=====
Author’s Note 1:
I finished writing this in the middle of the night, so I’ll post it in the morning.
=====
The man looked up at my words and looked at me.
[Bear?] Itsuki
Apparently, he hadn’t noticed me.
[Shall I defeat the monster?] Yuna
[Are you kidding me, Missy?] Itsuki
[Etto. The Kamaitachi is a nasty monster that moves fast and shoots wind blades from a distance, so it’s not easy to subdue it. And according to Itsuki-san, there are several of them, so it’s not a good idea to let beginners handle it. In the request…] Receptionist
The guild receptionist is having a hard time explaining details about the Kamaitachi.
Apparently, she thought I was a novice adventurer.
[Moreover, as soon as they think they are at a disadvantage, they hide in the nearby forest. They are not easy to defeat.] Itsuki
The man added to the receptionist’s words in an irritated manner.
I can’t lose in speed. Even if they hide, I can find those monsters with my bear detection skills.
[I’ve never fought one before, I just arrived at this city after all, but I think I can handle it. I just saw that you were in trouble, so I called out to you.] Yuna
I’m not forcing myself to get the request.
It’s just that I was curious about Kamaitachi, and he seemed to be in trouble.
The man looked at me and pondered.
[Just so I understand, Missy, you’re an adventurer, right? I’m sorry for asking, but what’s your rank?] Itsuki
[I’m an adventurer. My rank is C.] Yuna
The man and the receptionist were surprised by my words.
[Rank C? Are you sure you can defeat the Kamaitachi, Missy?] Itsuki
[I’ve never fought one, but I think I know how to beat them.] Yuna
The man ponders further.
He still seemed skeptical even when I told him I was a rank C adventurer.
Well, I’m a bear. So, it can’t be helped.
=====
[In that case, would you like me to go with you?]
Out of nowhere, someone spoke to me.
[Shinobu-san!] Receptionist
The receptionist raised her voice in surprise.
The girl who appeared was not so different from me.
The girl was dressed in a dark blue kimono outfit, but a little different from the rest. It looked like the kind of ninja costumes you see in anime and manga, I think?
[If you’re that worried about Bear-san’s abilities, I’ll go with her.] Shinobu
[If Shinobu-san is with you, then it’s okay.] Receptionist
The receptionist says reassuringly.
[Itsuki-san. She can defeat a Kamaitachi without any problem. Her ability is guaranteed by the guild.] Receptionist
[Is that true?] Itsuki
[She’s an excellent adventurer.] Receptionist
Apparently, I’m no longer needed.
It’s a pity that I couldn’t see the kamaitachi, but if I stay in this country, there should be a chance to see them.
[Well, I’m going home then.] Yuna
If she gets a request, then I’m not needed.
[That’s no good. I’m just helping and escorting you. So if Bear-san doesn’t take it, I won’t take it either.] Shinobu
The girl called Shinobu stopped me as I tried to leave the guild.
[Why? If you can beat them, why do you need me?] Yuna
[That makes no sense.] Shinobu
I don’t understand. If she’s an adventurer that can defeat the kamaitachi, then she wouldn’t need me. If she took on the job with me, the reward will be halved.
[Shinobu-san. Please wait. Itsuki-san, you’re in a hurry, aren’t you? If we don’t ask her now, I don’t know when we’ll get another one.] Receptionist
The receptionist asks the man.
The man looks at us both, troubled.
One is dressed as a bear. The other is a ninja-like girl that nobody knows what she’s thinking.
[This girl, can she really take them down?] Itsuki
[Yes, she’s defeated the Kamaitachi before.] Receptionist
The man looked at the ninja-like girl and the guild girl nodded.
[And the Young Lady over there, you’ll take care of it if the Bear Girl is with you?] Itsuki
The man checks with the girl called Shinobu.
[As long as I’m with bear-san, I’m good.] Shinobu
[All right. I’ll ask you two to take down the Kamaitachi.] Itsuki
The man bowed to us.
Does this mean that I’m going as well?
[I’ll register the request then, is that okay with you too, Young Miss?] Receptionist
The receptionist checks with me one last time.
As expected, I was supposed to participate as well. In addition, I’m going there as an extra.
But if I don’t accept it, then why would she not accept it as well?
[Then register both of you for this request, may I have your guild cards?] Receptionist
The girl called Shinobu and I took out our guild cards. When the receptionist saw my guild card, she looked at me in surprise.
[……She really is Rank C, just like Shinobu-san.] Receptionist
I looked at Shinobu’s guild card next to me, which also had a rank of C on it.
She’s not that much older than me, and she’s a rank C. I can see why they say she can beat Kamaitachi.
But really, who is she?
[Yuna-san, was it? My name is Shinobu. It’s nice to meet you. I’ll call you Yuna, so you can call me Shinobu.] Shinobu
Shinobu looked at the guild card and introduced herself.
Even so, she’s getting overly familiar with me. This is the kind of person I’m not good at. I don’t want to get too close to her.
[But still, rank C, you’re quite strong, aren’t you?] Shinobu
[You’re a rank C, yourself.] Yuna
[It was just a coincidence.] Shinobu
She denied it with a smile.
Suspicious.
I can’t speak for others, but there’s something about her that smells fishy.
[You don’t have to be so suspicious. So, Itsuki-san, is it okay if we leave first thing tomorrow morning?] Shinobu
[I would like to leave now if we could.] Itsuki
[I agree. But I have some preparations to make, so please go back to the village first, Itsuki-san. Yuna and I will be leaving first thing in the morning.] Shinobu
Shinobu let the story proceed on her own.
Well, it’s certainly better to leave tomorrow morning than now. And I’ve already paid for the inn.
[All right. I’m heading back to the village first, do you know where it is?] Itsuki
[I just checked the request board.] Shinobu
[I don’t know, so if you could tell me, that would be great.] Yuna
[I’ll guide you. You’re in a foreign land, that’s why you’re not familiar with the area.] Shinobu
I would have preferred to be alone, but Shinobu pushed herself to me too hard.
The man went back to the village first, and Shinobu and I will leave tomorrow morning.
He said that the village where the man lived was about half a day away by carriage.
Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear would probably be there in less than an hour.
=====
[So, why are you following me?] Yuna
When I left the Adventurer’s Guild, Shinobu followed me.
[I thought it would be better if we stayed at the same inn.] Shinobu
[Are we staying at the same inn, by any chance?] Yuna
[I’d like to hear about Yuna’s story.] Shinobu
[There’s nothing to talk about.] Yuna
[Stingy.] Shinobu
I may have gotten involved with a troublesome person.
Maybe I should have taken it by myself or said no.
I came back to the inn with Shinobu. I said that she followed me on her own.
[You’re staying in such a nice place.] Shinobu
Shinobu looked at the large inn in front of her.
I knew it was a good inn.
When I enter the inn, I see Konoha.
[Welcome back.] Konoha
[I’m back.] Yuna
[Etto. And that person is?] Konoha
Konoha looks at Shinobu, who is behind me.
[She’s a stranger. I’m going to go back to my room, I would like to have a meal.] Yuna
[U~u, we’re not strangers, we’re working together.] Shinobu
[Just so you know, if you come to my room, I’ll kick you out.] Yuna
[You’re so mean, Yuna. Then we’ll meet at the entrance of the inn tomorrow morning.] Shinobu
I left Shinobu to start a conversation with Konoha and head back to my room.
What is she really about?
Her character is full of smiles and laughter.
I also wondered about her adventurer rank. I can’t speak for others, but she’s the same rank as me at her age, a rank C. In my case, it’s thanks to my bear equipment. If her power is enough to get her a rank C, then she must be pretty good.
And if she could do it alone, she wouldn’t have to take it on with me. When I tried to refuse the request, she said it was meaningless. I don’t understand.
For now, I’ll be careful around her.
To do this, I summoned Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear in cub form and asked them to tell me when people were coming.
After that, there was no attack from Shinobu, and Konoha brought the food.
[Anou, what about the girl who was with me?] Yuna
[Yes, she’s staying here.] Konoha
She really did stay.
[If anyone asks about me, please don’t say anything.] Yuna
[Yes, it’s okay. We are not supposed to talk about our customers, since it would be a credibility problem for us if we do.] Konoha
I’m relieved that they seem to be properly trained.
I’m glad I stayed at this inn.
[Thank you.] Yuna
[No need to thank me, I’ll be back to collect the dishes later, so please enjoy your meal.] Konoha
I took her words and ate my meal.
Then, I finished my meal, and now minding my own business, Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear looked toward the door and cried <ku~u ~ n>.
When I used my detection skill, there’s a human reaction near the room. And the reaction stops in front of the door and doesn’t move. Konoha would not stop at the door. Besides, she had just cleaned up the dishes after eating.
I told Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear to hide and slowly opened the door without making a sound.
[U wa~a.] Shinobu
It was Shinobu at the door.
[What do you want?] Yuna
[Well, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow.] Shinobu
She replied with a laugh.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a lie.
[You don’t need my advice. Shinobu, you can defeat the Kamaitachi by yourself, right? If it comes down to it, I’ll leave it to you.] Yuna
[You’re leaving it up to me?] Shinobu
[I mean, you’re strong, right?] Yuna
[No, no, that’s not true. It’s just that Sumire-san is exaggerating. I’m weak.] Shinobu
Sumire? Do you mean the guild receptionist?
Maybe I should have asked the receptionist a little more about Shinobu.
[But how did you know I was in front of the room?] Shinobu
[Because your footsteps were loud, you know?] Yuna
I said something appropriate.
[My footsteps?] Shinobu
I’m not going to tell you the truth.
[That’s impossible……] Shinobu
Shinobu muttered in a small voice.
[Did you say something?] Yuna
[No, no, I’m just talking to myself, don’t worry about it.] Shinobu
Suspicious.
[By the way, are you alone, Yuna?] Shinobu
[That’s right.] Yuna
She tries to check the room to see what’s going on, but Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear are hidden.
[Then don’t be late tomorrow morning.] Shinobu
Shinobu left.
What did she come here for, really?
I then asked Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear to tell me if anyone came when I went to the hot springs or when I went to bed. Then I went to sleep.
