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

Prologue

“Asuta, what is that?!” Ai Fa suddenly yelled out, seriously catching me off guard.

We were currently in the familiar vacant house at the Ruu settlement.

Once the chaos at the clan head meeting finally wrapped up, we hurried on back. Right now, it was midway between when the sun hit its peak and when it would set, so a bit after 3 PM by my estimation.

Since we hadn’t really gotten any proper sleep last night, I borrowed the bathing area to shake off the drowsiness, and was feeling rather refreshed as a result... But now, Ai Fa was standing imposingly in the middle of the room, her whole body trembling with anger.

“What’s wrong? What in the world has got you that mad?”

“How can you even ask?! I can’t believe you...!” Ai Fa stomped on over towards me, then as I stood there at a loss, she jabbed a finger at the middle of my torso. “I meant this wound! How did this happen?!”

“Ah, that... You see, it’s from when Doddo Suun kicked me last night. I was pretty surprised when I first took off my clothes, too.”

I also washed my t-shirt while bathing, so I only had on my vest. Because of that, the black bruise in the middle of my stomach was clearly showing. But still, I got sent flying by a man of the forest’s edge, so I was probably lucky to get off this lightly. If he had hit me in a worse spot, he could have easily broken ribs.

However, Ai Fa still looked mad.

“I never heard about that! You said everything was fine and that nothing happened, didn’t you?! Were you trying to fool me, Asuta?!”

“Huh? Something this small should still count as fine, right?! It doesn’t even hurt if I don’t pay attention to it.”

“...So if you do pay attention to it, then it hurts,” Ai Fa replied, sitting down on the floor so she could stare straight at my stomach from close up. “To think that second son did such a thing... Damn! I should have dealt with him myself before he got handed over to Donda Ruu!”

“Ah, no, but I bit him on the back of his hand, so we were probably pretty equal in terms of how much damage we inflicted. There was no need for extra retaliation.”

Ai Fa bit her lip with regret, and gently touched the injury with her palm.

“Does it really hurt...? Do you need medicine?”

“No, not at all! It’ll disappear soon enough if you just leave it be. But thanks for worrying about me.”

“How frustrating...” Ai Fa muttered, pulling back her hand. Then, she wrapped her arms around my torso and brought her cheek up to my bruise.

I heard myself yelp “Gah!” in my head, and I was left unable to move. “I-I-I really am alright! You’re seriously worrying too much, here! This is practically just a scratch for a hunter, right?”

“You’re not a hunter. You’re a chef.”

“Well, I mean, that’s true, but still...”

Ai Fa put even more strength into her hug, and I felt like I was on the verge of dying in agony.

“I don’t like you getting hurt...” Ai Fa mumbled quietly. “When someone weak like you is injured, it makes me feel like I’m being torn apart... And it’s incredibly vexing to have failed to protect a member of my clan...”

“You shouldn’t feel like that. We should be grateful that both of us came out of that huge commotion with no serious injuries, right?” I somehow managed to reply, despite still being in something of a panic. “When I learned you were alright, I was overjoyed. If Diga had gone and done something to you, I probably would have lost my mind.”

“Right. If someone hadn’t given me that wine to wake me, I really may have been in a bit of danger,” Ai Fa said with a sigh, her cheek still up against my stomach. The feel of her warm breath sent a shiver down my spine. “The Suun clan no longer possesses the strength to harm us, but we do not know what trials await us from here on out. Rather than growing conceited, we should be even more cautious than ever before.”

“Yeah, I’m fully in agreement there.”

So could you hurry up and let me go already? I thought to myself, only to be saved by a knock on the door behind me.

“Asuta, are you still not ready yet...?”

It was Vina Ruu.

After this, I had to go prepare for work tomorrow.

“Right! Hold on just a moment! Okay, Ai Fa, I’ve got to go to work...”

“Hmm...” she muttered, and only then very slowly removed her arms and stared up at my face. “Asuta, is there anything I can help with?”

“Um, I guess there’s probably something. But aren’t you tired?”

“I don’t exactly feel like sleeping when it’s so bright out. If you don’t have anything for me to help with, then I’ll go gather firewood instead.”

“In that case, help me out, if you don’t mind. I kind of...” I started to say, but stopped myself before I could finish with “want to stay with you, too.”

From tomorrow on we would be working separately again, so I wanted to spend even just a bit more time together until then. That was what was running through my head.

Ai Fa stood up, and with a very satisfied expression on her face, she replied, “Understood.”

◇

Ultimately, it definitely took some serious effort to switch gears in my head.

Tomorrow I would resume business with the stalls, and the day after that I would begin working with the inn. And so, I had to reset my brain from having to deal with the Suun clan and instead focus on grappling with these new tasks.

“So in the end, we’re preparing a hundred of each of the dishes for tomorrow, right...? What are we doing first, though?”

“To start with, let’s get the giba burger patties ready. For 100 of them, we should need, um... 25 aria.”

I went ahead and grabbed the necessary ingredients from the pantry with Ai Fa and Vina Ruu’s help. Then I had Vina Ruu start dicing aria, which seemed to prompt Ai Fa to give an impressed “Hmm...”

“What is it, Ai Fa...?”

“Ah, I was just thinking that you’ve grown quite skilled at handling a knife. I had thought you were not that proficient at manning the stove.”

“Hmm...? Well, it’s only natural that I improved with all the chances I’ve had to help out Asuta... Plus, lately, manning the stove has started to feel fun...” Vina Ruu replied, her luscious lips shifting into a smile. “Now that I think about it, you help out a lot around the kitchen, but you never pick up a knife... Is there some sort of reason for that?”

“Huh? Nothing in particular. It’s just because Asuta mans the Fa clan’s stoves. If I get involved, it would surely only make the food taste worse.”

“Ah... You do insist that you’re a hunter and nothing else, don’t you...?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

It was rare to see Ai Fa and Vina Ruu having this much of a conversation. If she had been talking with Lala Ruu I would probably break out in a smile and find it adorable, but something felt a little strange about this particular combination.

As that thought ran through my head, Vina Ruu went on the offensive and rather bluntly asked, “Hey... Do you really not intend on marrying anyone, Ai Fa...?”

Ai Fa had looked rather relaxed up until now, but with that she instantly pouted.

“I have no intention of becoming anyone’s bride. I believe I’ve already told Donda Ruu as such several times.”

“By now, he doesn’t care about that at all. Plus, after last night, it seems the Ruu and Rutim are friends to the Fa even without any bonds of blood...”

“If my bond with the Ruu has been corrected after being soured two years ago, then I would truly be glad.”

“Yes, that makes me happy, too... But still, you may have danced around the question, but did you really answer it...?” Vina Ruu pressed on, causing Ai Fa to furrow her brow even more.

“If I tell you I have no such intention, then I mean it. Why are you so fixated on this matter, eldest daughter of the Ruu?”

“Oh... Then if Asuta took someone else as a bride, you wouldn’t have any objections?”

“Hold on, Vina Ruu! What are you saying, all of a sudden?!” I interjected in a panic, causing Vina Ruu to giggle.

“It’s just a hypothetical. I understand that it would be a problem for you if Asuta married into some other house, but if the Fa welcomed in a bride, you shouldn’t have any issues with that, right?”

Timidly, I stole a glance Ai Fa’s way. And what I found was her standing there with a puzzled, childish expression on her face. Then, that expression suddenly turned my way.

“Asuta, do you have a woman you intend to take as your bride?”

“I don’t!”

“I see. So you don’t have one...” Ai Fa’s head then made a mechanical turn back towards Vina Ruu. “Eldest daughter of the Ruu, apparently he doesn’t have one.”

“That’s just for now though, right...? But who knows what could happen in the future...”

Ai Fa nodded, then turned back towards me.

“Asuta, will you have one in the future?”

“I won’t! I’ve said plenty of times that I have no intention of taking a bride, haven’t I?”

“I see. That’s true.”

“But people’s feelings do change, don’t they...? If someday a woman asks to marry Asuta and he shares her feelings, then could you give them your blessing as clan head, Ai Fa...?”

“Blessing...” Ai Fa muttered, blinking in surprise. “Blessing... A blessing, is it...?”

“That’s right. It’s only natural for a clan head to bless her clan member getting married, isn’t it?”

With that, Ai Fa shut down completely. It seemed she was thinking deeply about something... In fact, it was as if I could hear a hard-disk running in her head.

“Ah! It’s Ai Fa!” an angel of salvation called out as she descended upon us. It was the youngest daughter of the main Ruu house, Rimee Ruu. “Asuta, Vina, welcome back to you too! Hey, how did the clan head meeting go?!”

While stealthily wiping away a cold sweat, I returned that strangely nostalgic carefree smile with one of my own.

“Err, it would take pretty long to explain... It’s probably best to wait for Donda Ruu and them to come back before discussing the details.”

“Huh? Papa Donda didn’t come back with you?”

The three newly appointed leaders of the forest’s edge and the clans under them remained at the Suun settlement, attempting to settle a variety of matters. The only ones to come back were us and the women.

“I see. Still, I’m glad everybody’s alright! Hey, Ai Fa, come see Granny Jiba and let’s talk!”

“Ah, but I’m helping out Asuta with his work right now...”

“Eh?! But you and Asuta are heading back to the Fa house tomorrow, aren’t you? Then I won’t be able to see you again for a while! We weren’t able to talk yesterday, so I want to spend a whole lot of time with you today!”

Rimee Ruu clung to Ai Fa like a puppy.

Ai Fa looked like she hadn’t quite snapped back to her senses, though, so I smiled and said, “We’re fine here, so why not go? You must want to talk more with Jiba Ruu, right?”

“I see... Well then, I’ll go for a bit.” Having said that, Ai Fa turned towards Vina Ruu with a bit of a mysterious look on her face. “Eldest daughter of the Ruu, about our discussion before...”

“Yes? What is it...?”

“I don’t really know, myself... It’s like I can’t quite gather my thoughts and feelings...”

With that, Ai Fa and Rimee Ruu departed, and I shot Vina Ruu a glare.

“Vina Ruu! What were you thinking?! Why did you ask something like that all of a sudden...?!”

“I mean, I just didn’t really like how Ai Fa was acting all nonchalant about stuff...” Vina Ruu said with a puff of her cheeks. “Me, you, Reina, and Darmu all have our own thoughts and concerns, so doesn’t it seem strange how Ai Fa alone keeps feigning ignorance...? It’s no fair...”

“I don’t really think fairness has anything to do with it...”

At the very least, Ai Fa needed some serious resolve to decide to live as a hunter. Despite being a woman, she decided not to marry and have children with anyone, instead choosing a life that would end out in the forest... There’s no way you could do that with half-hearted feelings.

“I don’t think I would feel this way if you and Ai Fa were at least connected by blood... But as is, I just can’t feel satisfied with things as they are...” Vina Ruu grumbled, looking a bit sad. “But still, I’m sorry... It’s not the sort of thing to be discussed while working, is it? I was in the wrong just now...”

Now I was the one left feeling guilty.

I was facing a lot of difficult questions in my life, but when it came to the issue of how to construct healthy relationships with Vina and Reina Ruu, I frankly had no idea how to solve it. And when it came to Vina Ruu in particular, I had gained a lot of platonic affection and trust in her through our work together in the post town, which I couldn’t help but feel awkward about.

I didn’t know if I should call her a female friend or a work buddy or what, but at the very least, Vina Ruu had become someone very important in my life. If she happened to fall for another man and get married, I’m sure I would give her my blessing and feel as if a member of my family was being wed.

How is Shumiral doing, I wonder...? I suddenly thought, the silver-haired youth from Sym coming to mind.

In the same instant, Vina Ruu gave a sigh.

“You two are leaving tomorrow, aren’t you...?”

“Yeah. We sure ended up imposing on you for quite a while.”

“How sad... When I think of tomorrow and the days that follow, it makes me feel like I want to die...”

“Th-That’s a pretty serious overreaction, don’t you think?”

“No, it’s not just about you... I also can’t shake this nasty premonition I’m feeling...”

“A nasty premonition?”

“It seems likely that someone from the Suun will end up here, doesn’t it...?”

I see, so that was it.

The members of the main Suun house had their clan names stripped from them and were to be sent off to join other powerful clans. Diga Suun... Er, I should say Diga, Doddo, and Tei were to join the Dom, while Yamiru would probably go to the Zaza or Sauti.

The remaining three, Oura, Tsuvai, and Mida, had done nowhere near as much harm, however.

“Doesn’t it seem like there’s a real chance that the youngest son will get sent to the Ruu...?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. Well, since the Ruu clan was the one to bring up the idea, I’m sure you’ll end up taking in someone.”

“Yeah...”

“And whichever clan takes Mida will definitely have to be awful strong in order to handle him.”

“Yeah...”

“Still, Mia Lea Ruu didn’t seem half bad at dealing with him, did she?”

“Ugh... I really, seriously want to die...” Vina Ruu wailed, only stopping when a commotion came from out front.

Vina Ruu and I looked at one another, then sighed in sync.

As we exited the kitchen and headed into the plaza, we ran into what I had more or less expected. Donda Ruu and company had returned from the Suun settlement, and they were surrounded by the women of the branch families.

However, it seemed that not all of them had come back. I saw Donda and Ludo Ruu as well as Dan Rutim, but Darmu Ruu and Rau Lea weren’t with them. In total, this looked to be around half of the group that had gone to the clan head meeting.

And there were members of the Suun clan with them, too. Oura, Tsuvai, and Mida.

Naturally, the women were making a fuss due to Mida’s unusual appearance. He had appeared at the Rutim banquet, of course, but it took more than seeing him just once or twice to get used to him.

“Good work, everyone. Man, you came back pretty quickly, didn’t you?” I called out to Donda Ruu as Vina Ruu froze up, only for him to look away like he found me a nuisance. Instead, Ludo Ruu answered in his place.

“We needed to bring these guys along with us, so we returned ahead of the others for now. Darmu and the rest stayed behind to keep an eye on the branch families, though.”

The Suun branch families... Around half of them would be taken in by houses they had strong blood ties to, while the rest would remain in the Suun settlement.

However, until the fruits of the forest grew back, the area around the Suun settlement would be devoid of giba, and they also hadn’t truly worked as hunters for over a decade. And so, they wouldn’t really be capable of handling the job properly. For that reason, it was important to both give them support and also determine if they truly had the resolve to live properly as people of the forest’s edge.

Now that the main house had been lost, it was up to those branch families to determine whether or not the Suun clan would live on. If they couldn’t regain their strength as hunters, then the Suun name was sure to die off.

“Yamiru isn’t around, huh? Which clan did she ultimately end up with?”

“Hmm? She’s the only one they still haven’t determined a place for. The Ruu and Rutim are too close to the Fa house, while the Zaza and Sauti seem to want nothing to do with her. For now, she’s locked away in the main Suun house with men watching over her.”

“I see...” was all I could say in response.

Yamiru was the brain behind all the wrongdoing, and so everyone was on guard around her. Maybe there was no helping that, but I still found it depressing.

“What’s the gloomy face for, Asuta?! There’re still plenty of pains left to deal with, but tomorrow I’m sending Gazraan over to the Suun settlement, so that should more or less take care of things. It’s best to just leave stuff like that up to him!” Dan Rutim proclaimed with his usual hearty chuckle. Then, he gestured Oura and Tsuvai on over with his thick fingers. “Us Rutim are taking charge of these two. We were short on women anyway, so it works out perfectly! And since the Rutim are friends with you two, I figured I should introduce them to you as the new members of the clan.”

“Ah, so you two are joining the Rutim?”

That certainly sounded like good news to me. Tsuvai Suun may have been older than she looked, but she was still just 12 years old, the same age as Lala Ruu. It would be far too unbearable for her to be ripped away from her mother.

Hearing Dan Rutim’s words, Oura Suun gave a deep bow. There were dark clouds in her blue eyes, but they weren’t muddy like they once were. Her gaze just looked incredibly sad.

Meanwhile, Tsuvai clung to her legs while glaring intently up at me. I was the one whose words dealt the final blow to the Suun clan, so perhaps it was only natural that she hated me.

Still, I certainly wished this mother and daughter pair happiness.

“Oh, Ai Fa. Good to see you looking well.”

That statement from Dan Rutim caught me off guard, and sure enough, when I turned to look I found that Ai Fa had appeared next to me at some point. Rimee Ruu was standing behind her, and the young girl was looking up at Mida’s massive frame and going “Whoa.”

Even further back was Mia Lea Ruu, who had a truly satisfied smile on her face. Reina and Lala Ruu must have been napping or something, as I didn’t see them.

“Well then, we’ll be excusing ourselves! Donda Ruu, I’ll be sending Gazraan to the Suun settlement tomorrow, and I’ll have him stop by here on the way.”

“Right. Then I’ll head back over again.”

“Alright, then we’re off!”

However, Mida stood firmly in Oura and Tsuvai’s path.

I couldn’t read what he was feeling from his little animal-like eyes, but he was staring straight at his former family.

“Oura, Tsuvai, you’re going...?”

“Yes... Take care, Mida,” Oura replied, placing her slender hand on Mida’s thick, log-like arm.

Tsuvai just stared silently at her massive former big brother.

As for Mida, his cheeks started to quiver.

“But I’m... I’m lonely...”

“Yes, I feel the same way... But there’s nothing to be done about it. We committed a crime, and now we need to atone for that.”

“I won’t be able to see Oura and Tsuvai anymore...?”

“That’s right. The main Suun house is gone. From now on, you’re to live as a member of the Ruu.”

So Mida really was being taken in by the Ruu, huh?

Vina Ruu was behind me, and I could feel her firmly gripping my clothing.

“I won’t get to see Yamiru, or Tei... or Diga, or Doddo...?”

“Yes, that’s correct. And if you happen to see any of us somewhere from now on, you mustn’t ask such questions. You’re a man of the Ruu now, so you have to follow what they tell you. Forget all of the rules of the Suun, and obey those of the Ruu, alright? If you do that... I’m sure you’ll be happier than ever before.”

“But, I want to stay with you and Tsuvai...”

Mida fell heavily to his knees, and looked up at Oura’s face from below.

With a sorrowful smile, Oura placed her hand on the small mountain’s shoulder.

“You’re a strong boy, Mida. I’m sure you’ll make a splendid hunter. And I know that you’ll be able to do what Zuuro, Diga, and Doddo weren’t able to. Live on as a member of the Ruu, alright...?”

“I...” Mida muttered.

I was taken aback, as suddenly tears started gushing from his overly tiny eyes.

“Hey, come on, give me a break,” Ludo Ruu said as he ran over our way.

In the next instant, Mida’s mouth opened wide and he wailed, “Waaaaaaaah...!” letting loose a monstrous wave of sound. High and low frequencies mixed and swirled together to an astounding degree, making for a truly cacophonous roar.

If window glass existed in this world, that may well be enough to blow it to smithereens. That was just how much of an explosion of sound Mida was making.

“Ugh, you’re so loud! We let you cry yourself out at the Suun settlement, didn’t we?! So cut it out already!” Ludo Ruu yelled while covering his ears.

Mida Suun just kept on sobbing, though, his wail drowning out that shout. The astounding amount of tears flowing down his cheeks were even starting to create a puddle on the ground.

“Shut up, you dummy!” Tsuvai yelled and kicked Mida in the leg, but his tears still showed no signs of stopping.

My eardrums took some serious damage as soon as he started, and so I was now covering my ears with both hands, but I could still definitely feel a tightening in my chest. That was just how intensely Mida’s face displayed his sadness.

He was so plump that he looked inhuman, and he had seemed like he had no interest in anything but eating, yet now his face was a mess from his gushing tears. His fat was too thick for him to make proper facial expressions, yet right now he looked so heart-wrenchingly sad. He really did look like a baby.

“But... I’m sad... I don’t want to say goodbye to Oura and Tsuvai...” Mida wrung out, trembling as he did so.

“Thank you, Mida... But there are no other paths left to us.”

Oura Suun wasn’t crying, but her face was still awash in grief.

Mida’s face started to distort with powerful emotion once again, but before he could resume his wail, an unexpected voice cut him off.

“Silence! You’re so large, yet you keep on wailing! Men shouldn’t go showing their tears to others so lightly!” I was probably the most taken aback of anyone. After all, it was Ai Fa of all people who stepped up to Mida and said all that. “Even though they were a group of scoundrels, they were still your family. I understand that, but sobbing won’t change your fate. If you are truly a person of the forest’s edge, then you should have at least a little pride!”

Mida turned and stared blankly at Ai Fa. And Ai Fa glared on back at his massive tear- and snot-soaked face with her wildcat-like eyes.

“You all committed crimes. Losing your family is your punishment for that. You must remember your sins... And you must live on in the only way you are permitted to do so.”

“But, I...”

“I know full well the sadness of losing all of the family that you have. It is a pain that feels like it will tear you apart, but it most certainly isn’t something that can’t be overcome.” With wrinkles forming around her nose, Ai Fa brought her face in close to Mida’s. “And your bonds with your family may have been severed, but none of you have lost your lives. If you live properly as a member of the Ruu, and these women do the same in the Rutim clan, it is possible you’ll be able to see each other again in the future. So don’t go wailing and sobbing when you still have that hope left to you!”

“I can meet Oura and Tsuvai again...?”

“You wouldn’t be allowed to see the men or eldest daughter, but it’s certainly possible when it comes to these women. After all, the Ruu and the Rutim are closely tied together,” Dan Rutim chimed in. Even a man as lively as him couldn’t help but look a bit down.

“I... want to see Yamiru and Tei, too...”

“That will be down to your determination. But don’t go spouting such things before you put in any effort,” Ai Fa said with a frightening glare, causing Mida to mutter, “Sorry...”

“Goodness. I never expected you to beat me to the punch, Ai Fa... You certainly are a splendid clan head,” Mia Lea Ruu said with a smile, then she also walked up to Mida. “Even without blood ties, a clan member is still a clan member. And if you live properly as a person of the forest’s edge, our clan head can grant you the Ruu name. I know you can’t help but regret the past, but you must keep striving to better yourself.”

Having finished speaking, Mia Lea Ruu pulled out a scrap of cloth and started wiping the various secretions from Mida’s face.

“Well then, let’s be off...” Dan Rutim said after looking over the pair with a satisfied grin, then he departed the plaza with the rest of his clan.

Mida was being taken in by the Ruu, while Oura and Tsuvai were joining the Rutim. Diga, Doddo, and Tei were being sent to the Dom, while Yamiru... Well, I was sure Gazraan Rutim would do something about all that.

The new leaders of the forest’s edge would be the ones to interact with the lord of Genos now. And four days from now the merchant group from Genos under Kamyua Yoshu’s protection was to pass through the forest’s edge, so it would certainly be necessary to officially announce the fall of the Suun clan before then.

There really was a mountain of problems to be dealt with. The leading clan had failed them, so now all of the people of the forest’s edge needed to stand together and pick up the pieces in order to forge a better future.

“Well, I suppose it’s about time we got started on dinner, too,” Mia Lea Ruu proclaimed with a cheery smile, and so I returned to the kitchen along with a truly miserable Vina Ruu.