AHN – Chapter 20 Africans’ Leaves on Journey with Girls

People were gathering in the square at the center of the village, known as Kotan. There were about seventy or eighty individuals present.

“Has General Kalheka returned?” asked an elderly man dressed in fur clothing.

“What did Elder Hawukase say?” a young man inquired of his neighbor.

“I heard the black man escaped,” said another.

“Someone must have let him out of the prison,” another added.

The murmurs and conversations among the people filled the square with a constant buzz. Kalheka and Village Chief Korokuru emerged from a nearby house and raised a hand in the square’s center.

“I bring a message from the Elder!” Kalheka’s strong voice rang out.

“Anyone who saw the black man kill the bear, come forward!”

The people exchanged glances. Some pointed fingers, but those pointed at shook their heads. Kalheka scanned the crowd.

“Is there no one? Then who said they saw the black man kill the bear? Step forward!”

Once again, everyone looked at each other. Someone called out, “Wasn’t it Muisashima?” The named woman frantically shook her head.

“N-no, I just said what Ihama told me…”

All eyes turned to Ihama, an older woman who now had a strained expression and took a few steps back.

“Um…no… I was at home and heard a voice from the other side of the wall… saying ‘the black man killed the bear’… and when I went outside, no one was there… but there was a commotion in the square…”

“You didn’t see it yourself?”

Ihama nodded repeatedly. Kalheka once again looked around the assembly and sighed.

“The Elder has said that if there is someone who witnessed it, bring them forward. The judgment will be made after hearing their account. But if there are no witnesses, we cannot hold an outsider without clear evidence, so we must release him.”

“Then doesn’t that mean someone else did it?” a young man shouted.

“Yes, but proving that and holding the black man are two different matters. Even if we do not judge, the gods will see. The guilty will surely be judged,” Kalheka replied.

Once again, people exchanged looks, with a few nodding in agreement. If Kalheka said so, some seemed to believe it.

At the back of the crowd, someone turned sideways to avoid attention and clicked their tongue softly. It was Jiroza.

***

A vast expanse of green grass about two feet tall stretched as far as the eye could see. The green extended all the way to the horizon.

Looking up, the sky was covered in thin clouds, and the sunlight was dull. The vastness of the sky and the grassland reminded them of Africa, but the deep green and lack of the heated wind and tall shrubs marked the difference.

Ahead of Demba, who carried a long stick found outside the prison, walked Irika, silently carrying a quiver of arrows and a bow. The stick’s tip was roughly sharpened with a borrowed machete.

Behind them followed Emariya with a small pack, and at the rear was Kanga, all walking along a pathless route.

Irika stopped ahead, staring intently at the grass-covered ground. Demba approached and asked what was wrong. Irika pointed out the path split in two, with one heading toward the mountains.

Irika, raising her face, pointed to the right.

“They wouldn’t head to the mountains, so this is the right direction. But…”

“But?”

“The path to the left looks very fresh. Someone walked this path before us.”

Emariya and Kanga caught up from behind.

“Does that worry you?” Emariya asked.

“I don’t know. This path is rarely used. The Ainu usually use dugout canoes when heading upstream. Hardly anyone walks this way. It’s too roundabout for hunting. Who went this way and why, I wonder.”

The path they walked on was a trampled path through a field of overgrown grass. The sisters, not living by the river, did not have dugout canoes.

“If we go straight, we’ll reach Shirinosu village before sunset. From there, it’ll be tomorrow to reach further. Are you really going to meet Elder Hawukase?”

Demba nodded.

“I told you, that’s why we came here. As I said before, if you’re unsure, you can turn back. I can find the way if I know the direction.”

“Are we a bother?” Irika asked with a slightly mischievous smile.

Demba looked a bit troubled and said, “No, not at all.”

“We’re quite capable, both of us, right?” Irika said with a laugh. Her silver hair, reaching her shoulders, fluttered in the wind.

Demba caught himself staring for a moment, then averted his gaze, looking out over the plain.

The path they followed was roughly midway between the Ishikari River to the east and what is now Route 275 to the west, a desolate plain. While it was possible to follow the Ishikari River upstream, its meandering course would make it a detour, and the dense riverside trees made walking impractical.

This path, now a canal for village water distribution, was a naturally flat land in the Showa era, thus used to dig the Shinotsu Canal, still in use today. The canal flows from Shinotsu village upstream to Chiraiotsu, merging with the Ishikari River. Route 275 continues north to Uryu and ends in Takikawa.

Demba and his companions were heading towards Takikawa.

As Irika had said, as evening approached, scattered settlements began to appear at the edge of their vision.

A refreshing breeze with slight humidity blew from behind them.

Kanga sniffed the air, and Demba glanced at him, then they exchanged a look and nodded.

Irika, leading the way, stopped and pointed to the settlement.

“This is the outskirts of Shinotsu village. There are many houses, but most are empty. Let’s borrow an inconspicuous one for the night.”

She looked at Demba.

After a moment of silence, Demba spoke, “What’s wrong?”

Demba’s face was expressionless as he gazed at the village.

“Nothing. We should stay as far from the village as possible.”

“That’s right. We don’t want to stand out,” Irika agreed.

They found a thatched hut in a slightly open area near the mountain’s base, bypassing the village. The bear-skin thatched walls were yellowed but not decayed. Irika gently opened the worn window and peeked inside. It seemed unoccupied.

“This should do,” she said, opening the sliding door for the sisters to enter.

Demba, standing outside, quickly glanced left and right without moving his head, then entered.