4
Vina Ruu and I returned to the Fa house together, at which point we happened to run into Ai Fa out front.
There were still about two and a half hours till sunset. We wrapped up our sales around when the sun hit its peak, but we still ended up returning home right around when we were scheduled to, as we were taking care of preparations for tomorrow.
As for Ai Fa, I suppose she was returning home just a bit early.
Vina Ruu and I were carrying the metal pot, while Ai Fa had a giba in the 50-kilo range on her back. It would probably make for a pretty amusing composition to an outsider looking in.
“Hey. I’m so glad to see you made it back safely.”
“Yes, you as well... Eldest daughter of the Ruu, thank you for your hard work.”
“Ah, yeah... Did you take that down, Ai Fa?”
“...Is there any other reason I would be shouldering a giba?” Ai Fa replied in a puzzled tone, then promptly moved towards the house. With that said, though, she still had her heavy luggage weighing her down. “This still needs to be skinned, so I’ll be around back.”
“Right, good work there. I’ve got to set about preparing for dinner and tomorrow, myself.”
“Understood.”
I had bought a lot today, so I actually had Vina Ruu help me carry things all the way to the door.
As the amount of dishes I was making climbed and climbed, the number of ingredients I needed to bring back increased in turn. When I had bulky items like fruit wine or the giant burdock-esque gigo, the difference in weight was on a whole other level compared to the trip there.
I set down the pot stuffed with those ingredients in front of the door, gave a “Phew...” then turned to face Vina Ruu.
“Well then, good work again today. And I’ll be counting on you to do just as well tomorrow too, Vina Ruu.”
“Right...” she replied with a nod, a bit of a gloomy expression on her face.
“What’s the matter? Is something worrying you?”
“No, it’s got nothing to do with work... I was just thinking how Ai Fa really is something...”
“Huh? W-What are you talking about?”
“It’s kind of hard to believe, that a woman all on her own could take down a giba that size...” Vina Ruu said with a sigh. “I can certainly understand what you were saying, about how you could never imagine Ai Fa as a bride... She has such a beautiful face, but it feels almost like it would be more fitting for her to be the husband taking some other woman as her bride...”
She sure did have an imagination on her.
But well, it was true that Ai Fa was a lot more gallant than any ordinary man. But despite appearances, every now and again she would show a girlish expression on her face... Still, some things were better left unsaid.
“Well then, I’ll be leaving. See you again tomorrow, right...?”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
I went ahead and entered the house, checked to make sure nobody was in the storage space just to be safe, and then put the food away in the pantry.
I returned on schedule today, but I was baking the poitan for our dinners in the morning, allowing me to get plenty of preparation done. For the time being, I decided to start by dicing up the aria for the patties, pulling the knife and cutting board out of the bag, only for Ai Fa to enter the house.
“Huh? What’s up?”
“Well, I still had on my hunter’s attire. If I don’t clean it off first, the smell of blood and meat will cling to it.”
She must have meant the giba pelt cloak.
“I see. Ah, in that case, I’ll clean up for you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I simply wanted to rest a little, after hanging up the giba. There’s still plenty of time till it gets dark, though.”
“Got it. In that case, go ahead and get plenty of rest.”
I glanced over at Ai Fa as she started removing her footwear, while heading over to the pantry to grab some aria.
“You were late today... Actually, this was supposed to be your normal time, wasn’t it?”
“Hmm? Ah, yeah. This is my first time getting back on schedule.”
“So it actually took a fitting amount of time to sell 70 meals?”
“Ah, no, that wasn’t it. We’re going to be increasing the number of stalls from tomorrow on just like we discussed yesterday, so we stopped by the Ruu settlement to discuss that matter.”
After hanging her cloak on the wall and ladling a sip from the water jug, Ai Fa sat down up against the wall by the stove and shot me a dubious look.
“So then, how did your work go?”
“We were done just a bit after the sun hit its peak. Ah, right... Today, the youngest son of the main Suun house, Mida Suun, showed up with a man named Tei Suun.”
“What?” Ai Fa questioned, her face suddenly growing tense.
“I’ll give you the details later, but I think we’ve got to keep an eye on him for a totally different reason than with someone like Doddo Suun. Seriously, everyone in the Suun clan is just totally unbearable.”
“If the clan head is corrupt, it’s only natural that the same will be true of his clan. But, well... I’m just glad that you’re alright,” she said with a nod and a serious look on her face. She tilted her head. “By the way, did you say just now that you finished your business when the sun hit its peak?”
“Hmm? Yeah, it was just past that.”
“...You’re saying you sold 70 meals in that short of a period of time?”
“That’s right. The customers were pretty much all from the south and east like always, though. But today, I finally managed to sell to three passersby from the west!”
With a smile, I turned to face her without even thinking, only to find Ai Fa a lot closer than I had expected, frozen in an awkward position, half-standing with her right arm extended out towards me.
“...What is it, Ai Fa?”
“Ah, no, it seems I was just on the verge of grabbing your head again without thinking,” she replied with a stern look on her face, then she slowly lowered her arm. “That was a close one.”
Is that so?
I mean, you didn’t need to go that far just to slam on the brakes...
A hug would be pretty bad for my heart, but I’d just feel a bit embarrassed from having my head stroked.
Wait, what did she mean when she said she was going to grab my head, there?
“Well anyway, we’re going to increase the number of stalls from tomorrow on, as planned. We’ll also move to having four people working them. The plan is that the Ruu clan will also loan me Lala and Sheera Ruu.”
“Sheera Ruu?”
“Shin Ruu’s elder sister. Um, you should have seen her back during the Rutim banquet. Do you not remember her?”
“Ah... That willowy girl with the heavy-lidded eyes, is it?”
“Willowy” was a pretty un-Ai Fa way of phrasing things.
“She certainly was charming.”
“Huh?”
“She looked a little weak, but I’d imagine she’s just the type of woman you’d want as a bride.”
Even you were looking at people with a male gaze, now?
Well, at least it wasn’t as bad for my heart as hearing her talk about what an ideal man would be.
“Yeah, and she’s a skilled cook. I couldn’t ask for better help. I’m looking forward to seeing how things will go from tomorrow on.”
Ai Fa fell silent.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“This is a big difference compared to that pathetic face from last night. Your face and eyes are both brimming with power.”
“Give me a break about last night already. I really was just plain tired,” I said with a strained smile, scratching my head.
With that, Ai Fa got down on her knees right in front of me.
Soon, she drew in close to my face, and weirdly stopped.
“W-What is it, Ai Fa?”
“Ah, I was just about to unthinkingly cradle your head in my arms again,” Ai Fa said with a big nod and a stern look. “That really was a close one.”
Is that so?
Wait, just how serious was she being, anyway?
Well, she was probably being completely serious about all of it, knowing her.
“Don’t worry. I’m striving to not do things that you find unpleasant.”
Finding it unpleasant was not exactly the problem.
Feeling how steep the path to mutual understanding was, I gave a little sigh.
And then, I noticed a sweet aroma creeping into my nostrils the second Ai Fa drew near.
“Huh...? This is the smell of giba summoning fruit, isn’t it?”
Instantly, Ai Fa’s face turned beet red right in front of my very eyes.
“Asuta, no matter how many times I tell you—”
“No, that’s not what I meant! Did you start doing sacrificial hunting again?”
Ai Fa shifted to a pout, her cheeks still red.
“It’s not sacrificial hunting. I’ve just been setting traps using giba summoning fruit. But when you cut that fruit, the smell spreads at an incredible pace, so a considerable amount of the scent clings to me.”
“I see... But you didn’t need to start using the giba summoning fruit the second the number of giba started decreasing, right? If it’s about the meat for my cooking, if we run out then we have plans to get more from the Ruu clan. You’re already doing plenty enough to fulfill your duty, aren’t you?”
Apparently, the giba had eaten up the food in this area and were now in the process of heading south, but Ai Fa was still managing to catch them at a rate of one every other day. Just looking at yesterday and today, she caught one each day.
It was true that the more hunting was done, the less damage there would be to the western fields, but earning the horns and tusks she needed to live should be plenty for handling her duty. The Ruu and Rutim also thought like that when calculating out how many they needed to hunt.
As a house of two, we only needed one giba every five days in order to have enough horns and tusks. And Ai Fa had done that multiple times over these past twenty days, so I didn’t think she needed to go and expose herself to danger by using the giba summoning fruit...
Even so, Ai Fa kept on pouting.
“I told you, I’m not doing sacrificial hunting. I’ve used giba summoning fruit in traps since before I met you. Stop grumbling pointless complaints.”
“I’m not really complaining or anything, it’s just... I mean, you remember how when we visited the Ruu settlement together, we heard about Darmu Ruu getting injured? That turned out to be pretty serious, and he apparently still can’t head out into the forest.”
“...What of it?”
“No, it’s just... Aren’t you worried about getting injured?”
“Hmph!” Ai Fa snorted, turning away.
Then, she glared at me out of the corner of her eye.
“If I’m injured, then I’ll deal with that when it happens.”
“Ah, but...”
“Before I met you, I got injured more frequently. There were countless times when I couldn’t head into the forest for several days... But it’s also a hunter’s duty to strive to live just a little longer, and hunt even a few more giba. I’m not treating my life as frivolously as you believe.”
“I see,” I replied, having to just accept it at this point. “Got it. Sorry, I was in the wrong there. I guess my resolve about this kind of thing still isn’t quite firmed up...”
“...It’s only natural to worry about the members of your house. I’m not criticizing you about it or anything,” she said in a somewhat gentle tone, but there was still a bit of a light shining in her eyes. “But stop bringing up how I smell all the time. I find it unpleasant.”
“Oh, so that was the issue?” I said, unwittingly letting an awkward chuckle slip out. “I wasn’t going out of my way to comment on your smell or anything. I was just curious because I smelled the giba summoning fruit. Wouldn’t you find it strange if I was giving off a different scent than normal, too?”
“...I’ve never paid attention to how people smell.”
“It’s not like I pay a ton of attention to it either. It’s just... the giba summoning fruit smells really good, so I notice it right away.”
“Like I said! I told you to stop saying stuff like that!” Ai Fa firmly stated, grabbing me by both arms.
And her face was positively beet red all the while.
“I’m striving not to do anything you find unpleasant, but what about you?! Do you enjoy making me feel such unpleasantries?!”
“N-No, of course not! I was talking about the smell of the giba summoning fruit, not you! And come on, you’re way overreacting here!”
In a panic, I lifted my hands up to try to get her to tap the breaks on this car.
And then, Ai Fa grabbed me by the collar and uttered in a low voice, “...Isn’t that unfair?”
“Unfair?”
“You just act as you please, so why do I alone have to whittle away at my own heart?”
“W-Whittle at your heart? Do you mean how you were holding back from stroking my head? You don’t have to force yourself that hard...”
“...In that case, can I act as I please, too?”
Huh?
Was she talking about squeezing me all tight again?
“W-Well, I mean, if it’s causing you a burden, then I think you can just go ahead and do as you please...”
Seriously, what was with this exchange?
If I were looking in from the outside, I would probably burst out laughing at how ridiculous it was.
“...Hmph,” Ai Fa snorted, pushing me away.
Was she going to go for a hug? Was that it?
No... With her face still all red, Ai Fa gallantly rose to her feet.
“You and I are different. You may be a completely baffling fool, but I intend to follow my own way.”
What an exaggerated way of putting things.
But even so, I bowed my head and said, “You have my deepest apologies. I’ll strive harder to make sure not to cause you to feel unpleasant. Now, how about we put an end to this fruitless argument and get to our work?”
“Hmph,” Ai Fa snorted again, and walked towards the door. “What will tonight’s dinner be?”
“It can be anything. What should we go with?”
Ai Fa suddenly stopped.
Then, after a rather sizable wait, she uttered, “Hamburgers,” then puffed up her chest with pride as if to say, “How about that?”
In all likelihood she was boasting about how she didn’t give a knee jerk response, but that apparently still hadn’t changed her answer.
“That’s right. Last night was myamuu giba, while the night before was shabu-shabu, so let’s just go with normal hamburgers for tonight.”
“Yes,” Ai Fa replied, putting on her footwear.
With that, I at last turned to face the cutting board.
Hmm... Right, I was making patties for giba burgers.
First was chopping up aria.
I calculated that I had enough time to make the patties first then get to work on dinner as I pulled my old man’s knife from its white magnolia sheathe.
In that very instant, I got an incredibly strong hug from behind.
My whole body was hugged, arms included, and soft hair brushed up against my ears.
Just when I was about to shriek out a “Wah!” that warm body that felt anything but unpleasant smoothly pulled back.
“You fool. You let your guard down,” Ai Fa said with a smile, boasting of her victory. “If you don’t wish to face such unpleasant feelings, be more careful with your words and actions in the future.”
That wasn’t it. That wasn’t it at all, my lady.
As I wrung my hands in frustration, I thoroughly reflected on how harsh the path to mutual understanding truly was.
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