Chapter 739: Chapter 737

Bear-san, Noa and Others Touring the Castle Town

“So, where should we go next?” (Noa)

Noa looked at the castle.

“I think we can go inside the castle, but it might cause trouble for my uncle. I’ll get into contact with him later.” (Sakura)

“No, that’s not what I was thinking…” (Noa)

Noa looked apologetic.

“Please don’t worry about it.” (Sakura)

Sakura smiled.

“Sorry, for now, I’me going to head over to Suzuran’s place.” (Kagali)

Suzuran… I think she was the one looking after Kagali-san, right?

We have never met in person before.

And I remembered her name when Sakura mentioned her while I was talking to her on the Bear Phone.

“Then shall we all go to Suzuran’s place together?” (Sakura)

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll go by myself. You guys enjoy yourselves.” (Kagali)

“But you’re going alone?” (Noa)

“Don’t treat me like a child. I can go alone to her house.” (Kagali)

Kagali-san said this and started walking off by herself.

“Shinobu…” (Sakura)

Sakura glanced at Shinobu in return.

“No, I can’t. Kagali-sama is an important person, but so is Sakura-sama. Besides, Kagali-sama will be fine even if something happens to her.” (Shinobu)

Well, if someone knew Kagali-san and Sakura well, they would probably assume that Sakura was the one who would need a protective escort rather than Kagali-san.

Kagali-san could manage on her own, as Shinobu had said.

While the two of them were talking, Kagali-san turned around the corner and disappeared.

“Are you sure it’s okay to let Kagali-san go by herself?” (Noa)

“She’s not an ordinary child, you know.” (Shinobu)

“I don’t know Kagali-san’s situation, but I think she’s an important person.” (Noa)

“Don’t worry. No one can mess around with Kagali-sama.” (Shinobu)

“She is certainly an important person, but as Shinobu said, she is a tremendously strong person.” (Sakura)

They were puzzled by Sakura’s words, but since I had already told them not to ask about Kagali-san, they didn’t inquire further.

I walked through the town without worrying about Kagali-san. Soon, Noa and the others also started to enjoy it without thinking much about Kagali.

“What is that?” (Noa)

“Noa Onee-chan, what is that?” (Misa)

“Misa, let’s go over there.” (Noa)

Noa and Misa were even more excited than Shuri.

Well, Shuri couldn’t run off because Fina was holding her hand.

“You two remember your promise, okay?” (Yuna)

“Of course!” (Noa)

“Yes.” (Misa)

They came back to us.

Then we went to look together.

“What is that?” (Noa)

“It’s spinning round and round.” (Misa)

“A pinwheel?” (Shuri)

Red, blue, green, and all sorts of things that looked like flowers were spinning round and round.

“It’s turning because of the wind.” (Sakura)

Noa, Misa, Fina and Shuri also approached the shop, where the pinwheels were lined up neatly in a row.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The pinwheels spun round and round when the wind blew.

It had been a while since I’d seen one, so it made me feel nostalgic.

“Don’t they sell them in Fina’s country?” (Sakura)

“No, they don’t sell these there.” (Noa)

“I’ve never seen one before.” (Misa)

“But Yuna knows about it, right?” (Sakura)

“Well, yeah.” (Yuna)

I once made origami when I was little.

I was once innocent and childlike at one time, too.

After all, I wasn’t born like this.

I thought to myself, without needing to reveal it to anyone.

“Shall I buy some for you?” (Yuna)

“No, thank you.” (Noa)

“Why?” (Yuna)

Noa and the others looked around.

“Because the ones holding them are all small children.”

When I looked around, I noticed that most children playing with pinwheels were children younger than Noa and the others.

Noticing this, it made Noa and others embarrassed to hold or play with pinwheels.

I didn’t think they should be embarrassed about playing with pinwheels or be too conscious of their age.

As I looked at the pinwheels, I heard a tinkling sound coming from somewhere.

“What’s that noise?!” (Noa)

Noa reacted.

“It’s over there.” (Shinobu)

Shinobu, who had good hearing, pointed.

There were wind chimes on sale there.

It was remarkable that Shinobu could tell which direction the sound was coming from, even in this noisy place.

This was why she was able to find others straight away while playing hide-and-seek. Her hearing abilities were just godlike.

In TV media featuring ninjas, there were always scenes portraying them while hide-and-seek. I imagine it was like that for Shinobu, where she, like a ninja in those media, would put her ear to the ground and listen to the vibrations to check the direction and distance. It was more accurate than just being able to detect sound projection with no ritual.

We arrived at the wind bell shop.

“Oh, it’s you, the little girl from the other day.” (Shop Owner)

“Oh, is that the old man from before? How did you remember me?” (Yuna)

“Well, young lady. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could ever forget your outfit.” (Shop Owner)

Everyone nodded at the old man’s words.

“And the girls from that time too.” (Shop Owner)

It seemed that the old man also remembered Fina and Shuri.

“What are you here for? Are you going to buy something again?” (Shop Owner)

“Yes. I’ll give it as a present to Misa, so please let her choose whatever she likes.” (Yuna)

“Is it okay?” (Misa)

“I bought things for Noa and Fina, but I couldn’t buy anything for Misa.” (Yuna)

I didn’t want to admit that I’d completely forgotten about her.

“Thank you.” (Misa)

“Misa, that’s great!” (Noa)

“Yes.” (Misa)

Misa started choosing which one to buy.

Next to her, Noa, Fina, and Shuri also chose things together, saying things like “This one’s good,” “How about this one?” and “This one’s also good.”

Sakura, Shinobu and I watched Fina and the others with smiles on our faces.

“Thank you, Yuna Onee-sama. I’ll take good care of it.” (Misa)

Misa’s choice wasn’t a flower pattern, a beautiful butterfly or a bird.

It was a design featuring a fox and a bear, which have recently become popular.

“A while ago, a humongous monster appeared. There’s a story that goes around, saying that a fox and a bear defeated it.” (Shop Owner)

“A fox and a bear?” (Misa)

“Yeah, I saw some of the defeated monsters, and the carcases were huge.” (Shop Owner)

“What did the fox and the bear look like?” (Misa)

“Some people saw them from a distance, but no one saw them up close. But there have always been legends about foxes in our lands. And there was also a bear’s statue found where the monster was defeated. So it was thought that the fox and the bear were the ones who defeated the monster together.” (Shop Owner)

The wind chime seller explained.

“I don’t know about the fox, but the bear…” (Noa)

Noa looked at me suspiciously.

I didn’t want to hide it, so I let the cat out of the bag with her.

“That’s right. It’s about me. But only a few people know about it, so you can’t go around running and telling anyone.” (Yuna)

“Oh, so that’s why you were given that mansion, it’s a reward.” (Noa)

“I see.” (Misa)

“The only two people who know the whole story about this matter are Sakura and Shinobu.” (Yuna)

“Is that so?” (Misa)

“Now I’d like to hear more about that story.” (Noa)

“We’ll talk about that another time. I don’t want anyone to overhear us right here.” (Yuna)

I wouldn’t want to talk about the entire incident in a crowded place or a public place.

Of course, even if I were to go around telling everyone that I had defeated the giant serpent, I doubt anyone would actually believe me.

Also, when I looked around the castle town, I noticed that in some places, they were selling pictures of bears, foxes and giant snakes.

Sakura and Shinobu told me that the fox and the bear were the ones who had defeated the giant snake and that they were trendy.

“I want a lot of them.” (Noa)

I’ve added a few precautions for everyone.

The Bear Transfer Gate could take people to distant places. There were also things that could not be obtained in Crimonia or the royal capital.

People would grow suspicious if they suddenly saw me or the others with items not natively available on their lands.

So, I’ve banned the purchase of such rare items.

However, food and other items were allowed.

“I wanted to buy some clothes.” (Noa)

“I liked the clothes that woman was wearing.” (Misa)

“I wanted to show them to my father and mother.” (Shuri)

“Since trade has started between the Land of Wa and the town of Mileela, you can at least buy clothes now.” (Yuna)

“Then, would you like to try on some of the clothes I have? I’m about the same height as you, so I think it should be fine.” (Sakura)

“Is that okay?” (Noa)

“When Fina and Shuri came last time, I wore similar clothes with them.” (Sakura)

“Then, please.” (Noa)

It looked like another fashion show was about to begin.

I wouldn’t mind wearing it, but I’d love to see Noa and Misa in a kimono.

Noa and the others, who had agreed to Sakura’s generous offer, continued exploring the town merrily.

Their eyes were mainly drawn to the unusual (unknown to them) food delicacies.

They sampled dango, anmitsu, oshiruko and rice crackers treats.

The oshiruko seemed a little too sweet.

The rice crackers were hard, making them surprised.

“I’m full.” (Noa)

“I can’t eat anymore.” (Misa)

“Onee-chan, I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable.” (Shuri)

“That’s why I told you to stop.” (Fina)

“But, Noa-chan and Misa-chan…” (Shuri)

Fina was with them at the beginning when they were ordering, but halfway through, she realized that Shuri would probably not be able to finish her meal, so she didn’t order anything herself and just ate what Shuri left over.

“Are you sure you don’t want any money for it?” (Noa)

Shinobu paid for everything.

“It’s fine. It’s a promise I made with Yuna.” (Shinobu)

We had agreed that if I won the game of hide-and-seek, she would treat us.

She paid for breakfast and all the food we had afterwards.

However, I decided to pay for Misa’s wind chime.

I once bought wind chimes for everyone before, but if Shinobu paid for Misa, it would look like she bought it for her instead.

I paid for it because I thought that wasn’t right.

“Let’s take a short break.” (Yuna)

“Then let us go to my house. It is not far from here. Besides, I have an appointment for the clothes I mentioned earlier.” (Sakura)

“I think Kagali-sama will be there too.” (Shinobu)

We headed towards Sakura’s house.

Perhaps walking helped Noa and others digest what they had eaten. They gradually felt better and even had time to enjoy looking at the scenery.

“There’s a long wall that continues all the way over there…” (Noa)

A wall stretched out alongside us.

“This is Sakura-sama’s residence.” (Shinobu)

“Really?” (Noa)

“It’s huge.” (Misa)

Well, Noa and Misa’s house was big as well.

As we continued on the path along the wall, we soon found guards standing in front of the entrance.

There was a gate behind them, the main entrance to the property.

“Good work, everyone.” (Sakura)

“Sakura-sama, I’m glad that you have returned safely.” (Guard)

Sakura greeted the man standing at the gate, and the man replied.

“Shinobu is here with me, so I will be fine. So, did anything happen?” (Sakura)

“A little girl arrived here a while ago, so I escorted her in.” (Guard)

“It’s Kagali-sama, I presume.” (Shinobu)

It seemed like she made it to the house.

Well, she may look like a little girl, but she was more than just a grown-up.

“Well, then, we’ll also be entering.” (Sakura)

“Just to confirm, who are the people behind you? The girl dressed as a bear, and those sisters have been here before, I think.” (Guard)

With that, he turned his attention to Noa and Misa.

They were dressed in clothes that were unfamiliar to people in the Land of Wa.

My bear outfit definitely stood out, but the same could be said of what Noa and the others were wearing compared to the clothes of the people in the Land of Wa.

“They are my guests, so it’s fine.” (Sakura)

“I understand. Please, come in.” (Guard)

The man took a step to the side and let us through.

We bowed lightly, walked past the man and passed through the gate.

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