The earth was an assortment of colors.

The mountains were comprised of numerous, gently sloping highlands. Its summit, valleys, and spurs were all buried under forests rich in plant life. The yellow and crimson mingled with the thick green color of the leaves, creating a mosaic pattern.

A light blue color pervaded the high, almost transparent sky. There was not a single cloud in it.

And amidst the various trees in the forests shedding their autumn foliage was a lone road.

The road of packed earth was softly canopied with fallen leaves. It sewed its way through the mountain in repeating, up and down curves.

On this path ran a single motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly). The fallen leaves danced away as though disturbed by waves caused by a passing ship. The motorrad slowly traced its path through the road that was abound with curves.

The rider of the motorrad was around her mid-teens. She had big eyes and a fearless expression on her face. She was dressed in a brown coat, the excess hem of which was rolled up to her thighs, and had on a brimmed hat with ear flaps, fixed by the band of her goggles so it would not get blown away by the wind.

Behind her seat was a carrier rack, on which a big bag was tied. Below it was the rear wheel flanked by two boxes.

“To be honest, Hermes,” the rider broke the silence as she rode. “The place we’re heading to has a bit… no, has a pretty bad reputation among travelers.”

“Really?” the motorrad called Hermes replied, rather surprised.

“I was told before: ‘It’s not just unsociability, it’s pure coldness towards outsiders,’ or ‘The concept of ‘hospitality’ doesn’t exist in that country,’ or ‘No matter how hard I try, I couldn’t think of it as a good place,’ or ‘They’re probably under the impression that they are the greatest.’”

“……”

“‘You’ll get sick of their unfriendliness,’ or ‘The children will throw stones at you,’ or ‘The stores put the shutters up when a traveler comes, or tell you that they’re out of stock,’ or ‘There’s nothing but terrible food,’ or ‘Be careful you don’t get overcharged.’”

“……”

“‘They make you wait for one day before they let you in,’ or ‘They believe that all travelers are bad,’ or ‘They won’t even point you to a hotel; you’re better off camping out,’ or ‘I don’t want to get near that country ever again,’ or ‘That kind of country should disappear!’”

“……”

“When I told them I’d like to go see it, they all advised me to stop.”

A light smile drifted on the rider’s lips as she finished. Then Hermes asked, unable to hide his shock, “…And yet you would still go, Kino? Even though there are other roads to choose from? Even if you’re free to decide?”

The rider called Kino answered with a smile. “That’s exactly why. I’m really interested to know what kind of country would get that much bad-mouthing. Besides, things may be a little better now.”

“Okay. What if there’s no change at all?”

“That’s fine. We can complain about it once we’re out of the country,” Kino said decisively.

“Well, I suppose so,” Hermes muttered.


—

Eventually, the road became rugged and winding. The path running up the mountain turned into repetitive steep curves.

When Kino looked below, she could clearly see the road they have run through, bordered by the trees.

Soon the road reached its peak. Kino stopped Hermes.

The road beyond the spur becomes downhill. On the right, the ridge lines culminate into the mountain summit. A magnificent U-shaped valley stretched up to the spur of the other side of the mountain. Within it, a country surrounded by round, gray walls could be seen vaguely.

“The view sure is nice,” Hermes expressed his admiration.

“Yeah. But from here we can’t tell if the hearts of the people living there is just as beautiful.”

“Right. Well, let’s go. It may turn out to be very memorable; a country you wouldn’t forget for the rest of your life,” Hermes teased, and Kino smiled.

“That would be great.”

The motorrad descended the gentle slopes.


—

Right before the tightly shut gates, several soldiers carrying long, rifle-type persuaders (Note: A gun) were waiting for Kino and Hermes.

Kino muttered as she slowed down. “Let’s see if they’ll let us in easily.”

“What will you do if they don’t, Kino?”

Kino stopped in front of the gate. She cut the engine and dismounted Hermes. While taking off her goggles, Kino approached the guards, who were scrutinizing Kino and Hermes with stern expressions.

When Kino was about to say her greetings,

“How many days are you planning to spend here?” A brusque question suddenly came from one of the soldiers.

“Oh, just as the rumors say?” Hermes muttered out of earshot.

“Three days. That is, I would like to stay until the day after tomorrow.”

With Kino’s reply, the tension from the soldier’s faces disappeared, replaced by a calm smile. They looked at each other for a moment. Then they stood in attention and saluted to Kino and Hermes with flawless gestures.

The one who seemed to be their commanding officer spoke with utmost courtesy. “We welcome you to our country. Your visit greatly honors us.”

“……”

Kino was stunned for a moment, then took off her hat. “Good day. I am Kino, and this here is Hermes,” Kino greeted, and at last the soldiers lowered their hands.

“Miss Kino, Hermes, come this way please.”

The commanding officer guided Kino and Hermes not towards the guardroom, but to the gate. Kino, who was again taken by surprise, asked, “What about the immigration procedures? Like inspecting my things, or something?”

“It’s not necessary. We consider that very rude, and will only be done if you are actually suspected of a crime,” the officer said, still smiling. One of the soldiers entered the guardroom, and soon, the gate slowly rose. “Please go ahead. We have to stay outside the gates because of our duties. There should be someone waiting inside, so don’t hesitate to ask anything there.”

With the saluting soldiers behind, Kino pushed Hermes along and passed through the thick walls.

Hermes began, “That was a bit disappointing. Maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere?”

“Nope, that can’t be,” Kino denied. The inner gates began to open before their eyes.


—

Upon passing through the inner gates, Kino and Hermes came out to the town’s main street.

Right in front of the gates was a park where several people have gathered. When they saw Kino, they gave her a warm welcome and expressed their appreciation for her visit.

More and more people gathered as Kino replied to their greetings, and soon, Kino and Hermes became the center of a throng of people. All of them were smiling, uttering words of welcome simultaneously. As for people who glared, or throw stones, there were none.

With a repressed exclamation, Hermes spoke so that only Kino would hear. “We’ve come to a different country! I’m sure of it!”

“That can’t be… probably.” Kino paused, and addressed the crowd. “Thank you very much. I was not expecting such a big welcome, so I’m a bit surprised. But um… there’s something I would like to ask.”

Everybody hushed to catch what Kino was going to say. With a nervous tone, Kino asked whether they knew a hotel with a shower and space for Hermes inside; one that doesn’t charge so much.

The people began to argue among themselves as to which place would suit Kino’s criteria. At that moment, a girl’s voice was heard from the back of the assembly.

“Our place is like that!”

The crowd parted, and a girl quickly came up front. She was around eleven or twelve, with short hair and big eyes.

The people stopped arguing, and focused their attention on the girl. The girl gave a springy bow, and introduced herself to Kino. “Hello, miss traveler. I’m Sakura.”

“Hi there. I’m Kino, and this here is my partner, Hermes,” Kino replied with a smile, and Hermes greeted with a ‘hello’.

Sakura looked straight at Kino, clasped her hands in front of her, and asked, “My parents run a hotel just over there. I’m sure you’ll like it. What do you say?”

Kino was surprised, and her expression clouded for a moment.

“Please be our guide.”

“Yeah. We’ll leave it to you.”

Hearing Kino and Hermes’ replies, Sakura smiled and nodded energetically.

“Sure!”


—

With Sakura’s guidance, Kino walked, pushing Hermes beside her.

Along the way, she took off her jacket and hung it on Hermes’ carrier. Kino wore a black jacket fastened with a belt on the waist. On her right thigh was a holster containing the revolver-type hand persuader she called ‘Canon’.

“Say, Miss Kino,” Sakura looked up at Kino and began a conversation.

“Hm?”

“Isn’t the name ‘Kino’ wonderful? It’s short, sounds nice, and easy to pronounce.”

“Thanks. I also thought that way a long time ago.”

Kino’s reply made Sakura look puzzled. “A long time ago? What about now?”

Kino laughed and turned her gaze towards Sakura.

“I still think so. It’s a nice name after all. But ‘Sakura’ also sounds good, what does it mean?”

Sakura replied, looking embarrassed, “It’s the name of a flower that blooms in spring. It’s a pretty flower with a pink color.”

“Oh…” was Kino’s short response. This time, Sakura slightly pouted.

“But you know, my friends always make fun of me and call me names like ‘Nekura’ or ‘Okura’. It’s so annoying.”[2]

“……”

Kino fell silent and her eyes stared into space.

“What’s wrong, Kino?” Hermes asked, and Kino gave a quick reply.

“Nothing.” Then added, “It’s not something I can explain.”


—

Kino and Hermes soon arrived at the hotel.

It was not too big, but it was thoroughly clean inside and out.

The young couple at the front desk greeted Kino and Hermes. “Welcome. It’s really been a long time since we had visitors from outside the country.”

“These are my parents. They manage this hotel, and also serve as the tour guides for this area. And I am their apprentice,” Sakura said. Kino bowed with a smile and introduced Hermes.

“Let’s see, what room would you like?” As Sakura’s mother asked Kino, Sakura nimbly looked into the ledger and suggested, “Is that ground floor room with the wide door available?” Her mother nodded. “Then let’s give them that room so that Hermes can go in and out easily.”

Sakura led Kino and Hermes to the room. Just as she said, it has plenty of space for Hermes to go through, and convenient, for they need not change direction when going out, as it has another door that they could use. When Sakura asked about her impression of the room, Kino replied that it was more than satisfactory.

“It’s almost lunch, so please go to the dining hall. It’s at the right side of the front desk, a door with a big berry drawn on it.”

“Thank you. I’ll follow right away.”

After Sakura left, Hermes spoke to Kino who was taking down the luggage from the carrier. “It’s very different from the rumors.”

“You bet. I was surprised, too.”

Hermes dropped his tone a little, and spoke seriously. “Say, Kino. What if after this good service, their treatment suddenly becomes completely the opposite. With that gap, the traveler will hit rock bottom out of frustration."

“I wonder if they would make such an elaborate scheme…. Well, that’s fine. I’ll go eat lunch. After that, let’s go around the town. Maybe it’s just as you say, Hermes,” Kino said with a wry smile, and left the room.