Bear-san Goes to Nobu

Here is a little present for you, a short crossover of two novels we know you all love, written by both, Kuma and Izakaya translators. Note that this is just a fan made story, and that novel authors had nothing to do with it.

X: fanfic .-.

Bear-san Goes To Nobu – Christmas Gift [Collab Chapter]

When I woke up after a good night’s rest, the first thing I noticed were the two Manjuu balls next to me, Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear in their cub forms.
I didn’t really have to summon them in the Bear House, but I had gotten used to having them around while I slept.
I petted them and they responded with a cute 『Kuun』.

「Swaying Bear, Hugging Bear, good morning.」

I returned them to the Bear Hands and got out of my futon.
I looked outside the window and saw the sea laid out in front of my eyes.
It was beautiful no matter how many times I looked at it.
Atora-san had found a really good place for my villa. Well, I said villa, but it was just another Bear House.

Wasn’t it a bit too bright, though?
I looked up, and the sun was already high in the sky.
Ugh, I woke up late.
Should I eat breakfast or just wait for lunch?
Hmm, no matter how I looked at it, breakfast was the most important meal of the day.
I walked down the stairs to eat breakfast.
Because it was already late, I decided to just have a light one.
I took a pudding from the fridge and started eating it together with a glass of Oren juice.

As I was enjoying my late breakfast, the Bear Phone started ringing.

「Kuun, Kuun, Kuun, Kuun, Kuun.」

The bear’s crying voice was still unpleasant, every time I heard it.
In order to stop it, I poured a little magic power inside.

『Mhh, Big Sis Yuna, can you hear me? It’s Fina.』

「I can hear you loud and clear. What is it, this early in the morning?」

『Big Sis Yuna, did you forget? You said that you would come and get me to show me around Mireera!』

「Oh, that’s right.」

『You really forgot!』

「It’s okay, I will come and get you right now. We will have lunch at Deiga-san’s inn before I will show you around. Just wait at my place, I’m coming.」

『Okay, I will be waiting!』

I finished my pudding quickly and drank what remained of the Oren juice in one gulp.
Then, I changed into my Black Bear Suit and went through the Bear Gate.
I went to the front door of the Bear House at Crimonia, and when I opened it, Fina was already standing there, with her arms crossed and cheeks puffed.
Was she imitating Noa?
I patted her head.

「Good morning Fina.」

「I won’t forgive you even if you pat me like that!」

She was imitating Noa really well.
I never thought I would see Fina pouting like that.

「Don’t be so angry. We are going now, okay?」

「But it has been such a long time since we last went somewhere together, and you totally forgot about it!」

Wasn’t she acting lovely? She was so cute. I wanted to pat her again.

「Then, let’s go now. You will see, Deiga-san’s cooking is really delicious.」

「Okay!」

She happily nodded, like she was never even angry to begin with.
We went towards the Bear Gate, and I opened it again.

The door opened into an unfamiliar room filled with boxes.
Huh, did I come out in the wrong place? I was sure I set the transfer point at Mireera. Should we turn back?

「Big Sis Yuna, why is it so dark? Is this Mireera?」

「I don’t think so. We should head back.」

「Who’s there?!」

A red haired girl, who seemed to be about 12 years old, came into the room with a broom in her hands. I could see that she was trembling a little, despite trying to look brave.

「A bear?」

How rude. That was what people would normally think when they saw me, though. I should have gotten used to it by now, but why did I have a sense of defeat? First things first, we should introduce ourselves.

「I’m the adventurer Yuna, and this girl here is Fina. We don’t want any trouble, so please put the broom away.」

「E-eh, the bear talks? I mean, nice to meet you. I’m Eva. It might be rude to ask, but how did you get in here, through the backdoor?」

「I dunno. I came through the transfer gate and somehow ended up here. Where is ‘here’ anyway? 」

「This is Izakaya Nobu. I work here for Shinobu-san and Taisho-san.」

Izakaya? A bar? Have I returned to Japan? Did I accidentally bring Fina along too? Tirumina-san, I’m sorry for kidnapping your daughter. Please don’t haunt me in my dreams. (Note: Izakaya is a gastrobar, mainly serving alcohol with food to go with it.)

「Big Sis Yuna, what is an ‘Izakaya Nobu’?」

「Erm, it’s a place that serves drinks and food in my country. Come to think of it, it’s already lunch time, so we should just have lunch here, Fina.」

「I am not really sure what is happening, but okay! I’ll follow BIg Sis Yuna anywhere.」

Fina smiled widely at my suggestion. Was this girl really fine with just following me anywhere?
Well, I shouldn’t think about it too much.

「Eva-chan, is it? Is it possible to have lunch here? Despite my appearance, I am able to pay.」

「I will have to go ask Taisho and Shinobu-san, so please wait a bit.」

The little girl bowed and ran off. Soon after, I could hear screams coming from inside the store.

「A bear?! Ne, Taisho, what do we do? Should I call pest control? No wait, maybe animal control?」

*Puchi*
Should I just leave? I get to taste Japanese food here, though.
As I was thinking hard about what to do, I heard footsteps.
A man, probably in his thirties, came in, followed by a young lady who was hiding behind his back timidly, like a scared little kitten. I wasn’t going to eat you!
The man stepped forward and started talking.

「Bear-sa…Eh, cosplay? Sorry. Miss, I heard from Eva-chan that you wanted to eat lunch here. Is that okay with you, though? Our food might not suit your tastes.」

「I’m the adventurer Yuna, and I’m a Japanese who has been transported to another world.」

I bowed towards them.
Why did I introduce myself as an adventurer in front of Japanese people? What would I do if they thought of me as a chuunibyou?

「Another world? Is that true? Aren’t you just a kid who loves cosplay and got lost?」

「How rude. I didn’t put this Bear Suit on for fun, you know. Also, I’m 15 years old. This girl here is Fina.」

「I’m s-sorry. My n-name is Fina, and I’m from Crimonia.」

Fina, who was confused the whole time, got flustered and introduced herself clumsily.
The young lady who was standing behind the man smiled warmly while looking at Fina and came out of her hiding spot.

「Fina-chan, is it? Also, Yuna-chan, nice to meet you. I am Shinobu and that man over there is Taisho. Please come in. Ne, Taisho, it’s okay right?」

The man called Taisho looked at us and then nodded, with a smile on his face.
We were then led into the store with Shinobu nudging our backs and having us sit by the counter.
As we wiped our hands with the warm towels given to us, Shinobu skillfully placed two small bowls in front of us.
Is this… Miso soup!?
With trembling hands, I reached out for the small bowl that had the familiar salty scent, filled with tofu and seaweed. It was still warm.
I drank a gulp and immediately felt the warmth coursing through my body. This salty taste, paired with the sweetness of the tofu and seaweed was something I had not tasted for a long time. Delicious!

「Big Sis Yuna, what is this?」

「It’s called miso soup. It’s delicious, you know. Try it.」

Fina took the bowl in her hands and sipped it slowly. Instantly, she smiled brightly and continued drinking the soup. When I saw her drinking happily, I continued enjoying my soup as well.

「Yuna-chan, what would you like to order? Taisho can cook anything, you know.」

「Then, can I have a katsudon? Is that okay?」
(Note: Katsudon: Bowl of rice topped with deep-fried pork.)

「Yes, I got it. What will Fina-chan be having?」

「Erm, I don’t know. I can’t read the words. Big Sis Yuna, what should I get?」

I thought hard about what Fina would like.

「Do you have something like a kids’ meal here?」

「I’m sorry we don’t. However, I can request Taisho to perhaps make a hamburg steak and I can decorate it, would that be fine with you?」

「That sounds great. Thank you for the trouble.」

「You don’t have to worry about it.」

Shinobu bowed and left to tell Taisho the orders.
Meanwhile, Eva was fascinatedly staring at the two girls from behind the counter.
She didn’t have many friends to talk to because her family was poor, and there were no children of her age around. Even when in Nobu, the customers were all adults.
Nonetheless, she felt happy working here, but it would still be better to have someone around her age to talk to.
And now, there were two young girls in front of her now. She summoned up her courage, and opened her mouth.

「Excuse me, Yuna-san. How is it like, the world where you came from?」

「Just Yuna is fine. The world I came from, huh. Well, to be honest, it’s fun. It’s a world of magic and monsters, but I managed to make a lot of friends there.」

「Big Sis Yuna is really strong! She killed a Black Viper and a Goblin King all by herself!」

「That sounds amazing! Please tell me more, Fina-san.」

「She can also summon two bears, Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear. They are very cute and cuddly! If only she could summon them here, but this place seems a bit too small for them.

「I can summon them, you know.」

「Eh?」

Fina, who didn’t know about the cub forms of the Bears yet, was surprised. Well, I should take this opportunity and show them to her then.
I summoned the bears without waiting for her to agree.

「Big Sis Yuna! If you summon them now, the…Ehhhhhh? W-w-w-w-w-what is this!? They’re so small!」

Fina crouched down, picked up Swaying Bear and hugged him.

「So soft…」

She muttered.
Eva rushed from behind the counter, and stopped when she saw the Bears.

「So cute! Shinobu-san! Come, look at them!」

Eva picked up Hugging Bear and hugged him tightly.
Sorry, Hugging Bear, Swaying Bear. Please bear with it.
Shinobu came over when Eva called out to her.

「What is it? Ara, these bears are cute. Wait, more importantly, why are there bears in here?」

「They’re Yuna-san’s bears. She summoned them.」

「Summoned, huh? I guess you really aren’t a lost kid after all.」

That was what I had been telling you.
I left the people playing with the Bears, and checked on how our food was coming along.
When I looked into the kitchen from the counter, Taisho was coating a piece of pork meat with flour, then with egg, and finally with bread crumbs. He then slowly placed the pork into the oil.
Crackle, crackle.
The sound of it frying was like music to my ears. Please hurry, I want to eat it soon.

While it was being cooked, Taisho mixed two different kinds of meat, sauteed onions, and various other ingredients into a mixing bowl, and shaped them into a patty. He then started grilling it in a pan, and a nice smell wafted in the store. This one looked nice as well.

I didn’t notice when, but the noise behind me had stopped. I turned around and saw Fina obediently sitting on the chair, fidgeting impatiently. Was she looking forward to the food too?
Even the bears came up to me and snuggled close to my legs. You guys as well?
The power of food was really amazing.

The dishes were finally ready after a few more minutes, and Shinobu served them to us.
In front of me was a bowl of white rice, topped with fried pork meat that was chopped into bite-sized pieces, and a creamy, just slightly cooked egg, topped with some scallions. It looked really delicious.

Fina, on the other hand, received a cute plate with a piece of juicy hamburg steak and assorted vegetables on it. The ketchup poured on the steak looked like a ‘smiley face’ and there was a tiny flag in the middle of it. I thought she would enjoy it a lot.

「Let’s eat, Fina. Itadakimasu.」

「Okay! Itadakimasu.」

I took a piece of the pork and bit into it. The meat was crispy, yet tender on the inside, and it crumbled as I was chewing it. The soy sauce and egg was went very well together in it, and the flavours burst in my mouth. This really is Japanese food! I would have shed tears again if I hadn’t eaten rice just a few days ago.
Fina, who had put a piece of her steak in her mouth, was excitedly tugging at my clothes and tried to swallow her food.

「Big Sis Yuna! What kind of meat is this? It’s so juicy. Its taste just exploded in my mouth. Also, this sweet red sauce makes it taste even better!」

「Slow down, Fina. You’ll choke if you eat too fast.」

「Okay.」

Fina and I continued eating our food, savouring each bite slowly.
It seemed that Shinobu had given the Bears and Eva some onigiri, and they were enjoying their food as well. The scene of Eva and the bears nibbling on the onigiri was heartwarming and adorable.
I licked the bowl clean, not leaving a single grain of rice. Fina seemed to have finished her food as well.

「I’ve eaten well. Thank you for the food.」

「Me too! Thank you very much!」

I patted my belly out of satisfaction and reached into my Bear box and took out some money.

「That’s okay, Yuna-san. It’s on the house.」

「But, won’t you lose profit?」

「It’s only a little, so it’s alright. Since you said you got transported to another world, we thought we’d let you enjoy Japanese meals properly. That’s why you don’t have to pay.」

「Shinobu-san…thank you very much. I appreciate it.」

I held back my tears and bowed to Taisho and Shinobu. This food, would I be able to taste it again? I really hoped I would be able to return here again someday.
While waving towards Shinobu, Eva, and Taisho, we passed through the backdoor, and came back through the transfer gate at Mireera.

「Fina, wasn’t it fun? I hope you liked that place.」

「Yes, Big Sis Yuna. If possible, we should go there again someday.」