Memory - Only day of "Power of Persuasion" —Persuader—
Description: A slightly younger Kino is frantically fleeing a pursuer in a forest, their nerves so tightly wound they're easily startled by even the regular wildlife. Thinking they hear a noise, they shoot at a rustling thicket, hitting nothing and realizing they have to move positions again. They take cover behind a tree and talk themself through a calming exercise.
“‘Settle down, Kino. Always be calm. Save your nervousness and fear for later.’”
Relaxing, they wait in silence. Although a rustling noise seems to be approaching, they keep waiting, waiting, waiting... until they fire.
And hit nothing.
Reloading their gun, Kino takes aim again, only for a person's hand to take aim at them from a tree to the right. Before Kino can aim at the assailant, they're shot in the head with a small rubber bullet that causes a small bruise on their forehead - and their assailant turns out to be no other than Master. It was combat training, and Master takes a moment to tend to the bruise on Kino's head.
They drive Master back in a sulky silence, but on the way the talking motorrad Hermes realizes there's three bandits waiting at their cabin in the forest. Master tells Kino to wait for her signal and then restrain all three men, which Kino balks at. Master insists on it, smiling and reassuring them that if something happens, she'll help. But only then - this is good training, after all. Kino accepts the job and disappears into the surrounding forest. Sure enough, Master talks to the three men a bit before signaling Kino, who leaps out of the forest and fires at one man's head with a rubber bullet, knocking him over. Using their momentum they crash into the second man, hitting him in the groin before delivering an uppercut to knock him out and use his body as a shield from which to shoot the third and final man in the hands with rubber bullets. The third man is captured and Master extracts all the money and supplies the bandits had acquired in exchange for letting the men live.
After a meal together with Master, Kino leaves the cabin to cut some wood and comments that they were surprised people so weak were going around threatening people and stealing stuff. They wonder if they were ever truly in danger facing against the thieves. Hermes lightly suggests that it wasn't exactly because they were weak as Kino chops wood - by casually throwing an adze at it with perfect aim.
Note: the original Japanese does not particularly gender Kino, and by default most people tend to assume Kino is male upon sight, so assume cases of "Miss" etc. are just some polite referral to Kino (one official translation uses Mx.) unless otherwise noted.
Day 435
Description: A slightly younger Kino is frantically fleeing a pursuer in a forest, their nerves so tightly wound they're easily startled by even the regular wildlife. Thinking they hear a noise, they shoot at a rustling thicket, hitting nothing and realizing they have to move positions again. They take cover behind a tree and talk themself through a calming exercise.
“‘Settle down, Kino. Always be calm. Save your nervousness and fear for later.’”
Relaxing, they wait in silence. Although a rustling noise seems to be approaching, they keep waiting, waiting, waiting... until they fire.
And hit nothing.
Reloading their gun, Kino takes aim again, only for a person's hand to take aim at them from a tree to the right. Before Kino can aim at the assailant, they're shot in the head with a small rubber bullet that causes a small bruise on their forehead - and their assailant turns out to be no other than Master. It was combat training, and Master takes a moment to tend to the bruise on Kino's head.
They drive Master back in a sulky silence, but on the way the talking motorrad Hermes realizes there's three bandits waiting at their cabin in the forest. Master tells Kino to wait for her signal and then restrain all three men, which Kino balks at. Master insists on it, smiling and reassuring them that if something happens, she'll help. But only then - this is good training, after all. Kino accepts the job and disappears into the surrounding forest. Sure enough, Master talks to the three men a bit before signaling Kino, who leaps out of the forest and fires at one man's head with a rubber bullet, knocking him over. Using their momentum they crash into the second man, hitting him in the groin before delivering an uppercut to knock him out and use his body as a shield from which to shoot the third and final man in the hands with rubber bullets. The third man is captured and Master extracts all the money and supplies the bandits had acquired in exchange for letting the men live.
After a meal together with Master, Kino leaves the cabin to cut some wood and comments that they were surprised people so weak were going around threatening people and stealing stuff. They wonder if they were ever truly in danger facing against the thieves. Hermes lightly suggests that it wasn't exactly because they were weak as Kino chops wood - by casually throwing an adze at it with perfect aim.
Note: the original Japanese does not particularly gender Kino, and by default most people tend to assume Kino is male upon sight, so assume cases of "Miss" etc. are just some polite referral to Kino (one official translation uses Mx.) unless otherwise noted.