Chapter 441
441 Bear-san, Buying Candy Crafts
The next morning, I was gently woken up by Hugging Bear. Hugging Bearās mood had completely improved.
Thatās good. Iām glad.
By the way, Swaying Bear was curled up at my feet, as if he was being careful this time.
After eating breakfast, I am walking around the city with Shinobu, looking for a man with an eye patch and a scar on his cheek.
[Theyāre watching us.] Shinobu
[Yeah.] Yuna
[Theyāre pointing fingers at us.] Shinobu
[Yeah.] Yuna
[Theyāre whispering something.] Shinobu
[Yeah.] Yuna
[All I can hear are <bear>.] Shinobu
[Yeah.] Yuna
Yesterday, we left early in the morning when there were still few people around, so we didnāt attract as much attention.
But today, the sun was up, and as time goes by, the number of passersby increased.
I ignored them as I walked, but Shinobu seemed to be restless.
Well, ninjas are supposed to act inconspicuously, so does that bother her?
[Iām embarrassed to be seen like this. Why donāt you change your clothes, Yuna?] Shinobu
[Iām not changing. Do you have a problem with my Ichizora?
*
] Yuna
I ask in a slightly stronger tone.
This bear costume is my everyday wear, and itās also my Ichizora.
[No, I donāt. I was just wondering if you werenāt embarrassed by it.] Shinobu
Of course, itās embarrassing. But I canāt help it, because I canāt take it off. Besides, weāre going to catch a criminal. I canāt just take off my bear gear.
[If you donāt want to, we can just pretend this never happened, you know?] Yuna
[ā¦Iāll put up with it.] Shinobu
Shinobu gave up and just kept walking.
People have to give up at some point, you know.
=====
We looked around and searched for the man based on Shinobuās information.
[Hmmm, itās not easy to find him.] Yuna
[If he was that easy to find, we wouldnāt have a hard time searching for him.] Shinobu
Well, sheās right.
If he had been easy to find, I wouldnāt have attracted so much attention.
[Iām getting hungry. Is there anything you want to eat, Yuna? You can use my money, and Iāll treat you.] Shinobu
[Are you sure?] Yuna
[Itās fine.] Shinobu
[Well, I guess Iāll take you up on your offer then.] Yuna
I took Shinobuās word for it and headed to the restaurant I was interested in.
[Here?] Shinobu
From the front of the restaurant, we could smell the delicious scent.
[Eels?] Shinobu
Yes, I found it when I was looking for the guy. Eel. Unaju
**
. We might be fighting soon, so itās important to nourish ourselves.
[This place looks expensive.] Shinobu
It sounds like Shinobu doesnāt want to enter.
The storeās exterior certainly looks expensive, giving it a luxurious look.
But Iām in a mood for eel right now.
Thereās no way Iām not going to enter.
[I donāt even need to worry about money, itās Shinobuās money, so no problem.] Yuna
[Yunaās a demon.] Shinobu
Well, whatever, I went inside the restaurant to eat eel.
=====
[Welcome? Bear?] Lady
The female shopkeeper froze when she saw me. Well, itās just the usual reaction. I talked to the female shopkeeper.
[Thereās two of us.] Yuna
[Ah, yes. There are two of you. Please take this seat.] Lady
The female shopkeeper glanced at me as if she was looking at something strange.
Of course, I ignored those stares of her.
But still, it smells good.
I canāt wait to try it.
We were shown to our seats and looked at the menu.
[Which one do you want, Yuna?] Shinobu
There was one that caught my attention.
Golden Special Unaju. And the most expensive at that.
[Golden Special Unaju.] Yuna
Given that Iām a posh person, itās essential to order the most expensive one.
[Golden Special Unaju? letās get something cheaper.] Shinobu
[Golden Special Unaju.] Yuna
I repeated the same words again.
[U~u, then, weāll have the Golden Special Unaju and this ordinary unaju, please.] Shinobu
Shinobu gave the shopkeeper our order.
With a subtle expression, the shopkeeper said <Certainly, maam>, then took off with our order.
[But what is golden eel?] Yuna
[Did you order it without knowing? Itās called golden eel because it looks golden when reflected in the light, unlike ordinary eel. The taste is also different from regular eel, itās fatty and delicious.] Shinobu
If itās that good, Iāll have to order extra.
And after a short wait, the Golden Special Unaju comes.
Ooh, that looks delicious.
Obviously, it was different from the eel in front of Shinobu.
I grabbed my chopsticks and started eating the unaju. It was soft. I cut the eel with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth along with the rice.
[Delicious.] Yuna
The sauce is also delicious.
[Thatās right. Thatās a Golden Special Unaju.] Shinobu
After saying that, Shinobu also began to eat her unaju.
[Is Yuna some kind of noble lady somewhere? Youāre staying in an expensive room, and you donāt mind ordering expensive things.] Shinobu
[Iām just an ordinary adventurer.] Yuna
[No normal adventurer would stay at such an expensive inn by themself, or order an expensive Golden Special Unaju.] Shinobu
[Is that so? Shinobu, you earn money, donāt you? That also means you have to spend your money too.] Yuna
[I like to save up instead.] Shinobu
Itās important to save money, but if youāre earning it, you need to spend it too. If everyone saved their money, the economy would be in trouble.
Well, putting Shinobu aside, this unaju, can I take this unaju home with me?
I want Fina to try it. It might also be a good idea to take it to Zeref-san.
[Whatās the matter?] Shinobu
[I was wondering if I could take some home as a souvenir.] Yuna
[The eels?] Shinobu
[Itās delicious. I just thought Iād feed it to some kids I know.] Yuna
Even if I bring the eel home, I canāt cook it this good, and I donāt have the sauce. At least, with how good the eels are cooked here, it might be a good idea to buy them.
[Eels taste best when theyāre freshly cooked. If I take it home like so, it wonāt taste as good.] Yuna
[I agree.] Shinobu
Since I canāt buy eel now, Iāll ask if I can get some to go next time.
I finished eating my unaju.
Yeah, it was delicious. Satisfying, savory.
And then pay for our meal.
Of course, not with Shinobuās money, but with my own.
[Youāre not going to spend the money I gave you?] Shinobu
[Iāll use it after youāre dead, Shinobu.] Yuna
[Yunaā¦] Shinobu
[Oh, but pay for yourself.] Yuna
[ā¦ā¦Uh, yeah, sure.] Shinobu
Shinobu paid for her unaju with a subtle look on her face.
I donāt mind if itās Fina and the others, but thereās no reason to buy a meal for Shinobu, a fellow adventurer.
=====
With our stomachs full, we walked to a place where we thought he might stop by to look for him.
Weāve been walking around all morning, but we canāt find any man who fits the bill.
[Are you sure heās around here?] Yuna
[Iāve got a tip that he was seen here.] Shinobu
[And you trust that information?] Yuna
[I donāt have any other information.] Shinobu
If thatās the case, it canāt be helped. On the other hand, I donāt want to have a lot of information about where heās last seen. In the end, we had to rely on the information, walk steadily, and look for the man.
I look around. But all I see are stares as if they were looking at something strange.
I ignore the stares and kept looking around. In the midst of my gaze, a stall on the side of the road catches my eye.
[Oh, whatās that?] Yuna
I started to run.
[Yuna, where are you going? Did you find him?] Shinobu
Shinobu calls out behind me, but I head straight for the stall.
[What the heck? Bear?] Uncle
The man at the stall was surprised by my sudden appearance.
I ignored him and looked at the food on display.
The food stall was lined with many candy crafts.
[What is it? Candy? Youāre a kid too, arenāt you?] Shinobu
Shinobu comes over to me, looking uninterested.
Iāve seen it on TV, but this is the first time Iāve seen it personally, so Iām interested.
Animals such as rabbits, birds, horses, dogs, cats, cows, pigs, foxes, raccoons, and fruits such as apples, oranges, and strawberries. Goldfish, fish, squid, and octopus. There are also various colorful flowers, beautiful butterflies, bird chicks, and large birds. They all look like works of art.
While there are many animals, there are no bears. Are bears not popular here?
Well, if I ate them, it would be cannibalism. But personally, Iām sad that there are no bears.
[What? Bear girl, you buying or something?] Uncle
The man at the stall was surprised by my appearance, but he approached me while I was looking at the candy crafts.
[All of itā¦] Yuna
Iām sure the kids would love it if I bought it for them. Personally, I was disappointed that there were no bears. Although, if there had been bears, they might fight for it.
Recently, perhaps because of my influence, more and more children are starting to like bears.
[ā¦ā¦Little girl. Itās not that expensive, but do you have any money? If youāre joking, go away.] Uncle
The uncle raised his eyebrows a little.
Apparently, he thinks Iām fooling around for saying I wanted it all.
[Iāll pay for it. Iāve never seen such beautiful Amezaiku*** before, so I thought youād like it if I brought it home as a souvenir.] Yuna
[I see. Iām sorry for doubting you. Iām glad you said that. But do you really have that kind of money?] Uncle
The man looks a little uneasy.
[I do.] Yuna
[Youāre not talking about my money, are you!?] Shinobu
[Of course, not.] Yuna
Youāre worrying too much. I paid for my own eel, after all.
But do you really intend to give me the money?
Well, I donāt plan to use it because I felt itās bad luck since if I touched Shinobuās money even a little, Shinobu might really die.
So Iāll buy what I want with my own money.
I calculated the total amount and paid for all the candy crafts that were lined up.
[I think this will be enough.] Yuna
[Yeah, youāre right. Iām sorry I doubted you.] Uncle
The man makes an honest apology.
[But how are you going to bring it home?] Uncle
[Iāll put it in a box, then Iāll put it in the item bag.] Yuna
I took out a box and put away all the candy crafts that I had bought as souvenirs.
[Iām going to have to make a new batch.] Uncle
[Uncle, are you not making bears? There are so many animals, but I didnāt find bears.] Yuna
[What? You want bears too, little girl? Well, from the way youāre dressed, I can tell you like bears.] Uncle
[Me too?] Yuna
[The bears have been popular for two days now, and every time I make them they sell out. Bears sold fast.] Uncle
Two days ago? Could that mean?
[Iāve never sold so many bears in my life.] Uncle
The uncle looks at me strangely.
[Moreover, some kids even said the bear doesnāt look like this, and I donāt think he knows what a bear looks like.] Uncle
[Could that be about you, Yuna?] Shinobu
I arrived three days ago, and Iāve been walking around the town for two days.
At Shinobuās words, the man glanced at me.
[I see. They said something about a cute little bear.] Uncle
Stop looking at people and telling them theyāre cute.
Well, I understand that itās not about me, itās about the cute bear outfit, not me.
Iām not that conceited.
As the uncle began to heat the candy, he began to cut and stretch the shapeless candy with what looked like scissors to create a shape. It was like an art form, like a magic hand, creating the shape of the candy.
And the finished product was an Amezaiku of a girl dressed in a stuffed bear costume.
[Itās amazing, Uncle.] Yuna
Yes, itās amazing, but why am I the model?
[Here you go, little girl.] Uncle
For some reason, the man offers it to me.
[Thanks to you. Iāve just finished a new piece of Amezaiku.] Uncle
Are you selling it, by any chance?
I can only imagine how bad it will go.
Then, he said he would take my request, so I had him make me some regular bear candy crafts.
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