Chapter 102 – Bear-san Does Various Things Before Going Back
We were planning to go back tomorrow, so I decided to leave the inn early.
I headed towards the harbour to look for Ranya-san and Damon-san.
I arrived at the harbour, but no boats had returned yet.
Was I too early?
I had some questions about seafood. At first, I wanted to ask the elders, but I held back since they seemed really busy talking to Cliff.
As I was walking through the harbour while looking at the sea, I saw returning boats in the distance.
It seemed that I had good timing.
Big and small boats were all arriving at the harbour, one after the other.
As I watched the fishermen return, someone called out to me.
「Bear Missy, what are you doing at the harbour this early in the morning?」
「I am going back to Crimonia tomorrow, so I wanted to say goodbye to Ranya-san and Damon-san, and stock up on seafood as well.」
「Oh, you’re already going back...」
The fisherman seemed sad.
「I came to this city to buy some fish after all.」
「I see. Then, to show my gratitude, you can take as much fish as you want from the ones I have caught today.」
The fisherman who called out to me said something outrageous. The fishermen who heard him also started saying that I should take the fish they had caught.
I was happy, but was it really okay?
「Yuna-chan, what is going on?」
Ranya-san and Damon-san came up from behind the fishermen.
「I am going back to Crimonia tomorrow morning, so I came to say goodbye. I also came to stock up on seafood.」
「Then you can just take the ones I caught. I don’t need any money, of course. You have saved us a number of times, after all.」
The surroundings became noisy when Damon-san said that.
「Oi, Damon! You can’t say that after coming late. We want Bear Missy to take our fish as well. You aren’t the only one who has been saved, you know! We are all thankful that we can fish again. It’s a chance for us to repay her at least a little, you know!」
「That’s right! We don’t normally get to approach her, since the elders said that it would be an annoyance, you know!」
The elders gave out an order like that, huh.
「Still, we have been saved on the snowy mountain as well...」
「That’s irrelevant.」
「That’s right! You aren’t the only ones who are thankful!!」
Somehow, it became a major incident.
In this situation, I had to say something like 『Stop! Don’t fight over me!』, right?
「Hmm, you should all calm down. I will properly pay for the fish.」
「Bear Missy, we won’t take your money.」
「That’s right! If we do, it won’t count as repayment!」
「That’s no good. You have to keep your business ethics, or it will be hard for me to come and buy fish at a later date.」
「If it’s Bear Missy, I don’t mind if you don’t pay next time either.」
「I have a food shop in Crimonia, so I would have to come back to restock on a regular basis.」
「...Understood. Next time, you will pay, but please take it for free today.」
「Hmm, okay. I will take it for free this time then.」
We reached a compromise, and they settled down.
「Also, if something happens, just tell us. We will listen to any request from Bear Missy.」
The surrounding fishermen nodded.
「Then, can I ask you something?」
「What is it?」
「The feudal lord from Crimonia is discussing the future of the city with the elders right now, and I want all of you to accept it without making a commotion.」
「We wouldn’t go against something the elders decided on in the first place, and if even the Missy requests it, there’s no way we would. We accept your request.」
The fishermen nodded.
With that, when the discussions with Crimonia were revealed, things should advance a bit smoother.
I took the fish and left the harbour.
Of course, I had them bleed the fish before I put them away, or I couldn’t have put them inside the Bear Box.
It was a bit late for this to be said, but the fact that I couldn’t put the fish inside when they were still alive was quite inconvenient.
In the worst case scenario, you could freeze the fish or squid, but I had never heard about freezing shellfish. If I wanted to store those, I wouldn’t have any other choice but to open them and only take what was inside.
Well, if I could put living things inside the Bear Box, I would be able to do some really terrible things, so there was no helping it.
If I could put people inside, it would be like putting them to sleep and freezing their time. Also, I wouldn’t need to kill the monster, but rather just put them inside the box. If I ever wanted to kill them, I would just have to push them off from the top of a mountain. If I didn’t need the materials, I could just throw them inside a volcano.
If putting living things inside the Bear Box made their hearts stop, the Bear Box would become the best weapon for subjugating demons.
When thinking about it like that, it couldn’t be helped that the Bear Box was the way it was.
I left the harbour for my next destination, the Ryokan-style Bear House.
I continued from where I left off yesterday.
I decided to make a garden before I entered the house.
First, I made a space to park several carriages. Next, I prepared to make a storehouse and a stable.
After I decided on the size of the garden, I enclosed it with a two meter tall fence. I added an entrance door that I had made with the wood I refined using wind magic. Finally, in place of the Okinawa lions, I put Bear Cub statues at the top of the entrance.
This would do for the outside.
I entered the house and resumed from where I left off yesterday. I started from the first floor. I used wind magic to make enough tables and chairs for around 40 people.
In the kitchen, I placed plates and cups I had made using earth and fire magic on the shelves. I didn’t forget about forks and spoons, of course.
I finished with the first floor and moved onto the second floor. As for the things that I was missing, I would just have to go out to shop next time.
There were only beds on the second floor. Since there was nothing urgent, I moved onto the third floor. My room was on this floor. Just having a bed was more than enough for this room as well. Still, I made it larger because Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear would sleep here in there cub forms. I added some other things like tables and chairs for the other guest rooms.
I moved onto the fourth floor. The bath was on this floor. I haphazardly made some stools and buckets. I also made some shelves to hold clothes in the changing room.
It looked like a small public bath when I added those things.
Should I paint Mount Fuji on the walls as well?
(TL note: Okinawa lions statue is placed as a talisman against evil at entrances and on roofs).
I finished making the minimum necessities of this Ryokan-style Bear House. I made it look like a sprawled out bear, since the house had become long and narrow. The entrance was on the bear’s side.
When seen from the front, it was clear that the bear was looking towards the sea.
The fifth Bear House had finally been completed.
The first one was in Crimonia, the second one was in a cave near the clucker village, the third one was the one I used for travel, and the fourth one was at the capital. Thus, this one was the fifth.
I made the houses look like Bears because that strengthened them. Also, it was because it strengthened the anti-crime system I set up using my magic. Only the people I gave permission to could enter the houses.
Even if I wasn’t there, nobody would be able to infiltrate the house. Of course, even if they did manage to enter, there was nothing to steal.
I finished the Bear House, so I decided to go back to the inn. It was lunch time.
When I entered the inn, Deiga-san came up to me.
「Deiga-san, a meal please!」
I asked for food, and went to the table I always sat at during meals.
「Missy, is it real?」
Deiga-san slammed his hands on the table.
「What is?」
I was confused.
I didn’t understand what he was talking about.
「All of it! I heard that you went to Crimonia and brought back the Feudal Lord and the Commerce Guild master! Even more, it seems that they were the two who stayed here.」
「Oh, about that. Cliff is the Feudal Lord and Mylene-san is the Commerce Guild’s master.」
「Why didn’t you tell me before! if I knew that they were a Feudal Lord and a guild master, I would have made more delicious meals...」
「Cliff and Mylene-san said that your meals were delicious, you know.」
「Still, they said that they came here because the elders asked them for the sake of the city... If, because of my meals...」
「You don’t have to worry about it. The meals were delicious enough.」
I said to calm him down.
「Are you sure?」
「If it was bad, we wouldn’t eat it.」
「Then, it’s okay... Well, I will make a delicious meal for you, Missy.」
Deiga-san went to the kitchen, looking happy.
A delicious smell drifted from the kitchen.
Not too long after, warm, steaming meals were lined up on the table. They looked delicious.
「Leaving that aside, is it true that you dug a tunnel?」
「You heard?」
「Yeah, just before you came back.」
I didn’t know how it spread, but as expected, they knew it was me.
「Missy, who managed to kill the Kraken, is also able to make tunnels?」
「It was troublesome, but I made it for Anzu.」
「For Anzu?」
「I asked Anzu if she wanted to come to Crimonia before. I asked her to come and work at my shop.」
「In Crimonia...」
「She refused because it was too far. If I made a tunnel, it would be closer, right? That’s why I thought that she would agree to come if I made it.」
「To sum up, this means you made the tunnel, so you could bring Anzu to Crimonia, right?」
「At first, I just wanted a route to get seafood to Crimonia, but it’s true that I made it only after talking to Anzu. Incidentally, it also helped with Mireera joining Crimonia.」
「You say that you will make her work in Crimonia, but what will you do about the restaurant?」
「I will make it. I already have a bakery and a cafe, so I will just make Anzu’s shop next to it.」
「You say you will make it so easily... How much money do you think it will take to make?」
「I will cover everything, so don’t worry about it. I just want Anzu to cook. I will pay her, of course, and I will let her come home whenever she wants.」
「Missy, how do you benefit from giving such good terms?」
「I will be able to eat seafood cuisine that Anzu learned from you. That’s more than enough. Honestly, I would like you to come, but that would be impossible, right?」
「You aren’t joking, right?」
He asked seriously, so I answered seriously as well.
「I am not joking. Still, I won’t force her to come with me. If she doesn’t want to go, I will give up.」
If she made something unwillingly, it wouldn’t be delicious. If I wanted it to be done, it had to be done willingly.
「...Anzu! Please come here for a second!」
He shouted towards the back room.
「What is it, dad?」
Anzu looked out from the back room.
「Do you want to go to Crimonia?」
「Even if I wanted to go there, it’s not that easy. I would be sad being separated from you and mom.」
「What if Crimonia was closer? A few days distance?」
「Then, I would like to go.」
She said something that made me really happy.
「You see, it seems that this Missy made a tunnel that goes all the way to Crimonia.」
「Dad, what are you saying? It’s impossible to make a tunnel in a few days.」
Anzu laughed and slapped Deiga-san’s back.
「I think so as well. Still, the old men made an official announcement about it. Also, the one who made it is the Missy.」
「Is it true?」
「Yeah, and it seems that she made it because she wanted you to come to Crimonia.」
「You’re joking, right?」
「That’s not all of it. The first reason was that she wanted to eat seafood in Crimonia. The second one was that Atora-san and the elders wanted to become a part of Crimonia province. The third one was that if she made the tunnel, you would maybe come to Crimonia, since the distance would be shorter.」
「I am included in those really important reasons?」
「That’s more than enough of a reason, right?」
「...Dad」
Anzu looked at Deiga-san.
「Missy, are you really fine with my daughter? If you want, I can introduce you to other cooks.」
「If it doesn’t work out with Anzu, I would like you to introduce them to me, but I love your cuisine, so it would be the best if Anzu, who learned it from you, came.」
「...Anzu, decide this by yourself. It’s your own life. I know that you want your own restaurant.」
「D, dad...」
「You don’t have to rush. Common people can’t go through the tunnel for now, so even if I made you come, there would be no fish, so it would be meaningless, you see.」
「Okay, I understand. Let me think about it some more.」
Anzu returned to the back room.
「Ah, I didn’t think she would leave before getting married.」
「It’s not decided that she will be coming to Crimonia yet, right?」
「She will. That girl, she was hiding it, but she was really happy. Even if it’s just one of the reasons, you said that you made the tunnel for her cooking. That’s something to be happy about. If it was something that had been made for me, I would have happily gone there. That’s why my daughter will do the same.」
「Then, would you like for the entire family to come? I could make an inn, and you would be able to run it as a family.」
Yeah, that was a good idea.
「The invitation makes me happy, but I must refuse. I was born and raised here, after all. I plan on staying here until I die.」
「If Anzu goes to Crimonia, do come over to have some fun, okay? I will welcome you.」
「Yeah, I will come then.」
All that was left for me to do was to pray for Anzu to come.