Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 18 - Chapter 1.2

2

The giba hot pot stew stall was a booming success. The novelty really did seem to be the key. In fact, there was such a crowd of customers gathering that there was a line for those twenty seats.

In spite of that, though, the number of customers the rest of our stalls were getting hadn’t significantly dropped. In fact, the majority were seeking out one of the preexisting dishes to go alongside the soup as a light snack.

As the most expensive of the dishes at three red coins, business did seem to be a bit slow for the giba burger stall, but since its popularity was well established to begin with, there still didn’t seem to be any worries about even those failing to sell out.

“Come on, just give me some already! If there aren’t any seats, I’ll eat it standing!” Ultimately, some customers ended up eating their soup standing up after saying stuff like that. Those who bought multiple dishes just borrowed the edge of a table and ate while standing. Even once we hit full capacity for standing customers too, the line still didn’t get any shorter.

Though we’d thought we had prepared enough to have some leeway with those thirty sets of plates and spoons, they were all being used, so Sheera Ruu had to focus more on gathering the empty plates than washing them, which meant going around the seats became her main job. Things seriously were hectic. And amidst all that commotion, Yumi from The Westerly Wind suddenly popped up.

“Whoa, what’s all this? I finally managed to slip out of the shop, but you’re all full up?”

“Ah, welcome. So you’re after the giba hot pot stew as well?”

“Of course! If you put out a new dish, I’ve got to see how it tastes! But I’m gonna have to wait my turn, huh...? It’s not going to sell out, is it?”

“That shouldn’t be an issue for now. We only just emptied the first pot.”

Since we’d planned for eighty meals, we had prepared three huge pots of the stuff. But with one already empty before the sun had hit its peak, it seemed inevitable that it would sell out before we closed up shop for the day.

“Ah, Yumi!” a young girl’s voice excitedly called out. It had come from Tara, who had been brought along by her father, Dora.

“Hey there, Tara. And long time no see, mister.”

“Ah, Yumi, it has been a bit. I’m glad to see you looking well.”

Yumi and Tara got along rather well, and it seemed that even Dora had been brought into the loop now.

“Thank you two for coming as well.”

“Of course we came. It’s not possible to get that new dish to go, so some buddies and I decided to take turns watching one another’s places. After all, the soup dish you made at our place was just so amazing.”

“Giba really is tasty in soup too, isn’t it? And you used giba innards in today’s soup, right? I’m pretty fond of kimyuus offal dishes myself...” Yumi chimed in with a smile. It was a charming sight, as if she were part of Dora’s family too.

“Still, this certainly is an incredible turnout. Let’s line up before they sell out. Ah, Asuta, could Tara and I each get a giba manju?”

“Oh, I’d like one too.”

The three of them joined the line, munching on giba manju and looking quite content.

Business was seriously booming. When I stole a glance at the tables, I saw that the easterners and southerners had split off to the left and right so they wouldn’t end up at the same table, but it didn’t seem like they were causing any sort of commotion. There were just sounds of mirth filling the air.

Even though the giba hot pot stew used chitt seeds, an ingredient from Sym that folks from Jagar tended to avoid, there seemed to be more southerners gathered there than westerners, though I couldn’t say if they knew or not. Tau oil was incredibly good at drawing in customers from Jagar.

“What’s the matter? Are you that worried about how it’s going over there?” Toor Deen questioned, as she was the one working the stall with me thanks to the rotation.

“No,” I replied. “Actually, it just looks like a good time. I did a job like that back in my home country, clearing plates and washing them off.”

Toor Deen openly stared at me.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Ah... It’s just, I was a little surprised since you don’t talk about your home country very often,” Toor Deen answered with a bashful smile. A charming expression that would surely ease the heart of anyone who saw it.

Just then, a voice cheerfully called out from the side, “Sorry for the wait!” The sun had finally hit its peak, and Yun Sudra and Ama Min Rutim had arrived.

“This certainly is quite the crowd. You must’ve been working hard, Tsuvai,” Ama Min Rutim said.

“Hmph! I’ve had fewer customers than usual over here.”

“I’ll go check on Sheera Ruu. She must have had it rough, handling all that on her own, so hold on for just a bit.” Ama Min Rutim headed over to the outdoor restaurant, while Yun Sudra looked up at me with a big grin.

“Where do you want me, Asuta?”

“Let’s see. Could I have you work the poitan wraps, Yun Sudra? Then Yamiru Lea can swap with Toor Deen and work the giba manju. I want to go check how things are going over there real quick.”

I tried my best to handle Yun Sudra just the same as I had up until now.

Even though everyone said she definitely had feelings for me, she hadn’t made a move herself, and I had tried to maintain a moderate distance with her to begin with. I didn’t feel like it would be right to act unusually cold toward her, so I felt like this was the best option for now.

Maybe I should ask someone how men of the forest’s edge deal with women who might have feelings for them when they don’t reciprocate...

Still, I had no idea whatsoever who would be good to ask about romance.

I figured Gazraan Rutim was a special case at the forest’s edge, considering he had remained single until the second half of his twenties, and Ludo Ruu seemed more interested in food than sexual urges. I was hesitant to rely on a simple and earnest guy like Shin Ruu about something like this, and I didn’t have much hope for Rau Lea, who was more forward than anyone I knew.

Well, her clan head, Raielfam Sudra, said to look at her in the long-term. If I were to explain my reasoning about why I can’t do that, it would have to involve my feelings toward Ai Fa. I can’t see myself doing something that embarrassing any more than I already have.

As I held back the sigh that was about to slip out, I moved over to the space under the leather roof.

Though there were only twenty seats, there were thirty folks packed in there, slurping soup. Lala Ruu had moved to the giba burger stall, Ama Min Rutim took over the giba hot pot stew stall, and Sheera Ruu remained in charge of dishwashing.

“Hey. So, how’s it going?”

“Well, we’re halfway through the second pot now. At this rate, we should sell out within the next hour. Considering the majority of the customers are ordering the smaller size, it sure is selling fast,” Sheera Ruu answered with a smile as she wiped off a washed plate. Then she swiftly handed that plate to Ama Min Rutim, who filled it with hot pot stew for a waiting customer.

“Hmm, if we say a day of work is roughly three and a half hours...that would mean it’ll sell out in two-thirds of that. In that case, you might still sell out if you make one and a half times that amount tomorrow.”

“Do you think? But it may just be selling today due to the novelty.”

“If the customers today seem satisfied with it, they’ll keep ordering it going forward. So, how would you say they’ve been reacting to it?”

“Well...they mostly looked satisfied from what I could tell,” Sheera Ruu said, breaking out in an even brighter smile. Even though she had become quite a cheerful person, it was still rare for her to show it this openly on her face. “The Ruu clan had no custom of eating giba innards until we learned how to prepare them from Toor Deen, but I haven’t seen any resistance to this kind of dish from the townsfolk.”

“Yeah, supposedly folks from the west, south, and east eat innards from kimyuus, karon, and gyama respectively. But since they don’t last long, they aren’t really sold in the post town.”

“There are some people who just want ordinary meat, but folks generally seem happy with it. I really want Reina Ruu to see this soon.”

Since there were some folks who brought along fruit wine, it felt real lively, a bit like a banquet. However, there was an annoyed shout of “Hurry up and clear some seats!” from one of the customers lined up, only for another customer to chime in, “Cut that out. If the guards get called, we won’t be able to eat it at all.” For the time being, common sense among the customers was managing to keep the peace.

At one table, a group of middle-aged men from the south who looked to be work buddies were laughing away. And at another table, young men and women were huddled together enjoying the dish. It wasn’t rare to see parents and children together like Dora and Tara too. As for the easterners, they remained perfectly silent as they ate, as always. All this was what Sheera Ruu wanted Reina Ruu to see. Even I was anxiously waiting to see what tomorrow would bring.

As those thoughts ran through my head, a displeased voice called out, “Hey.” Speak of the devil, we had a guard clad in leather armor approaching. The bustling crowd quieted down, looking rather daunted. “This is quite the commotion. Who is the owner of this stall?”

“Ah, I’m in charge for today,” Sheera Ruu answered, calmly stepping forward. The guard looked her slender figure up and down.

“Then allow me to give you official notice. It has been determined that there is an issue with this shop’s business, which must be revised for tomorrow onwards.”

“An issue? What would that be?”

“You rented this space with the canopy over it, didn’t you? That group sticking out from underneath over there clearly exceeds your territory. If you intend to keep running the same business from tomorrow on, then you should pay the cost to rent another space.”

Sheera Ruu and I looked in the direction he had indicated. Sure enough, though we hadn’t noticed it since the land beyond the outdoor restaurant was empty, a number of the customers standing and eating were clearly outside of the space covered by the roof.

“I see. Normally that would be a space for another stall, wouldn’t it? I’m truly sorry for overlooking something so important,” Sheera Ruu said with a deep bow. Then, she calmly looked up at the face of the displeased young guard. “But since we’ve already intruded into that space, shouldn’t we pay the fee for today as well? We will abide by the laws of Genos.”

“There’s no need to worry about today. But at any rate, you’re clearly lacking seats, aren’t you? So why not rent the neighboring space as well? Then you’ll get fewer people yelling for seats to open up too.” Though he acted haughty, I was impressed by how considerate the guard seemed to be. Just as I was thinking that, his gaze turned my way. “You also seem to be doing well, Asuta of the Fa clan... Now that things are so lively even this far north, we have to spend a lot more effort patrolling.”

“Huh? You’re...” I started to say, but then I suddenly remembered.

Back when we were still dealing with Cyclaeus, this was one of the guards who had dropped by to clear things up about the bandits dressed as hunters of the forest’s edge and the incident with Jeeda drawing his blade in town.

Though I didn’t remember the faces of each of the guards I saw, I could just barely recall this one talking a lot in place of the small man who was his commander.

“It’s been a while... Thank you for your help back then.”

“Hmph. I’m tasked with patrolling the post town, so I see all of you each and every day, you know. Though I suppose you don’t differentiate between us guards.”

“Well, with those helmets on it can be tricky telling you apart... But I do remember you. We talked with you in front of Dora’s shop, right?”

“Hmph,” the young guard muttered, jutting out his lower lip.

The man had likely believed in the righteousness of the militia. But a few days after he’d talked with us, the leader of their division, Ciluel, was exposed as a criminal, and not long after that, the vice-leader and two battalion commanders were similarly judged. It was undoubtedly his superiors who had been behind the people who were menacing Genos back then.

What must he have thought and felt about everything that had happened? Naturally, I wasn’t about to ask him, and he wasn’t going to just tell us out of the blue.

“Thanks to your expanding business, the section of town designated for stalls is running out of space too...” the young guard said as he looked over at the outdoor restaurant. We were located at the very north end of the post town, with nothing farther past us. There was enough space left for four or five more stalls to open up, but beyond that was a dense thicket. “It likely won’t be long before those woods are cleared. A large project like that may bring the local thugs here seeking pay, but try not to let any trouble crop up, okay?”

“Got it. We’ll take care,” I replied, and then voiced a small question of my own. “But will there really be a need for that much more stall space so soon? This is my fifth month now since opening for business, but I haven’t seen all that much of a change.”

“Of course there will be. After all, next month is the violet month.”

I was taken aback, which made the guard shoot me a suspicious look.

“The sun god’s revival festival is held in the violet month. It’s only natural that there are more people and stalls around for the festival, isn’t it? And since Genos is the most prosperous town in the area, tons of people will gather from all around to enjoy the event.”

“Ooh, so there are festivals like that here in Genos too?” I asked, brimming with curiosity. However, the guard just looked all the more annoyed.

“From our point of view, it’s just a needless increase in our workload. We don’t have time to spend with family, and have to keep running around town chasing after suspicious outsiders... Hey, don’t go causing a commotion for the festival, okay?”

“Right, understood.”

With that, the young guard gave another “Hmph!” and then left.

In his place, Lala Ruu approached while holding a number of wooden plates.

“Huh? Weren’t you over at the giba burger stall, Lala Ruu?”

“Sheera Ruu looked like she wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the dirty dishes, so I gathered up the empty plates. Now, let’s hurry up and help her get them washed.”

Now that I had time to look, I could see that the line in front of the soup stall where Ama Min Rutim was working had gotten even longer. It seemed we really might have a need for additional seating and tableware. But for now, the three of us went ahead and cleaned the wooden plates and spoons.

“Hey, since the giba burger stall isn’t all that busy, why don’t I help out over here until I’m needed? I figure it would be more efficient if one of us keeps an eye on the seating while the other focuses on washing,” Lala Ruu said.

“Right. And the one on washing duty can help out with that stall when needed... Ah, Tsuvai’s been handling the giba burgers on her own this whole time, though, so maybe it would be better to switch with her?”

“No, I think it would be better for me and you to take on this job for today and get the fundamentals down. Then I can tell Reina and Rimee how to do it, since they’re on for tomorrow. Those of us in the Ruu clan need to learn it properly first, since we’re the parent clan of the Rutim.”

“Got it. Then, I’ll have Tsuvai and Ama Min Rutim swap.”

Since this was really different from how we normally ran the stalls, we were definitely going to need all sorts of trial and error. But at least for now, there was no chance for me to interject and try to rearrange things. Still, Lala Ruu was so active while Sheera Ruu was always calm and composed; they made for quite the pair.

“Ah, Asuta, so this is where you were?”

As I stood a few steps away, watching Sheera and Lala Ruu struggle with the dishes, yet another person had called out to me. But this time around, the voice alone made it clear who I was dealing with. It was Myme and Mikel.

“Hey there, Myme. And Mikel, you too. Thanks for coming.”

“Heh heh, we already gave it a taste test, but I wanted to eat even more of it.”

Myme and Mikel had each ordered a separate dish alongside the giba hot pot stew. Myme had a giba poitan wrap, while Mikel had the special dish, the giba cutlet sandwich.

“The seats are all full, aren’t they? Um, is it all right if we put our stuff down here?” Myme asked a jovial customer from Jagar.

“Sure! But this guy next to me has sticky fingers, so make sure he doesn’t snatch your food!”

Having gotten permission, the two of them laid out a towel on the edge of the table and set their food down. Not long after, they were slurping their steaming hot pot stews.

“Mmm, it really is delicious! To think that chitt seeds and tau oil would go together this well!”

“Hmph. That’s not a rare combination at all in the castle town.”

Had Mikel skipped out on his work selling charcoal for the day? However he came to be here, he chowed down on his offal with the same sour look as always, his clothes stained black with soot. The cold war that had erupted between the father and daughter pair right before our trip to Dabagg had come to a close, and Myme’s mood seemed to have completely recovered. Still, I went out on a limb and touched on the matter a bit before getting back to my own work.

“By the way, Bartha will be guarding you when you open your stall, right? Do you think you’ll be setting the dates for that soon?” We had different groupings in the wagons for our return trip from Dabagg than we had on the way there. Apparently, while the two of them were riding together, they had really hit it off and ended up coming to an agreement.

“I only hunt in the morning, and I can chop firewood whenever I have time to spare. I’d actually be grateful for the chance to earn some daily wages,” Bartha had said with a grin.

Bartha was not only skilled, but also someone we could guarantee was trustworthy. When Mikel heard that she was a former member of the Red Beards and had played a significant role in taking down Cyclaeus, he’d begrudgingly had to accept that she was suitable for the job.

“Ah, could I ask you to deliver a message to Bartha about that? Could you tell her that I’m sorry, but I need a bit more time before opening a stall?”

“Huh? Did you run into some other issue?”

“No. It’s just that since I have the chance, I’d like to use karon milk. But I don’t know how to yet,” Myme answered with a smile. “Still, the year will end up changing if I keep dragging my feet, so at the latest, I’d like to at least be ready for the revival festival.”

“The revival festival, huh? I actually just heard about it recently. What sort of event is it?”

“Huh? I mean, it’s the sun god’s revival festival... Ah, right, you came from overseas, didn’t you? The revival festival is an event to celebrate the end and beginning of the year. The most important dates are the last day of the violet month and the first of the silver month, with the festival kicking off halfway through the violet month. Things get really lively in the post town then.”

“It’s that sort of festival, huh? I had no idea, so thanks.”

It was already the twenty-seventh of the indigo month, so the violet month was getting pretty close. My heart was starting to soar at the thought of it.

“So, you’re aiming to complete your dish and open your stall by the middle of next month at the latest? Got it. I’ll let Bartha know.”

“I appreciate it.”

After I said farewell to the smiling Myme and the sour-faced Mikel, as well as Sheera Ruu, who was still working away as a dishwasher, I got back to my own work.

Yamiru Lea had been handling the giba manju stall on her own, and as she handed one to a customer she stole a glance my way.

“Sorry for the wait. You didn’t have any trouble restocking them, did you?” I asked.

“No. Toor Deen helped out. We seem to be selling even better than usual today, don’t we?”

“Oh, really? The extra attention drawn by the hot pot stew must be pulling in more customers on our end too.”

If that momentum wasn’t limited to just today, then that would mean a permanent increase in the number of customers we drew in. And that accomplishment was all down to Reina and Sheera Ruu.

“It seems quite hectic over there. It’s a good thing I didn’t end up having to help out.”

“Oh? It might be worthwhile to spend some time moving around while working rather than staying behind the stall and selling food, don’t you think?”

“Lala and Rimee Ruu may enjoy such work, but that isn’t the sort of person I am...” As a feeling of surprise came over me, Yamiru Lea suddenly shot me a chilly glare. “What? Should I have called them the third and youngest Ruu daughters? It’s unnatural to keep referring to people like that after learning their names, isn’t it?”

“I-I didn’t say a word.”

“Your expression said you wanted to make a comment about it.” Though Yamiru Lea had grown a lot gentler, her perceptiveness was still top notch. “By the way,” she added with the same look in her eyes, “What do you intend to do in regards to Yun Sudra, Asuta?”

“Wh-What? I’m not intending to do anything.”

“I see. So you don’t plan to take her as a bride after all, then?”

More customers approached then, and I took their coins. After she handed them their giba manju from the steaming basket, Yamiru Lea once again looked my way.

“In that case, shall I spur that girl on? Then you won’t have any more need to worry about it.”

“S-Spur her on? What do you mean?”

“I mean get her to propose to you. If you refuse, then it’s up to the Sudra to decide what to do next, right? Either she keeps helping with work despite being refused, or they offer a different woman to assist you. At any rate, it wouldn’t be anything for you to worry about at that point.”

This suggestion was just so sudden that I was left at a loss for words. Still, it made sense that someone as sharp as Yamiru Lea would be capable of reading that far into things.

“Thank you for the concern. But how would you even spur Yun Sudra on in the first place?”

“That much is simple. I’ll tell her that I’m thinking of asking to marry you. Then she’ll ask you to marry her first in a fluster, don’t you think?”

“It’s wrong to mislead people like that, Yamiru Lea...”

“Then after she asks you, I can do the same. As long as you promise not to accept,” Yamiru Lea said with a daring grin. “That would settle everything quite smoothly, wouldn’t it? And then you would be free to concentrate on your work.”

“I’d say I’ve been concentrating on my work just fine. And I really don’t think it’s good to go around plotting to meddle with someone’s emotions like that.”

“Oh really? I think it’s kinder to let a love that can never be wither away rather than allowing it to keep growing.”

“Is that way of thinking common among the people of the forest’s edge...?”

“I couldn’t say. After all, I was born and raised in a place removed from the customs of the forest’s edge.”

I ended up sighing yet again, just in time for another group of customers to arrive.

The surrounding crowd seemed even more daunted than when the guard showed up before, because a boxed totos carriage with the emblem of the house of Daleim on it was approaching from the north. The ones to appear from within were Polarth and Arishuna, accompanied by two soldiers.

“My, you seem to be seeing quite a bit of success today! Did you prepare all that seating?”

“Yes. Or to be more accurate, it was paid for by the people of the Ruu clan.”

“Yes, giba soups are quite delicious as well. I would like to give it a try myself in the near future.”

Today as always, Polarth seemed worry free and full of energy. Beside him stood Arishuna in a stylish silk cloak rather than the plainer sort meant for travelers, holding out her left hand.

“Asuta. This is payment, for the food, from before.”

“Thank you for being so courteous. And you can have this back, as promised.” I pulled a beautiful purple stone out of the cloth bag at my hip. It was a lapista stone, said to govern safe travels. “Thanks to this, our trip went just fine. So, again, thank you so much.”

“You seem, to have gained, a great deal,” Arishuna stated as she accepted it, looking through the translucent stone shining in the sunlight. “Meeting good people. Interacting with friends. Deepening your feelings toward the one you love...”

“H-Hey, Arishuna?”

“And a small trouble, overcome with great strength. That is what, the lapista tells me. Asuta, I am glad, your trip was, a success.”

“Right... Thank you.” As I broke out in a cold sweat, I stole a glance over at Yamiru Lea. However, she was just feigning ignorance as she handed a customer a manju. “Um, do you want to place an order today? The soup dish is over at that stall, though.”

“Ah, no, I just happened to have a free moment for the first time in a while today. Our plan is to use the opportunity to go eat that dish that uses all the herbs.” Naturally, he meant the giba curry. Now that I thought about it, I had met the two of them at The Sledgehammer before departing for Dabagg, and that topic had come up. “I’ve been helping Sir Torst with his work a bit lately, so it has become difficult to make time.”

“I see. You mean how you’re giving advice about the ingredients flowing into Genos? I’m sure Torst really appreciates it.”

“Right. It seems I somehow ended up in the position of being the most knowledgeable about which ingredients are being used in the post town and in what amounts. It certainly is strange, considering I do not hold any official post,” Polarth explained, a look of great amusement on his round face. “I need to have a bit of a meeting with Yang over at Tanto’s Blessing before that, though. I believe we shall be heading to The Sledgehammer around the second hour. Will we perhaps see you there, Sir Asuta? I would like to hear a bit about your trip to Dabagg, after all.”

“Got it. In that case, I’ll head there after finishing up with work.”

“You have my thanks! Well then, I shall see you later!”

Polarth headed back to his carriage in high spirits, with Arishuna following lightly after him like some sort of ghost. And with that, the mildly electric feeling that had been hanging in the air finally eased up.

I haven’t seen any nobles other than Polarth come to the post town so casually. Even with Leeheim, he had around ten soldiers surrounding him... I guess it really is unusual to have nobles coming to buy food from a commoner like me.

That was probably the exact reason why Digola and Meilos ultimately slipped up in Dabagg and dug their own graves. The day after we made it back, Melfried hurriedly sent a messenger to Dabagg, having heard a report from Zasshuma, and I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of fate awaited them.

But at any rate, we approached the midpoint for the day’s business with our sales proceeding smoothly.