Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Vol. 1 Page 2

  I’d gotten a new skill, too. I checked the rules text.

  Bear Extradimensional Storage

  The white bear’s mouth opens into infinite space. It can hold (eat) anything.

  However, it cannot hold (eat) living things.

  Time will stop for objects that are inside of it.

  Anything that is put into the extra-dimensional storage can be pulled out at any time.

  I’d gotten something like WFO’s inventory. If I put food into my game inventory for long periods of time, the food wouldn’t go bad in there, either. Maybe I was in the game after all? But why’d that functionality come attached to a bear?

  “Hm?”

  I’d expected the inventory to be empty, but it had money in it. It also contained a piece of paper. I pulled the paper out of the white bear’s mouth and read it.

  I brought you that money you held so dear in the real world.

  Of course, you can’t use it here, so I’ve exchanged it for this world’s currency.

  —God

  I was thankful, but…

  This tipped the scales from this being a game towards it being a fantasy world again. Still, if this really were another world, then this money would come in handy. I felt around in my glove and found a ridiculous amount there. I wondered—did I have enough to live as a recluse for the rest of my life, even in another world?

  I’d think about it after getting to town.

  Chapter 3:

  The Bear Trades in the Wolves

  A GUARDSMAN WAS WAITING for us at the gate. He stared straight at me, and that was when I remembered what I looked like.

  Bear. Ursidae. Bruin. Teddy. Whatever word you chose, the meaning was the same. I looked suspicious, but not in a frightening way. Fina had called me “cute.” Actually, I felt so cute it was embarrassing. It probably would have looked cute if a girl around Fina’s age wore it, but not so much for a recluse like me.

  Regardless, the guard really didn’t need to ogle me like that.

  “You there, girl, you were the one who went out to look for herbs, weren’t you? Did you find any?”

  “Yes,” Fina said. She smiled.

  “Good. Looks like you kept your promise and didn’t wander deep into the woods. There are monsters in there.”

  I smiled wryly at those words.

  “And what’s going on with you, strangely-dressed lass?”

  “Do me a favor, and don’t mind me.”

  “Well, everyone has their own style, I suppose. Anyway, if you’re coming in, show me your identification.”

  Fina showed him her resident card.

  “I’m not a resident in this town,” I said, flapping the bear’s mouth open and closed, “but I heard that I could get in if I paid.”

  “Your identification…” The guard could only get out those two words.

  “I don’t have any, but I can get in as long as I pay a silver coin, right?”

  “You don’t have anything at all? It can be an identification card from any town.”

  “I was living in a place without cards.”

  “I see. In that case, we’ll take a silver coin as tax and look into your criminal record.”

  I pulled a silver coin from the white bear’s mouth and handed it to the guard.

  “Well then. If you could come over here…”

  There shouldn’t be any issues, since I hadn’t committed any crimes since coming into this world. I hadn’t committed any crimes in the real world either, obviously.

  No, really.

  The guard brought me over to a building close by; probably one of the standard-issue barracks that always seemed to show up in fantasy novels. He led me to an area like a reception desk and laid a crystal panel in front of me.

  “Please place your hand on this crystal. If you are a criminal, it will turn red.”

  “I just need to put my hand here?”

  “Yes. It will react to your mana and look you up.”

  I put my hand on the crystal panel, but it didn’t react.

  “Looks like you’re fine.”

  “Can you really tell with something like this?”

  “You don’t even know what the panels are? Where are you from?”

  “A distant village.”

  “Well, I suppose I’ll explain it to you. This crystal panel is connected to all the other crystal panels in the country. When a baby is born in town, it gets issued a resident card and has its mana registered at the same time. They do the same thing in the capital and the other towns. That way, we can tell where someone came from.”

  So it’s like a citizen registry.

  “When someone has committed a crime,” he went on, “we can log that data in the crystal panel. If the person is registered, the data will be transferred to all the crystal panels. Based on that, a criminal won’t be allowed entrance to the towns or capital anymore.”

  “What happens if they use a guild card, or someone else’s card?”

  “That’d be impossible. The cards are made to respond to mana. If the mana doesn’t match the one that it’s been registered to, the card won’t respond.”

  So mana’s kind of like a fingerprint?

  “But if the mana isn’t registered, there’s no point, is there?” I asked.

  “That’d be the case. But it’s essentially only villagers from way out in the boonies, who’ve never traveled to the towns or capital, who don’t have cards. It’s unlikely they would be felons.”

  I thought that was unlikely too.

  “That’s it for now. Anything else you’d like to know? If not, you can go into town.”

  When I thanked him and left the room, Fina was waiting for me. I gave her a pat on the head.

  “Yuna, was everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it was fine.”

  “Then let’s go sell the wolves at a guild.”

  Though the town wasn’t that far off from a town in the game, I felt like there was something different about it. Also, for some reason, I felt like everyone was looking at me. Maybe it’s because I’m an outsider?

  “Your clothes sure do stand out, Yuna.”

  Oh, right.

  I was wearing a bear onesie.

  Fina led me to this big warehouse-looking place. There was a good-sized building next to it and adventurers carrying swords and staffs milling around. Since their status screens wouldn’t appear, I couldn’t tell whether they were players from the game or NPCs. I wanted to examine them more, but I decided to follow Fina for now.

  “They’ll buy them here. Excuse me,” Fina called out to a guy behind a counter, “we’d like you to buy wolves from us.”

  “Well, if it isn’t Fina. What’re you doing here at a time like this?”

  “I came to sell stuff.” Fina placed the wolf materials she held onto the table. I did the same.

  “How’d you come across wolf meat and pelts?”

  “They tried to eat me while I was picking herbs, and then she saved me.”

  “You went to the woods?!” the man at the counter exclaimed.

  “Yeah. I ran out of herbs for Mom.”

  “Haven’t I told you over and over again? If you need herbs, I’ll get them for you.”

  “But I can’t rely on you forever, Mr. Gentz. Especially since I haven’t paid you for them.”

  “Like I said, that doesn’t matter. If something happens to you, what am I supposed to tell your mother?”

  “It’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve gone to the woods tons.”

  “But didn’t you just get attacked by wolves? And you got saved by that weird—that odd—girl there. Thanks, miss—for saving Fina,” he seemed to struggle with talking to me and looking at me straight-on at the same time.

  “No problem,” I said. “I was lost, so she helped me out, too.”

  “I’d like to thank you,” said Mr. Gentz, “but this is my job, so I’ve got to give you the normal amount for buying those off you, if that’s fine.”

  “That’s alright.” />
  The man checked the wolf mats.

  “Uhh, meat and pelts, huh. This is what I can pay for this much.”

  Mr. Gentz put some coins down in front of us. I couldn’t tell if it was a fair price or if he was lowballing us.

  “Yes, please.” Fina looked pleased, though. She tried to give me half of the money she had accepted.

  “Fina, I don’t need that money, but could you show me the way to a good inn? I don’t know where to go. I guess you’ve gotta take the herbs to your mom quick, though, don’t you?”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “There’s an inn on the way to my house, so I’ll take you there.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Fina!” said Mr. Gentz. “You better not put yourself in danger again. You tell me when you need any herbs.”

  “Okay, I will,” Fina answered, then turned and left.

  “Do you know that man?” I asked.

  “Yes, he’s always taking care of me. Sometimes he has me help with the butchering when there are a lot of monsters brought in.”

  Ah-hah, I thought, so that was why she was so good at butchering corpses.

  “And he knows my mom is sick, so sometimes he gives me herbs and medicine for cheap—or for free, once in a while. Still, I can’t go around asking him for medicine every single day.”

  So that was why she went out alone into the woods to pick herbs this time. I wanted to do something to help her, but it would probably have to wait, especially considering my current situation.

  The inn was about a thirty-minute walk from the trade-in shop, and of course, I was showered with stares the whole time we were walking.

  “This is it,” said Fina. “Everyone says their food is good, too.”

  “Thank you. Well, you hurry up and get those herbs to your mom.”

  “Yeah. Thanks, Yuna.”

  Fina ran off. An amazing aroma drifted past me as I stood outside the inn, watching her leave. The sun started to sink; it was time for dinner. For decorum’s sake, I tried to batten down my glee at the prospect of a tasty meal as I headed in. A girl in her late teens waiting tables stopped mid-stride and gave me a perplexed look. I didn’t know what to do with everyone giving me the same exact reaction every single time.

  “W-welcome?” the girl said as she stared.

  “I heard I could stay here?”

  “Yes, you can. It’s one silver coin every day, morning and evening meals included. It’s half a coin without the meals.”

  “In that case, I’d like a ten day stay, with meals.”

  “The bath is open from six in the evening until ten at night.”

  “You have a bath?!”

  “Yes, indeed. Rest assured that the men’s and women’s areas are also properly separated.”

  That was a happy accident. I never expected an inn with a bath.

  “Can I get a meal right away?”

  “Certainly.”

  After I was done listening to her explanation, I pulled ten silver coins out of the white bear’s mouth. When she took the money, the girl squeezed the black bear.

  “Whoa! I’m sorry. It was so cute. So that was ten days with meals, right? I’ll get the meal prepared right away, so please take a seat and wait. Oh, I’m the innkeeper’s daughter, Elena. Nice to meet you.”

  “I’m Yuna. I’m looking forward to my stay.”

  Chapter 4:

  The Bear Agonizes

  after Seeing Herself in the Mirror

  AFTER I POLISHED off my meal, I was led up to room on the second floor. Fina was a lifesaver—I’d need to make sure I thanked her properly.

  “The bath is open, so you can go in,” said Elena, “but please don’t take long, because there will be others waiting.”

  “Got it.”

  “Breakfast is from six to eight. Please be warned—we can’t serve you if you’re late.”

  After explaining more or less everything, Elena went back downstairs, leaving me alone with the room. It was just a one-person room, so it wasn’t all that big—just a bed and a small desk. But my things were all in my inventory, so it was more than big enough for just me. While I was looking around the room, I noticed that there was a mirror on the wall. I checked myself out again.

  It was embarrassing. There was no doubt about it—I was dressed in the kind of loungewear girls would sometimes wear at home. I was so embarrassed that I’d been walking around outside looking like this that I thought about not doing it tomorrow.

  I worked up my courage and looked at myself in the mirror again. There was something uncanny about my reflection.

  “That’s my actual face…”

  In WFO, player avatars all had the same outlines for their faces, but you could change their hair colors and hairstyles. My avatar had silver pigtails, but right now, I had long, straight black hair that reached my hips. A hermit like me wasn’t exactly going to bother going to the salon, so my hair had just gotten longer and longer. Fixing it up was too much of a bother, so I’d just left it down.

  The mirror reflected my real face, my real hair color, and my real hairstyle. I remembered my avatar was ten centimeters taller than me, but when I checked again, I was definitely the same height that I was in real life.

  But I’m not short. I’m just a tiny bit shorter than average, really.

  Really.

  Much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew this really couldn’t be the game world if I was physically myself here. The confirmation that it was real made me begin to panic—until I realized there was nothing to panic about.

  I didn’t have great parents or friends; nobody I would miss. The only thing I’d left in the real world was the money I’d earned from stocks, and according to the letter from this place’s god, they’d converted that money into this world’s currency. The only things I’d regret losing from my previous world were entertainment and food, but there were probably fun things in this world, and the food at the inn was great. If I wanted to become a recluse again, I could. Unfortunately, this world didn’t have the internet or TV, so it’d be boring.

  Then again, if I thought of the world itself as a game, it might be worthwhile to travel around and have fun.

  When I thought of it that way, I was starting to warm up to the idea.

  “Okay,” I told myself, “I’ll prepare for tomorrow by taking a bath and turning in for the night.”

  When I went to the bath, I stripped off the bear gloves and onesie in the changing room. All I had on without them were my underwear and bra, which meant…

  That was all I was wearing while I’d been walking around town. At least give me a shirt! I thought. Come to think of it, I didn’t have underwear to change into, so I needed to buy some. I pulled off my current pair…and something caught my eye.

  I slowly unfurled my underwear.

  “What the heck…”

  My underwear had bears on them—one white and one black. Was the god that brought me to this world just really into bears?

  “I’d rather not think too much about it.”

  The bath left me feeling rejuvenated. Long soaks were forbidden, so I got out earlier than I was used to. I didn’t have a change of clothes, so I tried putting on the bear underwear and clothes again from earlier.

  “Guess I’ve got some shopping to do tomorrow.”

  I suddenly remembered something. The item description for the onesie had said that if I reversed it to the white side, my stamina would be recovered. In the spirit of discovery, I did just that, and pulled it on. The effect was remarkable. I could feel myself being healed. My body filled with warmth from the inside out.

  I got back to my room and slid under the covers to rest from that day’s fatigue. Nice and cozy, I thought.

  “Good night,” I said, even though no one would hear it.

  I woke up early, possibly because I’d gone to bed early. Perhaps because of the white bear’s effects, I didn’t feel one bit tired. The prospect of keeping the bear gear on was growing more and more attr
active. Maybe it was cursed.

  If only it at least looked like a cool bear.

  Apparently, I had some time to kill before breakfast. I pulled up my status screen.

  Name: Yuna

  Age: 15 years old

  Level: 3

  Skills: Fantasy World Language, Fantasy World Literacy, Bear Extradimensional Storage

  GEAR

  Right Hand:Black Bear Glove (Nontransferable)

  Left Hand: White Bear Glove (Nontransferable)

  Right Foot: Black Bear Shoe (Nontransferable)

  Left Foot: White Bear Shoe (Nontransferable)

  Clothing: Black and White Bear Clothes (Nontransferable)

  Underwear: Bear Underwear (Nontransferable)

  I’d gotten even more weird equipment.

  Bear Underwear

  Won’t get dirty no matter how much they’re used.

  An excellent item that won’t retain sweat or odors.

  Will grow with the user.

  Ideal equipment for a recluse! I was particularly grateful that the underwear would grow with me. I didn’t have much of a chest, but I’d sure need it for when I got a great rack in the future. I wouldn’t have the hassle of resizing my underwear all the time.

  When I went downstairs for breakfast, Elena was wiping down the tables with a dust cloth.

  “Good morning.”

  “Morning! Can I eat?”

  “Yes, you may.” Elena stared at me.

  “What is it?”

  “You’re white today. It looks great on you,” she told me with a beautiful smile.

  I wasn’t not embarrassed just because I wasn’t a black bear anymore, but changing would be a pain, so I just ate breakfast in the white bear clothes. The bread and soup were delish.

  When I got back to my room, I changed back into my black bear clothes and set about making a list of things to do that day:

  Buy a change of clothes (underwear included).

  Get some identification (go to the adventurers’ guild).

  Get some gear (I want a sword).

  Gather intel (maybe at a library or bookshop).

  Figure out how strong I am (those wolves were easy peasy).