Chapter 111
"Alright... time to carry in my stuff!"
Clael declared and looked around the hallway of the staff dormitory.
On the second floor of the staff dormitory, the floor for male staff, there was no one but Clael. Only piles of luggage were scattered along the hallway.
"First, I should check the room..."
He unlocked the door and checked the inside of the room.
The layout was a 1DK. The room was decently spacious and came with a toilet and bath.
The kitchen was equipped with a water tap and grill powered by magic items, making it suitable for cooking meals.
Depending on the location... if this were in the city center, it would probably cost around 150,000 yen in rent.
Furniture like a bed, dresser, and desk were already in place. They didn't seem particularly expensive... but it was more than enough for living alone.
"Yeah, not a bad room at all."
The only downside was the lack of a TV and video games... but that couldn't be helped.
Memories of his previous life came back. When he first moved out on his own from his hometown. On his days off, he used to play games all the time.
"Not just a TV, but there's no air conditioner either... well, of course."
Clael gave a wry smile and stepped back outside the room.
Once again, he confirmed that no one else was around... then opened one of the boxes.
"Hey, it's okay to come out now."
"Kuma—"
A bear plushie poked its head out from the box. And not just one—there were three of them.
Each was made from red, blue, and yellow fabric, and they cheerfully leapt out of the box.
"Kuma—"
"Alright then, help me bring in the rest of the stuff."
"Kuma, kuma—"
The three bears began lifting the luggage one after another and carried it into the room.
Some of the items were fairly heavy... but they moved them with ease.
Incredible strength. With support magic, Clael could lift them too, but... not this effortlessly.
"...You guys are amazing. Seriously, this helps a lot."
Reina had given him these three, and he was truly grateful.
The staff dormitory had solid security, but even so, the world wasn't exactly peaceful.
It never hurt to stay vigilant.
"Kuma kuma."
"Ah, put that in the bedroom over there."
"Kuma—"
"That's a change of clothes, so place it in front of the dresser."
After bringing in the luggage, he opened the boxes and began unpacking.
Watching the bear plushies carefully put clothes and underwear into the dresser or hang them on hangers was a surreal sight.
"Kuma kuma."
(It's amazing how living with these guys has become normal... Normally, if a doll started moving on its own, that'd be a horror story.)
At this point, even if a regular plushie from a store started moving, he probably wouldn't be surprised. Even if it's a game world, he'd gotten completely used to the extraordinary.
(Soon, it'll be time to start attending the academy. I'll have to teach those loud capture characters... That's going to be exhausting.)
He'd met them during the beach trip... and they were even more boisterous and unique than in the game.
If he were going to see them on a daily basis, it seemed like boredom would never be a problem.
"Kuma—"
"Hm? Oh, let's put that in the corner over there. It's open and just right."
"Kuma kuma."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
A bear handed him a drink that looked like a sports beverage.
They were truly thoughtful companions. You wouldn't find many bears this considerate.
"Kuma kuma kuma."
"That is... huh?"
The yellow bear was placing something on the desk.
Something he didn't recognize... no, in a way, he did.
It was a portrait of Reina in a picture frame. It had been captured by a magic item camera, and the resolution was nearly indistinguishable from reality.
"I don't remember bringing something like that... and it's a swimsuit photo too..."
What the bear had placed on the desk was from their recent beach trip.
In other words... it was a swimsuit photo.
A man displaying a swimsuit photo of a girl he raised like a daughter or little sister on his desk... That was just way too creepy.
"L-Let's put that away, okay? There's no need to go out of your way to display that..."
"Kuma? Kuma kuma!"
"No, putting it on the bed is even worse! What kind of guy keeps a family member's swimsuit photo by his pillow!?"
He tried to take the picture frame from the yellow bear... but it ran around, and he couldn't catch it.
In the end, the photo was placed in the corner of the desk, and from then on, whenever Clael worked there, he would always be face-to-face with Reina's swimsuit photo.