Yuna's perspective
While everyone was resting in their room, I came to Balima-san's office to talk.
"Yuna-san, please sit down." (Balima)
I sat on the chair as suggested.
"How did Yuna-san get into the city?" (Balima)
That's an unexpected question.
"This city is located in the heart of the desert, and there are few people coming and going. The adventurers who live in this town go to kill monsters, and the merchants come and go. There are not many people per day. I would say that most of them are familiar to each other." (Balima)
It made sense if he thought about it.
Many people came and go in the royal capital.
The same applied to Crimonia.
But this was an isolated town.
The surrounding area was a desert, so it's difficult to move around.
Few people traveled to such a city.
"Um?" (Yuna)
"If you can't answer, that's fine. However, as the lord of the city, I have no choice but to ask." (Balima)
"Um?" (Yuna)
"Is there another way to get into the city?" (Balima)
"I don't know if there's another way. I'm coming in a different way." (Yuna)
"I think Yuna-san could come through the city walls. But I don't see why she would do that." (Balima)
I just came in normally.
"Balima-san is acquainted with the king, so I can’t say anything." (Yuna)
"With His Majesty the King?" (Balima)
"Yes, if His Majesty the King finds out, it might cause trouble." (Yuna)
"You think I'm going to tell His Majesty the King." (Balima)
"One of the possibilities." (Yuna)
"Then, if I promise not to tell His Majesty the King, will you tell me?" (Balima)
It's not that I didn't believe in Balima-san.
But when the king was involved, it's a different matter. Moreover, other countries were also involved.
"Then, what would you do if I asked you to do contract magic?" (Yuna)
"Contract magic?" (Balima)
"When you try to tell you my secret" (Yuna)
"Do you die if I try to talk?" (Balima)
"You won't die. You'll just be a little embarrassed." (Yuna)
I explained briefly.
When he tried to tell my secret, he could only speak the word "bear" or "kuma", and when he tried to write it down, he could only write "bear" or "kuma".[1]
When I explained seriously, Balima-san started laughing.
"So there is such a contract magic." (Balima)
I just learned it the other day.
"If that's the only violation of the contract, then there's no problem. I promise not to talk about it in the first place." (Balima)
I drew a magic circle of bears on the table using mana.
"The magic circle is also a bear." (Balima)
"Please put your hand on the bear's face." (Yuna)
As I was told, Balima-san placed his hand on the magic circle on the bear's face.
"Don't tell anyone my secret" (Yuna)
"I promise" (Balima)
The bear's magic circle lighted up and the contract was completed.
And I told Balima-san about Bear's Transfer Gate.
"So you bought a house." (Balima)
"Yeah, I can’t just put it down randomly." (Yuna)
"Certainly, if His Majesty the King and others found out about this, it would be a big deal. For some people, it could become a tool of war." (Yuna)
I had never heard of a war happening nearby.
However, problems between countries changed with time.
I heard that in the town where Misa lived, where there were two feudal lords, the two families had good relations at first.
However, when generations changed, human relationships changed, and ways of thinking changed.
"Yuna-san, thank you for speaking with me." (Balima)
"I can't help it if I look suspicious." (Yuna)
"So, now that I know something, I have a favor to ask of you. If possible, please tell Karina." (Balima)
"Tell Karina?" (Yuna)
"Yes. And I would be happy if you could come to this town anytime." (Balima)
"Even if she ends up doing contract magic?" (Yuna)
"Karina has a strong sense of responsibility and is not one to break promises. Besides, she is studying magic circles. On the other hand, she might be happy about it." (Balima)
"Okay" (Yuna)
"Also, I would like to confirm the contract magic, so is it okay if I call Karina?" (Balima)
When I agreed, Balima-san picked up the bell and rand it.
The door opened and a maid entered the room.
"Are you calling me?"
"Please call Karina." (Balima)
The maid bowed her head and left the room.
After a while, Karina came.
"Father, are you calling me?" (Karina)
"Oh, sit down." (Balima)
Karina sat next to me.
"Karina" (Balima)
"Yes, what is it?" (Karina)
"Kuma kuma kuma, bear." (Balima)
"Father?" (Karina)
Karina was surprised when her father suddenly starts calling out the word kuma and bear.
"It seems like I really can't talk." (Balima)
Then, he tried to write on paper, but the words "Kuma" and "Bear" were lined up on the paper.
"It's strange. I really can't write. Even if I try, I end up turning into bear." (Balima)
Balima-san said happily.
"Father, what do you mean?" (Karina)
It can't be helped that the child would be confused if his father suddenly started calling out the word bear and writing the word "kuma" and "bear" on a piece of paper.
I explained briefly.
Because of the contract magic, if he tried to say my secret, he would only be able to say "Bear" or "Kuma," and if he tried to write it down on paper, he would end up writing "Bear" and "Kuma."
"Is this Yuna-san's secret?" (Karina)
"That's right. I was curious about something, so I asked. To answer that question, I was told that I needed a contract, so I did contract magic." (Balima)
"Isn't there any danger?" (Karina)
"No. As I explained, if you try to say my secret, you'll just say 'bear.' If I had to say it, would you say it's embarrassing?" (Yuna)
It's embarrassing to call people bears repeatedly in public. All you can do is say, "Kumakumakumabear."
"I see." (Karina)
She looked a little relieved.
"Then, if I perform contract magic with Yuna-san, will you tell me Yuna-san’s secret?" (Karina)
"Karina?"
"There are so many things I want to ask Yuna-san. But I've held back because I thought I shouldn't ask. But if I do that contract magic, I'll be able to ask Yuna-san even more..." (Karina)
"Karina…" (Yuna)
"Also, I’m curious about the magic circle that they say was used for contract magic." (Karina)
It wasn't the face of a girl, but the face of a researcher interested in magic circles.
I didn't have to make a magic contract with Karina, but due to Karina's will, I decided to make a contract magic.
A magic circle of bears was drawn on the table.
Then, we performed contract magic.
Noa's perspective
Yuna-san was called by Balima-san and left the room.
Karina confirmed this and asked.
"I would like to ask you a question, is that okay?" (Karina)
"What is it?" (Noa)
"Does Yuna-san always dress like that?" (Karina)
We looked at each other at that question.
Yuna-san always dressed up as a bear.
No matter where she went (to the castle) or who she met (the king), she dressed as a bear.
"Sometimes she dress differently, but she always dress that way." (Noa)
"I see" (Karina)
"She wore a dress to my birthday party." (Misa)
"When she went to the school festival in the royal capital, she wore a uniform." (Noa)
"Also, when we went to the beach, she wore a swimsuit." (Shuri)
For some reason, we felt we had to defend Yuna-san, so we talked about a time when Yuna-san wore different clothes.
"Then she usually dresses like that?" (Karina)
We could only nod.
"Is that kind of attire normal in your town?" (Karina)
Crimonia where I lived.
I imagined everyone dressed up as bears.
"No, Yuna-san is the only one dressed like that." (Noa)
"Some kids are wearing bear clothes." (Shuri)
Shuri spoke up.
"Those are clothes from the store." (Fina)
"Well, Yuna-san runs a shop. There are kids working there, and they're all dressed up as bears." (Noa)
"Are you wearing the same clothes as Yuna-san?" (Karina)
I took it out of the item bag and tried it on to show Karina the store's bear uniform. I was glad I brought it.
"It is like this" (Noa)
It's different from Yuna-san's bear clothes, but this was also a bear's clothes.
"That's cute. Do you all work at Yuna-san's shop too?" (Karina)
"Fina and Shuri work as helpers sometimes, but Misa and I don't. These clothes were requested by someone." (Noa)
Karina saw the uniform and wanted it.
However, I only had one of these clothes.
The bear clothes Misa and I were wearing were Fina and Shuri's spare uniforms.
Maybe they had a new spare.
"Fina, don’t you have any spare clothes?" (Noa)
"Yes, I have it" (Fina)
Fina said so and brought out clothes from "Bear's Relaxing Shop."
Karina happily received the bear clothes and began changing.
"Are you sure you want to give it to me?" (Karina)
"Well, it's the clothes I've worn a few times."
"Thank you. I will treasure it." (Karina)
Karina looked happy.
Then, we all dressed up as bears and played with Kumayuru-chan and Kumakyu-chan.
While we were playing, a servant came and told her that her father, Balima-san, was calling for Karina.
At that time, she was surprised to see our bear costume.
Karina said she'll be there right away, changed into her old clothes, and left the room in a hurry.
I saw Karina leaving the room, and then I talked to Fina and the others.
"Misa, Fina, I need to talk to you." (Noa)
"What is it?"
"Karina likes bears." (Noa)
It was only a little bit, but I knew that Karina liked bears.
She was good friends with Yuna-san, and she liked Yuna-san.
"So, how about she is joining Bear's Fan Club?" (Noa)
"I think that's fine, but Karina-chan doesn't know about that gate." (Misa)
"Yes. Yuna-onee-chan won't tell her because it'd be in trouble if the king or Elleura-sama found out." (Fina)
Fina, who had met her before, answered.
Yuna-san asked us to keep the fact that we were nobles a secret because she didn't want my mother to know.
"But Karina definitely loves bears." (Noa)
But the new Bear's Fan Club members decided to be the ones to share Yuna-san's secrets.
It could not be broken easily.
Author's Note
In the previous episode, I apologize for mixing up the names of Karina's younger brother and the baby.
I've been re-reading it, but it seems like I've mixed it up.
I have corrected the previous story.
Thank you to everyone who taught me.
...
*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.
Translation Note
[1] Actually, the original (also the original of Chapter 753) only mentioned くま (Kuma), but for the convenience of translating and its consistency, I wrote both "Kuma" and "Bear"