Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Kuma-san Watched Over Fina, Third Round Scoring

At the same time, Fina and the other four who have finished dismantling the monsters would be scored.

Ugh, I felt so nervous.

“Onee-chan, I wonder if you’ll be okay…” (Shuri)

Next to me, Shuri looked anxious.

“Fina-chan will be fine. Besides, if anything goes wrong, Sanya will use her guild master powers to let her win.” (Ellelaura)

Ellelaura-san replied softly to Shuri’s words.

“Really?” (Shuri)

“That’s right.” (Ellelaura)

I assumed that she was only saying that so as not to worry Shuri. That would be out of line if Sanya did that.

Tirumina-san also looked troubled by Ellelaura-san’s words, as it is not good for Shuri’s education.

“Um, Ellelaura-sama, if you could please not say those things to my daughter.” (Tirumina)

Tirumina-san, unable to speak firmly to Ellelaura-san, who was a noble, said hesitantly.

So, I decided to clarify for her.

“Ellelaura-san, don’t tell Shuri anything bad because it will be bad for her education. Besides, I don’t think Fina would be too happy to get through the third round with Sanya-san’s help.” (Yuna)

It would be like a fraudulent pass.

Fina worked hard and reached the third round. We should not make that effort based on injustice. The only people who would be happy with an unfair pass would be people like my parents, who didn’t put in any effort, took it easy, and wanted to get to the top.

“Ugh, Yuna-chan, I’m just kidding. Fina-chan will win on her merits, no problem.” (Ellelaura)

“Ellelaura-san, when you say it, it doesn’t sound like a joke.” (Tirumina)

“Yes. When mother says it, it sounds like she’s serious.” (Shia)

Even her own daughter told her.

When Ellelaura-san, a noble, said something like that, it seemed really possible, so it didn’t sound like a joke, so I had to point it out.

Besides, Sanya-san said the same thing.

“Even Shia is saying so, that’s terrible!” (Ellelaura)

Ellelaura-san mimicked crying, but I decided to ignore her.

Then, there was a movement in the hall.

“Oh, one of the Judges who did the scoring is calling up some of the participants.” (Master of Ceremony)

Among them was Fina.

“Alright, let’s do this.” (Master of Ceremony)

The master of ceremony headed over to the assembled judges.

“This dismantling process is not good. Deducting points… This part is not cut properly… This dismantling process is incorrect.” (Judge)

“Apparently, they are explaining about the scoring of the dismantling.” (Master of Ceremony)

“In contrast, him and her have done it well. Therefore, I have graded them in this way. Is there anything else?” (Judge)

The voice of the judge who did the scoring leaked from the microphone held by the master of ceremony.

“I see. It looks like the people who were just barely placed past the third round have been checked. If they remain, they would know their standings, so I leave the rest to the staff.” (Master of Ceremony)

The master of ceremony returned to his original spot.

Then, the people who have been gathered have been briefed, and a piece of paper with a scoring sheet attached was handed to the master of ceremony.

“Thank you for your patience. It seems the results are in; out of the 40 who can go to the fourth round, 20 will make it. Five have already withdrawn, so there were 35 of you competing. The most nervous are probably those who finished the dismantling at around number 20.” (Master of Ceremony)

Among them was Fina.

“Then I will announce the rankings. Whether you cry or laugh, there are only 20 people who will make it through the third round. First place is Deed-kun, second place is Garde-kun, and you are in position here.” (Master of Ceremony)

Deed-kun looked relieved and made a small gut-punch while Garde-kun looked frustrated.

If there were no difference in the cleanliness of the dismantling process, the speed of dismantling would inevitably remain in the rankings.

At that dismantling speed, it would be great if they were dismantling cleanly.

Then, following the two, the rankings and names were called one after another.

The members, up to about the single-digit number, looked comfortable. Even if they were not as good as the first- and second-place finishers, they still possessed a certain degree of dismantling skill. The lineup remained the same from the first round, even if there was some back and forth.

“Thirteenth place, Eliza-chan! The rank in which she finished her dismantling was number 15, but she moved up two places to 13th place. The evaluation points came out high because of the careful dismantling. (Master of Ceremony)

“Careful dismantling is a given for a guild official. If they neglect dismantling in favor of speed, they will not be allowed to participate again.” (Sanya)

The organizers of the event could not allow the participants to dismantle improperly. It may be harsh, but Sanya-san’s words were right because we have to set an example for everyone.

“More than speed, care was needed. So the guild officials are properly trained. So, next, 14th, …15th, …16th, …17th, …” (Master of Ceremony)

One after another, the rankings and names were called out.

But Fina’s name was not there.

“What you are probably wondering about is the ranking of the four people who finished the dismantling at the same time in 20th place. To my surprise, among those four people who finished at the same time, there was one who finished in 18th place. That is Fina-chan!” (Master of Ceremony)

“It’s Onee-chan!” (Shuri)

“Yes!” (Shia)

Shuri and Shia get up from their seats and rejoice.

The others were also surprised.

“Out of the four of them, Fina-chan stood out a step, edging out two others and coming in 18th place. According to the judges, Fina-chan was very careful in her dismantling until the very end, while many of the others were in a hurry to dismantle theirs, making it messy at the end. And in 19th place was Dolly, who raised her hand at the same time for 20th place. And in 20th place was Lurilana, who also raised her hand at the same time! The other Roth was a close behind, in 21st place. By the way, Guy and Pat, who finished in 18th and 19th place, had a messy dismantling and were overtaken by four others, and were eliminated in 22nd and 23rd place. Do either of you have anything to say?”

They both shook their heads.

Apparently, they had been briefed before the announcement was made and were satisfied with the results.

Rather than fussing after the scoring, they could not make a fuss if they were convinced, in advance, that their scores were low.

Was this also a result of their experience over the years?

“They were in a hurry because everyone else was finishing the dismantling. But I think it’s great that the four of them did their dismantling so carefully right up to the end. I’m especially disappointed for Roth, who came in 21st, but I hope he keeps the feeling he has now and continues to do well in the future.” (Sanya)

“The guild master has given her commentary. Roth, you’re getting a little shy. I know that the Guildmaster is a beautiful, stunning woman, but remember that she’s older than your grandmother!” (Master of Ceremony)

The master of ceremony’s words brought a chuckle from the audience.

“Yuna nee-chan, from Sanya-nee, another black thing is…” (Shuri)

Shuri pointed at Sanya-san.

“Don’t look.” (Yuna)

I gently removed Shuri’s gaze from Sanya-san.

I hoped that the master of ceremony would make it out of the venue alive.

He may be the type of guy whose words come out before he could even think about them.

I just hoped he wouldn’t go missing the next day.

“Now then, for those of you who have made it through the third round, we have only the fourth and final round left. Please do your best to stay for the final round. Now, please take a short break as we prepare for the fourth round.” (Master of Ceremony)

The master of ceremony’s words started the break. The staff also put away the dismantled gators.

Fina returned with Sanya-san, as usual.

The black aura from Sanya-san disappeared.

Thank goodness.

But I wonder if only Shuri and I could see it.

It was a mystery.

“Good job, Fina!” (Tirumina)

“You’re great, Onee-chan!” (Shuri)

Tirumina-san called happily, and Shuri hugged Fina.

“Fina, I didn’t know you could dismantle a gator. I had never been requested to acquire one, so when the gator was presented to you, I assumed that you couldn’t dismantle it.” (Yuna)

“It was when I was working for the Adventurer’s Guild, I saw them dismantle gators, and twice, I also had to dismantle them.” (Fina)

“Twice? That’s all you experienced?” (Yuna)

Fina’s words startled all of us.

Handling swords, handling magic, cooking food, making swords… Like anything else, you get better the more times you do it. The one who managed to do those things well with only a few attempts would be regarded as a genius. Even I learned by swinging a sword and using magic many times in the game.

And here she stood before me…

“So you are very observant and remember things quickly.” (Ellelaura)

Ellelaura-san said, impressed.

Indeed, it was important to observe. The same could be said of fighting monsters, swordsmen, wizards, and other opponents. If you watch your opponent carefully and predict the next pattern of action, you have a better chance of winning.

Even in the game, some players would get the same attack repeatedly, but I sometimes wondered if they were looking at their opponents properly.

“That’s not true. I am not a good learner. So I tried my best to remember what I was taught by writing it down on paper and looking at it before I went to bed.” (Fina)

Fina denied Ellelaura-san’s words.

Someone said that being able to work hard was also a talent. Those words sound like they were meant for Fina.

“Besides, if I couldn’t dismantle it, I wouldn’t get the job.” (Fina)

Before she met me, Fina had occasionally worked for Gentz-san, doing dismantling work for the guild.

She might not have gotten a job if she couldn’t do it.

As with any job, you wouldn’t ask someone who couldn’t do the work. If this had been a guild employee, there might have been some training. But Fina was not a guild employee.

If she was judged to be useless, she might not have been given work even with Gentz-san’s recommendation.

That’s how hard Fina worked.

I gently placed the Bear Puppet on Fina’s head and patted it.

“Even some of our guild members have trouble remembering things, I hope they can learn from Fina-chan.” (Sanya)

“So Fina-chan’s diligence is what got her this far.” (Ellelaura)

“I’m so proud of you.” (Tirumina)

“I’m proud of you, Onee-chan.” (Shuri)

“I’m so proud of you, buddy.” (Yuna)

“Ugh.” (Fina)

Fina’s face turned bright red as everyone praised her.

“Ugh, I’m going to lose in bragging about my daughter. But Fina-chan is indeed really great.” (Ellelaura)

“We don’t have to compete with each other, and I think Fina, Noa, and Shia are all daughters to be proud of.” (Tirumina)

“I guess so. I don’t think there’s any need to be superior or inferior.” (Ellelaura)

“Besides, they all have different things to be proud of.” (Yuna)

“Yuna-chan, you think like an adult, I can’t believe you and Shia are the same age.” (Ellelaura)

“Mother, please don’t compare me to Yuna-san, there’s nothing I can do that can beat Yuna-san.” (Shia)

“That’s not true. Unlike me, Shia has a good personality, is beautiful, and is very friendly.” (Yuna)

“Ugh, Yuna-san, is that sarcasm? Yuna-san is more beautiful and lovely, and if she sees someone in trouble, she will fight and protect them, no matter how dangerous it may be. Yuna-san is such a good person, and even if she says I have a better personality than she does, I’m still just a normal girl.” (Shia)

“Am I beautiful? Beautiful? A good person? Do you think I have a good personality? Is that supposed to make me laugh?” (Yuna)

Even if I accept her compliment of being beautiful and pretty, I have become a bit popular, and I wouldn’t say I am a bad person, but I am not a good person. My personality is twisted if I do say so myself.

“I am selfish, egotistical, and do things my own way. I don’t care about other people’s problems. I push troublesome jobs to others. Furthermore, I never do anything I don’t want to do.” (Yuna)

Once again, I had a bad personality.

Well, I guess you couldn’t expect a former reclusive gamer to be a good person.

But everyone looked appalled at my words.

No, only Tirumina-san could be heard saying in a small voice, “Indeed”.

I wondered why. I felt uncomfortable that they were not convinced.