Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

441 Bear-san, Buying Candy Crafts

The next morning, I was gently woken up by Hugging Bear. Hugging Bear’s mood had completely improved.

That’s good. I’m glad.

By the way, Swaying Bear was curled up at my feet, as if he was being careful this time.

After eating breakfast, I am walking around the city with Shinobu, looking for a man with an eye patch and a scar on his cheek.

[They’re watching us.] Shinobu

[Yeah.] Yuna

[They’re pointing fingers at us.] Shinobu

[Yeah.] Yuna

[They’re whispering something.] Shinobu

[Yeah.] Yuna

[All I can hear are <bear>.] Shinobu

[Yeah.] Yuna

Yesterday, we left early in the morning when there were still few people around, so we didn’t attract as much attention.

But today, the sun was up, and as time goes by, the number of passersby increased.

I ignored them as I walked, but Shinobu seemed to be restless.

Well, ninjas are supposed to act inconspicuously, so does that bother her?

[I’m embarrassed to be seen like this. Why don’t you change your clothes, Yuna?] Shinobu

[I’m not changing. Do you have a problem with my Ichizora?*] Yuna

I ask in a slightly stronger tone.

This bear costume is my everyday wear, and it’s also my Ichizora.

[No, I don’t. I was just wondering if you weren’t embarrassed by it.] Shinobu

Of course, it’s embarrassing. But I can’t help it, because I can’t take it off. Besides, we’re going to catch a criminal. I can’t just take off my bear gear.

[If you don’t want to, we can just pretend this never happened, you know?] Yuna

[…I’ll put up with it.] Shinobu

Shinobu gave up and just kept walking.

People have to give up at some point, you know.

We looked around and searched for the man based on Shinobu’s information.

[Hmmm, it’s not easy to find him.] Yuna

[If he was that easy to find, we wouldn’t have a hard time searching for him.] Shinobu

Well, she’s right.

If he had been easy to find, I wouldn’t have attracted so much attention.

[I’m getting hungry. Is there anything you want to eat, Yuna? You can use my money, and I’ll treat you.] Shinobu

[Are you sure?] Yuna

[It’s fine.] Shinobu

[Well, I guess I’ll take you up on your offer then.] Yuna

I took Shinobu’s word for it and headed to the restaurant I was interested in.

[Here?] Shinobu

From the front of the restaurant, we could smell the delicious scent.

[Eels?] Shinobu

Yes, I found it when I was looking for the guy. Eel. Unaju**. We might be fighting soon, so it’s important to nourish ourselves.

[This place looks expensive.] Shinobu

It sounds like Shinobu doesn’t want to enter.

The store’s exterior certainly looks expensive, giving it a luxurious look.

But I’m in a mood for eel right now.

There’s no way I’m not going to enter.

[I don’t even need to worry about money, it’s Shinobu’s money, so no problem.] Yuna

[Yuna’s a demon.] Shinobu

Well, whatever, I went inside the restaurant to eat eel.

[Welcome? Bear?] Lady

The female shopkeeper froze when she saw me. Well, it’s just the usual reaction. I talked to the female shopkeeper.

[There’s two of us.] Yuna

[Ah, yes. There are two of you. Please take this seat.] Lady

The female shopkeeper glanced at me as if she was looking at something strange.

Of course, I ignored those stares of her.

But still, it smells good.

I can’t wait to try it.

We were shown to our seats and looked at the menu.

[Which one do you want, Yuna?] Shinobu

There was one that caught my attention.

Golden Special Unaju. And the most expensive at that.

[Golden Special Unaju.] Yuna

Given that I’m a posh person, it’s essential to order the most expensive one.

[Golden Special Unaju? let’s get something cheaper.] Shinobu

[Golden Special Unaju.] Yuna

I repeated the same words again.

[U~u, then, we’ll have the Golden Special Unaju and this ordinary unaju, please.] Shinobu

Shinobu gave the shopkeeper our order.

With a subtle expression, the shopkeeper said <Certainly, maam>, then took off with our order.

[But what is golden eel?] Yuna

[Did you order it without knowing? It’s called golden eel because it looks golden when reflected in the light, unlike ordinary eel. The taste is also different from regular eel, it’s fatty and delicious.] Shinobu

If it’s that good, I’ll have to order extra.

And after a short wait, the Golden Special Unaju comes.

Ooh, that looks delicious.

Obviously, it was different from the eel in front of Shinobu.

I grabbed my chopsticks and started eating the unaju. It was soft. I cut the eel with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth along with the rice.

[Delicious.] Yuna

The sauce is also delicious.

[That’s right. That’s a Golden Special Unaju.] Shinobu

After saying that, Shinobu also began to eat her unaju.

[Is Yuna some kind of noble lady somewhere? You’re staying in an expensive room, and you don’t mind ordering expensive things.] Shinobu

[I’m just an ordinary adventurer.] Yuna

[No normal adventurer would stay at such an expensive inn by themself, or order an expensive Golden Special Unaju.] Shinobu

[Is that so? Shinobu, you earn money, don’t you? That also means you have to spend your money too.] Yuna

[I like to save up instead.] Shinobu

It’s important to save money, but if you’re earning it, you need to spend it too. If everyone saved their money, the economy would be in trouble.

Well, putting Shinobu aside, this unaju, can I take this unaju home with me?

I want Fina to try it. It might also be a good idea to take it to Zeref-san.

[What’s the matter?] Shinobu

[I was wondering if I could take some home as a souvenir.] Yuna

[The eels?] Shinobu

[It’s delicious. I just thought I’d feed it to some kids I know.] Yuna

Even if I bring the eel home, I can’t cook it this good, and I don’t have the sauce. At least, with how good the eels are cooked here, it might be a good idea to buy them.

[Eels taste best when they’re freshly cooked. If I take it home like so, it won’t taste as good.] Yuna

[I agree.] Shinobu

Since I can’t buy eel now, I’ll ask if I can get some to go next time.

I finished eating my unaju.

Yeah, it was delicious. Satisfying, savory.

And then pay for our meal.

Of course, not with Shinobu’s money, but with my own.

[You’re not going to spend the money I gave you?] Shinobu

[I’ll use it after you’re dead, Shinobu.] Yuna

[Yuna…] Shinobu

[Oh, but pay for yourself.] Yuna

[……Uh, yeah, sure.] Shinobu

Shinobu paid for her unaju with a subtle look on her face.

I don’t mind if it’s Fina and the others, but there’s no reason to buy a meal for Shinobu, a fellow adventurer.

With our stomachs full, we walked to a place where we thought he might stop by to look for him.

We’ve been walking around all morning, but we can’t find any man who fits the bill.

[Are you sure he’s around here?] Yuna

[I’ve got a tip that he was seen here.] Shinobu

[And you trust that information?] Yuna

[I don’t have any other information.] Shinobu

If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. On the other hand, I don’t want to have a lot of information about where he’s last seen. In the end, we had to rely on the information, walk steadily, and look for the man.

I look around. But all I see are stares as if they were looking at something strange.

I ignore the stares and kept looking around. In the midst of my gaze, a stall on the side of the road catches my eye.

[Oh, what’s that?] Yuna

I started to run.

[Yuna, where are you going? Did you find him?] Shinobu

Shinobu calls out behind me, but I head straight for the stall.

[What the heck? Bear?] Uncle

The man at the stall was surprised by my sudden appearance.

I ignored him and looked at the food on display.

The food stall was lined with many candy crafts.

[What is it? Candy? You’re a kid too, aren’t you?] Shinobu

Shinobu comes over to me, looking uninterested.

I’ve seen it on TV, but this is the first time I’ve seen it personally, so I’m interested.

Animals such as rabbits, birds, horses, dogs, cats, cows, pigs, foxes, raccoons, and fruits such as apples, oranges, and strawberries. Goldfish, fish, squid, and octopus. There are also various colorful flowers, beautiful butterflies, bird chicks, and large birds. They all look like works of art.

While there are many animals, there are no bears. Are bears not popular here?

Well, if I ate them, it would be cannibalism. But personally, I’m sad that there are no bears.

[What? Bear girl, you buying or something?] Uncle

The man at the stall was surprised by my appearance, but he approached me while I was looking at the candy crafts.

[All of it…] Yuna

I’m sure the kids would love it if I bought it for them. Personally, I was disappointed that there were no bears. Although, if there had been bears, they might fight for it.

Recently, perhaps because of my influence, more and more children are starting to like bears.

[……Little girl. It’s not that expensive, but do you have any money? If you’re joking, go away.] Uncle

The uncle raised his eyebrows a little.

Apparently, he thinks I’m fooling around for saying I wanted it all.

[I’ll pay for it. I’ve never seen such beautiful Amezaiku*** before, so I thought you’d like it if I brought it home as a souvenir.] Yuna

[I see. I’m sorry for doubting you. I’m glad you said that. But do you really have that kind of money?] Uncle

The man looks a little uneasy.

[I do.] Yuna

[You’re not talking about my money, are you!?] Shinobu

[Of course, not.] Yuna

You’re worrying too much. I paid for my own eel, after all.

But do you really intend to give me the money?

Well, I don’t plan to use it because I felt it’s bad luck since if I touched Shinobu’s money even a little, Shinobu might really die.

So I’ll buy what I want with my own money.

I calculated the total amount and paid for all the candy crafts that were lined up.

[I think this will be enough.] Yuna

[Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry I doubted you.] Uncle

The man makes an honest apology.

[But how are you going to bring it home?] Uncle

[I’ll put it in a box, then I’ll put it in the item bag.] Yuna

I took out a box and put away all the candy crafts that I had bought as souvenirs.

[I’m going to have to make a new batch.] Uncle

[Uncle, are you not making bears? There are so many animals, but I didn’t find bears.] Yuna

[What? You want bears too, little girl? Well, from the way you’re dressed, I can tell you like bears.] Uncle

[Me too?] Yuna

[The bears have been popular for two days now, and every time I make them they sell out. Bears sold fast.] Uncle

Two days ago? Could that mean?

[I’ve never sold so many bears in my life.] Uncle

The uncle looks at me strangely.

[Moreover, some kids even said the bear doesn’t look like this, and I don’t think he knows what a bear looks like.] Uncle

[Could that be about you, Yuna?] Shinobu

I arrived three days ago, and I’ve been walking around the town for two days.

At Shinobu’s words, the man glanced at me.

[I see. They said something about a cute little bear.] Uncle

Stop looking at people and telling them they’re cute.

Well, I understand that it’s not about me, it’s about the cute bear outfit, not me.

I’m not that conceited.

As the uncle began to heat the candy, he began to cut and stretch the shapeless candy with what looked like scissors to create a shape. It was like an art form, like a magic hand, creating the shape of the candy.

And the finished product was an Amezaiku of a girl dressed in a stuffed bear costume.

[It’s amazing, Uncle.] Yuna

Yes, it’s amazing, but why am I the model?

[Here you go, little girl.] Uncle

For some reason, the man offers it to me.

[Thanks to you. I’ve just finished a new piece of Amezaiku.] Uncle

Are you selling it, by any chance?

I can only imagine how bad it will go.

Then, he said he would take my request, so I had him make me some regular bear candy crafts.

Author’s Note:

This is the food episode.

As the story is about to start, there seemed to be no time to write about it, so I decided to slide it in this time.

And as I said last time, I’m going to take a break for a while.

I can’t promise the next post, but I hope to resume around January 8.

After that, I will start working on the book in earnest, so I will not be able to accept requests for the SS and new writing for volume 9 until the end of this year.

So thank you for your patience this year.

Until next year, yoroshikuonegaiitashimasu.

A little early, but have a happy new year.

(TN: Not really in this translation.)