The following day, we were on our way to the inn to see Anzu .
「Do you two really want to go back today?」
「Yes, we had plenty of fun already . 」
「I want to see mom . 」
Like that, it was decided that we would be going back today .
「We will go back to Crimonia today . 」
I told Anzu when we arrived at the inn .
「I will also head there as soon as the tunnel is completed . 」
「If I am not there when you arrive, you can go to the orphanage and ask for a woman named Terumi-san . 」
I didn’t know when the tunnel would be completed, and I wasn’t in Crimonia everyday .
「You might not be there, Yuna-san?」
「I have a troublesome job, you see . It’s possible that I won’t be there when you arrive . But don’t worry . Terumi-san is the mother of these children, after all . 」
「Really?」
Anzu looked at the two .
「Yes, mother helps out Big Sis Yuna . 」
「I see . The orphanage, you said?」
After I finished talking to Anzu, I said goodbye to Deiga-san, and left the city .
I rode Swaying Bear while Fina and Shuri rode Hugging Bear .
We went through the tunnel and arrived to Crimonia .
First, I had to give back what I borrowed .
「I’m returning your daughters I borrowed . 」
「Were they helpful?」
Fina and Shuri clung to Terumi-san, and she petted their heads .
「They did their best . 」
「That’s good . Did you two have fun?」
「Yes, it was really fun . The sea was really vast, and we even rode on a boat . 」
「The food was delicious . 」
They reported what had happened during the trip to Terumi-san, who listened happily .
「Yuna-chan, thank you very much for giving them such a precious experience . 」
「Next time, you should come with us too, Terumi-san . 」
「You’re right . Should I go with you next time?」
When we finished talking about the trip, Fina and Shuri seemed tired and went to sleep in their bedroom . Did the fatigue from the trip kick in?
「When they come, I just have to look after them?」
「I’ll be counting on you . You don’t have to worry about money and can use it as you please, so I will leave the restaurant’s interior design to you . 」
Thanks to Terumi-san, I didn’t have to worry even if I wasn’t here .
I said goodbye to Terumi-san and went to the orphanage .
I should make Anzu and the other women a place to live next to the orphanage . Should I make it like a company-style dormitory? Or more like an inn-style dormitory?
I made the first floor as the common area . On the second and third floor, I made a number of four and a half tatami large rooms .
They should be okay for one person each . Inns were also like this .
Also, with the number I made, it should be okay even if more people came .
(TN: 4 . 5 tatami is about 7 . 5m2)
A few days later, I used the Bear Transfer Gate and went to the capital .
I then waited at the Bear House for Eleanora-san to come .
「Good morning, Yuna-chan . 」
「Good morning . 」
「We will go to the academy, okay?」
「Am I really going?」
Dealing with people of the same generation as me wasn’t something I was good at .
Was it because I was a hikikomori?
「You promised, right?」
「That’s right, but you could have found a substitute or something . 」
「Since you accepted, I didn’t even look for one . 」
I see .
After giving up and following Eleanora-san towards the academy, I noticed students wearing uniforms walking everywhere . I sometimes saw those uniforms when I was walking around the capital . It was a navy blue and white uniform . They all came with a navy blue mantle .
As we walking towards the academy, the students tried to look at us discreetly .
Then, whispers,
「A bear?」「Why would a bear be at the academy?」「The one next to the bear is Eleanora-san, right?」「Why would she wear such strange clothes?」「It’s cute, but those are really embarrassing clothes . 」「Wow, this is the first time I have seen such interesting clothes!」「Are they doing a play?」「Isn’t she embarrassed?」「I think it’s cute . 」「Look at her hands . Those are bears!」「Now that you say so, the feet are also…」「Where do they sell such clothes?」「Will we be eaten if we approach her?」「I want to hug her . 」「It’s a joke to walk around in those clothes, right?」「I saw her walking around the capital before . 」「I also heard about her from my friend . 」
came from the students .
「Can I go back?」
「Of course you can’t . 」
She grabbed me by the shoulders so that I couldn’t run away .
While still hearing the whispers, we reached the academy .
It looked like a castle from the middle ages .
「So this is the academy . 」
「Children ages 12 to 18 attend here . 」
「It’s big . 」
I was astonished by the size of the academy .
「That’s because a lot of children in the capital attend the academy despite the tuition fee . 」
Should I make a small school at the orphanage too?
There were a lot of children, and even though they were already learning how to read and do simple math, they weren’t doing any social studies . Still, the children were also working, so they might not have enough time . I should think about this more .
We entered the academy, and I was brought to a place that seemed to be a staff room .
It looked like I would meet the homeroom teacher of the students first .
Every time I imagined being in a staff room, I became uneasy, but that might be because I never went to school .
We entered the staff room and met a man who seemed to be in his 30s .
「Professor Schoerg . 」
「If it isn’t Eleanora-sama……and a bear?」
「This is the female adventurer who will be the escort . 」
「Eleanora-sama, is this a joke? I only see a 12 or 13 years old girl, though . Could she possibly be a girl who wants to enter the academy?」
「She is a respectable C rank adventurer . 」
「Rank C…」
He looked at me doubtfully .
If he said just one disapproving word, like he can’t trust me or any other negative word, I might be able to get out of this one, but…
Eleanora-san asked me to show him my guild card, and I, not being able to refuse her, showed it to him .
「Occupation… Bear?」
What were you looking at?
「Look at the rank . 」
「Ah, I’m sorry . Adventurer rank C . Really? It’s not fake, right?」
「It’s real . I guarantee it with my, Eleanora’s, name at stake . 」
「I can’t believe it, but I trust you, Eleanora-sama . Your daughter is in the group this girl has to escort, and I don’t think you would put her in danger . 」
Wasn’t this the moment where he should say,『I don’t trust you, so I won’t entrust my students to you!』? If he did, I would have an excuse to go back .
Did that mean he trusted Eleanora-san so much that it wiped out the anxiety my appearance gave him?
I took back my guild card and put it in the Bear Box .
「So, Yuna-san, was it? Do you need any explanation about the practice training?」
「I was told that I just have to protect them in case of danger, and that I had to report their attitudes . 」
「Yes . Basically, let them be independent . Even if they go the wrong way, or if their actions are bad, don’t interfere . Stop them only if their actions could be dangerous . 」
「You are telling me to do some difficult things . 」
「That’s why finding someone to do this is difficult . 」
I might have accepted a really troublesome request .
Also, the people I had to guard were of the same age as me . I couldn’t imagine it being anything but troublesome .
「So, how far are we going?」
It would be great if it was near .
「You are going to a village that is three to four days away by carriage, and you will be transporting wheat flour . 」
「It will take about 10 days for the round trip . 」
It was a bit far .
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「That means we will be going by carriage?」
「That’s right . That’s why, Yuna-chan, your bears are forbidden, okay? They would frighten the horses . 」
I did remember her saying something like that before . Something about taking a long trip by a carriage and taking care of the horses .
「That means it’s okay for me to sleep in the carriage, right?」
「That’s right . 」
「Eleanora-sama!」
「I’m joking . It’s true that you will have a lot of free time since you are an escort, though . You can just protect them using your own methods, Yuna-chan . 」
After listening to the journey details, we went to the class where the people I would have to guard were .
「A bear?」
「Why is a bear here?」
「That’s a bear, right?」
「Yuna-san?」
There was only one student that had a different reaction .
Of course, it was Eleanora-san’s daughter, Shia .
There were four students wearing uniforms in the classroom; two boys and two girls .
Were these four the ones I would have to guard?
If I had to describe them simply, there was an intelligent looking boy with slightly long hair, a seemingly cheeky short-haired boy, a girl with blond hair fashioned into drills, and of course, Shia .
They were all looking at me .
「All of you, be quiet . 」
「Professor, who is this bear?」
「Don’t tell me that she is the additional member who is supposed to go with our party?」
「She is too short, so that’s impossible . 」
While the other students were talking as they pleased, Shia smiled and waved at me .
「You guys are wrong . This is Kuma… *cough* this is Yuna-san…」
Just now, he said Kuma, right?
Their professor started to introduce me as a bear before changing it to my name .
「She is the adventurer who is going to be your escort . 」
「What are you saying, professor? No matter how I look at it, she is younger than us . 」
「That’s right, professor . Stop joking please . 」
The blond drills became angry .
There really were people with this sort of hairstyle, huh .
「I’m not joking . This girl is a full-fledged C rank adventurer . She came here because I asked her to be your escort . There are no people here who would disrespect my recommendation, right?」
Eleanora-san explained to the students who were making a racket, though it looked more like a threat .
「Don’t worry . I guarantee her ability . 」
If it was me, I wouldn’t be able not to worry .
I was a girl who looked younger than them .
Even more, I was wearing strange clothes .
Also, if I was looking at myself from their perspective, I wouldn’t believe that I was an adventurer either .
There was nothing I could relieve them with .
If the children vetoed me out, would I be able to go home?
「Eleanora-sama, is this girl really rank C? I was taught that it was really difficult to rank up to that point, though?」
Blond drills asked .
「Of course, it’s difficult . Just with that, you should understand how impressive this girl really is, right?」
「But, Eleanora-sama, if a little girl like her became a C ranker, there is no way that I wouldn’t know about it, right?」
Long-haired boy tried to show off his knowledge .
「That’s completely normal . This girl came from Crimonia, so she is not widely known in the capital . There are only few people who know about her here . 」
「Still, if this bear could become a C rank, I can become a B rank . 」
Short-haired boy laughed .
「It seems that there is someone who is ranked higher than me, so can I go home?」
There was no problem, right? He was stronger than me, so he doesn’t need a guard, right?
「That’s impossible, of course . 」
Ugh, I really wanted to go home .
I looked at Shia and listened in her conversation with the blond drills .
「Hey, Shia-san, did you know that the academy was this stupid? They say they want a little girl like her to escort us . Honestly, won’t we be the ones who will have to protect her?」
「Fufu, Cattleya-san, that’s not true at all . She is the best escort we could get . Even if I had the choice to go with a S ranked adventurer, I would still choose her . 」
「Ara, Shia-san, do you know this Bear?」
「Just a bit . 」
「Really?」
「I thought that this practice training would be boring, but I’m now happy that it won’t end up as such . 」
「Really? Personally, I don’t want to go since it seems troublesome . 」
Then, couldn’t you refuse with a louder voice?
「Anyway, this girl will be your escort . You have no right to refuse . 」
「Eleanora-sama, can we abandon this bear?」
「I don’t mind . 」
You should have defended me there!
「If it’s okay even if she dies, I won’t say a thing . 」
「I’m also fine with it . In the first place, even without an escort adventurer, a training of this level is easy . 」
「I’m fine with it as well . 」
「I am also okay with it, of course . 」
They all agreed, and so it was decided I would be their escort .
The following day, we were on our way to the inn to see Anzu .
「Do you two really want to go back today?」
「Yes, we had plenty of fun already . 」
「I want to see mom . 」
Like that, it was decided that we would be going back today .
「We will go back to Crimonia today . 」
I told Anzu when we arrived at the inn .
「I will also head there as soon as the tunnel is completed . 」
「If I am not there when you arrive, you can go to the orphanage and ask for a woman named Terumi-san . 」
I didn’t know when the tunnel would be completed, and I wasn’t in Crimonia everyday .
「You might not be there, Yuna-san?」
「I have a troublesome job, you see . It’s possible that I won’t be there when you arrive . But don’t worry . Terumi-san is the mother of these children, after all . 」
「Really?」
Anzu looked at the two .
「Yes, mother helps out Big Sis Yuna . 」
「I see . The orphanage, you said?」
After I finished talking to Anzu, I said goodbye to Deiga-san, and left the city .
I rode Swaying Bear while Fina and Shuri rode Hugging Bear .
We went through the tunnel and arrived to Crimonia .
First, I had to give back what I borrowed .
「I’m returning your daughters I borrowed . 」
「Were they helpful?」
Fina and Shuri clung to Terumi-san, and she petted their heads .
「They did their best . 」
「That’s good . Did you two have fun?」
「Yes, it was really fun . The sea was really vast, and we even rode on a boat . 」
「The food was delicious . 」
They reported what had happened during the trip to Terumi-san, who listened happily .
「Yuna-chan, thank you very much for giving them such a precious experience . 」
「Next time, you should come with us too, Terumi-san . 」
「You’re right . Should I go with you next time?」
When we finished talking about the trip, Fina and Shuri seemed tired and went to sleep in their bedroom . Did the fatigue from the trip kick in?
Left alone with Terumi-san, I told her about Anzu .
「When they come, I just have to look after them?」
「I’ll be counting on you . You don’t have to worry about money and can use it as you please, so I will leave the restaurant’s interior design to you . 」
Thanks to Terumi-san, I didn’t have to worry even if I wasn’t here .
I said goodbye to Terumi-san and went to the orphanage .
I should make Anzu and the other women a place to live next to the orphanage . Should I make it like a company-style dormitory? Or more like an inn-style dormitory?
I made the first floor as the common area . On the second and third floor, I made a number of four and a half tatami large rooms .
They should be okay for one person each . Inns were also like this .
Also, with the number I made, it should be okay even if more people came .
(TN: 4 . 5 tatami is about 7 . 5m2)
A few days later, I used the Bear Transfer Gate and went to the capital .
I then waited at the Bear House for Eleanora-san to come .
「Good morning, Yuna-chan . 」
「Good morning . 」
「We will go to the academy, okay?」
「Am I really going?」
Dealing with people of the same generation as me wasn’t something I was good at .
Was it because I was a hikikomori?
「You promised, right?」
「That’s right, but you could have found a substitute or something . 」
「Since you accepted, I didn’t even look for one . 」
I see .
After giving up and following Eleanora-san towards the academy, I noticed students wearing uniforms walking everywhere . I sometimes saw those uniforms when I was walking around the capital . It was a navy blue and white uniform . They all came with a navy blue mantle .
As we walking towards the academy, the students tried to look at us discreetly .
Then, whispers,
「A bear?」「Why would a bear be at the academy?」「The one next to the bear is Eleanora-san, right?」「Why would she wear such strange clothes?」「It’s cute, but those are really embarrassing clothes . 」「Wow, this is the first time I have seen such interesting clothes!」「Are they doing a play?」「Isn’t she embarrassed?」「I think it’s cute . 」「Look at her hands . Those are bears!」「Now that you say so, the feet are also…」「Where do they sell such clothes?」「Will we be eaten if we approach her?」「I want to hug her . 」「It’s a joke to walk around in those clothes, right?」「I saw her walking around the capital before . 」「I also heard about her from my friend . 」
came from the students .
「Can I go back?」
「Of course you can’t . 」
She grabbed me by the shoulders so that I couldn’t run away .
While still hearing the whispers, we reached the academy .
It looked like a castle from the middle ages .
「So this is the academy . 」
「Children ages 12 to 18 attend here . 」
「It’s big . 」
I was astonished by the size of the academy .
「That’s because a lot of children in the capital attend the academy despite the tuition fee . 」
Should I make a small school at the orphanage too?
There were a lot of children, and even though they were already learning how to read and do simple math, they weren’t doing any social studies . Still, the children were also working, so they might not have enough time . I should think about this more .
We entered the academy, and I was brought to a place that seemed to be a staff room .
It looked like I would meet the homeroom teacher of the students first .
Every time I imagined being in a staff room, I became uneasy, but that might be because I never went to school .
We entered the staff room and met a man who seemed to be in his 30s .
「Professor Schoerg . 」
「If it isn’t Eleanora-sama……and a bear?」
「This is the female adventurer who will be the escort . 」
「Eleanora-sama, is this a joke? I only see a 12 or 13 years old girl, though . Could she possibly be a girl who wants to enter the academy?」
「She is a respectable C rank adventurer . 」
「Rank C…」
He looked at me doubtfully .
If he said just one disapproving word, like he can’t trust me or any other negative word, I might be able to get out of this one, but…
Eleanora-san asked me to show him my guild card, and I, not being able to refuse her, showed it to him .
「Occupation… Bear?」
What were you looking at?
「Look at the rank . 」
「Ah, I’m sorry . Adventurer rank C . Really? It’s not fake, right?」
「It’s real . I guarantee it with my, Eleanora’s, name at stake . 」
「I can’t believe it, but I trust you, Eleanora-sama . Your daughter is in the group this girl has to escort, and I don’t think you would put her in danger . 」
Wasn’t this the moment where he should say,『I don’t trust you, so I won’t entrust my students to you!』? If he did, I would have an excuse to go back .
Did that mean he trusted Eleanora-san so much that it wiped out the anxiety my appearance gave him?
I took back my guild card and put it in the Bear Box .
「So, Yuna-san, was it? Do you need any explanation about the practice training?」
「I was told that I just have to protect them in case of danger, and that I had to report their attitudes . 」
「Yes . Basically, let them be independent . Even if they go the wrong way, or if their actions are bad, don’t interfere . Stop them only if their actions could be dangerous . 」
「You are telling me to do some difficult things . 」
「That’s why finding someone to do this is difficult . 」
I might have accepted a really troublesome request .
Also, the people I had to guard were of the same age as me . I couldn’t imagine it being anything but troublesome .
「So, how far are we going?」
It would be great if it was near .
「You are going to a village that is three to four days away by carriage, and you will be transporting wheat flour . 」
「It will take about 10 days for the round trip . 」
It was a bit far .
Still, I would probably be able to make the round trip in one day if I used my Bears .
「That means we will be going by carriage?」
「That’s right . That’s why, Yuna-chan, your bears are forbidden, okay? They would frighten the horses . 」
I did remember her saying something like that before . Something about taking a long trip by a carriage and taking care of the horses .
「That means it’s okay for me to sleep in the carriage, right?」
「That’s right . 」
「Eleanora-sama!」
「I’m joking . It’s true that you will have a lot of free time since you are an escort, though . You can just protect them using your own methods, Yuna-chan . 」
After listening to the journey details, we went to the class where the people I would have to guard were .
「A bear?」
「Why is a bear here?」
「That’s a bear, right?」
「Yuna-san?」
There was only one student that had a different reaction .
Of course, it was Eleanora-san’s daughter, Shia .
There were four students wearing uniforms in the classroom; two boys and two girls .
Were these four the ones I would have to guard?
If I had to describe them simply, there was an intelligent looking boy with slightly long hair, a seemingly cheeky short-haired boy, a girl with blond hair fashioned into drills, and of course, Shia .
They were all looking at me .
「All of you, be quiet . 」
「Professor, who is this bear?」
「Don’t tell me that she is the additional member who is supposed to go with our party?」
「She is too short, so that’s impossible . 」
While the other students were talking as they pleased, Shia smiled and waved at me .
「You guys are wrong . This is Kuma… *cough* this is Yuna-san…」
Just now, he said Kuma, right?
Their professor started to introduce me as a bear before changing it to my name .
「She is the adventurer who is going to be your escort . 」
「What are you saying, professor? No matter how I look at it, she is younger than us . 」
「That’s right, professor . Stop joking please . 」
The blond drills became angry .
There really were people with this sort of hairstyle, huh .
「I’m not joking . This girl is a full-fledged C rank adventurer . She came here because I asked her to be your escort . There are no people here who would disrespect my recommendation, right?」
Eleanora-san explained to the students who were making a racket, though it looked more like a threat .
「Don’t worry . I guarantee her ability . 」
If it was me, I wouldn’t be able not to worry .
I was a girl who looked younger than them .
Even more, I was wearing strange clothes .
Also, if I was looking at myself from their perspective, I wouldn’t believe that I was an adventurer either .
There was nothing I could relieve them with .
If the children vetoed me out, would I be able to go home?
「Eleanora-sama, is this girl really rank C? I was taught that it was really difficult to rank up to that point, though?」
Blond drills asked .
「Of course, it’s difficult . Just with that, you should understand how impressive this girl really is, right?」
「But, Eleanora-sama, if a little girl like her became a C ranker, there is no way that I wouldn’t know about it, right?」
Long-haired boy tried to show off his knowledge .
「That’s completely normal . This girl came from Crimonia, so she is not widely known in the capital . There are only few people who know about her here . 」
「Still, if this bear could become a C rank, I can become a B rank . 」
Short-haired boy laughed .
「It seems that there is someone who is ranked higher than me, so can I go home?」
There was no problem, right? He was stronger than me, so he doesn’t need a guard, right?
「That’s impossible, of course . 」
Ugh, I really wanted to go home .
I looked at Shia and listened in her conversation with the blond drills .
「Hey, Shia-san, did you know that the academy was this stupid? They say they want a little girl like her to escort us . Honestly, won’t we be the ones who will have to protect her?」
「Fufu, Cattleya-san, that’s not true at all . She is the best escort we could get . Even if I had the choice to go with a S ranked adventurer, I would still choose her . 」
「Ara, Shia-san, do you know this Bear?」
「Just a bit . 」
「Really?」
「I thought that this practice training would be boring, but I’m now happy that it won’t end up as such . 」
「Really? Personally, I don’t want to go since it seems troublesome . 」
Then, couldn’t you refuse with a louder voice?
「Anyway, this girl will be your escort . You have no right to refuse . 」
「Eleanora-sama, can we abandon this bear?」
「I don’t mind . 」
You should have defended me there!
「If it’s okay even if she dies, I won’t say a thing . 」
「I’m also fine with it . In the first place, even without an escort adventurer, a training of this level is easy . 」
「I’m fine with it as well . 」
「I am also okay with it, of course . 」
They all agreed, and so it was decided I would be their escort .
