Satisfied and contented.
Jade-sanâs sword was very sharp. After all, a good sword is satisfying. However, unlike a knife, a long sword restricts the userâs movement, making it difficult to use.
The sword used at the school festival may be just right.
Toyaâs discussion of the mithril sword had turned subtle, but my business here was done and so, I was about to leave the blacksmith shop.
Chirachira. (TN: Glancing SFX.)
[Xero-san, when Toya can do it, please make his sword.] Jade
[Yeah, I keep my promises. Iâll make it right then.] Xelo
Chirachira.
[Just make sure you tell him the deadline is until the Tribulation Gates close.] Xelo
Chirachira.
I have a feeling that Xelo-san has been watching me for a while now, but am I just being self-conscious?
Or do you want to complain about something? Do you want to say itâs a fluke? Maybe they think it was a fluke or I did a cowardly cheat to slash the sword. Well, I canât argue with that, since Iâm actually using the cowardly ability of the bear cheat. Iâm worried about Xelo-sanâs gaze, so I decide to leave the shop first, taking Fina and Ruimin with me.
[Jade-san, Mel-san. Weâll be waiting for you outside.] Yuna
[Okay. Weâll be right there.] Mel
[Ah ~] Xelo
I thought I heard something in the background. Maybe it was my imagination.
I decided to wait for Jade-san and Mel-san outside the shop.
After a while, Jade-san and Mel-san came out. We are going to Ghazal-sanâs master, Rojina-sanâs store, guided by Mel-san.
.......I was supposed to say no good.
[Iâm sorry. Iâll make it up to you later.] Yuna
[Actually, Toya and Senia were supposed to go shopping with Jade, but after what happened, she had to go after him and I had to go with Jade.] Mel
[Iâm fine on my own.] Jade
[Thatâs not how it works.] Mel
It seems that the two of them have to go buy something that a merchant in the royal capital has asked them to buy. But since both Toya and Senia-san were gone, Mel-san had to fill in.
And since she wasnât able to go with us, Mel-san drew us a map to Rojina-sanâs store.
[Ruimin. Do you know where it is?] Yuna
[Yes. Itâs okay, I know where it is.] Ruimin
It was decided to leave the directions to Ruimin, who had been to the city once before.
[Even so, Xelo-san. Heâs been watching Yuna-chan as you walk away. While Yuna-chan ignoring him the whole time is simply amazing.] Mel
I knew it! He was watching me. I wasnât being self-conscious after all.
[Maybe he was just thinking that it was unusual for someone to dress up like a bear?] Yuna
[I donât know. I think it started after Yuna-chan slashed the sword.] Mel
I guess heâs being suspicious of me after all. Too dangerous, I have to watch out.
I donât want to be asked where I learned my sword art.
I split up with Jade-san and Mel-san and went to Rojina-sanâs place with Fina and Ruimin. Ruimin is holding the map as she walks in front of us, while Fina and I walk diagonally one step behind her.
[Letâs see, over here......], [Then turn here......] [Straight ahead......], [Two bends ahead.......] Ruimin looked at the map and went on her way without getting lost. Then she stops.
[Right here.] Ruimin
Ruimin stretched out her arm and pointed at the shop.
[Here?] Yuna
[Yes, here.] Ruimin
So weâre here? She seems confident.
[This isnât a weapons shop, you know?] Yuna
The signboard was decorated with pots and pans. It didnât look like a blacksmith shop that made weapons.
[Ruimin, you got lost, didnât you?] Yuna
[Of course not! Itâs here on the map. I was not wrong.] Ruimin
Ruimin puffed out her cheeks and showed me the map.
Indeed, Xelo-sanâs blacksmith shop is right here, then we went through here, turned here, went straight, and turned at the second bend.
[Youâre right.] Yuna
[See? Iâm wasnât wrong, you know?] Ruimin
Ruimin tried her best to make her case right.
The only thing I can think of was that Jade-san and his friends came to this city a long time ago, so itâs possible that Rojina-san moved during that time. Itâs also very possible that the map is wrong.
[For now, letâs go inside the store and ask.] Yuna
Since we canât just go back, we decided to check this blacksmith shop and ask the clerk. Perhaps they might know about the previous owner or about Rojina-san.
As we entered the store, I saw pots and pans of various sizes piled up. It might be a good idea to buy the pots and the pans here.
[This pot, is just the right size. And this one looks easy to use.] Fina
Fina picked up the pot in front of her and began to inspect it.
[Do you think weâll get everything here?] Ruimin
Ruimin also began to scurry around the store, looking at the note that Talia-san had given her.
Something has changed in our purpose. As we looked around the store, we felt someone coming from the back of the store.
[Welcome. Are you buying in pieces or in bulk?] Clerk
We were greeted by a Dwarf girl of unknown age. She was short, so I couldnât tell her age. She could be as old as me. Or maybe she was way older than me. So I was at a loss on what to decide.
[Bear-san?] Clerk
The Dwarf girl looks at me in surprise. Then she smiles and comes up to me and takes my hand in hers.
[So cute.......] Clerk
The girl circled around me.
[Ano.] Yuna
[Iâm sorry. I mean, youâre very cute. What can I get for you? Just tell me, Iâll give it to you. It will take some time to make though. Also, the price will be higher than usual.] Clerk
The dwarf girl starts talking about her business again.
Fina was holding a pot and wondering what she should do. As for me, I want to do the shopping later.
[I have some things I want, but before I do, I need to ask you something, is that okay?] Yuna
[Oh, yes. What would that be?] Clerk
[I think someone named Rojina-san used to run a store here. I donât know if you know her. But weâre here to see Rojina-san.] Yuna
[Youâre here to see my father?] Clerk
[Your father?] Yuna
[Rojina is my father.] Clerk
[Etto, you donât have any swords or anything in here.] Yuna
The store does not have a single sword on display. If you look inside the store, you will see pots and pans, tools used for cooking. Then there are tools like hammers and saws. The only knives they have on display are kitchen knives.
[Did you, by any chance, come to the store because you heard rumors about my father? Iâm sorry. But he doesnât make swords anymore.] Clerk
The dwarf girl bows her head and apologizes.
But Iâm pretty sure itâs Rojina-sanâs store. But what does she mean about it?
Heâs Gordo-san and Ghazal-sanâs master, the one who taught them to make weapons, right?
[Etto, I know Gordo-san and Ghazal-san. Can I see Rojina-san?] Yuna
Iâm not sure whatâs going on, so Iâm going to name two people whose master is Rojna-san, and if itâs the same Rojina-san this girl is talking about, then she must know about them.
[Gordo and Ghazal? You know them both?!] Clerk
The girl had a surprised look on her face. If that was her reaction, then it must be the Rojina-san Iâm looking for. But Iâm starting to lose track of the situation.
[Yeah, Gordo-san lives in the same city as I am and Iâm seeing Ghazal-san too. Also, I have letters from both of them for Rojina-san.] Yuna
I took out the letters from the bear box.
[Wait a minute, please. Mom is out. Dad!] Clerk
When the girl saw the letters, she ran to the back of the store, calling for her father.
[We are at Rojina-sanâs store after all.] Yuna
[I wasnât wrong. See? I wasnât wrong. And youâre saying I was wrong.] Ruimin
[Iâm sorry. Because nobody would expect a master blacksmith whoâs known for making weapons to be making pots and pans.] Yuna
[But is he really Gordo-san and Ghazal-sanâs master?] Fina
Fina and I thought of the same thing. Well, thatâs what I think, you know? I looked around the store, but thereâs not a single sword in sight. I wonder whatâs going on?
However, the girl told me that . That would mean that he used to make them. It is most likely that he quit for some reason. If he was injured, he couldnât make pots either. And yet, Gordo-san and Ghazal-san had never said anything like that.
As I was pondering about it, I heard the voices of a dwarf girl and a man coming from the back.
[What? A bear girl? Whatâs going on here?] Rojina
[Thatâs what Iâm telling you, the bear girl knows Gordo and Ghazal and she brought you their letters!] Clerk
[Whatâs with the bear girl? Did you let a bear come into the store?] Rojina
[As I kept saying, sheâs a girl!] Clerk
[So itâs a female bear?] Rojina
[No, sheâs not!] Clerk
Their voices gradually become louder.
The girl is grabbing the male dwarf by the arm and comes back to the counter. I wonder if this dwarf is Rojina-san?
The man who seemed to be Rojina-san stared at me as if he was astonished by my outfit.
He only glanced lightly at Fina and Ruimin, but he kept looking at me from bottom to top and top to bottom. I canât help it, Iâm dressed like a bear.
[Bear?] Rojina
[See, itâs bear-san.] Clerk
[It is a bear.] Rojina
[And sheâs a girl.] Clerk
[She is a girl.] Rojina
They had been arguing earlier, but the moment they saw me, they agreed.
[Are you Rojina-san?]
[Yes, I am. But is it true that the young lady dressed as a bear is an acquaintance of Gordo and Ghazal?] Rojina
[Yes, Iâm indebted to both of them. And when I told them I was coming to this city, they asked me to deliver their letters.] Yuna
I replied politely and presented the letter I was carrying to Rojina-san.
[So, how are Gordo and Ghazal doing?] Clerk
[Gordo-san is on good terms with Nert-san, and Ghazal-san has become a famous blacksmith in the capital.] Yuna
What Iâm saying about Ghazal-san is what Jade-san said to me. So, I donât really actually know.
[I see, so those two are doing well.] Rojina
[Etto, if you would, can you tell us a story about those two... and Nert, those three?] Clerk
The girl grabs my bear puppet.
[Itâs okay. But I also need to ask a question to Rojina-san.] Yuna
One of the reasons I came here was because of the Bearmonite.
We decided to talk about this over some tea.
Authorâs Note:
Rojina-san was just making pots now.
Itâs almost time for the 400th episode. It felt like I just reached 300 episodes the other day, but itâs happening so fast.