"Are there birds in the lake?"
Fina and Shuri were explaining to Noa and Misa about the birds they were heading to.
"Bird swim on the lake." (Shuri)
Shuri, who had ridden birds at the lake, explained.
"Then, they're not flying through the sky like a bird, are they?" (Noa)
"That's too bad" (Misa)
Apparently, Noa and Misa thought they could ride birds and fly.
"It's just riding a bird that swims on the water. Do you want to give up?" (Yuna)
"No, I want to ride a bird." (Noa)
"And I want to see big birds." (Misa)
We started walking towards the lake.
"Are the buildings in this city made of stone?" (Noa)
Noa asked as she looked at the houses being built around her.
"Wood is precious here." (Yuna)
There is also a lake, so there is a small forest. However, woods were still valuable.
"That's right. Even if you can easily get it in Crimonia, you can't get it here." (Noa)
"The opposite is also true. There are things that are easy to get here, but hard to get in Crimonia." (Yuna)
"That's why merchants travel between cities and countries to trade."
"Thanks to such merchants, things that are found or made in faraway places come to us."
"We should be grateful."
So don't let the merchants' hard work go to waste by using Bear's Transfer Gate.
But since God gave it to me, I had to make good use of it. It's fine as long as it's what he wanted.
While I was making excuses in my head, Noa and the others continued talking about economics, and Fina and Shuri listened with great admiration.
We made our way to the lake, listening to such unchildish stories beside us.
A big bird was swimming in the lake.
"There's a really big bird swimming." (Noa)
"Noa-onee-sama, there is a child riding on the bird." (Misa)
"Yuna-san, I want to ride quickly." (Noa)
"I understand, so don't rush." (Yuna)
I calmed down Noa and Misa and started walking towards the bird landing area.
Shuri usually made a fuss, but this time Noa and Misa made a fuss. Shuri explained it, and Fina supplemented it.
"Fina and Shuri have ridden before, right?" (Noa)
"Yes" (Fina)
"Yes, I rode." (Shuri)
"Uh, Yuna-san, let's hurry." (Noa)
"That's right. I might not be able to ride it." (Misa)
Noa and Misa grabbed my hand and start walking.
"You don't have to be in such a hurry." (Yuna)
"I think the number of birds is limited." (Noa)
"That's right. The number of birds is not infinite. There may be no more birds for us to ride." (Misa)
If you said that, I couldn't say anything back. I arrived at the bird landing with Noa and Misa pulling me along.
And then I realized.
"You needed a swimsuit." (Yuna)
When I went on a company trip to Mileela town, I prepared a swimsuit, but I forgot to tell her to bring it.
"I have swimsuits. I was told that Fina might use them, so I have them ready." (Noa)
"Is that so?" (Yuna)
"I didn't know where Yuna-onee-chan was taking everyone, but I thought we might need it." (Fina)
As expected, she was better planning than me.
I was a little worried that she's too firm.
Maybe she could be a little more childlike.
We came to the bird station.
"It's a big bird." (Noa)
There was a fence, and inside the fence was a big bird.
"If you look at it up close, it's really big." (Noa)
"Yuna-one-sama, does the bird have a name?" (Misa)
It's not an individual name.
"I think it was a camole? That's the name of the bird." (Yuna)
"...Camole"
"Yuna-nee-sama, I want to ride quickly."
"Then let's go to that hut." (Yuna)
There was a hut near the fence where the birds were.
We headed to the hut.
When we entered, the man inside the hut looked surprised.
"The bear that was with Karina-sama at that time..." (Old man)
"Do you remember me?" (Yuna)
"It's obvious. Once you see a kid dressed like a bear, you'll never forget it." (Old man)
Maybe there were people who would come with Karina.
Maybe she would come with a friend.
But it seemed like they wouldn't forget a person dressed as a bear.
Actually, he didn't seem to remember Fina and Shuri.
In other words, he recognized me as a bear, so if I took off the bear costume, he wouldn't be able to tell.
"So, did you come to ride the bird again this time?" (Old man)
"Yeah, I'd like to take these kids on a bird ride." (Yuna)
"Four people. There are birds that are resting right now. Please change your clothes in that room, and I will prepare them in the meantime." (Old man)
I paid the price and told Fina and the others to change into their swimsuits.
When the old man left the hut, he entered the fence and began to choose one for Noa and the others to ride from among the multiple birds.
Then, the four selected birds arrived.
At that moment, Fina and others changed into swimsuits and came out of the room.
"Then, some of you may have ridden before, but I'd like to warn you. Don't go too far." (Old man)
"Um, this is my first time riding, what should I do?" (Noa)
"They can be made to follow instructions like a horse, but it requires a certain amount of skill. So, you're basically just riding. Also, don't get angry on the bird, or you might be thrown off. Any animals who get something violent on their back, will shake it off. Occasionally, some children will stand on the bird or hit it to get it to move faster. Don't do that, it's dangerous. Camoles are basically taught not to go far. Also, they are trained to pick up people and return after a while. Well, even though it's called education, they just come back to get food. Well, sometimes they don't come back, but don't worry, I'll use this whistle to call them." (Old man)
A flute was hung around the old man's neck.
"Any other questions?" (Old man)
"So we can't play together?" (Noa)
"That's okay. Camoles have a habit of moving together. Especially since these four are brothers, they always move together." (Old man)
I guessed that's why he chose them.
Since there were no other questions asked, Noa and the others decided to ride the camole.
There was a small pier, and the camoles lined up politely and waited for Noa and the others to board.
It's like waiting in line for a taxi.
"Please treat me well" (Noa)
Noa rode camole and gently patted its back and called out to it. Misa, Fina, and Shuri did the same when they saw this.
"You guys, don’t shake the girls off." (Old man)
"Kwok" (Camole)
When the camole cried, it moved smoothly and began to swim across the lake.
"It's moving. It's swimming on water!" (Noa)
"Don't go wild!"
"Okaa~y" (Noa)
Camoru carried Noa and the others and swam on the lake.
Even though she was far away, I could hear Noa's happy voices.
I was worried that they might fall, but if something happened, I could rush immediately because I had the bear skill that allowed me to walk on water.
Also, in case of emergency, Kumayuru and Kumakyu were there too.
"You're not a resident of this town, are you?" (Old man)
When I was looking at Noa and the others, an old man started talking to me.
"Yeah. That's right, though." (Yuna)
"Then you brought those children through that desert. It must have been difficult." (Old man)
I couldn't say it was easy because I used Bear's Transfer Gate.
"Yeah, well..." (Yuna)
"As before, please enjoy your trip. This lake, once before,
There was a time when it almost withered." (Old man)
Yes, I knew.
"At that time, the lord of this city worked hard and was able to restore it to its original state. At that time, many people were trying to leave this town. I had birds, so I didn't think that way." (Old man)
The old man laughed.
"If the lake disappears, the birds will die. At that time, I thought I was the same." (Old man)
"Why are you telling me that?" (Yuna)
"I wonder why. Karina-sama comes over once in a while. That's when she talked about you. Maybe that's why." (Old man)
Karina...
"I'm guessing that you're an acquaintance of Karina-sama. I don't know what kind of relationship you have, but please take good care of Karina-sama." (Old man)
After saying that, the old man went back to the hut.
...Karina.
Maybe I should go see her for the first time in a while.
These weren't Noa's words, but maybe people would know that I had come here before long.
If she knew that, she might be sad.
Author's Note
It's been a long time, big bird.
...
*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.