The sun fully rises before long, and we resume our travel. Thanks to Shigenobuās Equipment Strengthening, our journey is quite smooth. Iām currently fighting aĀ mamonoĀ called Cochineal Red Feather Angel. It has wings and a halo.
I chase after the Cochineal Red Feather Angel with my sword while it emits osculations different from sounds and voices in its attempt to keep its distance.
āBear! Seperate Yukinari from the herd ofĀ mamono!ā Shigenobu yells.
Punching Bear grabs my armor from behind.
āWhat are you doing! I was just a step away from exterminating thatĀ mamono!ā
āYou were chasing it way too deep! You would not have escaped unharmed if they attacked you all at once!ā Shigenobu yells.
āIāll be fine with that much! In the meantime, you should all safely take down theĀ mamono!ā
For some reason, Shigenobu slaps his face from irritation at my reply.
āAhh, seriouslyā¦ Bear, I request you stop Yukinari from getting too far ahead.ā
Punching Bear maintains his hold on my back, keeping me from approaching theĀ mamono.
I wonāt stop no matter how hard you pull!
In the end, Minori-san climbs on top of the Punching Bearās back and grabs me by the hem of my clothes.
āItās alright, so calm down.ā
āI canātā¦ If I hold back, then itāll fall to everyone else!ā
āItās going to be okay. Yukinari-kun, youāre the one whoās hurt. Arenāt you being a little too eager?ā
At that moment, an attack from the battle group lands on the Cochinil Red Feather Angel, completely obliterating it.
āWe leave once we check if everyoneās okay. Yukinari you stay in the back a bit longer.ā Shigenobu says.
āListen here, Yukinari. Letting you take the vanguard the way you are now is too difficult. Work together with Bear to make sure you bring down theĀ mamono. Youāll help everybody doing that.ā
Will that really help everyoneā¦? True, Iāll probably be able to defeatĀ mamonoĀ faster that way.
ā¦ Does he mean to say that my current way of fighting is troubling everyone?
I need to think about how Iāll be doing things.
āGot it. I should just deal with theĀ mamonoĀ as fast as possible so that I can shield everyone from their attacks, right?ā
āThatās right, however, that doesnāt mean you have to forcefully cover someone from an attack. You can put off jumping to the defense of those with shields and leave it to them.ā
āBut I canāt do that!ā
Shigenobu releases a heavy sigh at my answer.
āThink about it in terms of strategy. Bear is able to tell whenĀ mamonoĀ are closing in on us. If you inform us about it beforehand, weāll be ready for a surprise attack. By staying with Bear, you will be everyoneās escort.ā
I trying saying doing that is no good, but we immediatly resume our march.
With those feelings, Punching Bear and I hurry to the front.
Noon comes around and when we take a break, my classmates gather around Punching Bear and begin to play for a bit. Punching Bear accepts their amiability and responds to their affection.
āThank you for today.ā
āWe were saved because of you.ā
Punching Bear fought together with me against theĀ mamono. They are probably giving their thanks for that.
āYour fur is so soft. Come to think of it, you can transform into gloves right? Iām curious, what will happen if I charge you with mana?ā
After saying that Minori-san proceeds to infuse Punching Bear with mana.
It seems to have an effect.
I guess itās because Punching Bear is both a living creature as well as equipment?
Punching Bear strikes something like bodybuilding poses.
Is Punching Bear playing around? This feels very different from using a frisbee to play with a dog.
āAhaha! Whatās that!?ā
āItās so funny!ā says Minori-san.
Punching Bear acts shy before my laughing classmates. He hides his face behind his paws while peaking with glances between the gaps. He seems to be deepenning his friendship with my classmates in various ways.
Minori-san, maybe in an attempt to deepen their relationship even further, jumps onto his back with a hug.
āYouāre like a huge stuffed animalā! What if I told you that I have a huge stuffed bear in my room back home?ā
Well, given that Minori-san is a bit of an airhead, it fits.
āSo soft. Your fur is a bit messy, Iāll arrange it for you.ā
Punching Bear, perhaps also worried about his fur, starts brushing himself. The other girls with Minori-san also join in on the fun and help out.
āAh, You were a girlā?ā says Minori-san.
āThe, letās call her Kumako.ā
With those words, Hagisawa joins in without anyone knowing it and names Punching Bear.
Still, Kumako? Well, I guess Iāll call her that too.
āIsnāt that way too simple?ā a girl asks.
āIāve already decided to call her that.ā Hagisawa answers.
āWell, it sounds like a girlās name. Also, donāt you think sheāll look cute with a ribbon?ā
With those words, Minori-san ties a cloth into a bowknot around Kumako for everyone to see.
The former Punching Bear, Kumako, smiles in delight.
āIt should be time soonā¦ā I murmur.
The sun is starting to set, and the camp weāve made is pretty halfheated. As such, we start doing it again.
āHanebashi, arenāt ya going back to Japan tonight?ā
Hagisawa calls out to me while heās working on setting up the camp.
āWhat if you are all attacked while Iām away?ā
āItās not like your battle prowess is all that high, though.ā
āStillā¦ Itās better than not being here at all.ā
āThat is true, but werenāt you already quite reckless today?ā
āI was not. I only did what was necessary for the situation.ā
Hagisawa sighs out in exasperation at my answer for some reason.
āHaaā¦ Arenāt you rushing to your death?ā
āRushing to my death? Me?ā
I just want to protect everyone. After all, I had decided to become somone who can protect others, just like Meguru-san.
Kumako then drags me into one of the set-up tents, as if hoping I will take a break.
āFor the time being, Hanebashi, itās been decided from the start that the first thing youāll be doing tonight is resting. Therefore, if youāre not going back to Japan, then relax.ā
āIām still fine. Alright! Then, Iāll just switch with someone else.ā
āEveryone agreed on it! Shigenobu and others told me to tell you that too!ā
Muuā¦ Is he going to tell on me if I donāt?
Then, Minori-san appears bringing me dinner, but I feed it to Kumako.
āArenāt you going to eat, Yukinari-kun?ā
āIām fine, Iām not hungry.ā
To be honest, Iām not particularly hungry these days, so this is actually a relief. Forcing myself to eat just makes me nauseous.
āDonāt push yourself too much, okay?ā Minori-san says.
āI am pushing myself just enough.ā
Until now, Iāve been bystander. I plan to work at it to make up for the time I wasted.
āCome on, donāt talk like that. Donāt ruin yourself. If you do, that will make me, everyone elseā¦ and even Meguru sad.ā
ā¦I canāt refut her if she is going to bring up Meguru-san.
āWell then, Yukinari-kun, rest easy, alright?ā
Minori-san waves her hand and takes her leave.
Once I lay down in the tent, Kumako lays down next to me and hugs me.
āOh, youāre going to sleep, too?ā
Her fur looks strangely glossy.
As I think that, Kumako gently pats me as if she were a parent putting her child to sleep.
Is this supposed to make me sleepy by controlling my breathing?
ā¦My eyelids feel heavyā¦
It isnāt the warmth of a body, but that warmth invites me to sleep.
In the end, Kumako gets me asleep beside her.
A dream of an ordinary day from before we were transported here.
I canāt tell if I am in the dream or not, itās as if Iāve beome a ghostā¦ I feel like Iām watching our classroom through remote viewing
Shigenobu is there, Hagisawa is there, Meguru-san and Minori-san, all of my other classmates are there.
Itās a day not particualrly different from any other. We are fed up with studying while also thinking itās boring. We are given problems and we solve them one after the other day after day. Class begins, everyone studies, and once school lets out, we talk with our friends. Of course, there are also those who go to their clubs or part-time jobs.
Itās a completely normal scene.
And now weāre making our way through a forest in another world just to stay aliveā¦?
Thatās rightā¦ I used to ridicule being bored, but days like that had various things happening. They were precious days.
Before long, everyone leaves the classroom and the lights are turned out.
Iā¦ want everyone to return to a time like this.
ā¦And even if that cannot happen, then just those who are still alive.
That is when Meguru-san returns to the classroom. Maybe she forgot something, sheās looking around the place
Iād like to hold my hand out to her, but it doesnāt reachā¦
That is when Meguru-san looks toward me.
Iām not sure if itās because of my voice or her voice.Ā Itās just thatā¦ thereās an abrupt shift in my consiousness.
1) Teleport objects /Self to Earth
2) Point/yen conversion. (Tells others itās a shopping catalogue)
boxing gloves: strawberry wallaby medal, kangaroo knight medal, punching bear medal (belt)
Meguruās Metal turtle sword
Baby Blue Punching Bear Punching Gloves
Effect: Dynamic Vision Increase; Wind Punch; Bear Claw; Earth Crash; Wild Sense
Instant Expansion Ability: Kangaroo Step; Boxer
Baby Blue Punching Bear Kingās Medal
Effect: Kingās Protection; Glove Strengthening;
Unique Ability: Assist; Insect Killer
3) Material transfer (uses pillars of light)
4) Transfer to the other world
3) Equipment Strengthening
Minori Himeno: Has a polite/formal way of speaking
3) Repair (doesnāt fix missing pieces/chips)
4) Collection Improvement