812 Bear, comes near the forest - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

"It's so nice." Mane stretched out her body in the bathtub. "I never expected you'd actually have a bath. As I thought, Yuna, you must be a noble's daughter. Especially since you even know Ellelaura." "I'm an adventurer." Though I've invested in the store, I consider "Kuma's Rest" to be Morin's store and "Kuma Dining" to be Anzu's. "Besides, there's no noble lady as unrefined as me." Whether it's Tilia or Shia, there's an undeniable aura of nobility around them. At best, perhaps one might think I'm the child of a wealthy merchant. "That's just a matter of upbringing. There are plenty of unruly nobles, after all." Well, that's true. Not everyone is a lady like Tilia or Shia. Some noble children can be quite the handful. It reminded me of Misa's birthday party. That son was awful. "Well, if you don't want to reveal the truth, I won't press further. Everyone has a past they prefer to keep secret." She's right about that, but the past Mane is imagining and the past I have in mind are different. Regardless, I can't tell her that I've come from another world, so I let Mane continue under her mistaken assumption. After getting out of the bath, I help dry Mane's long hair with a dryer. "You even have a hot air machine." It seems they have something similar to a dryer. Although Fina wasn't aware of it, it's not surprising since it simply blows warm air. "I think it's dry now." "Thank you. In that case, I'll do your hair." "It's fine. I can do it myself." I've always managed on my own. "I can't let a younger girl handle it while I do nothing as an adult." That's true. Mane is older than me. Her youthful appearance made me treat her like a younger person inadvertently. I decided to graciously accept her offer. "At my age, I see you like a daughter." Not a granddaughter? I won't say that aloud; it might anger her. Mane carefully and gently dried my hair. As we finished preparing for sleep, I asked, "Mane, can you sleep alone?" "I'm an adult. I can sleep by myself." She replied with a hint of indignation, likely interpreting my question as treating her like a child. "I didn't mean it that way. I was just considering that we're in a dangerous place where monsters might appear, and wondered if you'd feel anxious." When it comes to monsters, the fear isn't limited by age. Even adult adventurers would be scared to sleep alone in a place where monsters might appear, as danger is always present. "With warm food and a bath, I felt so at home that I forgot." It's clear she was able to rest well. Physical and mental exhaustion on a journey can be dangerous, so it's good she could relax. "Though this is outside the capital, there's always a risk of a monster attack." "As I said before, inside this house, we'd be fine against wolves or goblins. But if you're anxious, I can lend you Kumayuru or Kumakyu. They'll protect you if anything happens." Mane looked at the two cubified bears. "Yes, it would be helpful to borrow one." "Okay then, Kumayuru, please take care of Mane." "Kuun." Kumayuru trotted over to Mane, who cuddled the bear. "Take good care of me, Kumayuru." "Kuun." "Is setting off around sunrise acceptable?" "Yes, that would be fine." I showed Mane to the guest room on the second floor, then went to my own room with Kumakyu and sat on the bed. "Thanks for everything today. I'll be counting on you tomorrow too." "Kuun." Kumakyu let out a noise indicating readiness and reassurance. After setting up a Kumakyu alarm, I went to sleep. ...Something soft is pressing against my face. I've experienced this often enough to recognize it. It's Kumayuru's or Kumakyu's paw. However, today Kumayuru was with Mane, so it must be Kumakyu. My mind gradually clears. "Kumakyu, good morning." "Kuun." Kumakyu's alarm woke me gently. I got up from bed and opened the curtains to see the sun starting to rise. Since coming to this world, my living schedule is quite regular. But that's mainly because there's no entertainment like TV, games, internet, manga, or novels to keep me up at night, so I end up sleeping early by default. "Is Mane sleeping, I wonder?" First, I'll wake her up and then prepare breakfast. I knocked on Mane's room, but there was no response. Opening the door and entering, I found her sleeping soundly, clutching Kumayuru. "Mane, it's morning." "Huh, morning already?" Mane's eyes opened slowly, and Kumayuru stirred awake beside her. "Once you're up, come downstairs. Kumayuru, make sure Mane doesn't fall back asleep, okay?" "Kuun." I entrusted Mane's waking moment to Kumayuru and headed downstairs with Kumakyu. While I prepared breakfast, Mane shuffled in, rubbing her eyes sleepily. It was a sight you'd find adorable in a child, but as an adult, it made her appear a bit unkempt. "… I'm still sleepy." "Couldn't sleep because you were worried about monsters?" "No, that's not it. I was curious about Kumayuru. It's unimaginable for a bear to shrink like that, right? Thinking about it kept me up late." I have no real answer for that. I can only say it's due to a skill, but explaining skills in this world, which only recognizes magic, is complicated and unnecessary. If I tried, it'd just spark questions about what a skill is. Meanwhile, Mane, still looking sleepy, nibbled on some bread. "How can a bear change size? Can people shrink too?" I ignored her mumbles and continued eating. Morin's bread is always delicious. After finishing breakfast, we got ready to depart. After dismantling the Kuma House, I returned Kumayuru and Kumakyu to their regular sizes. "The bear grew bigger again. It's fascinating how it enlarges." Mane remarked while touching Kumayuru. "Okay, just like yesterday, you'll ride Kumakyu, and we'll switch halfway, alright?" Mane obediently climbed onto Kumakyu. Kumayuru and Kumakyu sprinted toward the direction of the western forest, carrying us smoothly. Crossing the grasslands and rocky mountains, we encountered a pack of wolves along the way, but they were swiftly defeated. "They're really strong, aren't they?" "You didn't believe it?" "I trust Ellelaura and Sanya, of course. But you're a girl dressed in an adorable bear outfit. Until I witnessed it with my own eyes, I couldn’t be absolutely sure." Well, no matter how much others may tell you, it's hard to truly believe something until you see it with your own eyes. "And I thought the reason you're strong is because these bears are strong." Mane looked at Kumayuru and Kumakyu. "Kumayuru and Kumakyu are strong indeed. So when I'm fighting monsters, make sure to stay close to them." After switching between riding Kumayuru and Kumakyu in the afternoon, we finally glimpsed the forest as evening approached. "It's definitely too dangerous to enter the forest now, so let's go in tomorrow morning," Mane suggested. I agreed with her suggestion. Even though I believe the Kuma House would keep us safe in the forest, there’s no need to take unnecessary risks. So just like yesterday, I set up the Kuma House for us to stay in. And for a change, I switched Kumayuru and Kumakyu as my sleeping companions. The following morning, we approached the forest to head inside. The trees became more densely packed as we proceeded. "It seems adventurers have entered from somewhere around here," Mane noted, looking upwards. Following her gaze, I noticed something red fluttering on a tree branch. For a moment, I thought it might be a red snake, but it wasn't. "What's with this red string? A ribbon?" It was a red ribbon, the kind used for gift wrapping, tied to a tree branch. "You don't know?" Mane asked in surprise. "Do you know what it is?" "It's a marker. Adventurers use it when entering deep forests." Though I've been in forests several times, I'd never encountered such markers. It could suggest how deep this forest is. "Kumayuru, get closer," Mane instructed. In response, Kumayuru approached the tree with the ribbon. "The direction the knot of the ribbon faces is where they came from. The direction the nail points is the way forward," Mane explained. A nail? Sure enough, on closer inspection, there was a nail embedded in the tree. It wasn't just to keep the ribbon from blowing away. The nail pointed deeper into the forest. According to Mane's explanation, it meant adventurers had entered from this point. "It's quite faded, so it must be old." Mane reached out and touched the ribbon. "So, an adventurer entered here a long time ago?" "An adventurer who tied this ribbon did. I imagine many others used this ribbon as a marker to enter as well. If they advanced, it suggested a safe path." Indeed, if someone has traveled a path before, one might consider it safe. "Or, it's possible none of them returned," Mane commented. In other words, they might have all perished. "And it's also possible that someone planted false information to mislead others." "Then isn't it unreliable?" "Well, that possibility is low. Whether you trust it or not is up to you." In the end, it all comes down to relying on your strength and judgment to proceed. Fortunately, I have the bear map skill, so there's no risk of getting lost.