A traveler visits the Land of Adults one day, where he encounters the main character of the series as an 11-year-old girl and stays at the inn owned by her parents. He discovers a broken motorrad and, with Kino's assistance, repairs it, naming it Hermes.
After learning about the operation Kino is about to undergo, he suggests that she should have more than one path in life. Soon after, when Kino is about to be killed by her parents with the town's support for daring to think such taboo thoughts, the original Kino steps in front of the knife, defending her and sacrificing herself in the process. After Kino escapes with Hermes' help, she decides to rename herself in honor of her savior.









