Chapter 3: Agreement and Reunion

1

“...And here I thought I’d never see you two again in my life.”

We were in the main Ruu house.

Donda Ruu had one knee up in the air and was tearing away at black smoked meat, a massive giba skull and pelt hanging imposingly on the wall behind him.

It had been 11 days since we last left the Ruu house, and the sun was currently just short of reaching its peak.

The clan head’s eldest son, Jiza Ruu, was seated by his side.

The only woman we had seen today was his wife, Mia Lea Ruu, who had welcomed us first. They must have been busy skinning pelts or boiling down fat or something.

As Ai Fa and I handed over our blades and were seated, Donda Ruu continued on, “To think that you’d just show up nonchalantly at this time of day... Are you alright with your important work as a hunter, huh, Ai Fa, head of the Fa clan?”

“That won’t be an issue. In this half a month alone I’ve already hunted down four giba, so we have more than enough for our house of two to survive.”

By the way, in this world a month was thirty days. There were twelve months in a year, adding up to 360 days total, but once every three years they added a thirteenth month or something. Honestly, I still didn’t exactly get their calendars.

At any rate, Donda Ruu glared at Ai Fa as she responded, then gave a sigh.

“So, you two came here for some sort of business, right? If it was to see the elder, then go right ahead.”

“I certainly would like to take you up on that later. Before that, though, my clan member Asuta wishes to offer you an apology.”

“An apology...?” Donda Ruu repeated, looking clearly unamused.

I squared up my knees and gave a deep bow.

“My deepest apologies for offering a dish the other day that failed to satisfy you, the head of the Ruu clan. That was purely due to my lack of experience, when you went and entrusted your stove to me. I wish to once again offer my apology for that.”

“Hmph. I have no idea what you’re prattling on about, Fa clan chef,” Donda Ruu responded, his mockery and ill will raining down upon the back of my head. “You all saved the soul of our elder, Jiba Ruu. Thanks to that, I believe I overlooked the crime of feeding me a meal that corroded the soul of a hunter. I’m at a loss as to how I should deal with an apology for something I already overlooked.”

“Right. Therefore, I, Asuta of the Fa clan, would also like to make a request of you, Donda Ruu, head of the Ruu clan,” I said, looking up from my bow and staring straight into Donda Ruu’s muscular face. “Will you allow me to man the Ruu house’s stove one more time?”

“What did you just say...?”

“It’s true that I took charge of your stove in order to bring peace to the heart of your elder, Jiba Ruu. I’m truly glad I was able to succeed in that task, but even if you’ll forgive it, I had no intention of feeding you or the members of your family food that you would find unpleasant.”

A villainous twinkle appeared in Donda Ruu’s eyes. The pressure he was exuding made it feel like I was facing a wild beast or something.

However, I glared back at him as firmly as I could and said, “Please let me man the Ruu family stove one more time. This time, I’ll bring peace and satisfaction to the hearts of your entire family.”

“The whole family, huh...? You already got blessings from eight of our twelve with that giba meat that practically seemed like it was rotten. Even that wasn’t enough to satisfy you?”

Something about the tone of his voice had me taken aback. Before I could figure out why that was, though, Donda Ruu broke out in a sinister grin.

“And besides, kid, when it comes to food, there’s no good or bad taste. My stomach and soul already get plenty of peace and satisfaction from eating giba meat and the blessings we receive for their horns and tusks. The only time that hasn’t been the case was that night you fed me that awful meal.”

“Right. In that case... I promise you that I’ll grant you even greater peace and satisfaction.”

“A promise...” Donda Ruu repeated, his mouth twisting into even more of a sneer. “So you say you’ll enter into an agreement with me, the head of the Ruu clan, kid?”

“Yes.”

“And you know what sort of fate will be awaiting you if you fail to live up to that agreement, do you?”

“...I leave that all up to you.”

With that, Jiza Ruu spoke up for the first time.

“My father and clan head, Donda Ruu... No matter what they may say, the Fa house has nothing of value with which to pay us. If they break the agreement they would have no choice but to offer up their bodies, but if we were to shed our people’s blood over something so trivial, it would be like dragging our Ruu clan’s name through the mud.”

“Hmph. That kid’s not a person of the forest’s edge. He’s just some pale-skinned outsider, right?”

“Even so, he is currently a part of the Fa clan. Even if he was born in a foreign nation, he would undoubtedly be considered part of the family of one of our people.”

He most definitely wasn’t arguing out of concern for our fates. Rather, as a stickler for the rules and laws of the forest’s edge, Jiza Ruu didn’t want a member of another house manning their stove in the first place, and he especially didn’t wish for the head of the clan to act in a cruel manner.

“Hold on. I’m not exactly violent enough to demand blood over my opinion on a meal, you know. At least as long as he doesn’t feed me poison that rots a hunter’s soul, that is.” A smile broke out on Donda Ruu’s stone-like face, calling to mind a carnivore that found its prey. “It’d be a bore to enter into an agreement with nothing on the line, though... Hey, kid, are you prepared to treat people from another house to that food you’re so proud of?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head, not understanding what he meant, and that giba incarnate of a man’s hearty shoulders started trembling as if he couldn’t contain his excitement.

“10 days from now, the Rutim clan, which are my clan’s followers, will be holding a wedding. The head of the Rutim clan and his party will be coming here to the Ruu house three nights from now, to introduce themselves. Our clan will be pulling out all the stops and holding an extravagant banquet as a sort of celebration in advance... I’m asking if you’re prepared to man the stove for it.”

“Clan head, that’s too—”

“Silence, Jiza.”

Even that eldest son of the family, with that mysterious pressure he gave off, seemed unable to defy the head of the clan. His already thin eyes grew even thinner as he shot a sideways glance at Donda Ruu.

Seeing that, I asked, “How many people will be there?”

“Oh, it’ll just be three people. The head of the Rutim clan, his eldest son, and the bride.”

“The eldest son of the main family...” Ai Fa muttered.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Donda Ruu replied with a chuckle. “In other words, we’re talking about the heir to the family. His marriage is of the utmost importance to the Rutim. And on top of that, the Rutim is the largest of the Ruu’s followers. They have a great many men, and a deep bond with the Ruu clan. If you were to earn their anger, then they would break off all relations with the Ruu clan, and we’d have to do the same with the Fa.”

“Break off relations...?” I asked, turning around to look at Ai Fa. She was simply listening to Donda Ruu’s words in silence.

“The Ruu clan wouldn’t get involved with the Fa clan ever again. Even if you came to us begging for help, we wouldn’t raise a hand... And it wouldn’t just be the Ruu proper, you know. The Ruu branch families, the six clans affiliated with us, and our followers numbering over 100 strong would all cut ties with the Fa clan.”

“That’s...?” I started to ask, but I saw that Ai Fa wasn’t moving so much as a muscle.

“Hey, Fa clan head Ai Fa... You haven’t been mistaking the fact that you’ve been able to keep on living a carefree life after brushing off our offer to marry into the clan as the result of your own skills, have you?” Donda Ruu placed a hand on his knee that was raised, then suddenly stood. “I’m sure those folks from the Suun clan have been holding back from laying a hand on you because you were involved with our main family. You may not have ended up marrying into our clan in the end, but it sure must have looked like there was some sort of connection between the Ruu and Fa clans. Of course it was up to those numbskulls to go around thinking that, and I figured you already knew so I just let it be. I didn’t feel the need to get you in my debt, after all. And I figured since it was making those Suun jerks grind their teeth in frustration, I didn’t have to be so kind as to clear up the misconception.”

“So...?” Ai Fa asked, tilting her head a bit as the light in her blue eyes grew just a tad fiercer.

“‘So...?’ So if they hear that the Ruu clan has cut off all ties with you, then the Suun are sure to carry on from where they left off two years ago, totally worry free. To them, it’ll be as easy as wringing a baby giba’s neck to have their way with a single girl without any backing.”

“And you’re saying such lawlessness will be allowed here at the forest’s edge?”

“If you’re powerless, then the law doesn’t apply. There’s a taboo against kidnapping a girl and torturing her to death, but if the leaders of our people break it, then who will bring the hammer down upon them? Would anyone but the Ruu really raise a blade against the Suun clan?”

I was still sitting with my knees side by side, and I clenched my fists tight. I could feel something akin to bloodlust towards the big brute standing beside the large man in front of me.

“And you don’t have any clansman or followers. The only other member of your house is that outsider. I’m sure the folks around you wouldn’t even notice if the two of you were kidnapped. That’s why that fool was able to break the taboo and sneak into your home on that night two years ago, right? And since he got a painful lesson back then, I’m sure he’ll bring a number of men along with him this time, wouldn’t you say?”

“...I don’t care how many he brings with him. I simply need to strike them all down.”

A fire had finally been lit in Ai Fa’s eyes. Her glare didn’t lose out to Donda Ruu’s in the least as she stared down the mountain of a man.

“So, that’s the agreement offered by the head of the Ruu clan, is it? If Asuta doesn’t satisfy the hearts of the Ruu and Rutim, then the Ruu will cut all ties with the Fa clan... Very well. As the head of the Fa clan, I accept this agreement.”

“Hey, Ai Fa!” I yelled out, only for Ai Fa’s burning blue eyes to turn towards me.

“What? You’re not going to say you lack confidence, are you? I believe I already told you to be prepared to face this challenge with the name of the Fa clan on the line.”

Ai Fa was angry. Honestly, this may have been the most mad I’d ever seen her. And that probably wasn’t because of Donda Ruu’s ridiculous demand. No, she must have been angry at him trampling over her pride, saying she only survived thanks to the pity of the Ruu clan.

Ai Fa...

To be honest, I didn’t want to accept those terms. Even setting aside the matter of the Suun clan, if her ties with the Ruu clan were cut off, then she would have to discard those bonds she had finally reforged with Rimee Ruu and Granny Jiba. And if I had to cast off my pride in order to save Ai Fa, I wouldn’t even hesitate to do so. It would be idiotic to take up a challenge where Ai Fa’s safety and happiness were on the line.

And yet...

Even if I were to run from this, Ai Fa wouldn’t be saved. At the very least, her intense, pure soul wouldn’t make it through unscathed. In fact, she would probably fly into a rage at me for trying to trample over her pride and honor too.

“Asuta...” she whispered, her eyes like blue flames staring at me. There were deep furrows between her brows, and after she called my name, her lips drew taut... and her shoulders started trembling ever so slightly.

You won’t believe in me either...? I won’t falter over something like that, but you won’t trust in me...? The light like flames in her eyes seemed to be strongly telling me that.

“...Got it,” I whispered back, then turned back towards Donda Ruu. “I accept those conditions.”

The expression was wiped from Donda Ruu’s face entirely. His fingers that were so thick they made it look like he was wearing a glove ran through his unkempt mane-like hair.

“You’ll accept them, you say? Do you two really understand what you’re saying?”

“I accept those conditions,” I repeated, using a firmer tone of voice.

I could clearly see the searing irritation in Donda Ruu’s eyes.

“Alright then. I’ll enter this agreement with you, chef. And when you fail to satisfy me with your cooking, I’ll expect you to return what you’re wearing so proudly around your neck, there. After all, a fool who breaks his agreements isn’t worthy of blessings from the Ruu clan.”

“Understood.”

I at least maintained my calm on the surface and gave a single nod.

I took a glance to the side to ask if this was really alright, only to find Ai Fa looking down a bit and hiding those burning eyes of hers behind her eyelids. Maybe I was just seeing things, but... I could swear she had broken out into a satisfied looking smile.

2

“Oh my, are you done already?”

As we exited the Ruu banquet hall, two women carrying flat baskets just happened to be passing by: the wives of the clan head and the eldest son, Mia Lea Ruu and Sati Lea Ruu. They were each carrying a mountain of fresh pico leaves in their baskets, which they must have been planning to dry out.

By the way, the tusk and fang necklaces they wore had apparently recovered to the usual set of three at some point.

“You’re making some rather frightening faces, there. Did our clan head go and run his mouth again?”

Mia Lea Ruu was a woman with some weight on her, and looked to be about my old man’s age. But with that said, no matter how wealthy the Ruu clan may have been, they still worked hard each and every day, so she certainly hadn’t grown fat from lazing around. No, she was just big boned. She had firm muscles packed on, and then simply had an appropriate amount of fat on top. I mean, her arms and shoulders were thin and she was shorter than me, but I certainly didn’t feel I could win out in terms of strength.

I’d just seen her, so I instead turned to Sati Lea Ruu and said, “Long time no see,” with a smile.

“Welcome to the Ruu house, Ai Fa and Asuta of the Fa clan. What brings you here today?” the young woman asked. Her hair was a bright brown and she had black eyes. She looked to be around 20 years old. She was so slender that it was hard to imagine that she already had a one year old child, and she had an overall neat and tidy appearance.

“Well, how should I put it...? There’s that celebration for the Rutim wedding in three days, right? Well, looks like I was put in charge of manning the stove for it,” I replied, only for the two women to ask “Really?!” as their eyes positively sparkled.

“I’m amazed you managed to get our bullheaded clan head to agree to that! Well, no matter what he said, I know Donda was dumbfounded by those baked poitan. I’m sure he must want to really lord it over the folks from the Rutim clan.”

“It sure is exciting, isn’t it, Mia Lea?! Reina and Rimee have been trying their hardest, but their cooking still just can’t measure up to Asuta’s at all. And that soft giba meat... Will you be making that again?”

“You’ll have to look forward to the day of to find out. But I at least promise you that it won’t come up short of what I made last time.”

They both let out excited squeals of the sort you would expect from young maidens.

There was no need to bring up that disgusting agreement with such pure, innocent women. After all, I had no intention of sowing discord amongst the Ruu house.

With that said, though, I had complex feelings about how the two men we just finished meeting with had such cheerful, kind wives. And since women received giba tusks and horns from their parents and husbands in the hope they would live a healthy life, it was rather obvious where the replacement adornments on their necklaces had come from.

The gap between that duel-like atmosphere from before and this bright, idyllic sight in front of me now was enough to make me feel a little dizzy.

“What are you making such a moody face for?” Ai Fa whispered in my ear while jabbing me in the side. And she was also staring right at me from seriously up close and personal. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. You just need to satisfy that stubborn man with your cooking.”

The passionate flames were already gone from her eyes, and in fact she actually looked calmer than usual. I felt like sighing, seeing how she apparently felt this was all fine and dandy.

Still, it meant that Ai Fa believed in me, and trusted that I wouldn’t lose to Donda Ruu. And even if I did, she was totally prepared to drag herself through the mud alongside me. There wasn’t even a hint of doubt or hesitation in her expression.

Damn it! Why do you have to be so strong, Ai Fa?! I thought to myself, while feeling something bubbling up like giba stew in my guts.

It wasn’t a bad feeling, though. It was like a soup of pure concentrated fighting spirit, screaming out, “There’s no way I’ll lose!”

My real enemy wasn’t Donda Ruu, though. No, it was my past self. My thinking had come up short and I got conceited and failed to bring things to a satisfactory conclusion, so I had to overcome that me and reclaim my pride with my own two hands.

“...I’m telling you, you need to calm down a bit. If you go around that angry, will you really last three more days?” Ai Fa said with another jab in the side. She was close enough for us to be having this secret conversation, so her blonde hair had been tickling my cheek for a while now. With that realization, I finally figured maybe she was a little too close. And as I had that thought and looked back their way, I found the two wives watching over us with innocent smiles.

A sudden wave of embarrassment washed over me, and I moved an appropriate distance from Ai Fa.

“O-Oh right, where’s Rimee Ruu? I haven’t seen her at all today.”

“Rimee, is it? Hmm? She was just with us, and I know I told her you two were here. Hey, Rimee?” Mia Lea Ruu called out loudly, sounding clearly puzzled.

I tried looking around the area too, but when I realized Ai Fa’s gaze was fixated in a particular direction, I turned and looked that way as well. The bit of reddish-brown hair peeking out from around the corner of the house quickly disappeared from view.

“Ah, so that’s where you were, huh? Thanks for helping out, but we’re fine now, you can go play with Ai Fa and Asuta for a while.”

With that, we said our farewells to the two women and they circled around to the other side of the house.

We were told that Granny Jiba was in the middle of a nap but should be waking soon, so we were allowed to stay till then. And since it took an hour to walk here, this was a fortunate opportunity for Ai Fa to rekindle her old friendship with Rimee Ruu. However, Rimee Ruu’s fluffy reddish hair only ever peeked out of the shadows of the wall, and she made no signs of coming closer.

“What’s Rimee Ruu doing? Is this some sort of game at the forest’s edge?” I asked, but Ai Fa just shot me a slightly chilly gaze for some reason and then called out “Rimee Ruu,” to the shadows. However, Rimee Ruu still didn’t move.

“...Asuta, what’s that?” Ai Fa asked, pointing behind me.

I looked that way with a “Huh?” only to hear the pitter patter of footsteps. When I turned back around, Rimee Ruu was hugging Ai Fa. Her little arms were wrapped around Ai Fa’s slender waist, fur cloak and all, and her tiny head was buried in the older girl’s chest.

“That hurts. Cut it out, Rimee Ruu,” Ai Fa said, her face turning just a bit red. I thought of pointing out how that didn’t look like it hurt at all, but I didn’t want to get kicked so I just let it drop.

“Long time no see, Rimee Ruu. I was wondering if you could let me see your face at least once. Have you been doing alright?” I asked, greeting the girl with a smile. Rimee Ruu’s back suddenly quivered, and she stopped moving.

“What’s wrong? You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”

Rimee Ruu slowly turned to face me, still clinging to Ai Fa. Then, she nervously glanced up at me and... For some reason, she looked absolutely terrified. She was so frightened that she was even redder than Ai Fa. Her round little eyes were tearing up, and her tiny lips were quaking. She was just as animated as always, but for some reason she looked like she was about to start bawling.

“Asuta...”

“Hmm?”

“Asuta, did you see me naked?”

I was so shocked that it was like God had thrown a thunderbolt in judgment and landed a direct hit to the top of my head.

“W-W-W-What are you saying, Rimee Ruu? N-N-Naked?”

“...Asuta, you peeked when the women were bathing, didn’t you? Did you see me naked then?”

She means that incident from that morning ten days ago, right?! Since I’d been focusing on experimenting with cooking day in and day out since then, I’d long since stowed it away in my memories, but that wasn’t the case for this girl, huh? And wait, no matter how I looked at it, Rimee Ruu couldn’t be more than 7 or 8! It’d be preferable to get this treatment from the other girls, because seeing such a young girl on the verge of tears seriously made me feel like a criminal!

I ended up screaming out with all my heart and soul, “The only one I saw naked was Ai Fa!” again. Today, she chose to kick me in the rear rather than the leg. Yeah, that was a middle kick with the weight of her body behind it, so it felt like my pelvis shattered there.

After just a few more minutes, we ended up moving to the stoves in the back of the house. The men would be back from the forest soon, and I didn’t want to run into that jerk Darmu Ruu.

“...You promised not to mention that incident to Donda Ruu or the other members of the house, did you not? And yet you went and yelled about it in such a ridiculously loud voice right out in the open,” Ai Fa said angrily, with Rimee Ruu still clinging to her left arm. Perhaps because she’d been forced to recall that unwanted memory, her face was still a little red.

“Hey, I just said I saw you naked, so it should be fine, right? Ah... Sorry, please forgive me for that. If you kick me again, I really won’t be able to walk.”

I looked up at Ai Fa and saw her give a “Hmph!” with flushed cheeks, while Rimee Ruu’s face was even redder as she sadly whispered, “Hey, did you really just see Ai Fa naked, Asuta? Then does that mean you’re going to marry her for real?”

Her voice was quiet, but I could hear her clearly.

“I have no intention of taking a husband, especially one outrageous enough to go around breaking taboos!”

Ugh, just cut it out with that. I’ve already paid my dues by being made to feel like a criminal all day.

Anyway, we finally reached the rear of the house.

After passing by and saying hello to Granny Tito Min chopping wood, we kept walking along till we reached the building with the separate kitchen, where we found two girls working away at some strange task. They were the second and third daughters, Reina and Lala Ruu.

There were large doors laid at their feet with giba pelts spread out atop them, and they were stomping away on them. They were barefoot and walking around in a clockwise circle, as if they were chasing one another. It must have been a step in the tanning process.

Before long, Reina Ruu noticed us, and her blue eyes opened wide. Her lovely face went a clear pink. I was surprised to see her dark brown skin go such a rose color. Well, at any rate, she was definitely beet red.

Reina Ruu kept stepping along while facing down a bit, and she was followed by the third daughter of the house, Lala Ruu. She was still only just at the age where she’d be hitting middle school (well, that didn’t exist in this world, though), and she was just as impudent of a kid as always, so just maybe... I vaguely hoped in vain.

That still youthful little face of hers practically exploded in brilliant red. She frowned even deeper, ground her white teeth, placed her hand on the grip of the small blade at her side, then approached me despite still being completely barefoot.

“Hey you! How shameless can you be, just showing up here like this?! You’re out of luck now, you bastard!”

“S-Stop, Lala! Look, Granny Tito Min is right over there! If you make a fuss, well... S-She’ll find out what happened that morning, right...?” Reina Ruu pleaded, desperately grabbing her sister’s arm as her face grew even more red and she shrank down further.

Reina Ruu had her long black hair done up in two braids, and though she was petite she was positively bursting with style and charm.

Lala Ruu had her red hair in what looked like a ponytail, and despite how young she was, she was actually taller than her big sister, and had a face brimming with willpower that reminded me of a boy. She was a rather cute girl too, though.

Seeing the two sisters with their faces so beet red, my heart plummeted into the depths of shame.

Figuring I’d have to hope I could get off with just a kick, I gave a big sigh, only to shockingly get beaten to the punch by Rimee Ruu.

“U-Um! Asuta said he only saw Ai Fa naked! S-So he doesn’t have to marry us!”

The sisters froze in their tracks. They both turned and stared at me, their faces still bright red as their emotions showed clearly in their eyes.

“Right! I only saw Ai Fa’s—” I stopped midway through, on account of the palm strike to my forehead. Ah, that was a new one. I think it gave me a bit of a concussion, and left me clinging to the wall of the kitchen going “Ugggggh...”

“...Give that a rest already, Asuta.”

As I just barely made out Ai Fa’s expression through my blurry vision, I couldn’t help but regret my actions.

In order to provide some assurance to the other girls, I had gone and sacrificed Ai Fa’s pure, shy heart. I mean, who was it that was most important to me? Ai Fa, of course. I was a big dummy, relying on Ai Fa’s strong nature for the sake of self-preservation.

I was getting ready to seriously apologize, but the world was still spinning at the moment, so that wasn’t quite possible.

3

“Um, you see, I’m really sorry about the other day. I swear I didn’t see any of you in the nude, but I apologize from the depths of my heart for causing you such distress.”

I had recovered from the blow to my head about a minute afterwards, and then bowed my head deeply to the women of the Ruu clan and offered that apology. Reina, Lala, and Rimee stood in order of age across from me, wearing a variety of expressions.

Reina Ruu looked embarrassed.

Lala Ruu was clearly mad.

And Rimee Ruu wore a slightly bashful smile.

Regardless of the expressions on their faces, though, they were all beet red.

Ai Fa was one thing, but I really hadn’t seen any of them, so why’d I have to be made to feel so guilty over this? It definitely felt more than a little unreasonable, but well, I guess the crime of disturbing such young ladies’ hearts was rather serious. Plus it was true that I was a big old careless idiot, so I just went ahead and bowed.

“U-Um, please don’t worry about it! Jiza already explained everything to us. It was all because of Ludo’s prank, right?” said Reina Ruu, offering me a lifeline despite the fact that her face was the reddest of all, which made me feel even more pathetic.

“Hmph! Jiza’s too soft! We should’ve gouged out the bastard’s eyeballs and tossed him out into the forest! Then he would’ve become food for the mundt and everything would be wrapped up cleanly!” Lala Ruu violently declared, but the way that her face stayed red was still making me feel guilty.

“B-But Asuta isn’t the type of person to lie! I’m sure he really didn’t see us naked! It’s embarrassing, but it won’t happen again!” Rimee Ruu chimed in. I seriously wanted someone to strangle me at the thought that I may have traumatized her young heart.

“...Are you done, women of the Ruu clan? I have to bow my head thanks to my clan member’s idiocy, too, but we came here to your home today to have a discussion,” Ai Fa said, smoothing things over. Her face was as cool and calm as always, not a hint of a blush to it.

“What did you come to discuss, Ai Fa?” The eldest of the sisters present, Reina Ruu, asked, and Ai Fa gave a small nod.

“Before that, you all were in the middle of your work, weren’t you? I couldn’t apologize to your other family members enough if we interrupted that. Please, keep working as you listen.”

“Right. Well then...” Reina responded, patting the dirt off her feet and then getting back to stomping the pelt.

“What are you doing there?” I asked, only for Reina Ruu to finally regain her usual innocent look and respond, “We’re stomping on it in order to make the fur softer.”

I wanted to ask more about how they tanned their pelts, but there wasn’t exactly time for that. After all, we were only allotted a short stay at the Ruu house, until Granny Jiba woke up.

“10 days have passed since our last time here, but how are your meals going? Has Jiba Ruu been doing alright?”

“Yeah! Granny Jiba has been eating each and every day while crying a whole lot! We can’t make it as tasty as you do though...” Rimee Ruu replied. “Everyone has gotten pretty good at making baked poitan, though. That... hamburger, was it? Anyway, that stuff is still tricky even for Reina. When she cooks them it all falls apart while it’s baking, or ends up all black, or there’s still red meat on the inside... And it’s still stinky, too. It still smells like giba whether we make hamburgers or a stew without poitan.”

“Are you washing the meat properly?”

“Yeah! We wash it in water with rock salt, just like you told us! But there’s always still some smell left...”

I had gone ahead and taught them a way to wipe out the stench, but unsurprisingly, it was difficult to get rid of it entirely without performing bloodletting right after capturing it. I’d already established that back at the Fa house.

“Man! I’m sure Reina would get lots better with practice, but Papa Donda won’t let her! ‘It’s ridiculous to waste giba meat playing around like that!’ he said. So she’s only allowed to make enough hamburgers for Granny Jiba.”

“I just can’t do it as well as you, Asuta. You really are amazing,” Reina Ruu said, her black eyes sparkling like something out of a shojo manga. I felt incredibly honored, but the stare coming from the other direction was painful.

“I mean, we’ve got plenty of meat! Ugh, I want to eat hamburgers again too! I don’t need any dried meat anymore! I just want to eat hamburgers, day and night!”

“That’s for sure. I feel the same way, Rimee,” Reina Ruu said with a sad smile.

As I watched the two sisters, I actually felt a little scared. How should I put it...? They were a lot more addicted than I had expected. Donda and Jiza Ruu rejected it, but Rimee and Reina Ruu were completely captive to its flavor. Had the brand new dish of hamburgers been too intense for the people of the forest’s edge, who hadn’t experienced any soft meat but that mushy stuff from their giba stew?

I couldn’t help but think even more strongly that I needed to shatter the fantasy surrounding hamburgers with my cooking this time around.

“By the way, there’s a bit of something I want to ask... How do you cook giba here at the Ruu house?”

“How? We just cut it up like slice, slice, slice.”

That didn’t help at all, but fortunately Reina Ruu followed up.

“We prepare it like you showed us that time, cutting it all off the bone first, then slicing it thinly before cooking it. And I make sure to slice it evenly, leaving the white fat on top.”

That wasn’t much different from how we handled pigs and boars back in my world, then. Giba legs pretty much only had fat around the outside, so if you shaved it down like Ai Fa had done, you wouldn’t get anything but red meat before long.

“Oh yeah, how thin are you talking about?”

“Huh? About this thin.”

About a centimeter thick, huh? Slicing raw meat thinly was tough, so that was plenty enough to satisfy me.

And hey, it was pretty unfair using her two index fingers rather than her hands to show me “how much.” I mean, she was just too cute and innocent, which made her look super adorable. I broke out into a grin without thinking, and as a result I felt a gaze painfully piercing my cheek.

“Hey, why are you asking about that, Asuta?”

“Hmm? Ah, I was just asking to have a point of reference. To be honest, I’ll be manning your stove again three nights from now.”

“Huh, really?!” “Seriously?!” two of three sisters asked, practically exploding with delight.

Only one of the girls kept on stomping with a sulky look and said with a sharp tongue, “What, you’re manning the stove again? Well, whatever. Just don’t make me eat that mushy meat again.” She was abusing me in the guise of just talking to herself.

I silently turned to face her. Well, she was moving around though, so it was pretty difficult to get our gazes to meet.

She was the third daughter of the Ruu house, Lala Ruu. The only woman in the family who didn’t acknowledge my cooking.

I couldn’t change the plan at this point based on what she said, but I still wanted to hear her opinion.

“Hey, Lala Ruu... You prefer tough meat to the soft stuff like the men do, right?”

“Huh?” She replied with a dangerous glare in her eyes. But even so, her face regained a bit of red, so she wasn’t all that frightening. “What’s with you, you peeper? Don’t just go striking up a conversation with me.”

“L-Let’s just put that matter aside, alright? Even if I’m still in training, I’m a chef, so people’s impressions of my food are very important to me. And I especially wanted to hear what exactly you had to say.”

“What’s with that? Normally manning the stove is women’s work, you know.”

“That’s not the case in the country where I was born. At the very least, the majority of the folks making a living by cooking were men.”

Lala Ruu kept on silently stomping for a while, but before long, her face got a little redder and she shot me a glare.

“So what?! You won’t leave till I talk to you?! I’ve got nothing to say to a peeper like you!”

“Huh? I’ll apologize as much as it takes for that, so won’t you please help me out here?!”

“...No matter how much you apologize, it’s still embarrassing,” she said while looking down a little and biting her lip.

Was she... like Ai Fa? With that thought, the glare on my left cheek grew even more intense.

I was breaking out in a cold sweat, but I kept piling on my words.

“I-I’ll be leaving soon for today. But can’t you at least talk to me a bit before that? If I recall correctly, you said the baked poitan and soup weren’t bad, right?”

“Ugh, you’re such a pest! I just hated that mushy meat is all! That warm fruit wine stuff on top was good, and the crispy aria were tasty too! But what matters most is the giba meat!” she yelled out as if she was desperate, shooting me a thorny glare. However, her face was still clearly red. “What, are you angry because I’m the only one who didn’t give you a blessing? Well, I can’t help you there! I mean, I really couldn’t stand that meat! Yeah, and wait! It was Reina’s fault to start with for giving you a blessing!”

“H-Huh? Me?”

“Hey, wait, you shouldn’t be fighting amongst yourselves...”

“He must’ve persuaded you while you were cooking, right? That’s why you gave him a blessing right away, isn’t it? You’re always, always acting so serious, but that’s just dirty!”

“That’s not true at all! I really thought it was delicious!”

“Um, you see...”

“I thought it was yummy, too!”

“Butt out, baby Rimee! The only reason men make a fuss over you is because your breasts and butt are big, Reina! If you don’t get married while that belly of your is still nice and slim, you really might just miss out, you know.”

“W-What are you saying?! That’s awful! And how could you say such things in front of Asuta?!”

“I’m not a baby, you man-woman!”

Aaaaaaagh! I had absolutely no clue what to do here. And for some reason, I got the feeling that the glare piercing my left cheek was only growing sharper and colder. Could you seriously blame this all on me, taking everything into account?

“...What’re you all screaming about?” Ah, a savior! It’s the youngest son of the house, Ludo Ruu! “Hey visitors, Granny Jiba has woken up from her nap. Geez, give me a break... This is why I told you to hurry up and grab one of them.”

“Shut it, Ludo!” “T-That’s rude, Ludo!” “Cut it out, little Ludo!” the three sisters yelled out in synch, only to get a wave of a hand and a, “Ugh, you’re so loud,” back as the boy nodded towards me and Ai Fa.

He had a bit of a tough look on his face today, somehow. He had a bow and quiver over his left shoulder, so he must have been heading out into the forest.

Before leaving, I called out one last time to Lala Ruu, who was still grinding her teeth.

“Lala Ruu, this time I’ll prepare meat you can really dig into, not that mushy stuff! You’ll enjoy it too.”

“Oh, shut it! I won’t give you a blessing, no matter what food you roll out!”

“T-That wasn’t my intention at all! Can we just get away from that topic already?!”

The firing angle had shifted so it was hitting the back of my head rather than my left cheek, but my benefactor’s glare still felt like the tip of a metal blade pushing up against me. I was already in enough trouble for throwing myself into this fight, so could we please treat “marry” like a swear word for a while?

“Hmph. Well, whatever,” he said, locking his thin yet strong and firm arm onto my neck from the side.

“If you prefer Lala over Vina or Reina, you can have her. But if you lay a hand on little Rimee, I’ll kill you,” he said in a low, quiet voice full of real bloodlust.

I prayed that Rimee Ruu’s future suitors would find happiness in the afterlife, at least.

Anyway, we headed nonchalantly back to the front of the house like that, where I couldn’t help but freeze and go “Whoa...”

It wasn’t just the men I knew from the main family in front of the house. No, it was a full-on giba hunting party of nearly 20 warriors.

“Ah, so you’re back, Ludo? Listen up, men! We’re going to get ourselves plenty of life out there in the forest today, too!”

The men gathered let out a “Yeah!” so loud that it felt like the earth was trembling. All of them had on giba cloaks and massive blades, and a few of them were equipped with bows. Some of them even had what looked like short spears. Some were old, and some still looked to be around Ludo’s age. Some of them had bandages around their heads, while some had one of their arms bending in a strange direction.

However, they were all unmistakably hunters of the forest’s edge.

Whether they were old or young, injured or healthy, they all had eyes like beasts and gave off some sort of invisible fighting spirit as they headed off into the forest.

Donda Ruu stood at the head of them all, naturally, but he didn’t even seem to see me or Ai Fa.

Ludo Ruu called out, “See you around!” and took off running towards the group, his eyes just as beastly as the others.

They just made for such a heroic sight, like something out of a myth, that I was left unable to speak or even move for a bit.

“...Those are the men of the Ruu branch families, who support these houses.”

Ai Fa slapped her hand down on my shoulder. I turned around without even thinking, and saw the same sort of intensity in her burning blue eyes.

“They’re Donda Ruu’s younger brothers and their sons. Or perhaps the younger brothers of Donda Ruu’s parents and their children. And the one leading them all is the head of the main Ruu family, Donda Ruu.” Her wildcat-like eyes were staring right into mine. “On top of that, the Ruu clan has six other clans under them as retainers who follow their orders. The Rutim, Maam, Min, Lea, Ririn, and Muufa. Added together, they number over 100 strong. Are you feeling timid, Asuta? That’s the sort of man you picked a fight with.”

“No... I’ll probably be fine,” I replied, somehow forcing a smile. “Yeah, I’ll be alright. Actually, it just gave me more confidence in what I’m trying to do. I’m... probably not wrong with what I’m doing.”

Ai Fa furrowed her brows, looking like she was about to sigh. However, she soon gave me a daring smile of the sort I only rarely got to see in our day to day life, and then she roughly rustled my hair, towel and all, which she would normally never do.

4

Now then, it was all well and good to say that we would visit Granny Jiba, but there was a strong taboo against stepping foot into someone’s house without a member of the family to guide you. However, we couldn’t find Rimee Ruu and the rest, (and they were probably still quarreling anyway) nor could we track down the two wives who had been drying out pico leaves. We didn’t even know if anyone but Granny Jiba was in the house right now, but I went ahead and tried calling out, “Excuse me, is anyone there?”

Someone was indeed there.

There were three people we still hadn’t seen yet today. The second son, Darmu Ruu, must have headed out into the forest, but that still left two. And in fact, both of those two opened the door in response to our call. That said, one of them was Kota Ruu, who was still just a baby.

The eldest daughter of the house, Vina Ruu, was standing on the other side of the door with a look of bewilderment, holding Kota Ruu up to her rather impressively shaped bosom.

This wasn’t exactly a pleasant reunion for me. After all, she’d thrust her sex appeal right in my face, even before that whole thing with everyone bathing. But I figured that meant she wouldn’t act all shy over that incident like the other girls. And yet, I could see the blood rather vividly rush to her porcelain-smooth cheeks.

Oh, come on! You’re a devilish woman who was going to get naked all on your own, right?! I screamed out in my heart. All the while, Vina Ruu hid her mouth with the swaddled infant, her drowsy-looking eyes grew moist and showed her clear embarrassment, and she started wriggling her sensual body as if she was desperately trying to escape my gaze.

“A-Ah, Asuta... And Ai Fa, too... I-I was wondering who was visiting, and it turned out to be you two... I-I’ve been watching Kota here in place of Sati Lea, so I didn’t realize at all...” she said, her voice sounding a bit restless.

She was a bundle of sex appeal and coquettishness just like before, but how should I put it...? This sexy big sister was valiantly trying to maintain her posture even while twisting about with embarrassment. And it didn’t seem at all like an act, which left me at a loss.

“U-Um... Jiza told me everything, and I understand, but... I’m sorry. Even so, could you please try not to look at me so much...?” Vina Ruu asked, her face finally completely hidden behind the baby.

Kota Ruu stared straight at me with those black eyes he had gotten from his mother, and let out a “Gah?” while tilting his head. Cut it out! Don’t look at me with such pure little eyes after everything that’s happened today!

“Y-You came to see Granny Jiba, right? Her bedroom is this way. Follow me...”

With that, Vina Ruu took off in a hurry to the other side of the room, practically running rather than gracefully sashaying as she went like she usually did.

I quickly turned around, and found Ai Fa staring back at me with eyes that looked like ice crystals.

“W-Well then, let’s get going to see her!”

There really was no reason for me to be so flustered, but I just couldn’t keep myself calm.

But at any rate, we were visiting Granny Jiba.

There were hallways on either side of the banquet hall leading further into the house, and Vina Ruu headed towards the right-hand one. The corridor was just wide enough for two people to walk side by side and continued straight for about 10 meters, after which there were three doors in a row on the inner wall. If the left-hand hallway was built identically, then that would make for six rooms in total.

The house was certainly bigger than I had thought. They may not have needed to have anyone sleep in a huddle in the banquet hall, even with a huge family of 12 plus a baby.

Vina Ruu opened the door furthest in, then stood in front of it while still squirming all the while.

“Pardon me, Granny Jiba,” Ai Fa said, then passed beyond the door.

Well then, I should too... I thought, but surprisingly (or maybe not?) Vina Ruu grabbed the hem of my clothing.

I turned around, figuring the way she’d been acting really had just been a ruse to get me to let my guard down and seduce me somehow, only to find Vina Ruu hanging her head so much that I could hardly see her face, as she looked at me with teary eyes from the other side of her long, chestnut colored bangs.

“T-The laws of the forest’s edge bind your agreement, don’t they...?”

On their own, those words would sound like some sort of sensual declaration of war.

However, the way she was acting so pathetic made me think this devilish woman was pretending to be an innocent maiden or something, and I had no idea how to react.

“Um... what’s up with the way you’ve been acting?” I asked, making sure to be quiet enough that they wouldn’t hear it inside the room. However, Vina Ruu’s shoulders jumped and she hid her face behind Kota Ruu again.

You know, I really don’t think you should be treating a baby like that...

“D-Don’t look at me so much... P-Please, just leave it at that for today...” she finally squeezed out, then she hastily hurried back down the hallway.

Feeling completely exhausted, I listlessly shuffled on in through the door.

Ai Fa was already in the middle of a conversation with Granny Jiba.

“Oh, is that you, Asuta...? Thank you for coming. You’ve made this old lady very happy...”

The clear smile on the elder’s face caused my heart to ache today just as much as the baby’s innocent gaze from earlier. I couldn’t exactly say so, though, so I just walked further into the room and then kneeled down next to Ai Fa.

The room looked to be around 10 square meters. As for furnishings, there was just a large shelf decorated with stuff like nuts I didn’t recognize, bundles of branches, animal bones, carved wood masks, and the like, while the rest of the room was empty.

Granny Jiba was seated atop a bed made by layering a number of sheets, and her shoulders and feet both had what looked like beautifully colored shawls over them.

The climate around here was like a tropical rainforest, meaning it was always like early summer in Japan. However, the thought of this little old woman sleeping all alone in this dreary room somehow caused me to feel a chill.

“...At nighttime, Tito Min sleeps together with me. That girl lost her husband quite some time ago, too, after all...”

It was as if she had read my mind, earning a bit of a jump from me.

Granny Jiba was sitting up while being supported by Ai Fa as she reached out fingers like withered branches and took my hand.

She looked just like a wrinkled little baby monkey. She must have been naturally small, even before she got this old. However, I could see the clear sparkle of intellect in her eyes that were almost completely hidden by her drooping eyelids, and her face like a dried fruit bore an affectionate expression.

Granny Jiba was looking remarkably healthier than the last time I had seen her, which made me very happy to see.

“Thank you for before, Asuta and Ai Fa. I’ve been eating properly ever since. It may not be as tasty as what you made, but Reina and Rimee are trying their hardest...”

“I’m glad to hear that. It makes me happy to see you well, Granny Jiba.”

Ai Fa may not have been showing her emotions on her face, but the look in her eyes certainly seemed gentler than usual. It was almost enough to make me think I must have imagined that fire in her eyes when the men of the Ruu clan were heading out. And the same was true of her icy glare, too.

“...Donda actually came to see me before, which is unusual. He said you would be coming again three nights from now...?”

“Yes. We will be manning your stove once again. I’m sure that Asuta will cook you another delicious meal, Granny Jiba,” Ai Fa said, shooting me a glance. “...He’s very skilled when it comes to cooking.” The fact that she didn’t add, “but nothing else” must have been down to her samurai-like mercy.

“I’ll do my best to satisfy you,” I added, trying my best to offer a humble response.

“That makes me glad... But that night is the celebration for the Rutim wedding, isn’t it? Donda said so with a big grin on his face...”

With that, her nearly hidden eyes gained an even more penetrating light to them as they looked between me and Ai Fa.

“Tell me, Ai Fa... just what is Donda planning...?”

“Planning, you say?”

“The head of the Rutim clan, Dan Rutim, is just as rough-natured as Donda, like a large ape from the southern forest... If you were to feed that hot-blooded man the same sort of food as last time, he may fly into even more of a rage than Donda and completely ruin the celebration...”

“And he wishes to shame Asuta and I in that manner. Donda Ruu seems to truly not like us from the depths of his heart, after all.”

“Not like you... That must be because you rejected the offer to marry into the family, yes, Ai Fa...?” Granny Jiba said, her eyes fixed on Ai Fa.

My benefactor gave an ever so slightly pained frown.

“There was no helping that, though. Even we women have the right to choose our own husband... But still, Donda must have come to like you. Otherwise, he never would have offered to have one of his precious sons marry you. I’m sure he fell for the way you valiantly stood up to that heir to the Suun clan head on... But then you went and turned down his offer, and on top of that, you even said you would live as a hunter...”

“...”

“I’m not judging you for that, of course... I’m glad that you’re living the way that you believe in... But Donda has pride in his work as a hunter, and at having been born a man. He also thinks of a woman’s work protecting the home as equally important... I’m sure that’s why he cannot forgive you for choosing to be a hunter despite being a woman...”

“...”

“Ai Fa... Donda entrusted the stove to you on such an important night for the Ruu clan. Just what is he plotting...?”

Surely no one could refuse to answer after being asked by someone with such a piercing gaze. And so, Ai Fa bit down on her lip like a child, and then replied after a moment.

“He said that if we fail to satisfy him and the head of the Rutim clan, he will cut off all ties with the Fa clan.”

The room was silent for a while.

Before long, though, Granny Jiba Ruu quietly said “I see,” gently closed her eyes, and then muttered “I see...” once again. “Ai Fa, and Asuta. Are you not able to refuse...?”

“We can’t. In fact, we’re actually the ones who suggested it. Donda Ruu only added his conditions,” Ai Fa said in a firm voice.

Granny Jiba slowly turned and looked at me.

“Right... We didn’t wish for this to become such a huge thing, but we can’t withdraw now, and I also believe this is important for the sake of the Ruu clan, too,” I responded, after giving the matter some serious thought. “Of course, I went and came up with this whole troublesome plot in the first place to defend my own pride and conceit. But now it’s more than just that. I want to satisfy Donda Ruu for the sake of the Ruu clan, too... It’s pretty hard to put into words, but that’s how I feel.”

“I see...” Granny Jiba muttered again. “You believe that to be the correct path, don’t you? Then... if Donda really, truly does try to act so cruelly towards you, these old bones will leave the Ruu clan.”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying I’ll discard my Ruu name... Will you then welcome me as a member of your clan and house, Ai Fa?”

“W-What are you saying, Granny Jiba?! I can’t do that!”

This was probably the most flustered I had ever seen Ai Fa.

But I mean, it made sense. Seriously, I was pretty darn shocked myself.

And yet... I sort of got the meaning behind what Granny Jiba was saying.

“Oh my, so you intend to abandon a poor old woman with nowhere to go to her fate...? If I leave the Ruu clan and the Fa clan won’t accept me, then I suppose I’ll just be left to die by the side of the road...”

“I’m telling you, there’s no need for you to do so! Why should you have to leave the Ruu clan? That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Yes, it does... If the Ruu clan were to cut off all ties with you, then I wouldn’t be able to meet you like this anymore, now would I? And those folks from the Suun clan may well stop holding back and try to do something horrible to you... There’s no way I could simply allow that to happen, right?”

“But why does that mean you have to leave?! Even if you were with me, the Suun clan would still—”

“The ones I would be unable to forgive wouldn’t be the Suun clan. No, it would be Donda for trying to thrust that fate upon you...” Granny Jiba firmly stated in a quiet voice. “Donda’s father was my own son. I couldn’t forgive my own grandson trying to force something so cruel on you... And so, I would cut my ties with the Ruu clan. That’s all.”

“That’s ridiculous... What about Rimee Ruu, then? And Reina Ruu? And Jiza Ruu? They’re all your precious family, aren’t they?!”

Ai Fa looked like she was on the verge of tears, but Granny Jiba just quietly stared back at her and gave a relaxed smile.

“Of course they’re all precious family. Jiza, Vina, Darmu, Reina, Ludo, Lala, Rimee... The previous clan head’s wife Tito Min, Donda’s spouse Mia Lea, and Jiza’s beloved Sati Lea... They’re all very important to me, and part of my family... But the head of the clan is Donda. When someone cannot abide by their clan head’s words, they have no choice but to leave.”

“But...!” Ai Fa started, only to be stuck at a loss for words. As if she couldn’t hold it back any longer, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“If Donda were to cut off ties with the Fa clan, I could never forgive that. I’m certain that is absolutely wrong... So as the elder of the Ruu clan, it’s important that I make sure Donda knows that full well.” Granny Jiba gently wiped away Ai Fa’s tear with the tip of her finger. “So you see, leaving the clan is the only proper path for me... Do you understand that, Asuta...?”

“I think I do,” I replied, only for Ai Fa to shoot me a scathing glare. However, I had no intention of retracting what I’d said. “Well, I don’t think I can fully understand the thinking of someone as amazing as you so easily, Jiba Ruu. But if I were in the same position... If my family was trying to do something horrible to someone I cared about, I couldn’t just accept that. I don’t know if I’d really be strong enough to choose to leave my family, but I can understand the idea behind wanting to do so.”

“Asuta, you—” Ai Fa started, grabbing me by the collar, but I placed my own hands on top of her firm grasp.

“Ai Fa, Rimee Ruu may end up thinking the same way as Jiba Ruu. Do you think she would really accept her own father plotting to crush her precious Ai Fa? Rimee Ruu may leave her clan alongside Jiba Ruu. And if she can’t then she may live her whole life hating her father, right?” Ai Fa turned pale, looking absolutely shocked. That pained face caused me to claw at my own chest, but even so, I continued on. “That’s the sort of challenge we’ve taken on. If you can’t stand that, then no matter how much shame it may bring you, we should call it quits here and now. We’re... only thinking of our own lives and our own pride, after all.”

That was especially true of Ai Fa. She really should be more aware of how loved she was by the people around her.

No matter what happened to her, no one would be sad. No one would get angry. That’s what she had thought for these past two years of her life.

I thought that strength of hers was amazing. That loneliness didn’t eat away at her tenacious soul, and I respected that from the depths of my heart.

But... even Ai Fa had made at least that one mistake.

Even as she distanced herself from others, Ai Fa was thinking of Rimee and Jiba Ruu inside. So Ai Fa should have realized the possibility that they were thinking of her just as much, too.

The only people who could achieve true isolation are probably those who never think of anyone else. Anyone who possessed a heart capable of loving others could never truly wish to live all by themselves.

“...Ai Fa. What we need to do hasn’t changed.” I gripped Ai Fa’s hands tight. “We’ve just got to win this fight and satisfy Donda Ruu. That way, no one has to get hurt. Jiba Ruu won’t need to leave her clan, and Rimee Ruu won’t end up hating her father. We just need to satisfy Donda Ruu with a delicious meal.”

If we bowed down to Donda Ruu now, we would lose pride, honor, trust, and status... but we wouldn’t lose Jiba and Rimee Ruu.

I didn’t think that was enough, though. I wanted to be involved with the Ruu clan in a better way than that. And that feeling only grew stronger by coming here today and seeing so many people.

“You can see the proper path forward, can’t you, Asuta...?” Granny Jiba quietly whispered. In response, I smiled back at her as gently as I could manage.

“I don’t know if it’s the proper choice or not. But all I can do is prepare delicious food. Look forward to three days from now, Jiba Ruu.”