Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Chapter 75-260)

Chapter 241

Chapter 241 – Bear-san Draws Volume Three Of Her Picture Book

Author’s Notes:
I finished writing early, so I submitted this chapter in advance.
Maybe that’s a good thing, considering the amount of hours I worked on it?

Just a few days after I returned to Crimonia, Ruimin gave me a call.

『I’m glad I was able to reach you, Yuna-san.』

Ruimin sounded very relieved when I picked up. She had been concerned about not being able to contact me over such a long distance, so she wanted to try calling me even though it wasn’t an emergency.
I asked her how the village was, and she told me that ever since we had left, everything was peaceful and not a single monster had passed through the barrier. They had also decided to take turns checking on the Sacred Tree once every ten days, and that plan included Luca, too. Ruimin told me that when he first went through the rocky mountain to the Sacred Tree was, he was more astonished by my Bear House rather than the tree itself. Well, pretty much anyone would most likely be surprised to see the Bear House after exiting the cave leading to a mountain valley.

『Also, when we told him that you were going to come visit us from time to time he sounded really happy.』

Rather than me, wasn’t he more interested in my Bears? While that was better than him disliking me, is still made me feel a bit sad inside.
After chatting a bit about the happenings in the village, Ruimin promised that she would contact me when there were more Sacred Tree tea leaves available. Of course, I told her she could call me to chat with me about other things as well.

After ending the phone call, I relaxed at home for a while. I had promised Fina and Shuri that I would be drawing a new picture book today, so I invited them over.
Since I was using them as models for the story, I wanted them to check over the contents as I drew the book, especially since I would be using Shuri as a character for the first time. I didn’t want to write something they didn’t approve of and also wanted to ask their opinions. It would have been stupid if I worked on it alone and ended up writing something they didn’t like, after all.
I drank some tea as I waited, and just as I finished the cup the sisters arrived.

「Are you really going to draw it?」

Fina asked as soon as she entered the house.

「Princess Flora is waiting for the new volume; I kind of made her a promise I would get to it soon.」

「Yuna-neechan, you’re going to draw me too, right?」

「Yes, that’s what I’m planning on for this volume.」

While Fina seemed rather reluctant, Shuri looked forward to it very much.
First, I made a rough sketch of what Shuri’s character would look like. I would be troubled if Shuri said it didn’t look like her at all after I completed the volume. Then, I decided to discuss what I would put into the picture book with Fina.

「I was thinking of having the three of you go to the neighboring town. What do you think?」

「Three of us?」

「Yes, I also plan on including Tirumina-san.」

「I’ve never been to the neighboring town, though.」

「It’s not like what I’m drawing has to be true. Picture books can also include made up stories.」

Picture Book, Volume 3: Bear-san and the Girls

The girl’s mother completely recovered from her illness and was now living a very happy life.
Running around the house, there was the girl’s energetic, younger sister. (A cartoon drawing of a girl that looked like Shuri).
The little sister said she wanted to meet Bear-san, so the girl took her to the forest.
They arrived at the entrance of the forest and called for Bear-san, which answered their calls and exited the forest.
Little sister was not scared at all and happily ran up to Bear-san.
The girl introduced the little sister, and Bear-san let the girl and the little sister ride on it, playing with her to their heart’s content.
However, after a few joyful days, the girl’s family decided to move to the neighboring town where the mother’s friend lived, so they could find work.
The girl cried as she bid her farewell to Bear-san, which gently patted her girl on the head.
The girl’s family left on a carriage to the neighboring town, and Bear-san waved its hand from afar to say goodbye.
The girl choked back her tears while the carriage crested over a hill, leaving Bear-san behind.
The girl knew she had to do this to survive, so she tried her best to endure, not showing her sadness to others in the carriage, especially since it wasn’t just her family traveling but also some other people.
The carriage continued its trip towards the neighboring town; they moved further and further away from the forest Bear-san lived in, but they couldn’t return.
The girl slowly started to brood, and then, the carriage suddenly stopped.