Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 12 - Chapter SS

Bonus Short Story

The Youngest Ruu Daughter and Newest Clan Member

After finishing up her morning work, Rimee Ruu had decided to head to the plaza, where she found Mida sitting on the ground all by himself.

“Ah, Mida! What’re you doing?”

“Well, I finished chopping firewood, so I’m taking a little break...”

Sure enough, there was a mound of chopped wood sitting there next to Mida. Since he got all worn out after just a little work, he was tasked with doing manual labor from dawn till dusk in order to build up the strength he would need as a hunter.

“Oh yeah, everyone from your old family is gathering in the Ruu settlement today! You must be looking forward to it, right? Since you haven’t seen them for around a month now,” Rimee Ruu questioned.

“No...” Mida unexpectedly replied.

“Huh? You’re not? That can’t be true.”

“Well, I am, but I’m not supposed to be, right...?”

“What do you mean you’re not supposed to look forward to it?”

“Our ties were all cut, so I can’t be happy about meeting them anymore, can I...?”

“Huh? No way! It’s totally obvious you can be happy to see them after so long!”

“But we’re not family anymore... And if you’re not family, you don’t get to see each other, right?” Mida said, his little eyes tearing up.

When he was pulled away from his former family, Tsuvai and Oura, here at the Ruu settlement, Mida had wailed like a little kid. Thinking back to that, Rimee Ruu replied, “That’s not true at all! Even if your ties were cut, you’re still all fellow people of the forest’s edge! You just live far apart, but of course you can be happy when you get a chance to see each other!”

“Huh? Really?”

“Definitely! You’ve been sad because you haven’t been able to see your old family, right?”

“Yeah... I was real sad...”

Just like that, the tears started flowing forth. Pulling a hand towel out of her pocket, Rimee Ruu wiped them away for him.

“Well, that’s why it’s your punishment. But since you’ve been hurting so much, then why not be happy when you get a chance to see them?! I’m sure my mom and dad would tell you the same thing, too!”

“Right...” Mida replied, continuing to cry as his fatty cheeks trembled.

As she kept on wiping away those tears, Rimee Ruu shot Mida a smile. “I’m sure Asuta and Reina and everyone will be making lots of tasty food for tonight. And I’ll work as hard as I can too, so try to get a little excited, all right?!”

“Thanks...” Mida mumbled, his eyes narrowing.

Due to all his fat, Mida’s face didn’t really shift well into expressions, but at the moment, he seemed to be smiling.