Chapter 3: The Preparations of a Half-baked Chef

1

The following morning, Ama Min came to the Fa house on her own. She showed up about when I was done washing and taking care of my knife, and was about to check in on the pantry. The timing reminded me of when Rimee Ruu came to visit.

“I was thinking of accepting the offer we discussed yesterday, assuming I can confirm a few things first,” I started off.

We were seated in the same positions as yesterday.

“Confirm...” Ama Min quietly repeated. “Just what is it that you would like to confirm?”

“Right. There are too many vague points right now, so I’d like to start by asking about them. We also need to talk about the nature and volume of the cooking too, right? I mean, cooking for 100 people is an awful big job.” I looked over at Ai Fa, then went ahead and threw out what I had thought about last night in order. “First off, you said you were fine with the cooking I’ve made up until now, but I can’t wipe away my concern that that may not be enough to satisfy so many people. There are only five days left until the banquet, today included, but I’d still like to try to improve on whatever I can.”

“Right.”

“And so, if you’re going to be buying my skill, then I’d like you to think of it as being not just for one night, but for all five days up until the banquet.”

“Right... So what specifically would you like us to do, then?”

“Specifically, huh? I’d like you to offer me a place and ingredients to experiment with. With as many stoves, ingredients, and firewood as possible. And plenty of folks to sample the final results... Ah, you’re not expecting me to do all the cooking on the night of the banquet by myself, right?”

“That’s correct. As is customary, over ten women shall be assisting with the preparations.”

“That’s a load off my mind. In that case, I’d like to have them do the taste testing. And I’d also like them to assist with these five days of experimentation and also learn as much of my cooking techniques as they can, but only so much so that it doesn’t interfere with their other work.”

“Right. That should be possible, and I understand that it will be necessary.”

“Thank you. And then there’s the giba meat. I’ll need enough for these five days, as well as the banquet, of course. I’d have trouble preparing it all on my own, so I would like to have the Rutim men help out. And besides, if the Rutim clan wants to eat delicious meat from here on out, there’s a certain skill they’ll need to pick up anyway.”

“Yes. That is something we would have wanted to request of you, regardless,” Ama Min replied with a rather joyful-looking smile.

Glad to see that, I gave a nod.

“Then does this all sound acceptable? The ingredients for these five days and the banquet... If you provide those as well as an appropriate price for my services, that would be fine by me.”

“Yes, of course. What we want are your techniques and knowledge. We had already intended to prepare the necessary ingredients for that from the very start.”

It was surely a sign of the girl’s sincerity that she began with “Of course,” just there.

And then, Ama Min sat up perfectly straight and looked directly at me.

“So what price will you sell your strength for, Asuta of the Fa clan?”

“Right... I was thinking I’d like to go with 20 giba worth of horns and tusks.”

In that instant, Ama Min’s previously bright cheery expression grew cloudy for the first time.

“20 giba worth means 80 horns and tusks, yes? We most certainly aren’t qualified to place a price on your strength, but... That feels a little insufficient as a fee. As we said yesterday, we will be receiving a blessing from each person at the wedding, so if we gather those up...”

“I couldn’t accept 200 horns and tusks. I mean, I’m clearly just a half-baked chef in training,” I responded, scratching my head. “To be honest, I worried about it quite a bit. I mean, even if I asked someone what the appropriate price for this sort of job would be, nobody would know.”

“That’s true. I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone at the forest’s edge manning the stove for the wedding of someone they’re not related to by blood,” Ama Min said with a smile.

It seemed she really wasn’t just all neat and relaxed. I revised my impression of her to make note of that graceful toughness she had about her, too.

“To be honest, there’s something I kind of want to buy in the post town right now. That would cost 20 giba’s worth of horns and tusks, so I just went ahead and set the price at that... But still, that sounds like plenty enough of a reward to me. I definitely won’t try to cut corners or anything,” I said while looking straight back into Ama Min’s eyes, which were still fixed firmly on me. “I swear to you that for this price, I’ll offer up every ounce of strength I have to that banquet. So, do you want to pay it to buy my skills?”

“It’s precisely because you’re that sort of person that we wanted so badly to obtain your aid,” Ama Min said with a gentle smile. Her smile was just so full of kindness that I couldn’t help but doubt if she really was the same age as Ai Fa, Reina Ruu, and me.

“Well then, for the price of 20 giba’s worth of horns and tusks, we will—”

“Ah, hold on a second! There’s just one more thing I wanted to confirm!”

As I said that, I stole a glance over at Ai Fa, who was seated by my side. She was seated silently with one knee up in the air, and a real solemn look on her face.

“I man the stove for the Fa clan. As such, I don’t want to neglect that work, either. And so... For the next five days, I would like to participate in the dinners that will also serve as taste tests along with Ai Fa. I won’t impose so much as to ask that you let us stay over, too, but could I at least ask that you prepare a space for me and the head of my clan at dinner?”

“I see. That makes perfect sense...” Ama Min said, then put a finger to her cheek and tilted her head a bit while going, “Hmm...” as she thought.

Ah, I noticed that her looks and personality had this cute disconnect between them that was causing some strange feelings in me... Naturally, I maintained a perfectly serious expression, though.

“I... don’t think there should be a problem. I mean, considering the relationship between the Ruu and Rutim...”

“Huh? What does the Ruu clan have to do with this?”

“The wedding banquet will take place in the central plaza between the Ruu homes.”

Gah.

“And on the day of the banquet, it will be the task of the Ruu women to man the stoves.”

Gaaaah.

“Rather, I should say that the Rutim and Min will be busy with other preparations and won’t be able to help man the stove. You said you wanted to start experimenting with your cooking starting today, yes? I intended to ask if the Ruu women would help you, and if you could be loaned the stoves of the main Ruu house.”

Agaaaaah.

“B-But you all are under the Ruu clan, right? Is it really alright to be asking them for stuff like that?”

“It’s precisely because we’re under them that it makes sense. It’s a parent’s job to look after their children, is it not?”

Well, that may be so, but still... I was really hoping to handle this work in a place I had as few ties to as possible.

“And so, you’ll need the consent of the Ruu clan head Donda Ruu in order to dine with them, but since the Fa clan has ties with them to start with, I’m sure it will be fine.”

Well, we do have ties I guess, but it may just be in a bad way...

And man, this sure was an awkward development here, considering I just said all that stuff about the importance of home cooking...

“I mean, yes, isn’t this an amazing opportunity, to be involved in the preparation of such wonderful cooking? I’m actually jealous of the Ruu women. I’m sure that a great many people will come visit the Ruu clan later on to learn the ways of their cooking.”

I see. Thinking of it like that, maybe it’d be good for Granny Jiba and Rimee Ruu. I mean, Reina Ruu was a really quick learner, and Granny Tito Min and Mia Lea Ruu didn’t fall short at all either. I’m sure they would all do a great job of picking up cooking techniques over these next five days.

And besides, this way I would have a chance to teach the Ruu clan bloodletting and proper dissecting directly. In a way, this was the best possible situation I could hope for, right?

But what about Donda Ruu, Jiza Ruu, and Darmu Ruu? Eating dinner with those oppressive faces staring at me for five days in a row... The thought alone was enough to make me feel all gloomy.

Ah, how fun last night’s shabu-shabu was!

Still, this is part of my job...

Plus, thinking in terms of efficiency, it would be just plain stupid to directly teach the women of the Ruu clan who would be helping to man the stove, and then head back to the Fa house at night to experiment. And so for the sake of my work, I should go ahead and directly tackle dining at the Ruu house. Besides, it’d be the women’s task to handle everything but the test dishes... Ah, was that a sign that I was still being a bit of a coward, that I was thinking like that?

Yeah, that’s right. I want to make a menu that’ll satisfy as many people as possible, so when it comes to testing stuff out, someone as stubborn and unaccommodating as Donda Ruu is perfect. Plus, Jiza Ruu is so straight-laced, and Darmu Ruu has a bad impression of me... I’m going to really need to go at it in order to satisfy that group.

“Um... Is something the matter, Asuta?” Ama Min asked, leaning forward with a worried look about her.

“I’m fine. Well then, you’ll still ultimately need to get the Ruu clan’s consent, but... do you want to buy my skills under those conditions? For the price of 20 giba worth of horns and tusks, that is.”

“Yes, we would like to buy your aid, Asuta of the Fa clan,” Ama Min said with a bright smile, bringing our negotiations to a close.

2

With that, my work began.

The first task was giving a lecture on bloodletting, explaining how it was done to the men of the Ruu and Rutim clans.

The men would head off into the forest by the time the sun hit its zenith, so I had to take care of that first, before I started experimenting with my cooking.

It was as if God was telling me, “It’s going to be a rough task, so why not get the hard stuff out of the way so it’ll be easier later on?”

If the day ever came when I was invited into heaven, I’d love to slug God one in the face. As for why, I found myself suddenly dealing not just with Gazraan Rutim (who brought this matter to me) and the men of his clan, but also those of the Ruu clan, too. Geez, it was enough to make my stomach ache.

“Hey, Asuta. Looks like everyone’s gathered now, right?” Ludo Ruu, the one soothing presence in the group, nonchalantly called out.

The group standing before me now was made up of over 20 rugged hunters of the forest’s edge, including 17 of those Ruu men I saw a few days prior. They were standing in the plaza outside of the Ruu homes, giving off a real animalistic stench. There were young and old men mixed into the group, but they all seemed like robust, brawny hunters.

And since they were just about to head out into the forest, there was some serious bloodlust coming off all of them.

“...I’d like to start with introductions.”

With that, Gazraan Rutim stepped up beside me.

“I’m the eldest son of the main Rutim house, Gazraan Rutim. You should have already heard the details, but I have gathered you all here for the sake of helping with the preparations for my wedding to Ama Min in five days. I would like to begin by offering my gratitude to the head of the Ruu main house, Donda Ruu, and his family for graciously accepting this request from the Rutim.”

Donda Ruu was off to the right edge of the group, motionless with his arms crossed. Honestly, I was really shocked that he went and gave his permission for all this. Was it down to the fact that a “parent” couldn’t so easily deny a request from his “child”?

“I have asked Asuta of the Fa clan here to man the stove for the wedding. As the Fa clan has no ties to the Rutim, we will be paying Asuta in order to buy his aid for that night. As for why I am doing such a thing despite it going against the customs of the forest’s edge, it isn’t something that would be so easily explained, so I won’t prattle on about that matter. Just let me state that I have made up my mind on the matter, as the eldest son of the main Rutim house.”

The men didn’t make so much as a peep, so I couldn’t tell whether or not they were disgruntled about this. In fact, all I could see was a calm shine in their eyes, like those fierce animals about to be unleashed.

Apparently Donda Ruu’s younger brother and his children were part of the group. Plus his uncle (his father’s younger brother) and his family were supposedly here, too. That thought had me a little worried, but looking at it another way, they were all descended from Granny Jiba and were Rimee Ruu’s relatives, too.

“Now then, as for the preparations for the banquet... The giba meat that Asuta will be presenting for the meal will use techniques from his home country, requiring special preparation. That has to be performed before the giba’s life is completely severed, and Asuta will now explain it.”

It was finally my turn, so I gave a single nod and then stepped forward.

“I’m Asuta of the Fa clan. Thank you for assisting with this request. To jump right into the explanation, what I’d like you all to perform is something called ‘bloodletting.’ It involves capturing a giba and then draining it of its blood before finishing it off. To be honest, that’s all it is. The spot you’re looking for is between the chest and the neck, a bit closer to the chest. There’s a thick vein above the heart, so you cut that with a blade and then have the blood flow out through there. If you do it right, you’ll know because a whole lot of blood will come spurting out. Please take care not to cut the heart or the throat and kill the giba immediately.”

They remained silent and motionless.

“Um... The crucial point is making sure that you don’t kill it. Even if you shatter its skull, its body will still live on for a while. And as long as you sever a thick vein near the heart while it’s still pumping, the blood will drain out quickly.”

“Hey, I’ve got a question!” Ludo Ruu said, raising his hand.

Feeling a good bit calmer through his interruption, I asked, “What is it?”

“So it’s no good to slit the giba’s throat? That’s how I always finish them off, and a lot of blood always comes pouring out.”

“You’ll end up killing it before the blood all flows out pretty often that way. If you’re lucky you’ll sever the carotid artery without ruining its ability to breath, but otherwise there will still be blood left lingering in the capillary vessels.”

“I don’t really get what you’re saying. In other words, it’s no good, huh? Hmm... If the throat and the heart are out, then it’d be pretty hard to take one down.”

“That’s true. Still, please be sure not to push yourselves too hard. We can manage for the banquet with just a few of the beasts, and anyway, it would be foolish to lose your life for the sake of preparing meat.”

“You’re the only one who would risk his life over something like that, Asuta. And hey, why are you talking to me like that? It’s gross. Do you want me to kick you?”

“Please don’t... Then you just need to bring the giba back and there will be some extra processing after the pelt is peeled, but I’ll explain that later. Well then, that’s all from me.”

None of the men other than Ludo Ruu said anything, and most of them just turned their backs to me. They didn’t say goodbye or anything, or even raise a battle cry like they did five days prior.

With Donda Ruu and Jiza Ruu at their head, the 17 men of the Ruu clan silently left the plaza.

“See you around. I’ll be waiting for a delicious meal from you, Asuta,” Ludo Ruu said before leaving too, a beastly flame burning in his eyes. He was a rather cute little kid, but in an instant, his face shifted to that of a full-fledged hunter. Whenever I saw that it caused a chill to run through me, and it strangely tugged at my heartstrings.

“Thank you. That was a very easy to understand explanation,” Gazraan Rutim said with a smile.

There were only five men left here, him included, all of them belonging to the Rutim clan. The Rutim settlement was a bit far away, so apparently they had sent an elite group to hear my explanation of the process in person.

“Um, it’s probably not my place to be concerned about it, but will things be alright with the Ruu clan? This won’t sour the relationship between your clans, will it?”

“Sour? I don’t quite understand. As a member of the Rutim, I asked the Ruu for their assistance. The clan head Donda Ruu gave his consent, and the men are abiding by that. There shouldn’t be any problems there.”

“Right. But you don’t know what each person is feeling inside, right?”

“Personal feelings are ultimately just personal matters. They have nothing to do with the clan’s intentions. It’s the job of members of the clan to abide by their clan head’s decisions. I’m sure they’ll properly carry out their task. The Ruu clan is powerful, so I have no worries about that.”

“I see...”

“More importantly, there’s something I want to discuss with you, Asuta,” Gazraan Rutim said, his always earnest looking face taking on an even more earnest expression. “Today, I heard from Ludo Ruu how the Ruu and Fa clans were related for the first time. You were invited to the Ruu house to save Jiba Ruu, who was eating less and less. And then, you did a splendid job of saving her soul... Is that the truth?”

“Yeah, well, at the very least, she seemed to enjoy my cooking.”

“I see. It’s true that Jiba Ruu seemed a good bit more energetic than I had heard on that night... Thank you, Asuta. Please allow me to offer my gratitude for that matter, too.”

“Huh? But why?”

“Did you not know? The Rutim and Ruu formed a bond by Jiba Ruu’s daughter marrying into our clan. We have the strongest ties with them of all six clans under the Ruu.”

Is that so? Hey wait, did that mean as the heir to the main house, Gazraan Rutim was Granny Jiba’s great-grandson?

“Yes, my father Dan Rutim is the son of Jiba Ruu’s daughter. Jiba Ruu’s blood runs just as thickly through my veins as those of Jiza and Ludo Ruu.”

“Oh, I see...”

Bringing personal feelings into work was off-limits. But still, since this young man had inherited Granny Jiba’s blood, I really did want to bless his wedding from the depths of my heart.

“I said we had no debts or bonds between us, but it seems that I owe you a debt after all. I really am truly grateful that I’ve had the chance to be involved with you in this manner.”

As he said that, Gazraan Rutim started fishing around inside of his cloak. Then, he held out an even bigger necklace of tusks and horns in front of me than last night.

“Asuta, please accept this. It’s 10 giba worth of horns and tusks, half of your payment. I’ll give you the other half after the banquet.”

“No, you can just give me the whole payment once I’m done with the job. I mean, I may be... Yeah, it’s possible I could end up getting burned to death in the middle of the cooking.”

I couldn’t tell him that I could get yanked back to my old world at any moment, so I made a joke of it instead, but the same serious look remained fixed on Gazraan Rutim’s face.

“You say that, but I could lose my life in the forest at any time, too. Therefore, I’m giving this to you now. It’s proof of my trust in you, now that you have accepted my request. Please, accept it.”

I regretted joking around, now. I couldn’t tell him the truth thanks to my own circumstances, and I took a joking attitude to hide it. That was no sort of way to treat this serious young man at least, though.

“Alright, I’ll accept it. I’ll strive to live up to that trust you’ve shown me.”

Gazraan Rutim gave a wide grin and handed me the necklace.

Even if it had 40 giba horns and tusks on it, it didn’t really weigh all that much... but as it jangled in my hand, it felt a whole lot heavier than it really was.

3

After the men headed off into the forest as the sun hit its peak and I said farewell to Gazraan Rutim, it was finally time to start my experimentation. I headed around the back of the house towards the kitchen, and found two women waiting for me: The eldest son Jiza Ruu’s wife Sati Lea Ruu and the third daughter, Lala Ruu.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Asuta. The two of us will be assisting you today,” the slender, neat, and tidy young wife said to me with a gentle smile. She had somewhat short brown hair and blackish eyes.

“Whoa, what’s with all those horns and tusks? Did you steal them from somewhere?” Lala Ruu asked, disparaging me as always. The 12 year old girl had her red hair done up in what looked like a ponytail.

“This is the advance payment for this job. Um, should I put it down somewhere?”

“If you wish, we can hold onto it for you at the house. It would be quite a mess if it were to happen to fall into the stove or something.”

With that, Sati Lea Ruu took the necklace from me and left the kitchen.

She was very tactful with her actions, but as a result I ended up left alone with a young girl who wasn’t especially fond of me.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Lala Ruu to start coming after me again.

“Hmph! I thought the heir to the Rutim had his act together more than their clan head, but seeing how he’s entrusting the stove to you on his precious wedding night, he certainly doesn’t seem especially sane! Now the Rutim are going to be the laughingstock of the forest’s edge. And since they’re under us, that’s a real pain for the Ruu clan, too!”

“Is that so? Then I’ll have to expend all of my meager ability to silence even a few more of those laughing voices, right?”

I wasn’t going to curse at a girl five years younger than me or get angry, so instead I just decided to give that lighthearted response.

Plus, well, I was more than a little indebted to the four daughters of the Ruu clan, so there was no helping the fact that she hated me. But would I have to keep on bearing that cross for the rest of my life...?

“At any rate, here’s to working with you. Are you alright on your other work, though...? I’m the one who asked for help, but I wasn’t expecting to have the two of you sent my way this early in the day.”

“Mama Mia Lea decided it, so there’s no helping it! It’s not like I wanted to see your face, either!” shouted Lala Ruu with a stern look on her face and furrowed eyebrows. And then, she stomped on over towards me. “Those horns and tusks...”

“Huh?”

“You went from having eight to nine. Did Gazraan Rutim or Ama Min give you a blessing?”

“Ah, um... Is it alright to say...? No, I better not...”

“What the heck is that about?! If you won’t tell me, then I’ll tell papa Donda about what happened that morning!”

“T-That’d be a real issue. You see, this... it was given to me by your ‘papa Donda.’”

In an instant, Lala Ruu came flying at me in a thunderous rage with a boyish look on her face.

“There’s no way that’s true! Papa Donda seriously hates you, so there’s no way he’d give you a blessing! Give it up and tell me the truth already, or I’ll expose you to everyone!”

“N-No, that really is the truth. It’s not like he forbid me from saying anything, either, so I’ll tell it to you straight. Donda Ruu gave me this blessing after I manned the stove for the celebratory banquet.”

The rage remained clear on her face for a while afterwards, but then the anger steadily shifted to astonishment.

“Are you being serious...? If you keep on trying to trick me, then I really will check with papa Donda. And if it’s a lie, then I’ll tell him all about what happened that day.”

“Agh, then I guess I’ll just have to pray that Donda Ruu answers you truthfully. I’ll have to really hope that he’s not the sort of scum who would lie to protect his own pride!”

“Wait... Is it actually true?”

I nodded and said, “Yeah,” only for Lala Ruu to explode again.

“What the heck?! I can’t believe it! I didn’t give a blessing because I was thinking of papa Donda’s feelings, so what was he thinking, giving you one on his own?! It makes me look like an idiot! Damn it, what the heck?! Geez!”

“Ah, um, please calm down... I’m sure your papa had his own thoughts and feelings behind it.”

“Don’t you say ‘papa’! It’s gross!”

“Sorry... But stuff like this is rooted in personal feelings, right? Just because Donda Ruu gave a blessing, it doesn’t mean that you have to do the same.”

“What the heck is that?! Are you saying you won’t accept my blessing?!”

No matter what I said, the girl exploded into a ball of anger.

Just when I gave a sigh, thinking I just must not be fated to get along with this girl, a hand was suddenly thrust in front of my face. And seated atop it was a single giba tusk... or was it a horn?

“...That last dinner was seriously delicious. And you saved Granny Jiba before that, too. So I, Lala Ruu, offer Asuta of the Fa clan my blessing.”

Did it seriously make sense for someone to be giving a blessing with such blatant displeasure on their face? Well, anyway, I gratefully went ahead and picked up that pure white blessing.

“Thank you. It really makes me happy.”

“Hmph!” Lala Ruu loudly snorted and turned away.

She seriously must not have been able to stomach me at all. But still, I felt every bit as happy having someone like her acknowledge me as I did getting a blessing from someone who adored me.

With this, I had received ten blessings in total from the Ruu clan. Excluding the infant Kota Ruu, that just left Jiza and Darmu Ruu.

Just as I thought to myself how that would never happen in my whole life, Sati Lea Ruu finally returned.

“Sorry for the wait. Oh, my, you still haven’t started?”

“Yeah. We’ll get rolling now, though. Do you mind if I start by taking a look at the vegetables in your pantry?”

“Not at all. By the way, where is Ai Fa? She was with you when you arrived, wasn’t she?”

“Yup. I still hadn’t fully memorized the path to the Ruu house, so Ai Fa showed me the way. She should be out hunting giba in the forest around now.”

She couldn’t exactly shirk off her giba hunting for these five days. Or at least, that’s what Ai Fa said before leaving. We still had plenty of meat, plus horns and tusks to spare, but a hunter had to keep on hunting giba as long as they had the strength to do so.

If the hunters of the forest’s edge neglected their work, the giba would overflow from the forest and attack the western kingdom’s fields. It was the duty of the people of the forest’s edge to prevent that... or at least, that’s what most of them thought. The clan that led them seemed to have completely forgotten that, though.

Kamyua Yoshu... I really need another chance to meet with that aloof old-timer and really hear what he has to say.

I was slated to spend these next five days here at the Ruu settlement, devoting myself to experimenting. That meant that Ai Fa had to handle not only her hunting, but also managing the pantry and gathering pico leaves. And so, though we ate dinner together at the main Ruu house and spent the night together in the vacant house, we were operating completely separately during the day.

Diga Suun hadn’t tried to retaliate against Ai Fa directly since he was thrown into the river, so the Suun clan probably weren’t able to get up to anything too atrocious. But when I remember Doddo Suun’s eyes like those of a wild dog... I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Of course, I normally stayed home at the Fa house while Ai Fa went out hunting in the forest, so it technically wasn’t all that much of a difference. But I still felt like things couldn’t keep on going like this forever.

“Is something the matter, Asuta?” Sati Lea Ruu asked, calling me back to the real world in a bit of a fluster.

“It’s nothing. Shall we head to the pantry?”

Regardless of anything else, right now, I was working.

Naturally, the reward I’d get from this job would become part of the shared fortune of the Fa house. So for Ai Fa’s sake too, I had to succeed.

Accompanied by the two women, I stepped foot into the pantry. Just as I remembered, there were doorless shelves crammed full of different vegetables. I’d seen a whole lot of them yesterday at the post town, too, so I was steadily starting to get pretty familiar with them.

Now then, which of them were going to play nice with me...?

“Let me start off by telling you my plan,” I said to the women behind me as I inspected the different types of vegetables one by one. “My goal is to conquer the poitan.”

“Poitan...?”

“Right. Is there some way to make it tasty while heating it up like you guys have been up till now? That’s what I want to experiment with first.”

“But why? The baked poitan is delicious. I feel like I could even keep on just eating that on its own, even without any meat or vegetables.”

Ooh, sounds like Sati Lea Ruu was seriously charmed by the baked poitan, huh? Well, it’s not as if I didn’t get how she felt, but this experimentation was of the utmost importance to me.

“But there are going to be some older people at the banquet too, right? If I present nothing but unusual dishes, those folks may end up avoiding them. I’d like to present the baked poitan too, but I won’t be able to help wondering if there isn’t another cooking method that would satisfy everyone, young and old, so I’d like to try to find that first.”

All that Sati Lea Ruu had to say in response was, “Oh, my...” She didn’t sound all that astonished or disgusted with the idea, though, so I guess it was fine.

“Ultimately I think we’re just going to have to try putting all sorts of things together, but are there any ingredients you would recommend? Or on the other hand, are there any you don’t especially like?”

“Pula” a voice bluntly stated. Naturally, that had been Lala Ruu speaking up first.

“Um... Now that I think of it, I believe I’d heard that you didn’t like pula somewhere before. Are you not fond of bitter foods, perhaps?”

“Shut up! Why are you complaining when I went and answered your question?!”

“Ah, sorry! Please, let me hear your candid opinion.”

“Lilo, tarapa, zozo... I don’t like any of them.”

“Yup, got it. Lilo is that herb used when smoking meat, right? What sort of ingredients are tarapa and zozo?”

“Tarapa is that large red fruit, while zozo is the light brown lump down beneath it.”

I looked where Sati Lea Ruu pointed and saw that the tarapa was a fruit that looked sort of like a pumpkin or a big lumpy tomato, while the zozo coiled like a snake and had the texture of a beehive. Both of them left a real strong visual impression, so I definitely remembered them.

“Hmm... And what do you think of tarapa and zozo, Sati Lea Ruu?”

“Let me see... Tarapa is very sour, and zozo has a very powerful smell. I don’t especially dislike either of them, but... I think tarapa would taste better in a stew without poitan.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Tarapa really is sour, so I think it would be better in a stew without poitan, as it would pass more smoothly down your throat and be easier to eat. As for zozo, whether or not there’s any poitan, I think it would wipe out all the rest of the scents in a dish that didn’t include meat with a stench, which would worsen the flavor.”

“Amazing! How precise!”

“It’s because you taught me what a delicious meal really was, Asuta. Up until then, I didn’t pay any attention to how tarapa and zozo tasted different,” Sati Lea Ruu said with a smile.

Next to her, Lala Ruu was making a face that made it look like she was about to start stamping her feet again or something.

“What the heck?! If that’s how things are going to be, you don’t even need me! You and Sati Lea are getting along just fine on your own!”

“Lala, just because you’re having trouble getting your words out, it doesn’t mean you should have such a short temper,” Sati Lea Ruu said, gently placing a hand on her sister-in-law’s shoulder. “You’re skilled at picking up on a great many things, but you’re not very good with your words. On the other hand, I’m fairly skilled when it comes to speaking, but I don’t have very strong emotions. I’m sure we’ll be of much greater help to Asuta working together than by trying to handle things on our own.”

I’d probably had the least interaction with Sati Lea Ruu out of the entire main Ruu house, but those words alone were enough to tell me that she was more than just some calm, neat, and tidy young woman. I thought to myself, Just what you’d expect from Jiza Ruu’s partner, and then felt a little bit of a chill run down my spine. With those two as parents, just exactly what sort of person would Kota Ruu turn out to be?

“Huh? Now that I think of it, is Kota Ruu a boy or a girl?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t actually been firmly told, only for the two of them to shoot me back blank stares.

“You can tell just from the name, can’t you? Of course he’s a boy.”

I see. Well, I had gotten that feeling, anyway.

“Right. He’s a little on the small side, but he’s a boy. We had quite a bit of trouble being blessed with a child, so I really am glad that our first one turned out to be a boy.”

I really could see the pride and joy on Sati Lea Ruu’s face as she said that.

So that meant that once Jiza Ruu someday inherited the position of clan head from Donda Ruu, Kota Ruu would eventually be next in line, huh? I was a little late in noticing, but the thought really moved me, somehow.

“Ah, right, this zozo has a really tremendous smell to it, doesn’t it? It smells more like medicine than food. I can definitely see how it would wipe out all the other flavors if you threw it into a stew,” I said, dragging myself back to reality.

“Right? If we start eating giba meat without any stench regularly, then we may not even have a use for it anymore. After all, we add lilo and zozo to a stew in order to wipe out the stench.”

“I see. In that case, we’ll remove those two from the list of candidates. So, what about this tarapa? We had a vegetable called a tomato back in my country that was the same color, and it could be used in a whole ton of different ways.”

“Is that so? It doesn’t have a bad smell to it, and I certainly don’t dislike the sour taste it has, but I think it would be better in a stew without poitan than in one with it.”

“Yeah, that may be so, huh...?”

Just imagining the taste of that flour water-esque poitan broth with tomato thrown in was seriously disheartening. It may well be super versatile, but it still might not have a chance to shine this time around.

“Well then, let’s say the tarapa is out of the running too, at least for now. Are there any vegetables you would recommend, though?”

In response to that question, the two went “Hmm...” and seriously thought on the matter.

“I’ve got some ideas when it comes to a stew without poitan, but for heating up together with poitan...”

“Yeah. I mean, if we thought something was tasty like that, we’d be throwing it in each and every day. But no matter what vegetable we add...” Lala Ruu said, only to suddenly hesitate.

“What is it?” Sati Lea Ruu gently asked.

“No... I mean, it doesn’t especially change what I was saying, but... There is one that I think I may like best.”

“Oh, my. Which vegetable is it?”

“No, never mind, it’s nothing! I don’t even know why I like it! The taste is hardly any different anyway!”

“See, that’s got me super interested now. If you don’t mind, could you tell me which ingredient you’re talking about?”

Perhaps I’d jumped the gun there, as Lala Ruu had a bit of a worried look on her face that you wouldn’t expect from such a tomboy.

However, her slender finger slowly lifted up and pointed towards the very back of the pantry.

Huh, this thing? I thought, my eyes going wide.

That ingredient had been quietly waiting in the dark corner of the pantry for my eyes to fall upon it. It was like a massive two meter long great burdock, standing out even amongst such impactful ingredients as the zozo and tarapa. It was called the gigo.

4

Several hours later, when the sun was starting to shift from its peak, an unexpected disturbance suddenly popped up in the kitchen. Before I even noticed, a small silhouette had slipped in through the door that had been left open for ventilation.

“Hey there! How’s it going, chef?!”

“Gah, you scared me! L-Ludo Ruu, why do you look like that...?”

It was undoubtedly Ludo Ruu, who was supposed to have headed out into the forest. But they weren’t supposed to be back until around sunset, and besides... Ludo Ruu’s whole body was painted red with blood. His yellow-brown hair, giba cloak, slender face, arms, and legs were all crimson. And with his blood soaked face, the youth shot me a grin, his eyes still alight with the flames of a hunter.

“This all belongs to giba and other people. I don’t have even a scratch on me! Don’t go throwing away your concern on me, chef.”

“Other people...? Whose?”

“Ryada Ruu, from one of the branch families. He may be done for... A giba plunged its horn deep into his leg. Even if he lives, he won’t be heading out into the forest anymore.”

My face had probably gone completely pale. Seeing that, Ludo Ruu sneered like a beast.

“I told you, stop throwing away your concern already! That had nothing to do with the request you made! Normally giba don’t travel in packs, but three of them came at us all at once, which is when one of them got Ryada Ruu. My bow broke too and I thought I was about to die, so I slashed its throat with this. It died in an instant, so I wasn’t able to bloodlet it.”

“I see...” was all I could think to say in response.

When I glanced their way, I saw that the two women helping me out were looking at their family member with incredibly still expressions. That was probably down to a mix of joy that Ludo Ruu was alright, but also pity for their relative’s misfortune. But at any rate, they had far more resolution than me, and I could see the great strength of their people in their calmness.

With a disinterested, “Hmph!” Ludo Ruu wiped his bloody cheek with the back of his hand. “Well, thanks to that, we got ahold of plenty of tusks and horns. And we needed to carry Ryada Ruu and the giba back home, so five of us headed back early. I know it’s the abundant part of the cycle right now, but there are just way too many giba! Asuta, the Fa house is a bit further north, right? How’s the forest around there lately?”

It would seem that I had finally returned to being “Asuta” rather than “chef.”

He must’ve been pretty worked up, but now his beastly hunter’s eyes were steadily shifting back to those of his usual cheeky self.

“R-Right... Well, I don’t really know how things are out in the forest, but I definitely get the feeling that Ai Fa has been catching them a lot more frequently. Um... In these past 10 days, she’s already taken down four of them.”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“The Fa clan doesn’t have any other relatives or retainers, right? So what sort of joke are you trying to tell, claiming she took down four in 10 days?”

“Hmm? Did I mess up my calculations. We returned from the Ruu house on that day, and then the next day we started building the stoves... Yeah, maybe it was 12 or 13 days, actually. But it was four giba.”

“What’s the difference?!” Ludo quipped back with some serious force.

Still, she caught three in a row starting the day after we made that outdoor stove, and then a few days later she added another on top, so I couldn’t have been all that far off.

“Asuta, are you being serious? You can’t surround them all on your own, so the only option to hunt them would be waiting for one to fall into a trap, or running into angry ones like we did today, right? So there’s no way she could ever catch four in ten days.”

“No, it was more 12 or 13—”

“Like I said, what’s the difference?! She couldn’t be using sacrificial hunting, could she?”

The boy’s unusually heavy tone was causing me to feel really uneasy.

“L-Ludo Ruu, what’s that ‘sacrificial hunting’ thing? It’s not a taboo at the forest’s edge, is it?”

“No, it’s just an old way of doing things that nobody uses anymore. If you’re worried about it, you should ask your clan head directly.”

Got it. I’ll definitely do that, for sure.

It was then that Sati Lea Ruu called out, “Ludo Ruu,” in a calm voice. One of the young boy’s eyebrows raised up as he turned around.

“Oh, you’re back already? What happened to Ryada Ruu?”

Apparently at some point, a number of men had appeared on the other side of the doorway where Ludo Ruu was standing. The smallest, youngest looking of them stepped forward before Ludo Ruu.

“My father Ryada is just barely clinging to life. However, it would seem that the muscles in his leg have been severed. There’s no way he will ever set foot in the forest ever again.”

“Hmm. So from tomorrow on, you’re the head of your house, Shin Ruu?”

“Yes. I’ll take over for my father,” replied the boy who looked to be about Ludo Ruu’s age. In other words, he seemed like he was younger than I was.

His long hair was dark brown, nearly black, and his eyes were a deep brown too. The expression on his face was a bit more mature than Ludo Ruu, but there wasn’t much difference between them in terms of physique.

While looking like he was almost peering into the boy’s face from the side, Ludo Ruu said, “Hey, why are you looking so unconcerned? You’ve got to feed a family of five all on your own now, right? You’re teetering over the edge of a cliff, aren’t you?”

“It’s no problem. In another two years my younger brother will be grown... But I’d like to ask you to lend me your strength until then.”

“We’re family till then and beyond, aren’t we?” Ludo Ruu said, thrusting away his shoulders like he was angry. With that, an awkward smile crossed the boy named Shin Ruu’s face.

“It’s thanks to you that my father Ryada still has his life, Ludo Ruu. I take pride in the fact that we are kin.”

“Hey, don’t go saying crap like that! It’s irritating!”

“More importantly, Asuta of the Fa clan...”

“Huh? Yes?”

“We have brought one giba. It was the only one of the three that we believe we successfully managed to bloodlet. Donda Ruu told us that we should follow your orders as to what to do next.”

With that, Ludo Ruu suddenly leapt up.

“Hold on a minute! I can’t keep on working looking like this! I’ll go wash up first, so just hold on!” he said while cruelly pushing Shin Ruu out of the way and looking back towards me. “Listen, don’t start without me! If you do, I’m going to send everyone here flying!”

With that, the bloodsoaked boy took off running. The remaining boy and men, meanwhile, stared at me from outside the building.

“Um, could I ask you to do the basic preparations for skinning the pelts, then? I’ll hurry on over after I clean up here.”

“...Understood.”

“Well then, I’ll show you the way,” Sati Lea Ruu said.

Then, left all alone with me again, Lala Ruu let out a sigh after having been silent for so long.

“So Ryada Ruu got done in by a giba too, huh? Now Ryada’s house just has women and kids, so Shin Ruu’s going to have it really rough...”

“...How are those folks related to you, exactly?”

“Hmm? Ryada is Papa Donda’s youngest brother. Aside from Shin there’s his mother and two older sisters, and then his tiny little brother, so he’s the only one left in that house who can hunt giba,” she replied in an earnest tone with a sort of meek look on her face. She must have really been concerned about what would become of that Shin Ruu boy.

“He would be smart to either have one of his sisters take a husband already, or to have the whole family be absorbed by another one. There’s no way it’ll be possible to take care of a family of five at 16 years old.”

This didn’t seem like the sort of problem an outsider like me should be butting in on. But still, I wanted to believe that if he had family like Ludo and Lala Ruu so nearby, that boy with the calm, quiet look on his face wouldn’t end up crushed by some horrible fate.

“Well then, I’m going to start heading over. It may take a while, so could I have you bake the poitan for tonight or something in the meanwhile?”

“What about this stuff?”

The fruits of my two hours of experimentation were seated atop the log that served as my work station, some still steaming, some not. What Lala Ruu was pointing to was a poitan-based broth combining all sort of vegetables, with the gigo at the center.

To be honest... over half of the stuff I’d made wasn’t exactly usable.

“Hmm. You should heat up and dry out anything that came out too nasty, and use it as the base for some baked poitan. I mean, we can’t just chuck it.”

The taste wouldn’t change much in the baking process, but in my mind it’d be easier to eat when it was more solid like that.

“You sure are something. I’ve never seen anyone treat food like trash the way that you did before.”

“I’ll admit that I’m still half-baked, but don’t say I’m treating it like trash! I swear that I’ll swallow it down properly!”

I tried to keep any of the dangerous-looking combinations down to a size where it’d just amount to two bites for each of the three of us, so I hadn’t expected to end up with excess. But the cause was Lala Ruu refusing to try it when I looked like I was about to faint in agony, so I figured we were both at fault here. Should I try to introduce rock-paper-scissors to the forest’s edge...?

“Still, thanks to you I’ve got the foundation down, so I just need one more push. I can keep on counting on you, right?”

“Hmph!” Lala Ruu snorted and looked away as I headed off to the giba dissection room next to the pantry. After greeting Sati Lea Ruu and switching places with her, I stepped inside.

“Ooh... This sure is a big one, isn’t it?”

There was a 90 kilo class giba dangling from a ceiling beam. It must have been as long as an adult woman was tall. It had some splendidly curved horns and tusks, marking it as a male giba. They must have already washed it down, as its blackish brown fur was sopping wet.

I had only ever peered into this dissection room from outside before, but it was a barren space with nothing but blades large and small and rope made from vines hanging from the walls. Well, there was a single stove meant for heating up a small pot, but there wasn’t even a single other furnishing of note to be found.

The four men standing there just quietly stared back at me. The group was made up of Shin Ruu, an older man, and two gentlemen in their prime. Aside from Shin Ruu they all looked solidly built, and they waited there silently for me to speak.

“Good work, everybody. Well then... Let’s start by peeling the pelt. Ludo Ruu should make it back before long, and then we can set about the dissection.”

One of the men nodded, then drew a thick knife from his hip.

“Hold on. Could you leave peeling the pelt to me?” Shin Ruu asked. “My father Ryada won’t be able to move for a good long while. During that time, I will need take care of peeling the pelts all on my own. I of course know the process, but I would like to learn first-hand now how exhausting it is.”

The man who had drawn his knife turned back to look at the older gentleman. The older fellow gave a single nod, and the man resheathed his blade.

“You have my thanks,” Shin Ruu said, drawing his own knife. “Asuta of the Fa clan, is it alright if I skin the pelt in the same manner as we have up until now?”

“Hmm... Could I ask you to try to leave as much of the fat attached to the meat as possible? I don’t mind if it’s just enough that you don’t injure the pelt, though.”

“Understood.”

The giba was dangling from a rope tied around its right hind leg.

Shin Ruu skillfully inserted his blade and slowly, carefully cut down from the groin to just below the neck. Then, he made paths down each of the legs and cut around the ankles right before the hooves. In terms of preparations, there wasn’t much difference from what I had done.

Seeing how he had hot water prepared to dissolve off the fat too, I realized that even if folks came from different cultures, they’d likely arrive at the same conclusions about how to skin an animal. And if it hadn’t been for the abnormal speed at which the giba multiplied, and they were just hunting them for meat, I’m sure the people of the forest’s edge would have thought up ways to make them taste good, too.

In the forest to the south where they once lived they only ate lizards and bugs, and here at Morga Forest they hunted for horns and tusks, and to protect the safety of the fields. Now, though, their meat cuisine was suddenly advancing. When I realized that resulted from some guy from another world bringing his opinion that “you’re happier eating tasty food” into the matter, though, a bit of a chill ran down my spine.

There wasn’t anybody out there who could tell me for certain that what I was doing was right, and that it was wonderful. Was it really alright for some pathetic little chef in training to be influencing the cuisine of a settlement numbering 500 strong?

If it isn’t, then just throw me back into that fire, alright?

Otherwise, I had no choice but to keep on living like this. If I had to kill my feelings and just slurp down that gross poitan stew while doing nothing but gathering herbs and firewood, well... That wouldn’t be me living my life at all. I would live on in this world as myself, alongside Ai Fa, who told me that my cooking was delicious, that she loved it, and that she didn’t want me to disappear.

As those thoughts ran through my head, Shin Ruu steadily peeled back the giba’s pelt, revealing the glistening white underneath.

He may have been young, but he was still a man of the forest’s edge. There was no way I could possibly match the speed at which he worked with my measly arm strength.

Before I realized it, Ludo Ruu was standing by my side, arms crossed as he watched over his family member working away.

He was almost done with the limbs, but the real work was still to come. After all, he was up against a 90 kilo monster. I’d be getting off light if I managed to finish that in 2-3 hours. And even with the arm strength of a man of the forest’s edge, it would certainly be no light task.

Even so, we all sat there silently, nobody making a peep or trying to leave their seat, as the boy who would be the head of his house from tomorrow on sweated and worked away at the giba.

5

“Now then, normally this is where you would just cut off the legs and toss away the rest, right?” I started explaining the dissection process, standing with the stark naked giba behind me. “I’d like to use the torso meat in my cooking too, though, so we’ll be dissecting the whole thing. The most important thing here is how you remove the organs.”

Ludo Ruu, Shin Ruu, and the other three men were listening to me with such serious looks on their faces that it was almost scary.

It wasn’t as if I could sense any animosity or hostility from them. In fact, I just plain couldn’t tell what they were thinking. Still, it made it clear to me that there were folks out there who could hold themselves back from showing any unnecessary emotion while on the job. Even if they weren’t exactly fond of me, this was still a task they were given directly by their clan head. And I’m certain that nobody in the Ruu clan at least would let their personal feelings interfere with that. Or at least, I couldn’t help but think that after seeing such serious expression from everyone present.

“Giba’s organs are packed roughly the same inside as ours are. The heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, stomach, large and small intestines, and the like... The ones that you need to be especially careful in how you handle them are the large intestine and bladder, plus the gallbladder under the liver. If those are injured then bile and excrement will flow out and give the meat a stench, making the bloodletting for naught.”

“Asuta... I’ve only heard of the heart and stomach out of those.”

“Right. The only option will be to have you see them in person and memorize them. Well then, let’s open it up.”

“Hold on. Please let me do it,” Ludo Ruu said, grabbing a carving knife from the wall.

“Right. Then start with a slit up from the abdomen to the chest. Ah, it may be better to start from the core of the stomach rather than near the thigh. The large intestine is in the abdomen, so take care not to damage it. You just want to cut through the meat.”

“Got it,” Ludo Ruu replied, gently inserting the tip of his blade into the giba’s stomach.

“Now open it up through the chest. Be careful around the abdomen.”

Ludo Ruu’s brow was sweating. There were windows and the door was open, but the room was seriously hot thanks to the stove being lit. And thanks to the overpowering stench of blood and fat, it felt hard to breathe.

As he held the giba’s body wrapped in white fat steady with his other hand, Ludo Ruu carefully moved his blade.

“Right, that’s good. Now cut the diaphragm, between the meat and the organs. That membrane there. If you cut it, it’s pretty easy to get the innards out.”

Ludo Ruu nodded, then plunged his arm and blade into the open abdominal cavity. Apparently he wasn’t the sort to have any concerns about reaching his hand into an animal.

He just had an almost frighteningly serious look on his face. More than his desire for delicious meat, it seemed to be due to his strong will in relation to his work.

“It’s cut. What next?”

“Alright, then it’s time to start taking them out. Let’s start from the abdomen. This area is the large intestine, but it doesn’t rupture easily, so you can just pull it out by hand. An organ called the bladder is a little further in, so take care not to touch that.”

“Right.”

With that, he pulled out a clump of intestines. Part of the way out it got caught on the stomach, so I cut it free with a knife. Then, Ludo Ruu gently placed the lump of guts down atop the pelt spread on the floor.

Next up was the heart, lungs, and then liver, which all went smoothly. Finally, we ended with the testicles and bladder.

“Phew. The bladder here breaks easiest, so be careful with it, please. If we had a small bag, it would probably be best to wrap it in that and then insert a blade.”

The men silently nodded.

“Now then, let’s move on to the dismembering. You already have it dangling, so let’s start by cutting it in half. Ah, no wait, we need to cut off the head first, actually.”

With far more skill than I had shown, Shin Ruu had removed the pelt even from the head. But even still, it was important to cut the head off first before splitting the spine.

“Use a blade to cut the neck meat, and then switch to a saw for the bone. And since the saws have probably been used to cut trees, please disinfect it by heating it in the pot first.”

Well, I honestly just didn’t have any clue what sorts of bacteria and viruses may exist in this world. But I’d been trying to avoid overly raw or rotten meat, attempting to keep things as hygienic as possible considering the environment.

After the head was sliced cleanly off, we moved on to cutting down the spine vertically. Thanks to the people of the forest’s edge having way more muscle than me, it was handled far more speedily and precisely. Then the legs were removed, it was cut horizontally at the waist, and the pelvis and the like were removed, which finished things off most of the way.

“Now all that’s left is the head. We need to shave off the meat around the neck and the cheeks. Hmm... I’d really like to tackle the tongue at some point, too...”

“The tongue?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty popular back in my old country. I’m sure there are ways of making even these various innards delicious, too. But I don’t know how to handle them or how much pico leaves could preserve them, so I’ve just got to pass them by for now.”

“Huh... So you even eat the innards? It’s like you’ll eat everything but the skin and bones.”

“Ah, no, if you cook the fur off you can eat it along with the skin, and you can make stock out of the bones, too. So I guess you could say that you can cook every last part but the horns and tusks.”

“Yeah, it’d be a problem if you started eating those too,” Ludo Ruu said with a pleasant chuckle as we stood in a room where the stench of blood, meat, and entrails was so strong I was practically choking on it.

As I thought to myself what a nice smile he had, I started, “Now then...” for the umpteenth time. “That finishes us off for now. We won’t know for sure how well the bloodletting went until we eat it, but the dissection work was absolutely perfect. In terms of raw amount of meat we should have plenty with two or three more, but I’d like to have enough ribs for everyone too, so I would need some more on top of that. And so, I hope you’ll all continue working with me.”

Naturally, the men just gave a silent nod.

“Alright, then I guess it’s time to bury it in pico leaves, huh? Shin Ruu, you guys should cut off the horns and tusks.”

“Got it.”

“Hey, Asuta... Will this meat really be tasty now?”

“Yeah, at least as long as the bloodletting went well,” I said with a nod as we transported the mountain of meat atop a plank into the pantry.

“We’ll be giving it a try at dinner tonight, so look forward to it.”

“I’m the one who bloodlet it...” Ludo Ruu said, this time with a bit of a bashful smile. “It’ll just be amazing if it turns out tasty, right?”

“Right. Still, you two really are siblings...”

“Huh?”

“That smile now looked just like Rimee Ruu’s.”

In an instant, Ludo Ruu’s face went beet red.

“What are you saying?! There’s no way I resemble that squirt! Stop messing around, you idiot!”

Now he was getting shaken just like Lala Ruu. Speaking of which, that caused the young girl herself to peek out of the neighboring kitchen.

“What are you causing a fuss about? Asuta, I baked the poitan for dinner.”

“Oh, really? Well then once I’m finished with this, I’ll hurry on back to—” I started to say, only for a new group to suddenly appear. It was Jiza Ruu and Darmu Ruu with a fresh 100 kilo class giba.

“Asuta, we took down three more, but this was the only one we successfully performed bloodletting on. What should we do now?”

“Huh? Ah, um, then could you start by removing the pelt? I’ll be over that way soon.”

“Understood.”

“Hey! What about me, Asuta? There’s still a whole mountain of poitan soup that’s pretty much trash!”

“Don’t call it trash! Once, I’m done here, I’ll hurry over to—”

“Asuta,” Gazraan Rutim now chimed in, having suddenly popped up. His burly arms were holding a young 50 kilo class giba.

“My work is done for the day as well, so I brought along a giba I believe I have successfully bloodlet.”

I was left speechless for a second.

“Alright! We’ll take care of the two of them together! We’re borrowing that dissection room, so could you prepare by skinning the pelt?!”

“Asuta!”

“I know! Um, ah, well... Just prepare a stew for dinner or something! I’ll guide you on the meat dishes!”

With that, I was finally able to make it to the pantry.

“Isn’t everyone coming back a little soon...? And hey, it’s been three of them in one day!”

“I don’t know about the Rutim, but the Ruu have taken down six today, with two of them being successful. We’re not exactly blockheads, you know.”

“Isn’t six in one day a lot? You don’t have sixty family members living here, do you?”

“With the main and branch families combined, there are 38 of us in total. So we can earn enough for the aria and poitan we need with four giba a day. Well, we’ll have time on our hands again once the busy period is over, but my dad and the rest are still out in the forest, y’know?”

I see. Well at any rate, it looked like we would secure the meat needed for the banquet in no time at all. Then the excess should be split amongst the branch families, so they can learn how delicious meat that has been bloodlet is. Then they could decide if they wanted to go through the extra effort of bloodletting and dissecting after the banquet.

This must have been what Gazraan Rutim meant about showing them the way. They were ultimately the ones to decide, and nobody would force them.

“What’s up? Are you regretting having taken on such a big job, Asuta?” Ludo Ruu asked, drawing his face in close. All the while, he made room in the black pico leaf filled meat storage space that was three times the size of the one at the Fa house.

“No, I was thinking I was glad that I did. It sure is a real undertaking, though.”

With that, Ludo Ruu grinned and nudged my arm with his elbow.

“Well I sure am glad. I’m seriously looking forward to both tonight and the banquet. Make sure you don’t betray my expectations, alright?”

“Got it. I’ll give it my all.”

Just like that, the sun steadily set on my first day of work.

6

And then, night arrived.

This was now my third time eating dinner at the Ruu house. The members of the house were already at their seats, and the plates of food were laid out. Roast and leg steak, aria and tino soup made from a shoulder meat stock, a mountain of baked poitan... and my experimental “poitan soup,” mark 1.

Granny Jiba was the last one to take her seat, and when she did, I said, “Um... This lower pot contains an experimental dish for the banquet. I ask that you not think of it as part of the dinner on offer, and just something for those of you with an interest to give a taste test. To be honest it’s still a work in progress, so the taste still isn’t perfected.”

Nobody said anything.

“Well, with that said, if nobody tastes it my experiment will never move forward, so I’d appreciate it if as many people as possible could give it a try. And if you could tell me your impressions, it would be a big help.”

“What are you prattling on about?” the clan head asked, making a face like he found this a real pain. “The Rutim asked us to lend them their aid. Lala, hand that out to everyone.”

“Huh?! Why me...?”

“You manned the stove, didn’t you? You’re the closest to it, so you should serve it.”

The displeasure was clearly showing on her face, but even so, Lala Ruu promptly started pouring the poitan soup into bowls.

“Chef of the Fa clan...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“You have entered into an agreement with the eldest son of the main Rutim house. Then, the Rutim put in a request to the Ruu. That’s all there is to it, so there’s no special connection here between you and our clan.”

“Yes, that’s exactly right.”

“...If you understand that, then just do your job.”

I’m sure he was just telling me not to worry about anything unnecessary, but with his usual intensity added on, it was a little frustrating to hear. Actually, maybe I still had some leftover hesitation and trouble dealing with the Ruu clan, and Donda Ruu saw through that.

That thought only made me more frustrated... Frustrated at my own lack of experience.

“We give thanks for the blessings of the forest...” Donda Ruu muttered, starting off that familiar chant. “We offer our gratitude to Mia Lea, Sati Lea, Lala, and Asuta, who manned the flame and gave us our life for this night...”

With that, the combined dinner/taste testing began.

After all that work from before, I ended up involved in dissecting those other two giba, so almost all of this dinner was made by members of the Ruu clan. I at least supervised the whole time they were handling the meat dishes, including the hamburger for Granny Jiba, but the women were the ones who actually made all that.

And so, I spent the whole time handling just this initial test dish.

Rimee Ruu was the first one to speak up.

“Huh? We just get one bowl each?” she asked in surprise, peering into the lower pot where the flame had already been cut off.

“Yeah, since this is still ultimately just a test product, after all. I’d guess it makes up about two of the three poitan each person needs to eat.”

“Hmm, I see...” she said, not sounding all that disappointed as she put down her empty bowl.

“How was the taste?”

“Huh? Um... I don’t really know.”

I see. Well if she doesn’t really know, then there’s no helping that.

Perhaps because of the understanding that poitan stew tasted even worse if you let it cool, everyone in the family had chosen to gulp down my test dish first, it seemed. As I stole glances at everyone’s faces, I wasn’t exactly feeling all that confident. Granny Tito Min wore a look of doubt, Vina was expressionless, Reina Ruu looked troubled, and Ludo Ruu had a clear frown on his face...

By the way, the reaction from the three of us who manned the stove and thus got to taste it in advance was, “It’s missing something...”

I lacked the skill to tell what the rest of the men were feeling right now. And Ai Fa was amongst that same group, silently continuing on with her meal and placing down her bowl. From what I could see, she had already finished the test dish completely.

“Ah, Ai Fa, about the taste of that dish—”

“It was bad.”

Huh? She seemed like she was in an especially bad mood for some reason. But I was holed up in the kitchen all day, so this was my first time talking to her since this morning. Did something happen while I wasn’t around?

“So, what’s the deal with this poitan stew?” Granny Tito Min asked after about half an hour had passed and the majority of the folks present had finished eating.

“Right. I’ve been experimenting with a poitan soup that would be easier to eat, and for this time, I only added in gigo, tino, and salt.”

“Oh, so there’s gigo in it? I didn’t realize at all.”

I still couldn’t quite identify the gigo. In terms of texture, though, it seemed closest to a Japanese yam.

It crumbled when you boiled it, making for a real viscous gigo stew. It wasn’t bad, eating it just like that, but it lacked any defining flavor. Plus, since I didn’t scrape it all down, that meant a bit of fiber remained.

So next, I tried boiling it together with poitan so that floury nature and viscosity canceled each other out, which made for a rather mellow dish.

Then, I tried pairing it with a number of vegetables and ultimately went with the tino since it seemed safest, then seasoned it with salt.

I was still only at the point where I’d built a foundation, but everyone’s reactions were as follows.

Mia Lea: “I don’t exactly dislike it, but...”

Sati Lea Ruu: “It doesn’t really seem like a food dish, does it?”

Vina Ruu: “I don’t really know...”

Reina Ruu: “It goes down smoothly.”

Lala Ruu: “Seems like a work in progress, still.”

Rimee Ruu: “I just don’t have a clue, either...”

No, well, I mean, it was still just the foundations of a work in progress. I guess it really was difficult to come up with impressions on something that was neither gross nor tasty. I mean, with that manju from the post town, all I could think to say was it tasted “normal.”

“I don’t get why I’ve gotta eat something like this. Don’t go making such boring crap. You’re betraying my expectations, here,” Ludo Ruu said, looking the most dissatisfied of all of them. But then before long, he continued on with a brazen smile, “On the other hand, these baked poitan are crazy tasty. I ate three of them before I even realized it.”

“Ah, yeah! They were yummy! They were all fluffy and bouncy, so I ate lots too!” chimed in Rimee Ruu, who had just been moving all around and looking bored.

“Yeah, we mixed gigo into those, too. They were made by baking up the failures, but they ended up with a rather nice texture, didn’t they?”

Now that I thought of it, I think I’ve heard that if you mix Japanese yam into okonomiyaki it gets all soft and fluffy. At any rate, this was a happy accident... but my main focus was on making a hot poitan stew.

Then everyone switched over to praising the baked poitan and meat dishes, so apparently the opinions about my test dish had come to a dead end.

Meanwhile, Ai Fa was currently helping Granny Jiba eat her meal. Once Mia Lea Ruu, who had been handling that task up till now, and Granny Jiba herself finished eating, the dinner would be over.

“It may have been a test dish, but my apologies for feeding you all something so dull. I would be grateful if you would continue to help me out from tomorrow on in spite of that.”

I’d intended for that to be the end of things, but after staying perfectly silent up till now, Jiza Ruu said, “Asuta. Our clan head Donda agreed to assist the Rutim, so there’s no need for you to worry yourself over the matter any more than necessary. However... would it be alright if I offered my opinion on the poitan soup from before?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I do not really know what makes a taste good or bad. But I believe that eating the previous sort of stew that we have had up until now would be preferable to this... I had no such thoughts when it came to the baked poitan or the other dishes.”

“I see...”

It seemed like the reaction wasn’t good. Had I made a mistake in the path I chose?

With that, silence fell over the room, and Ai Fa stood up as Granny Jiba had finished her meal. It was then that a voice suddenly resounded through the air, “...Why did you not put in any meat?”

That had come from Donda Ruu.

I was so surprised that I was at a loss for a moment before responding.

“Th-This is ultimately just a test dish, so I decided not to add any as I thought it best to solidify the foundation before starting to consider what sorts of meat would have an affinity with it.”

“Did you really think we’d have nice things to say after you fed us such a half-baked dish?” His tone didn’t exactly make it sound like he was attacking me, but he sounded just as displeased as always. “We heat everything together in the pot, because it’s simplest that way. When we boil meat, we do it together with vegetables. We may eat meat on its own, but it’s unheard of to eat a stew with just vegetables... Never feed us crap like that ever again.”

With that, Donda Ruu slowly got to his feet.

“The dinner is over now. I’m going to sleep.”

That was the signal to disperse.

Those of us who manned the stove cleaned everything up, while everyone else went back to their personal rooms. As I gathered up dishes with a real half-hearted feeling settling over me, Ai Fa returned, a look of displeasure no less than Donda Ruu’s on her face. Then, she told me nothing but, “Granny Jiba is calling for you,” snatched up the giba cloak she had left on the floor, and then exited the house.

Well, Ai Fa didn’t man the stove tonight, but didn’t she feel any obligation thanks to the night’s stay and meal? Or could it be that it was actually rude to try to help out when you were a guest? At any rate, I headed towards Granny Jiba while thinking to myself that I’d have to ask Ai Fa why she was in such a bad mood once I made it back to the vacant house.

“Asuta, thank you for the delicious meal today, too... The food you make really is good...”

“No, you see, Mia Lea Ruu made the hamburger for you tonight. Plus Ludo Ruu is the one who prepared the meat. I may have been giving instructions all the while, but I can definitely say that I didn’t lift a finger there.”

“Is that so? Mia Lea didn’t mention that at all...”

“I’m sure she was just feeling shy about it, right?”

Or maybe she just wasn’t the type to brag about her own achievements. Either way, it was just like her.

“So I’m sure you’ll be just fine from tomorrow on. Please, eat your fill of delicious meat and live a nice long life, Jiba Ruu.”

“I’m glad. Truly, truly glad, Asuta...”

With that, Granny Jiba’s hand, like a shriveled branch yet still warm, took hold of mine. Reina Ruu was by her side, apparently tasked with escorting her back to her bedroom, and her eyes started watering up a bit.

“You’ve brought light to our Ruu clan. All of us have started to enjoy life so much more, not just me. Your blessings have grown to ten in total, and I’m sure one of those came from Donda, yes...?”

“...Yes,” I replied with a nod, only for Reina Ruu’s eyes to open wide in shock.

“Even that headstrong Donda couldn’t help but acknowledge your strength... You truly are a splendid man, Asuta...”

“That’s not true at all. Even now, I’m still just a half-baked chef in training.”

Suddenly, Granny Jiba’s slender back started to tremble.

“What’s the matter? Are you in pain?” Reina Ruu asked in a panic, clinging to Granny Jiba’s back. However, to me, it seemed clear that she was laughing.

“But it’s up to the ones around you to decide that, right, Asuta? Yes, you should live the way that you find proper... Just keep on living in your own way, Asuta...”

“Thank you,” I said, bowing my head.

I felt bad being so overestimated, but I couldn’t help also feeling a little overwhelmed hearing such words from Granny Jiba.

“So, about what Donda said...”

“Huh?”

“To us, a giba stew with all the ingredients heated together is like a symbol of our life force... Young folks like Reina may not understand, but to us obtaining life force and eating that stew made from giba meat and the blessings granted from their tusks and horns are one and the same. And so, it seems that a stew without giba meat just feels lacking to us, after all...”

“...Right.”

“So if your goal is to come up with a delicious stew for old folks like myself, it may be good to keep that point well in mind...”

“Got it. Thank you... ma’am.”

It was like there was something squirming around in the back of my mind.

Meat. It has to be meat, huh?

Maybe the people of the forest’s edge don’t even want something that goes down so easy in the first place...

But more important is the meat. It’s that meat that makes it a giba stew.

A giba stew, with the meat and vegetables in harmony...

If I leave that core part for later, I may not make it in the four days left to me.

“Well then, Asuta...”

“Right. Goodnight, Jiba Ruu.”

I parted ways with Granny Jiba and Reina Ruu, and then got back to cleaning up.

Meat... Meat, meat, meat, huh...?

I was finally paying attention to vegetables for the first time in a while, but here I was getting dragged right back to giba meat.

Still, giba meat was definitely an ingredient worth taking on. It was a food packed with potential, which also gave it some major versatility.

But man, I never thought I’d get a hint from something Donda Ruu said...

It was a complicated feeling, both vexing and yet somehow pleasant at the same time.

Still, aside from the fact that Darmu Ruu stayed silent from start to finish, I felt it was a rather fruitful test dinner. At this rate, I’d be able to keep on running full sprint for the next few days. With such thoughts in mind, I felt a little uplifted as I finished up cleaning and left the main Ruu house behind.

After lighting up a borrowed candle, I made my way through the now silent nighttime plaza by my lonesome.

Now that I think of it, Ai Fa headed back without even visiting Granny Jiba in her bedroom...

As that thought ran through my head, I made it back to the vacant house where Ai Fa was waiting. However, when I opened the door, I found that the room inside was pitch-black.

“Huh? Are you here, Ai Fa?”

As I held the candlestick in my hand forward, I lit up the room. Ai Fa was there, lying down in front of a wall with windows. Her back was to me, as per usual. Was she not feeling well, maybe? But she was like a big bundle of vitality, wasn’t she?

While feeling seriously worried, I latched the bolt in a hurry, and then ran over to Ai Fa.

“Ai Fa... are you asleep?”

She didn’t respond.

Still, the elegant contours of her back weren’t moving all that much. From my experience, when someone was sleeping they took much larger breaths, but who knows if that was the case here...

At any rate, I was just so overcome with worry that even if I was hesitant to do so, I decided to try to wake her.

“Hey, Ai Fa—” I said, touching her exposed shoulder. In that instant, her hand came flying at an incredible speed and smacked mine away. “Ow! Are you awake? Then you should’ve responded!”

“I’m sleeping...”

“No, you’re clearly awake! Hey, what’s going on? Are you feeling bad or something?”

Well, I’d at least heard Ai Fa’s voice, so I was feeling halfway relieved.

I realized now that my back was sweating so hard that my t-shirt was downright plastered to my body. I must have been panicking a lot more than I thought. But that made sense, seeing how outside of the norm Ai Fa was acting.

I took a seat beside her, figuring if she was just sulking for some stupid reason she would probably say something.

“Hey, if you’re not feeling bad, then get up and look at me already. You’ve been acting strange today. What in the world is up with you?”

“I told you that I’m sleeping...”

“No, you’re totally awake! Hey, if you don’t give it a rest already, I’ll get mad too, y’know?”

“Mad...?”

Huh? Was I just imagining things, thinking I could see an angry aura coming off of the beautiful contours of Ai Fa’s back, which was at the same time both womanly yet taut like a leather whip? Yeah, of course that was it, even if I could practically hear that familiar sound effect of menacing anger crashing over me. I mean, it’s not like I was in a manga or something.

“Did you say just now that you were mad with me...?”

Gyah.

She lifted the upper half of her body so smoothly that it called to mind a wild leopard.

Her long hair was already undone, so it was sensually spilling over her shoulders and down her back.

I was so frightened that I couldn’t even speak.

“...I’m the one who’s mad.”

She glanced at me over her shoulder, her blue eyes shining. Ah, thank god, that wasn’t the look of a hunter in her glare. But still, she was seriously pissed.

“W-Why are you so angry? We were acting separately all day today, right? And you weren’t mad when we parted in the morning, right?”

My thoughts were racing, thinking maybe when Ai Fa came back in the evening, she peeked into the kitchen or something. But still, I couldn’t think of even a single screw up that would have earned me her anger. I mean, nothing happened between me and the three women there with me. Mia Lea joined in later and was the same as always, and I got the feeling that Sati Lea and Lala Ruu were only just barely starting to open up to me.

“Yeah, I really didn’t do anything shady! If you’re mad, then at least tell me why!”

“...” A mumble under her breath.

“Hmm? What was that?”

“...Hamburgers.”

“Hamburgers? What about hamburgers?”

“...You said we would have hamburgers for dinner tonight.”

Huh?

Looking closely, I noticed that Ai Fa’s lips had twisted into a childish frown. Her eyes were super angry, but her lips made her look like a little kid.

“H-Hold on! Did I promise that? But Ama Min came this morning, so—”

“...You did, on the way back yesterday.”

Ah, now I remember.

It was on the way home from the post town. Around when we were passing the washing place and just about back to our familiar home, I had said, “Then we’ll go with hamburgers tomorrow.” I mean, she had been begging me with this same sort of childish face back then, after all.

“Y-You’re right. I’m sorry! I ended up forgetting completely when I immersed myself in experimenting. Plus I had to explain the dissection process to the men, too, so today was really busy!”

“I have no words for a fool who would break an agreement...”

With that, Ai Fa laid back down.

“An agreement?! You’re overblowing this thing! Hey, don’t get so sulky over something like that! Ow...!”

I tried to place my hand on her shoulder again, only for it to once more get slapped away.

“Hey, I’m sorry, already! Tomorrow! Tomorrow, for sure! I absolutely won’t forget! Ai Fa! Ai Fa-san!”

That was how it went, bringing a rather peaceful close to my first day of work in the lead-up to the banquet.