"Marné-san, run!" (Yuna)
Unlike me, who was slow to react, Yuna was on the move.
Normally, you would be so scared that your legs would freeze and you wouldn't be able to move.
But Yuna was different.
Without any hesitation, Yuna ran towards the Giant Monkey monster.
"Kumayuru, Kumakyu, please take care of everyone!" (Yuna)
I know I'd just be a burden if I stayed here.
But that didn't mean I could just leave Yuna behind and run away.
But then Kumayuru grabbed me, lightly tossed me up, and placed me on his back.
"Wait! Your master is still here." (Marne)
"Kyuu~n!" (Kumayuru)
Ignoring what I said, Kumayuru took off running.
Next to him was Kumakyu carrying Lydia and Zect.
I turned around.
Yuna was fighting the Giant Monkey.
With that small body.
To let us escape.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu left the scene following the instructions of their master, Yuna.
"We left Yuna-chan behind, is it really okay?" (Lydia)
"Even if we're there, we'll just be a hindrance." (Zect)
Zect was right.
If we remained here, it would become a burden on Yuna.
It's best to leave.
Even if I went back to Yuna now, there's nothing I could do.
I was powerless.
"But……" (Lydia)
"Let's believe in Yuna now." (Marne)
With my words, Lydia also shut up.
Lydia also knew that even if she returned, there's nothing she could do.
Now all we could do was believe in Yuna.
After running for a while, Kumayuru and Kumakyu came to a stop.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu could tell when a monster was nearby.
If they stopped, it meant that the Giant Monkey wasn't chasing after us.
In other words, Yuna gave us time to escape.
We climbed down from Kumayuru and Kumakyu and looked towards Yuna.
"What are we going to do now?" (Zect)
"Marné-san, what will you do?" (Lydia)
Zect and Lydia both looked at me.
I didn't have an answer to that question.
But as the oldest, I had to make a decision.
If you thought about it normally, you would just run away.
But Kumayuru and Kumakyu didn't move. They looked anxiously in the direction we came from.
Perhaps these kids wanted to return to their master, Yuna.
However, they followed Yuna's_ instructions and let us escape.
The time to act may be when Yuna died.
No, if they find out she's dead, they might go after the Giant Monkey.
When I was troubled—
"Kyuu~n" (Both Kuma)
"What happened?" (Marne)
"The Red Monkiess were coming" (Lydia)
Lydia answered for Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu moved in front of us.
"Do you know how many?"
"I think there are three, four, five." (Lydia)
Lydia listened carefully to confirm.
If it's that many.
There's also Kumayuru and Kumakyu, as well as Zect and Lydia.
"I'll defeat them here." (Zect)
Even if we ran away, they would chase us.
Besides, I didn't want to be away from Yuna any longer.
Zect drew his sword and Lydia took her bow.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu also cried "Kyuu~n".
From a distance, I saw the Red Monkiess running towards us.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu started running towards the Red Monkiess.
"Lydia, please support Kumayuru and Kumakyu." (Marne)
"Zect, check surroundings." (Marne)
"Me too..." (Zect)
"No. If it appears from somewhere else, neither Lydia nor I will be able to deal with it." (Marne)
I could use magic, but it's not very strong.
Above all, I had little experience in actual combat.
The battle between the bears and the monkeys began.
When Kumayuru and Kumakyu swung their arms, blades of wind shoot out from the tips of their claws and attacked the Red Monkiess.
Kumayuru's and Kumakyu's attacks sliced the _AKASARU_s into pieces, causing two Red Monkiess to fall.
"Amazing..."
"Strong……"
Our worries were unnecessary.
Just as Yuna had said, Kumayuru and Kumakyu were strong.
The Red Monkiess that were chasing us were all defeated by Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
After defeating the Red Monkiess, Kumayuru and Kumakyu returned.
And just like before, they looked anxiously in the direction of Yuna.
"You're worried about Yuna, aren't you?" (Marne)
I touched Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
I decided.
"You two run. If you have the ability to hear Lydia's sound, you'll be able to get out of the woods."
The two of them had been gathering herbs this way up until now, so they should be able to get out of the forest.
"Marné-san will..."
"I'll stay behind. These kids won't move. I can't run away alone. Besides, it's my responsibility. I plan to turn back as soon as possible. These kids will want to get as close to Yuna as possible." (Marne)
If anything happens to Yuna, I must tell Ellelaura, who introduced me to her.
That's my role.
"Sorry. I might not be able to keep my promise." (Marne)
I promised to make medicine for Lydia and Zect's younger sister.
But that promise might not be kept.
"Yuna-chan is strong, isn't she?" (Lydia)
"From what I've heard from two people I trust, she's stronger than any adventurer or knight." (Marne)
"Now that I think of it, didn't you say earlier that she defeated a cockatrice and a wyvern?" (Lydia)
"My friend said he defeated it."
I couldn't believe it, but there's no reason for Ellelaura to lie.
"Well then, let's go together." (Zect)
"Brother?!" (Lydia)
"Well, Yuna is strong. According to her, she fought and defeated a Goblin King." (Zect)
That's what Yuna said.
It sounded like it couldn't be a lie.
"Plus, she easily defeated the giant Snake. She's the strongest adventurer I know. Let's trust that Yuna will win." (Zect)
"If you say so, brother." (Lydia)
It seemed he was convinced that Lydia would stay as well.
We decided to turn back.
"Kumayuru, Kumakyu, can you get close enough without being noticed? Just as close as possible." (Marne)
"Kyuu~n" (Both Kuma)
At my request, Kumayuru and Kumakyu looked troubled.
Bears that understood what I was saying. It's really strange.
"I'm sure you're all worried about Yuna. If we're nearby, you can help her." (Marne)
"Kyun." (Both Kuma)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu looked at each other at my suggestion.
You could see that Kumayuru's and Kumakyu's hearts were wavering.
Just one more push.
"Even if she gets angry at you for coming back to Yuna, I'll make sure to protect you." (Marne)
That's about all I intended to do.
"Kyuu~n" (Both Kuma)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu looked at each other and talk, making "Kuun" and "Kuun" sounds.
"It's really amazing that bears can talk, huh?"
Kumayuru and Kumakyu seemed to have finished their discussion, as they cried "Kyuu~n" and sat down.
In other words, they'd give you a ride and take you to a nearby location.
"Thank you" (Marne)
"Lydia, please keep an eye on things. Let me know what's going on with the Giant Monkey and Yuna, and if the Red Monkiess or any other monsters are nearby." (Marne)
If you knew the sound, you would know the situation.
There's also a chance that the Red Monkiess might attack.
We slowly made our way towards Yuna.
As we walked back the way we came, Lydia reacted.
"I heard it. The Giant Monkey and Yuna-chan are fighting." (Lydia)
I was relieved that Yuna was still alive.
"What's the situation?" (Marne)
Lydia quickly closed her eyes and tried to listen.
"I can hear the sounds of monkeys moving around. Jumping around, and the sound of a sword hitting something hard. Metal on metal?" (Lydia)
"Metal against metal, isn't that means it's sword against sword?!"
No, Yuna didn't have a sword. Impossible.
...Wait, I remember now.
Yuna played a match against the Commander of the Knights.
Is it magic?
No, that's not it.
I heard that she fought on behalf of a female student aspiring to become a knight.
And then she defeated the commander of the knights with a sword.
In other words, Yuna could also use a sword.
"Maybe Yuna is fighting." (Marne)
"Yuna is a mage." (Zect)
I thought so too.
But then I remembered the story from Ellelaura.
"Yuna can also use a sword. I've only heard stories about her, so I don't know her true abilities, but she has the strength to defeat the commander and vice commander of the kingdom's knights." (Marne)
"No, defeating the commander of the kingdom's knights? That's a joke." (Zect)
"I had only heard rumors, so I didn't know the truth, but a friend of mine said that Yuna had defeated him." (Marne)
Although he had a bad personality, he was a capable commander of the knights.
"..." (Zect)
"If that's true, then Yuna will be a person with great skills in both swordsmanship and magic." (Marne)
However, even with Yuna's skills, she was unable to defeat the Giant Monkey.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu stopoed walking.
Apparently, that's as far as we went.
It's still a long way from here.
I remembered having something.
I took out the telescope from my item bag.
"Marné-san, you had something like that too."
"Yes, I thought it might be useful in finding the tree we're looking for. I brought a spare one just in case, so I'll lend it to you if you want to take a look." (Marne)
I took out two more telescopes and handed them to Lydia and Zect.
I immediately looked through the telescope.
Yuna and Giant Monkey were fighting.
They moved around each other.
"Hey, is that weapon Yuna carrying a knife?" (Zect)
The Giant Monkey was holding a great sword that Goblin King used to have. In contrast, Yuna was holding a knife.
Yuna dodged the large sword swung by the Giant Monkey.
Sometimes, she deflected the sword held by the Giant Monkey with a knife.
"Amazing"
"How can such a small knife parry such a large sword?"
Yuna jumped back, creating some distance and then unleashing a fire spell.
The Giant Monkey's sword cut through the flames.
The fire spread and went out.
Fire was no good.
The Red Monkey had fire resistance.
Especially since it was the Giant Monkey.
It couldn't be defeated with just any fire magic.
However, Yuna fired flames at the Red Monkey again.
"What is that flame shape?" (Zect)
Just as Zect had said, the fire magic that Yuna had cast took the shape of a bear.
When she was fighting like this, it's no time to be playing around in bear form.
As expected, the bear's flames were cut by the sword and scattered.
"Is that sword absorbing Yuna's_ magic?" (Zect)
The sword was red.
The sword held by Goblin King.
At first it's just a normal sword.
For a long time, it had been said that when Goblin King held the sword, it was transformed by mana and became the Goblin King's sword.
If the sword that the Goblin King held had been transformed into the Goblin King's sword, and then further transformed by Giant Monkey's mana, there's no telling how much power it would have.
The Giant Monkey closed the distance with Yuna and swung the sword down.
Yuna!
Author's Note
Since it feels like a conversation, the "Kuun" in Kumayuru and Kumakyu is not a typo.
The next episode will be a full-scale battle, so I think the upload will be delayed. (I'm not good at fighting scenes.)
*Amazon Kindle (digital version) is offering a 50-70% point rebate on the original Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear comics. The period is undecided, so please check before purchasing.
*Rakuten Kobo (digital version) is currently holding the "Shufu to Seikatsusha PASH! Comics, Books, and Bunko Big Appreciation Fair."
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear - Volumes 1-20 of the original novel, volumes 1-11 of the comic, Kuma Biyori volumes 1-2, and volumes 1-2 of the side story are all on discount.
Period: [10/24 (Thu) - 10/30 (Wed) 9:59]
Thank you for your support.
*Posting will occur every 4 days.
*If I will be taking a break, I will announce it in the postscript, and if I am suddenly unable to post, I will let you know in the activity report or on X (formerly Twitter).
*"Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" comic chapter 127 (10/9) is currently available on PASH UP (Niconico Manga chapter 122 is currently available)
*Episode 20 of the "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" spin-off is currently available on PASH UP (episode 16 is currently available on NicoNico Manga)
If you have time, please check out the comic version.
[Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear to be released]
Book volume 20.5 was released on May 2, 2024. (The next volume, volume 21, is planned and in the works.)
The 12th volume of the comic was released on August 3, 2024. (The release date for the next volume, 13, has not yet been decided.)
Comicalized spin-off volume 2 was released on March 5, 2024. (The next volume, volume 3, is scheduled for release on December 20th.)
The 11th volume of the paperback edition was released on October 4, 2024. (The deadline for the campaign to win a big acrylic stand featuring Yuna and Shuri on the cover is January 20, 2025. 20 lucky winners will receive a prize.) (The release date for the next volume, 12th volume, has not yet been decided.)
*Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Some of the kanji have been corrected to match the book, so please understand that there are some parts that have not been corrected.
Translation Note
For Kuma series, unless specified, the first part of the title is related to the chapter's perspective.