I hear the weird sounds that a motorcycles is making, it sounds like a roaring lion. It's the first time I heard this, so I look at the motorcycles for dozens of seconds.

"Get on it."

I imitate the cool girl with a hooded snowsuit and overpants that covered up to the tip of her shoes, and got on the back of the motorcycles. She wore a furred hat and yellow single-lens goggles. A face warmer extended from her neck up, covering her face.

Suddenly I hear those weird sounds again, but now it sounds like a lion trying to jump at you. And the motorcycles move forward with a stunning speed.

"Wow!!"

I was amazed at the first time I experience a motorcycles running.

"Oh... Kino-san, it feels like everything is moving backwards."

The trees, the shops, the buildings, and other motorcycles are all moving back so fast. I know that they are not really moving back, but this is kinda new.

"Elaina-san, don't you feel the same when you fly with your broom?"

"It was not this fast, and it was more like everything is getting smaller and smaller."

"...I think I can understand that. It was similar to the time when I flew a helicopter."

"... What is it like flying a helicopter?"

"Blood. Blood is all around."

"..."

We rode through swarms of weird moving metallic boxes – ah, I mean cars – Kino told me about it. I gotta ask her about how they work later.

"Ah, not human blood. The blood of buffaloes. They were chasing me."

"... Oh... Why were buffaloes chasing you?"

"I don't know. I think that particular species of buffaloes like the gunpowder smell. They seem to gather at my bullets. I'm not sure though."

"I think you're pretty awesome. You know how to fly helicopters and motorcycles, and you can even escape buffaloes, right?"

Out of the blue, I hear a boyish voice from below.

"You can't fly a motorcycles, you only ride them. But I agree, Kino is awesome. And cool."

I remember that this metallic horse – ah, motorcycles – can talk. But I can't remember his name. What was it...?

"Hermi-san, you were travelling with Kino for really long, didn't you."

"It's not Hermi! It's Hermes!!"

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"Hermi sounds cute though. Maybe I should call you Hermi from now on?"

"Don't you join her to bully me, Kino!!"

We all laughed at that stupid joke. Our laughing sound mixed with the wind and the roaring of other metallic horses.

We just rode along that beautiful street, lined with tall trees on both sides.

"I love this kind of straight street which leads to the horizon."

"Me too. I wish there was a straight street which will never end."

"That's right. I think there is no such street though."

"Why, Kino-san?"

"It's just like life, Elaina-chan. Things just won't work out that way. At some point your way will just get turned to God-know-what on another curvy street. It can't just be straightforward forever."

"... Maybe you're just thinking too much, Kino-san. I can make a straight road out of thin air if you really like it."

"I bet the road you make is not as nice and comfortable for me to run like this one." Hermes just jumped into our conversation.

"... Maybe later, I need a plan first." I frowned. "Do you think that your thinking is kinda negative, Kino-san?"

"The world is not beautiful."

"..."

"Therefore it is."

As I think deeply about her saying, Kino just stopped next to a bread stall. It reads "Bánh mì đặc ruột thơm bơ" on the board.

"I remembered that you like bread." Kino smiled at me while she walked to the stall. It is filled with some meat, cucumber and mysterious white circular food in the front. Some nice-looking bread which resembles Baguettes is orderly spread on the top.

"What kind of bread is this?"

Kino paid for it and threw a bánh mì to me. "My favourite kind of bread."

Does Kino think her favorite kind of bread is also my favorite kind of bread, or what?

I digged it anyway, and it's super delicious!

It's crunchy on the outside, and the meat is super tender. The mysterious white circular food tastes like meatballs.

"You were looking at the chả lụa for a long time. Do you like it?"

I realized that the circular thing is chả lụa. I nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, it's delicious."

"Glad you like it." Kino told me while eating her portion.

"I wanna share this with Hermi-chan, but he can't eat right?"

"I'm not Hermi, and I can't eat."

"The only thing Hermi can eat is petroleum." Kino kicks Hermes.

"That HURTS!"

We all laughed.

We just enjoy the nice weather and the clouds for a while.

For some reasons, Kino is looking at the sky, she looks kinda sad.

"Kino-san..."

I was about to ask her "What's wrong?" but she already said something.

"I didn't answer your question yet."

"Huh? Which question?"

"The question about awesomeness." Hermes told me.

"Ah, that one."

"Actually I'm not awesome. Sometimes I just feel that I'm a really bad person."

"What makes you think so?"

"I don't know, I just can't get that thought out of my head."

"I don't know how you treat other people, Kino-san. But you treated me so nicely. I bet you treat Hermes nicely too. That's all I need to consider you a good friend."

"I totally agree." Hermes said.

Kino just looks at me kinda blankly.

"You don't need to know what kind of things these hands have done?"

"You can tell me later. Make sure it's a good story." I just smiled.

Kino smiled after seeing my smile. "You're so interesting, Elaina-chan."

On the clear sky, some flocks of birds were flying over our eyesight, heading to a faraway place.

〇

I try to remember the moment that we first met.

The sky was boundless like any other day, and there was a vast flower field below as I was flying to a certain country.

Suddenly, I heard a loud noise. It sounds like something exploding, but it was not similar to anything that I've heard.

I headed to the direction of the sound, and I saw a person holding a metallic tube in her arm. She wore a furred hat and yellow single-lens goggles, standing next to a weird metallic vehicle which looks like a horse. She seens to be dead serious, and the tube is aimed at a shooting target hung on the tree.

Suddenly I heard a loud noise again, and the tube is jolted up as she holds it with both arms. The red circle in the target got a hole in it!

So that tube... can really shoot something? Is this some kind of magic? I have never seen such a thing before. I have seen archers practicing by shooting targets, but it's not like she's using any arrow.

Fueled by curiosity, I flew towards the shooting target. I would like to see what was being fired at the target...

The girl just looks at me and point the tube to me.

Is she trying to attack me?

Instinctively, I drew my wand to point at her. I don't know what was being fired, but I can make ice to block it or something.

We just stand still for 3 seconds.

"What are you doing?"

The mysterious girl broke the silence.

"Uhh... I heard loud noises of some interesting magic here, so I just came to watch it..."

I just told her with all my honesty.

"... Magic? Do you mean my persuader?"

"... Is that a persuader?"

"Yeah, it's a kind of gun. You never saw a gun? It can shoot bullets and it makes loud sounds."

"... Oh... So you don't shoot arrows, but you shoot bullets instead."

"... Yes. Are you... a witch? Like those witches in books."

"... Yeah, like witches in Adventure of Nike."

"... I think I read it when I was a little child. But I never saw real witches."

"... I never saw these persuaders too. They are not in books."

This conversation is just weird, but it's kinda exciting at the same time. The mysterious girl has a really indifferent tone of speaking, but I can tell that she is kinda excited too, I don't know why.

And I kinda feel... that we are somehow alike.

"... So can you shoot fireballs or something? Just like books."

"Not fireballs I guess, I'm not good at shooting fireballs, but I can shoot icicles."

"... Oh. Could you shoot s...?"

I was shooting an icicle before the mysterious girl could finish her sentence. My icicle didn't hit the red circle, but it was quite close. It was shattered on contact and made some nice sound like glass breaking.

"... Wow, that was beautiful. I never saw such a magnificient magic."

"Thank you."

I tried several times to hit the red circle, but I couldn't.

"Are you trying to hit the red circle?"

The mysterious girl holds her persuader up and shoot the red circle. The bullet was spot on, right at the center of the red circle.

"Awesome. Your magic is better than mine."

"... A gun is not magic. It's just gunpowder that made it work."

"I don't really understand, but gunpowder is quite good. I can't hit such a small target with magic."

"But your magic is beautiful."

"Thank you" I smiled.

"My name is Kino. And you?" Kino smiled.

"My name is Elaina, The Ashen Witch." I smiled at her.

"Then I guess I am Kino, the traveler." Kino put her gun into the gun holder.

"You are also a traveler?"

"Yes. Elaina-san is also a traveler?"

"That's right."

"I guess we have the same fate then." Kino smiled. "I'm sorry for pointing the gun at you. It was just a habit since I met lots of dangers in the past."

"Oh, It's no problem, I'm also sorry for pointing my wand at you."

Kino just smiled.

"When I looked at you, I instantly thought that we have something in common."

"..."

"Somehow I feel that we would eventually meet sooner or later."

A relaxing strong wind blows, making my hair and Kino's cape fly in the wind.

"I also feel the same, Kino."

The strong wind just keep blowing at we look into each other's eyes.

"Hermes-kun, can you work right now?"

Kino just broke the silence by talking to someone. I looked around to find that person, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Not really, Kino. I need another flatter surface."

I hear a boyish voice from somewhere. Wait, it was from... the metallic vehicle??

"Is that... horse talking?"

"I'm no horse, I'm a motorcycles."

The metallic horse – no, motorcycles replied to me. I guess I'm not even surprised anymore...

"This is a motorcycles, it can move around if you feed petroleum to it. Similar to how you feed grass to horses."

"Oh... and it got stuck here because it broke its legs or something?"

"My tires are not my legs, but yes, it's not inflated enough."

"We need to move Hermes to the road, but it's too heavy so I decided to rest here for a while."

"Oh... I can move him to the road for you."

"Really? Can you do that?"

"It's actually quite easy for me."

I just go ahead and lift Hermes to the air.

"Wow... awesome. Thank you, Elaina-chan."

"In exchange, could Hermes carry me into the city? I would like to try riding you."

"Deal. Perfect." Hermes replied bluntly.

I just kept moving Hermes to the road as I hope for a new exciting journey.

"Magic is so convenient." Kino looks at Hermes.

〇

Hermes is still running happily, and we are still letting our soul flow with the wind.

"Hey Kino, Hermes, what is that?"

I point at a funny store with a giant eye in front of a good-looking machine.

"That's a camera shop. Do you like it, Elaina-chan?"

"What is a camera?"

Kino stopped by the camera shop.

"A tool for capturing moments. Just like this." Kino use her thumbs and index fingers to form a rectangle. "You can't return to a moment that has passed in the past, but you can save it as a photo."

"I don't really understand, but it sounds great. There are a lot of moments that I wanna save."

"What kind of moments, miss?" The guy at the camera shop happily show me a camera.

"I don't need something this big. A traveler model will do." Kino told him.

"... Are you actually buying one, Kino?"

"I've planned to buy one for a long time, but things got complicated."

Kino already paid for it.

"What about me taking a nice shot of these pretty ladies?" The shopkeeper asked us with the most friendly smile.

"Sure." Kino smiled. "Elaina-chan, make a pose."

"Ehhh? What are we gonna do?"

"Just hold your wand like that time when you were about to fry me."

"It was more like freezing you instead, but I already apologized."

"I won't apologize. I'll shoot you." Kino smirked and take her gun off.

"Nice shot! Misses!" Before I realized it, Shopkeeper seems to be done with his job. He shows us the photo.

"Ohhh.... This is me and you, Kino-san!"

"And you really look like you're gonna freeze me. Good job. Good acting."

"This... this is awesome. How long can we keep this photo?"

"I don't know, as long as you can keep the camera... and it's not broken, I guess?"

"Is there any way to make it into a painting? I have some paintings that I keep as memento."

Most of the paintings are from Mikaze-san (All-Knowing God) though.

"Hey Shopkeeper, can you print this?"

"Sure, but it will take some time. Don't you want to go around the city and take more photos?"

"That's fine. Thank you, Shopkeeper."

Kino gives me the camera and walks out of the shop.

"Ehh? Why do you give it to me?"

"Just hold it."

We get on the motorcycles and get going.

"Hey Kino, where are we going?"

"We're going to a place you'll like."

"What kind of reply is that?"

"Ehehehe."

"Hey Hermes, does Kino talk like this to everyone?"

"Not to me and strangers, at least."

"So I'm the only one who won't get correct answers?"

"I guess so. But I understand that Kino is just... really relaxed around you. I never heard her talking like that before."

"..."

"How should I put this... You gals are born for each other?"

"..."

I blush really hard for no reason. And I don't know what to say.

The road that Kino takes is leading underground, it's getting quite dark. Kino turned on the lights on Hermes (such a convenient feature), but I feel that it's not bright enough, so I made some fireflies which follow us.

"You really know how to make a romantic scene, Elaina-chan."

For some reasons, I blush even harder after hearing Kino's words.

"I didn't have that intention at all."

Kino just laughed.

Under the warm lights of fireflies, we reach a kind of ice cave. There seem to be a thick layer of permafrost here, and the ground is slippery. We can see lots of icicles hanging from the ceilings and the walls. It's astonishingly beautiful.

Kino parked Hermes at the entrance and jumped down the ice. She just rolls on it, her hands stretched around.

"Hyaaah."

She makes a satisfying sound as she enjoys herself.

I just imitate her after taking off my cape. My skin got on the ice. This is a little cold, but it feels so refreshing.

"Hyaahh."

"Ehhh? It's not fair. I wanna try that too."

"You can't, Hermes. You would just lose balance because you are too heavy, and you'd fall on the ice and break it."

What Kino said made perfect sense.

"I think I can still help Hermes enjoy this though."

I just lifted Hermes up and tilt him sideway with magic like before. Then I gently control him to rest on the ice.

"Thank you, Elaina-chan. This is actually refreshing."

"... Hey Kino-san."

"Hai?"

"Why did you give me the camera?"

Kino said nothing and gently stand up.

"I just wanna know the image of mine in your eyes."

She started walking around. Now I understand, so I take out the camera. It was hard to shoot her while she was walking, but I think I did well.

Kino returned to my place and look at the photo.

"It looks really lonely."

"I guess so. You're cool, distant and lonely."

Kino just looks at the photo for a while.

"Now it's your turn, Kino." I hand the camera over.

Kino just smiled and take it. I would like a nicer photo, so I jumped on my broom and fly around.

Kino didn't complain about it at all. She catches up with me super fast. I have a feeling that she have done this for so long. Maybe it's because she's so good at pointing her gun?

I wanted to see the photo, but Kino just hides it.

"You can't see this right now. Please wait for a while." Kino let out a mysterious smirk.

"... Okay..."

"I wonder what kind of secret is in those photos... maybe pantsu shots?" Hermes playfully teased me. And I swiftly kicked him.

〇

We get out of the cave and find an inn to rest for tonight. It was a long day, and Kino told us that there is nothing interesting at night.

To save some money, we decided to get just one room. Hermes warned Kino not to do anything funny with me, and I don't understand what he implies at all.

Kino takes out the googles and the cape, I tried holding them and they're quite heavy!

"Don't you feel troublesome when you wear these heavy stuff all the time, Kino?"

"Oh it's actually nothing compared to my guns."

She gave me the guns, they are ten times heavier than my wand!

"Wow... and you were moving these guns just like toys."

"I used to handle sniper rifles, and these are like flowers compared to them."

"What about the camera? Are the photos kinda heavy?"

"They're not heavy... they are just digital files."

"Digital files?"

"They are not real. That's why you need to print them out, or you risk losing them."

"Better let me see those photos before we really lose them."

"I can never escape you, Elaina-chan."

I don't really understand Kino's words, but I look at the photos anyway.

"This is..."

I don't know how to describe them. They are photos of mine flying to a large space of ice. There are always light in the place that I was heading, in front of me.

"This is freedom."

Kino waited for me to choose the right word. She nodded.

"You're right. A beautiful girl who is free."

"Aren't you also free, Kino-san?"

"No, Elaina-san. I'm not free from my own sin."

"..."

"No matter what I do, my sinful past is the truth. I'm just awful. And I can't escape it." Kino looks really sad.

"You're not awful, Kino-san. You're really beautiful." I hold Kino's cheeks and look into her eyes.

"I'm not beautiful."

"You're not beautiful. Therefore you are. I mean I love all your imperfections."

What am I saying? I don't even understand what I say! And I blush extremely hard!

Kino seem to be surprised, but she smiles afterwards.

And Kino kissed me.

...

What???

I... I never expected this!

She freely discovers everything in my mouth with her tongue, like a motorcycles running all over a flower field.

Her lips were soft and salty. It tastes like the sea.

Our tongues intertwined with each other, as if they have been waiting for this moment from the start.

She was not forceful, but she couldn't hide her passion either. However I don't feel that she needs me. It feels like she can leave me any moment, which makes me sad when I think about it. But how can I think like that if I am always ready to leave other persons, as a traveler who can't make any real bonds?

After eating all of me, she slowly look into my eyes.

"Can I take that as a confession?"

"... What?"

"I mean I love all your imperfections. Those words."

"... No. Your imperfections are not you."

"... I believe my imperfections are me."

"... I don't know. It's up to you."

I never thought that I would be in this state. This is so weird. I have never been more troubled in my life.

While I am super embarrassed, Kino just hold my waist and lift me up like a princess. It feels weird. I heard that this is a dream of every girl, but shouldn't the holder be a prince on a white hourse?

She gently put me on the bed.

"Kino-san..."

Kino looks at me.

"Care to explain the sins you committed?"

"... Once I visited a really wonderful village. The best one I have ever went to."

"The people are so nice to me. They welcomed me like a person they loved for a long time, although it's the first time we met."

"They gave me a letter and told me that I cannot read it right then. And I have to leave on time."

"I was so stupid for obeying them. Intuition told me that this letter holds a dark secret, so I didn't dare to read it early. The volcano erupted on the whole village."

"You feel sin because you could have saved someone if you read it sooner?"

"Yes."

"If you are sinful then I am also sinful."

Kino just looks at me with surprised eyes.

"Once I have met a group of hunters, who are trying to catch monsters. They hope to sell them and save the elders in the village. But I visited that village before. No one survives there. The monsters killed all of them because they lost their natural habitat."

"So what did you do? Did you tell them that?"

"I didn't do anything. I thought that they could just keep living with hope for a while."

"It's not your fault, and you can't do anything."

"Those hunters probably would get executed because of their crime. I could have come with them and told them the truth. But I realized that too late, after several months."

"..."

"I think it's not my fault, and I just decided to live for myself. That's not a sin, Kino. There is a saying: "If you don't live for yourself, Heaven and Earth destroy you."

"But I even felt relieved."

"... That's just natural, Kino."

I just hugged her gently.

"I feel better now. Thank you for caring about me, Elaina. But I'm about to commit another sin."

"Huh?"

As she said that, she took off her clothes.

"... Wait... what are you doing, Kino-san??"

"Become a predator, I guess?" Kino just said with the most calm expression and voice ever. "Don't you want to do this?"

"... Not like that."

I dragged Kino down and kisses her.

It feels so different when I'm the initiator, but she just accepts it lovingly.

"I want to comfort you. I want you to know that you are loved. Even if the whole world consider you a sinner. There is a certain witch that still loves you."

I couldn't think that those words could ever be muttered in my life, but I did.

I don't want Kino to forget me.

Some tears began to flow down from her eyes.

"I thought I forgot how to cry. Now I remember thanks to you, Elaina-chan."

I just smiled.

I take off my clothes and kiss all over her body.

I will remember all her sweetness, saltiness, and loveliness.

I will remember the warmth of her feelings, and the smell of her body.

I will remember the moments when our lovely skin touches each other.

I will remember them even if no one else will ever taste them.

I licked as gently as I could.

I hear the small lovely moans that she makes.

I try to remember everything. Before we part ways.

〇

It's the morning.

I tried to wake up and remember what I was doing here.

Right, I hugged Kino while sleeping.

Where is she?

She is not on the bed.

I tried to look around. But she's nowhere to be found.

Actually I have had this feeling.

That Kino would leave me at any moment.

She's just like me. We are not the type who obey others. And no one can hold us back.

She could at least say farewell.

After all the things that was said and done.

What a bad girl.

I looked around and found a letter, next to our camera and photos.

"Hope you a safe journey.

P/S: I became a better myself, thanks to you.

The camera is yours."

It's just like her to leave such short messages.

Why can't you even write something like, "Let's meet again someday?"

I realize that I'm already in tears.

But I also realize that yesterday was just like a dream.

There is no way that it can last long.

I'm just happy that Kino got comforted. And she was happy when we were together.

I need to become stronger and accept the truth.

...

I jumped on the broom.

I tried to pay, but Kino already paid for me.

I need to fly out of this country.

I will name it Country of Sadness.

I already flew out of the country in moments.

Suddenly I heard some gunshots.

My body instantly flew to them, without my brain's instructions.

It seems like the police is surrounding a car. A bad guy is pointing the gun at a girl's head. "Fuck off or she's dead!" I heard something like that.

I'm not in the best mood, but I can't just leave that alone.

But as far as I know, the gun is deadly. And I don't have any magic capable of getting the gun from him, while ensuring that it wouldn't be fired in the process.

Unless I can shoot my icicle straight at the gun, and push it away, with extreme precision.

...

I instantly think about the shooting target.

I know about a girl who can do that.

I wish she was here.

Suddenly I saw a hooded snowsuit and overpants on the motorcycles as I was flying.

It must be her.

Kino-san.

She is making some hand gestures to me.

"I'll shoot the gun away, then you beat all the guys."

I don't know why, but I understand all of that. And I am so sure that I got the right message, I don't know why.

It's Kino after all.

I want to fly to Kino to make better plans, but it seems the thugs are getting away. The police is giving up.

I just gave her a thumbs up.

She gave me back one, and smiles.

I really hate that smile of her.

It makes me unable to forget her.

Kino just aimed for like 3 seconds from the hilltop and shot.

The gun is pushed away from the thug's hand and fall down the street. A police quickly grabbed it. While the thugs are perplexed and don't know what to do, I quickly made big ice bars inside the car and hit them with it, they seem to be unconscious.

The police gets in and catch them. I flew near them just to make sure the girl is okay, and flew away to avoid the trouble.

But the police already noticed Kino to be the hero. They are surrounding her and praising her. She looks really troubled. And suddenly, Kino points at me.

What?

The police now chases me instead. They just want to say "Thank you" though, but it's so troublesome.

"Kino!" I yelled at her.

Kino just made a sly grin, and ride away with max speed.

Of course, I chase after her.

Gradually, we outpaced the police and got somewhere safe.

I flew down to Kino's place.

"Hi, Elaina-chan. I never thought you'd wake up so early." Hermes told me the unnecessary things.

So many emotions get messed up inside me, and I don't know what to do. My face must look really weird.

Kino seems to be sad. She just looks into my eyes without saying anything.

"I'm sorry." She apologized to me after a while.

"You don't need to say that. You'll always be the most beautiful girl in my eyes."

I still can't believe that I can say such romantic words, but I did.

Kino just smiled and jumped at me.

"Ehh?"

She kisses me with all the force that she has. It's painful.

"Kino... Uh...Ah... I can't brea...t.."

She finally lets go.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"I happen to have Helvetica as the next country."

I smile.

"Me too. Helvetica is also my destination."

"Care to accidentally go there on the same way?"

I just mutter some meaningless words right now.

"Accidentally, anywhere is fine."

In front of us, there is a straight way that seems to be endless, heading to the horizon.