Kino no Tabi:Volume16 Chapter2

「A Nurturing Land」 —Stand by me!—

My name is Riku. I'm a dog.

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

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

Traveling with us is Ti. She's a quiet girl with a fondness for grenades, who has been part of our team ever since she lost her homeland due to complex circumstances.

—

Pshhhh, the sound of rushing water continued. Boom, came the muffled sound of an explosion.

A two-meter high column of water gushed up from the water's surface, raining droplets down all around it. Our prize was caked in mud and stunned from the pressure, three big fish.

"Got 'em," said Ti from the riverbank, satisfied with her grenade throw.

Master Shizu, who had been on standby downstream, nimbly reeled the fish in with a large rod.

For Ti, this method of fishing with hand grenades was always exciting.

For countries, blast fishing was illegal, as it is by no means gentle on the river or on the fish.

But since fishing isn't one of Master Shizu's strong points, this method certainly beats enduring and waiting for him to catch something (and there are plenty of times when he can't catch anything).

—

We stood on the bank of a wide river that lazily flowed through the middle of a vast prairie.

It was shortly before nightfall.

This was where we had decided to make camp for the evening, as well as a place to gather provisions.

The spring sky was perfectly clear. Not a cloud was in sight. The temperature was cool, but not enough to make you shiver.

After a round of blast fishing, we brought the fish we'd caught back to camp. It was just a short distance from the road, with the buggy parked nearby.

Master Shizu used the gathered up dead wood to build a fire and then began cooking the fish.

He gutted the fish and sliced them into multiple fillets, frying them on a pan à la meunière. It was only seasoned with salt and pepper, but it was still tasty.

For travelers, anything other than portable rations is an extravagant dinner.

Neither of them said a word, although that's normal for Ti, as we finished our meal. I was no exception.

Dusk was falling now, and a deep shade of blue was starting to dye the eastern end of the sky.

Master Shizu used what was left of the fire and fish to prepare tomorrow's breakfast. He dumped the remains into the river to be fish food.

"…" Ti was next to Master Shizu, watching in silence.

Behind them, two tents were happily propped up beside the dusty buggy.

It was the same, everyday traveling scene, but I'm sure Master Shizu was thinking.

Thinking that it couldn't go on like this forever.

Master Shizu wanted to be of service to someone. He wished to settle down somewhere that he could call his second hometown, somewhere he could help people.

Unfortunately, we still hadn't come across a country that Master Shizu felt was deserving of his service and also willing to accept outsiders. Maybe we had bad luck or maybe people were wary of Master Shizu. Maybe both.

It was still the same after we met Ti and she came with us.

Well, there were a few countries that would have accepted just Ti, but each time, she firmly refused.

Keeping in mind Ti's education, it's obvious that it would be best for her to settle down in some country. However, it can't be helped that she hates the idea.

Ti doesn't seem to hate traveling at all though.

I can understand how for her, seeing varying scenery from the buggy and occasionally staying in countries would be fun in its own way instead.

Honestly, I'm fine either way.

I don't care where I am, as long as I can follow Master Shizu and watch over his way of life.

So in the end, the only one worrying and fussing about is Master Shizu.

—

The next day.

We had continued driving down the same riverside road, when halfway through the afternoon, we stumbled upon a country. It was neither large nor small.

So, would this country be willing to take our group in as residents?

After the inspection at the border wall, Master Shizu asked the examiner. "Would immigration be possible? And if it were possible, what procedures would need to be followed?"

He asked this question every time we entered a country, and the answer was always one of two possibilities.

The first was no, they refused.

The other possibility was, "I don't know the details, and I don't want to give you a careless answer, so you'll have to go ask at the relevant government office." This time, the response was the latter.

We passed through a side door in the gate and caught sight of the country.

Aside from large geographical features like lakes or wide valleys, the country's makeup was more or less the same all-around.

That is, the outer regions of the country were farmland, forming a ring shape. In the center was the residential area, and in the very heart of the country was a collection of business and government buildings.

This time would be the same. The buggy drove down the road that ran through the extensive fields.

Out in front of us, a group of buildings was vaguely visible. Master Shizu gave an explanation to Ti, who sat in the passenger seat with her chin resting on my head.

"The level of technological progress varies from country to country, but they must have an understanding of civil engineering to make buildings like this. They didn't have it here, but some countries have computers at the inspection station, meaning that they've advanced beyond electricity."

"…" Ti was silent for many seconds, looking deep in thought, before she asked, "What about countries, with bombs?"

"Umm..." Master Shizu replied, uneasily.

—

The next day.

We left the hotel and went over to the immigration office.

What we learned was, "If you join a family here, permission will be granted promptly, but otherwise it's not normally possible."

The most obvious way to "join a family" was to marry a citizen.

Outside of that, adoption was another option.

So unless Master Shizu could find a fiancée and Ti could find an adoptive parent soon, it wouldn't be possible to live here.

We left the immigration office.

Even if we took an extended stay in this country, we wouldn't stand to gain anything. Instead, we did what trading we needed to do to continue traveling.

After that, we ate lunch.

We picked a restaurant with tables that extended into a park, and ordered food we wouldn't be able to find on the road.

Deep-fried foods weren't easily workable while traveling. Cooking with such a large amount of oil is wildly inefficient, after all. It always comes down to stewing and roasting.

It was the same for the sugar and ice necessary for things like cake or ice cream.

Master Shizu and Ti ate crispy fried pork and cheesecake with blueberry ice cream on top.

Ti eats tasty things very single-mindedly, making her easy to read.

"Tasty, huh?"

Master Shizu's question was hardly necessary.

Throughout our meal, the restaurant's speakers played a steady stream of movie promotions. Announcements for new movies, announcements for new showings of old movies.

We saw a lot of billboards across town too. It seemed clear that the most popular form of entertainment in this country was film.

While sipping tea after lunch, Master Shizu muttered absentmindedly, "Movies... I don't think I've seen one in years..."

The last time he saw one was probably in his hometown.

"What do you say? Going to see a movie would help educate Ti too," I proposed, offhandedly.

"Hmm..."

Master Shizu glanced at Ti, who was holding her cup with both hands and gulping down tea.

When she noticed him looking, he asked her, "Ti. Do you want to try watching a movie?"

"What's a 'movie'?"

"… Umm..."

Master Shizu paused in serious thought.

When you think about it, trying to explain a "movie" to someone that's never heard of the concept is quite difficult.

"Basically, you watch moving pictures on a big screen. Oh, a screen is — A drama is a fictional story that's performed for people to enjoy —" and so on, as Master Shizu continued his hectic explanation.

Ti sat and listened in silence.

Master Shizu finished, "So basically it's a sort of entertainment like that. Do you want to try watching one?"

She replied, "Don't need fiction. Traveling, seeing different places and people is, more fun."

—

After finishing our meal, Master stood from his seat and quietly asked me, "Did you notice, Riku?"

I noticed. For a while now, there had been a man secretly taking pictures of us with a small camera.

He was short. He wore sunglasses and a low-brim hat, making it hard to tell how old he was.

He sat at another table, pretending to read a newspaper and taking pictures of us behind Master Shizu's back. His movements were nimble, but he had taken so many pictures that it was impossible not to notice.

"Yeah. Maybe he does field work for the government?" I asked.

There were many countries that didn't trust outsiders, so they'd allow travelers in but secretly monitor them. We weren't planning to overthrow them or anything though.

"I don't think so. I don't see anyone here that looks like they could do anything to us. And also —"

"Also?"

"He's really bad at hiding it."

"I see."

True; a government agent would be a professional observer, not this bad.

"In any case, we'll be leaving in the morning."

Ti was already walking away, and Master Shizu went to catch up to her.

I followed them.

After walking for a bit, I turned to look back, and the man was gone.

I wondered what it was he had wanted.

—

The next morning, we understood.

It was just after he had checked out of the hotel, as we stepped out of the lobby.

"Wait a second! Travelers! Waiiitttt!"

A female voice echoed out, shrill enough to shatter glass, and the voice's owner came charging at us from the foyer, stopping us in our tracks.

A woman in her forties. Coming up behind her was a man around the same age.

"Oh good! Just in time! Please! L-listen to what we have to say!"

"Yes! Please! Haah..."

"What is it?" Master Shizu calmly asked the two people that were panting in front of us.

We had no clue what they might need from us travelers right then, but still, the kind Master Shizu chose not continue walking, and instead guided the two to a sofa in the otherwise empty lobby.

The two of them thanked him as they sat, and we sat down as well across from them.

"…" Ti sat and waited in silence. She was probably thinking, "This has nothing to do with me."

But she was wrong.

They introduced themselves as a married couple living in this country.

"We'll be frank. Please let us adopt that pretty girl with the white hair!" they blurted out.

"Adopt Ti...?" Master Shizu let out, sounding curious.

"So her name is Ti! How cute, like an angel!" the woman said. Was acting hyper her job? She continued, "I do beg your pardon, but an acquaintance of ours took pictures for us yesterday!"

Ah, the peeping tom. A piece of the mystery solved. But what kind of acquaintance was he?

"And he told us, 'There's an incredibly cute traveler girl here'! We knew at first sight! We just have to raise this child and make her happy!"

There was something strange about this couple. But still, Master Shizu sat quietly and listened for the time being.

"Traveler, in this country, adopting a child will allow them to become a citizen! This girl ought to grow up in this country, comfortably and quickly! She ought to receive a good education and live a good life! Am I wrong?! I'm not, right?! She ought to quit such a dangerous, perilous journey immediately!"

She ended with a tone of finality in her voice. "Dangerous" and "perilous" are the same thing. But I can't deny that traveling and danger go hand-in-hand.

"What do you say? It's settled, don't you think? This is the life that little Ti over here should live! We should go over the paperwork right now! Heck, we'll handle it all ourselves!"

It was so shameless, so incredible, that it felt refreshing to hear.

Master Shizu looked at the woman, who was ready to make the final push, and calmly responded, "First of all, Ti doesn't wish to remain in this country by herself. I can tell you that for sure. This has happened several times before."

At Master Shizu's words, Ti moved her head a few millimeters in a nod.

"Well!" The woman's counterattack was swift. "In that case, you can live here in this country too! Become my son!"

"What?"

"Yes, that's perfect! Both of you can become my children at the same time! Let's go with that! From now on you'll be brother and sister. Of course, you're already an adult, so I expect you to find yourself a job, a place where you can live happily and freely, and do whatever you like!"

"..."

Even pushiness has a limit, but — there was no sign of sarcasm in her voice. This would resolve Master Shizu's issues. For not, at least.

But in any case, who were these people? And why did they so desperately wish for children?

The simplest answer that came to mind would be that they couldn't bear children and so they wanted to adopt.

But I felt something suspicious about these people that said there was more to it than that.

"I think I'll need some time to think it over," Master Shizu said, calmly.

However, the response came immediately. "That won't do! How can you be so timid?!"

I don't think it was an issue of being timid, but I also don't think the woman would have accepted that response.

"Come now, let's go to the immigration office! It'll be fine! You leave everything to us! We'll even pay the cab fare!"

Master Shizu looked at the woman, who was still yapping as she stood up, and shook his head no.

A moment later.

"Traveler! Don't listen to a word they say!" A younger woman's voice called out.

Master Shizu and I both turned to look. The owner of the voice behind us was a woman around 20 years old.

I don't think anyone would object if I said that by human standards, she was beautiful. She was pretty enough that when she was walking down the street, I expect all of the men would turn to look.

The others turned toward the young woman marching closer as well.

"You! What are you doing here?!"

"That's right! Go home! There's nothing for you here!"

The couple that had been yapping before were once again yapping, this time in a fit of anger. It seemed clear that the three of them were acquainted.

Master Shizu rose from the sofa to meet the young woman.

Then, he intentionally stood where the couple could hear him, and asked the young woman, "You seem to know what these two are after. Would you mind explainining?"

"Sounds good to me! Of course! Those two —" the woman pointed a finger squarely at the couple sitting on the couch, "just want a kid that's a movie star!"

—

Ah, so that was it.

The film industry in this country was booming. The acting business must also be booming.

And there would be demand for child actors. Oftentimes, those children's managers were their parents.

This couple had their eyes on Ti because she looked different from the other children in this country, with her white hair and green eyes. They had been pushing so hard to adopt a "daughter" so that they could put her in movies and turn a profit.

"I see..." Master Shizu murmured, as he turned to face the couple with a grin, "I understand your motives quite clearly now."

Was that irony or his honest impression? Or a bit of both?

So now who was the young woman that had come to warn us? As I was wondering, she offered up an explanation on her own.

"I've been in several movies since I was a baby! No, I was made to be in them! By those two! I was hardly able to attend school! — I never had a choice in the matter! They only gave birth to me in order to make money from it!"

I see. So she was the couple's real daughter. Come to think of it, their style of shouting was somewhat similar.

"Didn't we give you good memories?! You ingrate!" The mother's counterattack.

"'Good memories'? Hah! Don't play pretend! I never wanted to be an actress!" The daughter's shout.

Master Shizu might have been thinking, "What a waste of beauty." I'm not sure.

"Oh is that so? You impudent child! Didn't you already cut ties with us a long time ago? Run along and go somewhere else!"

"Oh I will! I'm in college now! And I'm working to pay for it myself! I'm going to be a lawyer!"

I see. So her parents had taken all of her pay. She could win if she sued.

"I never wanted to see your faces again! But I can't overlook this wretched adoption plan!"

"You're a stupid child!"

"Hahaha! This feels great!"

"…" Ti sat in silence, listening to the mother and daughter fight and scream in the middle of the lobby. I have no idea what she might have been thinking.

Master Shizu didn't want to listen to them fight forever, so he interjected, "That's enough, both of you. — I won't be letting this couple adopt Ti."

"Ah, that's good..." The daughter said, putting a hand to her chest.

"Why not?! You'd kill her potential?! This girl could be a big star!" The mother seemed more than ready to start fighting again.

Leaving aside the greedy woman's desires, the conversation had reached its conclusion.

Or at least, that's what I thought, but this country wasn't done with us yet.

"Fine, then she can become my daughter!"

People must have overheard the commotion and were now gathered around us. One of them, an older gentleman, had been the one to speak.

With that, the other adults started chiming in too with their own candidacy announcements.

"No! Hold on! I want her to be my daughter!"

"I'll take her! She belongs in splendor, living with me!"

"Pick us! Come with us and become a famous actress! I'll make sure you have excellent lessons!"

"Wait wait wait, my place is the best! And I have business connections too!"

"My family could introduce you to an acting school!"

It was like watching a run on a failed bank.

It was like a dam had burst and now all of the nearby adults were flooding in to participate in The Ti Competition.

Nobody looked ready to start a fistfight, but the voices of people nominating themselves were met with booing retorts, making for an awful racket.

"Oh boy..." Master Shizu sighed. It looked like it was time to leave the country, as we'd originally planned.

Ti, who had been watching the whole time from the middle of the uproar, had only a few words to offer.

"Probably, more interesting, than a movie."

—

We gathered up our things, thanked the young lady, and left the hotel.

I heard a voice loud and clear from the lobby.

"Well, I guess none of us got her. I suppose that's a relief!"

Seriously, even honesty has a limit.

To my amazement, Ti extended a small hand out to Master Shizu as we walked.

Master Shizu noticed and squeezed her hand.

They walked to the buggy, hand-in-hand, and Master Shizu politely guided her to the passenger seat.

Then he stowed the luggage onto the buggy's rack and placed himself in the driver seat.

As I watched this unfold, I found it more brilliant than any movie scene, and then I quickly leaped into the passenger seat.

Ti put her thin legs on either side of me and rested her chin on top of my head.

"Let's go."

Ti gave the word, and Master Shizu started the engine.

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