Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 4.2

2

Though we were taking our breaks, the flow of customers hadn’t come to a complete stop. And so, once we were done, we had 34 giba burgers and 38 myamuu giba left.

“We really are selling well today, aren’t we? We may just end up selling out entirely,” Sheera Ruu said with a bright smile, now in charge of the myamuu giba after the break.

“That’s true. Here I thought the day after the break would be when sales would go up. But it looks like it really was the right call to prepare more giba burgers than usual.”

“We have 170 meals in total today, don’t we? Then how many are you planning to prepare for—?” Sheera Ruu started to ask, only for her eyes to shoot wide open.

I hurriedly glanced around, but then when I saw who she was looking at, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ah, the members of the main house? They had some shopping to do today, so I asked if they could carry some firewood, too. Did I not mention it to you, Sheera Ruu?”

“No... I hadn’t heard about it...”

What was she so surprised about, though? It was just the second son and daughter of the main Ruu house coming our way down the path.

When they approached, though, I realized the reason for Sheera Ruu’s shock. Darmu Ruu’s face had been all wrapped in bandages, but now he was walking around with it fully exposed for the first time in a while.

“Sorry for the wait. Here’s your firewood,” Reina Ruu said with a smile like a flower, placing the load from her back at the side of the stall.

“Ehehe. I was free, so I decided to come along,” Rimee Ruu chimed in, placing a bundle about half the size down next to Reina Ruu’s.

Then finally, Darmu Ruu silently chucked down a large bundle of three bags worth in total.

On his face was a truly tragic number of scars. I had been worried about what exactly the nature of his injuries was, but with this it was obvious that they were quite severe.

There was a single large, serious-looking sideways scar on his right cheek, running from the side of his nose to under his ear. It was still the color of fresh flesh, and you could clearly see where it had been stitched. His face had already looked vicious, but now it looked even moreso, gaining about 50% more impact.

However, that vicious feel used to come just from the flames in his eyes and the bold expression he wore. Originally, he had been quite handsome... Thinking of it like that made it even more painful to see.

“...What are you staring at, you bastard?” Darmu Ruu questioned, glaring at me with his wolf-like eyes.

He looked like he was about to heap more abuse on me, but before he could, Sheera Ruu jumped in, “Darmu Ruu,” with a bit of urgency in her voice. “Finally, I get a chance to see you... Are your injuries doing alright?”

Darmu Ruu turned her way, looking annoyed.

“The eldest daughter of Shin Ruu’s house, huh...? What do you care about my injuries?”

“I had heard you hadn’t gone into the forest ever since that day, which caused my heart to ache as a member of your clan... And you have my deepest gratitude for saving Shin’s life.”

From what I heard, Darmu Ruu was injured protecting a man from a branch family, but that was Shin Ruu?

Darmu Ruu frowned, looking incredibly displeased.

“It’s only natural to protect your relatives. What are you, an idiot?”

“No. But even so, if you hadn’t saved him we would have lost our clan head. So please, allow me to thank you.”

With a “Tch,” of his tongue, Darmu Ruu glanced away.

It was then that his gaze landed on Ai Fa behind us, and his eyes narrowed.

“Reina, give me a minute...”

“Huh?”

Reina Ruu’s eyes went wide with surprise, but Darmu Ruu just left her behind and headed towards Ai Fa, detouring around the stall on the way.

I stepped forward without thinking and was about to shout, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?!” but then a customer from Sym arrived.

“Giba?”

“Ah, yes, this is giba cooking. If you’d like, please go ahead and try a sample.”

Reina and Rimee Ruu nonchalantly distanced themselves from the stalls, observing with great curiosity as the man from Sym tried the sample.

“That stall also sells a giba meat dish. This one uses cooked meat flavored with myamuu and fruit wine, while that one is a bit of a unique dish using tarapa.”

The customer gave a nod, then he headed over towards the giba burger stall.

“That was amazing! There really are townsfolk eating giba meat! He was from the east instead of the west, though!”

“Hey, lower your voice, Rimee. Sorry... We’re interfering with your work, aren’t we? We already finished our business here, so please excuse us.”

“Huh?! I want to talk to Ai Fa, too!”

“You already spent yesterday and the day before talking to her, didn’t you? But in that case, do you want to stay with Ai Fa until we’re done shopping? We’ll come back to pick you up once we’re done.”

“Yeah! Thanks, Reina!”

With that Reina Ruu turned my way with a glowing content smile on her face.

“Sorry about that. Well then, please take care of Rimee. But if she interferes with your business, don’t hesitate to scold her.”

“R-Right, got it.”

I got the feeling that Reina Ruu was smiling more and more as the days passed.

Honestly, I didn’t know if it was alright to feel earnestly happy about that or not.

It was then that Darmu Ruu suddenly returned with a, “Sorry for the wait.”

I turned around in a hurry, but Ai Fa was still seated under the tree, looking like nothing at all had occurred.

With one last, “Well then, see you later,” the siblings departed.

Unsurprisingly, I was feeling rather anxious.

But the customer from before returned over my way and held out coins, so I couldn’t exactly move from the spot right now.

“Thank you! Please hold on just a moment!”

I grabbed hold of a baked poitan, chanting in my head, Focus on work! all the while.

Then, a voice suddenly whispered in my ear, so quietly that I could just barely hear it.

“What business did Darmu Ruu have with Ai Fa...?”

“Huh?”

When I turned to look, I found Sheera Ruu looking incredibly depressed as she stared at the ground.

It couldn’t be... But then what was that about?

Ah, no, I really shouldn’t be trying to tie things together like that.

Still, after I hurriedly prepared the myamuu giba and handed it over to the customer, I called out to the girl by my side, “Rimee Ruu, sorry, but could you go call for Ai Fa?”

“Hmm? Got it!”

Rimee Ruu darted off, her reddish-brown hair fluttering as she went.

As that was happening, some customers from the west approached. They were youths with ivory-white skin, and they looked a bit timid.

“U-Um, two please.”

“Thank you. Hold on just a moment, please.”

If my memory wasn’t failing me, these were the youths who shrieked together with me back when that giant totos bird showed up out of nowhere. For some reason or another, they seemed to be coming once every other day.

There was still a bit of time left until the sun hit its peak, so business was going incredibly smoothly.

By the time I finished preparing the orders for those two, Rimee Ruu had dragged Ai Fa on over.

“What is it? Do you need me to buy vegetables?”

“No, we should still be fine on that front. It’s just, um... What did Darmu Ruu want with you?”

Ai Fa shot me a very dubious look, tilted her head a bit, and said, “No idea.”

“‘No idea’? But you had some sort of discussion, right?”

“I wouldn’t say it was enough to count as a discussion. He just came up and chattered on about something, then he suddenly left.”

“Is it alright if I ask what he said...?”

Ai Fa tilted her head the other way.

“What was it again...? I believe it was something about how he would enter the forest again tomorrow, and how a hunter who couldn’t do so was useless. Was he just trying to have a cruel laugh at me because I cannot venture into the forest at the moment?”

“Ahaha. Darmu’s just like a little kid.”

Apparently the intensity he gave off had no effect on the women of the Ruu and Fa clans.

Maybe he really was making light of Ai Fa in a disquieting and haughty manner like he did on that night a month back. But just from hearing the story told, it honestly did come across as a bit amusing.

And when you added in Vina Ruu’s statement that he still hadn’t given up on taking Ai Fa as a bride, it had the feel of an awkward man desperately trying his hardest to approach the woman he liked.

As a result, the expressions on my face and Sheera Ruu’s didn’t clear up in the least.

“We’re almost in the back half... Let’s work our hardest, Sheera Ruu.”

“Right... Of course,” Sheera Ruu said with a big nod, as if trying to cheer herself up.

Then, another customer appeared: my constant regular, Tara.

“Three please, Asuta!”

“Ah, thanks for stopping by again today! You really do come each and every day, don’t you?”

“I mean, it’s just so yummy that I want to eat it always! I wish you wouldn’t take tomorrow off...”

Suddenly, her dark brown eyes caught sight of Rimee Ruu.

“Ah! A girl from the forest’s edge!”

Rimee Ruu stared back at Tara, looking taken aback.

Fidgeting a bit all the while, Tara bowed her head and said, “Pleased to meet you...”

Instantly, Rimee Ruu broke out in a smile and energetically replied, “Yeah, you too!”

Seeing that, Tara’s usual innocent smile crossed her face.

“I thought only adults from the forest’s edge ever came to the post town! Ah, my name is Tara.”

“I’m Rimee Ruu! I’m still little, so I can’t carry heavy stuff, and that’s why they don’t bring me to town much.”

“Really? But you folks from the forest’s edge are so strong! I mean, you’re carrying 200 poitan, aren’t you? That’s amazing!”

It sort of felt like worlds were colliding, but in a peaceful way that was hard to describe.

Ai Fa was standing there right next to Rimee Ruu, but she was averting her gaze, as if she had no idea what to say.

I had to focus on preparing the meat for Tara, though, so I wasn’t able to lend my clan head a helping hand.

Instead, I just cheered in my heart, Give it your all, Ai Fa!

“How old are you, Rimee Ruu? I’m eight.”

“I’m eight too! We’re the same!”

“We sure are!”

“So you’re from Genos, but you’re not scared of the people of the forest’s edge?”

“Hmm... Scary people are still scary, but the people around Asuta aren’t like that at all! Now that you mention it, I did just see a scary man walking around though...”

“Ahaha. That was probably Darmu! He’s my big brother.”

“Huh?! Really?! I’m so sorry!”

“Nah, even people from other clans at the forest’s edge say he’s scary. But he’s really not scary at all.”

These girls weren’t just the same age. They also were alike in terms of height, the lengths of their hair, and overall adorableness. Somehow, just looking at the pair of them caused me to feel more relaxed.

“Those two at the other stall are both Rimee Ruu’s big sisters. And Ludo Ruu, the boy you let eat your manju a long time back, is another of her big brothers,” I chimed in.

“That’s amazing! You have so many siblings! I’ve got two big brothers, but they’re always just working back home.”

“I see. Work is definitely important.”

“Yeah.”

By now, Ai Fa’s eyes were begging, “Save me!”

All I could manage with my measly skills was thrusting the now complete myamuu giba in front of Tara.

“Thank you for waiting. That will be six red coins for the three of them.”

“Thanks! Here’s your coins!”

“Thank you! So you aren’t doing two of each today, huh?”

“That’s right! Dad wanted a myamuu giba, but I wanted a giba burger! But then my dad said why not split them, so we can both eat each,” Tara replied, puffing up her chest with pride and giggling.

I questioned how it took them seven days to hit on that idea, but regardless, Tara was just plain adorable.

“Well then, see you later, Asuta! And Rimee Ruu, I’d love to talk some more if we ever see each other again.”

“Yeah! Bye-bye!”

Thus, the chance meeting between the two young girls came to an end.

Ai Fa gave a deep sigh, then rested her right hand on Rimee Ruu’s fluffy hair.

“Rimee Ruu, I’m feeling a bit tired. Is it alright if I rest over there?”

“Yup! I’ve gotta talk plenty with you before Reina and Darmu come back!”

With that, we finally had a moment of silence.

It really had been a hectic day so far.

Well, maybe that’s fitting as the finale to these ten days...

As that thought ran through my head, Yumi approached. For today, she once again had a group of young Genos women with her.

“Hey there. Looks like business is booming again, huh, Asuta?”

“Welcome! Thanks for your continued business!”

“How sad. For today, we’re all getting giba burgers.”

Is that so? I couldn’t say I was especially upset about it.

“Ah, sorry, could you buy mine for me?” Yumi asked one of her friends, then she slid around to the side of the stall.

“Hey, Asuta, what are you going to do about that thing we discussed?”

“Ah, you mean the contract from the day after tomorrow on? Actually, Milano Mas asked if I could wait till the end of my work day today for his answer.”

“What’s that about? Why make you wait that long? Whether it’s fine or not, it shouldn’t be anything for him to be worrying so much over.”

Then, Yumi looked in a completely different direction.

“It just doesn’t feel right. And besides, just what is he standing there like that for?”

“Huh?”

I followed Yumi’s gaze, and when I did, I was surprised to see Milano Mas standing there off to the side of the road.

“Ah... I hadn’t noticed at all. Just how long has he been there?”

Sheera Ruu then quietly chimed in, “Asuta, if you’re talking about the man from the inn, then he’s been there looking at us since before Reina Ruu’s group showed up.”

“Really? Hmm, I wonder what he’s up to...”

“I have no idea. I mean, the fee for the location goes entirely to the folks in the capital, so the folks in charge only make anything off the stall rental fee. But if he was worried about that money then he could just go ahead and form another contract with you, so it shouldn’t be anything to think deeply on.”

As all this was going on, the giba burgers were completed, and Yumi’s friends came back over to deliver hers.

“Ah, thanks. I’ve got a bit more to discuss with this guy, so go eat over there for a bit, alright?”

Unfortunately, though, a new customer arrived just then.

He was from the south... I think?

Ah, no, he had the firm build and tough face of someone from Jagar, but his skin was an ivory white, though a bit on the darker side than usual.

“Ooh, so this is giba meat cooking?”

While his face was intense, he seemed overall like a mild mannered man in the prime of his life.

His hair and beard were a dark brown, while his eyes were a bright green. Those colors were seen often among people from the south, and he was also only around as tall as Yumi.

“Hmm, I see. And I can taste it?”

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

The man smoothly picked up a chunk of meat with a grigee toothpick, scrutinized it a bit, then tossed it into his wide open mouth.

“Hmm...”

“That stall also serves a giba dish. If you’d like, you can try that one too and compare.”

“Ooh, I see.”

With a bobbing, almost humorous manner of walking, he made his way over to the giba burger stall. As I watched him from behind, Yumi made a bit of a serious face.

“That person... Who is he?”

“Huh? Do you know him?”

“No. But somehow, I feel like I’ve seen his face somewhere before...”

As she bit into her giba burger, Yumi pondered with a “Hmm...” And in the meantime, that man bobbed back on over.

“That dish had kind of a mysterious taste. I’ll have this dish instead.”

“Thank you. One dish is two red coins.”

“Hmm. Two coins for this amount is quite cheap.” As he nodded, he handed over his coins.

I heated back up the meat and aria, then handed him the completed dish.

“Hmm, hmm...” he muttered, giving it one more look over, then he bit into the myamuu giba.

“Oho...”

He showed absolutely no signs of leaving, so I went ahead and asked, “How is it?”

“Incredibly delicious. I’m frankly shocked that this is giba meat. When I heard how much they were praising giba meat cooking, I thought there must be something mixed in to paralyze the tongue or some such trick. But no, this is simply truly delicious.”

“Thank you.”

“Also, the flavoring is simply wonderful. The sweetness of the fruit wine and the spiciness of the myamuu make for an exquisite combination. Who handled this flavoring?”

“I was the one in charge of that.”

“Oh, I see. That certainly is something, for one so young... Still, this fuwano has a bit of an unusual texture. It seems to have come together properly, but it’s quite soft when you bite into it.”

“Ah, that isn’t fuwano, it’s poitan.”

“Huh?” “Eh?”

The eyes of not only that gentleman but also Yumi opened wide with surprise.

“By poitan, you mean those things travelers eat? That can’t be, right? Those just turn into goopy muddy water, don’t they?”

“Ah, no, the batter for this was made by boiling down poitan, then drying it out.”

Now that I thought about it, Kamyua Yoshu had been just as surprised to hear about the poitan as he had been by the giba meat.

“Hmm?” the man muttered, staring even more intently at his partially eaten myamuu giba. “This color really does resemble that of a poitan, but... Do you really mean it? You aren’t just kidding me?”

“That’s right. There is just a bit of gigo mixed in, though.”

Maybe it was best not to bring up poitan, as it seemed to have a bad reputation in an entirely different way than giba meat.

“Poitan is a very cheap ingredient, isn’t it...?”

“Yes. I don’t personally know how expensive fuwano is, though, so I can’t compare.”

“With fuwano, you could make three of these dishes with one red coin.”

“I see. With poitan, you can make around five.”

While letting out a, “Hmm!” the man jammed the rest of the myamuu giba into his mouth.

As that happened, Yumi loudly proclaimed, “Ah! I remembered! You run one of the inns, don’t you? I thought I’d seen your face somewhere from before! It must have been at a meeting!”

“Oho? You didn’t realize until just now? You’re the daughter of The Westerly Wind’s owner, aren’t you? I’m the owner of The Great Southern Tree, Naudis.”

I had heard that name before.

“Ah, so are you acquaintances with Aldas, from the construction group?”

“Yes, that’s right. They all use my inn each year. As you can tell by looking, the blood of the south also runs in my veins, so my place is favored by customers from Jagar.”

I see, so he had mixed blood from the west and south, huh?

Well, Kamyua Yoshu said people of mixed blood didn’t face persecution as long as they weren’t mixes of enemy nations like the north and west or east and south.

“The deliciousness of this shop’s cooking has become a big topic of discussion around my inn. And it really is spectacular. I’m so impressed, I’d take my hat off to you if I was wearing one.”

“T-Thanks.”

“So, what is it...? Are you trying to sign him up to rent out his stalls from your place or something?” Yumi chimed in, sounding a bit amused.

Hearing that, Naudis tilted his head and said, “Oho? This stall came from The Kimyuus’s Tail, didn’t it? Who he rents from doesn’t really make much of a difference. I simply wanted to discuss something with the owner here.”

“Discuss something...?”

“Yes... If it’s alright, would you be interested in having my place carry your cooking?” Naudis asked, acting entirely mild-mannered all the while.