Kino no Tabi:Volume4 Chapter3

“A Land of Two People” —Even a Dog Doesn’t Eat—

“Step right up! Welcome to our country, traveler!” The guard said this with genuine enthusiasm.

“These are some questions we ask people entering the country. Please answer them. It’s nothing serious; just write the first thing that you think of.”

By himself, the guard was waiting inside a small post in front of the gates of the tall castle walls. As soon as the traveler arrived, he immediately presented a thick packet of papers. A pen too.

The traveler was slightly taken aback and stared at the papers.

The traveler was in her teens. She had short, black, unkempt hair, but her face with its big eyes had a fearless look. Goggles hung from her neck.

She wore a black jacket and a wide belt with some pouches around her waist. On her right thigh, there was a holster for a hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case, a pistol). Inside was a revolver with an octagonal barrel.

The traveler asked the guard, “Just me is okay? He is also going to be entering.”

The traveler then pointed with her thumb to a motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly) parked behind her. It was heavily loaded with a bag, a sleeping bag, and traveling luggage.

“Just you is fine. Let’s see… what was your name?”

“Kino,” the traveler Kino spoke, then pointed once again to the motorrad.

“Over there is my partner, Hermes.”

“Pleased to meet you,” the motorrad named Hermes greeted from a distance. The guard bowed in greeting.

“Again, welcome to our country. As for the questionnaire, Miss Kino would be good enough. It may take some time, but if you can please try to answer everything. You may use the chair and table over here.”

“Okay but… is this really a requirement for entering the country?” confirmed Kino.

“That is correct,” the guard nodded firmly.

Kino said she understood, sat on the chair, and began looking through the stack of papers.

It asked things like name, age, sex, height, and weight. Then it asked about hobbies, favorite foods, favorite colors, tastes in music, self-conscious qualities, thinking style, and clothing preferences.

Then it asked what you can see in a picture that looked like an ink spill; what kind of animal would you rather be; how you feel about watching boxing; what you think about farm work; whether you like children; wake up early; like raising pets; tend to cry when watching a play or reading a story; prefer cats or dogs; dream in color; worry about being judged by others; mind living together with elderly people; like gambling, and so on.

“…Sigh”

Although Kino sighed several times the whole time, she was able to answer all of the questions. Then she returned it to the waiting guard with a smile.

Afterwards, the guard took Kino’s picture, as it was necessary to complete the inspection papers. He took one frontal bust shot and one full body shot. She was asked to smile, but no matter how you looked at it, she had a sour look on her face.

“Okay, thank you very much.”

Finally, she was granted an entry permit, and the thick and heavy gates were opened. Kino tapped awake Hermes, who was soundly sleeping.

It was nearly sunset by the time Kino entered the country. To make matters worse, dark clouds had started to form. Kino looked for a cheap hotel and went in. Before long, it was raining. Kino gave up on going out for the day. She ate a meal, took a shower, and went to bed.

—

The next day, Kino woke at dawn break.

The rain had let up. Kino did some light exercises in her room, and then practiced with her persuader called ‘Canon’.

After having her breakfast in the hotel, Kino tapped Hermes awake. She left her luggage to the care of the hotel and decided to go out for some sightseeing.

It was not a very big country. Castle walls surrounded the level land. The streets were neatly divided and lined up abundantly with plain concrete buildings that didn’t seem to have any history.

“It’s not a very pretty country, is it?” said Hermes.

Kino asked people walking down the street about the country’s highlights. The replies were about the same.

“What a traveler would find interesting, eh…. Well, it’s a very safe country.”

“….That’s a tough question, but if I had to say then…. That really is a tough question.”

“The alcohol is great, I suppose. Hmm? You don’t drink? Then there’s nothing really special…”

“There’s none. This is a new country, so it’s not very good for sightseeing.”

Kino rode Hermes around randomly. Eventually, they reached the edge of the country and turned back.

Kino decided to stop by an open street café for some tea. As she finished her break and returned to the sidewalk where Hermes was parked, Kino heard someone shouting.

Kino and Hermes turned towards the voices. In front of a ramp leading to the roadway was a young couple yelling at each other. Things quickly became violent.

“What’s going on?” Kino said, surprised. Hermes who seemed to be enjoying himself spoke.

“As you can see, it’s a street fight. If I had to say, then the man has the advantage with the hooks he keeps on sending. But that lady’s kicks are pretty good too. Ah, that left high kick just decided it.”

“Nobody asked for a play-by-play commentary…”

“Should we stop them?”

“Hey, break it up. Let’s just talk this out,” said Kino as she approached them.

“Ah! Miss traveler, what is it you intend on doing?”

From behind, a young police officer in uniform called out to Kino and stopped her.

“You’re just in time officer,” said Hermes.

“There are people fighting. You can stop them instead,” said Kino.

The officer shook his head. “It’s probably best if we leave them be.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Yes, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong. Besides, it looks like they’re already finished.”

When Kino looked again, she saw that the fight was settled. The couple was walking away together.

The officer warned Kino, “Miss traveler, there’s one request I have of you. Even if you see a man and a woman fighting, you must never interfere. In this country, nobody gets involved in couples or spouses who are fighting. The fights settle before becoming serious anyways.”

“That’s really how it is?” Kino asked doubtingly.

The officer smiled and said, “Even if by chance you did get involved, I’m not sure you would gain anything from it. Even so, please enjoy your visit in our country. You won’t find something like it anywhere else, and there are many good places. Now then, if you’ll excuse me.”

The officer saluted and left.

“Good places? Where?” muttered Hermes.

—

Kino had a satisfying lunch, then she refilled Hermes' fuel tank. After a short argument, they both agreed to end the day’s sightseeing and rest at the hotel.

While waiting at a stop light, a voice from the car next to them called out.

“Hello traveler!”

The driver was a man in his thirties wearing glasses and a suit with a tie.

“Miss traveler, if you like, won’t you come over to my house for some tea? I’m on my way home right now, it’s very close. What do you say? You can meet my wife too; we’d love to talk with you about traveling and our country.”

“We’re free now so why not?” said Hermes. Kino nodded. She told the man that they would follow his car.

—

The man’s house was one of two-storey apartments connected side by side.

The man’s wife came out of the entryway to greet them. She had long hair and a beautiful face.

“This is my wife. A beauty isn’t she?” The man said this quite happily then kissed his wife on the cheek.

“Please make yourselves at home, miss traveler and mister motorrad,” greeted the wife with a smile. Kino returned the greeting, and introduced herself and Hermes.

The man showed everyone in, and the wife, who had stayed behind to close the door, caught a glimpse of Canon on Kino’s right thigh. Her eyes opened wide for a moment, then she spoke quietly. “Miss traveler, you carry a persuader?”

“Hmm? Ah, if you don’t like it I will put it away,” Kino hastily said. The woman shook her head with a smile.

“Not at all, I’m fine with it as is. Traveling is dangerous isn’t it? How long will you be in this country?”

“Until tomorrow, I will probably leave in the morning,” answered Kino.

“I see…,” the woman muttered softly.

—

The man offered Kino a seat in the dining room. Hermes stood behind on his center stand.

The man called his wife who was in the kitchen. “Bring our guests something to drink. Thanks.”

“Of course, sorry to leave you waiting,” responded the wife with a lively tone.

The man politely spoke to Kino. “Welcome to my house. I don’t get much chance to speak with foreigners. Miss traveler, mister motorrad, what do you think of this country?”

“It’s boring,” Hermes said straightaway.

The man laughed, “Hahaha. You’re a frank one, aren’t you, mister motorrad. To tell you the truth, this country is boring. There’s no beautiful scenery or deep history to be found here. But it’s a good place. It’s peaceful and there’s little crime. We can live our lives carefreely. On my days off I always play tennis with my friends.”

The woman set down a tray and carried over a bottle and cups. It was alcohol. She filled the man’s cup to the brim. The man gave a surprised look, but quickly emptied the glass in a single gulp and let out a gasp. His face slowly began turning red. The man asked his wife by his side, “Hey, where’s the snacks?”

“Ah, sorry, hold on,” the wife said as she turned back.

At that moment, the man shouted angrily, “Why am I waiting?! It should already be out you idiot!”

The man stood up, grabbed his wife’s hair with both hands, and dragged her.

“Eek!” The woman yelped and the two of them disappeared into the next room.

The sound of something being hit was heard several times.

“Bitch! Bitch! Stupid bitch!”

The man’s shouts were heard. The slander continued.

“You fool! Be more considerate! Are you trying to embarrass me?! Are you trying to be lazy?! You think people are just going to feed you?! Hey! Are you listening? Sand!”

For a short moment, there was no noise. Then suddenly the man’s voice was heard,

“Whatever, just hurry up and cook something. Make it snappy. I’m in a good mood today so I’ll let you off with this. Now hurry up idiot!”

There was a thud. It sounded like something was dropped.

The man returned to the dining room completely red-faced. He sat down, suddenly looking rather embarrassed, and politely spoke. “I’m very sorry you had to see such an unsightly thing. She tries a little harder every time, but she can’t help being a fool. Please don’t take it against her, and if you can, please forgive her. Ah, that’s right, miss traveler, how about a drink?”

“No, thank you, I don’t drink,” Kino said. Her expression has not changed from before.

“Ah, well would you like one of these?” The man offered the biscuits sitting on a small plate on the table.

Kino thanked the man, picked one up, and put it in her mouth. At that moment, the woman came staggering into the dining room. Her hair was a mess, and she was holding the side of her forehead. She walked towards the kitchen like a ghost.

“Bring the traveler some tea! Hurry up!” the man shouted at her back.

Staying in a good mood, the man poured himself a drink and gulped it down. He became talkative, and his tone cheery.

“Man, I’m jealous of travelers! Really jealous! They travel around, going to all sorts of places. Yep. You know, I’ve also ridden on a motorrad before. The engine had exhaust pipes on both sides…. I don’t mean to brag, but I was pretty good at it too. But, to be honest, I did fall over too. I was only borrowing it so I was only able to ride it a bit. Yep… *hic*! I wanted to go on a journey. Hey, miss traveler, traveling must be fun, eh?”

Kino gave the man a smile. “Yes, very. You can witness the various differences in each country’s customs.”

“Kino thinks so too,” Hemes muttered inaudibly.

“That’s right!”

The man slapped his knee. He wobbled as he arose from his seat and exclaimed with a smile.

“Different countries. There’s so many of them and you get to tour them. Yep. It sure is nice…. You have to do it while you’re still young! Oops!”

The man started leaning forward and lost his balance. His arm hit the wife who was carrying out the food. The woman dropped the plate, and the food completely scattered on the floor.

“Ah!” shouted the woman.

The man’s expression quickly changed. He glared at his wife with an almost demon-like rage.

“What do you mean, ‘Ah!’? Hey! Stupid! Don’t just stand there! The snacks are ruined! Ahhh! You’re useless! Trash! Pick that up and eat it!”

Kino ate another biscuit.

The man grabbed the woman’s long hair, pulled her towards himself, and dragged her off into the next room in this state.

“You stupid bitch!”

A number of slapping sounds were heard, and the man’s jeering continued.

“Seriously! You can’t even bring one snack to our guest! You’re useless, a burden to everyone! …Tsk! I can’t believe I’m even with someone like you! Say something! Hey stupid! Sand! Are you listening?”

There was silence for a moment.

“Your stupidity makes me sick! Our guests came all this way! Who do you think you should thank for the food you eat? Whose money is keeping you alive? Who’s working? Eh? …Forget it, I’m tired from work! I’m going to sleep! I want you to clean up! Make that floor sparkle! Got it?”

Then, the sound of something dropping was heard once more.

The man came back to the dining room.

“I’m very sorry to trouble you, miss traveler, mister motorrad. I’ll have to say goodnight here. I enjoyed our conversation. Please make yourselves comfortable. If you need anything, feel free to command my wife — even though she’s really useless.”

The man left these courteous words and entered the next room.

“Get to work!”

The wife was dragged back out. The spot on her forehead where she was first hit was swollen. Blood was coming out from a cut on her lip. The man flung his wife on the floor as if she were garbage.

The man disappeared into the room with shaky steps. Soon, his tottering footsteps were heard climbing up the stairs.

Kino glanced at Hermes, then stood up from her chair. Kino attempted to help the woman who was cleaning up the food that had fallen on the floor.

“It’s fine, please stop.” The woman held back Kino.

“Sorry, but it’s all right. Please return to your seat.”

“She’s right, Kino. There’s no need for you to help her pick those up.”

Hermes said from behind. Kino looked at Hermes once more and sat on the chair.

While restraining the blood spreading from her mouth, the woman picked up the scattered food and wiped the floor.

The woman cleared up the table, washed her hands in the kitchen, and wiped her face. Afterwards, she handed out a cup of tea to Kino. Kino thanked her as she received it.

“Please wait for a while.”

The woman left these words and went out of the dining room. The sound of climbing up the stairs, and then of climbing down, was heard.

The woman returned to the dining room and sat opposite of Kino. There was a conspicuous swelling above her right eye, and the blood on her lower lip had clotted.

“You must have been surprised…,” the woman opened her mouth to speak.

“Well, sort of. But you see, this morning, we saw a couple relentlessly fighting right in the middle of the street. I tried to stop them, but a police officer stopped me.”

“I see…”

“This country is just like this, isn’t it?” Hermes said, and the woman nodded once.

“Yes. In this country, it was custom and law that couples shouldn’t hold back from each other. For that reason, fighting with your spouse is not a crime as long as no one gets killed.

“……” “……”

“But this isn’t something to be surprised about. After all, it has always been like this even in olden times.”

“I see,” Kino said.

“Hey, why did you marry that kind of person anyway?” Hermes asked forthright.

The woman smiled. It was a smile of self-mockery mixed with amusement, as if she had been asked the same question many times already.

“That’s so true. If I had the choice, would I have married such a man?”

“Was he like that even before you got married?” Hermes asked further, as frank as ever.

“No, he was different. When I first met him in our ‘omiai’, I thought he was a wonderful and sincere man,” the woman said.

“What’s an ‘omiai’ ?” Kino asked.

“Is that the name of the restaurant where you had your first date or something?” Hermes answered, and the woman shook her head.

“An ‘omiai’ is a custom in this country, where a man and a woman who hope to get married meet for the first time. With a mediator’s help, two people of similar family backgrounds and economic status meet and talk to each other to look at the possibility of a good match. If everything goes well, the marriage will push through…”

“Then that means it’s possible to get married with a person you don’t love?” Kino asked in surprise.

“Yes, but that’s not all…. In this country, adults who don’t get married are not considered genuine grown-ups. Men should have a family to protect. Women should stay at home and take care of the household,” the woman answered.

“Hmm”

“And so everyone’s in a hurry to get married once they reach their late twenties. Perhaps they think that if they don’t get married soon, they wouldn’t be able to for the rest of their lives. They're afraid of never becoming ‘genuine adults’. During those times, there are many who were encouraged to attend an ‘omiai’.”

“I see…. But, isn’t marriage something that two people who love each other do, because they want to stay together for the rest of their lives?” Kino asked.

“Yes”

“But then, if this ‘omiai’ you’re speaking about is for choosing a partner in order to get married…, doesn’t the purpose defeat itself?”

The woman pondered for a while, then lightly nodded.

“You can probably put it that way. But miss traveler, results-wise, the means of getting a partner doesn’t have much to do with a successful married life. Things don’t always turn out well even if one marries for love, and there are cases when a couple could live happily even though their marriage was arranged through an ‘omiai’. To give you an example, my parents also met each other through an ‘omiai’, but they were able to have a happy family. I observed this as I grew up, so I looked up to my parents as my models, and it was my dream to have the same kind of family. Miss traveler, don’t you agree?”

“……”

“But in your case, you had a husband like that.”

Hermes replied while Kino fell silent.

“Yes…. Before, and for a while after we got married, we were conscious of each other’s needs, and I didn’t realize it. However, after living together for a while, we became too familiar with each other…, and it was already too late. Once, he noticed a little dust on the floor; all of a sudden, he got angry and hit me. At that time, I was too surprised to grasp what just happened, and he continued beating me.”

“Uh-huh,” Hermes interjected.

“Since then, he would become violent over the most trivial matters. Alcohol makes him even worse. He had pushed me down the stairs, pressed his cigarette on my skin…, shut me out of the house, thinly clothed, right in the middle of winter.”

“……”

“Anything else?” Hermes asked as if enjoying himself. The woman continued nonchalantly.

“He did all kinds of harsh things to me. When I told my old friend, she got angry and lectured me for a whole hour as to how something was wrong with me emotionally, and ‘how a woman should behave’ regardless of the violence you receive. Nothing was left of my belongings that I had before I got married. Everything was either thrown away or destroyed. I was keeping a cat until last year. However, while I was gone, that person threw it on the floor…; I had no choice but to kill it out of pity. That time, he was fined for being cruel to animals. But later on, he beat me and told me it was my fault for keeping a cat in the first place.”

“……”

“Uh-huh”

“All of my books and study manuals were burned. He told me there was no need for a housewife to learn anything else other than housekeeping. And so I bought books on cooking and housekeeping. Then he told me that I was hopeless no matter what I do, and threw away the books, which, according to him, were a ‘waste of money’. Ever since, I did nothing other than keeping the house. My life insurance was canceled, and I almost have nothing for my personal expenses. He told me: ‘Slaves don’t need money, you just do as I tell you.’”

“Hmm. I see, I understand it very well,” Hermes said with an awed tone. The woman continued.

“Even so, after behaving so violently, the next morning he would be on his knees, crying and apologizing. I would also cry and think, ‘Oh, this person is really gentle, deep inside,’ and I would forgive him for everything. But it would happen again and again. For a while after, he wouldn’t act terribly and would be kind. I would be constantly worried as to when he would be angry from my incompetence and inexperience as a wife. Perhaps, it was his weakness as a human, and I’m the only one who could help him with it — maybe it was my mission. Such thoughts crossed my mind,” the woman said and laughed.

“Uhm, can’t you file for divorce?” Kino asked. The woman had an expression more sorrowful than when she was being beaten.

“So you weren’t aware of it, huh…. What am I saying, of course a traveler wouldn’t know, I’m sorry. In this country, divorce is considered lowly, and no one approves of it. Either way, the only other means to end your marriage is to die.”

“Oh, dear. Religion?”

“No. It’s just a widely accepted view, I suppose. It seems they decided a long time ago that there is nothing more disgraceful than divorce. A divorced person was not able to protect his family, and hence he’s an inadequate member of society, a useless person. To avoid having such people, divorce was completely banned.

“…I see,” Kino muttered in a lifeless voice and glimpsed at Hermes.

As Kino was about to say something,

“Miss traveler,” the woman faced Kino with her lightly bruised face and spoke with a forceful tone.

“I have one request of you…”

Kino looked back at the wife. She returned a silent gaze.

“What is it? Is it something that I can do?”

“Yes. Only you can do it, miss traveler. You can get me out of my trouble. I’m willing to thank you to the best of my ability. It doesn’t matter to me even if you take everything of use to you in this house. My request has something to do with my husband…”

“I think I know what’s coming,” Hermes said.

“What is it?” Kino asked.

The woman looked back once and confirmed that there was nobody else. She made a brooding expression, and, with a low but clear voice, she spoke to Kino.

“Miss traveler, with that persuader, I want you to kill my husband.”

“Okay! She’ll do it!” was Hermes quick and cheerful reply.

“I’m sorry, please ignore what this guy says for a while,” Kino corrected.

The woman’s expression did not change. She looked at Kino.

“Please. He’s sleeping right now. I have the key to his bedroom.”

Kino lightly shook her head and spoke. “To make things short, it’s not possible. I can’t do this for you.”

“Oh, you won’t?” Hermes asked in a light tone.

“Of course not. That’s murder you know,” Kino said, and Hermes replied with a somewhat repulsive tone.

“Kino, don’t you remember how many people you have shot down until now? It’s not like you have ‘persuading powers’.”

“The circumstances are different. In this case, I can be punished by this country’s laws. That’s what I mean by murder. I don’t want to go to jail here.”

“Well, whatever—. What does this wife’s circumstances have to do with you, as long as you don’t die and continue to travel, Kino. Now that I think about it, it’s none of your business,” Hermes spoke with much sarcasm.

“Uh, uhm…” the woman shyly interjected and spoke firmly,

“You don’t have to worry about that. You are not going to be charged with murder.”

Kino looked as if she has just woken up in the middle of the day.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s the law. In this country, even if a person from outside the country commits a crime, if he gets out of the country within the day, no crime could be charged against him. As to why…. Well, originally, the police would desperately chase after the culprit. However, they couldn’t arrest them once they have escaped outside the country. To avoid people criticizing the police’s incompetence, they made a law that dismisses any illegal act committed by a foreigner. That is why no matter how many people you kill here today, you can walk out of the gates tomorrow morning without any problems.”

“……”

“But,”

Hermes tried to speak while Kino remained silent.

The woman continued. “I’m sure the reason for the rigorous check at the gates is this law. However, if they found out that I told you about this, I will be punished…, even so, I don’t care.”

Kino thought for a while, then said, “…Can I ask you one… no, two questions?”

“Go ahead.”

“If in case you could no longer stand your husband’s violence, and you killed him, what will be your punishment?”

“Death penalty. A person who kills his spouse will be charged with first-degree murder and will definitely be sentenced to death. Because the violence between husband and wife is acceptable and is not a crime, I have no legal motive to kill my husband.”

“…….. My other question may be a bit strange. When your husband said ‘sand’, what exactly does he mean?”

The woman smiled and answered, “He meant ‘sandbag’. You can see for yourself the reason for that name.”

“……”

“But… Kino, are you listening to me?” Hermes asked.

“I am.”

The woman looked at Kino pleadingly, with almost a worshipping expression.

“I beg you…, please…”

“What will you do, Kino?”

Kino stood up. She looked at her right thigh towards Canon, which was loaded with six bullets. And then she spoke.

“Let’s go back, Hermes.”

“I knew it.”

At the same time as Hermes’ short answer, the woman’s face was filled with a look of disbelief. She kicked the chair away as she stood up and clung to Kino’s leg.

“No way! I beg you! I cannot stand this sort of life anymore! You saw it yourself! You saw it, didn’t you?! I was being completely battered! Miss traveler! There’s no other way! Don’t you see?! This is my first and final chance! I have endured until now for a chance like this! Can you hear me?!”

“We’ll be… leaving,” Kino slowly and gently removed the hands of the pleading woman.

She removed Hermes’ stand and started to push him towards the entrance.

“I beg you…. Please…”

As Kino passed through the door, she turned to the woman who has broken down crying on the floor.

“Thank you for the cookies.”

She then faced the woman whose tears was flowing down her big, gaping eyes, and finally said,

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be a God.”

—

Kino and Hermes went out to the street from the apartment complex.

“I don’t feel well,” Kino said shortly.

Hermes spoke, as if consoling Kino. “I understand how you feel, Kino. But this country has to solve its issues by itself. No matter what a traveler says or does, the people will still stick with their own rules. Madeline said so.”

“Who? …You mean, meddlesome?

“Yeah, that,” Hermes said and fell silent.

“It’s just as you say, Hermes. I understand that… all the more.”

“I sympathize with you. Kino, you’ll feel better if you eat something sweet. Ah, I just know.”

Kino sighed. “I’ll do that. I wonder if they have something in that café we went to in the morning…”

Kino started Hermes’ engine. She put on her hat and goggles, and rode through the street.

“Kino, I thought you noticed, but…,” Hermes said hesitantly while they were riding.

Kino nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t say anything, but this morning, she brought out a strong alcohol and let that dish drop on purpose. …I saw it.”

“That was some fine acting. I was deeply moved.”

“Indeed…. There really are different types of people.”

—

“Hey there, miss traveler.”

The police officer they met that morning called out to Kino and Hermes. He was leisurely standing in front of the open street café, which was just closing shop. Kino straightened her hat with a dejected face.

Without responding, Kino approached the police officer. There was a strange expression on her face as she walked past the right side of the officer, completely ignoring him.

At that moment, Kino reached for the holster on the man’s hip with her right hand, and drew out the hand persuader.

The policeman noticed immediately, but at the same time, he felt something pushing against his back and froze. Soon he heard a voice by his ear.

“Please don’t move. You don’t have to raise your hands.”

“M-miss traveler? W-w-w-w-what’s the meaning of this?”

“Nothing. However, if I pull this trigger, something really bad will happen, right? But it’s permissible. By the way, I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.”

The police officer became speechless for a moment. And then he spoke slowly.

“…F-from who did you hear about this? Rather, who told you? Will you tell me? I-I would really appreciate it if you do, and let me r-report it to the headquarters.”

Hermes poked fun at the officer. “Kino, this person sure is dedicated to his work. How wonderful. You have my respect. You should be promoted two ranks.”

Kino spoke, her tone not different from usual. “It doesn’t mean that someone told me. I tortured someone, and he confessed to me. He told me that if I leave tomorrow, anything I do here today wouldn’t be considered a crime.”

“……”

“Now, can I shoot?”

“…U-uhm, well…no. I have a wife that I love. I’m saying the truth. I don’t want to die yet.”

“…I see. Then, I’ll be returning this,” Kino said and returned the persuader inside its holster.

The surprised police officer turned around and took a relieved breath as he saw that what was pointed on his back was only Kino’s finger. He shook his head many times and took in one more mouthful of air.

After a while, Kino spoke. “That’s one weird law, you know.”

Even though he was staring at Kino somewhat sullenly, the police officer answered with a polite tone,

“I agree. To tell you the truth, I was just thinking yesterday how that law should be revised.”

“I totally approve. We might have been tempted to do something, you see.”

“Over-speeding, theft, kidnap for ransom, running away without paying for food…”

Kino and Hermes happily enumerated, and the police officer took one more deep breath.

“Don’t worry. We’ll definitely be gone by tomorrow. We won’t do anything. Also, I promise not to tell about this to anybody. …By the way, there’s just one question I would like to ask.”

“…What is it?”

“’Whatever happens between a married couple wouldn’t be considered a crime.’ Have there been any plans or moves to amend that law?” Kino asked.

“What for?” the police officer said and made an expression as if he didn’t completely understand what she meant.

“There’s no need for that to be changed, is there?” the officer said clearly.

“But look here, mister policeman. Is it really acceptable to hit your partner for whatever reason?” Hermes asked immediately.

“Yes”

“You mean, it doesn’t bother you?” Kino asked, and the policeman muttered a small ‘yes’. And then slowly, as though he was lecturing a child in the street, he spoke to Kino and Hermes.

“If it’s just that, then there should be no problems. They’re a married couple, you see.”

“……” “……”

“In any country, spats between married couples are unavoidable. It’s impossible to get rid of that, and it’s unreasonable for the police to intervene in such matters.”

“Even in cases of abuse?”

The police officer gave a slight nod to Kino’s question.

“Yes. Well, I suppose you can call it ‘abuse’ if one continues to win in a couple’s fight. Even so, the police cannot interfere because that is a problem between husband and wife. No matter what, an outsider should not intervene with the problems of a couple; it wouldn’t make any difference. That’s called being meddlesome.”

“Being meddlesome, it is,” Hermes said.

“Each person has the right and duty to choose how he should live. A couple was bound by marriage to cooperate with each other forever, in times of pain and illness; sharing the joys and sorrows fate would grant them; to live under one roof and look after each other. A stranger, much less the law, has no business restricting what a couple should do. Rather, nothing in this world should restrict them.

“……”

“I’ve mentioned it earlier, haven’t I? I’m married. That’s why I understand. A couple is closest to each other and loves each other the most because they live together. Still, disputes between them are inevitable. I’ve said it a lot of times now, but whatever their problems may be, they have to resolve it on their own. And with that, their relationship becomes even deeper.”

“Really?” Kino asked very doubtfully.

“Miss traveler, you would understand this once you get married. At that time, you would say, ‘Ah, so it was really like this, eh?’”

“……”

“I see,” Hermes muttered.

“Kino, how are you feeling? Are you in the mood to shoot someone?”

The police officer twitched and stiffened for a moment.

“Eh?! …Uhm”

Kino lightly tapped Canon on her right thigh and glanced at the police officer she threatened. Then she spoke with a completely detached expression.

“Not really…”

The sigh of the police officer was heard. At the same time, Kino glowered at him.

Once again, he stiffened under Kino’s stare. As she sent him sharp glares, she asked,

“I’m looking for a shop selling sweets. Is there one around here?”

—

Evening. Kino had already gone to bed.

In the house Kino visited in the morning, the man has woken up and went down to the dining room. He ordered his wife, who was sleeping prostrate on the table, to cook something.

The wife asked what he wanted to eat.

“Anything you make’s fine. It would be as bad as pig slop, anyway,” the man said gently.

The woman cut meat in the kitchen and made some steak. She then carried the dish to the dining room, still in the frying pan.

The woman spoke gently to the man who was seated in front of his plate.

“You know dear, there’s something I realized today.”

The man replied disinterestedly. “What is it, sandbag?”

The woman smiled, her eyes deep red from weeping out.

“In this world, there’s no such thing as a God or a Buddha. Therefore, there’s no such thing as miracles. Humans should solve their problems with their own hands. Then that means…. I was mistaken. I thought… even though I don’t make any effort, everything that I wish for will go my own way…. I thought that someday, a kind fairy godmother would appear out of nowhere and grant my wishes…. My father and my mother, even though they did nothing to each other, it doesn’t mean their relationship was always great. Probably…. No, I’m sure it’s like that.”

“Hmph. You’re a hopeless idiot as usual. Quit saying useless things and serve me quick. Bring some alcohol too. I have to do some exercise after my meal so stay right there, sandbag. Idiot. Trash,” the man said. The woman remained standing, holding the sizzling frying pan in her hands.

“Hurry up. Or do you want me to hit you right now?”

The man spoke without looking at his wife’s face. Even so, the woman remained standing dazedly, thinking about something. The man raised an irritated voice.

“Hey!”

Even so, the woman remained standing.

At last, the man kicked the chair and stood up.

Soon a scream was heard from the dining room of a house. It was a long, high-pitched scream. It resounded in the neighborhood, but nobody paid attention.

—

The next day. The morning of the third day since Kino entered the country.

When Hermes woke up, Kino has finished loading all of her luggage.

“Ah, good morning. Are we leaving already?”

Kino answered Hermes’ question while wiping the lens of her goggles.

“Yeah. Even if we stayed any longer, there wouldn’t be anything interesting here. …It’s a dull country.””

Kino rode Hermes towards the western gate.

‘What are you going to do?’ Hermes asked Kino along the way.

“Let’s leave things as is. There’s nothing much that person can do anyway.”

“Maybe so, but the same goes for you.”

Upon arriving in front of the gates, Kino stopped Hermes. She cut the engine and got off. As she started to push Hermes into the gate,

“Miss traveler!”

Kino looked back. The woman she met yesterday was smiling and waving from a car slightly far away.

The woman drove the car and stopped near Kino and Hermes.

The woman quickly got out of the car and stood in front of Kino and Hermes. The bruise on her forehead was still distinctly blue in color, but she had a bright expression.

“Good morning. I came to see you off. I’m glad I caught up with you.”

“Thank you…. Good morning,” Kino returned the greeting with a complex expression. Still smiling, the woman tapped the car from the outside.

“Look, dear. Let’s bid miss traveler farewell together. Quickly now.”

The woman’s husband slowly emerged from the car.

A net was covering the man’s head, the side of his head was wrapped in bandages, and his left arm was in a cast hanging from his neck.

“W-what happened?” Kino asked. The man did not answer. The woman laughed, slightly embarrassed.

“Well, last night, you see…” was her only answer. And then she hit her husband’s shoulder.

The man twitched and his body shook. As he stood silently, the woman from behind asked.

“Dear. Aren’t you going to greet miss traveler here?”

“Ah, yeah…. Hey…, g-good morning…,” the man chirped. The woman took out a stick from the car seat. It was a rolling pin used in kneading dough for a pie.

With this, the woman hit her husband’s back.

“Agh!” the man shrieked and twisted his body. The woman continued and hit the helpless man’s back seven times.

“What’s with that tiny voice? Give her a proper greeting.”

“I-I’m sorry,” were the only words the man managed to say. The woman bent over and hit her husband’s thigh strongly with the rolling pin. The man collapsed. He fell on his left arm and gave a shriek.

Like before, Kino just looked on without changing her expression.

Ignoring the man groveling on the ground, the woman tried to say something to Kino. At that time,

“Hey, miss traveler! Are you leaving already?” A loud voice called from afar. It belonged to the uniformed police officer Kino threatened the previous day. He approached Kino with a quick gait.

“Hello there. We meet again. It seems you’re going out of the country. Did you enjoy your stay?” the policeman asked with a smile. Kino answered with a yes, and Hermes retorted,

“Very much. By the way, I see you’ve been tailing us since morning. You’re not very good at it are you?”

The policeman narrowed his eyes for a moment. Then he replied awkwardly, “A-ah, well…, so you noticed, eh? I’m sorry, but this is part of my job…. I am dedicated to my work, after all.”

“Ah, well that’s funny,” Hermes said, and they both laughed.

In the midst of this cheerful atmosphere,

“P-please help me!”

The man suddenly got up and shouted. He clung to the police officer’s foot with his right arm.

“O-officer! You’re just in time! H-help me! T-this woman is heartlessly beating me!”

The policeman looked gloomily at the man. Then he turned his face to the woman.

“Yes. He’s my husband,” the woman said.

“S-s-save me! I beg you! Protect me! I’m going to get killed!”

“Please calm down, mister.”

The police officer slowly and gently removed the man’s hand.

The woman slowly got closer to her husband’s face and spoke with a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry, dear. I am not going to kill you.”

“Eep!” The man drew back as if trying to escape.

“I know about vital spots. You do realize that I took medicine when I was not yet married, don’t you?”

“See, your wife said it herself. Mister, you have to pull yourself together,” the officer said, and the man pointed at the bandages on the side of his head.

“Just look at the wounds she gave me yesterday! Last night she struck me with a sizzling frying pan without warning! After that, while I was collapsed, she recklessly hit me with a chair and broke the bones in my left arm! Look!”

“So that was the aftermath of your fight, eh? How unmanly of you!” the police officer said, making a small triumphant pose. An old man with an old woman who seemed to be his wife, snickered as they passed through.

“No way…,” the man muttered. Immediately, the wife’s kick connected with his flank.

“Guh!” the man bent and pressed down on his flank. He collapsed and became quiet.

The woman bowed to the police officer several times. “I’m really sorry, officer. We’re causing you trouble.”

“Nope, it’s okay. My job is to protect everybody’s safety. Do not hesitate to approach me for the slightest concern… is what I would like to say. But the truth is there’s so little crime around that I have so much free time,” the police officer said as he saluted and winked.

“Well,” the woman gave a slightly surprised smile.

“Help me…. Please, I’ll get killed…. Officer…,” a weak voice was heard.

With a disappointed look on his face, the police officer squatted down and spoke to the man groaning on his side.

“Ok, ok. Mister, police officers do not have that much free time, you know. Please stop this notion of you getting killed. You should get along with your wife. If there’s any problem, you should solve it together. You are a married couple, after all.”

The police officer stood up, turned to Kino and Hermes, and saluted respectfully.

“Miss traveler, I’ll have to excuse myself now. I apologize for tailing you. However, I truly thank you for staying here. I’ll be leaving you to the care of the gate sentry. Oh, that store’s root beer float was delicious, wasn’t it?”

Kino lightly bowed her head. “Yes, thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome,” the police officer said and walked away.

When the police officer could no longer be seen, the woman spoke to Kino and Hermes.

“Miss traveler, I wanted to thank you. That’s why I wanted to see you.”

“You wanted… to thank… me?”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “Yes. Yesterday, at that time, you did the right thing. Thank you.”

“……”

“Because this is my… no, our problem, we have to solve it by ourselves, right? I already quit waiting for God. From here on, I will seize my happiness with my own hands. I will do my best to live honestly. Oh, right! I wanted to give you something as a souvenir to remind you of this country. I’ll take it and return here immediately, so wait here okay?”

The woman squatted, pulled her husband’s ear and brought it close to her mouth.

“Dear, I’ll be back soon. Don’t do anything stupid in front of miss traveler.”

“……”

“Answer me!”

The man’s face crumpled as his wife suddenly shouted in his ear.

“…Y-yes. I understand.”

“Ah, hand me your wallet. I’ll hold onto it from now on. I can’t let you have excess stuff. Understand?”

“…Yes”

The moment the man said this, the woman let go of his ear. The man’s head fell on the road with a blunt sound. His eyeglasses fell off.

The woman took out a wallet from the man’s breast pocket. She lightly sauntered to a nearby store and went inside.

With the same expressionless face, Kino looked on as the man slowly raised himself up.

The man sat up. Blood seeped out of the bandages from his head. He looked up at Kino with a pleading, almost worshipping expression.

“M-miss traveler…. I-I have one request,” the man spoke feebly.

“What is it?”

“C-can you kill that?”

“What do you mean by ‘that’?”

Kino asked with an extremely normal tone. The man spoke wildly while his head trembled.

“My wife! I-It’s only in this country… where there’s a law that if you’re a traveler, anything you do won’t be held against you as long as you leave immediately. B-but, if they found out that I told this to you, I will be punished…, even so, I don’t care! S-so please, with that persuader, shoot my wife to death! I’ll do anything to thank you!”

“But… what are you going to do, Kino?”

“I refuse.”

The man looked as if he was about to cry at Kino’s reply. Soon, he really did burst into tears.

While hanging his head and sobbing bitterly, the man muttered.

“…W-why do I have to suffer like this…? Why…? I don’t understand at all. Have I done anything to her for her to treat me like this? Is there any reason why my wife would suddenly become violent and attack her husband like this?”

“I don’t know. I’m single, so I don’t understand,” Kino said.

‘Ah,’ the man muttered softly. He sniffled several times.

“…Until now, I did a fine job supporting my family. I did all that I can to do what was expected of a husband. I dismissed socializing with others, came home from work early…, set aside some time for conversation with her, stayed with her during holidays. I even had the same hobbies as her.”

“……” “……”

“Of course, she was pretty demanding…, but I tried my best to do everything for her, even if I had to make sacrifices… because I was aiming for a harmonious married life. And so…, I thought she would be very happy… Why, why did it turn out like this…? There’s something utterly wrong with her since yesterday. Maybe I should have her checked in the hospital even if she’s against it? Ah…”

“Until yesterday, was there anything your wife should be angry about?” Kino asked.

“I don’t know…. I couldn’t think of anything…”

“Like punching her all of a sudden or something?”

The man slightly raised his head to Hermes’ question. He became slightly garrulous.

“Well that’s…, whenever my wife makes a mistake, I would hit her, but since she’s a woman, I go easy on her. If that’s——”

The man’s upper body suddenly collapsed.

“Aagh!”

His eyeglasses flew away. The man’s face was scraped on the road. The woman who just came back pitilessly kicked away the man’s right arm.

The woman ignored her husband and handed a tiny paper bag to Kino.

“Here. A souvenir from this country. Open it.”

Kino looked inside. Carved on a tiny iron plate was a pair of water birds that resembled wild ducks nestled close together. She showed it to Hermes.

“It’s a charm. I thought a big one would be a bother to take with you.”

“Thank you very much. What kind of charm is this?” Kino asked, and the woman answered with a smile.

“It’s for a happy marriage. These are called ‘Mandarins’. It is said that these birds live their whole life with the same partner. A long time ago, married couples with good relationships were called ‘Mandarin couples’ . Someday, somewhere, I wish that you would find a wonderful partner, miss traveler.”

“……. Thank you… very much.”

With an indescribable expression on her face, Kino thanked the woman. And then, she pushed Hermes into the gates. She looked back once and saw the woman striking the man several times.

—

“Tadah! Look here, please!”

The sentry cheerfully greeted and showed a panel to Kino across the ticket window of the guard post. Over there were photos of several men with general profiles written underneath.

“What… is this?” Kino asked.

“Listen well! This is something originally developed in our country. A historical couple compatibility diagnostic method we call the ‘Perfect Matching Method’. After our calculations, we produced a list of men which would be perfect husband-material for Miss Kino!”

“What?”

“Let me see! Let me see!” Hermes said energetically, and the sentry changed the angle a little for Hermes to see.

“When you entered the country, you answered a questionnaire, didn’t you? With that, we determined Miss Kino’s hereditary disposition and judged based on different possibilities. On top of that, we’ve chosen men from our country who are perfectly compatible with Miss Kino’s values, way of living, thinking, attributes, and feelings!”

“What for?”

The guard grinned. “It’s only in this country. If you agree to have an interview with these men, you will be given permission to stay in our country for one month. And if you decide to marry one of them, we will grant you citizenship unconditionally.”

“……” “That’s amazing!”

Kino kept silent while Hermes gleefully exclaimed.

“Isn’t it? Wow, you are so lucky, Miss Kino. You dropped in during our campaign period, purely by chance. This is such a great opportunity, don’t you think? I doubt you’ll have a chance like this elsewhere. There are few chances for you to get to know someone wonderful during your travels, right?”

“True, true! That’s spot on. Kino seldom meets anyone. On rare occasions, they would either be shot to death or would escape frazzled all over. It’s really thrilling to watch from below, you know.” Hermes was truly enjoying this. The sentry continued.

“How about it, Miss Kino? According to our data, 67% of single men and 82% of single women think that marriage will make them happy. However, only 43% of men and 29% of women think that they will meet someone even if they don’t do anything. Maybe you have to take one more look at your life, and try it out for the time being? We have data for thousands of men, and among these, we can send you about fifty files to peruse every week. We also sponsor wonderful get-together parties twice a week. Moreover, the government runs this system, so the national assembly hall can be used as the reception hall! There is live music from the national orchestra, and from time to time, the state leader even comes to give a speech!”

“……”

“What do you think? There was a scholar who said that humans are animals who live to support each other. There was also a poet who left the words, ‘Marriage is the least and last form of human interaction.’ He also said this: ‘Marriage is half pain and twice the pleasure.’”

“……”

“Don’t you think people who are not married and talk about life are mistaken? Marriage is the goal of a human’s existence, and marriage is just the beginning of a person’s life. Everything that you do in your life before that is just in preparation for marriage. It’s just a rehearsal, you know?”

“……”

“Miss Kino, you’re still young, but if you take your time, you will be an old maid in no time! So now! Sign this contract immediately and find a wonderful partner in our country!”

Kino poked her finger on the man’s head, who slowly raised his face. And then,

“Don’t you know? Anything I do here wouldn’t be considered a crime,” she threatened in a whisper.

“Have a nice trip—!” The guard gave her a refreshing smile and said this energetically. Then he closed the guard post’s shutters in an instant.

“……”

While shaking her head several times, she climbed on Hermes and started the engine. She strapped her goggles on.

“Let’s go, Hermes.”

“Is it okay if you don’t get married?” Hermes teased.

“Traveling is much safer,” Kino answered.

“I guess so.”

While riding away, Kino looked back at the towering walls and muttered,

“I wish you happiness.”

Translator’s Notes

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