Name: Sakura (in the dub she is known as Lily Sakura)
Age: Almost 12
Sex: Female
Sakura is a young girl who lives with her parents in their family-run inn. She is a gentle and innocent soul, with great energy and life. In a story eerily echoing Country of Adults, she meets up with Kino and leads her to her parents' inn to spend a few days. Although she only appears in one chapter, her story is a stark contrast to Kino's past. When Kino mentions that only once has she ever wanted to remain in a country for more than 3 days, she is referring to Sakura's country.
The Past
The following contains spoilers; highlight to read.
In The Gentle Country, Kino meets up with Sakura, who is defending herself from the taunts of several boys. Sakura confesses that she doesn't like her name much, even though it's the name of a flower, because they boys keep twisting it into insults. Kino pauses at this, and smiles, remembering her original name had the same properties. (Note: In the dub, Sakura is called "Lily Sakura" because "Lily" also rhymes with "silly", thus preserving the feel of her name in English) Sakura shows Kino around her country, and everyone is extremely nice to the traveler to the point that Kino requests to stay for longer than 3 days. However, the countrypeople sadly inform Kino that she had agreed to stay 3 days, and 3 days only, and Kino sadly leaves. The next day, when Kino is still within sight of the country, a nearby volcano erupts and covers the country, presumably killing all those who lived within, including Sakura. Kino recalls how the country had a reputation amongst travelers for being particularly inhospitable to foreigners, and after reading a letter from Sakura's mother learns the country desperately tried to atone for the reputation by treating Kino so nicely. Eventually, Kino overcomes her shock and is able to move on, but not before being deeply moved by Sakura's dedication, as her parents gave her the opportunity to leave the country which Sakura refused.
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