Lead in the Sand - 3

For the past few days, I've been preparing to go to Abydos, and today I finally depart. 'I'm fully prepared.' I looked at the things I had prepared with a satisfied smile. A detailed map of all the roads and terrain of Kivotos, a sturdy compass, medical supplies that could save even a dead person, a week's worth of food, 30 liters of clean water, and an excellent motorcycle to carry it all. This motorcycle with a sidecar was a BMW R75, and since it was obtained from Gehenna, which is also based in Germany, the motorcycle was also German-made. 'If this were the real world, I would have avoided motorcycles because they're dangerous, but since this is Kivotos, there's no need to.' However, even a motorcycle in Kivotos couldn't run without fuel, so I had to get enough fuel and load it up. But this large motorcycle with a sidecar had plenty of space even with two 20-liter jerry cans full of gasoline attached, so I even filled the ammunition box attached to the motorcycle with ammunition. 'I thought the loading capacity might be insufficient compared to a car, but somehow I managed to load everything.' After rechecking the prepared items, I looked at my watch. The watch indicated exactly 6 o'clock. It was still early, and the sun hadn't fully risen yet, but I didn't want to attract the attention of other students, so I quickly got on the motorcycle and departed for Abydos. *** 'Kivotos is really vast. It took quite a while even though I came by motorcycle.' I drove through the streets of Abydos, having a small thought about how I could have walked all the way to the D.U. district, which was even farther than Abydos. The roads were bumpy with piles of sand, and the buildings were broken and half-buried. In this desolate and heartbreaking land, only the faded glory of the past was bitterly visible among the many ruined buildings. 'I feel relieved that I'm a student of Gehenna, but I also feel guilty about that feeling......' My Gehenna was smiling without regard for the suffering neighbor next to it. And that included me, a student of Gehenna, and I was relieved that this desolation was not mine. "Haa......" I stopped the motorcycle, turned off the engine, covered my face with both hands, and lowered my head. Abydos was thoroughly neglected and ruined because of the greed and selfishness of its surroundings. And the fact that Gehenna, that I was involved in that downfall by turning a blind eye, made my guilt grow. I felt increasingly burdened by that guilt, that shameful and regretful fact. I tried to excuse myself by saying that I didn't know, that I was powerless, but it didn't change the fact that I was silent and complicit in this. I sat on the motorcycle with my face covered for nearly a minute, and then I wiped my face with my right hand and raised my head. It was the result of thinking that I had to move, that I had to do what I had to do, because just sitting still would change nothing and be meaningless. I closed my eyes for a moment, faced the sun, and controlled my mind. Soon, I took out a plastic bottle and drank some water, hoping for some cool water. Then, the water, which had become lukewarm like urine from the heat of Abydos, flowed down my throat. "......" This unpleasant feeling annoyed me, so I threw the half-drunk plastic bottle on the sand without even closing the lid, and the water inside poured out, soaking the sand and seeping into the ground. "......I have plenty of water anyway. Let's go." I turned on the motorcycle again and pulled the throttle. Thinking that the lukewarm water might be punishing me, I quietly strengthened my resolve. If I regretted my past actions, I just had to do better in the future. The engine moved forward with a loud noise, leaving the desolate sand behind. *** "The sun is already setting...... Am I not going to be able to meet Sensei today after all......" Looking at the western sky, the sun was falling below the horizon, and with it, the sun was turning the sky red and casting a sunset on the ground. 'It's probably dangerous to move around now, right? I don't think the streetlights will turn on......' I looked around and thought about where I should sleep. Just as I was thinking about going into any suitable building to sleep, I saw the sidecar of the motorcycle on my right. "......Maybe it'll be okay?" The sidecar was quite large and looked a bit like a cradle. I couldn't stretch my legs out completely, but it looked like I could lie down if I bent them. I opened the cover of the sidecar's seat, took out two blankets, laid one on the bottom of the sidecar, and lay down on it. "Oh......" My small body fit perfectly in the sidecar, and I was amazed at the unexpected coziness. It had the disadvantage of being a bit hard, but it was good enough. It was clear that even inside a building, it would just be the bare floor, so this was enough. I closed the sidecar by covering it again while lying inside, and covered my body with the other blanket. 'This might be pretty good......' Covering it blocked the sandy wind of Abydos, and the small space gave me a sense of security. 'It's still evening...... but there's nothing else to do anyway......' The fatigue that had unknowingly accumulated from the long drive gave me sleepiness as I was in a moderately dark and cozy space, and I fell asleep like a baby in a cradle. *** 'Is it morning...' I opened the sidecar's cover after being awakened by the sound of a bird chirping somewhere. The dawn sky, a mixture of dark blue and light sky blue, greeted me. 'I slept soundly...... It was surprisingly cozy......' I got out of the sidecar and took out some water to drink. The water, which had been outside all night, was moderately cool. "Phew...... That's nice." Unlike yesterday, I smiled with satisfaction at the cool water. I took out a towel, wet it with water, and wiped my face with it. 'I should ask to use the shower room when I go to Abydos High School. This is the only way to wash up...' I wiped my hair the same way, but it was still unsatisfactory. 'Hmm...... I wonder if there's anything I can use to tie my hair.' Thinking that tying my hair might make it look a bit better, I started looking for a suitable string while organizing my luggage. As I rummaged through things, I found a spare shoelace. 'Will this work? But how do I tie my hair with this......?' But even though I found a string, I didn't know how to tie my hair. In Kivotos, I always let my hair down, and in reality, I was a man, so I never had to tie my hair, and there was no woman to tie it for me.