Kino no Tabi:Volume9 Chapter3
“An Author’s Journey” —Editor’s Travels—[edit]
“You don’t need to hold back! Eat some more! If this is not enough, I’ll order more right away. —I also traveled, so I know. During your travel in between countries, you barely eat anything, don’t you? You only consume those nutrient-rich, but tasteless portable rations, or fish sprinkled with salt, or boiled grass. I’m sure it has been a long time since you’ve eaten such a wonderful barbecue full-course meal, right?”
“Well yeah, that’s right… It has truly been a long time.”
“On the road, Kino kept on grumbling about food. She said she would eat a wonderful meal once she arrived in a country.”
“That’s why you should eat up as much as you want today. Keep me company until morning! It’s my treat! You don’t have to worry about anything, Kino.”
“Isn’t that great, Kino?”
“Of course, like I promised, I’ll also buy new oil, tires, chain, plugs, and all those other exhaust parts for Hermes! Leave it to me!”
“Thank you, miss. —Hey Kino, thank her too.”
“Thank you very much. Well, I’ll let you treat me then…but I have nothing to give you in return.”
“You only have to tell me various stories about your travels so far. Come on, let’s eat!”
“—So, that’s all I can tell you about the countries I came across east from here. But it doesn’t mean that I have seen everything from those countries… Was that helpful?”
“Yup, it was. Thanks. —Isn’t this meat delicious? Let’s order another plate. And some drinks too. In this restaurant, all you need is a push of a button to order something, and then it comes out immediately. —Here we go.”
“Sure…”
“Miss, you’re really rich, aren’t you?”
“Well that’s true. I’m a best-selling author, you know. Even now, my book is getting reprints, so money comes in even if I don’t do anything. Oh, here comes the meat. Eat up, eat up!”
“Oh, thanks. I’ll dig in. —But, was what you said before true? That you were originally a traveler like me?”
“Yes that’s right. —It has been more than a year since I came to this country. Before that, I stayed for about half a year in various countries that I visited.”
“You’re a genuine traveler, huh? Well, why?”
“Hmm, this country suited me for some reason. Ah, your question must be, ‘Why a traveler like me became an author in this country?’ eh?”
“Yes. Will you tell us?”
“The reason is simple. Because my book sells here. You must have seen the books being sold in the bookstores with my name and portrait on them, right?”
“We saw it. Piles of them.”
“I did. In fact, I read it after seeing the book in the hotel where it’s apparently being strongly recommended…”
“Why thanks. Well, how was it?”
“It was interesting…I enjoyed it very much. Everyone in the hotel also said that it was interesting.”
“Yeah? I’m so glad. I’m truly happy hearing the readers’ sincere feedbacks!”
“But…um, I don’t know if it’s okay to say this…”
“Hmm? No one’s listening, so it’s okay.”
“Don’t say it, Kino. This place is for parting.”
“…?”
“Could it be, that what Hermes wanted to say was ‘partying’?”
“Yeah, that’s it! So impressive, miss!”
“Hermes…”
“Well it doesn’t matter. Don’t say it, Kino.”
“Please do.”
“Then I’ll say it. —That story, I have read it before in another country. From what I remember, the author was not you.”
“Yeah. —And then?”
“Save for the name of the characters, the customs that do not exist in this country…and the language, it was completely identical.”
“Well, what were your thoughts about it, Kino?”
“Since you were a traveler, it is not totally impossible that you have published that book there with a different name in the past…but if I had to say, I don’t think that’s the case—”
“Please continue.”
“Okay. In the end, this is what I thought. —You have read and copied that book, and then you published it in this country as your ‘own novel’.”
“Excellent! Yes, you realized it! Correct! Spot on!”
“Eh?”
“Wha—?”
“Why are you so surprised? It’s just as you say, Kino.”
“Uh…”
“Is that okay? Confessing it just like that.”
“It’s fine! No one’s listening after all.”
“…”
“…”
“If the two of you leave tomorrow without saying anything, then that’s already settled.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
“What if we tell?”
“The bill for all of this food will be on Kino. And the plans for Hermes’ refurbishment will be but a dream.”
“Don’t say anything, Kino. —Don’t say a word.”
“I’m not gonna tell, Hermes.”
“I thought so. That’s because you are travelers. I know that you won’t do anything that would put you in a disadvantage.”
“Then…just as I thought…”
“Indeed. Of my books, there’s not a single one that I have written on my own.”
“Not even one?”
“Not even one. —You see, initially, I escaped my country because I thought I would live my whole life in boredom until I die. But the tough diet during travels and the impoverished life inside countries were even worse! I couldn’t even celebrate after selling up the things I found on my travels. And that’s when it struck me.”
“Uh-huh?”
“After all, if you visit various countries, earning money from things that can be easily obtained in one country, but rare in another country is something any traveler knows, and does. But I thought, ‘Was there something out of these that I can reap the highest profit from?’”
“And that is…books?”
“Yes! For other objects, once you’ve sold one, that’s it. No matter how expensive it was. —But books are different. Even if it’s just one book, if it becomes popular, there will be earnings from reprints.”
“Indeed, you’ll reap a profit from that.”
“Isn’t it? I decided to do this kind of work. I read every book that I could lay my hands on from a certain country, piled up all the books I thought interesting on my horse, and headed to the next country. Over there I would look for a bookstore and find out what kind of book would sell. Then from my collection of books, I would choose one that is not known in that country—one that would sell—and copy everything.”
“And then you would send it to a publisher?”
“Yes, I would bring it in and say something like, ‘Please read it. It was something I wrote during my travels.’”
“I see, I see.”
“Of course, I didn’t expect everything to go well at the beginning. In the first place, a high quality translation is necessary for it to be published. In the end, I can only try one or two books. At first they wouldn’t sell, so I purchase books once more and head to the next country, and do the same thing.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And then?”
“Gradually, I learned ‘What story would sell in this country’, ‘What would appeal to most of the people in this country’, and so on. I studied them. —After that, it’s an easy victory! I would choose the best books from my collection and make my debut as an author! I’ll profit from the earnings and enjoy a lavish lifestyle. Once I got bored of a country, I would be sent off with tears from everyone and go to the next country. It’s such a wonderful life.”
“Have you been doing this for a long time?”
“Let’s see. It’s been about ten years, I suppose?” I already forgot. But—”
“But?”
“My everyday life is so much fun.”
“Must be. I bet it’s far from Kino’s life of poverty— Ouch!”
“It’s not that I’m criticizing you… But aren’t you deceiving the publishers and the readers with this?”
“It’s all right. Regardless of the kind of country you’re in, the readers are always being fooled. None of them realize that they’re being deceived. People who don’t think they’re being fooled are not being fooled at all. —More than that, everyone’s happy with reading such interesting books. I receive tons of fan letters saying ‘I was very impressed!’ or ‘It was such a wonderful book!’ or ‘I’m glad I’ve read this book!’ If it were not for me, they wouldn’t be able to read these books. I believe I’m doing everyone a favor.”
“I see… Well, what about the publisher? I think it’s quite clear that they are being made to publish a ‘plagiarized work’?”
“Ah, that’s also perfectly okay, that I can say for certain.”
“Why?”
“Of course I didn’t say a thing to them, and they wouldn’t say anything either, because—”
“Because?”
“Because?”
“Why obviously, it’s because they found out about my trick already.”
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