and there were many people.

“…”

As it was filled with things that Ti has seen for the first time, no matter where we go and walk in, her head fidgeted about.

In one corner of a street lined up with big houses and shops, Master Shizu parked the buggy in a fuel refilling stand. In places like this, it’s a strict regulation to only get enough for your needs.

While we’re refilling, Ti and I stood on the walkway and looked at the rows of stores.

It was near noontime, and under the cloudy sky, there were housewives going out shopping and workers going out for lunch. When they saw us, some of them waved their hands and smiled.

At that moment, a man came out from the side of the fuel refilling station and walked towards us.

It was a man in his fifties. He was thin and barefooted, wearing only a white shirt and his underwear. At the same time, he was dyed red with blood.

The man was holding something in his right hand. It was the freshly severed head of a human. He held the head from its long hair, swaying and barely grazing the pavement. The blood dripped from it, leaving traces on the sidewalk.

“…”

Ti stared at the man. I believe he was about twenty meters away from us.

“Master Shizu!”

At the same time I called out to Master Shizu, the woman who was keeping watch on the fuel stand raised a scream. The man walked aimlessly towards us. His expression was calm, as if everything was normal.

I jumped out in front of Ti, and couldn’t decide whether to growl, howl, or talk. And the moment I realized that it really didn’t matter, Master Shizu jumped out in front of me holding the sword in the bag.

“I thought it wasn’t possible but…I guess that look is not normal in this country?” Master Shizu muttered. Well, a country with blood-soaked men carrying severed heads walking around normally sounds pretty nasty.

Meanwhile, the half-crazed female employee screamed, “S-someone call the police! Police!”

When you think about it, an ordinary reaction for a passerby in situations like this is to scream.

“You, what do you think you’re doing? What’s that blood and head?”

Yet Master Shizu questioned the man like this.

“Shut up! Do you want to die too?”

Master Shizu moved as he heard this answer. He approached slowly and thrust the sword, scabbard, bag and all, towards the man’s stomach. The man let out a groan before collapsing.

The head fell to the sidewalk, rolled, and stopped on top of the cover of the gutter by the roadway.

—

It didn’t take long before a nearby police on rounds came. Master Shizu handed the man over.

As they did not know what happened, he reported what he saw and did to the police. The employees of the fuel refilling station vouched for us, so we were not suspected.

While muttering unintelligible words, the man was taken into custody. Pictures of the severed head were taken before it was put inside a bag. The pale-faced female employee came, and said that the man was the principal of a nearby kindergarten. They have been trying to call the kindergarten several times, but no one would pick up the phone, and no one would come out. This time, it was the policemen who turned pale.

Master Shizu followed after four policemen who set out. As Ti followed after Master Shizu, I had to look after her.

Some tens of meters away was the kindergarten building that looked like a miniature school. The bloodstains in the walkway led there, or rather, came from that place.

“Is anybody here?!”

A police called out, grabbed his hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case a pistol) then entered the building. I thought it was only natural for them to push us strangers out of the way, but maybe because they had no luxury of time to do so, they just allowed us to shamelessly follow from behind.

We headed to the place where the bloodstains originated, and came out to a wide room at the center of the building, and saw what was inside.

“Wah! Waa…”

A young policeman fainted and collapsed.

The whole room was filled with the stench of blood that it seemed more like a battlefield or an execution ground. Several corpses of beheaded women rolled about. They were probably day-care workers.

Copious amounts of blood seeped through the carpet on the floor, transforming the room into a crimson swampland. Within it, the tiny bodies of the kindergarten pupils tumbled about. A little over twenty. Everybody had white foams coming out of their mouths, the flicker in their faded eyes already gone. Paper cups were scattered about.

“…”

Amidst the speechless policemen, Master Shizu, and myself, only Ti spoke.

“Everybody’s dead.”

—

That day, we stayed in a hotel near the police station. That’s because we tagged along the on-site investigation until it was almost evening.

The place transformed into a place filled with agonizing wails. The parents of the kindergartners rushed as soon as they heard the story, and fainted and screamed upon seeing the faces of their children being carried out inside bags. Yellow tape was placed around the place, and the residents of the neighborhood and the people concerned gathered in swarms.

In the end, they discovered that all twenty-two kindergartners and six day-care workers were poisoned. Moreover, the adults were all beheaded. Their after-lunch tea was laced with a lethal poison. There was almost no doubt that the kindergarten principal did everything by himself. They also found a bottle of poison and a blood-stained chainsaw. In one corner of the room, there was a huge pile of fuel. There was also a detonation apparatus set-up, but the handmade fuse was lost in the pool of blood.

It seems that Master Shizu was commended amidst it all, but he was not really interested. As there was no way for us to know beforehand or stop this massacre, he should be aware that we could have done nothing about the death of the children, but regardless, Master Shizu’s face remained gloomy.

Ti was the same as ever. She made short work of the dinner prepared for us.

That evening, the radio in our room continued to report the incident in an impassive and objective way as was possible. After listening to it for a while, Master Shizu spoke,

“If there are many people, this kind of thing also happens. —In poor countries, there are numerous crimes done by people to survive. But in countries as big and wealthy as this one, the opposite is true. I heard that those kinds of crimes are few, but in place, rare and bizarre crimes like this one happen. It’s really sad, but I guess there’s nothing we can do about it—”

This is an aside, but as a result of the confusion, the fuel for the buggy became practically free.

—

The next day.

The clouds hung even lower compared to yesterday. It wouldn’t be strange for it to rain at any moment.

After breakfast, Master Shizu headed to the police station. Ti and I followed. A middle-aged police chief appeared and let us in to a drawing room. The chief, together with his young lieutenant, sat with us at the table. Tea was served.

The chief thanked Master Shizu for cooperating with the police in arresting the perpetrator. Master Shizu asked if his testimony was necessary for the trial that will take place from then on. If needed be, though we had no idea how long it would take, he’s willing to extend his stay in the country.

The chief only shook his head.

“That won’t be necessary. That man will not be tried.”

Master Shizu’s eyebrows raised a little. My thoughts were that the gravity of this crime was such that it merits an automatic death penalty without trial, but I was mistaken. Instead the chief said this:

“That man, that principal’s actions, deviated from the norm.”

We already know that. Master Shizu also nodded.

“In this country, this kind of incident occurs once every few years. Bizarre mass murders. It’s very sad and deplorable.”

Just like Master Shizu said last night. I could still agree at this point.

“Those people were driven to their actions by an evil electromagnetic wave. That’s why we couldn’t punish them. That man will be considered innocent, and will be sent to a hospital to be isolated and receive treatment.”

This one I failed to understand.

“What do you mean?” Master Shizu leaned forward and asked.

The chief stood up with a heavy face and walked towards the window. He gazed outside. It was not yet raining.

“This country has a rather sad history…”

The chief turned around as he said this. Master Shizu and I awaited the continuation of his words.

“It seems that a long, long time ago, a large number of slaves were gathered in this country. This story was from hundreds of years ago, you see. In order to make the slaves work, tiny devices were implanted inside their heads.”

“Devices, you say?” Master Shizu’s question was answered by the seated lieutenant.

“A device that sends and receives electromagnetic waves like a radio. According to our records, it was used to control people… If they didn’t go to such extent, it would be impossible to control the slaves over this vast territory. That period continued for a while, and at some point in time, for some unknown reason, the slaves were set free and continued to live in this land. Well, as this was an unwelcome fact from our past, we rarely tell travelers about it.”

“I understand. I will not tell anyone about it. And so, what’s the connection of this history to the incident yesterday?” Master Shizu addressed the chief. The chief turned around, and answered with a sour expression,

“In this country, incidents such as the one you have witnessed yesterday were all caused by these devices and electromagnetic waves.”

“The electromagnetic waves’…fault?”

“That’s right.”

Master Shizu replied, and the chief confirmed confidently.

“In a forest to the west of the country, there is a vast area that everyone is banned to enter for eternity. Do you know what lies in that place?”

Master Shizu replied honestly that he didn’t know. He had seen the areas in the map, but we are yet to visit that area.

“Then I shall tell you. That forbidden area houses the ‘electromagnetic signal base’. It was a base used to send off the electromagnetic waves, once operated by our ancestors. It has a powerful generator and a large antenna. —People who could operate that base has long since died, but the device remains. Once in a while, the machine would suddenly send off electromagnetic waves, attacking our citizens, the descendants of the slaves. Those unlucky enough to receive the signals will give rise to sad incidents like yesterday’s, without regard to the person’s will. There is a constant possibility for anyone from this country to become like that kindergarten principal. Everyone in this country, including myself, dreads this. We couldn’t possibly sentence these individuals in accordance to common criminal laws. They are also victims. It’s not a question of the person’s responsibility. No matter what they did, we have no choice but to consider them innocent,” the chief declared with utmost seriousness. He returned to his seat, giving Master Shizu what looked like a glare.

“And as a police, I thank you for your actions yesterday. However, if you now have the impression that our country is a dangerous place for having crimes like that occur repeatedly, I want you to know that that is a big misinterpretation. In our country, there’s not a single person who truly wishes for such a thing to happen. It was all the electromagnetic waves’ fault. —Everyone understands that fact despite their suffering. And I want you to understand it too, traveler.”

In short, what he was trying to say was, ‘Outsiders like you who don’t know anything about our country should not have any wrong ideas.’

Master Shizu asked, “But then does this mean that the device has the ability to transmit its capabilities to the descendants?”

Just as expected, both the chief and his lieutenant looked somewhat injured by this remark. The lieutenant replied,

“Are you some sort of biologist, doctor, or physicist?”

“I am not any of those.”

“Then that question is slightly irrelevant. Our country has been plagued by this problem for years. It’s a reality set by our history,” the chief declared with much confidence.

Master Shizu changed the course of his inquiry.

“As this source of evil, the electromagnetic signal base, is no longer necessary, can’t you destroy it to resolve this problem?”

“You’d know the answer to that if you were listening closely,” the lieutenant began.

“If that were possible, we would have done it a long time ago. You can’t seem to wrap your head around the reason why it is forbidden to go near the electromagnetic signal base. If we so much as approach the base, the signals become powerful. We would lose our will. I would prefer it if you don’t say things that are not possible.”

“I see. It seems that way. I understand.”

So Master Shizu said.

And then,

“Then let me undertake this task. As a traveler and a person not originally from this country, I suppose the electromagnetic waves will have no effect on me. If I succeed, then everyone can live from now on without worrying about the electromagnetic waves.”

—

While driving the buggy,

“Well it’s lucky that we get to observe a place where everyone else is forbidden to enter, but this feels rather gloomy,” Master Shizu said. We were running on the plains inside the country, with Ti on the passenger seat, and I between her legs. It was only a little before noon, and the weather was as cloudy as ever.

As a result of our conversation in the police station, we are now in the middle of a mission to scout and destroy the electromagnetic signal base. After we lost sight of the streets, we rode towards the west in the midst of the derelict grassland.

By the way, Master Shizu asked Ti to stay behind, but she bluntly ignored his wishes and seated herself on the passenger seat.

Master Shizu was in his sweater while Ti was in her black coat. We received a knapsack full of high power bombs from the police station. We have enough of those to easily destroy one building.

He has accepted this task but if I understood him correctly, Master Shizu did not really buy the ‘electromagnetic wave affects humans and so on’ talk. Same here.

Master Shizu continued. “Anyhow, that claim of a machine in their heads, remaining even after several generations is really something… However, the number of long-abandoned machines that are still in activity on its own that I have seen is not really zero.”

True. We’ve seen one just before this country. Though I can’t say much before we met Ti.

“That’s why there is a possibility that this electromagnetic base may still be moving on its own with a self-powered generator. If we take a picture as evidence that it has been completely destroyed, maybe the people will be relieved once and for all.”

“And we’ll be commended for it too. We can probably reap some benefit from that.”

“Well there’s that too, I guess.”

—

Soon a dense forest came into view. It was thick with twenty-meter tall trees, creating an entirely different world from the open plains where we came from. It was probably a reforested area. The electromagnetic signal base should be inside this place.

Master Shizu stopped the buggy. He shouldered the bag containing the explosives. Another worry of mine is the tiny box containing the detonator, in regards to Ti. Why, of all places they decided to put it around my neck. That girl was made to carry the borrowed camera, water, food, and her coat among other things.

And thus, we ended up going to a picnic inside the forest, in such a bad weather, and carrying a bomb with us.

The forest was dark. As it was a place where people are not allowed to enter, there was no road. We used a compass, and earnestly proceeded to the west while stepping on grass and climbing past fallen trees.

After about an hour, we found several vehicles that were rusting away, from small cars to big trucks. The bodies of the vehicles were black from rust, and were buried in plants. And a little bit further, we found the place that we were aiming for.

“This must be the place…”

Master Shizu muttered in front of it. He set down the knapsack. Ti and I stood beside him and looked at the same scenery.

Inside this forest, a facility with an antenna stood. Indeed, it’s an electromagnetic signal base.

At least it was.

“There’s no need for us to go as far as using explosives.”

Just as Master Shizu said, the electromagnetic base has rotted away a long time ago.

The hundred-meter tall tower that probably housed the antenna has bent from its foundation, and has completely toppled over. The entire structure was rusted, and trees sprouted out in between the steel frames.

Beside the collapsed antenna were the traces of a building that perhaps served as the control center. It was a square building extending about twenty meters in all directions. It was perhaps once a building with four floors. Only its ruined framework and bits of its outer wall remained. When we tried to take a peek, we only found buried underneath blades of grass some fragments of machines of unknown purpose.

“We haven’t been told if there was more than one, so this must be it.”

“What are we going to do, Master Shizu? Shall we blow up this place?”

“That would be a waste of explosives.”

You bet. This place looked like an ancient ruin.

With the camera, Master Shizu took as much pictures as he can. This kind of camera instantly produces an image without having to develop a film. He took pictures of the entire structure, the building’s interior, the antenna’s appearance, and so on. To have an estimate of its size, he made Ti stand from place to place and took several pictures with her looking sourly.

“What do you think?” Master Shizu showed the pictures to Ti.

“…”

Ti mutely gazed at the pictures, took one and put it in her pocket.

“Well, I guess one’s good enough.”

After that, just to make sure, Master Shizu climbed a tall tree nearby, and confirmed if there wasn’t anything else around it. He surveyed the forest, but did not spot any similar facilities.

—

“Let’s go back.”

Master Shizu carried the knapsack with the explosives once more, and made our way back. After about an hour of crossing the forest, we got back to the buggy and rode once again underneath the gloomy skies.

“Perhaps the citizens should be relieved from now on,” Master Shizu said.

—

It was nearly evening when we returned to the police station.

Perhaps due to coordination with the government, other leaders in business suits were all there. In front of the building, the buggy was surrounded, and dozens of journalists with cameras and memos in hand appeared and took pictures one after another. Furthermore, people from the neighborhood who noticed the uproar, men and women of all ages, started to gather. Just as we thought, this has become quite a big deal.

Before everything else, Master Shizu returned the explosives and the detonator to the police.

And then, with everyone’s attention focused on him, he made his report to the chief and the men in business suits.

“Indeed, there was an electromagnetic signal base,” Master Shizu began.

“Oh. Then, what did you do about it?”

He handed out the bundle of pictures to the impatient leaders. The men stared at the photographs.

“But, it’s just as you see in these pictures.”

“So you blew it up after all? But there were lots of explosives left…,” the chief asked.

“No. We did not do anything. —From the rust on the machines, the collapsed trees, and the trees twisting their way through the gaps, you should be able to tell. That base has been destroyed for decades, and possibly, no longer functioning for a long time.”

The pictures fell from the hands of the men. Even the jouranlists surrounding us let out voices of astonishment.

“T-that can’t be!” One of the men wearing suits cried out, but in his hands were the pictures that he picked up. Once more, he looked at the photographs.

“That can’t be!”

He shouted the same words again. Master Shizu continued.

“And so, the people of this country were never ‘affected by the electromagnetic waves’ to begin with. Until now, those people you believed to have been victims of the electromagnetic waves were, unfortunately, acting out the crimes by their own volition.”

Master Shizu only stated the obvious, but the atmosphere around us changed considerably. The chief was dumbfounded, the men in suits were shaking, and the reporters even forgot to take pictures. Silence befell the onlookers.

“The electromagnetic base has never and will not affect you anymore, so everyone can rel—,” Master Shizu continued with a bright tone, but,

“Lies!”

He was interrupted by the chief’s yell.

“That is not possible! You’re saying that those extremely sorrowful crimes up until now, and even the one that occurred yesterday, were not because of the electromagnetic waves?! That’s not possible!”

One of the men in suits took over.

“That’s right! There’s no one in this country who would do such things on their own accord!”

Voices of agreement arose from the crowd. They came from the journalists, as well as from the onlookers.

“But the electromagnetic signal base was really in such a state,” Master Shizu explained with a worried look, and tried to gain acknowledgement. However,

“I know! These are all forged!”

One of the men in suits proclaimed this with a straight face. The people around us quickly agreed. It seems that it was not questionable to them as to how we were able to fabricate the pictures.

“You…you must be affected by the electromagnetic waves!”

“Yes! That must be it! This man, dog and girl must have come too near the fully-functional base. This means that they were affected even though they were not citizens, and were influenced to come up with this deed! They faked the pictures to try and deceive us!”

I would have liked to ask them what we could possibly gain from doing such a crazy thing. But I knew the answer. It was all the electromagnetic wave’s fault.

Every single human here except for Master Shizu and Ti seemed to have taken this as a fact.

“It’s nothing like that. Please think about it once more,” Master Shizu said this, now looking a bit shocked. But like the water leaking from a cracked dam, the atmosphere would no longer return to normal.

“We can’t leave these fellows like this for long! Seize these people and animal! We have no choice but to send them immediately to the hospital for isolation!” the police chief announced.

The policemen who heard this order rushed out from the station. Master Shizu can’t possibly fight with the police forces inside the country. Without showing any sign of resistance,

“I am not being influenced,” he stubbornly and calmly proclaimed.

On the other hand, I could slip past the legs of the police and escape, but since Master Shizu would be left behind, it would be useless. I have no other choice. As Master Shizu slowly raised his hands, I stayed by his side without showing any resistance.

Only Ti differed.

In the blink of an eye, she vanished from behind me. When I turned my head to look for her, I saw her tiny form running past beyond the legs of the policemen.

Then she went to the buggy, and just when I was wondering what in the world she’s planning to do there, she grabbed her shoulder bag and started to run away. She nimbly sidestepped a surprised reporter and vanished.

I thought, if it’s Ti then she could get away without any problem. And just when I was thinking what she would do once she escaped,

“Aah! What are you doing?!”

Beyond the journalists, a terrible scream was heard from among the onlookers. It was the high-pitched scream of a young woman.

The policemen, the chief, the rest of the leaders, Master Shizu, and the media, turned to the direction of the scream.

“Stop it! Give it back!”

The shriek came from the same woman. And then, the rows reporters broke up.

And I saw Ti there.

“Ah…,” Master Shizu let out a sigh.

“You! What are you doing?!” the policemen cried out.

With the bag tied up around her, Ti held a baby with her left arm. It was a baby still suckling on a pacifier, a tiny infant. In her right hand, she was gripping a hand grenade. A grenade that greatly resembled a pineapple, a weapon that could kill or wound everyone in its surroundings by scattering shrapnel.

If one looked closely, its pin was already removed. Once Ti lets go of it, the lever that she was holding will come off, and it would not take four seconds for it to explode. So that was the item she always carried in her bag.

If it explodes, Ti, the baby, the policemen and everyone nearby would probably be caught up in it. If it were me, I’d probably be okay as long as I crouch low enough, I thought. Wait, if it slips from Ti’s hand that would be bad. But no, that’s unlikely because she had lots of practice while using it for fishing.

“I will not let you get in our way.”

Those were Ti’s first words for the day.

“…”

The policemen fell silent and eventually tried to talk with the girl. ‘Hey, stop that,’ or ‘Calm down,’ or ‘Stop screwing with us,’ yet they all backed down.

Ti lightly fixed her hold of the child in her left arm, and took one step closer. The policemen drew back.

*Sigh*

Master Shizu took a deep breath and called out. “Ti, you really shouldn’t be doing that kind of thing.”

“…”

Without responding, Ti briskly approached Master Shizu and I. The police drew back and eventually separated themselves from us.

“Look! That child has been influenced by the electromagnetic waves— She has gone mad!” the chief cried out.

“Whatever. Don’t get in our way.”

“…”

Nothing else followed Ti’s words.

Beyond the lines of the police who retreated,

“Give me back my son!”

The screams of the woman who was being restrained could be heard.

The freed Master Shizu approached Ti, slowly crouched down, and patted the head of the smiling baby. Then he looked back.

“Chief, it’s over for us. It seems like we could no longer preserve our will because of the effect of the electromagnetic waves.”

Because he said such a thing with a straight face,

Awooo!

Though I was loathe to do it, I gave out a howl like that of a stray dog. It was a mere act, but the chief and everybody else faltered.

“If we stayed here any longer, we don’t know what else we would end up doing. At the least, it must be something worse than what that man did yesterday!”

Awooo!

“That’s why we’re leaving. Please don’t stop us!”

Awooo! I wonder if that’s enough.

“Wait! While that may be true, you can’t keep that child hostage!”

“Then let’s have an exchange.”

Master Shizu readily answered and quickly approached the men. Then he grabbed the chief by the collar and dragged him away.

“Eh? Ah? Wait— Someone—”

While being watched by a lot of dumbstruck faces, the chief was dragged in front of Ti. Master Shizu skillfully loosened the chief’s necktie and used it to tie his wrists behind him. He pushed down the back of his knees with his foot, and made him kneel where he stood.

Master Shizu introduced the chief to Ti.

“Ti, this guy’s our new hostage, okay? If he doesn’t obey or if he struggled, drop the grenade inside his shirt. Then go around to his back. All right?”

Ti nodded deeply, “Then we no longer need this child.”

Master Shizu took the baby from Ti and held it up in his arms. Then he lifted it up in the air two or three times, making the baby laugh.

“I’m really sorry. Please send my apologies to your mother.”

While saying this, he handed the baby to one policeman.

Master Shizu settled in the driver’s seat of the buggy and turned on the engine. He slowly drove it beside the shivering and kneeling chief and Ti who was holding the grenade at his chest.

“Chief, I’ll drive until the walls. Please get in.”

“…”

When the chief only remained silent, Ti pressed the cold grenade beneath his chin, and let out one word.

“Get in.”

“Eek!”

After this shriek, the chief aimlessly stood up and settled on the passenger seat with his hands still tied behind him.

Ti rode on top of him so that they were facing each other. Her right hand that carried the grenade was still pressed in front of the chief’s neck, while she gripped the buggy’s pipe frame with her left hand. Lastly, I rode on top of the luggage beside the hood. It was by no means a comfortable spot, but I have no choice.

“Now everyone, we’ll be leaving. We’ll release the chief once we get out of the gates. Until then, we don’t know what we might end up doing because of the influence of the electromagnetic waves…so please be careful,” Master Shizu said this with a loud voice, and muttered, “Good grief.”

And he launched the buggy.

—

We asked the chief where the nearest gate is, and arrived at the southern gates in no time.

Perhaps they were contacted beforehand, as the gates were open, and the guards only timidly concealed themselves by the side as the buggy passed through the gates.

It was almost sundown. We came out of the now dark country, and rode just far enough so that we would not be targeted by persuaders, and then Master Shizu stopped the buggy.

“I’m sorry, Chief,” Master Shizu apologized to the chief who was now drenched in cold sweat, and asked Ti to give him the grenade. After handing it over,

“Where is the safety pin?”

“I threw it.”

Without any other choice, he tossed it far away. The lever came off in mid-air, and the grenade fell on the ground and exploded without restraint. It dug a hole in the ground.

The chief who got off the buggy sank on the ground where he stood when he heard the explosion. Master Shizu raised his sword and unfastened the chief’s necktie.

“You guys…,” the chief spoke, still seated. If I were to say it, he must be looking at Ti’s direction.

“Don’t you ever come to our country again. Don’t you ever come near it—you madmen— There is no place for people like you who have gone crazy in our country.”

It was the complete opposite of what the chief was trying to do before.

“I understand. We’ll do that…”

Master Shizu said with a somewhat forlorn face. He directed Ti to ride the buggy, and jumped in the buggy together with Ti.

Master Shizu settled on the driver’s seat and faced the chief.

“Just one last thing.”

“What is it?”

“About the electromagnetic signal base…”

“What about it?”

“In the pictures, it looked old and destroyed, but it was still working perfectly like new up to now. It sends out powerful electromagnetic waves. We weren’t affected by it, but all of you are in danger. That includes you and everyone else around you: your loved ones, even your enemies.”

“…”

The chief fell silent. And then,

“Hah! I knew it! We were right!” the chief said delightedly.

Master Shizu continued. “And the output power of the base is at its strongest. As early as tomorrow, its effects will reach the whole country. That includes you, your loved ones, and everybody else. Everyone will lose their minds. In an attempt to take over the country, I lied and told you that the base was destroyed. But I failed.”

“…”

The chief became speechless.

“Goodbye.”

These were the parting words Master Shizu left. Then he turned on the buggy’s engine.

“Let’s go, Ti, Riku. To wherever the next country is.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Upon hearing our replies, he launched off the buggy.

—

The buggy ran through a prairie stained with a madder-red hue.

We had no chance to ask if there were any countries nearby. But since there’s a road, we should arrive somewhere.

As Master Shizu drove the buggy, Ti was, as usual, looking around tirelessly.

“I wonder how the chief understood your last words, Master Shizu? If nothing happens tomorrow, will they believe that the electromagnetic waves had no effect on them after all?” I asked Master Shizu.

Master Shizu answered. “Who knows? —If only it could be conveyed as easily as electromagnetic waves.”

The buggy ran through a prairie stained with a madder-red hue.

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