Chapter 1: Moonlit Intermedio

1

The elder of the forest’s edge, Jiba Ruu, said that she had remembered the joy of living, and both Ai Fa and I had been granted blessings. I truly was overjoyed by that. Heck, calling it the perfect outcome wouldn’t even be enough to cover it. It was a powerful feeling to become involved with the life of someone so precious to Ai Fa in this manner, so much so that I could feel my heart tremble with emotion.

And yet, just a few hours later, I was left worrying all alone in a vacant house.

Ai Fa wasn’t there, and neither was Rimee Ruu.

I was sitting there squirming in the middle of the silent room, awash in anger and humiliation.

Damn it! What the heck is the deal with that?!

I wasn’t especially being confined or anything like that. I was just left to hold down the fort as Ai Fa and Rimee Ruu were with Jiba Ruu in the elder’s bedroom, in the midst of rekindling their old friendship.

This house, one of the homes belonging to the Ruu, apparently had been owned by Donda Ruu’s little brother or nephew or something. But apparently that relative had lost family and was having a hard time getting by as of last year, so he had moved to a different house and left this one empty.

And so, since the Fa house was so far away, we gratefully took the Ruu up on their offer to let us stay here for the night. But that ended up leaving me sitting there stewing in my displeasure. With that said, I didn’t even know who I should be pointing this frustration at to begin with.

If I had to say, though, I’d probably choose myself. And so, I just sat there floundering and writhing, my chest full of emotions with no place to vent them.

◇

A few hours prior, we were still in the main Ruu household’s banquet hall.

“You’re sleeping here tonight, yes, Ai Fa...?” Granny Jiba said as she slowly continued to eat her dinner. “It’s completely dark out, after all. It’s dangerous outside at night, so stay with us in our open house.”

“No, we couldn’t. It should be perfectly safe as long as I prepare a fire, so if you could just loan me a candle, that would be plenty.”

“Oh, my... It’s true that you certainly appear to have grown into quite the splendid hunter, but please take a rest here, for this old woman’s sake too.”

“But...”

“You have your responsibility as head of your clan, so you can’t come out here to the Ruu home so often, can you? And this old woman lacks the strength to walk all the way to the Fa home... So with that being the case, can’t you at least spend tonight keeping this old lady company? We were finally able to meet for the first time in several years, after all...”

Even Ai Fa couldn’t flatly refuse a request like that. That didn’t seem to be a problem in the least, though. I mean, I figured that Ai Fa should use this chance to deepen her bonds with Granny Jiba and Rimee Ruu, since Donda Ruu didn’t seem to have even the slightest intention of repeating the offer to have her marry into the family.

So that wasn’t where issue arose. No, that came next.

Apparently, the custom was that no one could leave their seat until everyone finished eating, so Rimee Ruu took over helping out Granny Jiba, while Ai Fa and I returned to our dinners. And all the while, the clan head Donda Ruu kept heaping abuse on my cooking.

“This isn’t proper food for a hunter.” “How dare you make me eat the same thing as a mundt?!” “I can feel my life force being dirtied,” and other such disparaging remarks came raining down upon me. But I figured this rowdy mountain of a man must have had some sort of reason for insulting my cooking, be it his distrust towards outsiders or his position as head of his clan or whatever, so I didn’t let it get to me. And besides, Granny Jiba had gone and said all that she did, so I was feeling completely content.

What caused that to crack, though, came right before Ai Fa and I finished eating.

“Won’t you please cut it out?! Why do you have to say such mean things about Asuta’s cooking?! Don’t you see how happy it made Granny Jiba?!” Reina Ruu shouted, having finished her dinner just a step ahead of us. Donda Ruu’s burning blue eyes shot an annoyed glare at his adorable second daughter.

“What’s wrong about calling something bad when it is? Our elder there just said so, didn’t she? It’s up to folks to decide what they think is right, I mean. And the only ones who would be grateful to be able to eat this mundt crap food would be old folks who’ve lost their teeth.”

Reina Ruu sat there in silence for a while, looking frustrated. Then, she suddenly stood up.

She removed the fang and tusk necklace from around her neck, and then slowly approached me and Ai Fa.

“Hey...” said Donda Ruu, a restless look in his eyes, but Reina Ruu paid him no heed as she took a knee and offered a piece of her necklace to each of us.

“I, Reina Ruu of the Ruu clan, offer this heartfelt blessing to Ai Fa and Asuta of the Fa clan for saving Jiba Ruu’s soul, as well as bringing peace of mind to the Ruu clan.”

“Huh? Hey, is it really alright to be doing that, Reina Ruu...?” I went to whisper into her ear. But then, Ai Fa gave me a quick push on the shoulder before I got close enough.

“Just shut up and accept it. To the people of the forest’s edge, offering a giba tusk or horn is a sacred act. Turning it down is akin to trampling upon the giver’s dignity and pride.” Then, Ai Fa said, “I gladly accept this blessing, Reina Ruu,” and took the white tusk.

Figuring there was no helping it, I followed along and said, “Thanks.”

“Reina... Are you trying to disgrace the Ruu family name?” Donda Ruu murmured, his low voice so grave that it sounded like an omen of some great coming earthquake. “Do you really think you’ll get away with giving some fake blessing in order to spite me?”

Though Reina Ruu was turning pale with fright, she stared firmly right back at her father.

“It’s not fake! Even putting aside the matter of Granny Jiba, I earnestly think from the depths of my heart that Asuta’s cooking is amazing. I never knew that giba meat could be this delicious. To eat is to live. So what I’m saying is, eating made me feel the joy of living so strongly just now, the same as Granny Jiba!”

“You... Have you gone mad?” Donda Ruu muttered in a low voice. I was taken aback by the puzzlement I could hear in his voice. But before I could figure all that out, Rimee Ruu stood up suddenly and yelled out, “Me too!” She turned back and looked at Granny Jiba, who gave a nod and said, “It’s alright.” And then, the little girl left her grandmother and came running over to our side. Naturally, she had broken out in a wide, happy smile.

“Asuta! Ai Fa! Thanks so much for everything today! It was really, really tasty, so I’m going to give you a blessing, too!”

With that, a third blessing, something that didn’t seem to come so lightly, was plopped into Ai Fa’s and my hands.

“Yes... That was certainly a wonderful dinner, truly worthy of a blessing,” the eldest daughter Vina Ruu said in a needlessly coquettish voice as she slowly stood. “I didn’t even know a ‘splendid’ meal could exist here at the forest’s edge in the first place. This really was enough of an experience that it can’t just go without a blessing.”

“That’s for sure. It’s just as you say, Vina,” Granny Tito Min added, standing up too.

“I can’t believe this! What in the world are you people doing?!” Donda Ruu yelled out again. Rather than anger, though, his passionate voice was full of astonishment. “Has my whole family gone lunatic? Was there madness-inducing apas venom in that crap food after all? But then we would surely all be crazy, right?!”

I stared at Donda Ruu, my gaze fixed as I gripped the five horns and tusks I had received tightly. He looked to be seriously bewildered, like he was actually doubting his family’s sanity.

“Could it be that the rest of you aren’t speaking up because you’re scared of me yelling at you? If so, you don’t need to hold back! Just do as you please, already!”

With that, the oldest son Jiza’s wife, Sati Lea Ruu, stood up, looking incredibly timid. She appeared to be about the same age as Vina Ruu, and her bright brown hair was cut neatly at her shoulders. She had a real neat and clean air about her.

Before she fully stood, she looked back at her husband, who gave a cool, composed smile in return. Looking rather relieved, she finished standing and then headed over towards us.

“I, Sati Lea Ruu of the Ruu clan, offer the Fa clan head Ai Fa and clan member Asuta my blessing. Thank you for the strange, wonderful meal.”

After she returned to her seat, the well-built woman sitting next to her rose up. Her reddish hair had just a bit of white mixed into it, and her eyes were a deep brown. There was some definite muscle on her exposed arms and shoulders, and she looked to be quite the gutsy middle-aged woman.

She was Mia Lea Ruu, Rimee Ruu and her siblings’ mother, and Donda Ruu’s wife.

“I don’t quite understand. When something’s delicious, it just is, right? It was so powerful that I almost feel weak in the knees.”

After casting a sideways glance at her husband, who was sitting still as a stone statue, she walked our way in firm, confident strides. Then, with a cheerful smile, she handed us a fang and tusk.

“It was delicious. And I’m really grateful for what you did for Granny Jiba, too. Hmph, I don’t know what our clan head’s being so ornery about.”

That unwavering smile really made her look like an embodiment of the phrase, “moms are strong.” I couldn’t help but feel earnestly impressed at the fact that this woman had birthed seven of the people here.

At any rate, with this we had received a seventh blessing.

“...Dad, do you really mean what you said before? You won’t go and whack me for this later, right?” the still youthful voice of the youngest son, Ludo Ruu, asked as he rose.

He awkwardly trod on over towards us, rustling up his yellowish-brown hair all the while, and then roughly plopped down on the ground.

“Hey, what’s with you? I heard there’s some weird group called magicians in the eastern kingdom. You didn’t use magic to cook giba meat so it ended up like that, did you?”

“It wasn’t magic. It was pure technique using a kitchen knife... a blade, and fire,” I responded, since Ai Fa wasn’t saying anything, and it was obviously a question for me, anyway.

“Hmph,” he snorted, sounding unamused, and then his pale eyes turned and looked at Ai Fa.

“You really have turned into a good woman, Ai Fa of the Fa clan. What a waste... If you would just act a bit more girly, I wouldn’t mind taking you as a wife in my brother’s place.”

Ai Fa didn’t say a word.

“Anyway, it’s no exaggeration to call that meal absolutely delicious. To be honest, it was so good that it makes me want to cry thinking about going back to the same old poitan soup from tomorrow on. If you aren’t Ai Fa’s husband, then you should marry one of the girls from our family.”

“N-no, I mean, the other person has the right to choose, too...”

“Hmph. You could have any one of them you wanted, except for that runt Rimee,” he said, muttering the last part. Then, he removed his necklace made from the spoils of battle, which wouldn’t lose out to Ai Fa’s in the least.

“It was unimaginably delicious, so I’m giving you my blessing. This is the first time I’ve given one, so you better appreciate it.”

After the cheeky youngest son of the family returned to his seat, a strange silence hung in the air.

“So, anyone else...?” Donda Ruu asked while stroking his beard and looking around. “So only three of you share my opinion that it’s not food fit for humans, huh?”

“I wouldn’t go all that far. Could you please stop using yourself as the standard for everything?” the third daughter, Lala Ruu, said with displeasure. Her red hair was tied up atop her head, and she was every bit as cheeky as Ludo. Those two were probably the only ones amongst the greatly differing seven siblings who were at all alike in terms of facial features and overall impression. She looked to be even younger than Ludo Ruu, and must have been 12 or 13 at the most.

“I thought the baked poitan and giba soup were seriously amazing. But the giba meat is crucial, and it was all gooey and gross, so I just didn’t think it was worth giving a blessing. Honestly, though, I could have given a blessing just for the matter with Granny Jiba. But everyone seemed to seriously think it was tasty, so I held back.”

“I see... What about you, Darmu?”

The shrewd, wolf-looking second son just replied, “I’ve got nothing to say.”

“Hmph. And you, Jiza?”

“I don’t think there’s any need to fixate on the matter so much, Clan Head Donda. No matter what form or taste they may come in, giba is still giba, and poitan is still poitan. Regardless of whatever clever plans may be used in preparing it, it’s all the same once it’s resting inside your stomach.”

“There’s no need to go saying something like that now!” the chief roared, his eyes like burning flames. His eldest son, meanwhile, just looked back at him with those thin eyes, and gave a composed smile.

“So it’s a question of taste, is it? It’s just as Lala said. I was surprised to see that poitan could be prepared in this manner, and I could strongly sense the life force of the giba from the way that its filthy stench was absent from the soup. However... that meat drenched in red nectar was so soft that it didn’t even feel like I was eating giba. I fear that if I ate such a dish every day, my teeth would lose all strength and fall out one after another.”

“Yes... that’s it! That’s why I felt it wasn’t a suitable meal for a hunter of the forest’s edge!” Donda Ruu yelled out, the life rushing back into his face now that he had apparently found his answer. “These teeth of mine are meant for tearing into tough giba meat! Just like these arms are meant for finishing off giba and these legs are for running through the forest, they’re valuable tools for living here at forest’s edge! And tools grow rusty if you don’t use them. What you fed me was an improper meal, one that rusted away my life force!”

“That’s...” I started to object, but Ai Fa gently grabbed my arm. I could see in her calm blue eyes that she was telling me to stop.

“Of course, that’s because I’m a hunter and a man of the forest’s edge! And so... This is a perfectly proper meal for a toothless old woman,” Donda Ruu carried on with an arrogant smile, looking at the old woman in question. “My grandmother, our elder Jiba... what you said was absolutely right. If it helped bring your soul back to life, then I’ll graciously swallow my words. That’s not mundt food. It is medicine, meant for saving our honored elder who has lived longer than any of the people of the forest’s edge, and strove to work for our sake all this time! It’s a treasure!”

“Hmph... You’re being unusually earnest, aren’t you, Clan Head Donda...?”

“I’m always earnest! I acknowledge things that are right, and call out things that are bad. As if I could serve as clan head without the resolve to do that much.” Then, that fierce gaze pointed towards Ai Fa and myself. “Ai Fa of the Fa clan! And your clan member, Asuta! You saved the Ruu clan’s beloved elder, Jiba Ruu! As head of the Ruu clan, I apologize for my impoliteness up until now, and offer thanks to you once again!”

Ai Fa gave a silent nod.

As I was awash in the clear praise, I stared straight at Donda Ruu. The beast of a man was now wearing a pleasant smile on his face. It was a truly refreshed expression that he wore, as if years and years of doubts had finally been cleared away.

“To me, the food you cooked was poison. But for our elder, it was medicine. My soul won’t rust from one night of poison, so I’ll overlook the crime of making me eat it. And the fangs and tusks you received were the proper and just blessings for your deeds. Go ahead and convert them to your own flesh and blood, without feeling indebted to anyone!”

2

And so, that brings us back to the present. Ai Fa left, telling me to go to sleep first before heading off to Granny Jiba’s bedroom. But I just couldn’t drift off. I just kept on floundering and flailing, tossing and turning about the large, empty house.

What the hell was with calling it poison?! Damn that old giba fart, going and looking all pleased with himself!

In all likelihood, Donda Ruu had grown anxious seeing his family give us blessings one after another. He was wondering if they were in their right minds, or perhaps even if they had gone completely mad. But when he heard his eldest son Jiza’s words, he finally understood. As Granny Jiba so aptly put it, it’s up to each person to decide what they find delicious. And so, he could feel relieved with the fact that no one had gone crazy.

But at the same time, that meant that he seriously thought the giburgers I gave my all to make tasted bad.

People’s tastes do vary, after all! I’m sure there must be folks out there who just don’t like hamburgers. And to start with, I prepared it specially for Granny Jiba, who has weak gums!

I really did think that, too. But in the end, it was my decision that led to hamburgers being the dish for that dinner. Trusting in the praise I’d received from Ai Fa and Rimee Ruu, I went ahead and presented them without even a hint of doubt, as if it was only natural despite the dish being utterly alien to the people of the forest’s edge. I mean, it was literally cooking from a whole other world, after all.

If I had carefully examined the circumstances, I would have been able to present another meat dish alongside the hamburgers. But I hadn’t been able to read the situation that thoroughly, and so I was the one at fault here.

But still, even so...!

Was my cooking really all that awful? Enough so to be inferior to their usual dish, the giba stew with that meat that hadn’t been bloodlet, in that muddy poitan gruel?

That was surely the root of the sense of defeat I was feeling. Was I being conceited, thinking this way? Was I wrong to feel defeated over something like that?

As I ground my teeth I touched the necklace Rimee Ruu had made, which was dangling in front of my chest. It was made by chaining together eight tusks and horns, and it jangled pleasantly when it moved.

It was the very first payment I had received in this other world. Eight people out of the group of twelve acknowledged my cooking as delicious, and I felt it was alright to be proud of that. I couldn’t say I felt firmly on the matter, but I honestly didn’t want to exchange them for poitan and aria. It certainly may have been the right thing to do, trading them for food that would become my flesh and blood, but I figured it would still be a while till I could make up my mind to do so.

This was proof that my very existence had been acknowledged. That I was judged as having value.

That made me happy, and proud. It felt like it was alright for me to keep on living, even here in this other world.

But at the same time, my work had also been negated.

It was frustrating, and I felt annoyed. It was as if my very existence had been denied. It wasn’t the sort of feeling that could be brushed aside by the simple argument that people’s tastes vary.

And as things stand, I still haven’t done enough for Granny Jiba...

I had succeeded in teaching the women how to mince meat. Thanks to that, they’d be able to keep on making meals that would be easy for the weak-toothed Granny Jiba to eat. But if I couldn’t impart the technique of bloodletting, then the taste would still be seriously affected. And since it was meaningless if it wasn’t done right after the finishing blow, I needed to teach it to the men rather than the women.

With the way things turned out, I’m sure Donda Ruu wouldn’t even consider studying the technique. I’d screwed up on that matter, too. I’d blundered, and failed...

I just hadn’t thought things through enough.

But what should I do, then?

It was around when I was thinking that that I heard a tap, tap, tap on the door.

“Yes, who is it?”

I figured maybe it was Ai Fa, but would she really knock?

And now that I think of it, this was actually the first I heard of the custom of knocking even existing in this world.

And wait, there’s no way it’s Ai Fa, right?

“It’s not barred, right? You can open it,” I called out, and then went ahead and stood up.

As I wondered who it was, Reina Ruu’s innocent smiling face suddenly came to mind. That beautiful black-haired second daughter of the Ruu clan shot me adoring looks both when we were cooking and afterwards. Since I hadn’t deepened my bonds with anyone else around here, it was hard to imagine anyone but her coming out of their way to visit me.

But I couldn’t help but feel more than a little awkward at the thought of being alone at night with a girl with such an adorable face, wonderful figure, and nothing but that bewitching outfit on. Anyway, as I thought that I opened the door, and...

“H-huh? Oh, it was you?”

It was someone far more dangerous than Reina Ruu, in a certain meaning. Perhaps someone too dangerous.

“Thank you for opening up. I’m reeeeally glad, Asuta...” that sensual voice alone was enough to tell me who it was.

I had opened the door just a bit, only for that body that was so perfect it was almost unfair to smoothly slide on in.

“W-What’s up, Vina Ruu?” I almost added “-san” there, but I stopped myself. They didn’t seem to have a custom of using that sort of honorific here in this world, after all.

“I wanted to see you, Asuta. There’s a little something I want to talk to you about...”

“What’s that?”

As I stood there hesitating, she shot me a flirtatious glance and started taking off her leather footwear, which looked simpler than what the men wore. I still hadn’t given her permission, but she seemed to be quite clearly intending to come on in.

“I’m glad that Reina didn’t beat me to the punch. I was so worried about what I would do if you were in the middle of something...”

“R-Reina Ruu doesn’t have any reason to come visit me, right? I mean, all we did was cook together once.”

And I know you even less, I added in my head, only for Vina to give a sexy, “Tehehe,” laugh. “That girl seems to have completely fallen for you. Did you really not notice? You certainly are dense, Asuta...”

“No, that’s, you see...”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t come here to take you as a husband. Anyway, can we have a seat and talk...?”

With that, she smoothly slid that right arm of hers—which had the perfect amount of muscle and fat to truly drive you wild, neither being too bulky nor slim—around my left arm.

An alarm was blaring, “Warning, warning!” in my brain.

At any rate, this girl was just way too sensual all around. She was like a bundle of pheromones, alluring in every way without any need for excess jewelry on her limbs, and with truly womanly curves all over her body, so much so that I felt like the only way to keep myself rational would be to shut my eyes tight.

Her eyes were narrowed and looked a bit drowsy, like she had just woken up, and her pink lips looked terribly luscious, too. Her face was smooth and oval-shaped, her neck was slim, the lines of her collarbone were clearly visible, and her long chestnut colored hair draped over her round right shoulder... Now that we were so incredibly close, I had absolutely no intention of letting my gaze wander any lower. If I did, I felt like I’d be done for in one way or another.

“Shall we sit...?” she asked a second time, and then she pulled me along over to the other side of the room.

The people of the forest’s edge all did some pretty intense work day in and out, so naturally she was pretty strong. Plus if I tried to resist and wasn’t careful, my constrained left arm could end up unintentionally rubbing up against somewhere especially dangerous, so I had no choice but to obediently follow along.

She kept on walking until we were near a window with a lit candle, and then she smoothly pulled me on down. And for the reason I mentioned before, I had to go ahead and sit down along with her. I could see that my concerns were being paid no heed whatsoever, ultimately.

As I sat down with my back to the wall, Vina leaned her whole body over onto me as if she just couldn’t wait any longer.

“Um, you see, hey, hold on!” I yelled out loudly, not even knowing what I was saying. With that, her fingertip—so perfect it looked almost sculpted—ran along my lips.

“Be quiet... I want to discuss something I kind of don’t want my family to overhear...”

As she said that, a bit of her breath crept into my ear. By this point, my whole body had broken out in goosebumps. Naturally, that wasn’t because I was finding this unpleasant, but rather the exact opposite reason.

But no matter how I may have felt, I was being one-sidedly forced into it rather than feeling that way of my own volition, which aroused something like fear in me. Alone with an older woman that was just a bundle of pheromones and sex appeal in dim lighting, as she clung to me and breathed into my ear... At least as long as my reason held out, this was an experience of pure terror.

Ah, did she smoke meat this afternoon or something? That silly thought popped up in the corner of my mind, as a bit of a means of avoiding reality.

It really wasn’t anything. It was just that the refreshing aroma of lilo and the potent, slightly sweet scent of fresh pico leaves were clinging to Vina Ruu’s hair and limbs, and were now filling my nose.

It’s a real nice smell... But it sort of seems like it’s missing a bit of something... I thought, only for burning eyes like those of a wildcat to flash to mind. My logic and sanity were on the verge of collapse, but with that they suddenly snapped back, along with a powerful nervousness. I had no idea when Ai Fa would return, so I couldn’t keep lazing around forever.

“Um, what was it that you wanted to discuss? You said you didn’t want your family to overhear, so it must not be too light of a topic, right?”

“Yeah... I came to discuss something that isn’t light at all...”

Her left arm, which was on the opposite side from my body, dropped something on the floor with a clunk. It was a fruit wine container. Apparently that had been part of the blended aroma I had sensed coming off of Vina Ruu.

“Sorry, I may be a little drunk... I mean, I care about my family, too... I couldn’t work up the bravery without the help of a bit of alcohol...”

“W-What in the world are you talking about? I don’t want to get wrapped up in any trouble...”

Right now, it seemed like just being thought of as some unreliable guy would be better than getting involved with whatever this was. But Vina Ruu just shook her head back and forth, and laid it down on my shoulder.

“Asuta... just what are you...?”

“...What?”

“We head out to the Genos post town frequently enough, so it’s not like we never see foreigners... But the food you made is so unusual. I really was filled with such joy that it was like I’d been reborn...”

Oh, so she wanted to talk about cooking? Well, I was plenty willing to do so, but I wish she would keep to a more agreeable distance... The dangerous pressure pushing down on my left arm was causing my freshly recovered reason to let out a scream.

“You said you didn’t know not just of this western kingdom, but of the whole Amusehorn continent, didn’t you? And you were born in some far off other country, right? But just where is that, I wonder...?”

“I-I don’t know. My country was an island nation, so I’m sure it must be beyond the ocean, at least. But considering I had never even heard of this continent before, I don’t even know how to start finding my way home!”

“An island nation... An island nation, huh...? How wonderful...”

Vina Ruu’s warm fingertips gently touched my chest, and I felt chills run down my spine once again.

“Asuta... Will you take me back with you to that mysterious country of yours...?” Vina Ruu asked, her whole body wrapped around me like a giant madarama snake.

“Hold on, Vina Ruu-san...!”

Ah, I was in such a panic that I added the honorific without even thinking. All the while, I could feel smooth skin wrapping all around my body. It was the incredibly soft yet springy body of a young girl, and she clearly had some real firm strength deep inside.

“Please, don’t marry into the Ruu clan... Reina is a cute girl, but I’m not such a bad woman myself, right...?”

No, you’re really bad! Just in a completely different meaning than what you’re thinking!

She pushed me down onto the fur rug, and started feeling around my whole body. And she wasn’t just using her fingers, but every part of her body. Right now, I could feel such soft yet rough sensations running all over me.

I felt a chill run down my spine, as well as something akin to pure terror. And underneath all that, there was also the complete opposite emotion...

My heart was pounding so fast that it hurt, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

My brain cells were being paralyzed by a sweet scent other than that of herbs.

It was like I was swimming in a sea of gasoline while holding a burning lighter. If that flame were to start spreading even a bit, I would probably lose myself.

“I’m a woman of the Ruu clan, so I’ve had meetings set up with all sorts of men up till now... But in the end, I turned them all down. If I marry into someone else’s family, or they marry into mine, I’ll never be able to leave this forest’s edge...” I could feel her warm breath and the words accompanying it flowing down my throat. “I don’t want to die here... It seems like Granny Jiba started thinking the opposite way after eating it, but when I had your cooking, it opened me up to a whole other world. I want to go there... I felt like I wanted to go with you to your world.”

Suddenly, the heat and sensations moved away from me. Vina Ruu had gotten herself up.

That was just her preparing for the finale, though.

“Can’t I be yours, and you be mine...?”

With the orange light of the candle illuminating her, Vina Ruu placed her hand on the cloth wrapped around her chest.

I scraped together the remaining particles left of my quickly vanishing good sense, and grabbed her hand from below.

“You can’t! It’s a taboo to see an unwed woman’s naked body, right? That’s... you just can’t.”

Her pale reddish brown eyes stared down at me. As the light of the fire reflected and wavered in them... It sort of made it look like she was crying.

I couldn’t tell how things actually were, though. But Vina Ruu didn’t try to shake off my grasp, and her lips didn’t move at all. She just kept silently looking at me.

Finally, she smoothly stood up and got off of me.

“Was I just not charming enough, I wonder...?”

She seated herself with her legs out to the side, half of her back showing to me and her gaze down at the floor.

I got myself up slowly and replied, “It wasn’t an issue of charm, I think. I don’t even have the slightest clue as to how or why I got sent to this totally unfamiliar place. Or heck, maybe I’m just a huge idiot who thinks that’s what happened. If I were to make a promise I didn’t even know I could fulfill, and get close to someone in spite of all that... Well, I just can’t do it.”

“Is that why you haven’t tried to marry that Ai Fa girl, either...?”

I’d finally gotten my heart calmed down, but now it was pounding with strange emotions all over again. What a bad night for my poor heart it had been...

“I wonder... I’m not quite sure myself. I do think of her as someone really precious to me, though.”

“You sure are honest... It’s like you’re telling me to just drop dead...”

“T-That’s not my intention at all.”

“Is that so...? When a woman of the forest’s edge becomes twenty and still isn’t married, then she must have a real awful personality, and is nothing but a drain on her family, right...?” With that, she started bitterly tearing at the fur of the rug with her fingers. “I’ve protected my chastity even though it meant being looked at like that, and now I’ve had it thrown cruelly back in my face... Ugh, I really do want to die...”

“U-Um, Vina Ruu...?”

“Now that it’s come to this, if you end up marrying Reina, I really may end up having to kill the both of you, too...” she said, uttering those horrifying words so easily. Then she grabbed hold of the fruit wine and stood up shakily. “But what would I do if you married Ai Fa...? That girl would end up killing me instead, probably... I guess my best choice would be to seduce you so we could die together...”

“No, that’s...”

“It’s an old custom that if you knock on a house’s door three times and the other person answers, you’ll enter into an agreement.”

Seeming to almost slide along the floor, Vina Ruu made her way back to the house’s entrance.

“When you agree you let the person in, and when you refuse you drive them away. That’s the custom of the forest’s edge...”

She put on her shoes, laid a hand on the door, then while half pulling herself outside, she looked back at me.

“You let me inside. So I still haven’t given up... Pleasant dreams, Asuta. Don’t forget your promise, alright...?”

With that the door clattered shut, and then it was silent once again. I had finally escaped.

“Man, what’s with that big sister! I still haven’t grasped what her character actually is! Seriously, give me a break...”

I’d had my fill of giba meat, but now it felt like all those calories had been stolen away.

I plopped down on the carpet, then shook my still pink face back and forth to regain my composure.

This is no time to be getting lost in sensual fantasies! Right now, my pride as a chef has been utterly thrashed...! I thought, yanking myself back into serious mode, but then, there was a loud bang on the wall.

What is it now?!

Remembering my lesson from just before, I only thought that rather than responding. Still, it was the wall rather than the door this time. And the opposite one from where I was at that, by the window without a candle.

If knocking on the door three times meant forming an agreement, what did banging on the wall indicate? Bring me food, maybe? Or a request that you stop making out?

No, but at any rate, someone had gone and hit the wall of a stand-alone building. And the separate kitchen was supposed to be out back, and it must have been someone standing outside hitting the wall with their hand or foot. But what was the meaning behind that?

It was dark outside the window, and I couldn’t see anyone at all.

Well, whatever! If you need me for something, then use your voice!

With that, I sprawled back out on the floor. After that, there weren’t any more knocks on the door or wall, just the silence of night.

But then... I could vaguely hear someone having a conversation. So there really was someone out back, huh? I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but they seemed to be having some sort of argument.

One was a man, and the other was a woman.

Could it be that someone saw Vina Ruu leave here and was now interrogating her? In that case, it was even worse of an idea for me to get involved. I closed my eyes, figuring I’d better go to sleep. The candle was still lit, but I figured Ai Fa would probably put it out when she got back.

Now that I think of it, Ai Fa sure is late...

It was pretty clearly well into the dead of the night, at least by the standards of the people of the forest’s edge. As I thought to myself that she shouldn’t push a weak old woman like Granny Jiba so hard, or that maybe Granny Jiba was the one not letting her go, I let myself start to drift off...

And then, I suddenly shot up. I should’ve realized it sooner, but that voice sounded like Ai Fa’s.

I couldn’t imagine anybody would be out for a walk this late, so someone must have been waiting for Ai Fa to return from the main Ruu house. And now that I’d had that thought, I couldn’t just drift off into slumber without checking. I mean, after all, the voices outside were clearly those of a man and woman arguing.

I’ll just take a quick peek, and if it’s not Ai Fa, then I’ll just treat it as having nothing to do with me.

Having made up my mind, I headed for the door. I opened it so as not to make a noise, and then crept outside, relying solely on the moonlight.

I had heard the voices from the left side of the house. That was the same side that the main Ruu house was on.

Stealthily, sneakily, quietly creeping along, I circled around to that side of the house. Then, I slowly snuck a peek, and... Sure enough, it was Ai Fa. She had her back to the wall and her arms crossed, and she was glaring straight at the person in front of her.

And that person in question was the second son of the main family, Darmu Ruu. He was a man with a face like that of a young wolf, and eyes that were just like his father’s. He had his one hand on the wall and was staring down at Ai Fa from above. Guess he was the one who banged on the wall.

Ai Fa was around 170 centimeters tall, so he must have been around 180, as he was about half a head taller. Even so, Ai Fa didn’t look intimidated in the least, as she glared coldly right back at him. But the man was sneering. Yeah, that was no smile, but a sneer. I’d only ever seen him looking cold and expressionless, but now he was sneering as if he was looking down on Ai Fa.

“A woman like you playing at being a hunter is nothing but a farce, Ai Fa.” I could just barely make out what he was saying. “Everyone’s laughing at you, you know? They say that a girl was possessed by the ghost of her father, and put on giba fur and started pretending to be a hunter... Hey, why did you try so hard to distance yourself from the Ruu clan?”

Ai Fa remained silent.

“You may have just happened to do alright for yourself these past two years, but you can’t keep living like that forever. But if you give up now and yield yourself to me, your future will be safe and secure. Do you intend to become an old woman without taking on a partner...?”

If he gets even a centimeter closer to Ai Fa’s face, I’ll call out. By deciding that, I was somehow able to hold back the powerful emotions writhing around in the depths of my stomach.

It was obvious that someone as weak as me joining in would be nothing but a hindrance for Ai Fa. So you better not get any closer, you piece of crap...

“Or could it be... On that night, you weren’t actually able to shake off the eldest son of the Suun? And so you ended up feeling attached to that dunce, and refuse to marry anyone else...”

“No matter how you look at it, that’s just a straight up delusion taken too far!” I yelled out without even realizing it. Darmu Ruu hadn’t moved so much as a millimeter, but I couldn’t just stay silent after that.

“Asuta, what are you doing?” Ai Fa asked, shooting me an incredibly chilly glare. “Leave this place, you fool. I told you not to wait up for me and go to sleep, didn’t I?”

Well, that’s about what I expected from Ai Fa. As for the guy... He glanced at me like I was some pebble on the side of the road, and then he turned back towards Ai Fa. “If that’s the case, then just come out and say so, Ai Fa. I can’t say that I have any intention of taking pity on that dullard and just letting him leave. But if you were to...”

“Why would Ai Fa go with some nobody like you?! What, is something wrong with your eyes?! Or are you trying to provoke Ai Fa, maybe? If you don’t make it clear whether you’re trying to have a lovers’ quarrel or pick a fight, she won’t know how to respond!”

“Don’t try to talk like you’re a human, mundt. If all you have any skill for is manning the stove, then shut up and stick to that,” he uttered as if it was a chore, not even looking at me.

I took three steps closer.

“Do you mean me when you say ‘mundt’? I can’t exactly get angry about being compared to an animal I’ve never even seen, you know. But whatever, just hurry up and leave already. Can’t you tell that Ai Fa thinks you’re a pain, even after getting so close to her?”

Darmu Ruu’s lips twisted into a cruel grin, and he got even closer to Ai Fa’s face. They were close enough that the tips of their noses could touch.

My violent emotions formed into words and came flying out of my mouth.

“Hey! Then let me say something! If all you have any skill for is hunting giba, then shut up and stick to that! Don’t go around quarreling with full-grown women!”

The expression wiped clean from Darmu Ruu’s face. His hand slowly pulled away from the wall, and he straightened his leaning body upright. And then, his fingers grasped his knife.

“Mundt, are you mocking a hunter of the forest’s edge?”

“Of course not! But were you trying to mock me when you told me to man the stove? Yeah, that’s just what I’ll do, because that’s my job! And until you’re an expert at that too, don’t go around quarreling with women!”

“You bastard...”

“Right now, I’m in charge of manning Ai Fa’s stove. But until just six days ago, she handled that, too! She hunted giba and manned the stove all by herself! And she did a perfect job of taking care of the work of both a man and a woman. Can you do that?!” I slammed my fist against the perfectly innocent wall of the house. “If you can’t, then don’t go saying such ridiculous crap to Ai Fa!”

“Mundt, you... Are you trying to pick a fight with the Ruu clan, you bastard...?”

He looked more astounded than angry.

“Hey, I don’t have any issue with the people of the forest’s edge or the Ruu clan. I’m just talking to you, Darmu Ruu. I’m telling you to stop being so rude to my benefactor, Ai Fa.”

“...That’s enough. Just be silent already, Asuta,” Ai Fa muttered with a sigh as she stopped leaning against the wall. She uncrossed her arms, and walked right past Darmu Ruu, who was still gripping his knife.

“Hold on, Ai Fa! This discussion isn’t over...!”

“I’ve heard enough. No matter what you say, my reply won’t change,” Ai Fa said as she lined up next to me, and then gave a slow bow with her usual blank expression. “I’m honored by your repeated requests, but I have decided to live my life as a hunter. I cannot marry into the Ruu clan.”

“You...!”

“Also, it’s only logical that such requests come about through the heads of the clans. I’m the head of the Fa house, but I believe Donda Ruu should still be the head of your Ruu clan. Please have him accompany you in all further such requests. Excuse me...”

With that, Ai Fa grabbed my arm and started half dragging me away.

Darmu Ruu stood in the same posture, staring at the now empty space as his shoulders quaked.

“H-Hey, is it really alright to just leave things like that?”

Ai Fa silently walked along the wall, turned the corner, pushed me through the still open door, then slid inside herself, closed the door, put the large bolt in place, and then finally yelled out with all her might, “You big idiot! What were you doing, cornering that small fry?! What if he kept going and cut you down?! As a guest, I don’t have a blade on me!”

“No, you see, he was just being so unreasonable...”

“Just ignore rubbish like that! I mean, there’s no way he has the backbone to just do as he pleases without the clan head’s permission! But to pointlessly fan his anger...!”

With that, she pushed me up against the door and firmly grabbed me by the collar. Her angry face was just as close to mine as Darmu Ruu’s had been to hers before. In no time at all, Ai Fa’s wonderful scent with the sweetness of fruit, the refreshing nature of herbs, and the deliciousness of meat all filled my nose. And with that, my heart started beating faster for no reason at all.

Apparently I still hadn’t fully recovered from the blow I took from Vina Ruu. If I didn’t gather up all the reason I had left, this could be dangerous.

Ai Fa fixed a powerful gaze right on me, knowing nothing of how shaken I was.

“...When you said, ‘If all you have any skill for is hunting giba, then shut up and stick to that,’ I wanted to hit you too, Asuta.”

“B-But you listened all the way to the end, right? I was just trying to say that all jobs were on the same level, not above or below each other.”

“If that wasn’t the case, I really would have hit you,” Ai Fa said, then suddenly pulled back and moved her grasp from my collar to my right wrist. My heart started beating even faster when I felt her firm grip.

My fist was just a bit red from having hit the wall.

“...This hand of yours is meant for manning the stove, isn’t it?” Now, she gently placed the palm of her other hand over my reddened fist. “What would happen if you injured it and weren’t able to use it any more? You have to watch your temper... After all, this is the hand that saved Granny Jiba,” Ai Fa continued on, the anger vanishing from her voice. She looked at me with slightly upturned eyes, both her hands still around mine. “Asuta. It may be only temporary, but you’re a member of my household.”

“Hmm? Yeah, of course. I’m your freeloader who mans the Fa household stove.”

The fingers on my right hand felt warm. It was as if the warmth of Ai Fa’s body was flowing into me through her hands. And somehow, that strange sensation felt really nice. A chill ran down my spine when Vina Ruu leaned over on me, but now Ai Fa’s warmth was bringing me calm.

Ai Fa held my hand, looked into my eyes, and muttered, “That’s why I didn’t give you a blessing. Such things aren’t thoughtlessly exchanged between members of the same house... But even so, you saved Jiba Ruu’s soul. And you saved me and Rimee Ruu, too.”

“Yeah. I’m just glad I was able to be of help.”

“I’m grateful to you. I can’t show it to you in any tangible manner... but I want you to at least believe in how I feel.”

We were in the dark, far from the light of the candle, so I couldn’t quite make out Ai Fa’s expression clearly. But her shining blue eyes and quiet words were the kindest and gentlest I’ve seen them, despite possessing a strength that really was just like her. And that kindness, gentleness, and strength washed over me like a wave, flowing into me alongside the warmth of her body and filling my heart.

“I believe you. And hearing you say that makes me happier than anything.”

Those words just came flowing forth naturally.

Ai Fa gripped my hand tight one more time, and then released.

“Don’t injure the hands that saved the elder of the forest’s edge over such a foolish man. You really aren’t a full-fledged adult just yet, at least in that manner...”

“Of course. I’m a real legitimate half a man. That’s why I have to keep on striving my hardest.”

I laughed, but thinking back on how I saw Darmu Ruu’s face go pale at the end there, I was honestly a bit worried.

“Hey, did I go and do something I shouldn’t have after all? Like, did I just do nothing but get him pointlessly mad at me?”

“...It certainly was pointless and unnecessary, but what you said wasn’t wrong. That was why he simply went pale, having nothing to say back.”

Ai Fa’s eyes had been pointed downwards a bit, but now she was looking at me from beyond her long eyelashes.

“Well... Despite how long you prattled on foolishly, I actually felt just a bit relieved.”

“I see. Then I guess it wasn’t pointless after all.”

Ai Fa returned to her usual self with a, “hmph,” then started removing her footwear. As she did so, she asked, “By the way, what did the eldest daughter of the Ruu family come here for?”

“What...?” I responded, tilting my head a bit. Meanwhile, my back was drenched in cold sweat.

“When I was coming back, I just happened to see that woman leaving this house. When I went to call out to her, I was pulled out of view by that second son, so I don’t believe she noticed me.”

Still bent over, she now started working on the footwear on her other foot.

“I see,” I replied, which was all I could muster as I looked down at her beautiful dangling blonde hair. “No, you see, I don’t really have a clue as to what she wanted, either. She seemed like she was drunk.”

“Ah, she did appear to be holding a container of fruit wine.”

Having finally finished taking off both pieces of footwear, Ai Fa steadily stood up. Then, she slapped a hand down on my shoulder.

“Then just what was that promise she mentioned at the end?”

The face of a pitiful young man frozen in fright was reflected in Ai Fa’s beautiful eyes.

...I hope I can end this with an, “and they all lived happily ever after.”