Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 3.5

5

Roughly a day later, I finally made it back to the Fa house. It really had been over 24 hours since I’d been there last.

The friendly pair of siblings were standing on either side of me. It was important that Vina Ruu grasped where the house was for our work in the post town, and even more importantly, they were also concerned about what moves the Suun clan may make.

“Hmm, doesn’t look like there are any fools getting drunk in the middle of the day around,” Ludo Ruu said as his piercing gaze glanced over our surroundings. He was carrying the heaviest load of the three of us. “Still, to think you’ve gotta cross that huge ravine to get to the post town from the Fa house. Now I get why you need a hand.”

“Right. If we were traveling from the Ruu house, it wouldn’t be so much of a struggle.”

There were numerous routes to get from the settlement at the forest’s edge to the post town. The shortest path from the Ruu and Rutim houses didn’t have a rope bridge and just took 40-50 minutes, making for a rather agreeable route.

But it took nearly an hour just to get from the Fa house to the Ruu settlement, so I hesitated at the idea of using that route. So in that case, even if it meant carrying luggage over that rope bridge, going that way cut down on the amount of effort needed.

On the way back today, we treated a bag of vegetables as if it was my metal pot to simulate transporting one. As a result, we found that as long as I could work up the courage, the two of us could safely make it over the rope bridge.

It was just that on our initial try today, it took me quite a bit of time to work up that courage and determination. Vina Ruu kept a relaxed, friendly expression on her face the whole time, but I couldn’t help but worry that I may have been hurting her respect for me as a shop owner.

Well, I don’t know if it was fortunate or not in the end, but no matter how much unbecoming terror I may have displayed, I never spied much of a difference in Vina Ruu’s sensual flirtatious glances.

“Well then, I’ll see you later. I’m looking forward to when we start working together...”

“Give my regards to Ai Fa, too. And hey, let us enjoy your cooking too now and again instead of only ever feeding it to folks around town, alright?”

With those parting words, the siblings departed.

Ludo Ruu was carrying 70% of the load, but Vina Ruu still had a bag full of 100 aria on her back. Even so, she kept on walking along lightly and easily without even missing a step, unsurprisingly.

It really was just like Ai Fa had said: I shouldn’t go around underestimating the strength of the women of the forest’s edge. They must have just been built differently, whether it was down to a different quality of their muscles or density to their bones or whatever. After all, it seemed that even a woman of Vina Ruu’s height was stronger than I was.

There was no helping that, as we had grown up in completely different circumstances, but I still couldn’t help but sigh.

Will my constitution improve at least a little bit too by eating giba each and every day like I have been? I pointlessly pondered while walking towards the Fa house.

The sun was currently positioned halfway between its peak and sunset. That meant there was still plenty of time left for baking poitan.

I needed to prepare a delicious dinner for Ai Fa, who was out chasing giba in the forest. With that thought in my mind, I readjusted the bag stuffed with tarapa and tino, as well as the giant burdock-esque gigo, which had been cut to a size of around one meter in order to be sold, then opened the door.

When I did so... I saw Ai Fa’s cloak hanging from the wall.

“Huh?”

Was she already back this early in the day?

Well, it wasn’t all that strange if she took down a giba early on, so she had to be around here somewhere.

“Ai Fa, are you here?” I called out, heading towards the pantry.

I opened the door... and Ai Fa wasn’t there.

I went ahead and stored the fruits of my battle today in there, then checked in the storage rooms to either side.

Sure enough, she wasn’t there either.

“Hmm?”

The new pot was left there properly, next to the stove.

I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary other than that, though.

No, wait... Looking closely, her cloak was hanging there, but her blades were missing.

Ai Fa would only take her knife off her person when she slept, but she leaned her sword up against the wall alongside her cloak when she returned home.

Just what was going on, here?

She took off her cloak, but she was walking about with her blades. I only ever saw her like that when she was heading to wash stuff in the morning.

Was that where she was, then?

No, but the water jug and pots were still in the room. Plus, she never washed stuff after the morning, anyway.

Getting more and more nervous, I went flying out of the house.

Was she drying out pico leaves in a sunny spot?

No, I didn’t smell anything like that in the air.

On the other hand, a suspicious offensive odor was filling my nostrils.

It had a bit of the smell of oxidized metal to it, too... Yeah, it was the smell of blood.

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

Where...?

Where was that smell coming from?

From behind the house.

My knees felt like they were about to start quaking, so I gave them two or three hits, and headed around the house.

It’s fine... I shouldn’t be thinking such ominous things. Even if the Suun clan were ruffians, even they wouldn’t go and do something so stupid when the sun was high in the sky like this.

Something stupid...

No way. I don’t ever want to imagine it.

Before I even realized it, my heart was pounding in my chest and my breathing had grown violent.

It was fine.

Nothing crazy had happened. There was no way that it could have.

I questioned myself so much it was growing repetitive as I rounded the corner, stepping out behind the house. And then...

There was a pure, white skinned giba dangling there.

...

“Ah, so you’re back, Asuta?”

Ai Fa was seated with her back against the wall so that she was facing the dangling giba.

I stomped forwards and stopped right in front of Ai Fa, bent down, and grabbed hold of her smooth shoulders.

“Don’t... Don’t startle me like that!”

Ai Fa’s eyes suddenly went wide open.

“Asuta... were you crying?”

“I’m not!”

Suddenly, I headbutted her. Despite her giving an annoyed sounding “Ow,” I kept on grinding my head forwards.

“What? What is it? What has you so out of sorts, Asuta?”

“Shut up! I was so worried I thought I would die... Why are you skinning a giba?! I smelled blood and it had me seriously scared!”

“It’s a hunter’s job to skin a giba, isn’t it?” Ai Fa responded in a pouty voice.

At this close of a distance, I couldn’t see the expression on her face.

“The Ruu and Rutim men carry out such work, so it makes no sense that I cannot do the same. And so, I was practicing on a giba I had hunted. I’ve seen you do it countless times by now, after all.”

“Then... Then at least tell me first... I thought my heart was going to explode...”

“As I said, just what has you so out of sorts?”

“...Your blades were gone and I smelled blood, so I thought something might have happened and some real nasty thoughts started running through my head.”

I gave a deep sigh, our foreheads still pressed up against one another.

“My blades are here. Even without you worrying about me, I’m well aware that you never know when or where those scoundrels may appear. Preparing for that is only obvious.”

Ai Fa sounded like she was in an incredibly bad mood.

“So, were you picturing the men of the Suun clan chopped to bits? After all, those scum would never get the better of me.”

“I know that, but...”

“...Do you understand how I feel at least a bit now?”

I suddenly pulled my head back, while Ai Fa averted her gaze and pouted her lips.

“My fear in welcoming a powerless man like you into my clan is far beyond that. If you can understand that much, then control your temper at least a little better.”

“...Right.”

“On top of that, why did you not only have such a misdirected worry, but then go so far as to yell at me? Don’t you have any words of gratitude to your clan head for taking on such time-consuming work?”

“No, um... I was wrong.”

“I wasn’t seeking an apology.”

“...Thank you?”

Ai Fa then stood up with a “Hmph.”

Her pout gave way to a frown, and then she haughtily folded her arms.

Could it be... that she had imagined me with sparkles in my eyes, jumping up and down while proclaiming, “What’s this? You’re amazing!”

Ai Fa was currently sulking childishly enough that I figured that had to be it.

I gave one more sigh, worked up my nerve, and then stood up.

Then, I roughly rustled her blonde hair while saying, “Good girl,” only to get a strong blow to the solar plexus.

“I don’t know the fine details of what comes next. What do I do after slitting open the abdomen?” Ai Fa said from above as I struggled with having forgotten how to breathe.

“Owwww... So you mean you’re intending to dissect it, too?”

“The Ruu men do that too, don’t they?” she replied, making a scary face with wrinkles forming atop her nose. It was the first time in a while I had seen her looking like a wildcat.

“Alright, I get it. Then I’ll teach you, but... If I have you do all that, then the work left for me will dwindle away, won’t it? Do you intend to just keep taking on more and more of the burden?”

“What are you saying? What about the time while you’re at the post town, then? Are you saying you’ll come back to the house and then have time to both prepare the giba and bake the poitan? Because I’ve got no interest in chugging down that plain poitan soup ever again.”

I thought it over again.

In actuality, I had planned to bake the poitan for the shop along with the portion for dinner in the morning. But even so, it generally took me between three to four hours to dissect a giba at best. So whether it would be a little or a lot, that would interfere with me preparing dinner.

Ai Fa really was thinking ahead better than I was. Or more accurately, she had more fully considered what me opening a shop would do to our workload.

The feeling that I shouldn’t rely too much on Ai Fa may have still been strongly lingering there inside of me. By my values, that didn’t seem like it was wrong, but... This wasn’t my world, it was the forest’s edge. And it definitely was wrong to try to just force through my sense of values.

I shouldn’t let her spoil me, but I also did need to lean on her. Otherwise, we surely wouldn’t be able to share our happiness together.

“Got it. What you said makes sense. If you’ll take on the skinning and dissection, then I’ll work hard on some other stuff instead.”

“Hmph.”

“You’re just far too reliable of a clan head. I’m working like a madman so that you won’t toss me out.”

“Don’t say such foolish things. All I’m doing is work that any hunter would,” Ai Fa said, drawing her knife while still sulking a bit. “You’re the only one who can do your work, though. Strive your hardest and make a delicious meal.”

“I know. But still...”

I really did think that Ai Fa was doing work that only she could handle, too.

Before the sun hit its peak, she carried out her work as a woman, and then afterwards she did her duty as a hunter. And I’d have to imagine that Ai Fa was probably the only person doing that here at the forest’s edge.