Chapter 439

439 Bear-san, Listens To s.h.i.+n.o.bus Story

We thanked them for the meal and headed back to town. When we left the village, a lot of people saw us off.

[Swaying Bear was very popular.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

The children would quietly gather around Swaying Bear.

The meat was delicious, as one would expect from high-grade meat.

I rode Swaying Bear back to town. s.h.i.+n.o.bu, riding Hayatemaru, runs beside me.

[Yuna, I need to talk to you about something when we get back.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Talk about what?] Yuna

[I want you to hear my story.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Could it possibly have something to do with this request?] Yuna

[Well, thats a part of it.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

She tried to deceive me earlier, so what does she mean by that?

Or was it something she couldnt talk about back there?

[I dont want any trouble.] Yuna

Im here as a tourist. I dont want to be bothered.

[U~u, dont say that.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[That means its troublesome, isnt it?] Yuna

[Its troublesome.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu answered honestly.

[If thats the case, I dont want to hear it.] Yuna

[Dont say that, please listen to me! Im begging you.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Ill only listen to you if you tell me everything without hiding anything from me.] Yuna

I want to know why s.h.i.+n.o.bu is following me around.

I dont understand why s.h.i.+n.o.bu accepted the request. She said something like it was meaningless unless she was with me. I cant quite figure out the true meaning of s.h.i.+n.o.bus actions and words.

Its not like Im going to let it bother me.

If its too much pain to listen, Ill just pretend I didnt hear it.

[All right. Ill tell you when we get back to town.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

=====

When s.h.i.+n.o.bu and I got back to the town, we went to the Adventurers Guild to report our success.

[Were back.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu walks into the Adventurers Guild as if she were back home. The fact that s.h.i.+n.o.bu shouted out like that as she entered drew a lot of attention.

But s.h.i.+n.o.bu didnt seem to mind and casually went to the reception desk.

[Weve finished the request.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu took out the request form and her guild card, so I took out my guild card as well.

The receptionist checks the request form.

The request form is signed by Itsuki-san, certifying that the request has been fulfilled.

[Thank you for your hard work. So, what do you want to do about the Kamaitachi? Do you want to sell them?] Receptionist

[Yes, please. My clothes got torn because of the Kamaitachi.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu showed the receptionist where the torn part was.

[Ara, thats unusual, s.h.i.+n.o.bu.] Receptionist

[Thats because of the silver kamaitachi. There are three of them.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Is that so? Well then, where is it, s.h.i.+n.o.bu-san?] Receptionist

[I have one. And Yuna has two.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[When you say Yuna, you mean.] Receptionist

The receptionist looked at me.

[Is that true?] Receptionist

Shes looking at me in disbelief.

[Its true. Yuna defeated most of the Kamaitachi by herself.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

Well, actually, Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear are the ones who defeated it.

[What about your Kamaitachi, Yuna?] Receptionist

I dont know what to do. Should I sell it?

Or should I ask Fina to dismantle it?

She doesnt have that much dismantle work, but I bought her a mithril knife, so its decided.

Im going to ask Fina to do it. If she cant do it, I can ask Gentz-san.

[No, Im good.] Yuna

[It may turn bad.] Receptionist

[My item bag is special, so itll be fine.] Yuna

Then I crunch the bear puppet.

=====

[Then Ill hand over the reward, please split it between yourselves.] Receptionist

The receptionist puts the money on the table. Then s.h.i.+n.o.bu grabs about ten percent of the money.

[My share would be about this.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Half is fine.] Yuna

[I cant do that. I only defeated a few of them. Thats why the rest is Yunas share.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Are you sure?] Yuna

Certainly so, based on the number weve defeated, but s.h.i.+n.o.bu has given me information about the Kamaitachi. That information is well worth the money.

[Its a fair share. You dont need to worry about it. Instead, Ill ask Yuna to hear me out.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Are you perhaps trying to give me some money so I cant refuse?] Yuna

They say

.

[Dont think that Im naive.] Yuna

After much deliberation, I decided to accept it. If it comes down to it, Ill just refuse.

[Ill take that as a yes then, thank you.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

I put the money away in the bear box.

Now that I had my guild card back and had finished reporting my request, all I had to do was return to the inn and relax.

But first, I need to hear what s.h.i.+n.o.bu has to say.

[So, where do you want to talk?] Yuna

[I dont want anyone to hear us, so can we go back to the inn?] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Okay, then] Yuna

Ill listen to s.h.i.+n.o.bus story in my room at the inn.

So we returned to the inn.

=====

[Yuna-sama, s.h.i.+n.o.bu-sama, welcome back.] Konoha

Konoha welcomes us.

[Im back. Id like to have dinner when its ready.] Yuna

[Im also staying here, so Ill need a room.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Yes, thank you.] Konoha

After completing the accommodation formalities, s.h.i.+n.o.bu went to the room where I was staying.

[Its a nice room.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu scurried around the room.

I sat down on a cus.h.i.+on in my room.

[So, whats the story?] Yuna

s.h.i.+n.o.bu also sat on the opposite side of the table on a cus.h.i.+on.

[Im actually looking for this guy.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu pulled out something from her chest. It was a sheet of paper, folded in four, and when she unfolded it, I saw a sketch of a man with a bad physiognomy.

He had bad eyesight and his left eye was covered with an eye patch.

It looks like a wanted poster.

[Who is this picture of a bad guy with a bad att.i.tude?] Yuna

Hes definitely not the type of person you want to have anything to do with.

[Hes the man who killed my parents.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[]

A silence flows.

A sudden heavy word came out of her mouth.

I began to regret having asked. When I read manga and novels, I find that revenge stories rarely have a happy ending. Most of them make me sad as well.

[Are you going to ask Swaying Bear to find him? If so, then I cant do it.] Yuna

What Swaying Bear can do is the same as the detection skill. It also seems to be able to find out about people that I know like Fina and the others. So, I cant search for someone Ive never met before.

[No, Im not. Although, it would be helpful if you could, of course. I think hes in town.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

This town is huge. Its not easy to find a single person in here.

[What then?] Yuna

[Yuna, youre stronger than me, arent you?] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[s.h.i.+n.o.bu might be stronger.] Yuna

[Thats not true. Yuna is stronger than me.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

Did you follow me to see how strong I am?

But when you first meet me, you dont think Im strong, do you? Everyone thought Im just a girl in a strange outfit after all.

I feel like the order of what shes saying and what shes doing is not quite right.

[So you want me to beat up this guy?] Yuna

[Im simply asking you just in case.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Just in case?] Yuna

I thought she was going to ask me to help her avenge her parents, but thats not it.

[Ill get this man. So, I want you to watch over me in case I fail. Of course, Im not asking you for free. Ill pay you.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu said and pulled out a drawstring bag from the item bag. When she opened the bag, I saw some money in it.

Its a fair amount of money. You can probably buy a small house with it.

[This is all of my money. If I die, I want you to catch that man.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

She looks at me with a serious expression.

[Theres no point in having money when youre dead. Thats why Im giving it to Yuna. Oh, but if I succeed, Ill take my money back.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu said such words with a smile on her face.

[I may run away with money, you know.] Yuna

[Ive been watching Yuna for the past two days. I knew you wouldnt do something like that, thats why I asked you. Moreover, Yuna approached Itsuki-san, who was in trouble.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

I just wanted to see Kamaitachi at that time.

[When the cows got attacked, you reacted faster than anyone else.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

Were there to defeat them, so its only natural that Ill move at a moments notice.

[The villagers were in trouble, so you went into the dangerous forest to kill the Kamaitachi.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

I simply didnt want to spend too much time hunting it.

[You didnt brag or negotiate for a higher fee even though you defeated the Silver Kamaitachi.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

That was s.h.i.+n.o.bus way of saying negotiation, or something like that.

[Moreover, you refused the additional request fee because you were treated to a meal.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

I just refused that because Swaying Bear ate a lot of meat.

[Is that why you refuse the payment this time?] Yuna

[Thats a fair share.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[But why me? Arent there other strong adventurers out there? Isnt it strange that you would ask me, a person you just met, to help you?] Yuna

If you think about it, no one would normally ask someone like me whos wearing a bear costume.

[Its a womans intuition. When I first saw you, I was so curious that I couldnt take my eyes off you.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

Maybe you couldnt just take your eyes off me because you were curious about my outfit.

[So, when I saw how good you are, I decided to ask for your help.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

Hmmm, I dont think shes lying, but I feel like shes hiding her true intentions.

[Is that man that strong?] Yuna

s.h.i.+n.o.bu is a rank C adventurer. She was trusted by the Adventurers Guild. Her rank is not just a name. She had also defeated the silver Kamaitachi that I had struggled with.

[Hes strong. It will probably be a close fight. I dont intend to lose, but I cant say that I can definitely win. Thats why I want to ask you, Yuna, to back me up.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu bowed her head.

I dont think I should have listened to it, but its a subtle story.

[Youre not trying to defeat him, but to simply capture him.] Yuna

[He has various criminal records.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[Then why dont you go to a certain place and ask them to get him?] Yuna

[Theres no evidence. So Im going to catch him and make him talk.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

That makes it quite difficult. The stronger the opponent, the harder it is to catch them. The closer the power difference is, the harder it will be. The slightest mistake can kill you.

So thats what s.h.i.+n.o.bu means when she asked me

.

All I could do was sigh.

After all, s.h.i.+n.o.bu and I have already been on the same page, taking requests together, fighting Kamaitachi together, and eating the same food together.

I can only imagine how bad I would feel if s.h.i.+n.o.bu died without my knowledge because of my refusal.

I let out a deep sigh.

[All right, all right. Ill do it. But theres one condition.] Yuna

[What is it? Are you asking for my body? If its you, Yuna, then] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu tried to take off her clothes starting from her shoulders.

[No! I dont want that!] Yuna

[Oh, thats terrible. To say such a thing to my body.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

s.h.i.+n.o.bu squirmed and mimicked crying.

Youre saying you might die, but you can still fool around like that, I see.

[If I think s.h.i.+n.o.bu is in danger, Ill take action.] Yuna

[Does that mean youre going to get in the way of taking out my enemy?] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

[No, Im not. Its synonymous that when s.h.i.+n.o.bu loses, youre as good as dead. So before that happens, Ill do something about it. I wont keep my promise if you die, s.h.i.+n.o.bu.] Yuna

This is the only thing I cant compromise.

If someone I know were to die or get seriously injured in front of me, I would have severe PTSD.

[I cant say no if you look at me that seriously. Ill leave that to your judgment.] s.h.i.+n.o.bu

I decided to accept s.h.i.+n.o.bus request.

=====

Authors Note:

I still dont know what s.h.i.+n.o.bus true intentions are, but Im going to help her catch the guy.

Volume 8 of k.u.ma will be released tomorrow, December 22. I signed it the other day, so if any readers are interested in it, please do so. If you click on the cover of volume 8 below, you will be taken to the publishers special offers page.

And then, volume 9 will also be released.

The release date is scheduled for March, three months after the release of volume 8. Please note that the web version will be closed at the end of the year and the beginning of the new year for this reason.

Also, we are looking for SS and new writings in the activity report.