Bear-san Departs For The Practice Training
They all introduced themselves.
Long-hair-kun was Timor.
Short-hair-kun was Marcus.
Blond drill was Cattleya.
Eleanora-san’s daughter was Shia.
After those simple greetings, we headed to the carriage waiting for us outside.
We parted ways with the professor and Eleanora-san here.
This meant that, from the moment we left the classroom, the practice training began.
I was walking behind the group when Shia slowed down to walk next to me.
「Yuna-san, it’s been a while.」
「Yes. We haven’t seen each other since the birthday party, right?」
「My mother told me that you came to the capital a few times. She said something about bringing delicious food every time.」
「I brought those for Princess Flora, but somehow, each time I brought them, Eleanora-san popped out from nowhere, and ate with us, that’s all.」
「My mother’s information network is incredible, after all.」
More than incredible, it was such an impossible riddle that she could become one of the seven wonders of the world.
「I didn’t know that you would be our escort.」
「Eleanora-san told me you would be in the group when I accepted, though.」
「Mother knew, but kept it a secret, huh.」
She puffed her cheeks and pouted, annoyed by the fact.
It was cute when such a beautiful girl did it, huh.
Even if I did the same…… I should stop thinking about this.
After I finished talking with Shia, we exited the academy and went to the backyard.
Why did we come here? Was it possibly the thing that often happened in schools? You know, like being beaten up, threatened or robbed?
I thought that, but I seemed to be wrong.
There was a carriage there. Also, horses.
So, it was a place like that…
「I knew it, we were the last ones!」
Marcus said while looking around.
「The last ones?」
「There are more groups like ours, but they are going to different locations. Marcus is competing with the other boys on who will come back first.」
「It’s just foolish.」
Cattleya seemed annoyed by the boys’ behavior.
I agreed with her.
「What are you guys doing? We should hurry and go!」
Marcus, who was already at the carriage, shouted.
It was a roofed carriage. With this, we won’t get wet even if it rained, huh?
Two horses were harnessed to the carriage. I thought that they would be enough to pull it.
When I was passing the coach to enter the carriage, Marcus called out to me.
「I don’t know why you came with us, but at least don’t drag us down!」
「That’s right. Please don’t drop our score by dragging us down.」
Marcus and Timor said, as if making a fool out of me.
I wanted to go home. If Shia wasn’t here, I would have gone home without a doubt.
「Guys, you are being rude to Yuna-san. She is our escort, so you have to speak to her politely.」
「I can’t be polite to a bear! Also, we aren’t so weak to need protection from a girl younger than us!」
「I can’t believe she is a C rank adventurer. This must be some sort of a test for us.」
「You sure? If it is, does that mean we have to protect this girl?」
「It’s possible.」
「So troublesome. Shia, Cattleya, you should take care of this strange girl. You are all girls, right?」
「You are saying a really selfish thing, you…」
When Cattleya tried to complain, Shia interrupted her.
「I don’t mind. I will take care of Yuna-san.」
「Shia-san?」
「You said it. Now that you’ve said it, you have to look after her properly. We won’t, after all.」
The boys smiled, happy that they pushed the nuisance on others, and went to the coach.
Shia was also smiling, but I was sure that the reason they were smiling was different.
「Yuna-san, we should board the carriage too.」
Shia took my hand, and we climbed into the carriage at the back.
The wheat flour bags, that were to be transported to the village, were already in the carriage.
「I don’t mind taking care of Bear-san, but are you really okay with this, Shia-san?」
「Are you also fine with this Cattleya-san? I can take care of her by myself, you know?」
Hmm, normally, I should be the one taking care of the them, right?
「I don’t mind since taking care of a little girl is a lady’s duty.」
「Cattleya-san, thank you.」
「You don’t have to worry. Then, Bear-san, if you have any problems, please tell us, okay?」
That meant Cattleya-san didn’t trust me to be her guard, right? Or even more, she didn’t even think of me as a guard, did she?
「I will be in your care.」
Was all I could say.
「More importantly, didn’t they have a better carriage?」
Cattleya-san grumbled while looking around the carriage’s interior.
「There is no helping it, Cattleya-san. It’s a carriage to transport things, after all.」
「I understand that, but I still feel depressed, knowing I will have to stay in this carriage for the next few days.」
I totally agreed with her.
When I traveled, I did so wrapped in first-class fur while riding on a bear. I also slept in the Bear House, but I couldn’t use either this time around.
「Yuna-san, you won’t use Bear-sans?」
Shia whispered.
「Eleanora-san prohibited them.」
「Why?」
「She said that I can’t use them, since they would scare the horses if I brought them out.」
Well, that might depend on the horses; Gran-san’s and guild master’s horses were perfectly fine, so I didn’t believe it would have really been a problem.
「Too bad then. Noa kept bragging about them, so I thought that it would have been great if I were also be able to ride Bear-sans.」
「Monsters don’t approach when those children are present, so I don’t think this could have been considered a training.」
「You’re right. I will have to give up this time.」
「Give up what?」
「Cattleya-san, were you listening?」
「No, I only heard you say,『I will have to give up.』with a sad face.」
「It isn’t anything important, so you don’t have to worry about it.」
「You sure? If it is something I can help you with, don’t hesitate to tell me, okay?」
「Thank you, Cattleya-san.」
「No problem.」
Cattleya-san took out a cushion from her item bag and sat on it.
She was well-prepared, huh.
「Yuna-san, you may use my cushion if you want.」
Shia offered me her cushion. She seemed to only have one. Did she want to give me her only cushion?
「No need. I have my own, after all.」
I took a cushion out of the Bear Box. The cushion had a bear embroidered onto it.
One of the children from the orphanage made it for me to thank me for taking care of them.
It was a cherished item, so I had put it in the Bear Box.
I silently thanked the child who made it, and sat on the cushion.
「We will depart now!」
Marcus shouted to us inside the carriage.
「Okay!」
「We are ready to go.」
The two girls answered, and the carriage started to move.
We moved through the capital and then passed the front gates.
「We will drive for now, but we will switch at noon!」
The carriage slowly advanced towards the village we were headed to.
「Yuna-san, is Noa doing well?」
「She is. She takes any chance she gets to escape the mansion and come to my shop, after all.」
「I heard that you made a thriving shop from Father the other day. I’m really jealous of Noa.」
「Ara, Bear-san, you are managing a shop? Aren’t you an adventurer?」
「I‘m an adventurer. I just built the shop, and someone else is managing it.」
「Ara, are you rich?」
「Well, money is the only thing I have, after all.」
「Father said that the food there was delicious. I really want to return to Crimonia soon.」
Shia said. Did she miss Crimonia?
「You will have to wait until the holidays.」
「Why won’t the holidays come sooner?」
「Shia-san, please take me with you when you leave, okay?」
It looked like Shia and Cattleya had a good relationship.
Cattleya didn’t seem to believe that I was a C rank adventurer, but I still thought she was a good person. If it was like this, I thought that I would be able to bear with these few days of travel.
While I was lost in my thoughts, the carriage moved onward without a problem.
From time to time, I looked around using detection magic, but everything was peaceful.
If I had to complain about something, it would be that the carriage was shaking too much. If I didn’t have my cushion, my butt would probably be hurting by now. Well, thanks to the Bear Clothes, it might have not, but I should still be thankful to that child from the orphanage. It might be good to buy a souvenir when I come back to the capital.
Some time had passed, and we took a break to eat lunch and give the horses time to rest. The students all took out bread or other easy to make things from their item bag.
Such a sad meal.
In my Bear Box, I had a lot of prepared meals that were still hot.
Still, as one would expect, I couldn’t just bring out a steaming meal, so I decided to eat one of the sandwiches Morin-san made for me.
Egg sandwich, cheese sandwich, vegetable sandwich, potato-salad sandwich, meat sandwich… I had a lot of different ones.
As expected from Morin-san; it seemed delicious.
「Yuna-san, it looks delicious.」
Shia was looking at my sandwich.
「Want one?」
「Can I really have one?」
「Yes. I have a lot of them, after all. Ermm, Cattleya, was it? Do you want one as well?」
Cattleya was enviously looking my way, so I asked her too.
「Is it really okay?」
「Yeah.」
I gave a sandwich to both of them.
「Delicious!」
「It is better than the food our chef makes.」
「It’s made by an excellent baker, after all.」
I was happy as if I was the one being praised.
While we were happily eating our sandwiches, Marcus was looking at us from afar. When he saw that I had noticed him, he looked away.
We finished our break, and it was the girls’ turn to drive. As one would expect, I wasn’t fat enough to be forced to stay with the boys inside the carriage, so Shia, Katrea, and I were all on the coach seat.
The carriage continued to move towards our destination.
We were still close to the capital, so we didn’t encounter any monsters, and now, the first night approached.
