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“Opening a shop in the post town really isn’t all that tricky to do. It’s a bit of a pain to go through the preparations for constructing a new building, but if you’re just selling stuff in that market area with all the stalls, then anyone can do it, as long as you pay a small fee for the spot.”
“A small fee?”
“Right. It’s just one white coin for ten days. That’s a fair price, wouldn’t you say? Well... Even so, I suppose that’s roughly a giba’s worth of horns and tusks...”
“One giba, a single white coin... Hold on a minute. Um, just how many red coins is a white one worth?”
The one who looked most surprised at my question was young Leito, who was quietly seated next to Kamyua Yoshu.
Well, that was no surprise. I mean, it was like asking, “How many 10 yen pieces are in a 100 yen piece?”
“One white is worth ten reds. In other words, selling ten of those kimyuus meat buns Tara was eating back then would be enough for them to make up for their fee. The post town prospers more and more as those stalls continue to open up, so they really are considerate when it comes to the fee.”
“Hold on a second, umm, umm... One giba is worth 10 meals of aria and poitan, so... Huh? I see. That means we’ve been using roughly one red coin per meal for each person, then.”
“What you served yesterday would be quite a bit for a snack from a stall. Even half that would be more than most, so two red coins sounds about right for the price. If you sell it for too little, then it’ll earn you animosity from other shops.”
“In that case, considering the menu and ingredients I used yesterday, we could get away with roughly half a red coin in terms of expenses? Then by basic calculations, we’d be earning one and a half red coins per meal sold... So I’d have covered our expenses just by selling seven meals in ten days, right?”
“Yeah. You’ll need a stall too, though, so you’ll need an additional white coin for that.”
In that case, I could earn back my expenses by selling 14 meals in ten days. That sounded like easygoing business... At least if the passersby would be brave enough to eat giba meat, that is.
“Normally, meat costs more than vegetables. Plus, everyone else is using more expensive vegetables than aria and poitan. If you were to ask me how much that lady selling the manju was making, I’d figure she probably needs to sell somewhere between 10 and 20 a day. That’s not exactly hard to manage in such a prospering town, though.”
Kamyua Yoshu gave a joyful smile.
“What do you think? Do you get why I recommended having you open up a shop? It’s hard to imagine you failing so easily with that giba meat and your skill, right?”
“So if the shop is successful, it’s possible the townsfolk will acknowledge giba meat’s value and it will soften some of the prejudice towards the people of the forest’s edge? I see, that definitely sounds like a good business plan.”
Mimicking Kamyua Yoshu, I placed my elbows on the table and leaned forwards.
“So... Just what do you stand to gain from all this, Kamyua Yoshu?”
“Hmm? Will you really not be satisfied if I’m not gaining something? Alright, then in that case... How about throwing ten percent of the profits left after the location fee and the cost of the ingredients?”
“It’s not a matter of money. We want to know what your objective is.”
“Like I said, I just feel a one-sided camaraderie towards you all! The people of the forest’s edge are treated like a symbol of terror, and are paid far too little for their work as hunters. If those two points could be ultimately resolved, I’d feel truly satisfied, from the depths of my heart.”
Then, his unusually colored eyes turned Ai Fa’s way.
“Perhaps what I’ve said since last night has made it sound like I pity the people of the forest’s edge, but that wasn’t my intention, Ai Fa. I’m really just fond of you all. As I’m not one of your comrades, all I can hope to do is offer you this ingenious idea that came to me. Can’t you at least accept those feelings?”
“...I never felt like you were pitying us. Rather, if I had to say, it felt more like you were mocking us.”
“That’s good! Wait... Huh?”
“It’s the norm for folks not to trust you, isn’t it? I don’t think you need to worry about it, Kamyua,” the young boy said with a smile, despite his harsh words.
And yet the man who he had said that about just said, “Yeah, that’s true,” with a laugh, so nobody bothered interjecting.
“Hmm... I see...”
“Is something still bothering you? Just like I’ve said multiple times now, the only ones who feel unconditional fear towards the people of the forest’s edge and giba are the citizens of Genos. And on top of that, the threat posed by the giba isn’t like some unheard of disaster, but more that of a common pest nowadays, so that fear has no founding to it. Plus, lately it’s the people of the forest’s edge who are feared more than the giba.”
Kamyua Yoshu’s eyes moved from Ai Fa back towards me.
“Having said all that, even if someone from the forest’s edge opens a stall, there may not be too many folks willing to approach it. But, no matter what perspective someone might look at you from, your appearance is that of a person from the city. And so, if you’re the one selling giba dishes, people will naturally be curious, even if they are hesitant. Plus, I have no doubt that people from the south and east won’t be all that reluctant to try it. I’m already confident about the taste, so if that’s how things play out, I believe that eventually word of mouth will make it around to the folks from Genos.”
“Right...”
“To be perfectly honest, even I don’t believe this will be enough to wipe away the prejudice faced by the people of the forest’s edge,” Kamyua Yoshu said, his gaze narrowing as he smiled.
When he smiled like that, his clear, penetrating gaze reminded me a bit of Granny Jiba’s.
“People fear the people of the forest’s edge, who have eyes like beasts, strength normal men could only dream of, and are proudly independent and isolationist. And that was a fear cultivated over 80 years. Plus, in many ways it’s true rather than being some sort of misunderstanding. But I’m not especially concerned. It’s not like I particularly wanted to see the townsfolk and the people of the forest’s edge smiling and joining hands.”
“What does that mean...?”
“I’m fine with the hunters of the forest’s edge being proudly independent. And the peace about town doesn’t suit them in the first place. Plus, I’ve got no interest in seeing them fall prey to corruption... However, it irritates me seeing folks look down on them as something lesser. If the hunters of the forest’s edge are going to be feared I don’t want it to be out of the terror of something evil, but rather the awe of something holy.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
“And so, I want to start by crushing the misconception about you all being ‘lowly giba eaters.’ I wish to remind them just who it is that’s responsible for protecting the Genos fields from giba, and in turn supporting the prosperity of the domain.”
“...If you always had that sort of look on your face when talking to people, I’d probably have been ready to trust you without a second thought.” Then, I continued on hesitantly, “Deep down, I don’t believe that you’re lying. It’s just, I can’t really see why you have such deep feelings about the people of the forest’s edge... Um, is it that serious of a matter for the people of this continent, for someone to change the god that they worship?”
Once again, Leito looked shocked by my words. However, there were no changes to be seen in Kamyua Yoshu’s piercing gaze.
“I believe it is. But well, that’s something that only people who’ve experienced it could understand.”
“Is that so? But... It’s already been 80 years since the people of the forest’s edge left the southern forest behind them and moved to the Morga forest. The current people of the forest’s edge wouldn’t understand how you felt, right?”
“That’s true, naturally. That’s why my feelings towards the people of the forest’s edge will always be one-sided... I mean, it’s been 80 years. There can’t be any of your people who have lived longer than that, right?”
Granny Jiba was probably the only one in all of the forest’s edge. I wasn’t about to bring up her name when I still didn’t know if I could trust this guy, though. And so, I just ambiguously replied, “Who knows?”
“...You said you weren’t born on this continent, so naturally you must not worship any of the four gods, right, Asuta?”
“Huh? Yeah, I guess that’s true. I suppose I’m technically a member of the forest’s edge though, so officially that puts me under the western god.”
“Right. I suppose that’s another reason you’re a good fit for the forest’s edge. The people of the forest’s edge switched from worshiping the Southern God Jagar to the Western God Selva, but in actuality, they never really worshiped a god in the first place... No, what they worship isn’t a god, but the forest. The forest is the absolute presence in their lives, after all. Perhaps it was that honest, brave way of living that charmed me.”
And then, the strange light from Kamyua Yoshu’s eyes was hidden behind his eyelids.
A silence that was difficult to describe filled the air... until a third party came and shattered it.
“Here, your zozo tea and salted kimyuus meat.”
A rather large wooden plate was plopped down atop the table.
The old-timer from the desk had brought our order out.
As the man turned to leave in a huff, Kamyua Yoshu saw him off with his usual casual smile back in full force.
“Asuta, give it a try if you’d like. If you made a living as a chef, then you must have some interest in what sort of cooking you can get here in the post town, right?”
“...I had a kimyuus manju from that stall, too.”
“That so? I figure this is a different taste than a manju, though.”
My gaze drifted from Kamyua Yoshu to the table.
The dish atop the large plate looked like it was made with cooked meat and veggies.
It looked to have hardly any moisture to it, and the whitish meat and various vegetables were coated in a clear, thick sauce.
From what I could pick out just by looking, it seemed like chunks of aria and pula, as well as bits of boiled down chatchi.
As for the smell, there was a refreshing aroma about it that reminded me a lot of lilo.
And lastly, in the corner of the dish were several of what looked like gyoza wraps made from white dough piled up. I guess the idea was to wrap everything up in that and then eat it.
It didn’t look or smell half bad.
“So, go ahead. If you’re not hungry, just a bite is fine. I can’t say that just a little zozo tea is enough to pay you back for that wonderful dried meat, so please give it a try.”
Well, I did want to taste it, if only out of pure curiosity.
After Ai Fa gave me permission with her eyes, I scooped up a bit of that doughy substance with a wooden spoon.
Then I calculated out the difference in the cooked ingredients and the dough and scooped up two spoonfuls worth of the meat and veggies to place on top, figuring that looked about right.
I wrapped it up like a little crepe, then took a bite...
Well, it certainly was salty.
Almost all of the taste came from the aromatic herb.
The aria had grown mushy, the sweet chatchi had just been passed over the flames, and the pula was bitter... And then there was the light kimyuus meat, which reminded me of chicken tenders.
It wasn’t an especially bad pairing.
How should I put it...? It was an incredibly simple taste.
They must have heated up meat that had been salted for preservation together with vegetables, right? The only real issue I could figure was that the chatchi would have come out with a better texture if they had heated it a little more thoroughly.
It was just... The thought of wanting to eat this badly enough to pay for it made me cock my head in bewilderment.
“Just so you know, that’s the most popular dish here at this inn. It’s salty, so it pairs well with booze. And the price was three red coins, if I recall correctly. During the day folks generally seek their snacks out and about, but once night rolls around this place gets pretty lively. And everyone looks pretty darn satisfied while eating that.”
Kamyua Yoshu grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“For the most part, all cooking here in the post town is like an extension of that sort of home cooking. In fact, the ones to make that were the wife and daughter of the inn’s owner, so the job of ‘chef’ only exists within the stone walls here in Genos.”
“...I see.”
“What do you think? Do you think you can make something that can compete with the taste of this cooked salted meat and those manju?”
“Are you trying to stir me up? I’d at least like to think I’m not stupid enough to fall for that sort of provocation.”
Is this the right time? I thought to myself as I finished off my serving of salted kimyuus meat and the rest of the zozo tea.
Then, I whispered in Ai Fa’s ear, “Is there anything you still want to ask?” but naturally, she just silently shook her head.
“At any rate, I’ll consult with my clan head on the matter. Then, we’ll discuss with some of our friends at the forest’s edge, and if there don’t seem to be any problems... Then I’ll start thinking positively about all this.”
“How cautious! I’m sure that’s one of your charms, right?”
My shoulders shrugged as I thought to myself, You’re the one making me so cautious in the first place.
“Kamyua... If the time comes when I’m prepared enough to open up a shop in the post town, it’s alright if I come consult with you again, right?”
“Yeah. Or you can skip over me and just start negotiating directly if you want. The old guy who runs this inn, Milano Mas, is also one of the folks in charge of that stall area, after all. At any rate, you should just go ahead and come here to The Kimyuus’s Tail.”
“Thank you. I still don’t know just how things will play out, but talking to you has given me a whole lot to think about. Even if I don’t end up opening a shop, I’m still glad we had the chance to speak.”
“I’m grateful to hear it... Are you heading back already? Well then, I leave the rest up to you, Leito. I’ll finish off this salted meat, then take another nap.”
“Right. Well then, shall we get going, Asuta and Ai Fa?”
I stared blankly back at the smiling youth.
“Going where? We were just planning on finishing up our shopping and then heading home.”
“It won’t take long. It’s just, apparently a girl named Tara and her father wished to thank the two of you. Her father runs a stall, so please allow me to lead you there.”
Tara was the name of the girl we met the first time I came to this post town. She got caught up in the commotion of Doddo Suun drunkenly running wild, and Ai Fa and I more or less saved her.
But that was already ten days past. It was just plain embarrassing, the idea of her dad thanking us now.
“Go ahead and meet them. Tara’s a good girl. And I’m sure she’ll be a real beauty down the line, so there’s no harm in forming a bond with her now.”
Naturally, that ridiculous statement hadn’t come from the youth, but from his master.
I’m not exactly Hikaru Genji, you know, I thought to myself with a strained smile, then glanced over at Ai Fa, and... For some baffling reason, her eyes were shooting a truly chilling glare back at me.
Seriously, just what sort of guy do you think I am?
“Well then, excuse us.”
“Yeah, I look forward to the day we meet again.”
We left the rear room, seeing along the way that the number of other customers really hadn’t grown, then headed for the exit.
The men from before were still drinking away in the restaurant. And one of them in particular looked at us with noticeably drunker eyes than before.
“Hey, you black-haired kid! Just how’d you make that giba eater woman yours? You mind teaching us the trick to it?”
Oh man, looks like they weren’t going to let us just pass on by this time around.
This wasn’t heading in a good direction. Insulting me is one thing, but involving Ai Fa... It was getting pretty hard to keep my cool.
“She must’ve realized she could save up coins quicker by hunting down a man rather than giba, right?! Hey, giba eater, how about I buy you for the night for two red coins?”
I turned back to face the men. But the two things that happened next made sure that my yell never escaped my throat.
Ai Fa, who was walking behind me, grabbed my arm, and young Leito in front of me calmly stated, “Please stop. These people are my master’s guests. I’ll take any insult towards them as an insult towards my master. Are you alright with that?”
His boyish soprano of a voice clearly still hadn’t undergone puberty, but it was completely devoid of all emotion.
I couldn’t see the expression on his face as he was looking at the men, but in exchange, I could clearly see the look in their eyes.
The two men who had said such vulgar things were completely frozen in place, their bottles of booze held up in the air.
As for their faces... Their expressions had frozen too with their eyes wide open, like they had encountered some sort of wild beast in the forest.
“Hey, what is it?” the other men asked, jostling their friends’ shoulders.
Young Leito cast them a sideways glance, then shot me a smile.
“My apologies. Well then, shall we get going?”
He really was his master’s apprentice, huh?
As I gave a sigh and started walking again, Ai Fa said, “Hey,” and jabbed me in the back.
“I told you this before, but don’t go losing your temper when you lack the power to so much as protect yourself. You really are overly hasty at times.”
“...You’re hasty too, when hamburgers are involved.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
With that, she jabbed me several more times in the back, and we finally left The Kimyuus’s Tail.
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