Kino no Tabi:Volume13 Chapter2

“Land of Families” —Divorce—

“Um... I’m sorry for the intrusion. Aren’t you the traveler who entered the borders yesterday? The one on a motorrad?”

“Yes, that’s definitely me. And this here is Hermes.”

“Howdy.”

“Kino and Hermes, is it? Welcome to our country. And sorry for interrupting you in the middle of your tea. But I have something that I need to ask an outsider no matter what... Would you mind it so much if we talk a bit here for a while?”

“Not at all. It’s also a joy for me to talk with locals. There are also things I would like to learn about this country.”

“Have a seat then! What do you want to know from Kino?”

“If you’ll excuse me... What I want to ask is about... ‘family’.”

“Family?”

“What about it?”

“I have always wondered ever since I heard the rumors...”

“Yes?” “Okay...”

“Is it true that out there, there’s no ‘family separation’?”

“Family... what?”

“Family separation.”

“What does this ‘family separation’ mean? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“Same here. What does it mean?”

“Well, generally speaking, through it, a family will no longer be a family.”

“No longer a family...?”

“I don’t get it at all.”

“T-then... it’s true after all... In other countries, there’s no such thing as family separation... Unbelievable... How dreadful...”

“Will you please explain?”

“That’s right. I don’t understand at all.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just surprised... Family separation is a system wherein a family can ‘stop’ being a family.”

“Stop being a family?”

“Still not clear.”

“Do you know of the term ‘divorce’?”

“Yes. It’s when two married individuals get legally separated.”

“That I know.”

“You can think of family separation as the family version of divorce. A group of individuals who have been living together as a family can legally dissolve their relations. If it only applies to families consisting of only a married couple, then it’s no different from divorce, but family separation also includes the cessation of the relationship between a parent and child.”

“Between parent and child?”

“How?”

“Well... when it becomes unbearable for them to live together, they separate.”

“Can you please explain that again?”

“For example, say we have a family here. A father, a mother, and two children.”

“Okay.” “Uh-huh.”

“If these four get along well and love each other, and if they can live under one roof with no trouble, then they could continue living as a family. The children will grow into adulthood and the parents will watch over them with joy.”

“Of course.” “That’s how it’s usually like.”

“But what if one of the children thought, ‘I don’t want to stay here anymore. I hate my father, my mother, and my sibling.’”

“Then?” “What will happen?”

“That child can file an application to the government. An application for family separation.”

“And that application will be approved with little trouble?”

“Yes. The state will recognize the child’s application for family separation, and will be taken away from the family. And the financial obligations of the parents will be waived. The family of four will now become a family of three.”

“Okay...”

“Then how will the child provide for himself? He still couldn’t earn his living, right?”

“That’s true. That’s why the government would give support to the child instead. Children like this, who grow up under an institution established by the government do exist, but there are very few of them.

“Why is that?”

“Because someone will come and pick a child because he looks smart, or something?”

“Hermes, it’s not like they’re pet cats or dogs...”

“Nope. That’s usually the case.”

“What?”

“I knew it!”

“Just as Hermes said, there are many such children who get taken into the family of other people who wanted to have children. All parents who have cleared the age and income conditions are free to see the personal information registered in the country’s database. Those who wanted children can come to the institution to meet and discuss. Once they form an agreement with the other party, and decided that they would like to live together, the child can be taken in to a new family.

“Which means, that family will have him as their new child?”

“Yes. And that child will have new parents and a new home.”

“I see.”

“It’s just like an adoption, right? Are children the only ones who are entitled to family separation?”

“Of course not. Everybody can. That means the parents can also apply for it. Take the case of a father. He fell in love with a woman, got married, and had a child. But one day, he found that he no longer loved his wife, or his child, or both. In that case, he can file an application to relinquish his right as a father. He could live the rest of his life as a single, get married again, or if he so chooses, become the father of another father-less family that he had come into good terms with.”

“Then in this country, people can quit being a family any time?”

“Yes. At the same time, it means that anyone can start a new family any time.”

“Oh, just like changing jobs, huh?”

“It is very similar in the sense that you can go wherever the grass is greener. However, as far as the system is concerned, it can’t ‘drive out a person’. It takes the form of ‘a person going away’. For instance, in our sample family, the father can instead be despised by the other three members. In this case, the three members can file for family separation, and the mother can take charge of the two children, forming a father-less family. They can live the rest of their lives like that, but they’re also free to take in a new father. It should go without saying that the three members should like the new father.”

“Um... one more thing...”

“Yes?”

“What’s the reason for family separation?”

“Eh? You’re asking some strange questions. Why of, course, it’s because they don’t ‘love’ each other anymore. As a family, you are supposed to live under one roof. But if it were you, do you want to live together with a person you no longer love? Can you eat meals together? Can you sleep in a room next to that person? Can you share the toilet and the bath?”

“...No”

“Isn’t it? Living as a child of a father, or of a mother that you don’t love, and conversely, earning money, making meals, and taking care of a child that you don’t love, is a waste of your one and only life. And for that reason, this institutional system on family-building and separation that allows people to choose the person they love, and live together with love and affection, exists.”

“Okay...” “Right, right.”

“And this method prevents domestic violence and abuse. People can escape immediately if and when they receive abusive language and violence. Because we have this government institution, parents can’t be oppressive and say things like ‘Who do you think feeds you?!’ Children who don’t have any means to earn their living don’t have to become slaves. Children need not continue their lives running away from emotional and physical abuse. As a consequence, our taxes are very high because of the operating expenses of that institution, but everyone recognizes the convenience of this system and no discontent arose so far.”

“I see.”

“Uh, does this feeling of ‘not loving’ have to be mutual? Or can it be one-sided?”

“Of course it’s the latter! If they can’t apply for family separation just because the feeling is not mutual, then they will have to live with the person they hate forever! Living with a person who loves you, but whom you hate, is a very cruel situation! That’s torture. How is that different from slavery? Families should always have mutual love for each other.”

“Then in that case, what about the feelings of the family who will be left behind?”

“The method often used in this country is ‘giving the cold shoulder’. Everyone thinks it’s a sad thing, but they can’t help it. They give up when they realize that they will get rejected in the long run.”

“And just like that, they can be in a new family with another person they like.”

“Yes.”

“Then there must be cases when blood relations become irrelevant?”

“That’s correct. But in this country, there’s no one who cares about that. Of course, it is ideal if they are related by blood and love each other at the same time. But, a person can hate someone of the same blood. If the only reason why you would share the same roof with a person you hate is because you are ‘blood-related’, that’s coercion..., that’s torture! Don’t you think so?”

“I don’t deny that.” “I guess so.”

“After all, blood ties are but a biological thing. Compared to that, emotional ties win over. To begin with, couples who are bound together by marriage are not related by blood, right?”

“Well, that’s true.” “That makes sense.”

“Don’t you think it strange for humans to live their lives together with people whom they are connected by blood, but not by heart? When I heard that this system doesn’t exist in other countries, and when I confirmed it from you earlier, that’s what immediately came to mind. That means in other countries, there are many who are cruelly imprisoned in an environment called a ‘family’ without any means of escape, right? To be told off by parents you don’t love, to work yourself to the bone for children you don’t love... that’s abominable! Allowing divorce but not allowing family separation? Preposterous!”

“...”

“This country sure is nice for allowing it.”

“Y-yes...that’s true... I’m sorry for veering off topic. I’m happy to be able to live in this country from the bottom of my heart... I’m happy to have confirmed that, now.”

“If it doesn’t bother you, please tell me. Have you experienced this family separation?”

“Yeah, I’d like to know!”

“Yes. I’ve gone through it three times. There’s nothing taboo with talking about family separation, so I can tell you. The first time was when I was only five. My father became a drunkard after losing his job, so my mother, little sister, and I applied for a family separation and started a new life. After that, when he has gotten over his alcoholism, he tried to reunite with my mother, but he was turned down. After that, it seems that he got accepted and started to live with a different family.”

“Okay.” “Uh-huh.”

“Several years later, my mother met a wonderful man and since we also like him, we started a new family. Our new father is a very respectable and good man, and he still is even now. The second time was when my younger sister filed for family separation against us when she turned sixteen. We were very shocked, but we can’t do anything about it. It seems that after that, she became the daughter of another family, and lives happily with them even now. The third time was just recently. My marriage did not go well, so I filed for family separation. Well, in that case, it’s just plain divorce.”

“I see. Thank you very much.”

“By the way, how many people apply for this family separation thing?”

“According to this year’s statistics, a third of the population have never experienced it. Well, children who have just been born are included in the count, so in reality, a huge majority must have experienced it at least once. In the town’s bulletin board, you could see posters saying things like, ‘Looking for a father! A person who values family over work. Preferably with glasses,’ or ‘Wanted: a grandmother between sixty to eighty years old. Will you be our grandmother? Tell us some tales about the olden days!’”

“Okay...” “Amazing!”

“I know! How about you try living in this country for a while? How about trying to be a child of someone? You can get pampered and learn about a lot of things. You can even go to school.”

“Thanks, but I’ll have to decline.”

“I see. Then what about you Hermes? There’s nothing in the provisions excluding motorrads, I think. As long as talks go well, you can be in any family! I’m sure motorrad fathers or sisters will be popular!”

“Really? But the thing I love the most is riding with Kino, so I’ll pass.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess that’s fine too! I’ll be going now. It was really nice talking to you.”

“Same here.” “Bye!”

—

“By the way, Hermes.”

“What is it, Kino?”

“Can you please wake up a little earlier in the morning?”

“That’s out of the question. By the way, Kino.”

“What is it, Hermes?”

“Can you please be more careful in driving?”

“That would be difficult to do. By the way, can you do something about that sarcasm of yours from time to time?”

“That’s too strict. If you service me properly, maybe I’ll get better.”

“In that case...”

“Same here...”

“It’s about time we stop. I’m tired.”

“I guess so. Even if we quarrel, we can’t do much about it.”

“Oh my! Traveler and motorrad! I only saw it in the news but it was true after all! Don’t you want to live with me as my children? I can give you lots of delicious food to eat everyday, and you can request for high-end maintenance everyday!”

“...” “Oh dear.”

“What do you think? You know, I look like this, but I’m actually a very rich company president! I can raise as many children as I want! Do you want to be my sixteenth and seventeenth children? I can give you the best house, food, and education, a life free from any hardship!”

“...Um.”

“You go ahead, Kino.”

“You first Hermes.”

“Then, shall we say it together?”

“Let’s do that then.”

“One, two...” “One, two...”

“I refuse.” “I’ll leave the decision to Kino.”

Back to Chapter 1

Return to Main Page

Forward to Chapter 3