Kino no Tabi:Volume6 Chapter3

“Land of Fireworks” —Fire at Will!—

“It’s so hot—, Kino,” said a motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly).

Two boxes were attached on both sides of its rear wheel, and loaded on top of it was a big bag, a sleeping bag and fuel cans. It was parked on its stand.

“It’s hot,” was the short answer of the motorrad’s driver called Kino.

She was a young person, with short black hair and big eyes. She was wearing a black vest over a white shirt, with a belt loosely fastened around her waist. A hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case, a pistol) holster was attached on her right thigh.

A number of low, smooth mountains were lined up, the grounds of which were covered with forests. The motorrad was parked on the lone forest road. The reddish earth of the road was surrounded left and right with trees, obstructing the view.

Kino was sitting beside the road, under the shadow made by a thick tree.

The forest was filled with warm air, the human being tormented with the unforgiving hot and humid air. Only the tops of the tall trees were privileged with the blowing wind, fluttering comfortably. Hundreds of crickets from near and far the forest were making tremendous noise in all ways possible.

Kino took a sip from the water flask in her hand.

“And, lukewarm too.”

“I know right?”

Even while sitting and not doing anything, sweat was trickling down Kino’s cheek. She looked up; not a single cloud can be seen in the sky, only the intense summer glare. She looked down; the lights and shadows were in stark contrast with each other on the road. An ant walked by.

“It would be nice if air-conditioning technology existed in the next country.... I want to sleep for at least three days,” Kino murmured.

“What if the next country does not even have a shower, or an electric fan, let alone air-conditioning?”

“I don’t want to think about it,” Kino said, and stood up. She dusted off her bottom, put away the water flask in the box, and wore the hat she was using as a fan earlier.

“Let’s go, Hermes. We should be arriving soon.”

The motorrad called Hermes gave his consent.

Kino sat on the motorrad and started the engine. The engine made a loud noise, and at the same time, the crickets on a nearby tree cried noisily, as if competing with it.

The noisy sounds reverberated through the humid forest.

—

“At long last,” Kino said as she quickly stopped on the forest road. On one side of the steep slope, there were no trees and there was an open view.

From a distance, they can see a green ragged land and silver-colored walls. The walls stretched up and down along the delicate mountain ridges.

"You may be able to swim,” said Hermes. On the left side of the walls, in the south, they can barely see something blue which was not the sky.

—

The road proceeded consistently and descended into a valley. And finally, it reached the walls.

“This is amazing,” said Hermes. Kino stopped, and looked up at the big wall.

The height of the walls from the bottom of the valley was tremendous. It filled the gap in the valley like a dam, exceeding the height of the mountains on its either side. It stood level with the walls towering above the mountains. Kino and Hermes were in its shadows.

The wall surface was smooth and of a dull silver color. Here and there were traces of lined up plates of the same material. Hermes wondered aloud.

“Is it stone? It doesn’t seem to be metal.”

“It looks hard.”

And on the road ahead, a gate made of similar material was tightly shut. They soon realized that there was nothing short of a guardroom　by the gates. There was nobody nearby. There were no houses around.

Eventually, in the middle of the cricket sounds, Kino dismounted from Hermes and approached the gate. And,

“There’s a button-like thing here, placed where a person can reach it.”

“Maybe you should push it.”

Kino pushed.

Ding-dong.

A flat electronic sound rang out of thin air.

Kino took her hat off and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

‘Ye-s? Oh, a traveler, is it? We will open it shortly, please go ahead and enter.’

And then, the gate slowly and quietly slid upwards.

“There’s no screening? How careless,” Hermes said. Kino also found it strange,

“......”

And soon understood when the gate was fully opened.

Beyond the gate, a bit further away, was another gate.

—

After passing through the second wall in the same manner,

“......”

There was a third one. The gate in front did not open until the gate behind them was completely closed.

The area between the two walls was not exposed to the sun, and is dark, but the air was stale and humid. Kino looked up and saw a slice of the sky.

Through the same thin gap, she could see both sides of the mountain; the trees had been cut off. On the high, grassy slope, a number of big rectangular box-like objects were stacked.

“I see. In times of emergency, they drop and blow up those things to block the gate and the road,” said Hermes.

After passing through the third gate, there was a fourth one, and they saw a building which seemed embedded to the wall.

The immigration inspector was waiting in front of the building to guide Kino inside. She passed through the door and entered.

“......”

The moment she entered, the guide saw Kino took a big breath upon quietly coming indoors.

“Oh, is it too cold?” the inspector asked.

—

Without much screening, Kino and Hermes received an entry permit.

Kino and Hermes were welcomed and informed that they were the first ones to come for more than half a year, as travelers do not visit often.

“By the way, did you come here to watch the fireworks display, Miss Kino and Mr. Hermes?” One of the examiners, a middle-aged woman, asked.

Kino shook her head, and the examiners were slightly surprised.

“That is very fortunate. Tomorrow night, our annual summer fireworks display will be held at the beach by the south. Please have a look at it. It’s very pretty,” the lady examiner said.

—

Past the walls, the road was once again running through the forest valley. This time it was a highway. The road was wide and paved perfectly and there were streetlights.

Kino spread out the map she got.

The country was comprised of mountains for the most part, and there was a gulf into the southern side. It was enclosed with walls, though its marks were as small as the letters on the last line of an eye chart.

In the middle of the coastal area was a long crescent-shaped beach, from the center of which a boulevard extended due north. Only this part had flat lands, and both sides of the street were dense with residential areas. At the north end of the street, drawn against the mountainous backdrop were buildings and sites probably reserved for government facilities.

“We’re here right now.” Kino pointed at the gate on the easternmost point. There was still some distance away to the center of the country.

—

Kino and Hermes rode to the west. The road was sewn on the mountain’s surface, continuing through repeated curves. The paved road was wide and there were guardrails.

“So easy,” said Hermes.

Kino and Hermes rode on the pavement reflecting the intense sunlight. Before long, they saw an enormous graveyard on the mountainside to the right. The gravestones were lined up neatly on the slopes like terraced fields.

Further ahead, the valley gradually opened up. The number of houses increased bit by bit, as well as the number of cars coming and going. The cars were all the same except for the color, as they were all rustic four-wheel-drive vehicles.

“Hmm? Kino, this country only has those kinds?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re in fashion?”

After exiting the valley, they arrived into the flat area which was the country’s center. In addition, the number of buildings and people suddenly increased, and both sides of the road were almost filled.

They rode through the boulevard towards the center. On one side, a certain number of streets through the boulevard extend to the south, towards the sea. The number of cars on the road increased as nightfall approached. There was a high road at the center of the boulevard, planted with trees. The sidewalk served as a resting place and people holding umbrellas walked by.

Upon turning to the right, they stopped at the intersection. A big armored vehicle suddenly came out from a street and made a turn right in front of Kino and Hermes. The enormous armored vehicle had an angular body, with eight wheels, each one the size of a child. However, it was unarmed and clad in a fancy orange color.

Upon turning, the armored vehicle immediately stopped by the sidewalk. The steel door at the back opened and a normal looking person got off. Then, the sweaty people on the sidewalk went aboard. When everybody was inside, the door closed, the signal went off, and it rode off once more.

“Kino, was that supposed to be a bus?”

“Probably. Maybe it’s in fashion.”

At the back of the street was a three-storey building, the hotel the inspector told Kino about.

Kino and Hermes passed through the entrance. The air-conditioning was working perfectly. The difference in temperatures was so immense that the outside world shut out by the two-door entrance seemed like a totally different world.

The manager welcomed and guided them to their room. It was not spacious, but it was not cramped either.

“It’s cool and refreshing,” Kino said while falling on her back to the bed, looking at the ceiling.

“Ok, ok. Don’t sleep just yet, unload the luggage first. There are things you have to do first, right?” Hermes scolded.

“Yeah...”

Kino got up abruptly and unloaded the luggage from Hermes.

She took out a pouch from inside the bag. Inside was a dirty shirt among other items.

“Cleanliness first. Are you planning to mix in with the crowd wearing a sweaty, stinky shirt?”

“*Sigh*...”

Afterwards, Kino asked if she could borrow a washing machine. She was encouraged to pay for a cleaning service, but she refused and took the machine instead.

It was already evening when all the dirty clothes were finished drying on a stretched rope inside the room.

“Good job.”

“I’m so tired.”

And then Kino ate her supper, took a shower, and immediately went to bed.

—

The next day.

Kino woke up at the crack of dawn.

She maintained all of her persuaders, practiced her quick draw exercises without making much noise, and took another shower.

She then folded and returned the completely dried clothes to the bag.

During breakfast, there were small explosive ponpon sounds heard from outside. She was told that those were signals indicating that the fireworks display will push through, since the weather remained as is.

After tapping Hermes awake, Kino went out sightseeing.

The weather was sunny. Several cotton-candy-like clouds were floating, and the intense and dazzling sunlight shined down since morning. The temperature was high, showing no signs of getting lower.

Kino and Hermes were advised to visit the government facilities at the end of the boulevard. Only a few people on holiday can be seen. Formerly religious structures, the buildings were characteristically made of wood. On the north side was a dense forest, spread to the back of which was a park and a pond. There was a stage, with a roof explaining that it was once a ‘Historic Dance Hall’.

There were long stairs along the slope, and Kino alighted from Hermes to climb it. She looked back at the scenery and saw the straight road up against the beach and the sea. The blue of the sky reflected by the sea was dark and in stark contrast with the blue of the water near the coast; it was as if there were two types of water. The horizon ran on the space between the green capes on both sides. On the cape was the tip of the walls running along the mountain ridge. Over there, a high lighthouse was built.

Kino went down the stairs, and saw that Hermes became a roost for a large number of doves in the park.

“Ah—, Kino? I don't mind if you shoot and eat these birds,” the white mass which was Hermes spoke.

—

“It’s still so hot.”

“What if you swim?”

Kino and Hermes went south the boulevard, and came out to the coast.

The road ran along the expanse of the beautiful, arched beach. The sandy coast was lined up with simple houses which had become restaurants and inns.

The beach was full of people taking a dip. Kino and Hermes stopped beside the road.

“......”

And looked at the scenery before them.

“Just what you need. Do you have a bathing suit?” Hermes said.

There were naked bathers, who seemed enjoying themselves while swimming.

After having lunch back in the hotel,

“I’ll prepare for sitting-up late.”

Kino maxed out the air-conditioner and then crawled to bed underneath several layers of blankets and comforters.

“This is the life...”

“Destined to poverty.”

“Wake me up on time.”

“Ok, ok.”

—

It was soon past noon.

Kino woke up naturally, and headed to the coast with Hermes. They rode through the boulevard and arrived at the sandy beach.

Slowly, people began to gather. Many of the stalls by the roadside were open, and colorful mats were laid out on top of the sand.

Kino gave up on the beach and parked Hermes on his center stand by the sidewalk. She sat down beside the guardrails.

As she sat down, Kino looked at the increasing number of people and waited.

As the sun slowly approached the mountains, the western sky brightened into a reddish-orange color. The huge fireball sank to the other side of the walls. The lights of the stores opened.

A number of vessels and ships were floating off the bay’s shore. Medium-sized ships with silver hulls were lined up, and large sheets were covering something bulging on the decks. Many vehicles were parked on both sides of the bay, as well as on the mountainside. As expected, there were also bulges covered by large sheets.

“They will probably be launching the fireworks from the ships and from over there.”

“I see. Kino, have you seen fireworks before?”

“It’s the first time I’ll see see something this large-scale.”

As more people gathered on the beach, the congestion on the road became less. Kino let Hermes wait for a while, and soon brought back a paper bucket the size of a flowerpot.

“What’s that?”

“It’s being sold in the stalls over there. It’s a dessert of finely crushed ice with sweet syrup and sugar-boiled beans on top. It may be risky, but it’s worth trying. It’s cold and yummy.”

Upon saying this, Kino put a big spoon of ice in her mouth.

“Ice? You better not ruin your tummy,” said Hermes.

The sun was setting. The afterglow was sucked into the western sky and vanished. The blue color began to appear under the sky, and a weak wind began to blow from the right side of the beach. The remaining heat in the road dissipated from below.

When Kino has eaten much,

“Uh,” she said with a frown.

“What’s the matter?”

“I discovered something about this.”

“What?”

“When I eat a lot of it at once, my head hurts...”

“Hah! I told you.”

—

In the thin darkness, small explosive ponpopon sounds were heard, and three white billows of smoke drifted into the air.

‘E-hem, good evening everyone. The weather is good, and there are no evening showers to worry about——’ A laid-back announcement began.

‘——Uhm—, well then, let’s begin the fireworks display.’

There was a round of applause. People wearing work clothes on top of the launch pads on top and on both sides of the ships removed the neatly tuckered sheets which were for protection from the rain.

Suddenly, the ships were set alight.

From the ships lined side-by-side, bright red grains of light bubbled up into the air. Hundreds of thousands of grains made up a red fountain in the dark sky. The sound of intermittent explosions, akin to clothes being torn apart, echoed through the beach one beat later.

Along with the audience’s applause, the grains of light continuously soared in the sky, drawing a high parabola across the sky to the other side of the sea.

Soon, the red fountain born from the ships flickered out. The column of light extended straight and sprinkled on both sides. It was like a curtain swaying in the wind.

After the lights stopped and the last grains have flown up, the lights gushed vibrantly once again. A ray of light came running across the deep purple sky in a rhythm. These also came from the ships, the slightly blurred silhouettes of which were enveloped with an intense yellow light, and was reflected in the sea for some time.

At the same time as the light from below disappeared, red streaks of light extended from the launch pads on both sides. The extremely fast grains of light flowed, intersected in the middle of the air, and drifted to the other side of the mountain.

“As expected, a large-scale fireworks display is really different,” Kino said.

“No, I think this is different from normal,” Hermes said reservedly.

“You think so?” Kino said while looking at the streaks of light running in the sky.

“Normally, you don’t use something like those in a fireworks display,” Hermes said while looking at the object on top of the ship —— a rotating, six-barreled .20mm Gatling gun firing a hundred rounds per second.

“But it’s so pretty,” Kino said while the dazzling lights were reflected from her eyes. Once again, grains of light spewed forth from below and from both sides, and intersected at a single point. A huge triangle was drawn.

And then, after consuming several ten thousand rounds, it suddenly stopped.

—

While smoke floated on the sky,

‘Please wait until we’re finished with the preparations for the next fireworks,' the announcement resounded through the beach.

Kino carried a mouthful of ice to her mouth.

The ships which fired the column of fireworks a while ago moved out of the way, and soon the bay was empty.

'Uhm—, thank you for waiting. You will witness the traditional annual underwater fireworks in a moment.'

A single ship began to cross the bay at a high speed from left to right. Round lumps were continuously rolling and falling off from its stern.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

There were big explosions in the water. A column of seawater went up with a deep orange pillar of flame in its center. The water and flame structure stayed above the sea for just a moment. Another pillar went up almost at the same time as the one before it collapsed. The evenly spaced vibrations of the explosions reached beyond the beach towards the road.

The pillars ran across the bay as if chasing the ship, which was now running from right to left. It traveled back and forth across the bay.

“Those were fuel-filled depth charges. What a waste.” Hermes’ mutterings were erased by the crowd’s applause.

—

They waited until the smoke settled again,

‘Uhm—, then, for this year’s featured fireworks, please look to your left.’ The tension-free narration said once more.

From the dark and barely visible launch pad on the left, a long and narrow flame spouted for a moment. A smokeless flame erupted towards the sky from the tail of a large cylinder. At the same time, a small smoke began to billow from the side as the cylinder started to rotate. Square boxes were closely packed like fish scales on the cylindrical body.

It went across right in front of the audience for a moment.

Bright little fireballs were released into the air in quick succession from the boxes as the cylinder rotated. The fireballs were shot from the tip to the back of the accelerating cylinder in perfect timing.

In an instant, a spiral was drawn high in the sky.

The long and enormous spiral of light spread out into full view. It stretched into the sky like a round corridor. The pupils of the audience dilated, the little openings became darker than the sky. The expecting crowd raised a cheer louder than before.

The spiral of light collapsed, but the light continued to shine, and fell from the midsummer sky like snow. The number of falling particles was doubled by the calm sea which reflected the lights like a black mirror.

Soon the snow of the sky and the sea approached each other, touched the water, and together disappeared for eternity. The beach grew quiet as the last of the particles disappeared.

The surface-to-surface missiles carrying a flare dispenser , have flown far, far away, never to come back.

—

The fireworks display continued. The intense light slowly came down while flickering and shaking in the air. In addition, hundreds of white flashes burned back. Red streaks of light came running, weaving through the shaking sky. From left and right, flares attached on parachutes, cannon shells, and rounds from Gatling guns fired on timed programming.

The sky was so bright that the beach looked as if it was daytime. Suddenly Kino looked to the left and to the right.

On the road were people watching the fireworks — families with their children, lovers, groups of friends; the memories of the day left on their happy, illuminated faces.

“......”

Kino half-rose from the guardrail, took three steps towards Hermes, and suddenly sat down on the carrier.

“What?” Hermes asked, the light being reflected from his tank.

“Ice. Do you want some?” Kino offered the bucket to Hermes.

“I'll pass, but thanks for the offer."

“You’re welcome.”

While sitting on Hermes and watching the wild dance of light particles, Kino slid down the last of the almost melted ice down her throat.

—

The wind coming from the sea blew stronger, and the chilly air began to be felt.

The crazily shining sky suddenly became quiet. Several gunshots discreetly resounded, signaling the end of the fireworks display.

People began to go home, some by foot, and some via the armored vehicle buses.

While observing the people rising from the beach, talking with smiles on their faces, and passing in front, and while listening to the sound of the sea breeze, Kino and Hermes waited for the road to get less congested.

Kino had a cup of tea in the lobby upon returning to the hotel. When the manager asked her of her impression of the fireworks display, Kino answered that it was very beautiful.

“It was very beautiful, but don’t you think using that much weapon and ammunition was very wasteful?” Hermes asked. The middle-aged manager with receding hairline was slightly surprised.

“Eh, did you not hear the reason for it?”

“No.” “Not at all.”

“Oh, then let me explain. Those were ‘gifts’," the manager said as he sat in front of Kino.

"Those were not manufactured in our country. You saw the ship didn’t you? Unmanned ships with containers on board come to the beach once a month. They always contain a variety of military weapons.”

“Were those literally gifts?” “Where did it come from?”

“We have no idea at all who sent them, and for what reason. It seems that it suddenly came more than a hundred years ago, when this country was still small. And since nobody came to take them back, well, we were just grateful and assumed that they were gifts from heaven. Eventually, we got used to receiving them."

“I get it. Those four-wheel drives and armored vehicles were ‘gifts’ too, right?”

“That’s right. Thanks to those, transportation became a breeze, and we were able to expand the country. The ships became handy in catching fish. We disassembled the containers and used them as material for buildings and walls. However, there was one problem.”

“What is it?”

"Surplus. The number of items we received was just too much. Everyone wished to have a vehicle because it was so easy to obtain them, but as a result, the roads were always congested. Also, we were building a fourth wall before we knew it. We couldn’t do anything about the increasing surplus, and the containers became a nuisance had to be thrown away in that mountain.”

“Eh? Those weren’t traps for defense?” Hermes asked, surprised, and the manager shook his head.

“Definitely not. There’s no need for such measures. Up to now, this country has never been attacked, not even once. To begin with, this country doesn’t even have an army. It’s because there’s not a single country close by.”

“That’s why there was also an excess of weapons,” said Kino.

“That’s right. Whether it be missiles, or machine guns, or bombs; a lot of these ridiculous things were included. For a while, we discarded them to the mountain in the country’s outskirts along with the other trash, but there was a time when a lightning bolt caused a big explosion, and there was an outrageous uproar. We had no choice but to consume them all by firing them off to the sea, but that time, we were flooded with complaints about the noise.”

“So the fireworks display was—,” Hermes said.

“Exactly. We changed our way of thinking. One year, a lot of people gathered to watch the weapons being violently consumed. We solved our problem, killing two birds with one stone. Now, we have a festival to represent this country, something that everybody can look forward to. It becomes flashier year after year. Even now, I’m looking forward for next year’s display.”

—

The next morning. In other words, the third morning since Kino entered the country.

Kino left from the western wall. Once again, she went through the forest road.

She was soon a long way off from the country, between the green forest and the blue sky, in the middle of climbing a steep slope.

“Ah, someone’s there,” Hermes said. Kino released the accelerator.

They were on the mountain’s summit. There was no visibility among the trees. Over there were people in green.

They were wearing green camouflage uniforms, green hats, and their faces and hands were painted green. They were carrying out luggage from the forest to a small four-wheel-drive vehicle on the side of the road.

“Oh, hi there,” one person said, surprised upon seeing Kino and Hermes.

Kino returned the greeting and cut off Hermes’ engine.

“Are you a traveler? You must have been to that country,” one of the men said. They were resting their hands, sitting on packing boxes placed under the shadows.

“Then, you must have seen it last night?”

Kino nodded. The man continued.

“Our group came from a country in the north to monitor that. Because it is being held on the same day every year.”

“Monitor?” “It’s not a ‘field trip’, is it?” Kino and Hermes asked. The man shook his head.

“It’s for surveillance. Our mission, that is, the military's, is to observe neighboring countries’ movements. ——That country was the most frightening and the most alarming we’ve seen. Year after year, it spends an exorbitant amount of ammunition for military exercises. You must understand since you’ve seen it with your own eyes.”

“Well, that might be the case...” Kino said so, and gave a small nod.

“They’re definitely a threat. It’s a strong country with massive walls to protect it, in addition to having large amounts of weapons and ammunition in stock.... We can't help but fear the moment when that country comes to attack u. Right now there are no signs of such intent, but we will never let off our guard. That’s why we always come to watch their military exercises."

“I see. Good job, working under this terrible heat.”

The men returned a bitter smile to Hermes’ remark.

“We’re already used to it. ——We’ll be coming next year as well.”

—

Upon parting with the men, Kino and Hermes continued to run along the seemingly endless forest road, in the hot and humid air.

Just as the road was running on the east-west direction, Kino lowered the brim of her hat. Right then, the forest’s greenery created just the right amount of shade.

“The fireworks were beautiful, weren’t they?” Hermes said, and Kino nodded.

“Yup. As I thought, large-scale ones are really different.”

“That was not normal, you know?”

“Yeah. But since it was so pretty, it’s good one way or another.”

“Oh, well.”

The luggage-laden motorrad ran through the forest dominated by the sound of crickets.

Translator's Notes

It's Weapons 101 here....

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