Chapter 2: Where is my Guidepost?

1

It was the following morning.

When I woke up, Ai Fa was nowhere to be seen.

I was in a spare Ruu house, which was twice as big and splendid as the Fa home. We were supposed to be sleeping in a huddle like always atop the fur rug in the hall, but no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find Ai Fa.

“Huh? Where did Ai Fa go...?”

I sat up in a hurry and knocked on the door to the separate room in the back. I checked inside afterwards just to be sure, but she wasn’t there, either. The whole place was empty.

But just where had Ai Fa went...?

I could feel the anxiety welling up inside of me.

It couldn’t be that second son hitting on her again, right?

Now that I’d had that thought, I couldn’t just keep waiting around here.

I grabbed the white towel that had come off when I was sleeping and hurried to the door.

The bolt wasn’t latched.

...In other words, it’s safe to assume that she went outside of her own volition.

Outside, it was around the time when the sun made it over the mountain range. Normally I would have been up a good while ago and have at least finished all the washing I needed to do. But because I was being treated as a guest today, I was free of such responsibilities. That’s what made it all the more confusing as to why Ai Fa would go and leave the house.

I stepped out into the central plaza surrounded by seven houses and looked all around. There was a large woman holding an iron pot. An old lady drying out pico leaves on top of a cloth that was spread out wide. And there were small children trying not to get in the way.

I spied a number of families starting their mornings, but there wasn’t anyone around the main Ruu house in the innermost position, nor was there any sign of Ai Fa.

But still, it certainly didn’t seem as if Ai Fa had been dragged away by force. Heck, it was such a calm and gentle sight that I felt like an idiot for jumping to such a violent conclusion.

But what happened, then? She couldn’t have left me behind and headed back first, right?

I was left pretty flustered and was incoherent about the matter with Vina Ruu last night. But I kept on insisting that I just didn’t really know what she was saying because she was drunk, so Ai Fa shouldn’t have been too angry with me. I mean, she certainly seemed suspicious and there was a chilly feel coming from her, but she didn’t seem all that angry, at least. Maybe she had flown into a rage on the inside, though? Did she see through my feelings of guilt from hiding something from her?

Agh, if I was just going to end up worrying about it like this, I should have opened up about everything rather than hiding stuff! Well no, I may have to embellish a bit...

...Wait, hey, I’m way too worked up, right?!

It was like I was a lost child, separated from his parents. But, well, it was true that I was in an even more unsteady position than that here in this world.

I see... Now that I think of it, last night was the first time that we’ve each done our own thing since I got here.

Naturally, I had been left to hold down the fort plenty of times, so we had indeed acted on our own. But I had promised Ai Fa that I wouldn’t act on my own where she couldn’t see, so this was my first time leaving the house and wandering around by myself.

Bottom line, even if we had separated, Ai Fa and I could only really communicate with one another. We’d spent five days in a little world all our own.

It was Rimee Ruu’s sudden appearance that had thrown off that equilibrium. And the second we broke out of that world, we had all this craziness, huh?

Vina Ruu flirted with me, and Darmu Ruu hit on Ai Fa. It must be fate or something...

...Wait, this is no time to be thinking about crap like that!

At any rate, I’ve got to find Ai Fa. For the time being, that means visiting the main Ruu house.

And if Ai Fa happened to say her goodbyes and leave on her own, then I’d have no choice but to chase after her, crying all the while.

“Hey there, guest. What are you standing around all on your own and spaced out for?” a voice called out from behind just before I started walking. When I turned around, I saw a yellowish-brown haired boy shooting me a dubious look.

It was the youngest son of the Ruu house, Ludo Ruu.

“Ah, hey there. And right back at you. What are you doing here?”

I was heading towards the main Ruu home in the innermost part of the plaza when he came up behind me, so that meant he had come from the opposite direction.

“Hmm? I just happened to wake up weirdly early, so I went out for a stroll. I mean, if the women found me, they’d make me help them out with their work,” he replied, then gave a big yawn.

I was 170 centimeters on the dot, but he was even smaller and more slender than I was, and had a pretty cute face. Of course he didn’t look weak, but rather agile like a young deer. There was also a strong light in his big, round eyes, and he had a brazen look on his face as always.

“The women should take care of their own work. But because I’m the youngest son, they just make me do whatever they please... So, what are you doing, guest? Your name was Asuta, right?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t find Ai Fa anywhere when I got up, so I’m out looking for her. You haven’t seen her, have you?”

“No clue. Maybe she’s helping the women out with their work? Around now, they’re probably washing stuff... It’s over this way. Follow me.”

With that, he took off walking towards the main Ruu house.

He had a pretty coarse way of talking, but he may have actually been a surprisingly thoughtful kid. I got the feeling that he was easily the most decent person out of that group of ruffians that made up the men of the family, and he was also the only one of them to acknowledge our cooking.

“Man... You guys are leaving today, right? What a drag. I wanted to eat more of that delicious cooking.”

Hearing that made me really happy. My rating of him seriously was on the rise.

“Still, I did at least teach the women of your house some techniques. Even if I’m not around, they should be able to make you some tasty food.”

“The women around here aren’t that skilled! And my old man will never allow them to make that ‘hamburger’ stuff, anyway! Even if they do somehow manage a delicious meal, only Granny Jiba will get to eat it.” He looked at me with a sulky gaze. “Hey, Asuta, you really won’t marry into the family? I don’t care if it’s Reina or Vina, just pick one to go after and gobble up.”

“You say some pretty horrifying things for a little brother... Don’t you care at all about your precious big sisters meeting that fate?”

“They’re going to get married eventually anyway, so it’s all the same to me. Actually, if they married into some other family they’d have to move away, but if a husband marries into our clan, they’ll be part of our family forever. So it’s better that way, right?”

Hmm. He did seem to at least care about his big sisters, but it was a mindset I just couldn’t understand as someone from another world. Could he really respect a brother-in-law who just picks out one of his sisters, goes after them, and gobbles them up?

“I mean, Reina’s already 17, and Vina’s hit 20, y’know? Folks are gossiping a whole lot lately about why the women of the main Ruu house still haven’t gotten married. I mean, it’s a key job for women to hurry up and marry, have kids, and grow the family.”

“Hmm... By the way, how old are you?”

“I’m 15. I finally hit the age where I can take a bride myself... Hey, could you stop just calling me ‘you’ all the time already? It feels weird, somehow.”

“Sorry about that, Ludo Ruu. Ah, is that where they’re washing?”

“It’s this way.”

What an easygoing kid.

Now I’d had a chance to talk properly with all but the third daughter, Lala Ruu, and they certainly were a varied bunch of siblings.

The eldest son, Jiza Ruu, who gave off some sort of unknowable pressure.

The second son, Darmu Ruu, who had a dangerous glare like a wild wolf.

The youngest son, Ludo Ruu, who was blunt but friendly.

The eldest daughter, Vina Ruu, who overflowed with way too much sex appeal.

The second daughter, Reina Ruu, who was earnest, innocent, and serious.

The only girl to dislike my giburgers, Lala Ruu.

The absolutely adorable Rimee Ruu.

They seriously were a diverse group. It really was amusing how a single couple could produce such varied children.

“So, I can’t talk you into marrying into the family? I mean, I think I could definitely talk Reina into it...” We walked along the left side of the Ruu house, down a path with a good number of bushes and shrubs. “Like, what if you just jumped in on her when she was bathing? I mean, you know that the law says if you see an unmarried woman’s nude body, either you have your eyes crushed or you marry her, right? And Reina’s so weak-willed that she would only ever consider marrying you in that case, I’m sure.”

“I don’t want to torment Reina Ruu with something like that! And hey, I can’t see anything but my eyes getting crushed in that case!”

“But it’d be real easy to just jump her and get her pregnant, right?”

“You’re seriously way off base here... Ludo Ruu, you really should consider your sisters’ happiness more seriously.”

“But she would be happy. I mean, she’d get to eat that delicious food every day!”

He was being pretty sleazy, but I was finding it hard to hate him when he was saying stuff like that... But wait, was I being way too superficial here?

But still, honestly, Donda Ruu’s harsh words from last night were seriously eating away at me, so hearing something like that was really soothing.

“Hmm... Then I guess the only option left is to convince that stubborn old man of mine.”

“No, I’m telling you, I don’t even want to marry into the family in the first place...”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant we’ve got to convince him the food is delicious.”

I ended up staring at his face without thinking. Ludo Ruu didn’t seem to notice, and started walking like he was stretching out his legs as he went, with his hands together behind his head.

“I thought that giba meat was crazy tasty, but my old man was complaining, saying stuff like it was too sweet and soft. But in that case, if you made something that wasn’t sweet or soft, he’d have nothing to complain about, right? And if he recognizes your skill, then he can’t complain about our women copying your techniques while cooking... That seems like the most impossible way of doing things, though.”

Even if it was the hardest destination to reach, it was the one I wanted to go for. Now if only I could find a route to get there...

“But Donda Ruu won’t let me man the stove again, right?”

“Hmm? Nah, that’s not true. If you said, ‘I’ll make something delicious this time around, so let me do it!’ I’m sure he’d take you up on that. I mean, he’s not the sort to just stay silent after hearing something like that.”

“Is that so...?”

“Hey, cut it out! If you do that and screw up, he’ll hack the fingers off both of your hands or something! And then I’d never be able to eat your delicious cooking ever again! That’d be awful, right...?”

I really was feeling the urge to just give those smooth little cheeks a peck or something. But I figured it’d be a real issue if that awakened either me or this kid to a whole new world, so I decided not to.

I see... If he really will bite onto it, then I’ve got a chance for a revenge match with a different dish...! I thought, my fighting spirit getting secretly fired up.

Ludo Ruu, meanwhile, gave a sigh and then said, “The easiest way really is just to have you marry into the family. I recommend Reina. You’re about the same age, right?”

“Apparently we’re the same age, yeah. But it’s weird to decide who you’re going to marry over something like that. I want my feelings to be sincere when it comes to who I spend my life with.”

I wanted to be honest with my feelings, and faithful to my own heart.

A bored sounding “That so?” is all I got in response from Ludo Ruu, though.

“Ah, you see how there’re what look sort of like sliding doors standing there? The washing area is on the other side. I don’t want to get roped into helping out, so I’m leaving, alright?”

“Got it, thanks. Ah, and I’m a little late saying it, but thanks for this necklace. What you did last night really made me feel glad.”

“What’s that about? You’re thanking me for giving you my blessing? That’s your just reward, y’know,” he said, sticking out his tongue in a cheeky manner and then turning around to leave.

I guess they really are related, huh? I mean, his actions were just as varied and interesting as those of his adorable little sister.

Now then, looking ahead of me, I did indeed see what looked like several sliding doors standing up against the shrubbery. I didn’t know why they were set up in a place like this, but I could hear the sounds of splashing water and female voices coming from the other side.

Never mind a rematch or whatever. Finding Ai Fa comes first, I thought to myself, and walked towards the doors.

They sure sounded like they were enjoying themselves. That must be Rimee Ruu laughing, right? She sure is energetic for so early in the morning.

“Excuse me, but is Ai Fa here?” I called out, peeking in.

My benefactor herself was standing right in front of me. Yeah, Ai Fa was right there. She was running a towel through her golden hair, right in front of my very eyes. My field of view was utterly filled with her. Her smooth, creamy, chocolate-colored skin made for a beautiful sight.

It was Ai Fa, the first person I met after coming to this other world. And so, I had taken Ai Fa to be the norm for this forest’s edge at the start. I could see now that was completely wrong, though. Ai Fa wasn’t just different from the norm, she was outright irregular by the settlement’s standards.

It seemed that Ai Fa was the one and only woman who swung around a savage blade, hunting giba in the depths of the forest.

That was why I hadn’t seen anyone else like her. I hadn’t seen anyone but Ai Fa with eyes like a wildcat, who behaved decisively like a man, and was so brave, and strong, and full of life and fighting spirit.

And she was clearly different physically, too. Thanks to the rather exposing attire worn by the women of this settlement, especially the unmarried ones, the difference in their lifestyles was readily apparent even at a glance. No other woman had a body as heavily built up as Ai Fa’s.

Naturally even the women went into the forest to gather herbs and kindling, split firewood with hatchets, carried around heavy iron pots and water jugs, and other such strenuous tasks, so none of them were exactly lazing around and getting fat. But even so, they were clearly different.

Running through the forest, swinging a blade made of steel, hunting ferocious giba... Ai Fa’s body had been carefully honed for those tasks, like tempered steel. I mean, her build actually looked pretty slender, and her arms and legs and torso certainly weren’t especially thick. No, she didn’t have a burly build that reminded you of a man. But even so, she was hiding away tough, strong muscles trained for battle. Her body was taut like a leather whip, with not even the slightest bit of useless fat to it.

It was a slender body honed not through some unnatural diet, but rather by the harsh job of a hunter. And so, she hadn’t completely lost the grace and tenderness of a young woman, still having a tight rear and lively-looking legs that made for a wonderful silhouette.

She was absolutely stunning, like a wild leopard. Her body was a work of art, as perfect as a world-class athlete. Yet, Ai Fa was positively amazing in terms of her womanly charms, too.

I had silently admired that beautiful, harmoniously balanced body, which made her perfect as an animal, a human being, and a woman.

And...

Right now, that wonderful body of Ai Fa’s was burning itself into my eyes.

There were pale white scars all over, but even now her dark, smooth skin positively sparkled, with no impure foreign matter blocking it from my gaze.

Well, in other words, Ai Fa was buck naked.

She had gotten out of the water and was now standing straight up and frozen atop the rocks, stopped midway through drying her wet hair with a cloth, baring everything straight at me. There were several other naked women behind her, and they let out shrill screams when they noticed me, but I was hardly even aware of them.

If you ask me why, well, my female benefactor’s face went pale, she broke out in an embarrassed expression that suited her perfectly, then she socked me with a right hook that she put the full weight of her body into.

2

“You certainly went and did something troublesome...” a voice said with a deep sigh. We were in an empty space a moderate distance from the main Ruu house.

The man was over 180 centimeters tall, and had a large well-tempered body. His eyes were thin and he always looked like he was smiling, which made it hard to judge how he was feeling.

He was the eldest son of the Ruu family, Jiza Ruu.

His younger brother Ludo Ruu was next to him, staring off at the mountains and looking completely unconcerned, while Ai Fa and I stood across from him. It felt like we were being given guidance by a teacher or something, but honestly this was much more serious. It was a secret meeting between the Ruu and Fa clans, and its outcome could very well decide the fate of both families.

“There’s a strong taboo against laying eyes on an unwed woman’s naked body. Were you aware of that?”

“...Yes. Thoroughly.”

“The law states that those who do so must either offer up an eye in atonement, or accept the woman as his bride. But unfortunately, it would be quite difficult for someone of unknown lineage such as yourself to marry a woman of our Ruu clan.”

“...Right. I understand.”

“On top of that, Vina, Reina, Lala, and Rimee were all there. Marrying all four of them would be even less permitted.”

“Yes, I’m well aware.”

“With that said, you don’t exactly have four eyeballs to offer. Now then, what should we do...?”

“U-Um! I know I said this at the start, but...!” I yelled out loudly, despite this being a secret meeting. “I only saw Ai Fa’s naked body!” I was kicked in the leg. “Ai Fa was standing right in front of me, so her nude flesh was the only thing I could see!” Ah, there comes another kick. “I was totally fixated on her nude figure, so I didn’t see even a bit of anything around her! I didn’t see anything but Ai Fa’s naked body!” This time a barrage of kicks came my way, with a bam, bam, bam! But it’d be a real shame to have both my eyes and something else dug out of my body, so I was desperate here.

By the way, my left temple was still positively throbbing where Ai Fa’s full swing right hook had landed. I didn’t seem to be bleeding, but I was honestly getting pretty worried that she may have fractured my skull.

“Hey, don’t go falling for a woman from your own clan. You’re gonna ruin my whole plan, you know?” Ludo Ruu muttered, not sounding serious in the least. With that, Jiza Ruu slowly turned to face him.

“Ludo Ruu... Do you not understand the seriousness of what you’ve done?”

His thin eyes silently looked down upon his younger brother.

Ludo Ruu shrunk in fright for a second, only for his brows to suddenly furrow.

“What’s the big deal?! That’s just some dusty old law, right? There isn’t anyone uptight enough to actually enforce it here in the settlement!”

“That may be the case. But now that the leaders of our people, the Suun clan, have fallen to such depravity, our Ruu clan is the only one left to serve as a proper example for the forest’s edge. Even if it is an ancient custom, we can’t simply make light of it.”

There weren’t any noticeable shifts in Jiza Ruu’s expression. No matter how serious he was being, his face always just looked like he was gently smiling. But in spite of that, his brother who had just been howling away like a puppy grew more and more pale as he heard what Jiza Ruu had to say.

“A-Alright, I get it... I was wrong. I-I screwed up! So please don’t get so mad, big brother Jiza!”

“I’ll figure out your punishment later,” Jiza Ruu said, finishing matters with his pitiful younger brother and turning back towards us.

Suddenly, I felt some invisible pressure pushing down on me. Seriously, what was with the whole aura this guy gave off? It was sort of like what you’d feel being face to face with a martial arts expert.

“Ai Fa of the Fa clan. What are your thoughts on a member of your house breaking this taboo? I’ll make my decision after I hear what you have to say,” Jiza Ruu quietly stated. “There were sliding doors set up around the area to obstruct peoples’ vision. It is the custom that a sliding door signifies an entrance to a home, and you mustn’t step foot inside without the permission of one who lives there. With that in mind, Asuta of the Fa clan has broken two taboos. How would you deal with him?”

“This man named Asuta is a foreigner. I believe that as the head of the Fa clan, I am at fault for accepting him into my house and then allowing him to enter another’s home without properly teaching him the laws of our people,” Ai Fa said emotionlessly, then gave a silent bow. “If atonement must be paid for this crime, then take my eye in his place. I only ask that you not take both of them, as that will leave me unable to live on as a hunter of the forest’s edge. Will you please accept just one eye as apology...?”

“Hey, Ai Fa!” I yelled out, only for my benefactor to hold me back. Meanwhile, Jiza Ruu gave a “Hmm...” and placed a hand on his sturdy chin. “You seem to be operating under something of a false assumption there, Ai Fa of the Fa clan. It would not be possible to continue to make a living hunting giba after losing an eye. The forest is no mere playground for children, after all.”

“...If I die in the forest as a result, then I shall accept that fate.”

“I see,” Jiza Ruu replied with a single nod, then turned to me as I stood there fidgeting in the worst agitation. “Then allow me to ask one more time. Asuta of the Fa clan, did you lay eyes on the nude bodies of the women of our Ruu clan?”

“The only one I saw naked is Ai Fa!”

Naturally, that earned me another kick.

Jiza Ruu said, “I see,” with a sigh. “I shall believe you, Asuta. And if the only one you saw is indeed Ai Fa, then it becomes a matter for the Fa clan alone. It no longer involves our Ruu clan.”

“You’re offering him forgiveness?” Ai Fa asked.

“It’s not forgiveness, it’s trust,” Jiza Ruu replied. “You’re someone worthy of my trust, Ai Fa. And since you’re the head of his house, I shall believe in Asuta’s words... You said he didn’t step foot beyond the sliding doors, yes?”

“That’s right! After all, Ai Fa was standing buck naked right behind them!”

Another kick smacked into me. I was so filled with relief that I just didn’t care, though. I mean, if Ai Fa was going to offer up one of her eyes, then I would have preferred to just crush both of mine instead.

“Well then, there has been no harm to the Ruu clan, so this matter is settled. And regardless, if we shed another clan’s blood over something like this, then the other clans would all call us crafty, cruel plotters as a result.” With that, Jiza Ruu finally turned back to the now obedient-looking Ludo Ruu. “Do you understand, Ludo Ruu? Your actions invited disaster not just for the Fa clan, but for our Ruu clan as well. You’re no longer an ignorant child, so you must behave properly as a member of the Ruu clan.”

Ludo Ruu looked real pathetic, only able to offer a “...Right,” in response.

“U-Um, he’s not going to face a really heavy punishment, is he?”

“Hmm? Why are you concerned over such a matter, Asuta of the Fa clan?”

“Why...? I mean, even if it is just him reaping what he sows, it’d still leave a bad taste in my mouth, I guess. And if I had been even a little bit more alert, this whole mess never would have happened.”

“Hmm... Well, at any rate, I won’t be punishing him. If I did that, then the head of the clan would end up hearing of this.” The sun was already high in the sky, but the clan head, Donda Ruu, was still just lazing about. “If my father Donda Ruu becomes aware of this, then regardless of any laws or anything of the sort, he will never forgive you. He’s especially doting on his youngest daughter, Rimee Ruu, after all. He won’t just request your eyes, but your very heart.”

“...Oh, I see...”

“But if that happens, the Ruu clan will be looked down upon as having a tyrannical head who is starved for blood. I ask that you take care so that Donda Ruu and other members of the clan do not hear of this matter.”

All I could think was, Right back at you.

I mean, the honor of their clan was on the line, but so was my very life.

“Well then, we have come to an agreement. Our clan head still has not woken up, so I shall say your farewells in your place. Let us pray for our mutual good fortune.”

Now that you’re done here just leave, in other words? It sucked a bit not being able to say goodbye to Rimee Ruu and the rest, but there was no helping it considering the circumstances. We just silently bowed our heads, and then headed towards the Ruu house to retrieve our blades.

“Ah, that’s right. I have a message from our clan head, Donda Ruu. He asked it be conveyed precisely, so I’ll simply use his words,” Jiza Ruu called out, still looking like he was smiling. “‘Thanks for the awful tasting meal. Because of that, our elder was saved. You have my gratitude for the greatest medicine, which eats away at a hunter’s soul.’ That’s all.”

3

“Hey, Ai Fa,” I called out, but naturally I got no response.

We were on our way back to the Fa house, having picked up our blades and Ai Fa’s cloak. As we continued along the yellow trodden path through the forest, we passed by other folks from the settlement every now and again. We were still over an hour away from the Fa home, so it was my first time seeing any of the people who lived around here. And as a result, all of them couldn’t help but turn around and stare in shock when they saw me. Apparently a foreigner wearing the clothing of the forest’s edge really did draw attention no matter where you went.

I didn’t care at all about that, though. Right now my attention was on Ai Fa, who was stomping along in long strides and exuding an angry aura.

I had something important to discuss with her, but I couldn’t exactly broach the topic like this.

Still, I’ll never get anywhere by keeping my mouth shut, I thought to myself, working up the nerve to call out to the back of my enraged benefactor.

“Hey! I was at fault back there! I’m seriously sorry about that. But still, I don’t want the trust between us to get ruined over something like this. Will you listen to me, at least for the sake of all the time we’ve spent together up till now?”

Ai Fa remained silent.

“And I mean, there was no helping it, you know? Ludo Ruu told me you were washing stuff off there. I never imagined the Ruu house would have a stupidly big enough river there to take a bath in it. I only looked in because I figured you were all happily cleaning up after last night’s dinner together.”

Still nothing.

“And it was my first time hearing about that marriage stuff and all that. Um... That was the second time I’ve seen you in such an unthinkable state, so do you need me to take responsibility for that?”

I felt embarrassed even saying that.

Figuring this just wouldn’t do, I went ahead and used the most laid-back voice I could manage and said, “Still, I’d sure be lucky if that meant I got a beauty like you as a wife! I mean, I’m not exactly in a position where I’m worthy of such an honor! But if that isn’t enough to stop you, then I wouldn’t mind taking you as my—”

With that, my fate was sealed.

Ai Fa turned around with just as much explosive force as she had used when she took down that giba in a single blow seven days ago, and came flying at me. She forced me easily to the ground, planted her knees in my chest, unshakably grabbed me by the collar, and then strangled me so fiercely it felt hard to breath.

“U-Um, Ai Fa...”

“Shut up! You... you big idiot!”

Apparently I had seriously gone and stepped right on a landmine.

Ai Fa’s eyes were like burning flames, she was biting her lip so hard it looked like it was about to start bleeding, and her face was bright red.

“Do... do you know how much resolve I needed to decide to live as a giba hunter? For you to ask me so lightly to marry you...” she said, her voice shaking so hard it felt like her heart was going to break, as she kept on grasping me by the collar. When I saw a certain something start to well up in her eyes, I regretted it so completely and utterly that I felt like I could die.

“Sorry! I shouldn’t have teased you! I just wanted to clear away the awkwardness! I didn’t mean any harm!”

I seriously screwed up there. 200%, for sure. As sure as fire is bright and stones are hard.

This was the most guilty I had felt in my 17 years of life, having made a girl cry not because of a serious argument or a difference in opinions, but because I was joking around.

“I’m sorry! I seriously mean it! I feel like I could literally die from guilt, making someone as tough as you cry! For mercy’s sake, please stop your tears!”

“Don’t mess around! Who are you saying’s crying?!” Ai Fa yelled out as something warm dripped down onto my cheek. The glint in her eyes was like hellfire, burning so intensely that it was like those tears would straight up evaporate. But unfortunately, that miracle didn’t occur, and a bombing raid of drip, drip, drip kept on shattering my heart.

I really did feel like I was going to die. If she ever started straight up sobbing like Rimee Ruu did last night, I may just end up dying in agony from regret at my own foolishness.

But as a proud huntress, Ai Fa didn’t want me to see her like that, so she soon thrust me away and pulled back, faced the other way, and wiped her tears.

I sat up too, then called out to Ai Fa, who was sitting with her back facing me.

“Um, Ai Fa...?”

“I wasn’t crying.”

“You weren’t! I was just seeing things! My vision must have just gone fuzzy due to the lack of oxygen!”

Ai Fa silently stood up, wiped her face one more time, and started stomping along again. I gave a deep sigh, and then followed after her.

The one silver lining was that no one happened to pass by during all that.

Right... She’s not just cool and composed.

Ai Fa walked onwards in a very deliberate way, seemingly fixated on nothing more than the path ahead. Naturally, there weren’t any more tears shining in her eyes, but her cheeks were still slightly red, and her expression seemed to look a bit more childish than usual. Until that boldness that she always wore on her face had returned, I needed to watch my mouth. That was what I decided as I faced back straight ahead.

And then, as if she had been waiting for me to feel that way, Ai Fa’s frowning lips finally opened.

“...So, why have you been making a face like you’re deep in thought for the last while?”

“Huh? I’ve been worrying about how I can make up with you, naturally...”

“That’s not it. I’m asking whether or not you have something else troubling you. Otherwise, you would never think so hard.”

I was seriously surprised. I figured she was just fuming this whole time, but she picked up on something like that.

“Yeah, well, I really do have something I want to discuss with you, but still... It’s a bit of a complicated matter, so I’d prefer to wait till you’ve calmed down a bit more...”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m always calm!”

I got the feeling that her vocabulary was getting a bit childish, too...

I was still pretty worried about if it would really be alright, but I decided to respect her opinion and broach the subject.

“Um, then I guess we can talk about it. It’s pretty ridiculous, so please don’t get angry with me. And if you tell me to just drop it, I’ll give up on it right away.”

“My mood has already been damaged enough for several years in these last few hours, and now you intend to make me listen to some nonsense, too?”

“If it’s just nonsense, then feel free to shoot it down right away... I want to have Donda Ruu eat my cooking one more time.”

Ai Fa’s eyes narrowed a bit, and she shot me a chilly gaze.

I went ahead and sincerely spilled my guts.

“If I don’t satisfy Donda Ruu, then the Ruu clan will never take up bloodletting, and in that case, they and Granny Jiba will have to keep on eating pungent meat from tomorrow onwards, right? And even aside from that, I... I’m frustrated, having him call my cooking disgusting and poison.”

Ai Fa didn’t say anything in response. She just looked at me with a disquieting gaze, her eyes narrowed.

“I know full well that we shouldn’t get any more deeply involved with the Ruu house now that we’ve somehow made it through this mess amicably. After all, it would be safer not to get closer to any members of the clan aside from Granny Jiba and Rimee Ruu. But even so, I’m just incredibly, overwhelmingly frustrated.”

“So that’s what it was, huh...?”

“Hmm?”

“It would be abnormal to not feel frustrated after facing such abuse. There’s no need to be so roundabout in discussing it at this point.”

“Yeah. But it’s true that we shouldn’t get involved with the Ruu clan again so lightly, right? That’s what I was worrying about.”

“There’s no need to concern yourself over that,” Ai Fa casually stated. “Just do as you please.”

“Huh? Then you mean you don’t mind if I just go and challenge that obstinate old man to a fight?”

“If that’s what you want to do, then do it. I won’t stop you.”

“Why are you treating it like someone else’s problem?! If I screw up, it’ll cause problems for you too, right?!”

Was she intending to tell me again that if I don’t want to cause her problems, I should cut my ties with her? If she did, I was ready to fight her to the bitter end on it, even if I ended up sobbing and wailing in the process.

That wasn’t what happened at all, though.

“Donda Ruu no longer appears to have even the slightest intention of having me marry into his house. A ‘mere’ woman hunting giba doesn’t seem to sit well with him, after all. I feel nothing but animosity and scorn from that man now.”

“Hmm... But isn’t it bad to get involved with someone who has animosity towards you?”

“Why? You simply need to make your enemies yield to you,” Ai Fa stated like it was nothing. As she looked at my most likely greatly troubled face, Ai Fa gave a “Hmph,” and then continued on, “It’s not as if you’re hoping to take up a blade and strike Donda Ruu down, is it? You wish to make that man’s heart yield through delicious cooking... right?”

“I guess I want to more satisfy him than make him yield? I won’t deny that I’m picking a fight, though.”

“In that case, do as you please. I’d like it if Granny Jiba could continue to eat delicious food, too...”

That last bit was so quiet that I wouldn’t have even heard it if she hadn’t been right next to me.

“Before we discuss such matters, though, there’s something I need to ask you,” Ai Fa said, the disquieting sparkle in her eyes only growing greater. “Do you stand a chance?”

“A chance?” I repeated, thought for two seconds, then replied, “Yeah, I’ve got a chance.”

“You do, huh?”

“Yup. Well, I’ll need to do a bit of experimenting first, but we’ve got plenty of excess meat, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“So you can win?”

“Hmm? No, you know, it’ll be down to luck when the time comes...”

“Win. I won’t accept failure,” Ai Fa stated, turning away. “I cannot endure your creations being soiled by such boorish insults any more. Even if you forgive Donda Ruu acting so disrespectfully again... I may fly into a frenzy and do something.”

As my eyes went wide, Ai Fa’s face blushed red once again.

“Do you know how much humiliation I endured hearing that man speak last night? It was enough that I wanted to throw the contents of a heated pot right in his stupid face.”

But Ai Fa’s face last night was expressionless the whole time, wasn’t it? But thinking on it again, even if Ai Fa’s emotions have some serious amplitude to them, when she’s dealing with people who don’t know of her temper, she always seems cool-headed and emotionless. But under that cool, composed exterior, her emotions were still violently raging, huh?

“Still, if something so improper were to occur at another family’s dinner, and the Ruu clan’s at that, then the Fa clan would be done for within the day. So be prepared to take on this challenge with the Fa name on the line.”

“Understood,” I replied with a firm nod.

A heated, antsy feeling started to wriggle about in my chest.

“Thank you, Ai Fa. I didn’t know that you were feeling so frustrated, too.”

“Hmph! Even if it’s only technically, you’re a member of the Fa house! It’s only natural for a clan head to feel angry when one of her people is unjustly treated with contempt!” she angrily stated, and then broke out in a childish pout. “And besides, no matter what anyone says, that food was absolutely delicious.”

What the heck? Was she trying to make me cry with that last line, there? I ended up smiling rather than sobbing, though.

“You always give me that last push I need, Ai Fa. I can seriously feel my fighting spirit igniting.”

“Hmph...”

“Man, I sure am glad that whole stupid commotion didn’t ruin our relationship, Ai Fa! Looking forward to still working with you!”

“What a ridiculous remark, after having broken the taboo twice already...” she said, wrinkles forming at the top of her nose and making her look like an angry wildcat. She was totally back to her usual self. Seeing that frightening face only made me feel all the more glad.

“No, no, I wasn’t calling your naked body ridiculous or anything, Ai Fa! I really mean that!”

Having gotten carried away like that, I naturally ended up on the receiving end of a rather serious full swing to the back of the head.

4

The next several days were spent intently studying cooking methods for giba meat, all for the purpose of defeating Donda Ruu! Well, that probably makes it sound like I was up grilling day and night without any rest, but naturally that wasn’t the case.

That said, at the forest’s edge you needed to work to eat, and on top of my usual daily work, I needed to push myself even harder to gain enough surplus supplies to experiment.

Honestly, the key first step was securing firewood. Without that, I couldn’t cook anything. Plus, I wanted to use this chance to thoroughly experiment with regulating the temperature of the stove. Well, I mean, it would take years to actually master it for real, as this wasn’t exactly the sort of thing you could take lightly.

The first issue I faced was that the Fa house only had one stove, and I wasn’t able to cook anywhere where I didn’t face such severe restrictions. When I made the giba soup I heated it with a strong flame at first, then added less firewood for the back half. That was about the best I could manage when it came to regulating the flame, after all. However, the Ruu house had a number of stoves. With that, it was possible to more precisely manage the heating process by moving the pot from one to another while cooking. That was what had allowed me to make full sized hamburgers rather than miniburgers for the dinner at the Ruu house. But this method of maintaining a low flame was proving pretty tricky.

The whole process was completely different than using a frying pan over a gas stove. I mean, the shapes of the kindling were all irregular to start with, so I ultimately had to measure by eye. Plus the metal pots used by the people of the forest’s edge were way thicker than frying pans, so they heated up slow and seriously retained heat. That difference was pretty tricky to get a handle on, too.

Last night I had kept things at a level where it at least wouldn’t burn, so I didn’t end up with a complete failure, but I couldn’t help but worry that the flame was too low and let some of the meat juices escape. And I couldn’t have an audience with Donda Ruu while I was still bothered by such concerns.

And so, my first barrier to overcome was regulating a low flame.

How much kindling would result in how much flame, and how would that correlate to the overall temperature? I adjusted the amount of firewood, looked at the size of the flames, checked the smoke, and grasped the overall state of the cooked meat. This was a battle of perseverance, and also the start of a long journey with no end in sight.

At any rate, I devoted my efforts to burning kindling and cooking meat.

It was actually getting real pungent inside the house, which was becoming an issue. It really made me jealous of the Ruu house with their outdoor stoves, but there was no point to envying the rich... Anyway, I just sat there staring at my hand like I was the poet Takuboku Ishikawa or something, but there was someone else here who wasn’t so easily satisfied. Naturally, that was my benefactor and one and only roommate, Ai Fa.

On the evening of the day that we returned from the Ruu house, Ai Fa came from her hunt in the forest and saw the disastrous sight of the room, filled with the smell of fat and smoke, and yelled, “What in the world have you been up to?!”

I mumbled back that it was all essential research for beating that giba of an old man, and tried my hardest to look charming and win over my benefactor, only to be brushed off with, “What are you, an idiot?” Then, as she twirled her blonde hair, Ai Fa added, “In that case, we should just make a stove outside.”

That was a serious revelation.

There weren’t any carpenters or architects or interior designers at the forest’s edge. This house and everything inside were handmade by people who had lived here.

“If you don’t have a stove, you’ll starve and die. I at least know how to make one of those.”

But still, Ai Fa had lost her father two years ago, when she was still 15. Could someone from another world like me have really ever expected that she would be so knowledgeable, when she had been cut off from everyone else ever since? Still, I can’t exactly imagine it was the standard amongst the people of the forest’s edge to learn how to make a stove at the age of 15. It was as if Ai Fa’s father had foreseen his own death and hurried to impart all of his knowledge on his daughter. I couldn’t exactly look into that subject further, though, and I didn’t feel like doing so regardless.

Instead, I just praised Ai Fa with a, “You really are amazing,” and felt blessed that he had done so.

◇

And so, the day after we returned from the Ruu house, Ai Fa and I worked on building a stove.

This turned out to be some seriously heavy labor too, not that I had expected anything else. I picked out rocks of an appropriate size and transported them back with a pulling board, then piled them all up, which made for a battle of endurance and tenacity.

We set it up in the rear of the Fa house.

It was convenient that people couldn’t see me throwing kindling into the stove constantly while the sun was high in the sky, at least while passing by the front of the house. Plus, there was a nice tree behind the house already that was the right height to protect our new stove from sudden squalls. I figured eventually I’d use that as a base to create a proper roof around it.

But for now, I just kept on transporting rocks, and then piling them up.

It needed to be a round little truncated cone, like a small mountain, and then there had to be a hole in both the top and front and a hollowed out inside, so naturally just piling them up wouldn’t get the job done. What connected the rocks together was “clay” that Ai Fa brought back from the forest.

She gathered up grey clusters of rock that could only be found in a specific area, smashed them to bits, and then dissolved them in water. We carefully kneaded that gooey, sticky substance in the gaps between the rocks, got it more or less into shape, and then tried burning up some kindling. It wasn’t airtight enough, so we kneaded in some more clay in the places where it cracked and crumbled.

Once we did that five or six times the smoke stopped leaking out, so Ai Fa mixed a bit of fine sand in with the clay, and then we smeared it thoroughly all over both the inside and outside.

Then we just needed to heat up the flame all the way to harden the clay, finishing it off.

“Phew! I’m dripping with sweat! That ended up taking half a day!”

The sun was approaching the western horizon, and the white smoke of dinner being cooked had long since started rising from all around us.

“...I’m hungry, Asuta,” Ai Fa said, seated on the ground yet showing no signs of exhaustion.

“Right. Well, since we went through all this trouble, why don’t I cook on this stove tonight? Which do you want, soup or hamburgers?”

“Hamburgers,” Ai Fa immediately replied while still seated on the ground, causing me to turn and look at her. “What?” she shot back with a frightening glare.

“No, I was just thinking that you answered really quickly. But you know, we had hamburgers last night too, so now it’s been four nights in a row. Is that really alright?”

“......It’s alright.”

Hey, you don’t need to leave such a pause there...

Well, I made sure the poitan were baking as we worked, so I didn’t really care what we had for the main dish. It would take a bit of time to grind up the meat, but compared to the gratitude I felt towards Ai Fa for spending half a day helping me make this stove, it was a cheap price to pay.

As that thought passed through my mind, Ai Fa called out to me again with an “Asuta.”

“What is it, Ai Fa?”

“The hamburgers we had at the Ruu house the day before yesterday were big.”

“Yeah. Back where I came from, that was the usual size.”

“...Why are the hamburgers you make here small?”

“Oh, I never said? You need to use both strong and weak flames when making them that size. If you just use strong flames then the surface will get burned, and if you only use weak flames then it won’t cook much and the flavor will seep out. That’s why I had to cook them in that cute, small little size.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Asuta.”

“What is it, Ai Fa?”

“...Now the Fa house has two stoves.”

“Yeah. I’m really glad. But it’d be tough to carry a pot between them, with one being on the outside while the other is inside. It might be difficult to use them both for cooking at the same time...”

But if I could get down the skill of maintaining a low flame, then I could tackle that challenge head on. Just as I was thinking what a problem that would be, though, I saw Ai Fa’s eyes positively gleaming in the twilight.

And so, on the next day, we ended up building a second outdoor stove. I plopped down on the ground with all my might in front of the twin fixtures.

“Phew! I’m dripping with sweat! It’s just way too rough for me, building stoves two days in a row! My arms are done for! I don’t even know if I’ll be able to make dinner like this...” I whined while collapsed on the ground, only to spy Ai Fa staring at me with a seriously troubled look in her eyes. “No, I’ll make it. I will. I’ll make you nice big hamburgers! Don’t cry, alright...?”

“Who are you saying is gonna cry?!”

“Then it’s no problem... Anyway, now I can finally start experimenting properly from tomorrow on. Thanks, Ai Fa.”

“Hmph.”

“Now that I think of it, I’d like to start sampling some anti-Donda Ruu dishes tomorrow. Guess we better get our fill of hamburgers for the time being tonight, huh?”

“Get our fill...”

“No, I mean, if you want to eat some, I can make them whenever... Hey, don’t cry, okay?”

“Who are you saying is gonna cry?!”

“Hmm... You really do like hamburgers, don’t you? You know, if you eat nothing but hamburgers every day, it might not quite turn out like Jiza Ruu said, but your teeth really may end up losing strength...”

Something about that was catching my attention. Teeth, losing strength...? Regressing...? But what?

“I see...” I muttered, thinking as I massaged the area between my brows. “That’s certainly true, yeah...”

“What is it, Asuta?” Ai Fa asked, drawing her face in closer with a serious expression. Her golden hair was clinging just a bit to her sweaty cheek, and... it was kinda sexy, somehow.

“N-Nothing! I just reconfirmed that I was taking the right approach with this. My goal is a food with more of a chewy texture, yet every bit as tasty as the hamburgers, so look forward to it!” As my mental feelers darted here and there, I said, “Now that I think of it...” and voiced a question I’d had for a while. “Hey, Ai Fa. I really appreciate you taking two days to help me make these stoves, but are you alright on your hunting? You haven’t hunted one down in almost 10 days now, right?”

“It’s no real issue. We got ahold of an unexpected bounty at the Ruu house, after all,” Ai Fa said, wrapping her finger around the necklace dangling in front of her chest. Just like me, she had been given eight tusks and horns. And since she already had a good number before that, she went ahead and stowed the excess inside the inner pockets of her cloak, apparently.

“Getting eight means it’s like hunting two giba, or 20 meals worth of poitan and aria, huh? That was a pretty exceptional reward for just manning the stove once.”

“It was a proper reward, at least for you,” Ai Fa muttered as the flames in the stove sputtered. “And besides, no matter how much I may walk around the forest, there are simply times where I cannot hunt one down. The forest is endlessly wide, but the areas we can venture into are extremely limited. After all, we can only head far enough to allow us to return home that same day.”

“Hmm... That makes sense.”

“But if we hunt down the giba around the settlement, then the fruits and small animals they love to eat multiply, and giba hiding further out will move their dwelling nearer to have at them. And then, we can hunt as much as we please.”

“I see. Sounds like you’ve got a proper cycle going there.”

But now that she’d picked up a freeloader, Ai Fa’s burden had doubled, so I didn’t think it was all that simple. Before, to meet the minimum for food she needed to hunt one every 10 days, but now that she had two mouths to feed, it was down to five. I prayed in my heart that period of abundance would arrive before Ai Fa’s stores were exhausted.

Then, the next day, Ai Fa came back with a large set of horns and tusks.

“A giba got trapped in the pitfall that you fell in,” she said.

The day after that, she came back with another massive set.

“Today’s was a big one. My blade almost snapped while facing it.”

Fighting a giba was a life or death struggle. Honestly, I felt embarrassed having prayed for that “bumper crop” to come...

And then, the following day... Amazingly, Ai Fa came home carrying a young 50 kilo giba all by herself.

“I let out the blood just like you said. It kept on moving for a long while as it bled out, so I think it likely went well.”

As I burned kindling in the outdoor stoves, Ai Fa practically collapsed beside me. Her body was positively coated in sweat and dirt, and she was breathing in a pained, rough manner. That was only natural, though. Even if it was on the small side for a giba, it was still in the 50 kilo range. That couldn’t have been all that different from what Ai Fa weighed herself.

“A-Are you alright? You really went and did something crazy there...”

“It’s nothing... Give me water.”

I hurried into the house and scooped up a ladle-full of water. I realized that Ai Fa’s arm was trembling when she tried to take it, so I brought it gently to her mouth instead. Ai Fa gulped it down in one go, gave a big sigh, and collapsed on the ground.

Her well-proportioned chest was violently heaving up and down, making me question where I should even be looking. So instead, I glanced over at the giba by her side. It was the corpse of a giba, with its head and throat stained with blood, and its sad little eyes closed shut. Its body was small, but it was round and looked like it probably had plenty of fat. Its horns were bigger than its tusks, so it was probably a young male giba.

“We still have nearly half the meat left, right? You didn’t need to push yourself so hard...” I said, only for Ai Fa to shoot me a displeased look while remaining sprawled out.

“What are you saying? In five more days, that meat will start to go bad.”

“Yeah. But in that case, you could’ve done the bloodletting in the forest and just brought back the legs...”

“You’re the one who’s always complaining about how it’s a waste to throw away the giba’s torso, aren’t you?” Ai Fa stated, sounding disgruntled. Her eyes were shut, and she was still breathing a bit heavily. “Why are you finding fault with me? Are you saying my work was unnecessary?”

“Not at all! I’m grateful... Thank you, Ai Fa.”

Ai Fa opened her eyes and glanced over at me.

“If you’re grateful, then show it through your actions.”

“H-Huh? How do you want me to show it, then?”

Ai Fa sluggishly sat up, pouted a bit, and looked at me with upturned eyes.

“...I want to eat hamburgers tonight.”

It had only been two days since I asked to start experimenting, but she was already showing withdrawal symptoms, huh?

I gave a big nod.

“Got it! I’ll get on it right after I get this guy prepared! Just make space in your stomach and wait!”

Ai Fa nodded back, wearing a bit of an odd expression on her face. It was really unnatural, like she was desperately holding back a smile.

Figuring there was no way I could stop myself from getting fired up after seeing that, I couldn’t help but look up into the sky and gave a big sigh.

5

And so, before I knew it, 10 days had passed. In other words, more than two weeks had passed now since I first came to this other world.

The first five days it was just me and Ai Fa, but then I met Rimee Ruu that night, and we visited the Ruu house on the 6th day. The next morning we returned home, and then 10 days passed... making this my 16th day, huh?

I felt like I’d been living here for way longer than that, yet at the same time I was also astounded that so much time had already passed.

At any rate, it had been a dense 16 days.

And I mean, this past week I’d spent all my time burning kindling and cooking meat. But the time had finally come. Tomorrow morning we would head to the Ruu house and deliver our declaration of war.

There was no limit to how much I could experiment with regulating the flames, so I had to cut it off somewhere. And that ‘somewhere’ ended up being today.

Ai Fa gave me her approval, having stated, “It’s about as tasty as hamburgers,” after trying the final experiment for tonight’s dinner.

It was a menu prepared with the goal in mind of making a meal fitting for the people of the forest’s edge... for making them happy. And when I saw Ai Fa looking so earnestly overjoyed, I couldn’t help but think this would surely do.

“Thinking practically, if I hadn’t met you, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do anything and would’ve died out there in the wild within a few days, huh?” I suddenly asked, having finished cleaning up the utensils and lying out happily atop the rug.

As I listened to the animal fat candle slowly burning away and dimly lighting the room, I saw Ai Fa look a little disgruntled.

“No matter what dilemma you found yourself in and regardless of who picked you up, you’d be fine... Is that what you want me to say?”

“I don’t overestimate my own abilities, nor do I look at the world so lightly. I was incredibly lucky that the first person I met in this land where I don’t know my left from my right was you, Ai Fa. I want to say I became aware of that within the first day or two.”

“Why is it that when night falls, you always start talking about serious topics or getting emotional without any chain of reasoning connecting it to the discussion at hand? It’s a real pain, since I’m the one you’re always talking to.”

Ai Fa combed up her hair underneath the light of the candle’s flame. When it was time to sleep, she let her long hair hang down naturally like this.

My eyes narrowed at the beauty of her hair sparkling in the dim light, and I broke out in a relaxed smile.

“Is that so? Well, it’s been a good bit of time since I came to this world, but I guess I still haven’t shed off my feelings and intuitions from my old life. To me, it’s only natural to have quiet heart to hearts when you’re hanging out in dim light like this. It just makes it easy to get sentimental.”

Now that I said it, each and every day really was sort of like a school trip, huh? Talking bit by bit till you fall asleep, barely able to see the other person’s face under the orange light of the flame... I’m sure I just hadn’t adapted fully to this world yet, since it still felt like an unreal situation to me.

“If I’ve been too gloomy and got you down, then I apologize. But when I’m talking to you like this, it’s... How should I put it...? It’s just really comfortable and nice.”

“...I’m telling you it’s gross when you say things that are so serious and unlike you.”

Ai Fa had been leaning up against the wall in a somewhat slovenly manner, and she slumped down even more to lay down on the rug, then kicked me in the leg.

So as not to waste the candles, Ai Fa only kept one lit after we were done with dinner. And so, we weren’t ever too far apart at night, so we wouldn’t lose sight of each other.

Ai Fa was there relaxing, not far from me. That thought was very soothing to me.

I couldn’t help but feel on edge at first, being alone at night with a young woman like this, but now I felt quite calm about it. And it wasn’t just because we had spent so long together that she felt like family, or that her presence felt as natural as the air around me. Naturally that was there, but I hadn’t exactly come to see Ai Fa completely as family. If she was family, the beauty of her face, and the incredible smoothness of her skin, and how she occasionally let a bit of her sorrow slip into her expression, or her slightly childish actions... All of that wouldn’t make my heart quake or pound the way that it did.

I was from another world... If it wasn’t for the sense of inferiority that caused me to feel, I would probably have fallen for her at first sight. No, I may actually be in love with her now... At the very least, aside from my family and my childhood friend, no one else in my 17 years of life had grabbed such a firm hold on my heart and refused to let go. And on top of that, Ai Fa had charmed me so thoroughly in just a matter of days.

Even so, I didn’t want to ruin the relationship we had. I didn’t even know what tomorrow would bring, and I was gripped by a fear and anxiety that I could be dragged back to those flames in my original world at any time, so I had no intention of taking any actions I may not be able to take responsibility for. And so, even though the feelings in my chest got all stirred up by Ai Fa’s charms, I was still able to spend these tranquil nights together with her, feeling totally satisfied and fulfilled with my lot.

You know, the way that bundle of sex appeal known as Vina Ruu came after me may be part of why I was able to clearly recognize those feelings now.

How do the folks of the Ruu clan spend their nights, I wonder?

Aside from Rimee Ruu, I had only spent a single night together with them. They didn’t seem like such a bad group, though.

Naturally, I had no intention of forgiving that Darmu Ruu bastard, and the jury was still out on Jiza and Vina Ruu. But aside from them... Well, I still hadn’t talked much to most of them, but they certainly didn’t give off a bad impression.

The clan head’s wife, Mia Lea Ruu, seemed like a real good-natured lady. And the eldest son Jiza’s wife Sati Lea Ruu appeared to be a very kind, gentle woman.

The grandmother of the seven siblings who I manned the stove alongside, Granny Tito Min, was an old lady with a commanding presence despite her calm exterior.

The second daughter, Reina Ruu, was still just an earnest, adorable girl.

The youngest son, Ludo Ruu, well, he definitely wasn’t easy to deal with, but I really couldn’t bring myself to hate him.

I’d hardly been involved with the third daughter, Lala Ruu, and I’d never so much as seen her smile, but she didn’t seem to be all that bad.

Rimee Ruu was a really good kid. She was an absolutely adorable little girl, and just seeing her smile was enough to instantly cheer me up. Plus, she was someone important to Ai Fa, so I couldn’t help but hope that she would get raised right.

And then there was Granny Jiba... Their precious elder. She was like some mysterious character out of a fairytale, and she had lived the sort of turbulent life I could only imagine. I really was incredibly glad and proud to have been involved with her life in such a positive manner.

Finally, the one leading those folks was the head of the clan, Donda Ruu. To me, he was the guy who shattered my pride as a chef.

My desires to bring joy to the Ruu dinner table and make up for my own thinking coming up short were equally strong, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny that I wanted to get the better of that narrow-minded old guy and leave him speechless. But still, I decided that it shouldn’t be out of anger or hatred.

If that loudmouthed mountain of a man really were as savage and arrogant as he appeared, I never would have strove to reach a mutual understanding with him. But he was the father of Rimee Ruu, and he was also Jiba Ruu’s grandson.

And in the first place, it was wrong for a chef to cook out of anger.

It may be reasonable to cook for the sake of pride or self-esteem. But still, what I wanted wasn’t to force him into submission. No, I wanted to satisfy him.

And also, I’d never heard of a chef shoving their way into someone’s house and forcing food upon them. I was just a blockhead who couldn’t restrain his own frustration. So at the very least, I wanted to aim for harmony rather than discord.

Just what sort of conclusion would be waiting for me? Tomorrow’s meeting would be the first step in determining that.

“Hmm...?”

I heard a gentle thud so I looked up, and saw that Ai Fa had slumped down from her position sitting against the wall, and was now slovenly splayed out across the floor.

“What, you’re asleep? Guess I should put out the light, then.”

“I wasn’t... actually sleeping.”

While thinking to myself there was no need to be so stubborn about it, I broke out in a strained smile, forced my dead-tired body up, and placed the cover over the candle in the window. The world around me was instantly plunged into darkness, but my eyes soon adjusted to the moonlight.

Ai Fa was still lying down by the wall, her position unchanged. Her long blonde hair was spread out across the floor, illuminated by the pale moonlight. Taking care not to step on any of it, I approached and leaned over Ai Fa’s head. After brushing the hair off of her soft cheek, I moved a bit away and then laid down.

“...No matter what dilemma you found yourself in and regardless of who picked you up, you’d be fine...” a voice said, so quiet that I could only just barely hear it.

“That’s not true at all,” I responded just about as quietly, and closed my eyes.

That was how the time till our showdown with Donda Ruu passed, at times quiet and calm, and at other times incredibly noisy and restless.