Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Bear-san Listening to a Fairy’s Story

“Please, help me.” (Primme)

It was me taking this quest that started this, and if I listened to her more, I would probably end up in some trouble. But, more than that, Noa was with me. If I listened to the Fairy’s problem now, Noa might also get involved, which would become an even bigger problem for me. Sorry, but I think it was better to leave this place before I listened to her.

“I’m sorry, but can we leave this place for now?” (Yuna)

“Wait, why are you trying to leave? Why can’t you just listen to what I have to say?” (Primme)

Primme grabbed my bear suit and tried to keep me from escaping.

“That’s right. The fairy is asking for help.” (Noa)

“I know that, but…” (Yuna)

It was in my nature to want to help someone after hearing what they had to say.

“Yuna-san, it is said that if you grant the fairy’s wish, you will be happy, and conversely, if you fail to grant the fairy’s wish, you will be unhappy.” (Noa)

“That means it’s better if I just don’t listen to her after all.” (Yuna)

If not fulfilling a fairy’s wish made one unhappy, then there was no need to force myself to listen to that wish in the first place, especially since there wasn’t really any problem with my current life.

Different people define happiness in different ways. Some wanted to be rich. Some wanted to be popular with the opposite gender. Some wanted to be a good person. Some wanted to be strong. Some wanted to be smart. But for me, I did not need any of those things.

I enjoy my current life, blessed with the people around me, even though I sometimes get caught up in difficult situations.

Then, there was no need for me to gamble to get more happiness.

If I were to seek more happiness, there would be no end to it.

If I could make a wish come true, I would say, “May the world be at peace,” and play the good guy. No matter how many fairies there were, there was no way they could make such a wish come true.

And since that was the case, it would be better not to listen to the fairy’s request regardless if it would make her unhappy.

“I’m happy with my life now, Noa. If one can be happy by helping fairies, I think I should give this chance to someone who is not happy with their life.” (Yuna)

There must be many people in this world who are unsatisfied with their life and want to be happy. It would be better to have this fairy go to those people anyway.

“Umm, yes, but the fairy is asking for help.” (Noa)

“Well, listening from a while ago, I can tell you that I don’t really have the power to make people happy or unhappy, you know?” (Primme)

Primme said with a proud smile.

Then there was no need to listen to her.

It would only get me in trouble.

But Noa seemed to think differently.

“Then, it’s okay for us to listen to what she has to say, right?” (Noa)

I think it was unfortunate that I got caught up in all the trouble.

“In the first place, isn’t meeting a lovely fairy like me good luck in itself? It would make one happy.” (Primme)

That’s just you saying that yourself, you know?

I had never seen fairies in my original world, and I heard that even in this world, it was not easy to see fairies, so maybe I was indeed lucky. That might be right, but it made me feel uncomfortable to hear it from the being itself saying so.

“Besides, it’s even rarer for people to see our actual form.” (Primme)

It was true that many different people had come to this mansion, but no one was able to see Primme beyond what others could only see as light.

“Please, listen to me. It is hard to find someone who can see me as well as you can. You are the only one.” (Primme)

The fairy stopped in front of me, her joking expression disappeared, and she became serious again.

“Yuna-san…” (Noa)

“Okay, okay. I’ll just listen to what you have to say. And if there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll lend a hand. That is only if I am able to help you.” (Yuna)

“Tha, thank you.” (Primme)

Primme’s smile was as wide as it can be, as if she was satisfied with my response.

If I couldn’t say no anyway, I decided to just listen to what she had to say. Perhaps it might be better to listen at least.

“So, what do you need my help with? Do I have to kill a wolf or a goblin or something?” (Yuna)

That would be easier than fighting ghosts.

“No, I want you to find my sister.” (Primme)

It wasn’t about defeating monsters or ghosts. It was a manhunt.

“My sister said she was going to meet a human, but she never came back.” (Primme)

“A human. So the person can see your sister, then.” (Yuna)

“Yes. That’s what my onee-chan told me. Many times, onee-chan mentioned that she was meeting with a human who came close to the fairy forest. Then, one day, she went out as usual, saying that she was going to see that person again. But then, she never came back, even after some time passed by. That has never happened before. So I think humans may have caught her.” (Primme)

“By the way, have you ever seen that human?” (Yuna)

Primme shook her head.

“I wasn’t even interested. I didn’t think about going to see that person with her because that person wouldn’t have been able to see me anyway.” (Primme)

No information, huh?

“You, did you really think you could just go looking for your sister on your own?” (Yuna)

“Most people can’t see me or hear me. And even if they could, they would be startled and run away. So, for a while now, I have been looking for someone who may be able to see me or at least hear me to start.” (Primme)

Indeed, it would be difficult to find someone in a place where no one understood your language. Furthermore, if they could literally not see or hear you, it would be almost impossible to ask for help from others.

That included me, who might not be able to see other fairies.

“It’s impossible!” (Yuna)

“Yuna-san, are you refusing?” (Noa)

“Noa, you also mentioned that you have never seen a fairy. Even if I help, it’s practically impossible for me to find other fairies.” (Yuna)

Even with my detection skills, there was no response from the fairy, nor was there any response from Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear. In other words, only a fairy would be able to find another fairy.

Finding such a fairy would be next to impossible, even for me.

“Yes, but…. Um, she may have a clue as to where her sister might be?” (Noa)

Noa answered, so I looked at Primme to verify if it was as Noa had expected.

“I don’t know where she is, but I can tell the general direction of where she might be.” (Primme)

“You can?” (Yuna)

Primme pulled out something from under her clothes. As it was something a fairy used, it was small. However, after a careful look, it appeared to be some sort of cloth.

“You know, fairies’ clothes are made up with fairy magic power.” (Primme)

Primme sounded like it was something obvious, but I didn’t know the common knowledge regarding fairies.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have common knowledge about fairies.” (Yuna)

Thinking that it might be common knowledge in this world, I looked at Noa to confirm.

“I didn’t know that either.” (Noa)

Noa apparently didn’t know about it, either.

“Really, humans are so ignorant.” (Primme)

“No, it’s simply impossible for us to know since we barely have any contact with fairies.” (Yuna)

“Well, let me explain. Our fairy clothes are made of magic. I made these clothes myself. Aren’t they pretty?” (Primme)

Primme held up the hem of her dress.

“Yes, it’s very pretty.” (Noa)

Primme looked happy at Noa’s words.

“So, what’s with the outfit?” (Yuna)

“It has nothing to do with the clothes, but this handkerchief is made by my sister with her own magic power.” (Primme)

Somehow, I could see what she was trying to tell me.

“Are you saying that the handkerchief made with her magic power can tell us where your sister is?” (Yuna)

“Yes, I’ve made it this far by following that hint.” (Primme)

“Yuna-san, you’re amazing.” (Noa)

Noa complimented me, but that was just borrowed knowledge for me. There were stories of people finding others from things they had in their possession, like a dog finding someone by the smell left behind from something someone possessed.

So I felt indescribable when Noa praised me because I just came up with an idea I was familiar with.

“So, with this handkerchief, you can sense where she is headed, right?” (Yuna)

“Then, using that, we will be able to find her, right?” (Noa)

Primme, however shook her head in response as she clutched the handkerchief.

“No, I won’t be able to find her that easily if she was too far away. I also think it’s because this place is far away from the fairy forest where we live that I am having a hard time finding her.” (Primme)

“Away from the fairy forest? Where is the fairy forest?” (Yuna)

“I don’t know. I don’t even know where I am.” (Primme)

“Then how did you end up here when you don’t even know where you are?” (Yuna)

“I came from over there.” (Primme)

Primme pointed to a mirror on the wall.

“The mirror?” (Yuna)

“I came through that mirror, so I don’t know where I am or where the fairy forest is where I live.” (Primme)

Noa and I approached the mirror.

It was oval with an ornate frame. It was large enough to be held in one’s embrace.

“Is it okay if we touch it?” (Noa)

“It won’t suddenly take us to the fairy forest, will it?” (Yuna)

“No, it should be alright.” (Primme)

I touched it, but to me, it was just an ordinary mirror. In the mirror, I could see a reflection of myself in a stuffed bear costume. Once again, it reminded me just how ridiculous I looked while walking around town in this outfit.

Primme approached the mirror.

“This mirror is a fairy mirror.” (Primme)

“”A fairy mirror?”” (Yuna and Noa)

Noa and I looked in the mirror again.

Despite the ornate decoration on the edges, it looked like an ordinary mirror to us.

“I think it was made a long time ago, but the mirror has fairy magic in it. Perhaps the fairies made it so that they could come and go as I do now.” (Primme)

“So is there another mirror like this on the other side of this mirror?” (Yuna)

“There is no mirror on the other side. I guess you could say that I am using fairy water as a catalyst to create a similar phenomenon on the other side that connected me here.” (Primme)

Fairy water.

It sounded mysterious and special.

If I poured that on a ghost or something, maybe it would make it vanish. It was not holy water, though.

“So, using that mirror and returning to the fairy forest, I will be able to sense my sister’s whereabouts.” (Primme)

That means we would need to find the location of the Fairy Forest first before we could start all of this.

But you know, I was also starting to want to go there.

After all, we were talking about a fairy forest, you know. It was a fantasy staple.

“So, if I help you find your sister, can you let us enter the fairy forest where you live?” (Yuna)

“Actually, we are usually not allowed to bring people to the fairy forest. The Queen has permitted me to bring someone as long as that person would immediately leave the forest soon after we arrive there, along with guiding them to escape the forest.” (Primme)

Wait, did that mean we could go to their forest but had to leave immediately?

But imagining a Fairy Queen ruling over a fairy forest sounded so interesting.

As a gamer, I was really tempted to go there.

“Yuna-san, I envy you. I want to visit the fairy forest too.” (Noa)

“It might be dangerous, so I can’t take you this time.” (Yuna)

“I understand. Then, please tell me a lot of stories later and get me some souvenirs.” (Noa)

“Yes, I’ll also come along and tell you stories as well.” (Primme)

The fairy flew in front of Noa after saying so. At that moment, the handkerchief she was holding fell from her hand.

“Ah, it fell.” (Noa)

Noa spread her palms to catch it with both hands.

The handkerchief fluttered down, and just as it seemed to land on Noa’s hand, it disappeared as if melting into her hand.