"So where should we go next?"
Noa turned to the castle.
"I think you can come in with us, but it might cause trouble for uncle. I'll contact you later."
"No, that's not what I meant..." (Noa)
Noa looked apologetic.
"Please don't worry" (Sakura)
Sakura smiled.
"I'm sorry, but concubine keeps showing up at Suzuran."
Suzuran...probably she's the one who took care of Kagari-san.
I hadn't met her yet.
I only knew the name because I sometimes I checked on my bear phone.
"Then, shall we all go back to the house?"
"Don't worry about it. I'll go alone. Please enjoy yourself." (Kagari)
"But you're on your own."
"Don't treat concubine like children. I can go home alone." (Kagari)
After saying that, Kagari-san started walking alone.
"Shinobu"
Sakura looked at Shinobu.
"No way. It's true that Kagari-sama is an important person, but Sakura-sama is also an important person. Besides, with Kagari-sama, even if something happens, she'll be fine." (Shinobu)
Well, if you knew Kagari-san and Sakura well, if you thought about it normally, Sakura was the one who needed an escort.
Kagari-san could handle it herself as Shinobu said.
While they both were talking, Kagari-san turned a corner and disappeared out of sight.
"Are you sure it's okay to let Kagari-san go by herself?" (Noa)
"She's not an ordinary child, right?" (Sakura)
"I don’t know Kagari-san’s position, but she is important."
"It's okay. There's no one who can do anything about Kagari-sama." (Shinobu)
"It's true that she's an important person, but just like Shinobu said, she's a strong person."
They all seemed puzzled by Sakura's words, but since I had told them in advance not to ask about Kagari-san, they didn't ask any more.
We walked through the castle town without worrying about Kagari-san. Noa and the others also started having fun.
"What is that?" (Noa)
"Noa-onee-sama. What is that?" (Shuri)
"Misa, let's go over there." (Noa)
Noa and Misa were even more excited than Shuri.
Well, Shuri's hand was tied by Fina, so she couldn't run away.
"You two remember your promise, right?" (Yuna)
"Of course." (Yuna)
"Y-yes." (Misa)
They both returned to us.
Then, we got along and looked around.
"What is that?"
"It's spinning around."
"Whirlpool?"
Red, blue, green, and various flower-like things were spinning around.
"It spins with the wind." (Yuna)
Noa and Misa, as well as Fina and Shuri, approached the shop where the pinwheels were lined up.
The whirligig spun when the wind blew.
It had been a while since I saw it, but it made me feel nostalgic.
"Doesn't it sell to Fina's countries?" (Sakura)
"No, it doesn't sell."
"I saw it for the first time."
"But Yuna knows that." (Shinobu)
"Well." (Yuna)
I made it with origami when I was little.
Even I was naive when I was young.
Ever since I was born, I hadn't had the same personality as I do now.
I said it in my heart, without telling anyone.
"Shall I go buy some?"
"No, it's fine." (Noa)
"Why?"
Noa and the others looked around.
"The person holding it is a small child."
When I looked around, I saw that the ones holding whirligigs were children smaller than Noa and the others.
Apparently it's embarrassing to have one.
As for me, I didn't think they needed to worry about it.
As I was looking at the pinwheel, I heard a chiring sound coming from somewhere.
"What’s this sound!?" (Noa)
Noa reacted.
"It’s over there." (Shinobu)
Shinobu, who had good ears, pointed out.
Wind chimes were sold there.
It was amazing to be able to tell where the sound was coming from in this noisy environment.
With this, she could easily find it even if you played hide and seek.
There were often scenes where you put your ear to the ground, listened to sounds, and checked the direction and distance. It seemed more accurate than that.
We came to a wind chime shop.
"Oh, when's this little bear girl?"
"Yeah? Maybe you're the old man from when I bought it last time? You remember me well." (Yuna)
"No, Miss. As expected, I won't be able to forget your appearance even if I want to."
Everyone nodded at the uncle's words.
"And the ladies from back then too."
It seemed that the uncle also remembered Fina and Shuri.
"What is it? Will you buy it again?"
"Yeah. Misa, I'll give you a present, so you can choose what you like." (Yuna)
"Is it okay?" (Misa)
"I bought it for Noa, Fina and the others, but I couln't buy it for Misa." (Yuna)
I couldn't say I forgot.
"Thank you" (Misa)
"Misa, that was great." (Noa)
"Yes" (Misa)
Misa began to choose which one to buy.
Next to them, Noa, Fina, and Shuri were choosing together, saying things like, "I think this is good," "What about this?" and "This is good."
Me, Sakura, and Shinobu looked at Fina and the others with a smile.
"Thank you, Yuna-onee-sama. I will treasure it." (Misa)
What Misa chose was not a flower pattern, a beautiful butterfly, or a bird.
It had a pattern of a fox and a bear, which has been popular recently.
"A while ago, a large monster appeared. There is a story that a fox and a bear defeated it."
"Fox and bear?" (Noa)
"Yeah, I saw some of the monsters that were subdued, but they were big."
"What about that fox and bear?"
"Some people have seen it from a distance, but no one has seen it up close. However, there have been legends about the fox for a long time. And it is said that there was a bear rock in the place where the monster was subjugated. So, it was the fox and the bear who subdued the monsters."
The old man with the wind chime explained it.
"I don't know about foxes, but bears..." (Noa)
Noa looked at me.
It's not something I was forced to hide, so I would talk about it.
"That's right. It's about me. But only a few people know about it, so don't talk about it." (Yuna)
"Ah, that’s why you received that mansion as a thank you."
"I was convinced"
"Sakura and Shinobu are the few people who know that." (Yuna)
"It's was so"
"I'd like to hear more about that story."
"We'll have to talk about that another time. I'll be in trouble if someone hears." (Yuna)
I would be in trouble if someone hears me in a busy place.
However, I didn't think anyone would believe me even if I pretended that I defeated the serpent.
Then, as I looked around the castle town, I noticed that items with pictures of bears, foxes, and giant snakes on them were being sold here and there.
Sakura and Shinobu told me that it's popular because the fox and bear were the ones who defeated the serpent.
"There are so many things I want."
This time, I added a note of caution.
Bear's Transfer Gate could take you to remote locations. There were some things that couldn't be obtained in Crimonia or the royal capital.
If you had that, you would be suspicious.
Therefore, I had prohibited the purchase of rare items.
Food was OK instead.
"I wanted to buy clothes."
"I liked the clothes that woman was wearing."
"I wanted to show it to my mom and dad."
"Trade has started between the Land of Harmoni and Mileela town, so if it's about clothes." (Yuna)
"In that case, would you like to try on the clothes I have? You're not that different in height from me, so I think you'll be fine." (Sakura)
"Is it okay?"
"I wore it the last time Fina and Shuri came." (Sakura)
"Then please."
It looked like the fashion show was about to start again.
I was not comfortable wearing it, but I might want to see Noa and Misa is kimonos.
Noa and the others looked happy after making a promise to Sakura and started exploring the city.
I mainly had an eye for unusual foods.
We ate dango, anmitsu, oshiruko, and rice crackers.
The oshiruko seemed a little sweet.
I was surprised at how hard the rice crackers were.
"My stomach is full"
"I'm not going to eat anymore."
"Sister, it hurts." (Shuri)
"That's why I said you should stop." (Yuna)
"Because Noa-neechan and Misa-neechan..." (Shuri)
Fina was ordering with us at the beginning, but by the time she expected Shuri not to be able to eat, she didn't order and instead ate what Shuri had left.
"But is the money really worth it?"
All payments were made by Shinobu.
"I don't mind. I have a promise to play hide and seek with Yuna." (Shinobu)
It was a game of hide and seek, and if I won, I was supposed to get a treat.
She paid not only for breakfast but also for all the food that followed.
However, I decided to pay for Misa's wind chime.
I bought everyone's wind chime, but if Shinobu paid for it, it would be like Shinobu buying it for Misa.
I thought that was wrong, so I paid for it.
"I'm going to take a little break." (Shinobu)
"Then let's go to my house. It's not far from here. Also, we have an appointment for clothes earlier." (Sakura)
"I think Kagari-sama is there too." (Shinobu)
We headed to Sakura's house.
Perhaps the food they had eaten had been digested by walking, and Noa and the others gradually found time to look around.
"It’s a long wall."
A fence ran next to us.
"This is Sakura-sama’s house." (Shinobu)
"Is that so?" (Noa)
"It's big" (Misa)
No, Noa's and Misa's house were also big.
Then, as the wall continues, I could see a person standing in front of me.
That's the gate, that's the entrance.
"Good work" (Sakura)
"Sakura-sama, I'm glad you came back safely."
When Sakura greeted the man standing at the gate, the man replied.
"Shinobu is here, so it's okay. So, did something happen?"
"A little girl came over a little while ago, so I brought her to you."
"Kagari-sama, right?" (Shinobu)
It looked like she had arrived properly.
Well, she might look like a little girl, but she's a proper adult.
"Then let's come in too." (Sakura)
"Just to confirm, what about the people in the back? I think that girl dressed as a bear and her sisters have been here before."
After saying that, he turned to Noa and Misa.
This was an unusual outfit to see in Land of Harmoni.
My bear outfit stood out, but Noa and the others' outfits also stood out in Land of Harmoni.
"They're my guest, so it's okay." (Sakura)
"I understand. Please come through."
The man took a step to the side and let us pass.
We bowed our heads slightly, walked past the man, and passed through the gate.
Author's Note
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.