Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 1.4

4

“Today was exhausting,” Ai Fa grumbled as she flopped down atop the rug after finishing dinner.

It was certainly unusual to see her like that, considering she generally stayed alert until it was time to sleep. And so, I asked, “Why’s that?” as I started cleaning up the mess. “You spent all day teaching the Fou and Sudra men how to bloodlet and properly dissect giba, right? Was someone especially hard to deal with?”

“That’s not it. They were all earnestly interested in learning, and didn’t look down on me for being a young woman... That’s what made it so unnecessarily tiring.” As she lay slovenly on the floor, Ai Fa let her hair down and added, “Lately, we’ve been dealing with nothing but powerful men from clans like the Suun and Ruu. It’s like I’ve lost my bearings...”

“I don’t think it’s very kind to the Ruu clan to lump them in with the Suun... Still, I guess even with the Ruu, you’ve only really had any interaction with the main house.”

I had interacted with hunters from the branch families before the Rutim banquet, and I got the same sort of feel from the Fou and Sudra folks. They were all the same sort of men of the forest’s edge: quiet, honest, and seemingly more than a little stubborn, but also incredibly serious when it came to their work.

“Thinking about it, the men from the main houses of large clans really do feel sort of unique. I wouldn’t want to call them haughty, but I guess I’d say they seem like they’re brimming with pride...? At any rate, I definitely wouldn’t want to make an enemy of any of them.”

“Hmm... It may suit me to face off against such an opponent with our pride on the line. But at least for now, I’m exhausted.”

She just sounded so worn out that I couldn’t help but break out in a chuckle, which caused her to ask, “What’s so funny?” and shoot me a glare.

“Ah, sorry. I guess that’s what they mean about being out of your element. I mean, I could definitely understand if Donda Ruu was the type that only truly showed his strength when placed in danger, too.”

“Don’t go lumping me in with that ruffian,” Ai Fa said with a pout, then she turned away.

By that point I had finished cleaning up, so I sat down beside her. Since I got back home early today, I actually managed to finish my preparations for tomorrow before dinner.

“That’s not what I meant. I was just figuring you were probably getting antsy after not having a chance to hunt for so long... Plus I’m sure it’s awkward having people rely on you and want to work together again, right?”

Ai Fa remained facing away, but now she shot me another annoyed glare out of the corner of her eyes.

“You look like you’re really enjoying yourself. Is it truly that fun to see me so powerless?”

“Whoa, you really are in a bad mood. And of course not.”

I was just glad to see Ai Fa forming proper bonds again after two years of isolation.

It was true that the powerful Ruu and Zaza clans and their like were quite harsh towards Ai Fa. That was likely because they were truly opposed to the idea of a woman being a hunter. However, the members of the smaller clans seemed to properly treat Ai Fa as the Fa clan head.

Currently the Fa clan was amassing a significant fortune by doing business in the post town, but even before that Ai Fa worked hard and properly carried out her duty as a hunter. The shiny white horns and tusks always dangling in front of her chest were proof of that. And these folks who constantly lived under the threat of starvation must have been painfully aware of just how difficult it was for her to keep on hunting without anyone at all to help her.

Even when using giba summoning fruit, trying to hunt the beasts on your own without the incredible strength needed would simply result in your own death. And so, Ai Fa’s sheer skill as a hunter was undeniable. Thanks to that, the men of such small clans respected her strength rather than looking down on her.

“Well, you’ll get used to living like this soon enough, too. The way I see it, having to live in fear of the Suun clan’s gaze, that’s what was abnormal, and now your life is finally returning to its proper path, Ai Fa.”

“That’s not true... The Fa house only ever held weak bonds with other clans, so I would have never gotten involved with so many people if I wasn’t teaching them about bloodletting and dissecting. And so, you brought all of this about, Asuta.”

“What, so I just made more of a hassle for you?”

“That’s not what I meant! I was saying the Fa clan has been incredibly fortunate to have you here!” she stated in a grouchy tone, despite giving me a compliment. But well, it would be plain embarrassing to hear her say something like that all nicely, so that was just fine.

“By the way, are you alright with how things turned out with Yamiru? Er, I mean, Yamiru Lea? I feel kind of uneasy with how it was decided just based on my opinion...”

Hearing that, Ai Fa went, “Hmph,” and turned away again. She sure was moving a lot for someone who had supposedly lain down to sleep. “No matter what I may say now, it’s already been decided... Besides, that woman already accomplished her goal, so she shouldn’t prove dangerous anymore.”

Yamiru’s goal... That was the destruction of the Suun clan after all, wasn’t it?

Perhaps she looked even more dangerous than Diga or Doddo to folks who couldn’t sense that, but personally I couldn’t imagine her having any reason for wrongdoing from here on out.

“However, I also can’t understand how you can act so friendly towards someone who once tried to catch you in such a trap.”

“I-I wasn’t being overly friendly. I was just treating her like I would any other woman.”

“Oh? But you seemed to always be standing right next to her during the lesson.”

“That was because her skills were the most questionable. Though I suppose that makes sense, considering she had always left manning the stove up to the branch families till now.”

Ai Fa was still facing away, but I could feel her glare. And for whatever reason, I felt real uneasy as we sat there silently.

“Hey, I already mentioned this, but Yamiru Lea reeks of giba blood. Even today, I couldn’t breathe through my nose and it was just awful. So I really wasn’t beside her because I wanted to be.”

“So that all would be resolved if she just didn’t smell of blood... And she should be forbidden from performing that ancient ritual using giba blood from here on out, right?”

“What do you mean ‘resolved’? I can’t see any reason for you to be angry with me...”

“I’m not angry at all!”

“That’s sure not what your face and tone are telling me!”

What a seriously fruitless argument.

I guess it was a bad idea to bring up Yamiru Lea around Ai Fa when she was this exhausted...

“Well, from here on out she’ll be learning cooking techniques from the Rutim, so we probably won’t be seeing Yamiru Lea for a while anyway. But more importantly, there’s something I wanted to ask you, Ai Fa.”

“What is it? My head’s already starting to hurt a bit, so if it’s complicated, then just leave it for tomorrow.”

“It’s not complicated at all. You see, I was thinking of paying a bit more to the women helping out with the stalls. Could I get your permission as clan head?”

With that Ai Fa rolled over so that her whole body was now facing my way.

“I’ll leave that decision up to you, but could I hear your reasoning first?”

“Right. It’s been less than half a month since we started doing business, but the Ruu women have caught on shockingly quickly. And it’s not just Sheera Ruu, as Vina and Lala Ruu are also absolutely indispensable. But now I’m going to have another woman come help, and it just wouldn’t feel fair to pay them all the same, so I figured I could raise their payment in accordance.”

“You’re asking another woman to help?”

“Ah, right, I still needed to tell you that. You see, I made a bit of a mistake, myself.”

That was in regards to the work I’d be starting with The Great Southern Tree tomorrow. My plan had been to have Sheera Ruu take over the stall while I went to the inn in the early afternoon, but everyone warned me I should avoid acting on my own.

Even without the threat of the Suun clan, there were still ruffians wandering about the post town. If I were a trueborn person of the forest’s edge they would be too afraid of retaliation to lay a hand on me, but there was a fear they wouldn’t stop to think about that due to my appearance. In fact, Gazraan Rutim had also warned as such when I started up my business.

“I need to bring one of the women along with me when I head to The Great Southern Tree, but that would leave only one person in each of the stalls. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable with that, so I was thinking of bringing on someone else to help.”

Ai Fa was still stretched out atop the carpet, tilting her head in a way that seemed to say, “And?”

“It would just be that short period in the early afternoon where I would need help, so I was thinking of offering half the pay for half the amount of time, so three red coins. But like I said, I wouldn’t feel right treating that newcomer the same as everyone else, plus I felt like I was paying all of them too little to begin with, so I wanted to use this chance to revise the deal we have.”

Back when I started doing business, those labor expenses were a serious concern. You really just couldn’t ever tell how things would play out.

“Vina and Lala Ruu were at six coins to begin with, so I was thinking of raising that to nine, and I was already planning on bringing Sheera Ruu up to 12, so I’ll go with 15 instead. What do you think?”

“I don’t mind. Do as you please. However... Who are you planning to ask to help out? Another of the Ruu women?”

“No, it’s a busy period for the Ruu as they’re now suddenly one of the leading clans, plus Mia Lea Ruu had said we should spread the wealth around fairly, so I was thinking of asking one of the smaller clans like the Fou and Sudra. Actually, if I brought it up, the Sudra clan head would jump on the opportunity right away, don’t you think? He’d probably say I should go ahead and have them help out starting tomorrow, even.”

That small, gloomy-looking clan head seemed to have an unusually strong desire to improve his situation. The drive to escape from poverty sure was something.

“The Sudra clan head...? Apparently, that clan has already lost two infants to starvation. And from what I hear, their related clans have died out, so their only option left would be to have a clan they at least have weak ties to take the lot of them in.”

“Really? Then I’d like to work with the Sudra even more, in that case. Of course, I’d like to work with other clans too, if I get the chance.”

Ai Fa went silent.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“We faced a good deal of danger along the way, but we really did gain a lot from the clan head meeting... Surely none would call you a poison to the forest’s edge now,” Ai Fa replied, her annoyed voice finally shifting into a gentler tone.

“I’m not so sure... I don’t think Jiza Ruu and Gulaf Zaza quite feel that way just yet, for example.”

“I see. Then perhaps I should instead say few would call you a poison.”

I’d certainly feel grateful if that was the case.

However, there were still plenty of troubles waiting ahead of us.

It had been around half a month since we first opened the stalls for business. Our sales themselves were fantastic, but our goal of making it so that giba meat itself could be sold still seemed far off in the distance.

“Well, I’ll keep on striving from here on out so that all of them will think better of me. First off, I have my new business deal starting tomorrow to deal with.”

“Right,” Ai Fa nodded, then sidled up next to me using her elbows. With that, she plopped back down and stared up at my face from up close and personal. “So... Donda Ruu and the others are heading to the castle town tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Here’s hoping things go smoothly for them, too. I’ll certainly be counting on Gazraan Rutim’s skills to help out there.”

“Right... But still, since the people from the castle have only interacted with the corrupt Suun clan, Donda Ruu and the others are sure to come across as threatening. It all just makes my head ache...” Ai Fa said while stretching her left arm out towards me. I couldn’t help but tilt my head as her slim fingers approached my nose, only for her to say, “Hand.”

“Yup, that sure is a hand.”

“No, I’m telling you to give me your hand.”

What did she want my hand for? I didn’t know, but I held out my right hand regardless, which Ai Fa then grabbed with a bit of impatience. Then, she brought it to her temple, where it came to rest under her blonde bangs.

“My head really has started to ache, so lend me your hand for now.”

I didn’t really feel my palm would be that effective at soothing her headache, but she soon closed her eyes and looked quite satisfied, so I could see no reason to oppose her.

Just when I thought she really must be tired and I should let her sleep like this for tonight, she quietly started talking again.

“It’s been some time since I last slept alongside you in the Fa house. It isn’t as if we were treated poorly at the Ruu settlement, but this really is my home...”

“Of course. You did spend 17 years of your life in this house, after all.”

“Right. And you are a member of this house too, Asuta. I can no longer even imagine living without you.” Ai Fa’s unexpected statement there caught me off guard, causing my heart to skip a beat. But even so, she quietly continued on, “However... my feelings about the thought of our clan growing further are... complicated... If that time comes, will I really be able to act properly as the clan head?”

“The clan growing...? What do you mean?” I asked, but then it hit me. “Is this about what Vina Ruu was saying yesterday? I’ve said it over and over again, but I really don’t have any intention of marrying anyone.”

Ai Fa didn’t respond.

I felt a powerful unease churning in my chest, and couldn’t help but continue on. “Plus, I mean... If you suddenly said you were taking a husband, I may just lose all hope then and there rather than giving you my blessing. So we’re the same, on that point.”

“I see...” Ai Fa muttered, her lips wriggling in a bit of a strange manner. “You really are an odd man.”

“Yeah, well right back at you,” I replied as I wondered if that was really the case. I was holding back my feelings for Ai Fa despite all the things constantly running through my head. And if I lost control for even a moment, I probably wouldn’t be able to rein in my emotions. That was why I ultimately chose the path of just being a part of her family.

But how did Ai Fa feel...? What sort of thoughts and feelings were running through her head when she said she didn’t want any more members for the clan?

Well, maybe it’s just that it’d be tough as clan head to have more people relying on her...

But still, I felt a whole lot better with things being like this than if she said to go ahead and take whoever I want as a wife, so I could accept it.

As that thought ran through my head, Ai Fa started soundly snoozing away.