Chapter 551:
The Bear Reunites with Shia
I WOKE UP IN THE MORNING to something soft slap ping me in the face. I opened my eyes to see Kumakyu patting me awake. I looked over at the window and saw that it was bright out. Apparently, it was morning already. Kumakyu had been trying to wake me up.
I picked Kumakyu up and rolled out of bed. Lots of things had happened yesterday, but thanks to the white bear suit, I’d slept like a baby. I was fully refreshed and feeling great that morning.
I slipped out of bed without waking up Noa, who had been sleeping next to me with Kumayuru held tight in her arms. I didn’t know what to change into at first, so I figured I’d just change into the school uniform again. Kumakyu looked disappointed so I patted my bear’s head.
“It’s just while we’re here in this town,” I said.
Noa was still dozing away. She looked so comfortable sleeping while holding Kumayuru, but I needed to wake her up soon.
“Kumayuru, can you wake her up?”
Kumayuru slipped out of Noa’s arms and started to slap her in the face too. This was what it must have looked like when my bears woke me up in the morning. It was my first time ever seeing this for myself. I didn’t exactly have a mirror handy when they did it to me, after all.
“Ugh, please stop.” Noa tried to brush away Kumayuru’s paw.
“Look, Noa, you need to get up.”
“Just a bit longer please.”
Okay, I guess she was playing hardball. Well, two could play at that game. I gave Kumayuru the command.
“Kumayuru, GO!”
Kumayuru got on top of Noa and plopped down on her face, covering it completely. Little by little, it got harder and harder to breathe, until Noa woke up in a panic.
“I’m suffocating!”
Job well done, Kumayuru.
“You’re too mean, Yuna,” Noa said.
Kumayuru was the one who had done it. What was she getting angry at me for?
“It’s your own fault for not waking up right away.”
She should have been grateful that my bears hadn’t tried to dive at her instead. That would have been dangerous, though, so I hadn’t asked them to.
“I know, but I wish Kumayuru had woken me up gently instead.”
Noa looked over at Kumayuru.
“Uh, that’s what they tried to do at first.” That’s what those gentle slaps were.
“Really?”
Kumayuru crooned in the affirmative at Noa’s question.
“But you didn’t wake up, so we had to move to more unconventional methods.”
“So many things happened yesterday. I was completely exhausted. Please wake me up more gently next time.”
Kumayuru crooned in response.
“Well, now that you’re awake, you should go ahead and get changed.”
She couldn’t stay dressed as a bear forever, after all. She’d shock the maid if they came in to see her.
Noa pulled off her bear uniform and started to get changed. While she was changing, I recalled my bears. After Noa was dressed, Seleiyu eventually came in to meet us.
“Did you have a good rest?”
She looked around, clearly searching for something in the room.
“Yes, I slept very well.”
“Same.”
“The bears are gone?”
Oh, so she was looking for Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
“I recalled them,” I said.
“I see...”
Seleiyu looked slightly disappointed. Based on how she acted yesterday, she must have wanted to see them again today. Just to confirm my theory, I summoned Kumayuru in front of her, and Seleiyu immediately broke out into a smile. When I recalled my bear once again, her face fell.
She was a lot more expressive now than when we first met.
“Yuna, that was very mean.”
Noa told me off for toying with Seleiyu’s emotions. In apology, I kept my bears summoned so they could hang out with us until breakfast.
After eating breakfast, we all headed to the academy.
“Do you normally walk? You don’t take a carriage or anything?”
She was the daughter of nobility, after all. She could have taken a carriage over, but she was walking yesterday when we met her too.
“Yes, it’s nice to take a stroll in the morning, so I usually walk to the academy. I love this town.” Seleiyu smiled.
We chatted on our way to the academy. Once we arrived, we spotted Shia in her uniform.
“I’m sorry we kept you waiting, Shia.”
Noa happily ran over when she caught a glimpse of her sister. Seleiyu and I followed after her.
“Why are you hanging out with Seleiyu?”
Noa explained what had happened yesterday.
“She hosted us for the night.”
“I really wished they would stay with us the whole time they would be here instead, though.”
“Oh no, if you treat us as nicely as you did yesterday the entire time we’re here, I won’t know what to do if you and Shia have a match.”
Noa politely rejected her offer, essentially saying the same thing she had yesterday.
“That’s such a shame,” she replied.
For some reason Seleiyu looked at me instead of Noa. Did she want to see more of Kumayuru and Kumakyu or something?
Our plan was to tour the town with Shia after this.
“It’s too bad I can’t go with you, but I do hope you all enjoy the town.”
Seleiyu had her classes at the academy, but Shia was a student from the capital, so she didn’t have to attend classes while she was in town. The exchange students were allowed to practice for the gathering or use the remaining free time for themselves.
“Thank you, Seleiyu.”
“Lady Seleiyu, thank you very much.”
Seleiyu gave us a smile in response and headed off into the academy.
“Okay, then shall we head out too?”
We set out in the opposite direction, away from the academy.
“Okay, where to?”
“I’d like to buy some gifts for Mother and Father.”
“Then shouldn’t we have asked for Seleiyu’s recommendation yesterday?”
“No, I wanted to pick them out together with you, Shia.”
“Hee hee. Thank you, Noa. Okay, let’s go find something for our parents.”
“All right!”
Noa grabbed Shia’s hand. Shia glowed as she held her sister’s hand. For siblings, they got along very well.
In that case, maybe I should pick something out for Fina too?