860 Bear, relaxes - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

I confirmed Mane’s growth and handed over the corpses of the great ape, goblin king, and two-headed snake to him before returning to Crimonia. The payment will come later, but the goblin king, great ape, and two-headed snake are sure to bring in a significant amount. Perhaps I'll treat myself to something. In my original world, I had games and manga aplenty, but here, nothing particularly comes to mind. There are no new computers or game consoles to be had. If I were a noble, I might buy luxurious dresses or jewels, but I'm not interested. "Hmm..." I have nothing to spend my money on. Still, I didn't expect the magic stone from the two-headed snake to have such an effect. I wonder if the magic stone from the giant snake I defeated in the Land of Wa would allow me to converse with people even farther away. Moreover, I have five large magic stones. This might allow for five-location simultaneous communication. The issue is figuring out the distance over which conversation is possible. It would be amazing if, like the kumaphone, you could speak without any distance restrictions. I might ask Mane about it when I next visit the royal capital. With these thoughts, I laze around in bed, cuddling the miniaturized Kumayuru and Kumakyu. No one scolds me for sleeping in, nor for not getting out of bed. After a spate of early mornings, a lazy morning feels like pure bliss. Even though the white bear helps alleviate physical fatigue, my soul needs rest, too. Sometimes I wonder if this white bear equipment is designed to alleviate my fatigue only so I can work like a horse. But if someone asked if I'd prefer to be without its effects, I would say they're indispensable. With such musings, I lounged in bed until the sun was high overhead. My stomach started rumbling since I had skipped breakfast. Sure, there's food in my kumanox, but to check on the shop and have some lunch, I decided to eat at the Bear's Rest Café. I haven't yet told Fina I've returned, so I plan to visit her after eating. Dismissed, Kumayuru and Kumakyu, I made my way to the shop. Since it was lunchtime, the place was bustling. “Yuna onee-chan!” A girl in a bear uniform eagerly approached me, trotting over. Though it's only been about ten days, so much has happened that it feels longer. “Is there an open seat? If not, the back room is fine too.” There’s a break room at the back for employees to rest in turns. The girl scanned the surroundings, and another girl by the wall waved. “It looks like there’s a spot free over there.” She led me to the vacant seat, holding my hand. “Thank you both. Oh, and could you get me the usual bread and fruit juice?” “Got it.” “I’ll bring it right over.” Normally, customers select and purchase their bread at the display, then choose a seat to eat. But the bread area was crowded, so I asked the girls to help. They brought me freshly baked bread and orange juice from the back. “Thank you.” Grateful, I watched them return to their tasks, seemingly cheerful and content. I took a bite of my bread while surveying the cozy scene. Delicious. Peaceful. Children dressed as bears flit about the shop, while patrons eagerly enjoy their bread, pizza, cakes, and pudding. Lately, it’s been all battles with ice dragons and great apes, a grim existence. Seeing a world at peace puts my mind at ease. Everyone needs a moment of calm. As I enjoyed my bread, a nearby poster caught my attention. It was about the size of an A4 sheet, affixed to the wall. Its content drew my curiosity. “Reversi Tournament: Participants Wanted” Reversi tournament? The date, time, and registration details at the commercial guild were listed. "Welcome back, Yuna. Is your work all done?" While pondering the poster, Karin approached. "Yes, it's done." "You know, Yuna, you're the owner of this shop now. You don’t have to take on dangerous adventurer jobs." I wouldn't need to work as an adventurer to live comfortably; I’ve had enough funds since first arriving in this world. Being an adventurer is more of a pastime, plus at the time, I needed the identification. “I couldn’t really refuse this time.” While I might have been able to turn it down, I’m glad I didn’t. If I had later found out that Mane was missing, I would have regretted it. I guess I feel this way because I've grown close to Mane. "I'll let my mother and Elena know you've returned." "Before that, may I ask? What is this?" I pointed to the "Reversi Tournament: Participants Wanted" poster. "Huh? Didn’t you know, Yuna? It’s been up for a while now." I had been too preoccupied to notice, even though it was right there. “Riana asked us to put it up. She wants to hold a Reversi tournament and asked for permission to display the poster.” Riana? Riana is a staff member at the commercial guild who helps me when Mylene is busy or absent. She assisted with the honey project and in creating playing cards. Later, she also helped create Reversi and inquired if it could be sold commercially, to which I agreed. Of course, a portion of the profits come to me. There's some sort of patent system, it seems. Thus, if similar items are made elsewhere and profit arises, my pockets benefit. “What’s in it for Riana at the commercial guild to make such a request? And a tournament?” “I’m not sure of the details, but it seems like Riana’s idea. She asked for help with the poster to recruit participants. Tirumina might know more.” An event was being planned without my knowledge. I suppose it can’t be helped since I haven’t been in Crimonia lately. “Look, Tirumina has just arrived.” At the entrance, Tirumina, Fina, and Shuri were stepping into the café. “Oh, Yuna onee-chan!” “It really is her.” Shuri started to dash over but was halted by Fina grasping her arm. “No running in the shop.” “Sorry...” Fina, Shuri, and Tirumina approached me. “Tirumina, are you here for a meal?” “Yes, and to check on the shop.” It seems we have the same reason for being here. “Then I’ll get back to work. You three take your time and relax.” With a nod, Karin returned to her duties. “Welcome back, Yuna onee-chan.” I had planned to visit Fina, but she came to me instead. "I'm back." "Yuna-chan, welcome home." "I got back yesterday and was just lounging around in bed until now." "So you got hungry and decided to come to the shop, right?" She remarked as she glanced at the table laden with bread. Our local detective had connected the dots. "That's part of it. But I also wanted to check on the shop since I'd been away for a bit. Afterward, I planned to visit Fina." "Well, then your timing was impeccable. So, was the work tough?" "Yuna-neechan, where did you go this time?" "Did you get hurt?" Tirumina, Shuri, and Fina all asked questions immediately. "Why don't we listen to Yuna-chan's story over a meal?" Tirumina decided on her own. "I'll go get some bread." "Me too!" "Hold on, you don’t have any money." Tirumina followed Fina and Shuri. After they bought bread, they joined me at the nearby table. "So, you got called to the royal capital by Lady Ellelaura, right?" "Yes, apparently a person named Mane from the Magic Ministry wanted to meet me." I gave them a brief rundown about Mane. We had to venture deep into a forest away from the capital to gather medicinal herbs for Mane from the Magic Ministry. I recounted meeting adventurers, battling monsters, and more, though I kept the magic circle incident to myself. "A great ape!?" "It was incredibly strong." "And Fina, did you have to dismantle it?" "Nope, I handed it over to that Mane person." "Yuna-neechan, how big is the great ape?" "Big enough to swallow Shuri in one bite." I opened my mouth wide, pretending to eat Shuri, trying to tease her. "Yuna-neechan's mouth is much too small for that." I had hoped to scare her a little, but it only drew laughter instead. "So, about this Reversi tournament, Tirumina..." I glanced at the poster on the wall that read, "Reversi Tournament: Participants Wanted." "Oh, that? Yuna-chan, you didn’t know? I assumed Fina had already mentioned it." "I thought Mom was going to tell her." It seems both thought the other was going to inform me. "So they're really holding a Reversi tournament?" "Yes, Reversi sales have been good, so they planned a tournament to boost interest further." Reversi is selling well. As expected, it sold in huge numbers even in my original world. It seems to have found popularity here as well. "But apparently, there aren't as many participants as expected." "Really? Despite it selling so well?" "Yes, the sales were strong, so they assumed there would be plenty of participants." The turnout was low. Even though it’s not an invention I came up with, it still feels a bit sad. Officially, in this world, I am its inventor. "Riana said she wanted to consult with you about it, Yuna-chan." "Riana also asked me when Yuna-neechan would be back. I thought about telling you, but Riana said it wasn’t urgent." That's why I didn't receive a kumaphone message. Even if I had, I wouldn't have been able to just drop everything and return, so the outcome would have been the same.