Chapter 495Bear-san, Strolls Around The City With Fina and The Others
After breakfast, we headed out to explore the city.
“I see Shinobu is popular with girls.” (Yuna)
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Yuna, you don’t have a guy, do you?” (Shinobu)
“Do you think there is one?” (Yuna)
I showed my figure to Shinobu.
When Shinobu saw my appearance, she immediately understood.
“I’m sorry. But I think you will be popular if you wear normal clothes, Yuna. I think everyone else thinks so, too, right?” (Shinobu)
“Yes, Yuna-oneesan, I think you’re beautiful and I think you’ll be popular with men.” (Fina)
“Yeah, Yuna-oneechan is cute.” (Shuri)
“I’m sure men will flock to you because you’re more beautiful than my sister.” (Ruimin)
I knew it was flattery, but Ruimin’s words at the end solidified it. How could I be more beautiful than Sanya-san, with that well-defined face and style?
And not once have I been approached by any man. I’ve been tangled up in something troublesome before, though.
“I’m happy with your flattery. But you three are prettier than I am, and you’re going to be more beautiful in the future.” (Yuna)
I am sure they will be more popular than I am.
I ended the topic and just proceeded to stroll through the city.
Every time Shuri found something unusual, she would run around and the scene would continue with Fina calling her out. Now she’s holding her hand to keep her from running off on her own. It made me smile to see them holding hands.
“Yuna-oneechan, what’s that?” (Shuri)
Shuri looked ahead and saw a streamer with a picture of a dango. (団子)
“It’s a dumpling shop.” (Yuna)
Shuri looked like she wanted to eat, so we decided to have dumplings. We just had breakfast, but one for each would be fine. I tried to pay for it, but Shinobu spent instead. This time, I’ll accept it.
“It’s soft.” (Shuri)
“The colors are beautiful.” (Ruimin)
Three-color dango of pink, white, and green.
“They all taste different.” (Fina)
I vaguely remember it, but I think pink was plum (梅), white was sweet mochi (すあま), and green was mugwort (よもぎだっけ).
If I’m wrong or it’s different in this world, it would be embarrassing, so I will not go through the trouble of explaining it. As long as it tastes good, there’s no problem.
After leaving the dango shop, we decided to eat shaved ice because Shuri said it was too hot.
“Cold and yummy.” (Shuri)
“So you shave the ice and eat it?” (Ruimin)
Maybe it’s the first time Ruimin has shaved ice as a snack?
Merchants also sold shaved ice at Crimonia. I heard they put honey on it.
Over here it’s matcha, sweet honey (or maybe, syrup?)…
“Is it delicious, you three?” (Yuna)
“Yeah.” (Shuri)
“Yep.” (Ruimin)
“But, Shinobu-san. Are you sure?” (Fina)
This time as well, Shinobu also paid for the shaved ice.
“Don’t worry about it. Fina, Ruimin, you guys helped me out big time. Please think of it as my thanks.” (Shinobu)
“I didn’t do anything…” (Shuri)
Shuri’s hand, which had been happily eating shaved ice, stopped at Shinobu’s response. Shuri’s sad expression flustered Shinobu.
“Shu, Shuri is Fina’s younger sister. And you’re also an important friend of Sakura-sama. So, please don’t worry about it and eat.” (Shinobu)
“That’s right. Don’t worry about it Shuri, you can eat all you want. Shinobu is so kind, she’ll buy you anything.” (Yuna)
I glanced at Shinobu.
“Of course. Please eat as much as you like.” (Shinobu)
“Really?” (Shuri)
“It’s okay. If Shinobu doesn’t pay, I’ll pay for it. Shuri has always been very kind to me.” (Yuna)
I stroke Shuri’s head with my bear puppet.
“Yeah, thank you, Yuna-oneechan.” (Shuri)
Shuri resumed eating shaved ice.
“Yuna, it’s not fair to take all the good parts.” (Shinobu)
That was Shinobu’s punishment for thanking only Fina and Ruimin and excluding Shuri. She has to choose her words a little more carefully when she speaks.
Even after finishing the shaved ice, they continue to visit other stores.
“These clothes are all beautiful.” (Fina)
Fina divulged her impressions of the kimono.
I would love to see Fina and the other two in kimonos. I said I would buy it for them, but Fina shook her head when she saw how expensive it was. So I couldn’t buy it for Shuri or Ruimin either.
I’m not Eleanora-san, but I’m tempted to dress up Fina like she’s a doll.
As we were walking while taking in the sights and sounds of the city, I heard a Chiri ~ n, Chiri ~ n out of nowhere. Fina seemed to hear it too, and uttered such words…
“It sounds beautiful.” (Fina)
“Where is it?” (Shuri)
“It’s coming from over there.” (Ruimin)
Ruimin pointed to a stall with wind chimes hanging from it.
There’s a food stall in front of us with many wind chimes hanging from the stall. Whenever the wind blows, it brings the sound of wind chimes to us.
“Those are wind chimes(ssu).”
My and Shinobu’s words overlapped.
“Wind chimes?” (Fina)
“It’s made of glass, and it plays the tone with the wind.” (Yuna)
“Yuna, why are you so familiar with it? You also know natto, you even ate it without any worries. Are you perhaps from this country?” (Shinobu)
“No, it’s not. It’s a country similar to this country. There’s a country far away that is similar to this country.” (Yuna)
“A country similar to the Land of Harmony? I would like to go there.” (Shinobu)
I could not respond to her words.
Shinobu and I went to the three. The three were looking at the beautiful colors and listening to the sounds of the wind chimes.
“Hey there, pretty girls. What do you think, wanna buy some? I’ll be here for a while, so why don’t you ask your parents?” (Man)
“Oneechan.” (Shuri)
Shuri wants it. But Fina was in trouble. She’s someone who’s tight on her pocket.
“How about that cute bear girl, for your sister?” (Man)
To sell it to me without worrying about my outfit, that’s what I’d expect from a businessman. By the way, Fina and Shuri were not my sisters. Shuri, who people often mistook to be my sister, was looking at me.
I can’t say no here.
“I’ll buy it for you.” (Yuna)
“Really!” (Shuri)
Shuri looked happy. I can’t win against that smile. Fina, who was standing next to Shuri, was looking at me.
“Yuna-oneesan. Don’t spoil Shuri too much…” (Fina)
I know I’m sweet to her, but Fina and Shuri were such good girls that I’m tempted to buy them each.
“It’s not for Shuri. It’s a souvenir for Tirumina-san. I am always indebted to her, so this is my way of thanking her.” (Yuna)
Put it this way; Fina should have no resistance.
Fina happily said, “I understand,” and began to select wind chimes with Shuri.
“Ruimin, you can also choose which wind chime to display at Mumroot-san’s and your house.” (Yuna)
“Are you sure?” (Ruimin)
“I owe a lot to Mumroot-san and Ruimin.” (Yuna)
I was the one who created the reason for getting them involved. I’m grateful to Mumroot-san, but the fact that Ruimin was in danger remains the same. Well, I don’t think Mumroot-san will refuse a thank you when I’m the one saying it. However, I don’t think there’s any problem if I give them wind chimes as souvenirs.
“Then I’ll pay for it. Fina also helped me a lot, but I haven’t said my thanks to Mumroot-san.” (Shinobu)
“Grandpa told me I could go see Sakura-chan, but not to accept any gratuities.” (Ruimin)
Ruimin, who was listening to what Shinobu was saying, waved her hand in gesture and declined Shinobu’s offer.
I think it’s okay for at least a wind chime, but there’s a chance that they may be offended if she brought it home.
“Shinobu already treated us to a meal, so this time, I’ll pay for the souvenirs.” (Yuna)
Besides, I would not be able to give them the items paid for by Shinobu as a souvenir from me. Therefore, this time it was to be paid by me.
“Shuri, isn’t this good?” (Fina)
“Eh~, I like this one better.” (Shuri)
“Yes, that’s nice too.” (Fina)
“I wonder if there’s one here?” (Ruimin)
“Is there a bear? I want a bear.” (Shuri)
Shuri said such a thing.
No, there shouldn’t be one in there. Most wind chimes have beautiful patterns, light blue, green, and cool shades. There were animals, too, but unfortunately, there were no wind chimes with bear designs painted on them.
“Fina, choose different patterns to decorate the orphanage and the shops.” (Yuna)
I asked Fina to get souvenirs for the orphanage and the shops, and I will choose souvenirs for Noa and Princess Flora. Also, it might be a good idea to buy one for Kagali-san, who was home sitting. I look at the wind chimes. There were so many different colors of wind chimes. It’s hard to decide which one to choose.
Which one would be better?
I choose wind chimes with Fina and the others.
“Are these good enough?” (Yuna)
For Princess Flora, I chose a wind chime with a red flower painted on clear glass, and for Noa, a wind chime with a blue fish on it.
For Kagali-san was a wind chime with a picture of a fox on it. From the moment I saw it, I knew it was the only one.
They don’t have bears, but they do have foxes.
Then, Fina and the other two also finished selecting their wind chimes.
The wind chime Ruimin chose was a wind chime made of green glass. It has a beautiful wavy pattern. It seemed to go well with the elven village. It seemed that she chose two of the same design.
The souvenir that Fina and Shuri chose for Tirumina-san was a wind chime made entirely of pale blue glass. It has a pattern on it.
The wind chime for the Bear-san Rest Shop was painted with a picture of a bird. From the conversation I had with her about her choice, it seemed to be connected to kokekko.
For Anzu’s Bear-san Diner, it had a picture of a goldfish on it. They chose it because it seemed to be connected to the fish dishes. I didn’t know they had goldfish here.
For the orphanage, they chose wind chimes with flowers on them. The orphanage was enormous, so it was decided that it would be better to have a girls’ and a boys’ side.
We finished selecting all the wind chimes.
“Thank you very much, young lady. So, do you want to put the wind chime in a box? By the way, there’s an extra cost for the box.” (Man)
I guess he thought I don’t live in this country and that I’m in a hurry. It’s normal to put it in a box. So my response was obvious.
“Put everything in the box.” (Yuna)
Putting them in a box makes them less likely to break and more convenient to put away. It’s also better to have it in a box when giving it as a gift.
One by one, the uncle carefully placed them in a small wooden box.
“Well then, here’s the payment.” (Yuna)
“Thank you. Cute bear lady.” (Man)
Uncle took the money and looked happy.
Put the wind chimes in the bear box.
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Author’s Note:
They bought some souvenirs and planned to meet up with Sakura later.