Bear-san Goes To The Academy

The following day, we were on our way to the inn to see Anzu.

「Do you two really want to go back today?」

「Yes, we had plenty of fun already.」

「I want to see mom.」

Like that, it was decided that we would be going back today.

「We will go back to Crimonia today.」

I told Anzu when we arrived at the inn.

「I will also head there as soon as the tunnel is completed.」

「If I am not there when you arrive, you can go to the orphanage and ask for a woman named Terumi-san.」

I didn’t know when the tunnel would be completed, and I wasn’t in Crimonia everyday.

「You might not be there, Yuna-san?」

「I have a troublesome job, you see. It’s possible that I won’t be there when you arrive. But don’t worry. Terumi-san is the mother of these children, after all.」

「Really?」

Anzu looked at the two.

「Yes, mother helps out Big Sis Yuna.」

「I see. The orphanage, you said?」

After I finished talking to Anzu, I said goodbye to Deiga-san, and left the city.

I rode Swaying Bear while Fina and Shuri rode Hugging Bear.

We went through the tunnel and arrived to Crimonia.

First, I had to give back what I borrowed.

「I’m returning your daughters I borrowed.」

「Were they helpful?」

Fina and Shuri clung to Terumi-san, and she petted their heads.

「They did their best.」

「That’s good. Did you two have fun?」

「Yes, it was really fun. The sea was really vast, and we even rode on a boat.」

「The food was delicious.」

They reported what had happened during the trip to Terumi-san, who listened happily.

「Yuna-chan, thank you very much for giving them such a precious experience.」

「Next time, you should come with us too, Terumi-san.」

「You’re right. Should I go with you next time?」

When we finished talking about the trip, Fina and Shuri seemed tired and went to sleep in their bedroom. Did the fatigue from the trip kick in?

Left alone with Terumi-san, I told her about Anzu.

「When they come, I just have to look after them?」

「I’ll be counting on you. You don’t have to worry about money and can use it as you please, so I will leave the restaurant’s interior design to you.」

Thanks to Terumi-san, I didn’t have to worry even if I wasn’t here.

I said goodbye to Terumi-san and went to the orphanage.

I should make Anzu and the other women a place to live next to the orphanage. Should I make it like a company-style dormitory? Or more like an inn-style dormitory?

I made the first floor as the common area. On the second and third floor, I made a number of four and a half tatami large rooms.

They should be okay for one person each. Inns were also like this.

Also, with the number I made, it should be okay even if more people came.

(TN: 4.5 tatami is about 7.5m2)

A few days later, I used the Bear Transfer Gate and went to the capital.

I then waited at the Bear House for Eleanora-san to come.

「Good morning, Yuna-chan.」

「Good morning.」

「We will go to the academy, okay?」

「Am I really going?」

Dealing with people of the same generation as me wasn’t something I was good at.

Was it because I was a hikikomori?

「You promised, right?」

「That’s right, but you could have found a substitute or something.」

「Since you accepted, I didn’t even look for one.」

I see.

After giving up and following Eleanora-san towards the academy, I noticed students wearing uniforms walking everywhere. I sometimes saw those uniforms when I was walking around the capital. It was a navy blue and white uniform. They all came with a navy blue mantle.

As we walking towards the academy, the students tried to look at us discreetly.

Then, whispers,

「A bear?」「Why would a bear be at the academy?」「The one next to the bear is Eleanora-san, right?」「Why would she wear such strange clothes?」「It’s cute, but those are really embarrassing clothes.」「Wow, this is the first time I have seen such interesting clothes!」「Are they doing a play?」「Isn’t she embarrassed?」「I think it’s cute.」「Look at her hands. Those are bears!」「Now that you say so, the feet are also…」「Where do they sell such clothes?」「Will we be eaten if we approach her?」「I want to hug her.」「It’s a joke to walk around in those clothes, right?」「I saw her walking around the capital before.」「I also heard about her from my friend.」

came from the students.

「Can I go back?」

「Of course you can’t.」

She grabbed me by the shoulders so that I couldn’t run away.

While still hearing the whispers, we reached the academy.

It looked like a castle from the middle ages.

「So this is the academy.」

「Children ages 12 to 18 attend here.」

「It’s big.」

I was astonished by the size of the academy.

「That’s because a lot of children in the capital attend the academy despite the tuition fee.」

Should I make a small school at the orphanage too?

There were a lot of children, and even though they were already learning how to read and do simple math, they weren’t doing any social studies. Still, the children were also working, so they might not have enough time. I should think about this more.

We entered the academy, and I was brought to a place that seemed to be a staff room.

It looked like I would meet the homeroom teacher of the students first.

Every time I imagined being in a staff room, I became uneasy, but that might be because I never went to school.

We entered the staff room and met a man who seemed to be in his 30s.

「Professor Schoerg.」

「If it isn’t Eleanora-sama……and a bear?」

「This is the female adventurer who will be the escort.」

「Eleanora-sama, is this a joke? I only see a 12 or 13 years old girl, though. Could she possibly be a girl who wants to enter the academy?」

「She is a respectable C rank adventurer.」

「Rank C…」

He looked at me doubtfully.

If he said just one disapproving word, like he can’t trust me or any other negative word, I might be able to get out of this one, but…

Eleanora-san asked me to show him my guild card, and I, not being able to refuse her, showed it to him.

「Occupation… Bear?」

What were you looking at?

「Look at the rank.」

「Ah, I’m sorry. Adventurer rank C. Really? It’s not fake, right?」

「It’s real. I guarantee it with my, Eleanora’s, name at stake.」

「I can’t believe it, but I trust you, Eleanora-sama. Your daughter is in the group this girl has to escort, and I don’t think you would put her in danger.」

Wasn’t this the moment where he should say,『I don’t trust you, so I won’t entrust my students to you!』? If he did, I would have an excuse to go back.

Did that mean he trusted Eleanora-san so much that it wiped out the anxiety my appearance gave him?

I took back my guild card and put it in the Bear Box.

「So, Yuna-san, was it? Do you need any explanation about the practice training?」

「I was told that I just have to protect them in case of danger, and that I had to report their attitudes.」

「Yes. Basically, let them be independent. Even if they go the wrong way, or if their actions are bad, don’t interfere. Stop them only if their actions could be dangerous.」

「You are telling me to do some difficult things.」

「That’s why finding someone to do this is difficult.」

I might have accepted a really troublesome request.

Also, the people I had to guard were of the same age as me. I couldn’t imagine it being anything but troublesome.

「So, how far are we going?」

It would be great if it was near.

「You are going to a village that is three to four days away by carriage, and you will be transporting wheat flour.」

「It will take about 10 days for the round trip.」

It was a bit far.

Still, I would probably be able to make the round trip in one day if I used my Bears.

「That means we will be going by carriage?」

「That’s right. That’s why, Yuna-chan, your bears are forbidden, okay? They would frighten the horses.」

I did remember her saying something like that before. Something about taking a long trip by a carriage and taking care of the horses.

「That means it’s okay for me to sleep in the carriage, right?」

「That’s right.」

「Eleanora-sama!」

「I’m joking. It’s true that you will have a lot of free time since you are an escort, though. You can just protect them using your own methods, Yuna-chan.」

After listening to the journey details, we went to the class where the people I would have to guard were.

「A bear?」

「Why is a bear here?」

「That’s a bear, right?」

「Yuna-san?」

There was only one student that had a different reaction.

Of course, it was Eleanora-san’s daughter, Shia.

There were four students wearing uniforms in the classroom; two boys and two girls.

Were these four the ones I would have to guard?

If I had to describe them simply, there was an intelligent looking boy with slightly long hair, a seemingly cheeky short-haired boy, a girl with blond hair fashioned into drills, and of course, Shia.

They were all looking at me.

「All of you, be quiet.」

「Professor, who is this bear?」

「Don’t tell me that she is the additional member who is supposed to go with our party?」

「She is too short, so that’s impossible.」

While the other students were talking as they pleased, Shia smiled and waved at me.

「You guys are wrong. This is Kuma… *cough* this is Yuna-san…」

Just now, he said Kuma, right?

Their professor started to introduce me as a bear before changing it to my name.

「She is the adventurer who is going to be your escort.」

「What are you saying, professor? No matter how I look at it, she is younger than us.」

「That’s right, professor. Stop joking please.」

The blond drills became angry.

There really were people with this sort of hairstyle, huh.

「I’m not joking. This girl is a full-fledged C rank adventurer. She came here because I asked her to be your escort. There are no people here who would disrespect my recommendation, right?」

Eleanora-san explained to the students who were making a racket, though it looked more like a threat.

「Don’t worry. I guarantee her ability.」

If it was me, I wouldn’t be able not to worry.

I was a girl who looked younger than them.

Even more, I was wearing strange clothes.

Also, if I was looking at myself from their perspective, I wouldn’t believe that I was an adventurer either.

There was nothing I could relieve them with.

If the children vetoed me out, would I be able to go home?

「Eleanora-sama, is this girl really rank C? I was taught that it was really difficult to rank up to that point, though?」

Blond drills asked.

「Of course, it’s difficult. Just with that, you should understand how impressive this girl really is, right?」

「But, Eleanora-sama, if a little girl like her became a C ranker, there is no way that I wouldn’t know about it, right?」

Long-haired boy tried to show off his knowledge.

「That’s completely normal. This girl came from Crimonia, so she is not widely known in the capital. There are only few people who know about her here.」

「Still, if this bear could become a C rank, I can become a B rank.」

Short-haired boy laughed.

「It seems that there is someone who is ranked higher than me, so can I go home?」

There was no problem, right? He was stronger than me, so he doesn’t need a guard, right?

「That’s impossible, of course.」

Ugh, I really wanted to go home.

I looked at Shia and listened in her conversation with the blond drills.

「Hey, Shia-san, did you know that the academy was this stupid? They say they want a little girl like her to escort us. Honestly, won’t we be the ones who will have to protect her?」

「Fufu, Cattleya-san, that’s not true at all. She is the best escort we could get. Even if I had the choice to go with a S ranked adventurer, I would still choose her.」

「Ara, Shia-san, do you know this Bear?」

「Just a bit.」

「Really?」

「I thought that this practice training would be boring, but I’m now happy that it won’t end up as such.」

「Really? Personally, I don’t want to go since it seems troublesome.」

Then, couldn’t you refuse with a louder voice?

「Anyway, this girl will be your escort. You have no right to refuse.」

「Eleanora-sama, can we abandon this bear?」

「I don’t mind.」

You should have defended me there!

「If it’s okay even if she dies, I won’t say a thing.」

「I’m also fine with it. In the first place, even without an escort adventurer, a training of this level is easy.」

「I’m fine with it as well.」

「I am also okay with it, of course.」

They all agreed, and so it was decided I would be their escort.