When I went to call Grandpa and the others, I found him and Potato completely glued to the massage chair.
「Grandpa, are you still there?」
『Yeah!』
When I called out to my grandpa, who was lazily sprawled across the machine, Potato answered in his place.
He must have taken quite a liking to it, as it didn’t seem like he’d be moving anytime soon.
「How about we go check on the fields?」
「Ret’s go!」
Since I didn’t have anything in particular to do at home, I decided to take a stroll with Dori while heading toward the fields.
Ever since we planted the sweet potatoes, there hadn’t been much to do—just pulling weeds now and then.
「One day~」
「Wan dey~」
「In the fields~」
「N d pilds~」
Today, as usual, we walked between the fields, singing together.
I checked to see if any animals had been causing damage, but I didn’t spot anything unusual.
Even the potato fields were untouched today, meaning that whatever countermeasures we had were effective—except against that wild boar.
「Met a bear~」
「Meth a ber~」
「And then…」
「N den…?」
I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
Dori and Karaage, who had been following behind me, didn’t stop in time and bumped into me.
Off in the distance, at the far end of the field, stood a massive, black figure.
It was unmistakably a bear.
I’d heard plenty of stories about running into all sorts of animals, but I had never actually encountered a bear before.
Nobody would ever expect to find one in a place like this.
I wasn’t sure which was more dangerous, a wild boar or a bear, but everyone knew the number one rule when encountering one—run.
『Kuweee!』
Karaage, caught between me and Dori, let out a distressed cry, clearly in pain from the impact.
「GROOOAAARRR!」
But that cry ended up alerting the bear to our presence.
「Ku-ma-shaannn!」
Dori, apparently excited about meeting one, started running toward it.
Bears are often portrayed as cute in stories and as mascots, but the real thing is far from just “cute.”
Sensing the danger, I grabbed Dori’s clothes, but she was too strong, and I couldn’t stop her.
Instead, I got dragged along with her.
The bear had now locked onto us and was charging forward while letting out a menacing growl.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure of its presence and seeing its sheer size, I realized it was a fully grown adult bear.
There was no way we could handle this.
「Hey hey, Dori, stop!」
I shouted, but she didn’t seem to hear me.
「STOPPPPP!!!」
Planting my feet firmly, I threw myself backward, trying to slow her down.
It was the only thing I could think of.
『Kuweee!』
Unfortunately, Karaage seemed to think we were playing a game.
He leaped toward me with full force.
Karaage was already about knee-high in size.
And when something that big crashes into me while I’m desperately trying to hold Dori back—
Well, there was only one possible outcome.
「Argh—!?」
In an instant, my knees buckled, and I fell backward.
Of course, the impact made me lose my grip on Dori.
『Wawawawaaaaahhh!』
A loud noise echoed through the field, followed by Karaage’s panicked voice—one I’d never heard before.
At that moment, I felt like my life was flashing before my eyes.
Memories flooded my mind, playing like a montage.
Even ones I’d long forgotten from my childhood resurfaced.
Wait… was Haruki the one who started the summer research project first?
Back then, I had no idea what to do for my project, so I asked Haruki for advice.
He suggested we try hatching eggs together.
But at some point, I convinced myself that he had stolen my idea.
Why did I ever think that?
Even as I tried to remember, the memory cut off there.
「Papa?」
「Huh!?」
Someone was shaking me, and I snapped back to reality.
Did I hit my head when I fell?
There was a dull ache at the back of my head, but it didn’t seem too serious.
「There, there.」
Dori patted my head, while Karaage gently poked my face with his beak, looking worried.
Then… who was the one shaking my body so vigorously?
I turned my gaze downward.
Mixed in with Dori and Karaage, enjoying the act of shaking me—
Was a bear.
「Uwoooohhh!? IT’S A BEAR! A REAL BEAR!」
Thinking I was about to be eaten, I scrambled backward in a panic.
Meanwhile, Dori was locked in a staring contest with the bear.
「Shan-shan!」
「GROOOOAAARRR!」
Then, as if on cue, they both took off running and started pushing each other back and forth.
They were in an empty lot, unused for farming.
The ground was covered in thick grass, so even if they fell, they wouldn’t get hurt.
But still—
That’s a bear.
A wild, unpredictable, dangerous bear.
「Dori is sumo wrestling with a bear.」
『Kuwee!』
Am I really seeing this?
Karaage hopped onto my lap.
He rubbed against me, looking concerned.
Was he apologizing for tripping me earlier?
「Karaage, did you know Dori was friends with a bear?」
『Kuwee!』
Apparently, I was the only one unaware of Dori’s social circle.
Did she meet the bear while out playing with Sena and the others?
More importantly—
Who in the world makes friends with a bear?
As I sat there, trying to process the absurdity, Dori suddenly flipped the bear over and raised her fists in victory.
It seemed the sumo match was over.
『Kwe-kwe!』
Karaage, eager for his turn, charged toward the bear.
Normally, chickens are prey for bears.
But Karaage—
Karaage was built different.
He swiftly dodged the bear’s attacks, then countered by ramming into it, knocking it to the ground.
I guess even if bears show up, those two will be just fine.
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