Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 16 - Chapter 4.5

Intermezzo: Maidens in the White Garden

“Yay, the bathhouse!” Rimee Ruu energetically exclaimed as she stepped into the stone room filled with white steam.

As she slowly followed, Ai Fa stifled a sigh. Unlike the young girl, she wasn’t especially fond of this bathhouse thing.

Isn’t cool water far more pleasant for cleansing one’s body? Who in the world thought up this custom of using hot steam to clean off sweat? Ai Fa thought to herself, but she needed to clean herself here in order to set foot in the kitchen where Asuta would be working. Yet even though it was her third time using the bathhouse, it still didn’t stop her feelings from weighing her down.

“Wow, it really is all white with steam! It’s like we’re giba manju being cooked in a steamer!”

“That’s certainly true. It really is a strange feeling.”

Morun and Ama Min Rutim were both using the facility for the first time, and they sounded like they were enjoying themselves. Reina and Sheera Ruu appeared just as relaxed as always, while Toor Deen was wriggling her body and looking somehow embarrassed.

“S-Still, it’s a bit embarrassing getting naked in front of people who aren’t family... I may not be too fond of using this bathhouse...”

It went without saying, but everyone present was in the nude. They removed all their clothing at the entrance to this room, then pushed through the white fog wearing only what they were born with. And since they had said they didn’t need any guidance or assistance, it was just the seven women of the forest’s edge in the room.

“First, we have to let our bodies be properly steamed. Then the dirt on our bodies will rise to the surface and we rub ourselves with this flat stick.”

Rimee Ruu was teaching the pair from the Rutim clan how to use the bathhouse. After all, the young girl had used the place the same number of times as Ai Fa.

The white steam had a good bit of heat to it. It didn’t seem all that different from what rose from a pot over a stove. And this stone room was sealed tight, so the heat was trapped inside with no way to escape. Thanks to that, the women’s dark brown skin soon grew damp.

“Why exactly have you been stealing glances at me for a while now, Morun Rutim?” Ai Fa asked, only for the girl in question to freeze in surprise beyond the fog.

“H-How did you know? You haven’t looked this way at all...”

“It would be impossible for me not to notice a gaze directed at me from so close. That much is only natural for a hunter.”

“I see. I’m sorry if I offended you or anything,” Morun Rutim said with a flustered bow.

“No,” Ai Fa replied with a shake of her head. “I wasn’t particularly offended. However, I do find it a bit difficult to be at ease when I am being glanced at. If you have something you wish to say, then why not go ahead and come out with it?”

Ai Fa and Morun Rutim hadn’t had all that many opportunities to speak to one another. However, it had been quite some time since they first met, before Asuta started running his stalls. She had a very cheerful personality and yet possessed a firm will, which made Ai Fa quite fond of her. And now, Morun Rutim was staring at Ai Fa with rapt attention. Somehow, that gaze made the Fa clan head feel restless.

“It’s not that I have something to say. My eyes were just drawn in by the sight of you...”

“Drawn in by me? Is that some sort of joke?”

“It’s not a joke. It’s normal to be drawn in by someone so pretty.”

It was against the customs of the forest’s edge to praise the appearance of a member of the opposite sex without reason. However, Ai Fa had no grounds to complain when it came from a fellow woman.

“And you’re not just beautiful, your body is hiding the strength of a hunter too. Having both is amazing. You’re so beautiful, strong, and brave... No other woman can compare.”

“Stop that. You’re making me feel awkward.”

“Sorry. But you think so too, don’t you Ama Min?”

With a gentle smile, Ama Min Rutim nodded. “Yes. There are plenty of women out there with beautiful appearances. But Ai Fa, how should I put it...? You’re special somehow. You possess undeniable beauty as a woman, and yet you’re also as tough as a hunter... And I think that gives you a charm that no one else possesses.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way. And it’s probably because of that charm that so many men asked to marry a hunter like you,” Morun Rutim said, and then she sighed with a strangely pained expression. “It’s stupid to be jealous of others, and yet...I can’t help but be jealous of you. You could win over the heart of any man.”

“What are you saying? Any men who want to marry me have exceedingly strange tastes.”

“That’s true... Ah, not about only strange men falling for you, but how you could win the heart of any man,” Ama Min Rutim said gently while looking over the head of her sister-in-law. “But people all have their own sort of charm. Ai Fa has her own appeal, and you do too, Morun. So there isn’t any need to be jealous at all.”

“But I look just like my dad Dan,” Morun Rutim mumbled in a strangely earnest tone.

After being taken off guard for a moment, Ai Fa unwittingly let a chuckle escape her. When she heard that, Morun Rutim’s eyebrows drooped.

“How could you laugh at me? You think so too, don’t you?”

“No, just the opposite. I laughed because it was just so completely unexpected,” Ai Fa explained while feeling ashamed for carelessly letting her emotions slip out like that. “I’ve never thought that you and Dan Rutim were alike at all. Well, now that you mention it, I recall how you got very angry and chewed out the Suun women for wasting food.”

“I remember that... So you’re saying I looked just like my dad then?”

“Indeed. Your spirits may well be similar. But I never thought you looked alike in the least.” Since this seemed to be an important matter for Morun Rutim, Ai Fa didn’t hold back in speaking how she felt. “I consider Dan Rutim an irreplaceable friend, and I respect him from the depths of my heart. Up until now, I haven’t had many opportunities to talk to you...but still, you’re so earnest that I can easily tell that you’re his child. It’s utter foolishness for a charming girl like you to envy someone such as me.”

“I think so too. As a person, you’re just as charming as Dan and Gazraan, Morun,” Ama Min Rutim added, making Morun Rutim blink in surprise. There was something in those big round eyes of hers that was reminiscent of Dan Rutim. But though she was on the plump side, she wasn’t at all like the round bundle of muscle that was her father.

“It is a sin at the forest’s edge to speak falsely, isn’t it...? Thank you, Ai Fa. And you too, Ama Min.”

“I didn’t do anything worthy of being thanked. I simply spoke the truth.”

“Indeed. I’m certain a great many men would love to marry a pure and good-hearted girl like you,” Ai Fa stated, and Morun Rutim’s already flushed cheeks went even redder. Then, the girl timidly looked at the Fa clan head.

“Um...Deek Dom visited the Fa house, didn’t he? What was he like, exactly?”

“What was he like? Well, he appeared to be hurt by the matter with Lem Dom. However, there didn’t seem to be any issues with his strength as a hunter.”

“I-I see. So you think Deek Dom is an incredible hunter too, don’t you?”

“Of course. In all likelihood, he is every bit as strong as Donda Ruu and Dan Rutim. He has had my attention for some time now.”

“Huh?! A-Ai Fa, weren’t you into gentle men like Asuta?”

Now it was Ai Fa’s turn for the blood to rush to her face.

“Wh-What are you saying?! I meant that I cannot overlook such a strong hunter! It has nothing to do with liking him!”

“O-Oh, I see. I’m sorry, I thought you were saying you had fallen for Deek Dom as a man...”

“I may be a woman, but I am a hunter... I have no intention of getting married, so I will not have my heart stolen by any man.” Thanks to the steam, Ai Fa’s face felt excessively hot.

When Sheera Ruu took a look at Ai Fa, she broke out in a smile. “I’m glad I’ve gotten to see so many more sides of you today, Ai Fa... In the past, you always hid your feelings like someone from the east.”

“That was because there was a great deal of discord between myself and the Ruu clan... It required a fair bit of time to reforge proper bonds.”

“Yeah, and I’m so glad that we managed to patch things up between us,” Sheera Ruu said, her smile brimming with affection.

Ai Fa thought Morun Rutim might have been a charming girl, but Sheera Ruu seemed even more desirable as a wife. In the past she had a weak aspect about her that stirred up Ai Fa’s desire to protect the girl, but lately she had started showing the strong core behind that gentle exterior, which only made her feel all the more charming.

Then, Ai Fa noticed Reina Ruu beside her wearing a somewhat complicated expression. With her blue eyes, she was shooting the Fa clan head a questioning look.

“Okay, now we can wash up! Asuta must be getting tired of waiting!” Rimee Ruu energetically exclaimed after remaining quiet for all that time. She was holding a wooden scrubber shaped like a spatula, and was staring right at Ai Fa with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Hold on. I do not need any help, Rimee Ruu.”

“Huh? But it’s hard to scrub your own back right, isn’t it? I’ll be careful not to tickle you too much today!”

“I told you, I don’t need any assistance! Look after Ama Min and Morun Rutim instead! It’s their first time here!”

With a cute pout and a “Tch!” Rimee Ruu turned toward the pair from the Rutim clan.

With a sigh of relief, Ai Fa withdrew to a corner of the room. Reina Ruu followed after her, holding a wooden scrubber of her own.

“What is it? I don’t need any assistance.”

“No, but would you mind having a bit of a talk while we clean ourselves?”

It seemed that Reina Ruu did have something she wanted to discuss with Ai Fa after all. As the Fa clan head grabbed a scrubber off the wall for herself, she replied, “Very well. It’s quite unusual for you to want to talk to me, though. What do you wish to discuss?”

“Well, I’m not really sure how to say this, but...” Reina Ruu started hesitantly while scrubbing away at her smooth upper arm. “Umm... Ai Fa, what do you think of Yun Sudra?”

“Yun Sudra? You mean that girl who started working the stalls in place of Li Sudra, correct? I haven’t talked to her enough to form any sort of thoughts about her.”

“Is that so? The Sudra clan is located near the Fa house, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. But she has been visiting the Fa house in order to assist Asuta in his work. I’ve seen her in the morning and around sunset a few times, but I’ve never had a need to speak with her.”

“I see. You’ve seen her and Asuta working together though, haven’t you?”

Ai Fa more or less sensed what Reina Ruu was worried about now. In all likelihood, she was referring to the looks and expressions Yun Sudra directed toward Asuta. It was easy to pick up on that much just from watching the two of them together occasionally.

And Reina Ruu once had feelings for Asuta as well...

On the night of Gazraan and Ama Min Rutim’s wedding, Reina Ruu had told Asuta that he should join the Ruu clan. She didn’t seem to mean he should marry her, however... Though at the very least, based on what she heard from Asuta, she felt that the girl’s words had held an unmistakable yearning. Besides, it would be unthinkable to suggest such a thing to someone she had just met like Asuta otherwise.

What’s more, back then Reina Ruu had the same look in her eyes when she stared at Asuta that Yun Sudra does now.

At the forest’s edge, you were able to be wed once you turned fifteen. Yun Sudra was right at that age now, and Reina Ruu was already seventeen. It was no surprise that such feelings would rear their heads between unmarried men and women at that age.

However, Ai Fa was a woman who had decided to live as a hunter rather than get married. What sort of feelings did she have toward Asuta, and what did she want out of the future...? And furthermore, when other women showed their attraction to Asuta, what kind of emotions did that evoke in her? Those questions weren’t so easy to answer, though she had no intention of sharing her thoughts about them regardless.

“From what I hear, Yun Sudra is as skilled at manning the stove as Li Sudra... If that is the truth, then I am glad she is lending her talents to Asuta to assist in his work,” Ai Fa evaded, trying to use an intentionally relaxed tone.

Reina Ruu frowned ever so slightly, bringing her face in close to Ai Fa’s. “Is that really all you feel toward Yun Sudra, Ai Fa...?”

“Is there something other than that I should be feeling?” Ai Fa asked, wanting to avoid speaking falsely if at all possible.

Reina Ruu pulled back, seemingly having given up. “No, you’re right. Yun Sudra has been showing quite a bit of skill at working the stalls. I’m sure she’ll continue to be of help to Asuta in the future as well.”

“Indeed. That is quite heartening to hear.”

Reina Ruu gave a faint, awkward-looking smile and then headed back over to Sheera Ruu. Now by herself again, Ai Fa just kept silently scrubbing her body.

My apologies, Reina Ruu. There’s...nothing I can say, Ai Fa thought to herself as she looked down on her own body.

It was the body of a hunter, replete with taut muscles. Looking closely, she could spy old scars faintly showing here and there. Though they were all points of pride to Ai Fa, it was utterly unthinkable that anyone would think her beautiful as a woman because of them.

You all are far more beautiful than I am.

That went for Reina and Sheera Ruu, Ama Min and Morun Rutim...and though they were still young, even Rimee Ruu and Toor Deen. Those women all possessed the beauty Ai Fa lacked as one who chose to live as a hunter. That was the one and only truth, as far as she saw it.

That’s why I have no right to speak about that kind of thing.

After that, time passed on by, and they all exited the bathhouse.

In the small adjoining room they got dressed again, with Ai Fa putting her hunter’s cloak back on and retrieving her blade. These were two more points of pride for her. And the necklace with the blue stone that she had received from Asuta brought her great joy as well.

“And that’s everyone. Now, how about we head for the kitchen?” Asuta said with a smile. He had been talking with Dan Rutim and the other hunter, since he had finished up with the bathhouse a step ahead of the women. From here on out, he would be busy preparing dinner for nobles.

Under that Chiffon Chel woman’s guidance, they proceeded down the stone hallway. As he walked alongside Ai Fa, Asuta was completely unable to hide his excitement.

“You seem rather worked up, Asuta.”

“Hmm? Well, yeah. I mean, I’ll be working the same kitchen as that Varkas guy.”

Those black eyes of his looking at Ai Fa were filled with a strong, bright light. While there was a childlike innocence in his gaze, there was also an unshakable strength hidden beneath that. His eyes had the look of a hunter heading out into the forest after giba.

He lacked the strength needed to swing a blade, and had a gentle appearance like a woman’s, but there was a great power hidden inside of Asuta. There couldn’t be many people out there as mysterious as him, not just in the settlement at the forest’s edge, but even in the post town and castle town.

With that in mind, I suppose it’s no surprise that some women would be taken with him... Ai Fa thought to herself, only for Asuta to give a little tilt of his head. It was a childish gesture that called Rimee Ruu to mind.

“What is it, Ai Fa? You’ve got a real serious look on your face for some reason.”

Now he was wearing such a childlike expression that it made it hard to believe he had been showing so much strength just moments before. That was yet another irreplaceable part of Asuta’s charm.

“You truly are unfair...”

“U-Unfair? What are you saying, all of a sudden? I didn’t even do anything.”

“Quiet, you,” Ai Fa retorted, but she was unable to hold herself back from breaking out in a smile.

The head of the Fa clan found her heart filled with unparalleled joy. Even if she was not permitted to speak of her true feelings and desires because she was a hunter...as long as Asuta remained by her side, Ai Fa would be happier than anyone.

Asuta said he wanted to remain beside me his whole life long. Even if we are never married...those words alone are enough for me.

Perhaps someday Asuta would marry some other woman. Even if that happened, as long as he remained a member of the Fa clan, he and Ai Fa would always be family.

When she thought about Asuta growing to love another woman, she felt a throbbing pain deep in her chest.

But even so, it was Asuta’s presence that was most important to her. And she felt proud of herself for being able to feel that way.

Still, as his clan head, I cannot permit him to marry just any woman, Ai Fa thought to herself, then she delivered a kick to Asuta’s leg.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything!”

But all Asuta got for his whispered complaint was Ai Fa once more replying, “Quiet, you.”

If others weren’t watching, Ai Fa surely would not have been able to hold herself back from throwing her arms around Asuta. But since she couldn’t do that, Ai Fa simply smiled, and Asuta fell into a bewildered silence.