Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 13 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Euthanasia

A cool breeze rustled through the light green grass that spread across the plain. A small cloud drifted aimlessly past on its journey across the early summer sky, which was otherwise blue and clear as far as the eye could see.

A lone traveler looked up at the cloud from below.

Wearing a black pointed hat and clad in a black robe, she was seated on a broom, hovering in the air with the tips of her shoes brushing the grass.

She held her ash-gray hair down as it fluttered in the breeze, and with lapis-colored eyes, gazed at the unchanging expanse of blue and pale green. Upon her breast was a star-shaped brooch.

She was a traveler, and a witch.

“…Maybe it’s time for a little break,” she mumbled quietly.

Standing in her line of sight was a single tree.

The witch had been flying over the grasslands for some time.

It seemed like the perfect time to take a short break.

So she steered her broom over to the tree, but—

“Young lady! Young lady!”

When she arrived at the tree, the witch realized that someone had gotten there before her.

There was a man leaning against the tree trunk. He had long, straight, bluish hair, and one of his eyes was shut tight. Perhaps he had gotten something in it? The man looked at the witch. The witch tilted her head quizzically, and the man smiled.

“Do you know what this gesture means?”

Then the man raised his thumb and held it high.

Now then, just what could the man have been trying to say?

Strangely enough, his motion bore a striking resemblance to the common gesture that is generally used around the world to signify that something is good.

So after a moment of hesitation, the witch realized what he meant.

“…You must be saying that you think I look cool,” she guessed. “Oh, how embarrassing,” she added.

Who on earth could she be, this witch who blurted out nonsense with a straight face?

That’s right, it’s me.

“…No, that’s not…what it means…”

The man seemed very annoyed by my joking interpretation. I could just tell that he was thinking, “What is this lady talking about?”

But honestly, he was the one who’d suddenly showed me his thumb and asked, “What is this?” The only response that came to mind was, “First of all, who are you?” I thought he ought to at least give me his name.

“By the way, my name is Yozeh. As you can see, I am a traveler.”

“As I can see…?”

I cocked my head.

He appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He wasn’t dressed for traveling, wearing only black slacks on the bottom and a shirt and vest on top. He wasn’t really carrying anything that looked like luggage; there was only a single small pouch hanging from his waist.

That doesn’t look like a typical traveler’s outfit, though…

“And are you a traveler, as you appear to be?”

I feel like I also don’t look like a typical traveler, but…

“Yes. Yeah, that’s right.” I nodded as I pointed to my brooch. “A traveling witch, to be precise.”

“By the way, I don’t suppose you have any interest in death?”

“That’s awfully sudden.”

“Indeed! Death can come to anyone suddenly.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“As the first step to discovering that truth, Lady Witch—and I must say, it seems to be going quite well so far—what is your name?”

“It’s Elaina.”

“You seem to have a good sense for things, Lady Elaina.”

“What kind of sense…?”

“The sense to confront death…I suppose.”

“Uhh…?”

Really, what is this guy going on about all of a sudden?

I was perplexed, but the man just grinned boldly. “Lady Elaina, I am traveling to my death, you see.”

“Huh?”

Are you in some sort of trouble?

“Death is a distant land that all people ultimately manage to reach. However, it is an unexplored region, one from which nobody has ever returned. I have been yearning to see this afterworld for some time now.”

“Huh…”

“I wonder if you’re aware of this, Lady Elaina? The world after death is supposedly filled with incredible splendor.”

“Is there a legend about it or something?”

“It has been believed to be so in my country since antiquity.”

“Even though not a single person has ever returned from there?”

“No one has ever returned because it is a magnificent world, such that this world could never compare.”

“…………”

I guess that’s just the sort of thing they believe, wherever this guy came from. His hometown or whatever.

“I’m just another totally ordinary citizen who has an interest in the world after death, and who has traveled like this from afar, seeking a place to die. Incidentally, do you know anything about the country up ahead?”

“The country up ahead?”

I gazed out over the grassland from the shade of the tree.

I couldn’t see any hint of civilization.

It seemed to still be quite a distance away. However—

“Eldora, the Land of Repose, I believe it’s called.”

I was aware of a place that went by such a name. It was famous.

“Right. Eldora, the Land of Repose. It’s said to be the only land in this region where euthanasia is allowed.”

Among travelers and merchants, word had circulated that not only did this country permit euthanasia, the government actually recommended it. But at the same time, the country—

“But if I remember correctly, I heard that even though they allow euthanasia, as of late, they haven’t actually gone through with any procedures…”

I’m the type of person who is very attached to my life, so it was unbelievable to suddenly encounter someone like this. However, I had heard that there were a certain number of people in this world who visited this Eldora, the Land of Repose, coming from afar to request euthanasia.

Merchants and travelers had even told me of encounters with people who had actually gone there for euthanasia. But those stories were already decades old.

“—I’ve heard that recently, many people find themselves turned away at the gates, even if they come from afar seeking euthanasia.”

Though I really have no idea what sort of reasons are causing them to be denied.

“So I’ve heard. I am aware.”

“You are aware?”

“But I think I am passionate enough about this to navigate the difficult path ahead, Lady Elaina.”

“Huh.”

What are you talking about?

“Even if no one has been permitted to actually undergo euthanasia in the last several years, that’s no reason to give up. Do you understand?”

“No, not at all.” I shook my head.

He was still leaning back against the trunk of the tree, wearing a cool expression.

“So, that’s my situation. I am on the road headed for Eldora, the Land of Repose—and as you can see, I have exhausted myself walking.”

When he was finished speaking, Yozeh leaned against the tree trunk, crossed his arms, and gained a self-satisfied expression.

“Sorry, but you don’t look exhausted at all.”

“So, I want you to let me ride on your broom!”

“No way.”

“Please!”

Then he stuck his thumb up again and waved it toward me.

I’d thought it meant “Great!” but he made a point of explaining, “By the way, this is a sign that means ‘give me a ride.’”

Jingle-jangle.

While that was happening, some coins fell into my hand.

“By the way,” Yozeh remarked, “it’s quite meaningless for me to keep any money when I have plans to die.”

So that’s how it is, I see.

“Climb aboard.”

And that’s how we wound up making our way to Eldora, the Land of Repose. It only took about three hours of shaky flying over grassy fields.

“Welcome to our country!”

A guard saluted us and greeted us with a line that you might have heard anywhere. We were asked several questions as part of a simple immigration check. He asked us our names, our places of origin, and our occupations.

And he asked about our purpose for coming.

“Did you come on this visit for the purpose of euthanasia?” the guard asked.

Perhaps because euthanasia was publicly acceptable here, there were still lots of people who visited this country for that reason.

“Indeed.”

Yozeh took the opportunity to flash a camera-ready smile.

“I see.”

Then the guard asked with a slight nod, “Is the young lady beside you your companion?”

I am not his companion.

“No—” I shook my head, but right after he asked the question, the guard said, without hesitation, “By the way, in order to carry out your euthanasia, we will need the consent of a companion.”

“Oh, do you? Mm-hmm.” Yozeh nodded. “Well then, she is my companion.” He, too, spoke without hesitation, and said this thing that I didn’t really understand.

“Eh?”

What is he talking about?

“Lady Elaina, please. Play the part for me.”

“I’m not sure how.”

Seriously, what is he saying?

“Please.”

Jingling coins fell into my hand.

My, my.

“I am his companion.”

“Very well. Please go ahead—”

The guard urged us onward.

So that’s basically how Yozeh and I managed to enter the land where euthanasia is permitted.

After we had walked down the cobblestone main avenue for a little while, we came upon the government offices.

I, having accepted money to play the role of this man’s companion, was going to have to accompany him for a while so he could be euthanized.

“They haven’t been performing euthanasia for a while, right? That means you might be a living witness to history!”

“I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

I didn’t really want to watch someone pass away. And actually, I still couldn’t understand why this guy was so eager to die.

Although now that I had accepted his money, I supposed I was going to accompany him to the very end—literally.

“Welcome. This is the euthanasia department.”

When we finally made it into the government building, there was a window open for the euthanasia department, lined up alongside other windows for departments like municipal services, taxation, and child-rearing assistance, like it was completely normal. However, compared to the other departments, the euthanasia department alone had a line of visitors winding and twisting like a snake leading to the window.

The person at the tail end of the line had to hold up a bizarre sign with the words THOSE WHO WANT TO DIE, LINE UP HERE! written in bold, cutesy letters.

Yozeh took it from the person ahead of him, as if this, too, was totally normal.

Once we were lined up, we started to realize just how long the line really was. I had to strain to see the window, far up ahead of us.

I sighed. “Are there really this many people who want to die?”

Just goes to show you the darkness of modern society, huh?

Just at that moment, a man in the prime of his life who was entering the line behind us took the end-of-the-line sign from Yozeh. As he did, he looked us over with a snort. His expression was obviously the know-it-all look of a veteran appraising some novices. His eyes were filled with the dreamy nostalgia of someone viewing a younger version of themself.

When he spoke to us, the man’s quiet, elegant voice was brimming with dandyism.

“You two, by any chance is this your first time experiencing euthanasia?”

Wait, wait…

“It kind of has to be.”

I mean, it’s not like you can die over and over again, is it?

“I see. By the way, I am a ten-year veteran of this path.”

“Oh, so you’re immortal?”

Wow, amazing.

“No, I’m not. That’s not what I meant.”

According to the man in line behind us, he had been coming to this office regularly for the past ten years. He was a seasoned veteran of standing in this line.

“It will take more than an ordinary level of effort to make it through the paperwork inspection—better prepare yourselves.”

That was all. Kind words from one who had gone before.

“You hear that, Yozeh?”

“Certainly. I have long since prepared myself.”

He threw his chest out and nodded courageously.

He looked just like a knight riding toward his death.

After an hour of waiting in line with people who wanted to die, we finally arrived at the window.

At the reception window was a young lady wearing a bright smile.

“Welcome! How do you do? Are you here for euthanasia?”

“Indeed.” Yozeh nodded. “I am.”

“Very well.” As she prepared the paperwork with practiced motions, the receptionist looked up at Yozeh. “Do you know about our process, sir?”

“No, not the details—”

“Very well. Then allow me to explain.”

The receptionist cleared her throat once and laid the paperwork out on the counter.

“First, I’ll tell you a little bit about the euthanasia that is carried out in our country. So, the history of euthanasia is a long one, going back about a hundred years to when our people were beset by a historic famine, and at the time, medical technology was less developed than it is now, and there were a great many people suffering and passing away from disease, so some discovered a method that would allow people to end their lives without suffering, and it came to be used with solemn reverence. Ever since then, the practice took root as one tenet of our country’s culture, so much so that a number of people started coming from various other countries, seeking euthanasia—”

She went on and on.

“—Now, when it comes to receiving euthanasia, there are several important things to note, first of which is that in the event that you are a foreign national, it will be necessary for you to first become a citizen of our country, which is a precaution that we take in order to defend against anyone here from being prosecuted as a murderer for allowing a citizen of another country to undergo euthanasia, and since our process is strictly only applied to citizens of our own country, if you do not agree to this step, we cannot carry out the procedure, plus there are a number of protocols to go through in order to access—”

Apparently, everyone in this line had to endure this lengthy yet crucial explanation from the young receptionist, and I could see why the long line stretched endlessly, on and on.

However, even though the receptionist was explaining everything in great detail, the individual seeking euthanasia was absolutely not paying attention to anything she was saying.

Beside me, Yozeh interjected from time to time with “…Hmm,” or, “…I see…” or some other vague, irrelevant response.

They were obviously just halfhearted replies.

It was almost like I could see right through him, and watch him thinking to himself, “Well, I’m going to die anyway, so none of this really matters…”

But even so, the receptionist lady continued talking.

“After you’ve transferred your citizenship to our country—”

“Mm-hmm.”

You don’t really understand, you’re just paying lip service, aren’t you?

“Then, after we get you to sign your euthanasia consent form—”

“I see!”

You’re just agreeing to anything, aren’t you?

“—Please, only sign if you consent to everything I’ve outlined.”

“Very well!”

You’re going to sign it without really understanding it, aren’t you…?

Then the receptionist said—

“Well then, as we just discussed, please fill out this application form. And when you submit it, we ask that you submit a signature from a third party, as well as your family’s consent forms along with it.”

As she spoke, she handed Yozeh a large stack of puzzling paperwork.

“…Hm?” Yozeh cocked his head.

What’s this? he seemed to be asking.

“I explained as much in the beginning, didn’t I?”

Even though she was wearing a cheerful smile, I could tell that the receptionist wanted to berate him.

With that, we were finished at the reception window, and began filling out the paperwork.

It was only then that I realized that apparently many people faced setbacks when submitting this initial paperwork. They either couldn’t get consent from their families, couldn’t get a signature on the euthanasia consent form from a third party they had only just met, or—

“Hey, newcomer. Looks like you made it past the first checkpoint. But be careful. These forms will be rejected if you provide the wrong motive.”

The extremely dandyish, mysterious veteran sitting beside us took it upon himself to offer advice. “This country is very strict about allowing euthanasia only when there’s a good reason. Say you’re in over your head with debt or something; well, if you give something like that as your reason, they’ll reject you.”

That made a certain amount of sense.

Fortunately, Yozeh had come to this country for an almost excessively positive reason, so that probably wouldn’t be a problem. And when it came to consent from a third party, well, I was there, so we didn’t need to worry about that.

If there was going to be one stumbling block, it would be his family’s consent.

However, according to Yozeh, he did not have a single living relative, so it seemed like we wouldn’t even need that consent form.

“Whew… Finished.”

After he finished filling out his application forms without issue, Yozeh thrust them back at the receptionist, turned on his heel, and came back.

“So now I get my euthanasia, huh…?”

Yozeh was strangely emotional.

By the way, I’m curious—

“Considering you just turned in your paperwork with no issues, when will your euthanasia be?” I asked Yozeh.

Typical of me, as long as I was with Yozeh, I was making light of the whole situation. I hadn’t listened to anything the receptionist had said. I figured it didn’t matter since I wasn’t the one getting euthanized anyway.

The person that answered my naive question was the dandy veteran who had been calmly sitting with Yozeh for the last few minutes.

“Hm? What, weren’t you listening?” the veteran said smoothly. “Now they’ll hold an examination, an interview, and a review, in that order, and if you pass all of them, you can get euthanized. I’d say you’ll get your decision after five days, at the earliest.”

“…Huh?”

Yozeh was perplexed.

He turned around toward the reception window with a look that said, “I didn’t hear a thing about all that!”

“……?”

The receptionist tilted her head and gave him a smile that said, “I explained it all at the beginning, didn’t I?”

Apparently Eldora, the Land of Repose, did not simply allow euthanasia for anyone who threw up their hands and proclaimed that they wanted to die. In order for someone’s euthanasia request to be accepted, they had to follow the procedures precisely.

The government needed to make absolutely sure they were getting it right, because people were quite literally placing their lives in their hands.

And so—

First of all, a psychiatric evaluation was carried out.

“First up, we have the psychiatric evaluation, now the purpose of this evaluation is to ascertain whether your desire to die comes from a sound state of mind, so first we will have you take a look at a number of pictures and respond with what they seem to be depicting, and after that, we will have you answer about two hundred questions, then finally once we conduct the interview, you’ll be all finished.”

“I see.”

“So, do you really want to die?”

“I do!”

Yozeh made his case with such enthusiasm that it was hard to believe that he wanted to die.

The following day, a physical examination was conducted.

Apparently, the purpose of the exam was to ascertain whether or not Yozeh was burdened with any chronic illnesses.

“Take a good look at my healthy physique!”

“Ah, yes, you pass.”

“Take a closer look!”

“You pass.”

“Closer!”

“Next, please.”

The day after that, his criminal record was examined.

“You’ve never done anything bad in your past, have you?”

“Of course not! I’m the very picture of an upstanding man, I am!”

“Glad to hear it. Do you have anything that can prove your non-criminality?”

“Do you know the phrase ‘a sound mind in a sound body’?”

“Yes.”

“Well, there’s that.”

“I see. By the way, why are you naked?”

“I thought I would first have you take a look at my sound body in order to prove that I am of sound mind.”

“This guy’s bad news.”

Even though Yozeh had no criminal record, there were some suspicions that he might actually be a pretty bad guy. However, he did eventually manage to pass the psychological evaluation, the physical examination, and the criminal record check, too.

I was starting to wonder whether this country was really all right.

But anyway, he passed.

The day after that, we went back to the government office again, and Yozeh intently filled out more paperwork.

“Congratulations on making it through your psychological evaluation, physical examination, and criminal record check, but that doesn’t mean that you’ve finished everything just yet, and now I’ll have to ask you to read over and sign various forms, including a contract, an application, a consent form, and a pledge, spanning several dozen pages, so I appreciate your cooperation.”

“Hm, yes, I see!” Yozeh nodded, though he didn’t really understand.

“Tough break.” I hadn’t been listening to a single thing she’d said.

“You have an obligation to listen to my explanation before I can allow you to sign the next set of forms. This is so that after you’re dead, you can’t make a claim that things went differently from what you were told.”

“I see!”

“Wait, what do you mean, ‘make a claim after he’s dead’?”

Will he be a ghost?

“Now, first please take a look at this consent form—”

I was starting to get a little suspicious, but then the receptionist launched into a long explanation and started drawing up the paperwork.

“If you grant us your consent, please sign here.”

“Certainly!” Yozeh quickly and casually wrote his name on the paper.

“Now, as for the next form—”

“Sure!”

For a while after that, I waited through procedures so bothersome that the word bothersome wasn’t sufficient to describe them. Yozeh received an explanation, and signed his name, received an explanation, and signed his name, then he received another explanation, and signed his name. Anyway, there were no objections to Yozeh choosing this means of euthanasia at the present stage, and he solemnly signed affidavits that no one else bore responsibility for his decision. While all that was going on, I passed the time by reading a book.

“Next is this one—”

“Sure…!”

He smoothly scrawled his name.

“And the next one is—”

“S-sure…!”

“And then you’ll have to allow me to explain something about this next form. First—”

“…Sure.”

“And next—”

“…………”

By the time I had finished reading several different books, Yozeh had fallen silent.

My goodness, what on earth is going on? I wondered as I looked up at him.

“Once you grant your consent, if you could please sign this form—”

“…………”

I saw Yozeh sitting there signing forms with an expression that made it look like he was already dead.

I cocked my head.

Oh my, for someone who wanted euthanasia, that’s an awfully miserable expression, isn’t it?

“I feared it would come to this…”

The dandy veteran, who had taken up a position beside me without my noticing, mumbled this comment. It seemed like he really wanted to strike up a conversation.

“…………” I reluctantly raised my head from my book. “Do you know something?”

“The psychological evaluation, physical examination, and criminal record check. It would seem like one’s euthanasia is settled once one passes these three tests. But you know, young lady, for the newcomer seeking euthanasia, that is merely where hell begins.”

“Huh…”

“As you can see, there are a deadly number of protocols to follow.”

“Certainly, and as you can see, he looks half dead already.”

Yozeh’s initial enthusiasm had vanished. He was just listening to the receptionist talk with a blank, expressionless face. However, the proceedings to obscure moral responsibility continued endlessly.

“If you could sign here—”

“…………”

Yozeh, who was drooping like a wilted flower, had become an empty shell of himself, just nodding and signing his name.

It was ironic that he had to overcome such agony in his quest for euthanasia.

Looking at him in that state, the dandy sighed. “Hah, but to think I’ve been overtaken by a newcomer who arrived just the other day…” He was exuding dandyism.

Apparently, Mister Veteran Dandy had been rejected after the very first paperwork review. Whatever could have disqualified him?

“Actually, my sweetheart broke up with me the other day.”

It was rather obvious what disqualified him.

And then, while I was keeping Mister Dandy company to kill time—

“—And with that, all the paperwork is finished. Congratulations, sir.”

I heard the flat voice of the receptionist.

“The paperwork is…over…?” the wilted Yozeh asked in a trembling voice. “Which means…?”

“You’re all set for euthanasia.”

“Yahoooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

The wilted Yozeh seemed to be revived. He was just like a flower that had found some water.

“We’ll notify you of the specific date. Please be patient,” the receptionist said before leaving her seat.

But Yozeh didn’t seem like he was able to hear her anymore.

With both arms raised in joy, he was released from all his suffering.

“I owe it all to you, Lady Elaina! Let’s meet again in the afterlife!”

He even had a mood about him, as if he was going to go and die right then and there.

“I plan on staying on this side for a long time yet, so by the time we meet in the afterlife, you’ll be an old man.”

“Hey, newcomer. Congrats. I never expected you to clinch your euthanasia on the first try… Not bad at all!” Mister Dandy clapped a hand on Yozeh’s shoulder.

“Thank you so much!” Immediately after that, Yozeh looked at me. “By the way, who is this guy?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

He just started hanging around with us at some point.

Nevertheless, the question of who Mister Dandy was surely had nothing to do with Yozeh at that point.

“Well, I’ll be dying soon, so whatever!”

I mean, that is the situation.

It wasn’t long before the receptionist came back. She returned just as Yozeh was at the peak of his celebration.

She offered the ecstatic Yozeh a round of applause. “Congratulations. Your euthanasia date has been set,” she told him.

Hearing the receptionist say the words seemed to make it real for the first time.

Then, holding a slip of paper in both hands, the receptionist spoke again.

“Your euthanasia date is the OOth of the month of OO, fifty-six years from now. We wish you a happy, healthy life leading up to your euthanasia date—”

And so on.

As soon as she said that, Yozeh froze on the spot.

“…Hm?”

Fifty-six years from now?

“Um…? What did you just…?”

But Yozeh deflated. Had he misheard?

“I must have misheard you, right?” he asked.

But the receptionist informed him ruthlessly, “It’s in fifty-six years.”

That would explain the rumor that this land’s government hadn’t carried out any euthanasia procedures recently.

Since they had far too many reservations from people seeking euthanasia, even those who managed to make appointments were now being scheduled for several decades into the future.

People who made these appointments were living to the end of their natural lives before their turns ever came.

“Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!” Yozeh screamed. “I never heard anything about that!” he shouted, stricken with despair.

But the receptionist spoke to him as calmly as she possibly could.

She said—

“I explained it all at the very beginning, didn’t I?”