On the day of the tournament, people were starting to gather at the venue.
People of all ages, from children to adults.
Apparently the change of venue was properly communicated.
Even if they went to the former venue without knowing, they seemed to be sending someone there so people should be able to come here.
I looked at the sky.
It was a clear day.
By the way, if it had rained the event would have been cancelled. Thank goodness it didn't rain.
It would have been difficult to rearrange the schedule from scratch, so the event would be cancelled when it rained.
Well, even if it rains, I can just build a roof, so the event won't be cancelled.
"Ugh, I'm nervous." (Fina)
Fina looked around and seemed anxious.
The area was filled with people joining in.
It really was a great gathering of people.
It was a small event.
"My goal is to win!" (Noa)
Noa was full of motivation.
"I won't lose either." (Shuri)
Shuri was also full of motivation.
"I'll try my best to stay in the top ranks." (Misa)
Misa was modest.
No, she says she's in the top ranks, so I guess she's motivated enough.
"Yuna-san, if we were to play against each other, who would you root for?" (Noa)
I hoped she didn't ask me questions like, "Which will you choose, me or your work?"
I couldn't choose both my job and my lover, but this time I could.
So the answer was clear.
"Of course, I support you both." (Yuna)
"That's unfair." (Noa)
Because that was the only answer I could give.
In these cases, it was best to root for both sides, praising the winner and consoling the loser.
"Come on, go to the reception." (Yuna)
There were separate registration desks for those under 12 and those over 13, and lines are formed there.
There, you needed to verify your name and age and receive a badge with a number on it.
Then, you drew a lottery ticket with a number written on it.
That number would become the number written on the table and become the match table.
By the way, there was a baby bear standing on the table holding a number.
"Even if we do hit each other, no hard feelings, okay?" (Noa)
"Let's do our best and win together!"
Noa and the others head to the reception desk.
Tilmina-san was at the reception desk.
She said she was helping out at Lianna-san's request, but it looked like she's working at the reception desk.
Looking around, I saw Lianna-san.
I approached her and talked to her.
"It seems to be going well, isn't it?" (Yuna)
"Yuna-san? Yes, I'm glad that so many people have come." (Lianna)
The number of participants was 64 people under the age of 12, and 128 people over the age of 13, for a total of 192 people.
The campaign was closed midway through, but according to Lianna-san, they continued to receive applications even after it was closed.
Apparently they hadn't expected so many participants.
By the way, about three people from the orphanage were also participating.
There were other children who wanted to participate, but we couldn't get everyone to take part, so we held a mini tournament within the orphanage and the top three went on to the tournament.
I thought to myself that perhaps the strongest players in this tournament were the children from the orphanage.
They might have faced the largest number of opponents so far.
If you always deal with the same people, you will tend to think in a biased way based on that person's thoughts.
It takes a lot of matches to be able to adapt.
You can learn a lot by working with a variety of people. I think it creates flexibility.
As with anything, experience and field experience are advantages.
In gamer terms, it's like brainless grinding.
In order to obtain materials, you defeat the same enemy over and over again.
If you do it 10 or 100 times, you'll understand the pattern and it will just be the same thing over and over again.
Because they don't think about anything, it doesn't lead to growth.
It's a cessation of thinking.
However, if the enemy launches a different attack pattern each time, people will think and try to come up with all sorts of ways to respond.
I think that's adaptability and growth.
The children at the orphanage varied from poor to skilled.
The idea was that because they played against many different kids, it would develop their thinking skills in the best way possible.
Of course, there were geniuses who an average person could not beat, no matter how much they practiced.
There were people who understand everything from start to finish.
It's about time.
I moved to the special seat prepared for Lianna-san (I made it myself).
These were the seat for those involved and had the best view.
There was Mylaine-san the guild master from the Commercial Guild.
"Yuna-chan and Lianna, thank you for helping with everything." (Mylaine)
"Maybe it was a bad idea to lend a hand?" (Yuna)
"I wonder why you think that." (Mylaine)
"I somehow thought this was a way to educate Lianna-san." (Yuna)
Mylaine-san's eyes widened in surprise at my words.
"You figured it out quite well, didn't you? That girl is excellent as an assistant, but one day I'll need her to lead others. So, this time, when she suggested it, I gave her permission, made the tournament a priority, and had her get others to help with the work at Commercial Guild." (Mylaine)
So that was why it was so easy for her to change with other receptionists.
"In the future, though, I'd like them to do this while continuing their regular duties." (Mylaine)
"That's tough." (Yuna)
"Even if you have a traditional job, urgent work will come up. If there is a time limit for both, you have to do both. If others can lend a hand, they will. But sometimes work comes up that only you can handle. Or maybe I can't lend a hand. In those cases, you have to do it alone. This time is for studying." (Mylaine)
"Does Lianna-san know about that?" (Yuna)
Mylaine-san shook her head.
"If she knew, she would do it alone without any help." (Mylaine)
"So that's no good?"
"I'm not saying she has to do it alone. It's also important to ask for help from people who can do what you can't. That could be personality, negotiation skills, or anything else. I want her to develop the ability to involve others." (Mylaine)
I kind of understand.
I'm more of a solo type of person.
"But I'm a little sad that Lianna turned to you, Yuna-chan, and not me." (Mylaine)
"She was just being considerate to the busy Mylaine-san. She said she couldn't bother you with it because you were busy, Mylaine-san." (Yuna)
"But, you know, I want her to rely on me." (Mylaine)
She was a selfish person.
"But I'm always amazed by your ideas, Yuna-chan. From posters to the battle corners in the store, handing out simple Reversi copies, to setting up boxes to sign up for the event." (Mylaine)
The competition corner was Fina's idea, and the idea of distributing the simple Reversi paper copies was from Tilmina-san.
"Then the venue became a problem due to the large number of participants. I wondered how she would organize it and was surprised when she asked you, but you made it possible for her." (Mylaine)
"What would have happened if she had consulted you, Mylaine-san?" (Yuna)
"With the Guild Master's authority, something like that can be easily handled." (Mylaine)
"It's an abuse of power, right?" (Yuna)
"I want people to say it's my personality and my negotiating skills, you see." (Mylaine)
It all depends on how you say it.
I guess if the guild master of the Commercial Guild asked me to do something, I just couldn't refuse.
"Looks like it's starting." (Yuna)
My eyes turned to Lianna-san, standing in the center of the venue.
"Everyone, thank you for coming. This is the first time we've held this event, and we apologize for the inconvenience caused by the change of venue." (Lianna)
First of all, she started with gratitude and apologies.
Then the rules were explained.
When the match was over, the winner should raise their hand.
They would receive a winner badge.
After the rules were explained, Lianna-san said, "Let's begin," signaling the start of the match.
Voices of "Let's have a great match!"[1] could be heard from all over the venue as the match began.
After finishing his greeting, Lianna-san came over to us.
"Good job" (Yuna)
"I was nervous." (Lianna)
"Speaking in front of people is also a good learning experience." (Yuna)
I'm not good at it, though.
It was nerve-wracking to speak with everyone's eyes on you.
That's why I think student council presidents are amazing.
Even after you enter the workforce, you'll probably have to speak in front of a lot of people.
"I really feel the greatness of Mylaine-san" (Lianna)
"But it was done well. If you can say that much, then there's no problem." (Yuna)
As a shut-in, it was impossible for me to stand up and speak in front of a lot of people.
As we were having this conversation and looking around the Reversi venue, we noticed that some people were already raising their hands early on.
People who appeared to be the Commercial Guild staff members headed towards the person who raised their hand.
“Including you, Mylaine-san, do the guild staffs have time to come here and still be able to fulfill their duties?" (Yuna)
They always seemed busy at work.
"It's fine. We've already finished all the urgent work for today." (Mylaine)
"Yes, I'm sorry for causing so much trouble to all of you." (Lianna)
"Next time, we'll need to improve that." (Mylaine)
"Hiring people is expensive..." (Yuna)
"We'll just have to find the money. Maybe get some tournament entry fees or something." (Mylaine)
"If we do that, people might not show up." (Yuna)
"You could also get paid to set up a stall, or you could ask a guild member you know to volunteer. Well, it depends on the event, so you'll have to think about it."
At the Monster Dismantling event, there was a way to make money by selling the dismantled things they had made.
The way to make money varies depending on the event, so as Mylaine-san said, we had to find a method that suits the event.
"For now, let's just focus on making this tournament a success."
"Yes"
We would be watching the venue.
With the match more than half over, Fina raised her hand.
It looked like she won.
About everyone else...
It seemed that Noa and Misa won, and Shuri lost.
Shuri's opponent was older.
I think a one-year age difference is significant when you're young.
If the opponent was two or three years older, then it was only natural that she couldn’t win.
"Oh, Shuri-chan. Looks like you've lost." (Tilmina)
It was sad, but that was a life's experience.
I would comfort her later.
It seemed that two kids from the orphanage, one of them won and one lost.
By the way, the children from the orphanage came to support their team. Neaf-san was accompanying them.
The other children said they would come with Liz-san as soon as they finished taking care of the Kokekko.
I hoped they could stay winning until then.
Author's Note
Sorry for the late reply.
We were making final checks on the 12th volume of the paperback edition and the 13th volume of the comic book, both of which are scheduled to be released on June 6th.
After doing some research, I found that large tournaments for card games and the like can attract 5,000 to 8,000 people.
Is it about 64 people in a shop tournament?
So, since Crimonia is a town, I doubled the number to about 120 people.
*Pre-orders for the Yuna figure have begun from PRISMA WING.
The first baby bears, Kumayuru and Kumakyu, are also included.
*Celebrating PASH! Books' 10th anniversary
PASH! Books, the publisher of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
There are various campaigns going on.
For more details, please contact the PASH! Books & Bunko Editorial Department (formerly Twitter).
*Posting will be done every 4 days. (Sorry if this is not possible)
*If I take a break, I will notify you in the postscript, and if I am suddenly unable to post, I will notify you via X (formerly Twitter). (I'm sorry if I can't)
*The 133rd chapter of the comic "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" is currently available on PASH UP! neo (also available on NicoNico Manga and Piccoma)
*Episode 23 of the "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" spin-off is currently available on PASH UP! neo (also available on NicoNico Manga and Piccoma)
If you have time, please check out the comic version.
[Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear to be released]
Book 21 released on February 7, 2025. (Next volume, volume 22, in the works)
The 12th volume of the comic was released on August 3, 2024. (The next volume, 13, is scheduled for release on June 6.)
Comicalized Gaiden Volume 3 was released on December 20, 2024. (The release date for the next volume, Volume 4, has not yet been decided.)
Volume 11 of the paperback edition was released on October 4, 2024. (The next volume, Volume 12, is scheduled for release on June 6.)
*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
[1] It's the usual よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) probably voiced in unison by the participants. Since there's no direct translation to English, it's quite tricky in this context. Also, it's quite weird to say in English in this context.
Thanks to TV.Station for correcting some mistakes.