Kino no Tabi:Volume2 Chapter7

“Land of Books” —Nothing Is Written!—

“A citizen card? But I’m not a resident of this country.”

“……? Oh, you’re a traveler? You must be the one who came riding a motorrad this morning.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But you didn’t bring a book with you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ah no, never mind, I’m sorry…. Well, do you want to borrow a book here?”

“Yes… can I?”

“Let’s see… your name is?”

“Kino.”

“Miss Kino, where are you staying right now?”

“A hotel around that corner. As for the name… I’m sorry, I forgot. It’s the one with the blue roof.”

“That’s fine, I understand. How long are you planning to stay in this country?”

“The day after tomorrow. I’ll return the books by tomorrow.”

“If that’s the case, then it should be fine. I’ll make you a borrowing card, so please put your name and signature over here. You don’t have to fill in the address and social security number.”

“Yes. ……. Here it is.”

“Thank you very much. I’ll input this in our records, so please wait for a while.”

“Sure, thanks.”

“……. By the way, if you don’t mind telling me, what are your impressions about our country so far, Miss Kino?”

“…Books. I was really surprised with the amount of books here.”

“Isn’t it?! In our country, there is nothing more popular than reading books. The people in this country read all the time except when they’re sleeping. I don’t know about other countries, but I believe our country won’t lose in terms of the number of libraries and bookstores.”

“That may be true. At least among all of the countries I’ve seen up to now, only this country has lots of impressive libraries in each and every corner.”

“By all means, indulge yourself with reading during your stay. There’s nothing more enriching than reading books. …Here is your card. Tomorrow we’ll be open from five in the morning until midnight. If you can’t return it by then, just drop it in the return box by the entrance.”

“Got it. Thank you very much——”

—

“Hermes! Are you awake?”

“*Mumbles*”

“Hermes?”

“Ah, you want to send a telegram? Roger.”

“…Wha—? You’re still half-asleep. He—llo?”

“Ah? Uh… oh, it’s just Kino.”

“Let’s return to the hotel, Hermes. It’s going to be dark soon.”

“It’s that time already…? By the way, what was that heavy stuff you loaded on me just now? Did you buy some explosives?”

“It’s just the books that I borrowed.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll take them to the hotel room and read before I sleep.”

“You’re going to read again? Kino, weren’t you in the library since morning?”

“Well, it’s not a bad idea to do this from time to time. And now that I feel like it, maybe I’m going to do the same tomorrow too.”

“……”

“Why not come with me, Hermes? Let’s go library-hopping.”

“…Motorrads were not meant to fly, nor read books. Not that I’m jealous. Hmph——”

—

“Good morning, Kino. I woke up the same time you did. On the dot. I was quite surprised at myself.”

“Good morning, Hermes. You waking up the same time as me… that’s rare.”

“Well, it’s only because I had a good afternoon sleep yesterday. I didn’t have to sleep that much last night. I’ll probably be able to sleep this afternoon too.”

“I see… Say, Hermes. Was I saying anything while I was asleep? I had a weird dream.”

“Ooh, it’s rare for you to have a dream, Kino. What sort of dream? Tell me before you forget about it. You weren’t talking in your sleep.”

“Well, it’s like this… I was lost in a dark yet somewhat bright place, but for some reason, it’s very familiar. I couldn’t tell whether it’s in the past or future. I don’t know why, but I was being chased by a white wolf. Apparently, a person who looks like me stole something valuable. There was a red-eyed witch by my side, always attending to me, healing my wounds and singing a relaxing lullaby from time to time.”

“……”

“After a while, I found myself drinking tea leisurely with that witch. Then, we had a quiet walk in the middle of a snowy plain. However, a child came out saying some naughty things and the witch dragged him off. The child died. The next day, the witch’s head was gone, and I was sad. And then, the white wolf transformed into a gorgeous woman. She told me to come with her. And I came along without thinking.”

“……. Kino, what sort of weird books were you reading yesterday?”

—

“——Miss traveler, how was it?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“About that book you returned in that wagon. You’ve read all of it, haven’t you?”

“Ah, yes…. It was interesting.”

“What else?”

“What else?”

“Yes. There must be something else you can say. For instance, as to whether it was nicely written or if the feelings of the characters were portrayed well. I would really like to know what a traveler thinks about it. You must have a different point of view from a person who was born in and grew up here.”

“Even if you say that… it’s hard to give an opinion right off the bat.”

“I see… As for me, I would give that book 69 points. Of course, the perfect score is 100.”

“Uh… huh…”

“The main character was well-written. However, the influence of the supporting characters to the protagonist was quite weak. If only it cleared that criterion, I would have given it a higher score.”

“So it’s like that, huh…”

“This author is very thorough when it comes to describing action scenes. I could almost hear the main character’s kick cutting through the air. That aspect was very well done. On the other hand, his descriptions of nature are always vague; phrases like ‘blue sky, flowing clouds’ were used thirteen times in the first half of the story. It makes the reader lose interest.”

“……”

“Wait a minute! What are you saying? That was the author’s distinctive style. He probably thinks that his work doesn’t need superfluous descriptions. You haven’t analyzed his style well enough.”

“Oh? Well, how would you assess his work then?”

“I give it 92 points! Without a doubt, it was this author’s greatest piece of work.”

“Really now? You must have a good reason to say that with so much confidence.”

“U-uhmm…”

“Why, of course! You noticed it yourself, haven’t you? The abundant presence of action scenes. But that’s not all. This author’s depiction of the protagonist’s grief about being obligated to fight for his life was really good.”

“Oh! You sure paid attention to that point.”

“…Uhm, it’s about time for me to be on my way, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Naturally! That point will not be put there by the author directly. If he were to say it explicitly, the reader, captivated merely by the action, will not care to think about anything else. The stuff you said about nature descriptions, etc. is correct. I agree with you. However, how much help would including descriptions like those in ‘Let’s Meet at Roult River’ do?”

“Uh-huh. But wasn’t there a need to tone down the tempo? ‘Roll River’ was a cool choice, though.”

“I’ll be… going.”

“Did you know? The author lost his father and uncle in a war when he was just a child. In ‘Bobby and Lemons’, he assimilated those feelings into the main character. In ‘Brau Frau Brau’, killing to survive combined with the idea of a female boxer was pretty disconcerting. The cold-hearted presentation of the nature of being caught up in a fight was an indication of the painful and sorrowful state of a human deep inside, though externally it may be perceived as simple, to aim towards something like that is——”

“——In short, to place something like that in his work——”

“——The so-called ‘Tendalens’ school of thinking authors aim for was something to the degree of ‘Real, Moral and Neutral’. This thesis——”

“——As I thought, when the important supporting character died in such a commotion, they——”

“——That was a technique to explore the root of being a mother——”

“——I see… I’m beginning to agree with you. Wow, you really read into it very well.”

“It was no big deal.”

“Now that I recall, miss trave… huh? She’s not here.”

“Have you read ‘Relter · Tensun · Rojijiko Nerusare’? That one will get over 80 points, without a doubt.”

“Yes, I have. I give it an undisputed 89 points. The essential part was the bed scene in the second chapter, don’t you agree? That was a homage to ‘Wheels Only Turn’. Though that scene was indeed necessary for the author to become a more mature writer, the truth is, he just really wanted to write it. This can also be seen in ‘Package Nineteen’ and his first masterpiece, ‘Gravity Breaking a Window in Forty-Five Years’.”

“Oh. That’s also a great way to read into it. Have you read ‘Bolt Up ~Three-Forked Road of Destiny~’?”

“Of course! I gave it about 88 points. That was the best among the abridged works.”

“What about ‘Kelistoneltones’? A must-read.”

“Five years ago. I read it together with ‘Lulutoneltones’. Well, have you tried ‘So Said the Lamb’?”

“Why of course. What about ‘Tomomma Redeyatsui ~My Love Song~’?”

“It inspired an entire generation. Of course, I’ve read it. What about——”

—

“——More free time… Hmm?”

“…I see. So the luggage is piled up on top and on both sides… and this one is——”

“Hey! Are you a motorrad thief?”

“Ah! N-no… Uhm, I-I’m just…”

“Hello!”

“Aaah!”

“Yo, Kino. You’re early.”

“Because I saw you from inside.”

“U-uhm…”

“Mister thief, let me introduce you to Kino.”

“Hello. Sorry for surprising you. This is Hermes. Well, if you’re planning to steal Hermes, I’ll have to stop you. I’ll be in trouble, you see.”

“N-no. I just approached a little bit to look closer. I’m sorry for creating a misunderstanding.”

“That’s it?”

“Are you interested in motorrads?”

“No… Well, maybe… I thought you could travel with it.”

“Travel?”

“Yeah. I am interested in traveling…”

“It can certainly be used for traveling. That is, if you know how to ride a motorrad.”

“…No, that’s impossible. I can’t even ride a bicycle. If you’ll excuse me…”

“Uhm, wait.”

“Yes?”

“That’s unusual. Were you possibly thinking of leaving this country?”

“Y-yes. That’s right.”

“Ah, could it be that you have a big, big, big hatred towards books?”

“No. I love books. By that alone, there’s nothing more wonderful than this country. You can read all sorts of books here, you see.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s true. I too, like it. …Even so, you still want to travel?”

“…Yes. …M-miss Kino. Do you have time? Will you listen to my story?”

“I do. Certainly, I’ll listen——”

—

“The truth is… it is my dream to someday have my own book published. I want everyone to read what I have written. That’s why I want to go on a journey.”

“Eh? Can’t you do that here?”

“That’s correct.”

“Why?”

“Miss Kino, Hermes. I guess you don’t know… it’s possible, but in this country, there’s not a single person who would think of writing something on his own. That is because what they enjoy most is reading. And so, there are neither publishers nor printing presses here.”

“Then where did all those books came from?”

“Several times a year, traders from the so-called ‘bookstores’ would buy up books here and there on wholesale. Everything was brought in from outside, not a single one was made from this country.”

“Oh.”

“I’m surprised.”

“I’ve… loved fantasy ever since I was a child. I enjoy the solitary activity of imagining all sorts of dialogues in my head and conjuring up my own characters. For instance, before going to bed, or when I was supposedly listening to the teacher’s lectures in class.”

“I know what you mean.”

“I don’t.”

“It was also like that when I read books. While I’m enjoying a book, there are moments when my fantasies will be triggered. I think that’s what you call ‘ideas running wildly’. It was as if, in the middle of reading, I would run and jump into another boat, take the rudder suddenly and change its direction. It would gradually turn into a fantasy story of my own. It’s really fun. There are times when I get lost in my fantasy world, and couldn’t continue reading the book.”

“It happens to me too.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“I couldn’t be satisfied with all of those remaining as mere imaginings. Those fantasies, my stories, I want them to remain. I want them to be passed on in written form. I began to have such thoughts. I want them to be read and known by someone. I want those things that moved me to move others. I want someone to enjoy the things that I enjoy.”

“I get your drift.”

“…No comment.”

“These feelings got stronger each day. That which holds my feelings inside would overflow each time I read a book. In this country, there are many books written by other people. These books are interesting and I love to read them, but this time, I want to try writing my very own book. I am tempted to tell them of my own story every time I hear them talking about something interesting. I don’t know whether it’s a feeling of competitiveness because I know that my story is better or a feeling of jealousy and frustration because they don’t know about it. Maybe it’s both.”

“Uh-huh, go on.”

“I want to publish my own book. That is my dream…. But I am the only one who would think of such a thing in this country. Maybe I’m an oddball. Everybody else would say something like, ‘There are already many books to read in this country, and it’s fun to criticize and award points depending on how much you enjoyed them, so why bother writing your own book?’ Once my friend also said this to my face: ‘Writing? Why would you want to do such a thing?’”

“……”

“……”

“But I couldn’t help it. Within me, there’s something that urges me to write… There’s this thirst that has to be satisfied.”

“And so, you would face the dangers and hardships of traveling for that sake.”

“Exactly! If I can’t do it here, maybe I can do it somewhere else. Maybe I could grab hold of a chance somewhere! Maybe there’s a person or a publishing company who would approve of my work! …But, the thing is, I know next to nothing when it comes to traveling. Like I told you before, I don’t even know how to ride a bike.”

“……. If that’s the case…”

“Yes?”

“If that’s the case, then you have no choice but to remain here. Even if you give up your dream, staying in this country and reading books for the rest of your life is not a bad deal at all, in my opinion. You can think of it as your fate. At least, you can go on living without risking your life.”

“……. I see… to stay here forever. Then all of my fantasies would vanish… no, eventually, I would even forget how to imagine, and live on——”

“……”

“……”

“Hahaha! There’s a way! For some reason, I just saw a part of my future right now before my eyes! It was like a near-death experience. It was so vivid!”

“I see, so it’s possible for you to imagine your future.”

“That’s right! I could imagine my own life. Like a story in a book. All I need to do is to read that story.”

“Yeah.”

“And I can imagine very well. My own fate is not like the library bookshelves, carefully divided into different genres! Nothing yet! Nothing is written!”

“……”

“……”

“Thank you very much for listening to me. I’ll think about my future one more time.”

“I see. But don’t think too much. There’s no end to thoughts.”

“Kino’s right. Like they say, ‘When an inept person thinks, he grins in his sleep.’”

“Huh?”

“…‘When an inept person thinks, it’s as if he’s asleep’?”

“Yeah, that’s it…”

—

“Good morning, Hermes.”

“*Yaaaawn* Good morning. …Ah? Huh? Are we leaving already?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s still so early.”

“It’s okay. I’ve eaten breakfast already. I’ve also prepared the stuff we need.”

“That’s not it. I thought you wanted to read books up to the last minute.”

“Nope. Reading is fun, indeed. But we don’t see countries just for that. Other than the books, this country is pretty boring.”

“Uh-huh…. Well, I’m ready to ride whenever. The weather today is great too.”

—

“…Here. The departure procedures are done. Thank you for staying with us. Please be careful and have a nice trip.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, shall we go now, Hermes?”

“A’right——”

—

“Kino, there’s somebody beyond that curve. He’s carrying some big luggage.”

“That is… the person we met yesterday. Stop——”

—

“Good morning, Miss Kino, Hermes!”

“Good morning.”

“Morning.”

“I know the road right ahead. Would you like to go together until that place?”

“It’s fine with me. What about you Hermes? Is it okay if I stop your engine? I’ll push you for a while.”

“Sure, do as you like.”

—

“To tell you the truth, I was really surprised to see you outside the country.”

“Yeah. I was also surprised. Though it’s only by chance, I was really glad we bumped into each other…. As you can see, I have decided to go on a journey from here on.”

“It sure seems like it…. Did something happen?”

“I told my parents about what I was thinking, but then they told me, ‘Even though you’re living a perfect life here, why were you having such stupid thoughts? It’s futile no matter what you do,’ and they restrained me by force. And so, I made a little promise with them: ‘I understand. Father, Mother, I’ll stop thinking about these things,’ and left early this morning.”

“Way to go!”

“Then that promise is a ‘work of fiction’.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. But, when I was about to leave a while ago, I met my friends lined up in front of the library. They spoke to me.”

“What did they say?”

“‘Even though you’re leaving, this place is still the best. We’ll stay here forever. If ever you change your mind, come home. It would be nice to see you again.’”

“…I see.”

“I told them, ‘The next time we meet, even if I’m nearby and right in front of you, I will not listen to you. I don’t care what you tell me, or how many points you give me, I will not respond.’”

“……”

“What’s so funny, Kino?”

“Ah, nothing.”

“In the end, none of them told me to have a nice trip…. Well, that’s okay.”

“……. How in the world do you intend to travel?”

“Now that you mention it.”

“I was thinking about that yesterday. I can’t drive a car or a bicycle. But, I realized there must be at least one way for me to go to places — I can walk with my two legs. Besides, I was pretty good with skiing a long time ago. And so, for now, I will travel by walking. I’ll go south where snow must be falling soon, and go skiing from there. It will take a long time. But for me, this is the best way. I don’t know where my travels will lead me, or if I would arrive anywhere at all.”

“I see… It’s good to have that resolve.”

“That’s a pretty big luggage. What’s inside?”

“The long ones at the side are my skis. I’ll use this backpack as the sled. Inside are some clothes and portable rations. But most of it is paper. Half contains what I have written until now, and the rest are for what I will be writing in the future.”

“Oh…”

“Do you have a persuader with you?”

“Yes. I took the lightest one in our house without asking for permission. It’s this here.”

“Ooh. Well, Kino. What’s this?”

“It’s a 2340 model attached with laser sight. If it’s this type, you probably won’t have any problem with bullets. But you should always keep as much ammunition as food. Also, be ready to fire anytime. Disassemble and clean it every day.”

“…I understand. I’ll take care of it.”

“There’s one more important thing.”

“Yes?”

“Whenever you fire, do not waver; whether you’re shooting at an animal that you would eat, or would eat you. At all times, it’s not the survival of other living things, but your own, that should become your priority…. Remember, a corpse cannot hold a pen.”

“…I understand. I won’t forget that.”

—

“——The leaves are already falling.”

“Yeah. It’s going to be cold soon——”

—

“We’ll go our separate ways from here. I will walk along the forest to the south.”

“Is that so? …Take care.”

“You too.”

“Thank you very much. …Miss Kino!”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know what will happen from here. But if I happen to survive this winter… I will probably return to my home country to cheer myself up.”

“…That’s a good idea.”

“Thank you for everything. I’m really glad to have met you. Well then——”

“Have a nice trip.”

“Have a nice trip.”

“……! Miss Kino, Hermes…”

“Yes?”

“Yep?”

“I’m off!”

—

“——After we pass that mountain, we’ll be going through a road heading northwest. After that we should see a wide highway.”

“Okay, I got the route. …By the way, Kino.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think… things will turn out well for that guy?”

“……”

“Well?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“It would be nice if you could make a wish come true on your own; especially if it’s something that would take at least ten people to accomplish. That’s why I don’t think things will turn out well.”

“……”

“Chances are it’s going to be like that.”

“…Oh, well. Anyway, what you told him earlier was the same as what Master told you long ago.”

“That’s true. And so——”

Translator’s Notes

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