Bonus Short Stories

Rimee: Zero

The youngest daughter of the Ruu house was born when Ludo was seven years old.

“She’s all wrinkly and red. She’s not cute at all.”

Ludo Ruu poked the cheek of the infant sleeping in the cradle woven out of grass.

“Cut that out. What if you end up getting the baby sick by touching her with your filthy hands?” his sister Vina asked in a relaxed voice. She had just turned 12, and always had a sort of sleepy look about her.

“They’re not filthy! I just washed them! And wait, she isn’t sick already? I mean she’s so small and wrinkly and red...”

“Babies are all like that at first. Lala was too, right?”

“I was only two when she was born. I don’t remember that at all.”

“Oh, is that so? I get the feeling that you were even smaller than this, you know...”

“Stop messing around! There’s no way that’s true!” Ludo angrily yelled, smacking his sister on her rear, which had gotten unusually large all of the sudden recently.

“Oww... What are you doing...?” Vina asked, ruffling her angered brother’s hair.

“What are the two of you up to?” their eldest brother, Jiza, called out through the door. Ludo and Vina stopped in their tracks in the middle of their grappling and slowly turned to face their big brother. “Don’t make such a fuss around the baby. Infants are very weak just after being born, and even something slight could lead to a mistake that can’t be taken back in such a situation.”

Jiza was 15 years old. He was the oldest son of the Ruu house, and was already doing a fine job as a hunter. He had a grinning expression on his face as always, but his presence was still enough to get Ludo and Vina to hurriedly separate themselves.

Vina slumped her shoulders, while Ludo shot his brother a look of dissatisfaction.

“But Vina was saying I was even smaller than this when I was a baby. There’s no way that’s true, right big bro Jiza?”

“Hmm? Well, this child is a girl, and I do get the feeling that you were bigger... But still, you shouldn’t let yourself get worked up over things like that. What matters is the future, so you should make sure to eat properly and grow into a fine hunter.”

As Ludo gave a “Tch!” his mother returned from the elder’s room, held in his father’s arms.

“Oh, you looked over her for me, Vina and Ludo? Thank you. We’ve finally decided on her name.”

“Hmm, so what is it...?”

“It’s Rimee. The youngest daughter of the main Ruu house, Rimee Ruu. I hope you two will help so that she grows into a splendid young lady,” their mother Mia Lea said, looking incredibly happy and proud.

Even amongst the prosperous Ruu clan, Mia Lea was the first one to birth seven children. And their father Donda may have been an incredibly blunt person, but his eyes seemed to have a gentler look about them than usual.

“Rimee, huh? Hey, they say your name is Rimee,” Ludo said, reaching out and poking the baby’s cheek. With that, her tiny eyelids slowly opened, and her pale blue eyes looked at Ludo. Then she let out a weak sounding, “Gwah,” and her already wrinkly face wrinkled even more. Since she had only just been born her eyes must not yet be able to see, and she shouldn’t have been able to properly change her expression. But somehow, that wrinkled face looked like she was smiling happily at Ludo.

A Day Reminiscing About Her Father

“Why do you always insist on wrapping that scrap of cloth around your head?” Ai Fa asked, I believe on the third day after I started staying with her.

By “scrap of cloth” she meant my towel. For me, it was an absolutely indispensable part of my cooking attire.

“Why? I mean, so no strands of hair fall down when I’m cooking, I guess,” I replied as I chopped up aria atop the metal lid, which I was using in place of a cutting board.

Ai Fa, who was sitting off to my side with one knee up in the air, shot me a dubious look and tilted her head.

“Why do you need to keep your hair from falling down while cooking?”

“Why? Well, because it’d be unsanitary, I suppose.”

“What does ‘unsanitary’ mean?”

“That it’d be bad if germs and stuff got into the food.”

“What does ‘germs’ mean?”

“Um, ‘germs’ refers to bacteria that are harmful to humans... In other words, they’re dirty, I guess?”

“Your hair is dirty?”

“My hair isn’t especially dirty! And I guess I don’t know if germs even exist in this world in the first place, but still, it’d be gross if hair got in the pot, right?”

“Not especially. You just have to remove it, and it’s fine.”

What was going on? It was really rare for Ai Fa to argue about something like this.

“No, but you see, I’d find it gross if there was hair in the food I was eating, so I’d prefer to just leave this thing on.”

“I see,” Ai Fa replied, the tone of her voice dropping.

I stopped and turned around without thinking, and found Ai Fa making a sort of childish, dejected looking face.

“W-what’s up? What’s the matter? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

“That’s not it. I just thought you could take off that cloth scrap for a bit before the sun sets and it gets dark.”

I didn’t get it at all.

But, well, there was still plenty of time till we ate, so I could go ahead and indulge my benefactor’s request for a bit. And I mean, I didn’t exactly feel comfortable either, seeing her so down in the dumps.

“Here, is this alright?”

I placed my knife down atop the lid and then tore off my towel. Ai Fa’s eyes immediately started sparkling and she began patting my head.

“...It’s black.”

“Yeah. That was the most common color back where I came from.”

“I see. It’s not something you see very often at the forest’s edge. If it was a bit lighter, though, it wouldn’t be all that rare.”

Pat, pat. Pat, pat.

Ai Fa had an incredibly innocent, pure look on her face. And well, I certainly couldn’t calm myself with things like this.

“Hmm, it sure is black...”

“Gyah!” I yelled out loudly without thinking.

Ai Fa had slowly gotten into a kneeling position, and then started rubbing her cheek up against my head.

“W-W-What the...?! Ai Fa, seriously, what are you doing?!”

“Hmm? I’m not especially doing anything in particular.”

After that period of doting on my head, Ai Fa quickly and suddenly pulled back.

“I am satisfied. My apologies for the interference. Now return to your work.”

“Satisfied...? I don’t get what you mean! Don’t go toying with this young man’s pure heart!”

“What are you getting angry about? If I’ve caused you discomfort, then I apologize,” she said as if it was nothing, then cast her gaze downwards.

“It’s just... Today is the day that I lost my father.”

“W-What?”

“And my father had the same color hair as you do.”

“...”

“That’s all it is. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Ai Fa stated, glaring at my face with her usual wildcat-like stare.

“With that said, I’ve gotten hungry. When will dinner be ready?”

I gave a deep sigh.

“Just hold on a little longer. The meat should be nice and heated soon...”

“Hmm...”

It was a truly peaceful day.

Friends Old and Young

Five years ago, Ai Fa befriended members of the Ruu clan that she had just happened to become acquainted with: The Ruu clan elder, Jiba Ruu, and the youngest daughter, Rimee Ruu.

It happened on a yellow dirt path that had been cleared and trodden down in the forest. Ai Fa and Jiba Ruu were sitting off to the side of the trail, as Rimee Ruu ran about amongst the grass. Ai Fa was 12 at the time, Jiba Ruu was 80, and Rimee Ruu was only three years old.

“I’ll be 13 tomorrow,” Ai Fa said to Jiba Ruu with a smile, her eyes positively sparkling. “Then I’ll finally be allowed to go out into the forest with my father. I’ll be able to work as a hunter.”

“Is that so...? Good for you.”

“Yeah,” Ai Fa responded with a hearty nod, but she looked just a bit worried.

Ai Fa was tall for her age, and her face was already that of an adult. Though with that said, the expression she wore was much more innocent and fitting for her age.

“What’s the matter? Are you worried about something, Ai Fa...?” Jiba Ruu asked the girl with a gentle smile. Her face was wrinkled like a dried fruit, but the sparkling eyes that could be just barely be seen behind her drooping eyelids were incredibly clear and kind.

“You see... I was wondering what you thought about a woman like me being a hunter, Jiba Ruu...”

“Hmm? I don’t think that’s anything all that strange. Everyone has their own path. I believe I told you as much on the day we met, too, did I not?”

“I’ve memorized those words well, of course. What you said then made me incredibly happy, and I felt that you were absolutely correct,” Ai Fa replied, looking straight into Jiba Ruu’s eyes. “But how should I put it...? Those words were based on your thoughts and will, not your emotions. What was worrying me was how you really felt, but... No, I just can’t put it quite right.”

“Hmm, you’re still quite young, but you have some rather interesting thoughts, Ai Fa...” Jiba Ruu said with a smile. “It’s rare to find such thinking amongst the people of the forest’s edge... In other words, you’re asking not whether it’s right or wrong, but whether it makes me feel happy, or glad, or irritated, yes...?”

“T-That’s right. You really are amazing, Jiba Ruu. I couldn’t explain right at all, but you still got what I was saying.”

“This old lady thinks you’re much more amazing, Ai Fa, thinking about matters like that at such a young age... And you don’t have anything to worry about,” Jiba Ruu said, patting Ai Fa’s blonde-haired head with her hand that looked like a withered tree. “It makes me happy too, seeing you walk with your head held high down the path that you believe in. And you don’t just think it’s correct, but you also find joy in it. Hunting giba is quite dangerous, though... Just make sure you don’t push yourself too hard and leave Rimee and I to grieve, alright, AI Fa?”

“Understood. I promise that I won’t push myself too far,” Ai Fa energetically replied, then stood up in a bit of a rush. “Hey, Rimee Ruu! Don’t get too close to the forest! You’ll end up getting bit by a poisonous snake or lizard!”

“Wah!” Rimee Ruu happily yelled out as she started running away from Ai Fa, while Jiba Ruu lovingly watched over them.

Three years from then, Ai Fa would lose all of her family and be left on her own, and Jiba Ruu would become too sick to walk around outside freely.