Only I can Return After the Class Transfer Translation

58. Kumako

The sun fully rises before long, and we resume our travel. Thanks to Shigenobu’s Equipment Strengthening, our journey is quite smooth. I’m currently fighting a mamono called Cochineal Red Feather Angel. It has wings and a halo.

“—-”

I chase after the Cochineal Red Feather Angel with my sword while it emits osculations different from sounds and voices in its attempt to keep its distance.

“Bear! Seperate Yukinari from the herd of mamono!” Shigenobu yells.
“Gau!”

Punching Bear grabs my armor from behind.

“What are you doing! I was just a step away from exterminating that mamono!”
“You were chasing it way too deep! You would not have escaped unharmed if they attacked you all at once!” Shigenobu yells.
“I’ll be fine with that much! In the meantime, you should all safely take down the mamono!”

For some reason, Shigenobu slaps his face from irritation at my reply.

“Ahh, seriously… Bear, I request you stop Yukinari from getting too far ahead.”
“Gau!”

Punching Bear maintains his hold on my back, keeping me from approaching the mamono.

“Hey! Let go!”
I won’t stop no matter how hard you pull!

In the end, Minori-san climbs on top of the Punching Bear’s back and grabs me by the hem of my clothes.

“It‘s alright, so calm down.”
“I can’t… If I hold back, then it’ll fall to everyone else!”
“It’s going to be okay. Yukinari-kun, you’re the one who’s hurt. Aren‘t you being a little too eager?”
“But…”
“Gau?”

At that moment, an attack from the battle group lands on the Cochinil Red Feather Angel, completely obliterating it.

“We leave once we check if everyone’s okay. Yukinari you stay in the back a bit longer.” Shigenobu says.
“Shigenobu?!”
“Listen here, Yukinari. Letting you take the vanguard the way you are now is too difficult. Work together with Bear to make sure you bring down the mamono. You’ll help everybody doing that.”

Will that really help everyone…? True, I’ll probably be able to defeat mamono faster that way.
… Does he mean to say that my current way of fighting is troubling everyone?

I need to think about how I’ll be doing things.

“Got it. I should just deal with the mamono as fast as possible so that I can shield everyone from their attacks, right?”
“That’s right, however, that doesn’t mean you have to forcefully cover someone from an attack. You can put off jumping to the defense of those with shields and leave it to them.”
“But I can’t do that!”

Shigenobu releases a heavy sigh at my answer.

“Think about it in terms of strategy. Bear is able to tell when mamono are closing in on us. If you inform us about it beforehand, we’ll be ready for a surprise attack. By staying with Bear, you will be everyone‘s escort.”

I trying saying doing that is no good, but we immediatly resume our march.

With those feelings, Punching Bear and I hurry to the front.


Noon comes around and when we take a break, my classmates gather around Punching Bear and begin to play for a bit. Punching Bear accepts their amiability and responds to their affection.

“Thank you for today.”
“We were saved because of you.”

Punching Bear fought together with me against the mamono. They are probably giving their thanks for that.

“Gau—”
“Your fur is so soft. Come to think of it, you can transform into gloves right? I’m curious, what will happen if I charge you with mana?”

After saying that Minori-san proceeds to infuse Punching Bear with mana.

It seems to have an effect.
I guess it’s because Punching Bear is both a living creature as well as equipment?

“Gau! Gau gau!”
Punching Bear strikes something like bodybuilding poses.

Is Punching Bear playing around? This feels very different from using a frisbee to play with a dog.

“Ahaha! What’s that!?”
“It’s so funny!” says Minori-san.
“Gau—”

Punching Bear acts shy before my laughing classmates. He hides his face behind his paws while peaking with glances between the gaps. He seems to be deepenning his friendship with my classmates in various ways.

Minori-san, maybe in an attempt to deepen their relationship even further, jumps onto his back with a hug.

“You’re like a huge stuffed animal—! What if I told you that I have a huge stuffed bear in my room back home?”
“Hee—”

Well, given that Minori-san is a bit of an airhead, it fits.

“So soft. Your fur is a bit messy, I’ll arrange it for you.”
“Gau—”

Punching Bear, perhaps also worried about his fur, starts brushing himself. The other girls with Minori-san also join in on the fun and help out.

Ah, You were a girl—?” says Minori-san.
“Gau!”
“The, let’s call her Kumako.”

With those words, Hagisawa joins in without anyone knowing it and names Punching Bear.
Still, Kumako? Well, I guess I’ll call her that too.

“Isn’t that way too simple?” a girl asks.
“I’ve already decided to call her that.” Hagisawa answers.
“Well, it sounds like a girl’s name. Also, don’t you think she’ll look cute with a ribbon?”

With those words, Minori-san ties a cloth into a bowknot around Kumako for everyone to see.

The former Punching Bear, Kumako, smiles in delight.

“It should be time soon…” I murmur.

The sun is starting to set, and the camp we’ve made is pretty halfheated. As such, we start doing it again.

“Gau gau gau!”
“Hanebashi, aren’t ya going back to Japan tonight?”

Hagisawa calls out to me while he’s working on setting up the camp.

“What if you are all attacked while I’m away?”

“It’s not like your battle prowess is all that high, though.”
“Still… It’s better than not being here at all.”
“That is true, but weren’t you already quite reckless today?”
“I was not. I only did what was necessary for the situation.”

Hagisawa sighs out in exasperation at my answer for some reason.

Haa… Aren’t you rushing to your death?”
“Rushing to my death? Me?”

I just want to protect everyone. After all, I had decided to become somone who can protect others, just like Meguru-san.

“Gau gau.”

Kumako then drags me into one of the set-up tents, as if hoping I will take a break.

“For the time being, Hanebashi, it’s been decided from the start that the first thing you’ll be doing tonight is resting. Therefore, if you’re not going back to Japan, then relax.”
“I’m still fine. Alright! Then, I’ll just switch with someone else.”
“Everyone agreed on it! Shigenobu and others told me to tell you that too!”

Muu… Is he going to tell on me if I don’t?

Then, Minori-san appears bringing me dinner, but I feed it to Kumako.

“Gau—?”
“Aren’t you going to eat, Yukinari-kun?”
“I’m fine, I’m not hungry.”

To be honest, I’m not particularly hungry these days, so this is actually a relief. Forcing myself to eat just makes me nauseous.

“Don’t push yourself too much, okay?” Minori-san says.
“I am pushing myself just enough.”

Until now, I’ve been bystander. I plan to work at it to make up for the time I wasted.

“Come on, don’t talk like that. Don’t ruin yourself. If you do, that will make me, everyone else… and even Meguru sad.”
“……”

…I can‘t refut her if she is going to bring up Meguru-san.
I reluctantly agree.

“Well then, Yukinari-kun, rest easy, alright?”
Minori-san waves her hand and takes her leave.

Once I lay down in the tent, Kumako lays down next to me and hugs me.
Her soft fur tickles me.

“Gau.”
“Oh, you’re going to sleep, too?”
“Gau!”

Her fur looks strangely glossy.
As I think that, Kumako gently pats me as if she were a parent putting her child to sleep.
Is this supposed to make me sleepy by controlling my breathing?
…My eyelids feel heavy…

It isn’t the warmth of a body, but that warmth invites me to sleep.

“Gau…”

In the end, Kumako gets me asleep beside her.

 

I’m… dreaming.

A dream of an ordinary day from before we were transported here.
I can’t tell if I am in the dream or not, it’s as if I’ve beome a ghost… I feel like I’m watching our classroom through remote viewing

Shigenobu is there, Hagisawa is there, Meguru-san and Minori-san, all of my other classmates are there.

It’s a day not particualrly different from any other. We are fed up with studying while also thinking it’s boring. We are given problems and we solve them one after the other day after day. Class begins, everyone studies, and once school lets out, we talk with our friends. Of course, there are also those who go to their clubs or part-time jobs.

It’s a completely normal scene.

And now we’re making our way through a forest in another world just to stay alive…?

That’s right… I used to ridicule being bored, but days like that had various things happening. They were precious days.

Before long, everyone leaves the classroom and the lights are turned out.

I… want everyone to return to a time like this.
…And even if that cannot happen, then just those who are still alive.

That is when Meguru-san returns to the classroom. Maybe she forgot something, she’s looking around the place

I’d like to hold my hand out to her, but it doesn’t reach…

That is when Meguru-san looks toward me.

“——”

I’m not sure if it’s because of my voice or her voice.  It’s just that… there’s an abrupt shift in my consiousness.

 ******

Yukinari Hanebashi:
1) Teleport objects /Self to Earth
2) Point/yen conversion. (Tells others it’s a shopping catalogue)
3) Remote viewing
4) Bestowal transfer
boxing gloves: strawberry wallaby medal, kangaroo knight medal, punching bear medal (belt)
Kitchen knife
Meguru’s Metal turtle sword
Baby Blue Punching Bear Punching Gloves

Effect: Dynamic Vision Increase; Wind Punch; Bear Claw; Earth Crash; Wild Sense
Instant Expansion Ability: Kangaroo Step; Boxer
Baby Blue Punching Bear King’s Medal
Effect: King’s Protection; Glove Strengthening;
Enabled: 1 VS 1

Punching Bear Lv 15
Ability: Boxer
Unique Ability: Assist; Insect Killer

Meguru Hiyama:
1) Teleportation
2) Clairvoyance
3) Material transfer (uses pillars of light)
4) Transfer to the other world

Shigenobu Sakaede
1) Black Smith
2) Mining Correction
3) Equipment Strengthening
4) Grant Effects
Hammer??

Minori Himeno: Has a polite/formal way of speaking
1) Healing/recover mana
2) Charge with mana
3) Repair (doesn’t fix missing pieces/chips)
4) Item box
Crowbar??

Dai Hagisawa
1) Craft things
2) Identify
3) Trade
4) Collection Improvement
Hammer??


E/N: Punching Bear was never referred to with he or she in the story. Until that point, her sex has never been confirmed, she had only been referred to a bear or punching bear.

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