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“We’ve been awaiting your return, Asuta and Fa Clan Head Ai Fa.”
Gazraan Rutim deeply bowed his head. He had a bit of a square face, as well as some rather large facial features. He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he had a real sincere, solemn look about him.
“I’m glad we were able to meet with you. It was about time that we would have had to return to the Rutim house.”
Ama Min gave a bow, too. Her black-brown hair was done up in a rather beautiful manner, and despite her rather calm appearance she also seemed pretty intelligent and energetic, too.
“Gazraan Rutim and Ama Min, just what did you come here for?” Ai Fa asked with a look of concern, still not having fully gotten into clan head mode, only for the pair to smile wide in sync.
“We came here to make a request of the two of you.”
To be honest, I was getting nothing but a nasty premonition from that.
If it was about manning the stove at their wedding, then we already firmly turned them down through Donda Ruu when we were leaving this morning. But even so, I still had a bad feeling.
“At any rate, we’ll be conspicuous out here. Come inside the house. Asuta, take charge of his steel,” Ai Fa said, grabbing the poitan bag from me with the hand that had fruit wine dangling from it, and then she hurried on inside the house.
While feeling more than a little flustered, I accepted the blades that Gazraan Rutim was holding out.
“A-After you.”
These were our first guests since Rimee Ruu had visited a good while back. And honestly, I had no idea how I was supposed to handle them.
Ai Fa came back out of the pantry pretty soon and seated herself near the middle of the main hall, then our two guests sat down in front of her an appropriate distance away. Feeling lost, I ultimately decided to sit down next to Ai Fa, still holding the blades I had been handed.
Nobody complained, so I guess I didn’t break any of the forest’s edge’s etiquette.
“First off, I would like to offer my thanks. I’m truly grateful for last night’s splendid banquet, Ai Fa and Asuta of the Fa clan.”
“Yes, it really was an amazing meal. You made our precious celebration into a night of joy that we will never forget.”
Having such an earnest and sincere pair offer me their thanks like this was making me want to bow right on back at them.
And actually, having just returned from the hustle and bustle of the post town, I was seeing these two in a whole new light compared to last night, like a symbol of honest rustic simplicity.
Did Gazraan Rutim always have such an unwavering gaze? And did Ama Min always have such a refreshing expression on her face?
I don’t know if it was down to lineage or just personal differences, but the Ruu clan had a lot of folks who were absolutely overflowing with energy and life, while I felt more of a quiet dignity from these two, with strength like that of a large tree that had taken root in the earth.
Ai Fa sat with one knee up in the air and stared at the pair, having finally regained her usual harsh expression as head of the clan.
“We were glad to have fulfilled our responsibility, manning the stove in the place of the Ruu clan... But what is it that you want to request of us? If it’s in regards to the banquet for your wedding, we already turned that down through Donda Ruu,” Ai Fa said, showing no intention of beating around the bush.
The pair replied, “Right,” and then bowed their heads together. “That’s exactly what we wish to discuss. My father Dan Rutim made that request even though it goes against the customs of the forest’s edge, but when we heard about it...”
“We thought it was an amazing idea, too. Just how wonderful a night would it be if that came to pass?”
They weren’t married yet, but these two were already perfectly in sync.
I could see an incredibly earnest excitement and joy in their expressions and gazes. Plus, they just seemed honestly concerned that their thoughts and feelings may not get across.
This was a different matter entirely, though.
The Rutim clan held the greatest power of all the families under the Ruu clan, and Gazraan Rutim was the heir to the main house. It was just too great of a responsibility, manning the stove for his wedding.
I just had to rely on Ai Fa’s decisive personality to take care of this.
“But it would make no sense for a member of the Fa clan to handle such a task, when we have such weak ties to the Rutim and Min clans. A clan’s happiness should be shared amongst its members... Asuta said as much last night, too.”
Yes, that’s exactly right. I went ahead and gave a nod to show my agreement.
And then, Gazraan Rutim’s unshaking gaze fell firmly on me.
“Asuta. You may belong to this Fa house, but I heard that you come from another country entirely, rather than this forest’s edge. And that you made your living as a chef.”
“Right. I was just a trainee helping my old man out with his work, but that’s correct.”
“I don’t know much about exactly what kind of work that may be. But it’s something akin to those folks who sell meals in the post town, is it not?”
“That’s right. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that assumption.”
“Well then... Will you sell that cooking of yours to us?”
“...What?”
I didn’t quite get what he was saying. Sell my cooking...? How, here at the forest’s edge?
“What I’m saying is, we would like you to man the stove for the banquet not out of good will, affection, or duty, but rather in exchange for an appropriate price. We would like to buy your cooking-related techniques, knowledge, and labor for just one night. That is our request.”
I was just... so shocked that I couldn’t speak.
“As you are part of another clan, Asuta, we won’t ask you to celebrate our union. And we only just met, so it would be even more ridiculous to try to force you to grant us this favor out of kindness and good will. As such, we thought the only path towards gaining your aid would be to pay you for it.”
“T-That’s... But...”
“I intend to offer as much of a payment as I can. That’s how much value the food you make is worth. We want to share the happiness that we all experienced last night with the rest of our family, as well as the clans related to us. And for that, we need your aid, Asuta.”
As he said that, Gazraan Rutim removed the necklace of horns and tusks around his thick neck. There were far more there than there were even on Ai Fa’s. Ama Min gave a gentle smile and removed hers as well. It had the usual three horns and tusks that were given to girls by their fathers.
They were offering me those necklaces, the proof of their pride as a hunter, and the love of their parents.
“At the banquet, it will not just be the Rutim, but over 100 guests from those under the Ruu clan. This alone would obviously not be enough to pay for all of their meals. However, I will get one horn or tusk from each person there, as a blessing. Added together with Ama Min’s that would make 200 in total. And if that still isn’t enough, I’ll be sure to hunt down enough giba to make up the difference, so—”
“Hold on! I can’t accept this!” I yelled out, gripped by something practically akin to fear. “I-I’m nothing but a half-baked chef in training. I’m not suited to such a big job... Plus, I mean, I’m an outsider. I still don’t even properly understand the ways of the forest’s edge, so entrusting me with something so important is—”
“You’ve already shown us your strength. We don’t have any unease about this matter.”
“S-Strength...? Do you mean the steak from last night? Like I said yesterday, that was made by the strength of their family alone. I could teach you how to cook it right away, so—”
“But to create a taste like that, you need to start when the giba is captured, right? You said as such last night.”
“I’ll teach you! How to bloodlet, and dissect it, too! I’ve still only prepared three giba myself. And you’ve been skinning their pelts to start with, so it shouldn’t take long for you to pick it up.”
“You also repeatedly mentioned that ‘hamburger’ dish last night, too...”
“You’re better off not knowing that taste. If you become obsessed with it, it could become a poison to you.”
“I’d like to think that we’re not so foolish,” Gazraan Rutim said with a smile. It was a powerful grin, overflowing with manly confidence and gravity. “If I was told something was a poison to hunters, I would never put it in my mouth. However, you mentioned that it would be perfectly fine eating it a thousand or even two thousand times, didn’t you, Asuta?”
“T-That was just speculation. I don’t really know. But I definitely don’t think it’s wrong to say that if you eat nothing but soft foods, your teeth and jaw will grow weaker.”
“If someone were to corrode their own soul after hearing those words, it would simply be down to their own weakness. That’s nothing for you to worry about. That’s why you told us so, isn’t it?”
Gazraan Rutim placed one fist gently on the ground, and then leaned forward. I couldn’t spot any changes in the steadfast expression on his face. Maybe this young man had been quietly growing, too.
“I am a hunter. And so, I can’t explain it as well as you likely could, but... At any rate, I would like to share this feeling with everyone. If your joy in living is heightened, then the strength of your wish to keep on doing so grows in turn. The joy that you brought us has given Ama Min and I strength. And I want to convey that strength to everyone else. Not just the Rutim, but also the Ruu, the Min, the Rei, the Maam, the Ririn, and the Muufa... Because we are in a time like this, we must become stronger, and carry out our duty as hunters.”
By a time like this... was he talking about how corrupt the Suun clan had become? I didn’t exactly feel like I could wrap my head around all that at the moment.
“L-Like I said, I’ll teach you all my techniques. Bloodletting, dissecting, baking poitan, and making the steaks from last night should all be plenty manageable in six days. And I already taught the women of the Ruu clan some of this...”
“What about that ‘hamburger’ dish?”
“There’s no reason you need to force yourselves to learn how to make that one. It takes too much effort to prepare, so it’s not a fitting dish for the people of the forest’s edge, right?”
“My apologies, but it’s up to we people of the forest’s edge to decide whether or not it’s suited to us. No... You’re a member of the Fa clan and one of our comrades, so I shouldn’t be talking down to you like that. But still, it’s up to us to decide which path we wish to take.”
“No matter how much effort it may take, if it can grant us even greater happiness, then that’s what we wish to do,” Ama Min chimed in, speaking up for the first time in a while. “What should we do to live? Gather firewood, dry pico leaves, and skin pelts? Our ancestors thought on what they should do to live more full lives back when they decided to live here at the forest’s edge 80 years ago, and passed that down to us through our parents. One day, I will give birth to Gazraan’s child... and I want to show that child how to live an even happier life.”
“No one would dare let their other work fall short while taking extra time cooking. But if someone wants to take that extra effort, then that’s because they believe there is worth and value in doing so. People who see that much meaning in hamburgers will put in that effort, and those who don’t will not. That’s all there is to it.”
“No, but why are you so insistent about the hamburgers when you’ve never even eaten them?”
“It’s not like we’re fixated solely on them. I just want you to wield the whole of your strength,” Gazraan Rutim stated. “That’s why we’re making this request to you. Not to someone who learned your skills, but to you personally. We would like you to show us the whole of your strength, just for one night. That’s why we want to pay you.”
“Hold on, I...”
I didn’t have any further words. It seemed that I was more confused and shaken than I had thought.
And then, Ai Fa quietly spoke up, having been silent up until now.
“It would seem that Asuta is tired. He apparently has no more stamina than a ten year old child. He used up all of his energy just by carrying luggage back from the post town... My apologies, but could you wait until tomorrow to hear his response?”
“Yes, of course. Well then, Asuta, may I say just one more thing?”
“...Alright.”
“Last night, you said that you wanted to be medicine rather than poison. I think the same from the depths of my heart, that this power must not be poison. But if it can be a medicine, then this power may lead the people of the forest’s edge to greater joy in life, bonds, and strength. It was such thoughts that caused us to hasten here. I hope that if you wish it, our paths shall overlap. Well then, excuse us.”
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