Bernard jou Iwaku

Stare...

Ninth Volume: Bus Stop

Wh-What?

I just had a thought.

Kanbayashi, you...

think books with black covers are fancy, don't you?

K-Kanbayashi?

Not consciously...

But I do like books with black covers, and not just sci-fi.

I think they're cool!

How can this be?!

Why? Why didn't I notice it before?

That makes me look so...

...otaku-ish.

15 Minutes Later

You're not going home, Kanbayashi?

Yeah.

I'm going.

Wow, it's cold!

It's already winter.

Oh!

It's snowing.

"The train emerged from the long something-or-other tunnel into the snow country."

For some reason, everyone knows the opening line to Snow Country, huh?

You said "something-or-other." You don't know it.

It's "border."

"The train emerged from the long border tunnel into the snow country."

Yeah, that's it!

Some argue that the "border" kanji should be read "kokkyou," not "kunizakai."

Oh?

Which reading would you use?

"Kunizakai" or "kokkyou"...

"Border"!

"The train emerged from the long border tunnel into white chaos."

The train emerged from the long border tunnel into white chaos.