Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 2.2

2

It was now the following day, the 25th of the blue month.

Just as planned, I went directly from the post town to the Ruu settlement, only to find a bizarre sight awaiting me there.

“Whoa, what’s that?”

The plaza of the Ruu settlement sat surrounded by seven houses. And in one of its corners lay an unusual blob of flesh, wrapped in cloth with swirling patterns. A number of small children had excitedly gathered around the pile of meat.

As I stood there dumbfounded, Lala Ruu answered, “Who else could that possibly be but Mida?”

It was completely obvious even at a glance that that was Mida, but I had absolutely no idea what he was doing lying down in a place like that. Lala Ruu and I approached closer, but it didn’t become any clearer in the least what was going on.

Mida was sprawled out on the ground, his huge body coated in sweat as he panted. And as he breathed, his almost perfectly round stomach moved heavily up and down. The young children climbed atop and tried to keep their balance, clung tight and giggled excitedly, and tried their hardest to scramble back up when they fell. It was as if he was some sort of playground equipment.

There were five kids in total, three boys and two girls. They were all in the sort of outfits meant for children, so they must have been under the age of ten. And the youngest looking girl of the group couldn’t have been more than three at the most.

“Umm... This isn’t some sort of abuse, is it?”

“Does it look like that?”

“No, but I don’t know what it is.”

At the very least, I couldn’t see any malice in the children’s smiles.

As for Mida, he looked like a beached sperm whale, and I honestly couldn’t even tell if he was still conscious.

It was then that a man approached from the shadow of one of the houses.

“Mida, you’ve rested enough now, haven’t you? Let’s get back to work.”

I didn’t really recognize the man, but he looked to be a bit younger than 40. He was slender and tall, had a mustache, and his long blackish-brown hair was tied together behind his head. Behind his narrowed eyes I could spy dark blue pupils, and his long face was taut, giving him a rather somber appearance overall.

“Water... I want to drink water...”

“Then go ahead and draw it yourself. You already drank the water jug dry, after all,” the man replied, no mercy or restraint in his voice.

Mida started slowly sitting up, and the children gave excited shrieks as they leapt off of his belly.

I also let slip a “Wah!” although mine wasn’t quite as joyful. That was because a soft, smooth presence suddenly clung to me from behind.

“I’m sorry. It really wasn’t on purpose... I’m just feeling unwell for some reason...”

I had been prepared to launch an immediate objection to that dangerous sensation I was feeling on my back, but when I saw Vina Ruu’s face over my shoulder, it really had gone pale. She was seriously bad at dealing with Mida.

“Ah, Sheera, you’re back? Good work today, and to you women of the main house, too,” the older man said, turning away from Mida to face our way.

That was when I finally remembered. The man was Sheera and Shin Ruu’s father, the former branch family head Ryada Ruu.

Now that I looked closely, he was dragging his right leg along as he walked. Despite being an age where he would normally head out into the forest, he didn’t have a hunter’s cloak or sword. The tendons in his legs had been severed and he was no longer able to hunt, and so this youngest brother of Donda Ruu’s had yielded his role as head of his household to his young eldest son, Shin Ruu.

I bowed my head as best as I could manage, as Vina Ruu was still clinging to me from behind like she was trying to force me to give her a piggyback ride.

“Ryada Ruu, nice to meet you... I don’t think we’ve spoken before? I’m Asuta of the Fa clan.”

I was the only one this pale living at the forest’s edge, so that introduction was probably unnecessary. However, Shin Ruu and his family had helped me out a lot up till now. And so, I wanted to show the former head the greatest amount of respect that I could.

“I believe this is indeed our first time meeting face to face. I’m the former head of Shin Ruu’s house, Ryada Ruu. Thank you for always looking after my daughter Sheera.”

He must have felt the same as I did, as he then calmly bowed back. He really did have a similar feel to Shin and Sheera Ruu about him, somehow.

“Um, what work is Mida doing, exactly?”

“Hmm? Right now, he’s been tasked with gathering lumber from the outskirts of the forest.”

I followed Ryada Ruu’s gaze, and saw a mountain of logs heaped in the shadow of Shin Ruu’s house. They were notably thicker than what was gathered as firewood, and had been cleanly cut, too.

“He’s doing that instead of working as a hunter?”

“That’s right. He may be strong, but as you can see it takes him no time at all to run out of energy. He’d just be a burden to the other hunters like this, so we’ve got him doing other work for the time being.”

As we were having that conversation, Mida apparently finally noticed us. After all, as he lay on the ground surrounded by grinning kids, he muttered in his unusually shrill voice, “Huh...? It’s Asuta... You came here, Asuta...?”

“That’s right. I’m gratified to see you again, Mida.”

As soon as I said that, Lala Ruu butted in with a, “Hey, what’s with the way you’re talking to him? He’s younger than Ludo, you know. And as of today, me and him are only one year apart.”

“No, but...” I started to argue, but then I thought it over. He was three years younger than me, so it was probably a bit much to be using such polite language around him. “Mida’s so large that I mistook his age when we first met. Do you mind if I just talk to you casually from now on, Mida?”

“Hmm...?” Mida mumbled as his fatty cheeks shook a bit, seeming not to understand in the least. Then, he let out a hefty sigh. “Ah, I get all hungry when I see you... Am I going to get to eat something yummy...?”

He really was just the same as always.

Nine days back when he was faced with Tei Suun’s remains, he was so sad that it was like the world had come to an end, and no matter how much Ai Fa and Yamiru Lea chided him, he wouldn’t stop sobbing. But fortunately, none of that grief seemed to be hanging about him now.

“There’s still some time left till dinner. So keep working hard so that you can enjoy that yummy food later, alright?” Sheera Ruu stated in a calm, kind tone.

I was caught off guard and turned her way, only for Sheera Ruu’s eyes to also go wide with surprise.

“What is it? Did I say something strange?”

“Ah, no... Sorry. I just hadn’t really heard you talk like that before... It really made you feel like a big sister or something.”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean, but that sounds embarrassing, somehow...” Sheera Ruu replied, looking down a bit awkwardly.

I scratched my head at Lala Ruu’s chilly glare, and then when I noticed Ryada Ruu’s gaze, I broke out in a cold sweat.

“Er, um... I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what you’re apologizing for, but it’s about time for me to be getting back to work,” Ryada Ruu answered with a calm, serious expression, then looked over at the children surrounding Mida. “And you all, if you don’t have anything to do, then go play over that way. You can’t bother Mida while he’s working, alright?”

“Yup!”

“Bye bye, Mida!”

“Let’s play again sometime!”

“Yeah...” Mida replied, his fatty cheeks trembling again.

As always I couldn’t read his facial expressions, but I could see a sort of disappointed light shining in his tiny piglet-esque eyes.

Seeing that, I figured he’d be just fine. And so, feeling a bit relieved, I went to say farewell to him.

“See you around, Mida. Let’s both give our work our all.”

“Huh...? You’re leaving already, Asuta...?”

“No, I’m going to be preparing a dish for dinner at the main house tonight. So if you have the time, we can always talk later.”

“Yeah... Got it...”

As I watched Mida slowly rise out of the corner of my eye, our group started moving again. Though with that said, the pots Sheera and Lala Ruu were carrying came from Shin Ruu’s house, so the two of them headed that way while I and the still staggering Vina Ruu headed for the main Ruu home.

“It’s been over ten days now since Mida came to the Ruu settlement, hasn’t it? But you still haven’t been able to overcome your trouble dealing with him yet?”

“I don’t know how everyone’s able to treat him normally like that... Ugh, he’s so gross...”

“But if he keeps working hard, then maybe Mida’s physique’ll end up normal... Er, that might be a bit far, but at least like Dan Rutim’s.”

“Will I be able to last till then...?”

By that point in the conversation, we had arrived at the main Ruu house.

After greeting Sati Lea Ruu, we headed out back to the kitchen. And right as we rounded the corner, we ran into Rimee Ruu. Or to be more accurate, Rimee Ruu riding atop a totos.

“Ah, Asuta! Hey there! Welcome to the Ruu house!”

I had built up a decent bit of immunity through living with Gilulu, so I managed to not get all flustered by the sudden appearance of the bird.

“Hey, Rimee Ruu. So you can already ride a totos all on your own?”

“Yup! It’s still tricky to make it run, though...”

She looked to be having a great deal of fun manipulating the reins and making the totos turn its head our way.

They were about the same size, but this totos had a bit darker plumage than our Gilulu, and had even darker feathers than that mixed in along its body and neck in a sort of tiger stripe pattern. Apparently when you paid attention, totos had quite a bit of individual differences.

“Hey, what did you name the Fa house’s totos? This guy’s named Ruuruu!”

“Ruuruu, huh? That’s cute.”

“Yup! That’s because it’s the Ruu clan’s totos!”

As I pondered whether or not the Zaza and Sauti clans named their totos, I answered, “Ours is Gilulu.”

“Gilulu and Ruuruu, huh? They’re kind of similar, aren’t they?” Rimee Ruu said, looking delighted.

“Ah, Vina, good work today. And Asuta, welcome to the Ruu house. Thank you for coming all this way today,” Mia Lea Ruu called from inside the kitchen, where Reina Ruu was also waiting. “Now Rimee, Asuta’s here, so our break time is over. Tie up the totos.”

“Alright!” Rimee Ruu answered, passing by the door to the kitchen to do as she was told.

Vina Ruu also lowered down her luggage, then left while still looking a bit exhausted.

“Thank you, Asuta. Um... Lala didn’t notice, did she?” Reina Ruu quietly asked from over next to her mother.

“She didn’t,” I answered with a nod. “Actually, even if she thought I may make dinner, she probably wouldn’t be surprised by that fact alone. But at any rate, she didn’t ever bring it up.”

“Still, since we’re talking about you, I’m sure you’ll prepare a dish that will really shock her, right?” Mia Lea Ruu asked.

“Ah, I thought about it a lot, but I was worried going with something unfamiliar could end with her disliking it, so I’ll just be adding something a little extra. It’s essentially just a grilled meat dish with tarapa sauce though, so please don’t go getting your hopes up too high.”

Yet despite what I said, Mia Lea and Reina Ruu shared a look full of expectations.

I really was just adding a topping, so I didn’t want them getting too hyped up. But at any rate, I went ahead and set about cooking. After all, I had to do my preparations for tomorrow here too, so I honestly didn’t have a lot of time to spare.

“Sorry for the wait! Well then, I’ll help Asuta to... Huh, can I not help out?” Rimee Ruu questioned.

“Yeah, this is my personal work. Still, it might be a little tricky today...”

Thinking about it normally, it would be pretty rough to try to finish all my prep work before dinner. Usually, when we put in a full day of work in the post town, that task would stretch until after we ate.

However, we weren’t planning on staying at the Ruu settlement tonight, so I wanted to get everything finished now if at all possible.

“Um, Mia Lea Ruu... I’m sorry about this, but could I borrow some help for today? I’ll pay the same amount as I do for the work in the post town.”

“Hmm? In that case, should I call Vina back? You haven’t been wanting for firewood lately, have you?”

Ah, right. Whenever Vina Ruu didn’t stop by the Fa house on the way back, she spent an hour gathering firewood.

“No, but I’d like to have someone to help me all the way until the start of dinner. Is anyone from the branch houses available?”

“In that case, let one of us help you out. We’ve already baked the poitan, so we should be able to handle our work with just two of us.”

“Ah, could we please do that, then?” I asked with a sigh of relief.

“Alright, then let’s work real hard! What should I do first?” Rimee Ruu said with a smile as she clung to my legs.

Seeing that, Reina Ruu mumbled in a panic, “Ah, um, you see... I-I want to help Asuta out! Is that not okay...?”

Rimee Ruu turned her way with a baffled stare, while Mia Lea Ruu gave a hearty shrug of her shoulders.

“I don’t care which of you does it. But if you’re being paid for the work, then I suppose we should go with Reina, since I’m more confident in her skills.”

“Huh?! But I can do work just fine!” Rimee Ruu argued, puffing her cheeks. “I wanted to help out with the stalls in the post town, too! And I even got left behind for the clan head meeting! Why do I always get left out?!”

“That’s because you’re still a little kid. Once you can carry a pot, I wouldn’t mind having you go to town instead of Lala.”

Upon hearing that, I was suddenly hit by a thought.

“In that case, it may be possible for Rimee Ruu to help once the Fa house gets ahold of a totos-pulled wagon. The plan was to stop by the Ruu settlement and have everyone ride in it, after all.”

“Huh? But wouldn’t stopping here take you far out of your way?”

“No. Since there’s a rope bridge along the usual route from the Fa house, it wouldn’t be possible to take a totos that way. And so, it’d be more reasonable to have everyone meet up at the Ruu settlement, then take the southern route into the post town together.”

With that, Rimee Ruu shouted, “Hooray!” and leapt into the air. And as she saw that, Reina Ruu started fidgeting.

“Uh, mother... The reason you left the work in the post town up to Vina was out of concern that the members of the Suun clan may make a move, right? And so, um...”

“Yes, but now things have gotten all complicated with the folks from the castle. We only just removed Ludo and the others as guards, so I think we should have Vina keep helping out until that discussion is held.”

“Yes, that’s true...” Reina Ruu agreed with a slump of her shoulders.

“Rimee, that goes for you too. Until we can trust that the castle isn’t our enemy, a small child like you can’t go wandering around the post town.”

“It’ll be fine! I’m sure Papa Donda will beat up those people in the castle, no problem!”

Er, it’d be a real issue if he went and did that. But at any rate, for now we just had to tackle the work in front of us.

“Well then, let’s get started. Rimee, you come help out over here,” Mia Lea Ruu stated, signaling the start of our work.

“We’ll try to take care of as much of the prep work for the stalls as we can over here. I guess we should start with the hamburger patties.”

“Right. That means dicing the aria and mincing the meat, yeah?” Reina Ruu asked, the expression on her face shifting in an instant. Now, she was wearing an unusually serious look. The people of the forest’s edge took their work seriously by nature to begin with, but what exactly had her feeling so eager? “Which should I be in charge of? Or should both of us do the same task at once?”

“Y-Yeah... We’ll start by both dicing aria, and once that’s done we’ll split off to sauté the aria and mince the meat.”

“I see... the sautéed aria needs to cool off for a bit, so it’s most efficient to do things in that order.”

Seriously, just what was going on here?

I couldn’t help but feel a bit taken aback by this sudden shift in Reina Ruu as I set about dicing up aria with my Sym-made vegetable knife.

“That knife cost 18 white coins, didn’t it...?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“That’s an unbelievable price, but it certainly does seem to cut well. I can really sense that from how you handle it.”

Despite the fact that she was stealing glances over at my hands, Reina Ruu was still managing to skillfully dice up aria.

“What is it...? You’re already totally accustomed to this sort of work, right?”

“Ah, I wouldn’t go that far... And I already realized this back at the clan head meeting, but Vina and Lala have both gotten really good at manning the stove, haven’t they?”

“H-Huh? But Sheera Ruu and I are the only ones using knives when cooking in the post town...”

“Yes. But I meant things like how to progress with work and what to use spare time on and the like. And Sheera Ruu improved at handling knives and managing flames on top of that.” Even as she was talking, Reina Ruu’s hands kept on precisely chopping away at the aria. “By now, I’m sure I can’t measure up to her at all. I suppose that’s only natural after she’s received instructions from you for nearly a month now, though.”

“I-I don’t think that’s true at all.”

“Oh, it certainly is. And I’m still just a child deep down, so I can’t help but find that a little vexing.”

Then, Reina Ruu broke out in a smile of a sort I had never before seen from her.

Just as she had said, there was still a bit of childishness about her. She was a very serious and kind girl by nature, yet while she was often frank and open, she also frequently bottled things up inside. And she was a very girly girl who I found a lot harder to handle than Rimee Ruu, who was pure and innocent, or Lala Ruu, who very openly showed her emotions. That was the overall impression I had of Reina Ruu.

But just how could I even go about describing the expression on her face at the moment...? Her smile was full of something similar to yet different from hostility or envy, and clearly displayed a strong will. It was like the grin of a warrior heading off to a decisive battle, yet there was too much joy behind it for that to fit. At any rate, it was a truly undaunted smile.

Did she see Sheera Ruu as her rival? Not in terms of love of course, but rather as women who specialize in manning the stove.

“Ah, I’m sorry...! Um, I don’t especially harbor any negative feelings towards Sheera Ruu, you know...” With that, Reina Ruu broke out in a childish expression again, and I glanced at her family behind her. However, Mia Lea and Rimee Ruu were acting like they hadn’t heard a thing, and just kept chatting away while peeling chatchi. “I just feel like I want to work even harder at manning the stove than I have up till now. Sheera Ruu is a precious member of our clan, though, so even if I do feel a bit frustrated, I would never want to disrespect her!”

“Ah, I wasn’t thinking anything like that. And that desire to improve yourself is a good thing, I’d say,” I told her. Reina Ruu stared back at my face for a bit, and then finally broke out in a relaxed smile.

It seemed like she may have been feeling more than a little emotionally unstable at the moment. However, I couldn’t help but want to cheer on this change in her.

The reason Sheera Ruu so diligently strove to practice her cooking was likely because that was where she derived her sense of worth from. By using her skills, she was able to earn money and help out her family. Plus, she looked happy at the thought of her family eating her cooking. And so, she wanted to strive even harder... That’s how I imagined she thought.

However, I didn’t sense those sort of straightforward emotions—fitting to a person of the forest’s edge—coming from Reina Ruu. No, there seemed to be more of a hazy feeling hanging about her... Perhaps a vague desire to improve, some sort of uncertain goal, or an undefined irritation drove her?

Maybe she even needed the approval of those around her for her own sense of self-esteem. However, I certainly wasn’t enough of a saint to be able to look down on her for that. In fact, that sort of thing wasn’t rare at all in the world I came from. Pretty much everybody had a bit of that in them, I’d say. That included me too, of course.

In other words, to cut to the chase, I sensed something very familiar in Reina Ruu. The scent of a rookie chef, taking pride in her own cooking skills and finding both joy and sorrow from them...

“What’s the matter...? You stopped working, Asuta,” Reina Ruu pointed out, now wearing a bit of a mischievous smile.

I can’t say I recalled seeing such an expression on her before.

Perhaps Reina Ruu was in the midst of a serious change. I guessed that was why she seemed so unstable right now.

At any rate, I found her actions that served as an omen of that change both very exciting and charming.

Of course, I didn’t mean that in terms of physical attraction, and perhaps this was a bit of a grandiose statement, but I could feel my heart tremble at the premonition that this was the birth of my future rival.