Monaka Vs. Bear

At the entrance ceremony’s Rite of Ability Awakening, my stats had been revealed.

Among them, my Charisma parameter had been “1.”

At the time, I finally understood why I had never been popular.

But now, my Charisma was a full 101 points.

I didn’t know how high that really was, but I knew that Weiss’s Charisma was 50.

Weiss had been popular since childhood, so having twice that amount was absurd.

And compared to my old self, it was a sudden increase of 101 times.

No wonder Monaka was acting strangely if her childhood friend suddenly became 101 times more charming.

For now, I decided to return my Charisma to normal.

I went over to where Monaka was still trembling in the shade.

When she noticed me approaching, she turned around with a hiccup-like shriek.

“Hya!? ”

Her face was still burning red, but when she saw that I was back to my usual self, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Huh…? Um…?”

She muttered, rubbing her eyes with a white handkerchief she had taken out.

“I-I’m sorry… Leo-kun suddenly looked so much cooler than usual, it startled me… But it seems I must have been mistaken…”

Halfway through, Monaka suddenly realized something and waved her hands frantically as she corrected herself.

“Ah—th-that made it sound like Leo-kun isn’t cool normally! S-Sorry! Leo-kun is always cool and really wonderful!”

“But wouldn’t you have preferred the version of me you were mistaken about?”

Monaka shook her head side to side without even needing to think.

“No. I love— I mean, I li— no! It’s nothing at all!”

She had been fluttering her hands nonstop, but suddenly froze.

Her face, which had been bright red, turned pale in an instant.

“L-Leo-kun… b-behind you…”

Just from that reaction, I more or less understood.

“Oh, that’s Mark, the one I tamed. Mark, say hello to Monaka.”

Sure enough, Mark was behind me, bowing his head with a “Kwon.”

Still pale, Monaka hurriedly bowed back.

“T-Thank you very much for your politeness! M-My name is Monaka…! Wait— eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?!!”

Monaka screamed as her eyes spun around.

So much had happened at once that her mind clearly couldn’t keep up.

She looked like she was about to faint, so I supported her—and she instantly clung to me.

“R-R-Really, did you tame that bear!? I’ve heard stories from animal trainers at traveling shows! They say that even professionals find it extremely difficult to tame wild bears! That’s why even experts usually train bears that were bred in captivity!”

“I see. Then maybe I just got lucky. Since we’re here, want to ride on him?”

“I-Is that really alright? W-Wait— hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?!!”

Before our exchange could even finish, Mark lifted both Monaka and me up.

As if we were kittens, he easily placed us on his shoulders.

Monaka clung tightly to Mark’s face, peeking downward in fear.

“A-Amazing…! To be allowed to ride on a bear’s shoulders…!”

“Pretty nice view, right?”

“Y-Yes! T-To be honest, playing with bears was my childhood dream…!”

“I see. Then you should enjoy it. Alright, Mark—‘bed’!”

Mark tossed us lightly and then flopped down with a heavy thud.

We went flying with an “Whoa!?” and “Kyaa!?” before landing on Mark’s belly.

His stomach was so soft it rippled, like a trampoline.

Up until then Monaka had been nervous, but now her eyes sparkled like a child’s.

“Wow, it’s so fluffy! I always dreamed of lying on a bear…! Ah—b-but lying down outside like this is improper…”

“What are you saying? It’s just you, me, and Mark here. Let’s loosen up and have fun for once! Here we go!”

When I bounced with some force, Monaka flipped over with a “Pya!?”

As we laughed together, Mark let out a happy “Kwon!”

Despite the huge wound on his chest, he wore an unbelievably gentle expression.

After that, we lost track of time, playing like children again.

Watching the sun set while lying atop Mark’s chest, Monaka spoke.

“Mark, thank you so very much for today. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun.”

“Kwoo-on.”

Heart-shaped steam rose above his head, and he seemed completely satisfied.

“But Monaka, are you alright? Your robe’s pretty dirty and covered in fur. Won’t you get scolded when you get back?”

“Yes. But this makes me very happy. My sister once told me this. That a Saint’s robe is white so it can be dirtied through meeting many people. And besides…”

Monaka lowered her gaze and hesitated.

Then, looking up at me with visible resolve, she said,

“B-Being dirtied together with someone you l-l-love is the greatest happiness for a Saint…!”

Her stammered words barely registered in my mind.

Because I had just witnessed something almost impossible to believe.

Above Monaka’s head, like dandelion fluff being blown away—

Countless hearts were softly floating upward…!

I rubbed my eyes with my coat sleeve without thinking.

…No matter how much of a Tamer I was, there was no way I could see changes in a human’s emotions too…

Right?