Noa's Perpective
When Yuna-san opened the door, it was a large room.
The floor had a strange greenish color.
Then, there was a girl about my age sitting in the room, and near her was a person around Yuna-san's age, and at the back of the room was a beautiful girl.
The girl's name was Sakura, who was about the same age as me. Although she says that she was different, she was a girl from the royal family of this country. Why was such a girl here?
For now, I would call her Sakura, and Sakura would call me Noa.
Sakura was wearing light pink clothes that I had never seen before.
Her appearance was beautiful, and I could tell by her tone that she was no ordinary child.
She might not have the right of inheritance, but she had royal bloodline.
Then there's the woman who I thought was the oldest among them.
Her name's Shinobu. It looked like someone who protected Sakura.
And the girl in the back.
She was the girl Yuna-san was talking about.
Even though she was younger than me, Yuna-san called me "Kagari-san," and Sakura, who has royal blood, called her "Kagari-sama."
According to Yuna-san and Sakura, she seemed to be a very important person.
I remembered Yuna-san's words before coming here.
Don't pursue it too deeply.
Even I knew that there were some things that were better not to know.
So I wouldn't ask about her.
After the greetings were over and we started talking about what we were going to do next, I looked out the window and saw a large lake spreading out.
Yuna-san said that we would be staying at this house today.
I wanted to go to the lake, but first I decided to take Misa, Fina, and Shuri to explore the house.
However, I soon became concerned about Sakura and called her.
"Sakura, would you like to come with me?" (Noa)
"Are you sure?" (Sakura)
"Yeah, because people who like Kumayuru-chan and Kumakyu-chan are our friends." (Noa)
Sakura looked surprised, but soon smiled and came over to us.
"Yes. If you don't mind, I'll come with you." (Sakura)
Sakura started walking beside us.
"Fina, Shuri. Once again, it's been a while." (Sakura)
"Yes, it's been a while." (Fina)
"Yes, Sakura-neechan." (Shuri)
Fina and Shuri were happy to be reunited.
"You know not only Yuna-san, but also Fina and Shuri." (Noa)
"Yes, Shinobu took care of Fina, and Shuri and I also ate and swam together at the lake we saw outside earlier." (Sakura)
That's what happened...
As a member of Bear's Fan Club, I would like to protest to Fina and Shuri for not informing me, but I also understood that they couldn't talk about this matter.
I was sad that it was kept a secret, but I had no choice.
Even between aristocrats, there were secrets.
People who give information easily lose credibility.
Even if it's someone you're close to...
I didn't trust people who tell secrets.
So I didn't blame Fina and Shuri.
"I rode on Kumayuru-chan and Kumakyu-chan and played with them." (Shuri)
Shuri seemed to be having fun talking to her.
"Hehe, that's right. You also hung out with Kumakyu-sama and Kumayuru-sama." (Sakura)
Kumayuru-chan and Kumakyu-chan even played in that lake.
It's enviable.
Sakura then showed us around the building and talked about her relationship with Yuna-san.
It seemed that Yuna-san saved this country when it was in trouble.
If Yuna-san hadn't helped, Sakura would probably have died...
Yuna-san explained that she saved not only Sakura, but many people.
In return, the king of this country gave her this building.
I was surprised that Yuna-san saved the country, but I was also surprised that she was given this building.
The building was large, three stories high, and it was no exaggeration to call it a large mansion.
Yuna-san must have done something amazing in this country to receive such a large building.
"Um, what did Yuna-onee-sama do?" (Misa)
Misa asked what I wanted to ask.
"I'm sorry. This matter is confidential, and I cannot discuss it at my discretion." (Sakura)
"I see. I'm sorry to ask." (Misa)
"No, don't worry about it. I think it can't be helped that you're concerned. If Yuna-sama told you about that door, if you ask her, I'm sure she'll tell you the story." (Sakura)
If so, I'd be happy.
"By the way, do Fina and Shuri know?" (Noa)
"I don't know!" (Shuri)
"Well, I know." (Fina)
"Yuna-san only tells Fina everything, right?" (Noa)
I envied Fina.
That's how much she was trusted.
I would ask Yuna-san for more details and look around the building.
There was a large room on the third floor and it felt luxurious. Sakura said it was built for important people to stay there.
The second floor had rooms for the servants, and the first floor had the kitchen, dining room, and storage room.
And to my surprise, there was a large hot spring bath on each floor.
Yuna-san said she wanted to take a hot spring, so I would go with everyone later.
Anyway, I had heard that it was a different country, but I was surprised to find that it was different in many ways.
Most of the rooms had tatami mats on the floor, which gave it an indescribable feel.
Misa also stepped on it over and over again, looking curious.
Shuri was rolling around and Fina was angry at her.
Sakura looked on with amusement.
We hadn't talked much yet, but I got the feeling that she was very mature and was being watched over with warm eyes.
By the way, according to Fina, this tatami room also existed in Yuna-san's house.
I never went upstairs, so I didn't know.
Let me see it next time I visit.
After looking around the building, we went outside to go to the lake.
The building was surrounded by forest.
However, there was a road, which was well paved and suitable for horse-drawn carriages.
We moved to the back and headed towards the lake.
This was the lake seen from inside the building.
It's beautiful.
Misa and everyone else were watching too.
"This is where you ate and played, right?" (Noa)
"Yes" (Fina)
"I rode on Kumayuru-chan and Kumakyu-chan and had fun." (Shuri)
Shuri spoke happily.
Wow, I was jealous.
We walked around the lake.
It felt good.
Even when I was in Crimonia, I rarely went outside the city, and I almost never went into the forest, so it felt fresh.
"The air is nice." (Misa)
Misa was taking a deep breath.
I imitated her and took a deep breath.
Clean air entered my body.
"Does Fina go to the forest often?" (Noa)
"I don't go there anymore these days, but before I met Yuna-nee-chan, I used to go to the forest a lot." (Fina)
"Really?" (Misa)
Misa was surprised.
"Yes. I was going to pick herbs for my mother's medicine." (Fina)
I had heard about it.
Fina's mother was sick. But Yuna-san cured her.
Now, I could see her working energetically.
My father and I were also helped by her, and Misa was also helped when she was being attacked by monsters.
Maybe everyone was saved by Yuna-san.
Shuri picked up a branch and swung it around as she walked happily.
Somehow, I also ended up picking up branches.
"Isn't this forest dangerous?" (Noa)
"It's okay. Once we receive a report of a monster, adventurers and soldiers will move. Besides, Kagari-sama is here now." (Sakura)
Sakura's words surprised us.
"Kagari-sama is the beautiful girl in that room. Does that mean she's fighting the monsters?" (Noa)
"Yes. It seems like they don't want to report it to us, so they defeat it themselves. That's why Suzuran, who is taking care of Kagari-sama, said that she was in trouble." (Sakura)
"That girl is younger than us, right? So, is she fighting monsters?" (Noa)
"Yes. I can't tell you the details, but Kagari-sama is a special person and can even fight monsters." (Sakura)
Lately, I had been studying how to use magic.
I learned the basics from Yuna-san, and the rest I practiced on my own or learned from my teacher.
However, if I were to be asked to fight a monster, I wouldn't be able to fight.
I thought that if I could use magic, I would be able to fight monsters, but I found out that was not the case.
Just thinking about encountering a monster by yourself was scary.
As both Yuna-san and the teacher said, you needed experience, confidence, and many other things.
Once you gained the confidence to use magic and fight monsters, you would no longer be afraid.
It required experience.
But they said it's important to be aware of how scary it could be.
I heard that many people died because they fought recklessly, without even knowing their own abilities.
Even when there was a fairy, I wasn't scared because Yuna-san was there.
"Um, I would like to ask Sakura-san, that girl. Why is Kagari-san alone in a place like this?" (Misa)
Misa asked.
"Kagari-sama hates interacting with people. She gets a lot of attention, both good and bad. That's probably why she wants to be alone." (Sakura)
Maybe there's a reason why the child was alone.
I was curious, but I wouldn't ask too much about it.
That was also my promise to Yuna-san.
"But she's a lonely person." (Sakura)
Sakura smiled.
"Did Sakura know that Yuna-san was coming?" (Noa)
When she opened the door, they were already waiting for us.
"Yes, I was contacted and knew you would be coming." (Sakura)
"Is contact means a magical tool that is shaped like a bear and allows you to talk to people far away?" (Noa)
"Noa know about it, too?"
"Yes, I have it." (Noa)
I took out a bear-shaped magic tool from my item bag.
Yuna-san lent it to me when I went looking for the fairy Prim's older sister.
I had had it ever since.
Somehow, I forgot to return it.
"Just to confirm, do you all know Yuna-sama’s secret?" (Sakura)
What is Yuna-san's secret?
I didn't know what it was because it's often hidden.
"By the way, are Noa and Misa performing contract magic?" (Sakura)
"What is contract magic?" (Noa)
I had never heard of it.
Misa and I shook our heads.
"It means that Yuna-sama trusts you two just as much as Fina and Shuri." (Sakura)
Sakura spoke with envy.
Apparently, they did the contract magic to protect Yuna-san's secret.
That's why I couldn't talk about the bear gate that allows you to move or the bear's magic tool that allows you to talk to people far away.
However, it seemed that if the other party knew, it would not be considered a breach of the contract.
I didn't seem to know much about that, but it seemed that if you broke the contract spell, you would start laughing and wouldn't be able to speak.
"So, you were doing that kind of contract magic." (Noa)
"At that time, there was an emergency, and Shinobu was about to report Yuna-sama to the king, so I had no choice. Besides, it was only the second day we met, so we didn't have Yuna-sama's trust." (Sakura)
I had known Yuna-san for a few months. However, I recently learned about that gate and the magic tool that allows you to talk to people far away.
Maybe it was just that urgent.
Author's Note
Noa and Sakura got closer.
Thank you to everyone who watched the anime.
...
*Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Please note that some kanji have been revised to match the book, so some may not have been revised.