Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter 3.5

Intermezzo: At the Edge of the Banquet

“You finally made it into the top eight, Shin Ruu!” Lala Ruu said loudly between bites of food.

The banquet at the festival of the hunt was currently in full swing, and the pair was off to the side of the plaza. Since all the other people enjoying the event were starting to get really lively, nobody but Shin Ruu would have heard her. Even so, Shin Ruu still felt he needed to chide her.

“Lala Ruu, haven’t you already said that several times? I appreciate your congratulations, but don’t you think that’s enough now?”

“Huh? But you made it into the top eight! That’s pretty uncommon for someone as young as you! It’s really remarkable!”

Lala Ruu was always lively, but tonight she was overwhelming Shin Ruu. Her eyes, as blue as a clear sky, were sparkling brightly, and the red hair tied up atop her head seemed almost like a wagging tail. Ever since the contest of strength, her small, well-sculpted face had borne an especially bright and open smile, even for her.

“It’s strange... You don’t seem all that happy, Shin Ruu,” Lala Ruu remarked, her smile suddenly giving way to a look of concern. The way that her expressions could shift so wildly was one of the things that made the girl unique. “I’ve been the only one getting excited between us. Aren’t you happy to have made it this far, Shin Ruu?”

“Of course I’m happy. It’s something for me to be proud of.”

“Then why do you look so displeased?”

“Do I?”

“Yeah,” Lala Ruu replied, bringing her face real close. “You almost look like you’re still fighting in the contest of strength. If something’s bothering you, then you can talk about it with me.”

“No, not really... It’s not the sort of thing I should talk about with you, Lala Ruu.”

“What’s that mean?! You’re making me worry, and you won’t even tell me the reason why?!”

Her eyes looked turbulent with powerful emotions. Shin Ruu couldn’t help but feel that if he misspoke now she would get seriously angry, or perhaps even break down bawling. He racked his brain for the right words to avoid having that happen, if nothing else.

“It’s not that I can’t talk about it with you...but if I do, you’re sure to get exasperated with me. I mean, I feel that way already.”

“I don’t really get what you mean. Whatever you’re thinking about, I can’t imagine it’s that weird, Shin Ruu,” Lala Ruu remarked, her expression growing concerned. Her joy, anger, and worry were all because she was thinking of Shin Ruu. He couldn’t conceal his feelings from her now.

“It’s just, I feel frustrated...”

“Frustrated? About what?”

“About losing in the contest of strength.”

Lala Ruu’s eyes shot open wide in surprise.

“In the end, you lost to Jiza, right? You’re that upset about not being able to beat him?”

“It’s not just Jiza Ruu. Before that, I lost to Ludo Ruu too. I’m just bitter about my own shortcomings.”

After making a childish yet adorable face as she sucked in her lower lip, Lala Ruu retorted, “But today you beat Rau Lea, Ji Maam, and the second son of the Rutim! That’s amazing, isn’t it? I mean, Rau Lea is skilled enough to have made it into the top eight twice in a row!”

“But Rau Lea has trouble dealing with opponents like me who are smaller and quicker than he is. Besides, when we train together we generally trade wins and losses back and forth, so I figure it’s just by chance that I happened to win today.”

“Then what about Ji Maam and the second Rutim son? Those two are really strong hunters too, aren’t they? This is the first time that you’ve beat them!”

“Right. I’m proud of that, of course. But my frustration at losing to Jiza and Ludo Ruu is coming first.”

“I just don’t get it! Were you always this greedy, Shin Ruu? Lately, Jiza hasn’t lost to anyone but Papa Donda and Dan Rutim.”

“That’s why I said you’d be exasperated with me...”

Lala Ruu pulled back with a sour look on her face and sat down, her now empty plate and cradled her own knees.

“Did I make you angry?” Shin Ruu asked, feeling concerned.

“No,” Lala Ruu replied with a shake of her head. “I’m not mad. I’ve just got these pent-up feelings in my chest...”

“Does that mean you’re angry after all?”

“I told you, that’s not it. I just... I wanted to celebrate you making it into the top eight together,” she answered, looking downhearted like a child that had been chewed out, and that made Shin Ruu feel even more apologetic.

“Here you are congratulating me, but I made you worry because of my unreasonable concerns. I’m the one at fault here, so can you please cheer up?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Shin Ruu. But I can’t stand it...the fact that you’re still so down on yourself you can’t even be happy to have made it into the top eight,” Lala Ruu said as she stared at Shin Ruu with terribly sad eyes. “Is it because of that Sanjura man? You’ve become fixated on growing stronger ever since he kidnapped Asuta.”

“It’s true that he was the trigger, but I wouldn’t quite say it was his fault exactly. Rather, I should have realized my own weakness sooner.”

“You’re not weak, Shin Ruu. Jiza and Ludo are just special.”

“Yes. Something that makes them special... It’s not just Jiza and Ludo Ruu, but also Darmu Ruu, Ai Fa, and Gazraan Rutim who possess it. And I’m sure it comes down not to their bloodlines, but their attitudes,” Shin Ruu replied, uttering the words he felt deep in his heart.

Lala Ruu had been cradling her knees, but now she sat up straight and stared directly at Shin Ruu. Seeing the serious look in her eyes, Shin Ruu continued. “All the men of the main Ruu house possess a special strength. That’s only natural, considering they inherited Donda Ruu’s blood. But with that in mind, my father Ryada is Donda Ruu’s younger brother. There shouldn’t be that much of a difference in the mighty blood of the Ruu flowing through their veins. Besides, not just Gazraan Rutim of the main Rutim house, but even Ai Fa possesses that strength. Ai Fa is a hunter from a tiny clan, and yet she’s so incredibly special... So what’s important isn’t the bloodline, but rather the mindset someone has.”

“Right. So?”

“So the answer is that I must be lacking resolve. Up until the moment my father Ryada was taken down by a giba’s tusks and lost the strength to work as a hunter, I had never even imagined such a thing could happen. We always put our lives on the line when hunting giba, and no matter how strong the hunter, they can perish out in the forest at any time... And yet, I didn’t truly comprehend that fact. Because of the injuries my father suffered on the hunt, I finally realized how powerless I truly was.”

The words just kept on flowing without end. Lala Ruu was listening intently. That serious look in her eyes gave Shin Ruu strength.

“My resolve isn’t strong enough. I wanted to live with courage and pride, but I was still lacking as a person. I needed to become more desperate, and I was far too late in realizing that fact. That’s why I’ve been trying so hard to run down the path we’re on. If I had piled on more intense training like Jiza Ruu, Ludo Ruu, and Ai Fa...then that Sanjura man never would have gotten the better of me. And I find that fact frustrating.”

“I see. If it had happened today, I’m sure you would have been able to prevent Asuta’s kidnapping. You’ve grown so strong,” Lala Ruu said, her smile returning.

Caught completely off guard, Shin Ruu held his tongue.

“Ever since what happened to Ryada Ruu, when you were made head of your house, you’ve worked incredibly hard. You’ve become as strong as Rau Lea, and even reached the top eight today... The efforts you’ve put in are finally showing results. And that makes me incredibly happy to see.”

“I suppose...”

“And I’m sure you can get a whole lot stronger still. You have such a strong drive pushing you to try even harder,” Lala Ruu replied with an unchanging expression, resting her chin atop her knees. “And I want to keep watching over you as you do so. I’m sure someday you’ll be the best hunter in all of the forest’s edge.”

Shin Ruu was struck by an unfamiliar feeling. As he stared at Lala Ruu’s gentle smiling face, his chest steadily grew warmer. He felt a strong impulse welling up to hug her slender body tight. However, it was taboo at the forest’s edge for men and women over the age of ten to touch unnecessarily, so Shin Ruu worked up the willpower to suppress that urge.

Not realizing what the young hunter was feeling, Lala Ruu stretched and declared, “Right, I’ve got to work harder too! Reina is one thing, but even Rimee has become a great chef now. I haven’t been letting it get to me enough. I’ve just been impressed by how amazing they are.”

“Hmm, I don’t think there’s any need to force yourself to feel frustrated.”

“Yeah, but if even Vina starts to get better at cooking, that could leave me rushing to improve too. She’s actually a pretty decent chef already!” Lala Ruu remarked, letting the whites of her teeth show in her usual sort of mischievous expression.

Shin Ruu placed his hand on his chest and desperately forced down the impulse swirling, burning inside of it. As he did, Lala Ruu started to look confused.

“What’s the matter? Something seems off with you, somehow.”

“I-It’s nothing. I just felt happy.”

“Happy? About what?”

“Well...how you said that you would watch over me.”

“What are you saying?! It’s only natural for me to do that!” Lala Ruu retorted with a bashful smile. The faces she was showing him today were even more varied than usual. “Jiza’s one thing, but you should at least be able to beat Ludo soon! After all, you’re a year older than him!”

“Huh? What’s that about me?” a voice called out as a small figure approached from the center of the plaza. It was Ludo Ruu, holding ribs in both hands.

Lala Ruu turned his way with a daring grin and stuck out her tongue.

“Nothing. We’re just talking about Shin Ruu beating you, Ludo.”

“Ooh, I’ll be looking forward to it. Huh...? Wasn’t there a younger guy from the Rutim with you just a little while ago?”

“Yeah, Deem Rutim from the branch houses. I don’t really know why, but he was really persistent with his questions.”

“Hmm, he’s been feeling down ever since Dan Rutim got hurt because of him, so maybe he’s trying to learn from your strength, Shin Ruu,” Ludo Ruu remarked, biting into a rib. “Well, good thing that nuisance has been shooed away, huh? You were glaring at him the whole time, weren’t you, Lala?”

“You’re the one being a nuisance now...”

“Ooh, so you really do want to talk, just the two of you?”

“Shut it, stupid Ludo!” Lala Ruu shouted, her face bright red as she threw a wooden plate. However, Ludo Ruu deflected it with a rib bone, now clean of meat.

“You’d better turn fifteen soon. Now that Shin Ruu’s been in the top eight, he could start getting all sorts of marriage proposals coming his way, you know.”

“I said shut it! Idiot! Runt! Just go away!”

“Heh heh. Now, what should I have to eat next?”

As he spun the plate skillfully atop the bone, Ludo Ruu headed back toward the center of the plaza.

With an angry “Jeez!” Lala Ruu once again hugged her knees. And then, her blue eyes glanced at Shin Ruu. “Will you really get marriage proposals now that you made the top eight?”

“I-I don’t think so, and besides, I have no plans to accept any.”

“I see,” she replied, hiding her red face behind the arms hugging her knees. However, her eyes remained fixed on Shin Ruu.

Just what sort of expression was she wearing now? As he tried to imagine it, the feelings whirling in Shin Ruu’s heart grew all the more intense.