Chapter 2: Day of Decision

1

The day after our meeting with Kamyua Yoshu found us visiting the Rutim settlement in the morning.

Frankly, Ai Fa and I just didn’t know how to handle that crazy old-timer on our own at this point.

After heading further south from the Ruu settlement, a settlement of just five fairly large houses came into view. It belonged to the Rutim, and I had already visited here numerous times before the banquet to ask their opinions.

We visited the largest of those houses, the one belonging to the main household, and fortunately found that Gazraan Rutim was already out of bed.

“My, if it isn’t Ai Fa and Asuta. What brings you here?” Gazraan Rutim asked with a smile.

The clan head Dan Rutim was apparently still sleeping, but that wasn’t an issue for us. After all, what we wanted was the opinion of Gazraan Rutim, who possessed the straightforward honesty fitting for a person of the forest’s edge, yet was also flexible in his thinking, like a reformist.

“Sorry for being so forward, just showing up at your house this early in the day.”

“It’s no problem. The Rutim custom is that a bride and groom can have three days of rest from work both before and after their wedding. I’m honestly glad that I can use the opportunity to welcome you as guests,” Gazraan Rutim said, a gentle smile on his face.

Still, I really did feel guilty about intruding on his second day as a newly married man.

But even so, our thoughts were so chaotic at the moment that we really did need a calm, logical third party to weigh in on the matter.

“The thing is, Kamyua Yoshu really did come to visit the Fa house yesterday, just as promised. And things ended up progressing in a really crazy direction...” I started while being led into a vast hall which was on par with the one in the main Ruu house.

And with that, I explained the crazy proposal that Kamyua Yoshu had offered last night.

◇

“Why in the world would I go and open a shop in the post town?!” I retorted without even thinking, having lost my composure, but Kamyua Yoshu’s aloof expression didn’t shift in the least.

“So that the people of the forest’s edge can gain greater strength and prosperity, of course.”

I sighed, then half-unconsciously scratched at my head.

“How exactly is that related to me opening a shop? I can’t see how they connect in the least.”

“How? You’re a proper member of this settlement despite being born in a foreign nation, aren’t you? So you gaining wealth is directly tied to the prosperity of the forest’s edge, isn’t it?”

“That’s not true at all. No matter how many copper coins I may earn, that wealth ultimately belongs to the Fa clan. And the Fa clan doesn’t have any relatives or subordinates, so that money won’t be making it to other clans.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

I explained that the people of the forest’s edge strengthened their bonds almost exclusively through blood ties. And on top of that, commerce was nonexistent at the forest’s edge, so it was essentially impossible for your wealth to ever pass to someone who wasn’t related to you.

In spite of that, the smile wasn’t wiped from Kamyua Yoshu’s face.

“So you’re a little hesitant to accept at the moment, are you? In that case, are you saying you don’t care in the least if someone outside of your clan is happy or not? Do you believe that anyone but your family is utterly worthless?”

“That’s an extreme argument. Of course we have friends and acquaintances. But even if we become wealthy, that shouldn’t have anything to do with their lives, right?”

“If you horde that fortune, like a certain leading clan.”

Now that it had come this far, Ai Fa’s eyes were completely burning with the look of a hunter.

Of course, I couldn’t blame her. I mean, I was about ready to burst with, not quite anger, but doubt and suspicion.

“Hmm... I was just drawing out our chat by throwing out a thought that popped into my head, but you seem to be quite emphatically rejecting the idea.”

“...I mean, it was just too crazy of an idea to be part of a mere ‘chat.’”

“Is that so? I thought it was a pretty ingenious idea for something I came up with on the spot. And it wouldn’t be all that difficult to open a shop there in the post town,” Kamyua Yoshu said while maintaining his usual carefree tone, then sat back down and stroked the stubble on his chin.

“Alright, let me explain things in order. My first thought was about the value of giba meat.”

“The value...?”

“You all make a living by selling giba horns, tusks, and furs. So why don’t you sell the meat, then?”

“Nobody in town would eat it, right? I mean, the people of the forest’s edge are feared there as ‘giba eaters.’”

“That only applies to the people of Genos, though. Travelers and folks who have moved there from other lands just go along with it.”

“No, but...”

“Then let me ask, is it proper for the people of the forest’s edge to be feared as ‘giba eaters’? Does it make you happy? Are you proud of the title? If that were the case, then I could certainly understand not wanting townsfolk to know how delicious giba meat is. You could just go ahead and forget I said anything... But if that isn’t the case, then I can’t understand why you won’t sell it.”

I was about to object that you could only say such a thing about giba meat as of this month, but I realized it would be pointless.

As far as I knew, it was true that there was no law that said you could sell tusks and horns, but not meat.

“So are you telling me to open a butcher’s shop? Do you really think that sort of business would work out?”

“If you just try to start selling it, it wouldn’t move. First, you need to let people know how wonderful this meat really is. That’s why I suggested you opening a shop... Not a butcher’s, but a restaurant.”

“...”

“If that’s successful, then giba meat could be sold as a product on its own. If the deliciousness of your cooking becomes known throughout the post town, that would override the false information that giba meat stinks and tastes bad, wouldn’t it? And if that meant that giba meat started getting treated as a good that could be exchanged for coins, then your success would wrap back around and aid the forest’s edge, right?”

Kamyua Yoshu sure looked like he was enjoying himself. It was almost like we really were just having a pleasant chat.

“You won’t get more than a single white coin at most for a giba’s worth of horns and tusks. And it should be about the same for a pelt. That’s far too unjust a reward for a hunt you all undertake at the risk of your lives... That’s something that’s bugged me for some time now.”

“But still... The people of the forest’s edge have continued to live on in that manner for 80 years now. To suddenly tear all that down—”

“Asuta. My apologies, but it hasn’t been all that long since you’ve been accepted as a member of the forest’s edge, has it? I asked my acquaintances from around the post town, but none of them had seen a foreigner clad in the garb of the forest’s edge.”

“...So what are you trying to say?”

“I’m just bringing up the possibility that you may be less informed about life at the forest’s edge than I am,” Kamyua Yoshu said with a grin. “Ai Fa has quite a few of the horns and tusks that hunters pride themselves on hanging from her neck. Also, the Ruu clan is a large group with quite a few subordinates. And furthermore, the Suun clan has been hoarding the reward money... Now then, Asuta, have you interacted with any clans beside those?”

I hadn’t.

But still, just how did this man know that?

“The answer is simple. If you knew about the normal lives of the people of the forest’s edge, you wouldn’t go denying any interest in such prosperity so lightly.”

“Normal... lives? But you’re not even a man of the forest’s edge, so how could you know—?”

“I can’t. And so, this is nothing but guesswork. If it happens to be wrong, then by all means say as such, Ai Fa.”

Ai Fa said nothing in response.

However, I sensed a passionate emotion other than just anger in her blazing eyes.

“The majority of the people of the forest’s edge only ever eat aria and poitan, which certainly doesn’t indicate any sort of riches. Only a small portion have savings like Ai Fa, while most struggle with poverty. And not honorable poverty, but true and proper poverty at that. And so, quite a few must die young, unable to afford even aria and poitan and having to subsist solely on giba meat... Or at least, that’s what I assume. That’s the conclusion that I reached by gathering information in the post town and then combining that with what I’ve seen with my own two eyes here at the forest’s edge. Is any of that wrong, Ai Fa?”

“...Clans with power live in abundance, while those without suffer in poverty. That much is only obvious.”

“Then I can interpret that as meaning that there are those here at the forest’s edge who die early from only eating meat, and even some among them who cannot even obtain meat and die of starvation?”

“...I was raised to be strong so that wouldn’t happen to me.”

“And you were raised that way because that was a real danger, yes?”

What was going on here?

I was even starting to almost think that he knew more about the forest’s edge than Ai Fa, who hadn’t had much interaction with other clans, but he wasn’t even a man of the forest’s edge.

“There are some things that are easier to see from the outside.”

Kamyua Yoshu was still smiling, but something about his expression had shifted.

His drooping eyes narrowed a bit, and his smile relaxed. His purple eyes had the transparent light of an old sage about them... He was such a sketchy guy, but now his gaze held no less wisdom than Granny Jiba’s.

“The people of the forest’s edge are honest and full of integrity... If the giba were to start starving, they would ransack the Genos fields. Therefore, the people of the forest’s edge were forbidden from gathering the blessings of the Morga forest so that wouldn’t happen, right? A coarse, lowly fellow like me can’t comprehend the idea that there are folks out there who would starve to death while holding to such a one-sided agreement. And furthermore, you risk your lives hunting giba, but only get a mere white coin or two in exchange. I can’t imagine something like that is right or proper. The people of the forest’s edge should live wealthier lives than that.”

“But... Too much fortune corrupts people. That is precisely what happened to the Suun clan...”

“But isn’t that because it was a fortune gained through means unrelated to their own strength and will to live? At the very least, I couldn’t see anyone like Ai Fa or Donda Ruu growing corrupted in that manner. If Ai Fa’s necklace suddenly had 100 more horns and tusks on it, would she neglect her duty as a hunter?”

Ai Fa would never do that. And I didn’t think Donda Ruu would, either.

Even the people of the Ruu clan showed no signs of using up their fortune aside from buying some small amount of vegetables and accessories for their daughters, despite hunting so many giba each and every day. And there was no sign of them neglecting their duty as hunters. They just kept on hunting giba, holding their heads high with pride.

And I also remembered Shin Ruu. That boy had to support his family of five all on his own.

Of course, if he asked his comrades from the settlement for help, he could avoid starving to death. However, he went so far as to consider dangerous sacrificial hunting in trying to protect his family.

And if he hadn’t been a part of the Ruu, but had instead been born to a family with weak bonds like the Fa... He wouldn’t be able to obtain enough aria and poitan to support his family of five without hunting a giba every other day.

“Well, what do you say? Is the idea that the people of the forest’s edge should have more wealth completely unreasonable to you?”

“...Still, even so, to me the people of the forest’s edge don’t look like they’re living unfortunate lives.”

The women whose names I didn’t even know that I saw when washing dishes, and the gallant men who headed forth into the forest with just a small group... Even if I didn’t interact with them, I’d had plenty of opportunities to see such folks walking about. It may not have been to the degree of the Ruu clan for all of them, but there was a bright, strong, tranquil light shining in their eyes.

No matter how poor they may be, and no matter how much discrimination they may face in town, I simply couldn’t think of them as unfortunate.

“I’m of the same opinion on that point. I believe that the people of the forest’s edge are a truly proud people... And that’s precisely why I want them to be able to live more affluent lives,” as he said that, Kamyua Yoshu hid his mysterious gaze behind his eyelids.

When he reopened his eyes, he was completely back to his original aloof expression.

“But well, I’m just saying what came to mind here and now. It’s up to you all to decide what to do. It’s you folks living here at the forest’s edge who should determine its future. Go ahead and plunge ahead on the path that you believe is proper.”

“...Are you really going to insist that you just came up with that idea here and now?”

I glared at Kamyua Yoshu’s easygoing face, spurred on by some impetus I couldn’t identify.

“Maybe you learned that I was a chef with that banquet yesterday... And your goal from the start was to confirm my skill and set up this dinner, right?”

“You’re giving me too much credit, there. I’m nowhere near that clever... But well, I can’t deny that the idea hit me that it’d be good to sell such delicious meat alongside the horns and tusks when I saw everyone happily eating away at the banquet,” Kamyua Yoshu replied without even a hint of hesitation.

I was seriously thrown for a loop. And in all likelihood, Ai Fa probably was too.

Just who was this man?

“And it’s also a fact that after tasting your cooking, I’m confident that this taste is plenty good enough to compete in the post town. My feelings aren’t what matters at this point, though, right? What matters is what’s the proper path forward for the people of the forest’s edge, yeah?”

Kamyua Yoshu slowly stood, his long cloak fluttering.

“At any rate, it’s up to you what path you choose. And if you ever feel like hearing more details, feel free to come visit me whenever. I’m settled down at an inn called ‘The Kimyuus’s Tail’ till the 15th of next month. And I hope to visit you again next time I come to the forest’s edge while making preparations, too... If you’ll have me, that is.”

◇

Gazraan Rutim’s expression remained calm from beginning to end, and he quietly listened to our entire tale without interjecting with unnecessary comments or questions. Then, once it was over, he said, “That certainly is a surprising story. I’m sure no townsperson has ever interacted in such a way with the forest’s edge before. Yes, it truly is surprising...”

Ama Min Rutim was away at the moment, so it was just the three of us in the hall.

I bent forward without even thinking and asked, “What do you think? Just how should we react to that Kamyua Yoshu guy’s words?”

“How you react is up to you. However, if you wish to ask what I would do in that situation...”

It may have made things a lot easier for Ai Fa and I if he said it was an absurd idea that just wouldn’t work. Sadly, though, reality just wasn’t that kind.

“...It seems logical to me,” Gazraan Rutim flatly stated.

“Is that so...?”

“Yes. It’s true that there’s no law that giba meat cannot be exchanged for coins, and there would surely be a need to teach the people of the post town of its taste in order to bring that about. And as for the idea that the people of the forest’s edge should be living lives of greater abundance... I’m in complete agreement.”

There was no hesitation in Gazraan Rutim’s gaze.

If Kamyua Yoshu had that sort of look in his eyes, then maybe I would’ve leapt onboard with his proposal without even stopping to think about it.

Still, there was no point in saying such things. After all, it wasn’t just down to their personal natures, as Gazraan Rutim was a person of the forest’s edge, while Kamyua Yoshu was from the city of stone.

“Excessive wealth can corrupt people... Was that thought of mine insulting to the people of the forest’s edge?”

“No. It’s only natural to think of that first when you know of the Suun clan. But it’s the same as with the hamburgers, isn’t it?”

“H-Hamburgers?”

“Yes. If one doesn’t exercise self restraint, they could indulge so greatly in that flavor that it could lead to their teeth and jaw weakening. Too much of a medicine will act as a poison. And both hamburgers and excess wealth feel similar to me in that way.”

Gazraan Rutim gave a gentle smile.

“As an example, 80 years back when our people first moved here, a great many of them must have suffered from poverty. They lacked any proper weapons, didn’t know of the giba’s nature, and were forbidden from gathering from the forest... From what Jiba Ruu has told me, a great many died from fighting the giba, as well as from starvation.”

“...Right.”

“However, our ancestors lived here at the forest’s edge with pride, and eventually learned how to hunt the giba. Then with those horns and tusks they bought steel, pots, food, and cloth, and they established our current way of living. The Ruu and Rutim clan have gained enough fortune so that we will never run out of everyday goods like aria and poitan, and have been able to buy various other foods and accessories for our women. If there are those like Jiba Ruu who know of the suffering of the old days, and think of our present lives as blessed... Then I don’t believe I would call prosperity inherently the path to corruption.”

All I could think to reply was, “Right.”

Thanks to Gazraan Rutim’s words, my thoughts were steadily growing clearer.

But what about Ai Fa, who was just sitting there quietly next to me and listening?

“This is just a hypothetical, but...” Gazraan Rutim started in a speculative tone. “If you find success in the post town, and giba meat becomes such that it can be exchanged for coins... The only ones who will be able to do so will be the clans who have learned to bloodlet and dissect from you.”

“Yeah.”

“In that case, if the wealth accumulated through that process overtakes that of the Suun clan, won’t it be showing that hunting giba really is the proper path to prosperity?”

I was astounded, but Gazraan Rutim just smiled back at me.

“I don’t know what that Kamyua Yoshu man is thinking. I’m just talking about if he happens to be plotting to cause the Suun clan’s power to fall. If I were him, how would I think...? I just tried thinking that over, and what selling meat would mean for the Suun. However, arriving at that conclusion required knowing in advance that only the Ruu and their subordinates have learned bloodletting and dissection.”

That man really might have already figured out that much.

But more importantly than that, I was seriously surprised to see that Gazraan Rutim had thought it all through that thoroughly and arrived at that conclusion.

“You’re... You’re seriously amazing, Gazraan Rutim. I wasn’t able to think things through like that at all.”

“Not at all. All I can do is think and hunt giba.”

Gazraan Rutim looked back at me with a pure, fixed gaze.

“However, I don’t personally know that Kamyua Yoshu man. I cannot trust someone who I’ve never even met. You two are the only ones I can trust, Asuta and Ai Fa... How do you intend to react to this?”

The one to respond to that was Ai Fa, as she stared at Gazraan Rutim’s honest face with a strong, intense flame burning in her eyes.

“I cannot speak of such grand ideals as you, Gazraan Rutim. No matter what future may come, I cannot imagine the Suun clan’s intentions shifting so easily.”

“Right.”

“However... If, thanks to this decision by Asuta and myself, the forest’s edge becomes even a little better of a place to live... I believe I would be proud of that fact.”

“...Is that so?” Gazraan Rutim said with a smile.

Then, he turned towards me.

“I think the same, but there really is just way too much that we don’t know about Kamyua Yoshu. I don’t think that we should just go carelessly accepting before thoroughly confirming that there aren’t any traps waiting for us.” I agreed.

“I see. That certainly makes sense,” Gazraan Rutim said with a firm nod.

“Ai Fa, Asuta... Once you find your path forwards, if you have need of the Rutim’s strength, please come visit at any time. You may not be part of our clan, but you are trusted friends, so the doors to this home are always open to you.”

“Right, thank you. I... I really appreciate it.”

I held out my right hand nearly without thinking, and then hurriedly pulled it back.

“Sorry. Back in my country we had a custom of gripping each other’s hands to display friendship, but I’m sure that doesn’t exist here at the forest’s edge, right?”

“Gripping each other’s hands, is it?”

Despite tilting his head and looking puzzled, Gazraan Rutim held out his right hand.

I gripped that large, strong hunter’s hand with all my might, and got just as firm of a squeeze back.

“Asuta, your strength may be something far greater than I had thought. But even so, I would like to believe that your presence shall act as a medicine.”

With those final words, we left the Rutim home.

2

Next up, we headed for the post town.

We couldn’t just keep putting off dealing with this crazy talk, so we decided in the morning that in addition to purchasing a new pot, we would also visit Kamyua Yoshu.

The 20 giba’s worth of horns and tusks were placed into a bag we usually carried vegetables in, and Ai Fa was carrying it under her arm.

After Gazraan Rutim told us of the shortest route between his house and the post town, we headed off in high spirits... Well, maybe that was a bit much, but at any rate, we got going.

“...Still, no matter how much I think about it, it really is a crazy idea,” I said to Ai Fa as we walked along. “And it really surprised me to hear natural-born people of the forest’s edge like you and Gazraan Rutim thinking positively about the idea. Is that because you firmly believe that the people of the forest’s edge should live lives of greater abundance?”

“Of course that’s the case. After all, I’ve had the suffering of poverty carved into me,” Ai Fa replied in a low voice, not looking my way. “I mentioned it before, didn’t I? When my father Gil hurt his leg and wasn’t able to hunt, the Fa clan came to the brink of destruction. We didn’t have any family or subordinates, so we had no one to rely on. If the crude trap I had set hadn’t caught a young giba... We would have starved to death.”

“Yeah... I remember.”

“I also saw personally just how much it tormented my father Gil to know that he had driven his family to that point. I don’t believe it’s right for someone to have to face such suffering.”

“...Right.”

“Even if the idea was raised by someone from the city of stone, as long as we are gathering this fortune by our own strength and will, even someone with a personality like Donda Ruu’s won’t be able to complain. In fact, this is more a battle against the city of stone itself.”

It was then that Ai Fa finally glanced my way. Contrary to the serious tone of voice she had used, there was an incredibly clear, tranquil look in her eyes.

“...And as long as you’re by my side, I certainly don’t think our odds are poor.”

“Hey, you’re not going to get anything out of that flattery, you know.”

I was so proud that it felt like my heart was about to be crushed, but to cover that up, I forced a cheerful look on my face.

“Still, we’ve got to do something about that Kamyua Yoshu guy first and foremost. If he’s plotting something in secret, it could make a real mess of things. We should start by thoroughly asking about what would be involved with opening a shop in the post town, and try to feel him out as much as we can in the process.”

“...Right,” Ai Fa replied, a slightly strict expression on her face, and then she turned back ahead.

It was a truly preposterous battle, trying to teach the townsfolk the value of giba meat.

But as long as Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim saw significance in it, I had no objections.

And so, we had to get started by squaring off with the mysterious Kamyua Yoshu. Determining whether he would be medicine or poison for the people of the forest’s edge was the first step in this battle.

◇

And so, we had once more arrived in the post town.

The sun had already passed its peak. We arrived a bit later than last time, but it looked like there were even more people about than there had been the first time.

The stone highway looked to be around 10 meters wide, and there were large buildings on either side. The people wore all sorts of outfits, and had all sorts of skin and hair colors. There was a giant totos bird carrying luggage. It was stuffy and loud and hectic from all the people crammed together.

That hustle and bustle was enough to make me feel dizzy, but I just said, “Now then...” and turned to face Ai Fa. “Let’s deal with the troublesome stuff first. Plus, I’d feel awkward about charging into an inn while carrying a pot, anyway.”

Still, just which building was ‘The Kimyuus’s Tail’ where Kamyua Yoshu said he was staying?

Looking closely, the surrounding buildings all had signs prominently on display, but the swirling patterns on them just looked like hieroglyphs to me.

I asked Ai Fa, but she just said, “Of course I can’t read.”

In that case, we had no choice but to ask someone walking around the area.

And so, I looked over the people walking around town once again.

Sure enough, the majority of the folks shooting Ai Fa suspicious gazes had yellowish-brown skin.

Still, there were nearly the same amount of ivory-white skinned folks around, and they weren’t giving off much of a different impression.

And then, the relatively few white and black skinned people around really didn’t seem to be especially afraid of Ai Fa... but they didn’t exactly seem overly friendly, either. They had all sorts of different reactions, with some appearing completely indifferent while some shot curious gazes our way.

Figuring it would be safest to go with someone who looked similar to me, I called out to an ivory-white skinned youth.

“Um, excuse me. I have a question I’d like to ask you. Do you know where an inn called ‘The Kimyuus’s Tail’ is located?”

The youth with his short, dark brown hair looked startled and froze in place, and then he looked doubtfully back and forth between me and Ai Fa.

I wouldn’t quite say he looked afraid, exactly. And he at least wasn’t showing any open contempt, either. He just looked bothered, as well as a bit troubled.

“...If you’re looking for ‘The Kimyuus’s Tail,’ it’s that building with the red roof.”

“I see. Thank you.”

With that, the youth left in a hurry.

It was as if he was trying to emphasize “I’ve got nothing to do with the people of the forest’s edge!”

I scratched my head, thinking that was about what I had expected.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

The buildings were mostly constructed out of wood with logs and boards exposed directly to the air, but a good number of them also had their roofs and walls painted red or green.

Naturally, I couldn’t tell if that was mere ornamentation, for preserving the wood, or both.

At any rate, we made it safely to our destination.

It was a large building with two floors, like most of the ones surrounding it. Sure enough, the sign had swirling patterns drawn on it, with one of them looking like a bird’s feather.

Speaking of kimyuus, I think that’s what Kamyua Yoshu called that manju I ate. It was a light tasting meat like chicken tenders, so maybe it was the name of some sort of bird.

“...Ai Fa, are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I just figured this may be your first time stepping foot in a building in the post town.”

Ai Fa silently shrugged her shoulders.

It was an action that seemed to say, “What, you really think it would be more dangerous than the forest?”

From my point of view, the real threat to hunters wasn’t a giba’s tusks, but the swords and spears of other human beings. But well, we’d never get anywhere if we turned back now.

The building didn’t have a sliding door, but rather one using metal hinges. I didn’t see a doorknob or handle or anything, so I just placed my hands on the door and slowly pushed it open.

“Welco—” a voice started to say, only to freeze midway.

The old-timer was seated at a reception desk that hid his lower torso from view, and now he was looking at us in astonishment. His skin was yellowish-brown, and he was on the plump side. But even so, he didn’t seem to be all that large of a man, even if it was hard to tell for sure while he was seated.

He wore a cylindrical hat, grey clothes, and a similarly colored apron. It was a neat and trim outfit of the sort that I had seen a lot of folks wearing outside.

“...You here for a meal?”

His big, intimidating eyes seemed to be saying, “You couldn’t possibly want to stay, right?” More than fear, that gaze looked to be full of contempt.

“Ah, no, we actually came to visit a man named Kamyua Yoshu who said he was staying here.”

“Kamyua?” the old-timer asked, his eyes going wide again while his eyebrows still made him seem wary.

Then he grumbled, “That damn vagabond...” in his mouth and turned his thick neck around so he was looking back into the store.

“Kamyua! You’ve got guests! Should I let them in?!”

It seemed the inside of the shop was set up as a restaurant. And it wasn’t currently mealtime as the sun had passed its peak, so there weren’t many people hanging around. There were three rectangular tables made from logs and boards, as well as what looked to be chairs made out of logs. The place had the feel of a ski lodge or something, which didn’t make for a half bad atmosphere overall.

The one issue was that the men there didn’t exactly look particularly welcoming.

Their skin and hair colors were all varied, but they all looked strong and tough, and three of the five had on leather chest guards and gauntlets. They also all had swords, axes, clubs, and the like dangling from their hips... and they were all drunk.

I didn’t mind people drinking in the middle of the day at all as long as it wasn’t putting me in any danger, but I had a bad feeling about the gazes being directed our way.

Eyes full of curiosity, contempt, suspicion... and lust.

None of them showed any signs of being afraid of Ai Fa. But in exchange, one of them gave a look like he was staring at something filthy, while another wore a broad grin like Diga Suun’s.

Yeah, I had a really bad feeling about this.

“Hey, Kamyua, you’re there, aren’t you? What’re you doin’, sleeping?!” the old-timer yelled out even louder.

It was then that a charming voice called back, “Coming!”

With that, a youth with flaxen hair came running from the rear of the room. He was a young boy who looked to be around 10, with intelligence gleaming through his light brown eyes.

“Welcome! You’re Ai Fa and Asuta of the Fa clan, aren’t you? I’m Kamyua Yoshu’s apprentice, Leito. Please, come this way.”

Apprentice? Just what sort of apprentice?

His flaxen hair was a little on the long side, and he had an incredibly gentle expression on his face. He wore a sleeveless vest and pants with cylindrical legs. A small cloth bag and a thin dagger hung from his waist, and there were leather shoes on his feet. He had a rather neat and tidy appearance, to such a degree that if we were family, I’d want to warn him not to have anything to do with that sketchy oldtimer.

However, I was a guest, not family, so I just had to let him lead me to see Kamyua Yoshu.

“Hey, if you’re customers, then order something,” the old-timer at the desk called out.

“Ah, right. What would you like?” the youth turned and asked us.

“Hmm? Ah, this is my first time in a place like this, so I don’t really know—” I started to whisper into the youth’s ear.

“More importantly, we don’t have any coins on us at the moment.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

The youth smiled and turned back towards the old-timer.

“In that case, we’ll take two glasses of zozo tea. Please add the cost to our lodging fee. And we’ll be at the usual seats.”

“Got it,” the old-timer replied with a wave of his right hand.

With the stairs to the second floor on our right, the boy, myself, and Ai Fa headed further into the room in that order.

The men drinking together followed us with their eyes as we passed.

Fortunately, though, even as we passed by the table where they were seated, none of them tried to pull anything.

When we reached the wall on the other side there was a doorless entrance, and passing through that we came into another room of roughly the same size with more seating for customers. The tables there were smaller but there were a whole lot more of them, built pretty much identically to the ones I had already seen.

And at the table farthest in the back, I spied a familiar blond head, belonging to Kamyua Yoshu.

However, Kamyua Yoshu looked to be deep asleep at the moment.

He was reclined in a log chair, leaning up against the wall behind him, and his long skinny legs were thrown rudely atop the table as he slept soundly.

There didn’t look to be any other customers around.

“Kamyua, you have visitors! The ones you’ve been waiting for, from the forest’s edge! Come on, please get up!”

The youth sat down in the neighboring chair and then started clapping his hands together right in front of his master’s face.

Kamyua Yoshu gave a dissatisfied, “Ugh...”

Sorry to say it, but he didn’t even have a single nanogram of cuteness about him.

“Hmm, what is it? I still haven’t gotten enough sleep... Huh? Ai Fa? Asuta? Wow, you sure came quick!”

His droopy eyes shot open, and an overjoyed smile crossed his long, slender face.

“Sorry for the shameful display. Now then, have a seat! And Leito, get us some tea!”

“I already ordered it. Now please, put your feet down already.”

“Ah, sorry about that.”

His leather boots soon disappeared from view, and the boy quickly wiped down the table.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Thanks,” I replied and took a seat, but Ai Fa looked just a bit hesitant.

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen any chairs at the forest’s edge.

In spite of that, Ai Fa gallantly swiped back the hem of her cloak and successfully took a seat, looking rather cool as she did so.

“Man, I never would have dreamed you would come right on the heels of yesterday. I’m really glad, Ai Fa, Asuta,” he said, letting a big yawn slip immediately afterwards. “Ah, sorry about that. I was working all the way till morning today, so I’m a little short on sleep.”

“Oh, so you had some sort of job after that?”

“Hmm? No, I just stayed up all night exploring the forest’s edge.”

“...Didn’t the giiz bite your legs?”

“Giiz are downright cute, compared to the giba and you hunters.”

By the way, giiz were large rats that were about the size of weasels. They were nocturnal, and actually looked pretty cute, but they scavenged carrion just like the mundt, so it was said that if they bit you your flesh would rot and fall off.

“So, should I take the fact that you came all the way out here to mean that you’re feeling positively about my proposal?”

“It’s more like we came to get what we need so we can feel positively about it. Well, we also came to town for some shopping, too.”

An eye for an eye, and frivolous chatter for frivolous chatter.

After all, I couldn’t just keep taking things at this guy’s pace.

“Here’s your zozo tea,” the old-timer from the desk said, suddenly jumping in.

With that, he left clay cups filled with yellow tea in front of me and Ai Fa.

There was a bit of a zigzagging wave design of gray drawn on the cups. And they were cylindrical with handles, making them sort of like mugs.

“Ooh, the owner’s waiting on us personally. Thanks.”

“The girl was scared and wouldn’t show herself, so I had to take care of it.”

The old-timer glared at both me and Ai Fa.

He really wasn’t that tall after all, but he seemed to have fattened up in a good way and looked pretty strong.

“As long as they order something, a customer’s a customer. But if this causes any trouble, I’m throwing you out too, Kamyua.”

“Have I ever caused any trouble up till now? Your concerns are misplaced.”

“...I don’t especially care, but this is at least technically a restaurant. If you’re going to sleep, then do it in your room. And if you’re going to sit here, then order something.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Well then, a cup of zozo tea for me and Leito, too. And add on some salted kimyuus meat, too. Enough for one is fine, though.”

“Four people, but just enough for one, huh...?” the old-timer grumbled as he left.

Was that rather improper handling of his customers due to his animosity towards the people of the forest’s edge, or something born of Kamyua Yoshu’s aggressively relaxed nature...? Well, it was honestly probably both.

As those thoughts ran through my head, Ai Fa brought her nose close to the tea and sniffed at it like some sort of animal.

“...What is this?”

“It’s called zozo tea, so it must be made from that fruit that’s like a bundle of dried up snakes, right?”

I remembered smelling this scent like Chinese herbal medicine before, too. Maybe it was never an ingredient meant to be thrown into a stew in the first place...

“Do the people of the forest’s edge not have a custom of drinking tea? Well, go ahead and think of it as the first step in a cultural exchange between us and give it a try.”

“...Kamyua Yoshu, there’s no logic behind you offering us your charity.”

“Oh come on, you treated me to that wonderful dinner last night, didn’t you? This is my thanks for that.”

“But that was as payment for the fruit wine you brought. There should be no debt owed between us.”

“...Asuta, what should I do?” Kamyua Yoshu asked, turning my way.

“Hmm,” I uttered as I thought on the matter. “Ai Fa, in that case, it should be fine if we just pay again, right? We just don’t have coins, but if we offer something else...”

Ai Fa tilted her head a bit, then brought out a bundle about the size of her palm that was wrapped in a pseudo rubber tree leaf from inside her cloak.

“It’s dried giba meat. If this is acceptable...”

“Dried giba meat! That’s super interesting! Leito, it’s dried giba meat!”

“Oh wow. Will you let me eat some later, too?”

Ai Fa glared at the pair during that exchange.

With this, we had discovered a second person from town who didn’t avoid giba meat. Of course, he was an acquaintance of Kamyua Yoshu’s so I shouldn’t read too much into it, but I still felt the need to make note of that fact.

By the way, when I sipped the zozo tea, I found that despite the strong aroma it actually went down smoothly, and wasn’t especially bitter.

Sitting in a chair, drinking tea... It actually made me feel a bit nostalgic.

“Now then... Shall we cut to the chase?” Kamyua Yoshu said while placing his elbows on the table, a grin crossing his long, slender face.

3

“Opening a shop in the post town really isn’t all that tricky to do. It’s a bit of a pain to go through the preparations for constructing a new building, but if you’re just selling stuff in that market area with all the stalls, then anyone can do it, as long as you pay a small fee for the spot.”

“A small fee?”

“Right. It’s just one white coin for ten days. That’s a fair price, wouldn’t you say? Well... Even so, I suppose that’s roughly a giba’s worth of horns and tusks...”

“One giba, a single white coin... Hold on a minute. Um, just how many red coins is a white one worth?”

The one who looked most surprised at my question was young Leito, who was quietly seated next to Kamyua Yoshu.

Well, that was no surprise. I mean, it was like asking, “How many 10 yen pieces are in a 100 yen piece?”

“One white is worth ten reds. In other words, selling ten of those kimyuus meat buns Tara was eating back then would be enough for them to make up for their fee. The post town prospers more and more as those stalls continue to open up, so they really are considerate when it comes to the fee.”

“Hold on a second, umm, umm... One giba is worth 10 meals of aria and poitan, so... Huh? I see. That means we’ve been using roughly one red coin per meal for each person, then.”

“What you served yesterday would be quite a bit for a snack from a stall. Even half that would be more than most, so two red coins sounds about right for the price. If you sell it for too little, then it’ll earn you animosity from other shops.”

“In that case, considering the menu and ingredients I used yesterday, we could get away with roughly half a red coin in terms of expenses? Then by basic calculations, we’d be earning one and a half red coins per meal sold... So I’d have covered our expenses just by selling seven meals in ten days, right?”

“Yeah. You’ll need a stall too, though, so you’ll need an additional white coin for that.”

In that case, I could earn back my expenses by selling 14 meals in ten days. That sounded like easygoing business... At least if the passersby would be brave enough to eat giba meat, that is.

“Normally, meat costs more than vegetables. Plus, everyone else is using more expensive vegetables than aria and poitan. If you were to ask me how much that lady selling the manju was making, I’d figure she probably needs to sell somewhere between 10 and 20 a day. That’s not exactly hard to manage in such a prospering town, though.”

Kamyua Yoshu gave a joyful smile.

“What do you think? Do you get why I recommended having you open up a shop? It’s hard to imagine you failing so easily with that giba meat and your skill, right?”

“So if the shop is successful, it’s possible the townsfolk will acknowledge giba meat’s value and it will soften some of the prejudice towards the people of the forest’s edge? I see, that definitely sounds like a good business plan.”

Mimicking Kamyua Yoshu, I placed my elbows on the table and leaned forwards.

“So... Just what do you stand to gain from all this, Kamyua Yoshu?”

“Hmm? Will you really not be satisfied if I’m not gaining something? Alright, then in that case... How about throwing ten percent of the profits left after the location fee and the cost of the ingredients?”

“It’s not a matter of money. We want to know what your objective is.”

“Like I said, I just feel a one-sided camaraderie towards you all! The people of the forest’s edge are treated like a symbol of terror, and are paid far too little for their work as hunters. If those two points could be ultimately resolved, I’d feel truly satisfied, from the depths of my heart.”

Then, his unusually colored eyes turned Ai Fa’s way.

“Perhaps what I’ve said since last night has made it sound like I pity the people of the forest’s edge, but that wasn’t my intention, Ai Fa. I’m really just fond of you all. As I’m not one of your comrades, all I can hope to do is offer you this ingenious idea that came to me. Can’t you at least accept those feelings?”

“...I never felt like you were pitying us. Rather, if I had to say, it felt more like you were mocking us.”

“That’s good! Wait... Huh?”

“It’s the norm for folks not to trust you, isn’t it? I don’t think you need to worry about it, Kamyua,” the young boy said with a smile, despite his harsh words.

And yet the man who he had said that about just said, “Yeah, that’s true,” with a laugh, so nobody bothered interjecting.

“Hmm... I see...”

“Is something still bothering you? Just like I’ve said multiple times now, the only ones who feel unconditional fear towards the people of the forest’s edge and giba are the citizens of Genos. And on top of that, the threat posed by the giba isn’t like some unheard of disaster, but more that of a common pest nowadays, so that fear has no founding to it. Plus, lately it’s the people of the forest’s edge who are feared more than the giba.”

Kamyua Yoshu’s eyes moved from Ai Fa back towards me.

“Having said all that, even if someone from the forest’s edge opens a stall, there may not be too many folks willing to approach it. But, no matter what perspective someone might look at you from, your appearance is that of a person from the city. And so, if you’re the one selling giba dishes, people will naturally be curious, even if they are hesitant. Plus, I have no doubt that people from the south and east won’t be all that reluctant to try it. I’m already confident about the taste, so if that’s how things play out, I believe that eventually word of mouth will make it around to the folks from Genos.”

“Right...”

“To be perfectly honest, even I don’t believe this will be enough to wipe away the prejudice faced by the people of the forest’s edge,” Kamyua Yoshu said, his gaze narrowing as he smiled.

When he smiled like that, his clear, penetrating gaze reminded me a bit of Granny Jiba’s.

“People fear the people of the forest’s edge, who have eyes like beasts, strength normal men could only dream of, and are proudly independent and isolationist. And that was a fear cultivated over 80 years. Plus, in many ways it’s true rather than being some sort of misunderstanding. But I’m not especially concerned. It’s not like I particularly wanted to see the townsfolk and the people of the forest’s edge smiling and joining hands.”

“What does that mean...?”

“I’m fine with the hunters of the forest’s edge being proudly independent. And the peace about town doesn’t suit them in the first place. Plus, I’ve got no interest in seeing them fall prey to corruption... However, it irritates me seeing folks look down on them as something lesser. If the hunters of the forest’s edge are going to be feared I don’t want it to be out of the terror of something evil, but rather the awe of something holy.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“And so, I want to start by crushing the misconception about you all being ‘lowly giba eaters.’ I wish to remind them just who it is that’s responsible for protecting the Genos fields from giba, and in turn supporting the prosperity of the domain.”

“...If you always had that sort of look on your face when talking to people, I’d probably have been ready to trust you without a second thought.” Then, I continued on hesitantly, “Deep down, I don’t believe that you’re lying. It’s just, I can’t really see why you have such deep feelings about the people of the forest’s edge... Um, is it that serious of a matter for the people of this continent, for someone to change the god that they worship?”

Once again, Leito looked shocked by my words. However, there were no changes to be seen in Kamyua Yoshu’s piercing gaze.

“I believe it is. But well, that’s something that only people who’ve experienced it could understand.”

“Is that so? But... It’s already been 80 years since the people of the forest’s edge left the southern forest behind them and moved to the Morga forest. The current people of the forest’s edge wouldn’t understand how you felt, right?”

“That’s true, naturally. That’s why my feelings towards the people of the forest’s edge will always be one-sided... I mean, it’s been 80 years. There can’t be any of your people who have lived longer than that, right?”

Granny Jiba was probably the only one in all of the forest’s edge. I wasn’t about to bring up her name when I still didn’t know if I could trust this guy, though. And so, I just ambiguously replied, “Who knows?”

“...You said you weren’t born on this continent, so naturally you must not worship any of the four gods, right, Asuta?”

“Huh? Yeah, I guess that’s true. I suppose I’m technically a member of the forest’s edge though, so officially that puts me under the western god.”

“Right. I suppose that’s another reason you’re a good fit for the forest’s edge. The people of the forest’s edge switched from worshiping the Southern God Jagar to the Western God Selva, but in actuality, they never really worshiped a god in the first place... No, what they worship isn’t a god, but the forest. The forest is the absolute presence in their lives, after all. Perhaps it was that honest, brave way of living that charmed me.”

And then, the strange light from Kamyua Yoshu’s eyes was hidden behind his eyelids.

A silence that was difficult to describe filled the air... until a third party came and shattered it.

“Here, your zozo tea and salted kimyuus meat.”

A rather large wooden plate was plopped down atop the table.

The old-timer from the desk had brought our order out.

As the man turned to leave in a huff, Kamyua Yoshu saw him off with his usual casual smile back in full force.

“Asuta, give it a try if you’d like. If you made a living as a chef, then you must have some interest in what sort of cooking you can get here in the post town, right?”

“...I had a kimyuus manju from that stall, too.”

“That so? I figure this is a different taste than a manju, though.”

My gaze drifted from Kamyua Yoshu to the table.

The dish atop the large plate looked like it was made with cooked meat and veggies.

It looked to have hardly any moisture to it, and the whitish meat and various vegetables were coated in a clear, thick sauce.

From what I could pick out just by looking, it seemed like chunks of aria and pula, as well as bits of boiled down chatchi.

As for the smell, there was a refreshing aroma about it that reminded me a lot of lilo.

And lastly, in the corner of the dish were several of what looked like gyoza wraps made from white dough piled up. I guess the idea was to wrap everything up in that and then eat it.

It didn’t look or smell half bad.

“So, go ahead. If you’re not hungry, just a bite is fine. I can’t say that just a little zozo tea is enough to pay you back for that wonderful dried meat, so please give it a try.”

Well, I did want to taste it, if only out of pure curiosity.

After Ai Fa gave me permission with her eyes, I scooped up a bit of that doughy substance with a wooden spoon.

Then I calculated out the difference in the cooked ingredients and the dough and scooped up two spoonfuls worth of the meat and veggies to place on top, figuring that looked about right.

I wrapped it up like a little crepe, then took a bite...

Well, it certainly was salty.

Almost all of the taste came from the aromatic herb.

The aria had grown mushy, the sweet chatchi had just been passed over the flames, and the pula was bitter... And then there was the light kimyuus meat, which reminded me of chicken tenders.

It wasn’t an especially bad pairing.

How should I put it...? It was an incredibly simple taste.

They must have heated up meat that had been salted for preservation together with vegetables, right? The only real issue I could figure was that the chatchi would have come out with a better texture if they had heated it a little more thoroughly.

It was just... The thought of wanting to eat this badly enough to pay for it made me cock my head in bewilderment.

“Just so you know, that’s the most popular dish here at this inn. It’s salty, so it pairs well with booze. And the price was three red coins, if I recall correctly. During the day folks generally seek their snacks out and about, but once night rolls around this place gets pretty lively. And everyone looks pretty darn satisfied while eating that.”

Kamyua Yoshu grinned like a Cheshire cat.

“For the most part, all cooking here in the post town is like an extension of that sort of home cooking. In fact, the ones to make that were the wife and daughter of the inn’s owner, so the job of ‘chef’ only exists within the stone walls here in Genos.”

“...I see.”

“What do you think? Do you think you can make something that can compete with the taste of this cooked salted meat and those manju?”

“Are you trying to stir me up? I’d at least like to think I’m not stupid enough to fall for that sort of provocation.”

Is this the right time? I thought to myself as I finished off my serving of salted kimyuus meat and the rest of the zozo tea.

Then, I whispered in Ai Fa’s ear, “Is there anything you still want to ask?” but naturally, she just silently shook her head.

“At any rate, I’ll consult with my clan head on the matter. Then, we’ll discuss with some of our friends at the forest’s edge, and if there don’t seem to be any problems... Then I’ll start thinking positively about all this.”

“How cautious! I’m sure that’s one of your charms, right?”

My shoulders shrugged as I thought to myself, You’re the one making me so cautious in the first place.

“Kamyua... If the time comes when I’m prepared enough to open up a shop in the post town, it’s alright if I come consult with you again, right?”

“Yeah. Or you can skip over me and just start negotiating directly if you want. The old guy who runs this inn, Milano Mas, is also one of the folks in charge of that stall area, after all. At any rate, you should just go ahead and come here to The Kimyuus’s Tail.”

“Thank you. I still don’t know just how things will play out, but talking to you has given me a whole lot to think about. Even if I don’t end up opening a shop, I’m still glad we had the chance to speak.”

“I’m grateful to hear it... Are you heading back already? Well then, I leave the rest up to you, Leito. I’ll finish off this salted meat, then take another nap.”

“Right. Well then, shall we get going, Asuta and Ai Fa?”

I stared blankly back at the smiling youth.

“Going where? We were just planning on finishing up our shopping and then heading home.”

“It won’t take long. It’s just, apparently a girl named Tara and her father wished to thank the two of you. Her father runs a stall, so please allow me to lead you there.”

Tara was the name of the girl we met the first time I came to this post town. She got caught up in the commotion of Doddo Suun drunkenly running wild, and Ai Fa and I more or less saved her.

But that was already ten days past. It was just plain embarrassing, the idea of her dad thanking us now.

“Go ahead and meet them. Tara’s a good girl. And I’m sure she’ll be a real beauty down the line, so there’s no harm in forming a bond with her now.”

Naturally, that ridiculous statement hadn’t come from the youth, but from his master.

I’m not exactly Hikaru Genji, you know, I thought to myself with a strained smile, then glanced over at Ai Fa, and... For some baffling reason, her eyes were shooting a truly chilling glare back at me.

Seriously, just what sort of guy do you think I am?

“Well then, excuse us.”

“Yeah, I look forward to the day we meet again.”

We left the rear room, seeing along the way that the number of other customers really hadn’t grown, then headed for the exit.

The men from before were still drinking away in the restaurant. And one of them in particular looked at us with noticeably drunker eyes than before.

“Hey, you black-haired kid! Just how’d you make that giba eater woman yours? You mind teaching us the trick to it?”

Oh man, looks like they weren’t going to let us just pass on by this time around.

This wasn’t heading in a good direction. Insulting me is one thing, but involving Ai Fa... It was getting pretty hard to keep my cool.

“She must’ve realized she could save up coins quicker by hunting down a man rather than giba, right?! Hey, giba eater, how about I buy you for the night for two red coins?”

I turned back to face the men. But the two things that happened next made sure that my yell never escaped my throat.

Ai Fa, who was walking behind me, grabbed my arm, and young Leito in front of me calmly stated, “Please stop. These people are my master’s guests. I’ll take any insult towards them as an insult towards my master. Are you alright with that?”

His boyish soprano of a voice clearly still hadn’t undergone puberty, but it was completely devoid of all emotion.

I couldn’t see the expression on his face as he was looking at the men, but in exchange, I could clearly see the look in their eyes.

The two men who had said such vulgar things were completely frozen in place, their bottles of booze held up in the air.

As for their faces... Their expressions had frozen too with their eyes wide open, like they had encountered some sort of wild beast in the forest.

“Hey, what is it?” the other men asked, jostling their friends’ shoulders.

Young Leito cast them a sideways glance, then shot me a smile.

“My apologies. Well then, shall we get going?”

He really was his master’s apprentice, huh?

As I gave a sigh and started walking again, Ai Fa said, “Hey,” and jabbed me in the back.

“I told you this before, but don’t go losing your temper when you lack the power to so much as protect yourself. You really are overly hasty at times.”

“...You’re hasty too, when hamburgers are involved.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

With that, she jabbed me several more times in the back, and we finally left The Kimyuus’s Tail.

4

When we got back outside, the sun was still high in the sky, and the streets were still packed with people.

“You said you were planning on shopping, but what are you going to buy?”

“Right, I wanted to get a metal pot. And they should be selling some in those stalls, too.”

“A pot, is it? A big one?”

“Well, a decently sized one. About this big.”

I drew out a half sphere in the air, with a diameter of 60 centimeters and a depth of 30.

“That certainly seems like it would be heavy. In that case, is it alright if I lead you to Tara’s stall first? It’s at the far end of the area, after all.”

“Ah, right, um... Do you mind, Ai Fa?”

“Do as you please,” Ai Fa responded, her face remaining expressionless. However, I got the feeling that she was starting to look just a bit tired.

I was a bit concerned, so I whispered, “What’s wrong?”

“Despite all this, my impression hasn’t changed. I don’t believe that man is trying to trick us, but how should I put it...? He feels like a complete and utter unknown.”

“I see,” I responded, satisfied with that answer.

I didn’t feel like Kamyua Yoshu was trying to trick us, either. He really did have strong feelings about the people of the forest’s edge.

Rather, it was more like it was making me feel ill at ease because he felt too strongly.

That old-timer’s not the only problem, either...

I puzzled over the matter in my head as young Leito led us along the stone highway.

Will opening a shop with giba cooking here in town really work out?

I just kept on walking forwards, my gaze focused on Ai Fa. It was true that not everyone showed openly negative feelings towards them, but it was a fact that the people of the forest’s edge were seen as heathens here in town.

Kamyua Yoshu carefreely stated that we should just start by targeting the travelers and folks who weren’t from the Genos domain, and then we’d be fine. But would it really be that simple?

If it was just a business failure, then all we would lose would be coins. But it would be a serious issue if our rash actions led to the gulf widening between the post town and the forest’s edge.

And even if Kamyua Yoshu wasn’t personally trying to trick us, it was still important to keep the possibility that he misjudged the situation in mind.

I’d really like a chance to ask the opinion of a neutral party from here in the post town, if at all possible...

As I troubled myself over that matter, we finally arrived in the area with all the stalls.

I spied a familiar woman making up manju for children waiting at her stall.

It seemed that this time just past when the sun hit its peak really was the time for a snack. I consciously looked around to observe, and found that all of the shops selling snacks in the area were positively packed with people.

I spied a young fellow biting into a white doughy substance wrapped around light-brown meat and green vegetables as he walked. Off to the side of the road were men drinking and eating what looked like a bird leg. And hearing some commotion, I glanced towards the source and found an outdoor eatery set up under a rather wide roof, where people happily chatted away while eating soup from wooden bowls.

“...What are you darting all about for?”

“Hmm, y’know... Investigating the market.”

I still didn’t know how all this would play out.

But if we wanted to make sure it ended up at the best possible result, then I figured it was smartest to gather as much information as possible.

And besides, I was probably the only person from the forest’s edge who could do such a thing, anyway.

I’m sure Kamyua never would’ve come up with a crazy idea like opening up a shop in the post town if there wasn’t someone like me at the forest’s edge.

For example, I’m sure the women of the Ruu clan could create a dish on the level of that salted meat dish from before with just a bit of practice.

However, it was hard to imagine a person of the forest’s edge starting up a business. Trading horns and tusks for coins, then using those to buy food... Sure, that was at least technically a proper form of business, but I doubt anyone from the forest’s edge saw it that way.

And besides, handing the fruits of their harvests over to a specialist in such matters was inherently different than dealing with some unspecified number of customers.

Naturally, if I can be of help in that way, then I’m ready to do so as much as possible.

If Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim believed it to be the proper path, then I’d plunge forwards without hesitation.

So that they wouldn’t make a mistake in their decision, I decided to take in the sights and sounds that would be difficult for them to notice, and accurately convey that information to them.

“Ah, that’s the shop. Thank goodness. It looks like Tara is there too.”

I looked up with a “Hmm?” when Leito said that, and noticed we were at the edge of the booths.

Beyond that, the highway continued on through the vegetation, while on the left hand side, the stone walls surrounding the castle town could be seen in the distance.

As I thought to myself that we also came out about this far last time, a young girl’s voice called out from our left, “Ah! Asuta! You really brought him, Leito!”

It was Tara.

Today she was in an orange tube dress, and was waving at me from underneath the roof of a certain shop.

Yes, a certain shop.

It had a large cloth laid out atop the ground with the vegetables lined up on top of it, with the only structure to it being an unreliable-looking roof, making for an incredibly plain shop... And it was also the place where Ai Fa and I purchased aria and poitan before.

Next to the young girl was a large man with a bit of a belly on him, wearing a nervous smile.

I shared a look with Ai Fa, then moved forward alongside young Leito.

“It’s been a while, Asuta! Thanks so much for back then!”

“Ah, I didn’t do anything worthy of your thanks. Plus, you helped us out after that, too.”

“No! If you weren’t there, I would’ve been squished alongside my manju! So thank you!”

Tara’s dark brown hair reached down to her shoulders, and her similarly colored eyes sparkled brightly. She was an energetic girl who looked to be around eight years old.

Her father next to her certainly did have a similarly colored moustache and hair, and they both also had yellowish-brown skin.

It seemed like a pretty common color combination around the post town, so the resemblance hadn’t really stood out to me.

And actually, the people of the Ruu clan all had really varied hair and eye color, so I had been questioning how much was tied to genetics in this world, and so I hadn’t really taken notice at all.

At any rate, this was our second meeting.

The old-timer stood up, removed the white cloth wrapped around his hair, then bowed his bushy head (with a bit of white hair mixed in) to me and Ai Fa.

“U-U-Um, apparently, you saved Tara the other day... T-Thank you so much. I-I-I very much wanted to offer my gratitude, but, um, I had you come all the way out here...”

His plump face was positively dripping in cold sweat.

And yet, even though he was so afraid of the people of the forest’s edge, he still wanted to offer his thanks.

“No, it’s all fine. It looked like we were going to be dragged away by the guards, but then Tara testified on our behalf, and we were set free. We owe your daughter a lot too.”

“N-N-No, not at all...”

He was larger than the old-timer from the inn, and his face made him look pretty largehearted. Considering he had said he grew the aria himself, he must have spent half his time selling and half his time farming.

He was a trueborn Genos citizen, so maybe it was only natural that he held such fear of the people of the forest’s edge... But still, it was hard to bear seeing him looking like that in front of his daughter.

As for Tara, she had been staring in puzzlement for a while now.

“About your daughter being exposed to danger...” Ai Fa suddenly said.

“Gyah!” the old-timer squealed, grabbing hold of Tara’s shoulders and shrinking back.

Tara also seemed a little uneasy as she looked at Ai Fa.

“...The cause was me failing to exercise discretion when beating down a drunkard. I knew she was down below his feet, but I thought I needed to get the scoundrel about to draw his blade under control as soon as possible, so I hit him. If Asuta hadn’t hurried to aid her, she may have ended up pinned under the man and getting injured.”

Then, Ai Fa silently bowed her head.

“I was lacking in attentiveness. And for that, I would like to apologize.”

“N-N-No, that’s...”

“Sir, you don’t need to be so on edge. These folks aren’t as wild as you may be thinking. Just a short while ago they were being vulgarly heckled by drunks, but I’m the one who lost my cool first,” Leito interjected with a smile.

He lost his cool? It didn’t look that way to me...

“Also, Asuta here may be opening a stall near here. If that happens you’ll be neighbors, so I think it’s best to clear up any such concerns now.”

“Huh?! Asuta, you’re opening a shop?!”

Tara was actually the one to overreact, rather than her father.

“No, nothing’s decided just yet, but... If I do, it’ll be around here?”

“Yes. Things are already full along that stretch, after all. You would be a newcomer, so that would mean you’d start out here at this northern tip.”

“Hmm... So are you a newcomer too, old-timer?”

“Huh? N-No, I’ve already been here for 20 years. As you move closer to the bustling center, you have to hand over a greater gratuity to the folks managing things, so I just stayed out of all that.”

The old-timer was clearly flustered, but I could also tell that he was earnestly trying to steel his nerves.

He really didn’t seem like such a bad guy, at his core.

“I still don’t know if I really will be opening a shop, but if it does end up happening, I hope we become good neighbors. And I’ll be sure to stock up on ingredients from here if the time comes, too.”

“W-What sort of shop would you be opening?”

Ah, right. This may be a valuable chance to hear the opinion of a Genos resident completely unrelated to Kamyua Yoshu.

Well, in actuality Kamyua Yoshu may have deliberately set the stage for this chance too, but that would be thinking too badly of him, right?

At any rate, it was time to investigate.

“Actually, I was thinking of selling dishes made with giba meat... What do you think?”

The old-timer’s eyes went wide in shock.

“I-I don’t think... something like that would sell, right?”

Hmm...

He looked rather surprised, or should I say astounded, but I couldn’t say I felt any nasty feelings coming from him. But at least for now, it didn’t seem as if I was saying something like, “I want to open a shop serving tarantula cuisine in the middle of the shopping district.”

“I won’t be creeping out the people around me? Like, you don’t think, ‘Don’t try selling that crap near me!’ then?”

“T-That’s not really for us to decide... It’s just...”

“‘Just’?”

“I-It’d be a problem if it stunk.”

“It shouldn’t give off much of a smell. The stink of giba meat is something you would only notice when eating it, and besides, it wouldn’t be there even in that case when it’s prepared properly.”

“Giba are those bad animals that mess up fields, right? Are they yummy?” Tara asked, overflowing with curiosity.

Them being “bad” was just based on the way they inconvenienced us, and they weren’t at fault... But there’d be no point in trying to give such a lecture here and now.

“Who knows? I think it’s super delicious, but that’s just my personal preference. It’s certainly really quirky, so there may just be some folks out there who hate it.”

“Hmm... That’s amazing. I want to try it.”

“D-Don’t be ridiculous...” her father started saying, and then he looked away from us again.

“Sorry. We’re this far into the conversation, but I still haven’t given an introduction. I’m Asuta, and I’m being looked after by the Fa house at the forest’s edge. Ai Fa here is the clan head. If you don’t mind, could you tell us your name, too?”

“...M-My name’s Dora.”

Tara and Dora, huh? It was hard to say if that was easy to remember or not, but the name sure seemed to fit his rounded and almost cute appearance.

“Dora, is it? We’re still uncertain about whether or not we’ll open the shop. If we sold nothing at all and took a big loss that’d be a problem, and more importantly, it would feel inexcusable if we were to cause trouble for everyone here in the post town. So if it’s alright with you, could we hear your earnest opinion? Like if it’d be a problem for us to open a shop like that, or nobody would ever eat it. We’d like to have opinions to reference when making our decision.”

“I-It wouldn’t be a problem. As long as there are no strange smells, it’ll be fine. T-The only other thing... is fights could occur...” he said, mumbling and trailing off at the end there.

Still, he went and gave a proper answer.

He must have a pretty open and frank personality by nature. I sensed that back when I said the aria was rotten and he got angry, too.

“Fights, huh? If I open a shop, will there be folks from around town who will find fault with that?”

“F-Finding fault... with a person of the forest’s edge...”

He was seriously mumbling.

“What do you think? To be honest, there were folks coming after us in an inn just a bit ago, so that matter has me a bit concerned, to be honest.”

“R-Really? I can’t even imagine it.”

The old-timer sure seemed awful frightened of the people of the forest’s edge.

Meanwhile, I sensed nothing but contempt from those guys before.

I guess people really did vary, even when raised in the same environment, huh?

And Tara even said she’d like to try it.

For a while she’d been glancing over Ai Fa’s way, as if she was trying to figure out just what sort of person this scary looking lady was.

“Well then, what about the cooking itself? Do you think that you’d die before you ever want to eat giba meat?”

“I-I at least don’t want to eat it badly enough to pay for it. After all, folks say it’s tough and stinks. I don’t feel any need to go out of my way to confirm that.”

“If it was free, would you try it?”

“I-If I had to say...”

“You don’t think it’s disgusting or filthy?”

“G-Giba don’t scavenge up rotten meat like mundt and giiz, right? We hate giba because they target our fields, but that’s all there is to it.”

Then, he seemed to work up his nerves and looked towards Ai Fa.

“T-That’s why... I feel gratitude and respect to you all, risking your lives to take them down. B-But you... Y-You all... You eat those ferocious giba, and you’ve gained a terrifying strength. There are a lot of old folks who think that way, and...”

An emotion other than just fear flickered in his eyes. Could it... Could it be anger?

“...And in truth, the people of the forest’s edge really have done terrible things.”

Ai Fa just silently stared back at him.

The blood had drained from the old-timer’s yellowish-brown skin, and he started to tremble from fear.

“T-They’ve stolen crops, attacked travelers, and kidnapped girls from around town... I know not everyone from the forest’s edge is like that, but it’s a fact that folks like that do exist. In fact, that man you beat down by the roadside was like that, too, wasn’t he? And as long as folks like that exist...”

We won’t be able to see eye to eye.

That may have been how he intended to finish that sentence, but he didn’t voice it.

Ai Fa slowly, calmly shook her head side to side.

“I personally have nothing to be ashamed of... That’s all I wanted to say.”

So, she wasn’t going to deny it, huh?

Stealing crops, attacking travelers, and kidnapping girls from around town... They went that far, did they?

I was past just being angry, to such a degree that I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

How could there be such a huge difference between fellow people of the forest’s edge?

Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim were cut from the same cloth, but they... How had they, the clan that was supposed to lead their people, fallen so far?

I truly, honestly, from the depths of my heart, just couldn’t understand it.

“There really are all sorts of people out there, both when it comes to townsfolk and people of the forest’s edge, right?”

I turned around in shock towards the source of that voice, only to find young Leito smiling back at me even now.

It drove in the fact once again that this boy really was Kamyua Yoshu’s apprentice.

“Now then, it’s about time that I headed back to Kamyua, but what will you two do?”

“Ah, we’ll be leaving too. We don’t want to interfere with your business any further... Thank you, Dora.”

“Not at all...”

“Well then, farewell. Asuta and Ai Fa, I’m greatly looking forward to your giba cooking, too, so please give it your all!” Leito left us with a nod.

Ultimately, my thoughts were still left a big disordered mess.

5

Roughly an hour later, we were standing once again in front of the Rutim house. And naturally, we were carrying a stupidly huge pot with us.

“Ooh, Ai Fa and Asuta, what are you doing here with that pot?! Did you come here to cook at my place?!”

“Dan Rutim! You’re already back from the forest?”

It hadn’t even been three hours since the sun had hit its peak. And yet, the head of the Rutim clan had already removed his cloak and blades by the time he had greeted us.

“There’ve been a great many giba around lately. We had already gotten our horns and tusks for the day, and then one of the young folks from a branch family got injured just a bit, so we turned back early! So, what’ve you got for me today?”

“Ah, no, we just came to talk to Gazraan Rutim...”

“Oh, is that so?” the clan head responded, his large shoulders slumping in disappointment.

His head was bald with a dark brown beard, and his potbelly jutted out. Dan Rutim closely resembled an arabian genie or Budai or something, and he was looking plenty lively again today.

“If you’re here, Dan Rutim, then maybe it’d be good to have you hear us out, too. The truth is, there’s something we’d like to discuss.”

“Well, I guess I’m up for talking with you...” he said, breaking out in a childish pout.

I wish he wouldn’t steal my clan head’s specialty like that...

“Ah, Asuta and Ai Fa. So it really is you! How did your discussion with Kamyua Yoshu go?” Dan Rutim’s son (who looked nothing like the man) asked, appearing from behind his father.

I hurriedly gave him a bow.

“Sorry for disturbing you so many times in one day. Um, is Ama Min Rutim...?”

“She went to the Ruu settlement along with the other women. She said she wanted to learn to cook a delicious meal as soon as possible, but as a result, I got left behind.”

“Ah, sorry about that too...”

“Like I said, you don’t need to worry about troubling me. Please, come inside. There’s no problem with that, right, clan head?”

“Yeah...”

The Rutim clan head sure sounded like a little kid when he said that.

At any rate, Ai Fa and I handed over our blades along with our metal pot, and were once again welcomed into the Rutim house as guests.

“...And well, that’s about how things went.”

The explanation took a good while this time around.

With his arms crossed, Gazraan Rutim replied, “Hmm... In other words, your impression of Kamyua Yoshu hasn’t really changed, then? However, you sensed a strong attachment to, or perhaps even a fixation on, the forest’s edge... Yet you didn’t believe he was trying to trick you.”

“Right. On top of that, I also did a thorough investigation of the post town. I believe there really shouldn’t be any big issues that arise from opening a shop there, and it really is possible it could be successful... I won’t know if it really will lead to giba meat gaining value or not till I give it a try, though.”

After we said goodbye to young Leito and old man Dora, we stopped by a number of stalls to further my investigation.

As a result, I learned that the snacks at the shops in the area all cost between one and three red coins, they sold between 20 and 50 per day, and the busy period was a bit after the sun hit its peak.

I could put up a fight under those conditions... Or at least, that’s what I thought.

Gazraan Rutim continued on, “Hmm... In that case, I don’t believe there should be any issue. What do you think, clan head?”

“I’ve got no clue. Why does someone from the city of stone give a damn about the future of the forest’s edge? Folks from there should just keep on gathering up stones and building their roads to the ends of the earth. More importantly, Asuta...” Dan Rutim said with a sulky look, staring my way with upturned eyes. He really was striking an eerily close resemblance to my clan head. “You’re talking about making food for those folks from the city of stone, but you won’t make any for me?”

“Ah, no, you see, we just want your opinion on that matter... Is there any problem with someone in my position going and opening a shop in town?”

“No idea. The one to decide that should be the head of the Fa clan, right? Why’re you bothering to ask my opinion?”

“Ah, that’s of course true, but we also wanted to confirm whether other members of the forest’s edge would be opposed to the action of opening a shop in general. And also... The Suun clan manages all dealings with the city of stone, don’t they? I was also wondering if it’d be alright to just go ahead and do it without involving them.”

“The Suun clan...?” Dan Rutim questioned, his goggle-eyes giving way to a glare. “Who gives a damn what those fools think?! If they try to complain about it, then we Rutim will show them a thing or two! So, you want to point a blade towards the Suun, do you, Asuta?!”

“Don’t go looking so excited! I’m here discussing things with you like this precisely because I don’t want to be the spark that sets off some giant conflict!”

“How boring...” Dan Rutim replied, acting apathetic once again.

Then Gazraan Rutim just bluntly stated, “You needn’t worry about that matter. The Suun clan only handles dealing with the Genos castle. You would need to go through them if you wanted to open a shop in the stone walls, but if it’s just in the post town, it shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Is that so? But still... It’s just such a ridiculous idea. Does it really not brush up against any of the laws or taboos of the forest’s edge?”

“There shouldn’t be any issue there, either. In fact, the agreement for us living here at the forest’s edge says we cannot gather the blessings of the forest from Mount Morga or farm our own fields, and must focus on simply hunting giba. Put another way, the only thing the city of stone allows us to do is sell giba.”

“I see...”

“And also, Asuta, this is a bit of a diversion, but the Rutim currently face a bit of a problem.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“We can’t use up all of our meat.”

His handsome face broke out in a strained smile, which was not like him at all.

“The banquet at the Ruu settlement used up an awful lot of meat, but we don’t have occasions like that very often. We’ve been bloodletting and dissecting roughly two per day, and the branch families already have their storage overflowing with meat as a result. It’s so much that we’ll have to just start leaving all the meat out in the woods from tomorrow on.”

“Ah... That definitely makes sense.”

We had an excess of meat back at the Fa house from the giba Ai Fa had hunted, too. Since it would only last half a month, or 20 days at maximum, even when preserved with pico leaves, we’d been making a massive amount of smoked meat, but it still showed no signs of decreasing.

“If we could exchange that meat for coins, it certainly would improve our lives. And also... It feels like a shame, leaving meat that could be truly delicious if it was just prepared properly for the mundt. The meat from giba we screwed up the bloodletting on should be plenty for them.”

“We’ll keep on bloodletting, even from tomorrow on! Even if we have too much meat, there’s only so many ribs, after all!” the clan head yelled out, despite remaining slumped down.

His son gave another strained smile, then nodded.

“...In that case, from tomorrow on we’ll be discarding all the meat but the ribs in the woods. The leg and shoulder and back meat, which will be properly bloodlet and prepared.”

“Man, that really is a waste!”

“Yes. And yet, we can’t go giving it to members of another clan. If we did, then powerless clans may give up on gathering horns and tusks entirely, and just decide to eat nothing but meat,” Gazraan Rutim stated, his expression tightening a bit as he leaned forwards. “Asuta. We intend to pass on the techniques we learned from you to the Min, Lea, and other related families. And I believe that eventually, it’s knowledge that should be possessed by all the people of the forest’s edge.”

“Huh? Even the Suun clan?”

“Of course. After all, if it resulted in them diligently hunting giba, then that would be the best possible result.”

I see. I still must not have been a proper member of the forest’s edge, as I couldn’t think of the Suun clan as anything but an unforgivable foe.

“But doing so at present would be dangerous. Powerful clans like the Suun are one thing, but this knowledge shouldn’t be granted to small clans not under the Suun or Ruu just yet.”

“Huh? But why?”

“Because the meat is simply too delicious. Take a small family that had never tasted torso meat before and simply thrown it away, if they were to learn of the flavor... I fear the danger would exist that they lose out to their own weakness and not hunt many giba, again, giving up on horns and tusks to instead just eat meat.”

Was such a thing really possible?

There could be folks out there who hated the idea of eating pungent torso meat, so they’d been desperately hunting a great number of giba. And as a result, the taste of delicious meat could destroy that drive. Could that happen...?

It may well be possible.

At the very least, if Gazraan Rutim was bringing it up, the chance of it happening was greater than zero.

And of course, as someone who wasn’t a hunter, there was no way I could fault those folks for their weakness.

“I believe that is what it means for knowledge to act as a poison.”

“Poisonous knowledge, huh...?”

“Yes. If you use too much of a strong medicine, it will act as a poison. I believe that is how your strength can become a poison, too.”

Those words caused my heart to skip a beat.

My strength, a poison...

“That’s why I believe we shouldn’t spread this knowledge to any small clans unrelated to us just yet. But if it becomes such that giba meat can be exchanged for coins in the post town, those people could still get ahold of aria and poitan by selling meat. Then they could eat proper meals and live proper lives, growing stronger as hunters.”

“Right...”

“Then, your strength will serve as a medicine for us all, Asuta,” Gazraan Rutim said with an encouraging smile. “And so, if the time comes that the two of you find your path leads you to opening a shop in the post town, then I’ll be hoping for your success more than anyone. And I’m certainly willing to lend you my aid towards that goal... As a friend.”

“Thank you... Sincerely. I’ll think it over tonight and come to a conclusion. And when I do, you’ll be the first one to know, Gazraan Rutim.”

Was I really qualified to have such a great man call me friend?

If I wasn’t, then I’d like to strive to earn that right.

Still... Back when I first met him, I never imagined Gazraan Rutim would become such a big part of my life.

It was all down to the bonds between people. My meeting Ai Fa led to meeting Rimee Ruu, then the Ruu clan, and then Gazraan and Dan Rutim.

And Kamyua Yoshu, too...

Ai Fa and I had to start by determining if his presence was medicine or poison.

I worked up my nerves, deciding that I had to discuss it with my clan head.

“Seriously, thank you so much. I’m really glad I talked to you, Gazraan Rutim.”

“It makes me proud to hear you say that, Asuta. Are you leaving already?”

“Yes. Sorry again for bothering you multiple times in one day.”

“Wait, you’re seriously leaving?!” Dan Rutim roared. “There’s not much time till the sun sets, right? And the Fa house is far, isn’t it? So you should just stay here in the Rutim house till morning!”

“Ah, no, that’s too...” I started to argue, but then I came back to my senses a bit.

It would take over an hour to get back to the house from here. There was still some time till sunset even so, but I may not actually have enough time to dry out the poitan in the sun. And unless I used that yam-esque gigo or took the time to make a stew, I still hadn’t come up with a way to make liquid poitan any easier to eat.

“Asuta, the Rutim women don’t seem to have returned from the Ruu settlement yet. And they only just started commuting there yesterday, so they haven’t had much of a chance to learn the techniques just yet... If you don’t mind, could you man our stove for the night?” Gazraan Rutim stated, though I don’t know if it was due to his father’s expression or mine.

“...Please let me have a quick discussion with my clan head,” I said, making as serious of a face as possible before leaning in close to Ai Fa’s ear. “Ai Fa. If we head home for the day now, we may end up having to deal with pure poitan broth for the first time in a while.”

Ai Fa maintained her usual serious look, gave a single nod, and drew close to my ear.

“I’d hate that.”

And so, it turned out that I was manning the Rutim stove for the day.

6

Surprisingly, the main Rutim house actually wasn’t all that big of a family.

Aside from Dan Rutim, Gazraan Rutim, and Ama Min Rutim, the only ones living in the house were the former clan head, Ra Rutim, and the youngest daughter, Morun Rutim.

However, that wasn’t to say Dan Rutim hadn’t been blessed with children. He had another son and two more daughters in addition to Gazraan and Morun Rutim, but they had all found partners and moved out from under his roof.

Apparently, the second son was living with his wife just next door, whereas the daughters married into one of the branch families and the Lea clan. That meant that until Ama Min Rutim married in, there were just four people living here.

And since the whole Rutim settlement was currently short on women, that meant the main and branch families were joining together to take care of the day’s work, manning the stove included.

“Of the 25 folks in the Rutim clan, 11 of them are women, right? In most houses, the women would hold the majority by a bit.”

“That just goes to show how tough the Rutim men are! Plus, the main Ruu house is taking way too long when it comes to marriage! They have seven kids, but only the oldest son is married!”

Dinner in the Rutim settlement sure was lively. Well, the main one making all that noise was the clan head, though...

The former clan head, Ra Rutim, was the tall and lean old man who had led their clan at that banquet, which meant he must have been the Rutim elder. I figured he had to be under the age of 70. His head was bald, and he had a long white beard and a piercing gaze like a hawk... Apparently, he was also the man who had once been married to Granny Jiba’s daughter.

This was my first time meeting the youngest daughter, Morun Rutim, and she was apparently 15. She had a bit of a round physique and a charming face, and well, she somehow looked a bit like her dad. She may have only been 15, but she really seemed like she would make a good mother in the future.

The elder wasn’t very talkative, but the other folks were all friendly and easy to deal with, and the clan head was especially noisy. It made for a real harmonious dinner, without any of the tension I had faced when dealing with the Ruu clan.

“Today we learned how to bake poitan, but we didn’t have the time to do it ourselves, so this is a big help. Asuta, Ai Fa, thank you,” Ama Min Rutim, who we had only just been able to say hi to in the morning, said with her usual gentle smile.

Ama Min Rutim had given off a refreshing neat and tidy impression to start with, but now that she was married, she somehow seemed even more gentle. It was getting harder and harder to remember that she was the same age as me.

On top of that, she had cleanly chopped off her blackish brown hair behind her neck. Yes, she was wearing her hair boldly short, which was a little rare here at the forest’s edge.

Lastly, there was the single piece dress wrapped around her healthy figure, neither too full nor too thin, which served as proof of her married status.

“Man, that sure was good! Rib meat’s always tasty, but this baked poitan sure is something else, too! Now that I’ve had this, it’s like I couldn’t even get that heated up poitan broth to go down my throat anymore!”

Of course. In fact, that was exactly how Ai Fa and I ended up accepting the offer to man the Rutim stove.

Anyway, we ended up smoothly preparing a dinner of rib and thigh meat steak, baked poitan, and giba, aria, and pula soup.

We continued to chat for a short while afterwards, and then the folks living there started to return to their rooms.

“Ai Fa, Asuta, we have two rooms to spare, but are you alright sharing just the one?”

“Yeah. We have all sorts of things to discuss, after all,” I responded in a totally natural tone, but something bothered me a bit when we were shown to the room.

It was a room that was about 10 meters squared in terms of size, without any proper furnishings to speak of.

There was unsurprisingly a fur rug spread out at our feet, but there was also a single bit of cloth matting laid out at the back of the room, which may have been the source of my discomfort.

“Ah, you need another set of bedding, right? I’ll go get it,” our guide to the room, Morun Rutim, stated.

However, Ai Fa replied, “I don’t especially mind. I don’t normally use bedding anyway, so this won’t be an issue.”

“Is that so? Well then, please excuse me,” Morun Rutim said with a smile, and then she left.

We had been supplied the room farthest in on the right, and there was just one vacant room between us and the newlywed’s room.

“Man... This is a strange feeling, somehow, isn’t it?”

“What is?” Ai Fa asked as she walked right on in, placing the candlestick she had borrowed from the main hall by the window.

And then, she sat down atop the bedding.

The bedding had been laid out near the window, so her actions were totally natural.

I closed the door behind me, then plopped down atop the rug in front of Ai Fa.

A private room.

Bedding.

Someone else’s house.

What was it? It felt like I was just as close to Ai Fa as usual, but my heart rate seemed to be weirdly on the rise.

At any rate, I did that little ritual where you write out “calm” on your palm and then gulp it down to ease the tension.

“What are you doing?” Ai Fa questioned, but I had no idea how to answer that.

“Well, we gathered up all sorts of information over the course of the last two days, so how are you feeling after everything, Ai Fa?”

Ai Fa looked to be thinking a bit as she started to let down her long hair.

As her blonde hair flowed over her shoulders and chest, Ai Fa responded, “I... don’t think it should be a problem.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Even if you happen to fail, all that will be lost is coins. And I can make up that much of a loss by hunting giba... Fortunately, it’s possible to hunt a truly shocking number of giba at the moment.”

“Hmm...”

“The only thing that bothers me is that it was that Kamyua Yoshu man who raised the idea.”

“You really just can’t trust that old-timer, huh?”

“More than that... I cannot understand him. I can read neither his thoughts nor his feelings. And it seems like the more that we talk to him, the more confused I get.”

Then, Ai Fa leaned forwards with a bit of an uneasy look in her eyes.

I almost reflexively leaned back, but fortunately I managed to stop myself just in time.

It wasn’t as if Ai Fa had come in unnaturally close. If I pulled back now, it’d probably cause Ai Fa to feel suspicious or upset. Heck, I’d probably feel hurt, myself.

But still, the pounding in my chest wouldn’t calm down.

“That man ate giba meat of his own volition. It was my first time seeing such a person from the city of stone. I was of course completely surprised, and I thought it may ease my distrust of the man... but instead it only grew stronger.”

“I see. I can’t say I really get how you’re feeling there. But well, I can totally get not understanding him. Saying it’s not that you can’t trust him, but you can’t understand him may just be the perfect way to phrase it.”

“You feel that way too, Asuta?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I see... I’m glad,” Ai Fa said with a relieved sigh. I didn’t usually see her like that. “If you didn’t think that way, then I may not have been able to understand you anymore, either... So I’m glad.”

“R-Right. But well, after hearing what Dora and Gazraan Rutim had to say, I don’t think there should be any serious issue with the act of opening a shop in and of itself. Regardless of Kamyua Yoshu’s intentions, we’re free to act as we please... right?”

“That much was clear from the start. No matter what we may do, the responsibility will always fall on us and us alone.”

“Hmm... I’d hate to cause you issues by going forward with it, though.”

With that, Ai Fa’s face shifted from being incredibly serene to slightly annoyed.

This was a lot more like her, but had I gone and said something I shouldn’t have?

“Asuta, you’ll be selling cooking made with the giba meat from my hunts, and the ingredients obtained from those tusks and horns, will you not?”

“Yeah, though I intend to contribute this time around, too. But there’s naturally no way I could ever do it without you.”

“In that case, why are you acting as if our positions are different?”

Her expression made her look more frustrated than angry.

It was as if her blue eyes were uncertain as to just what emotion they should display.

“When you manned the stove for the wedding, that was a personal agreement between you and the couple. But this time, do you not intend to tackle this matter as a member of the Fa clan? Do you plan on taking everything on by yourself again? If that’s the case, then why do you profess to be a member of the Fa clan?”

“S-Sorry. Did it somehow come across like I was treating you like a stranger? I mean, I was born in another country, so I’m sure how I treat family is a bit different than how you do it here at the forest’s edge. But I wasn’t trying to make light of you, Ai Fa.”

I tossed aside the embarrassment I was feeling before and leaned forward without even thinking.

We were separated by no more than 30 centimeters, and Ai Fa was staring firmly into my eyes as if searching for something.

“...Your happiness is my happiness.”

“Yeah.”

“Your suffering is my suffering.”

“Right.”

“If that weren’t the case, then what point would there be to you being part of my house?”

As she said that, Ai Fa suddenly averted her gaze.

If we had our usual relaxed mood between us, her lips would be pouting around now... but instead, they were quietly forming words.

“If we can’t understand one another on that point, then there’s no point to us being part of the same house. Why exactly did you turn down the invitation to join the Rutim, then?”

“That’s because I want to be with you. Sorry... Back where I come from, it’s normal to not want to cause trouble for your family. I didn’t think it would cause you to feel badly.”

Wanting to do something to soften her pained expression, I took Ai Fa by the hand. Her fingers weren’t soft but also hadn’t lost their smoothness, and I felt them ever so gently grip my hand back.

“I feel happy when you’re glad and pained when you’re sad too, Ai Fa. I don’t think we’re feeling differently deep down, so could you please forgive me? I’ll try to take care not to make you feel bad.”

Ai Fa was silent.

“If we just take the time, we’ll come to understand one another, right? I don’t care if we were born in different countries or worlds or whatever, I want us to really know one another, Ai Fa.”

“...Do we have such time?” Ai Fa whispered. “There’s no telling when I may meet my end in the forest. Nor is there any knowing when you may disappear from this world... So do we really have that time?”

“We do. All the time till we die or disappear belongs to us. So we can just keep on trying our hardest till that time comes, right?”

I tightened my grip, and Ai Fa looked my way as if in response.

I couldn’t quite make out the emotion in her eyes as she stared at me.

“If you worry about stuff like that, isn’t it like saying it’s ridiculous to think about tomorrow? I’d hate living like that. What matters most is the here and now, but I don’t want to treat tomorrow and all the rest of my future as secondary.”

“I... understand all that,” Ai Fa said, her mouth moving in a bit of a strange way. It was like she was laughing, or crying... Yeah, it was a truly complex, vague expression, like she was unable to control her own emotions.

“There’s no point to you telling me that at this point. As if I could be a hunter without even knowing that much, you fool.”

Then, Ai Fa did something unexpected: She bumped her forehead up against my right shoulder.

“H-Hey, Ai Fa...?”

“Don’t look at my face for a little while. I’ll be done soon.”

It wasn’t as if she was crying, like she’d done a while back. No, she just pressed her forehead up against my shoulder and stopped moving.

I could feel her warmth through my shoulder and fingers.

Her long hair reached all the way down to my crossed legs.

She had said she hadn’t done sacrificial hunting for a while, but the smell of her hair really was still sweet.

A few seconds later, Ai Fa suddenly lifted her face, and somewhat roughly shook free from my fingers.

“...So, what are you thinking, Asuta?”

She had been hanging her head down, so her long hair hid her eyes. However, her mouth had the same gallant expression as always.

“My opinion is just as I said before. What are your thoughts on whether or not you should open a shop in the post town?”

“Right, I... I think I’d like to give it a try,” I earnestly replied, still a little worried about how Ai Fa was doing. “Just like you said, Kamyua Yoshu is just impossible to understand. And I also haven’t experienced or truly seen the suffering of living in poverty, so I don’t think I can truly understand that, either. But... It pissed me off the way the townsfolk look down on the people of the forest’s edge even before we met Kamyua Yoshu, and I also want to teach them how delicious giba meat really is.”

“Right.”

“Plus, there are folks like Tara and Dora in the post town, too. Even if we don’t end up smiling hand in hand, I think there’s still room to meet each other part way. And I believe this is a good chance for that, too.”

I scratched my head a bit as I talked.

“Well, I do still have doubts about whether or not it’s alright for an outsider like me to be so involved with the future of the forest’s edge... But if that’s going to happen, I want it to be in a good way. So as long as I have the approval of folks like you and Gazraan Rutim, I think I’d like to take on the challenge.”

“I see. So you still think of yourself as an outsider, do you? Sometimes, that irritates me so greatly I feel like it could kill me,” Ai Fa bluntly stated, then turned away in a huff.

Her tone and actions were the same as always, but I still couldn’t see her eyes, so I really couldn’t tell what she was feeling.

“You are a member of the Fa clan. You live here at the forest’s edge, so refer to yourself as a person of the forest’s edge.”

“Right. But anyway, I really think I’d like to give it a try. I don’t know how it’ll turn out, but I want to take on the challenge and see if my skills will be enough.”

“...Then it’s decided,” Ai Fa quietly responded, still facing away. “I will keep hunting giba as I’ve done up till now, and prepare the meat and coins. You will use that to carry out your work.”

“Got it... I’ll give it my all, as if my life was on the line.”

“Right. Just know that you shall not be permitted to shirk your duties manning the stove in order to treat townsfolk to your cooking.”

“I’m not treating them, I’m selling to them.”

If Ai Fa was going to behave like normal, then I should do the same.

That was what I thought, so I responded in a deliberately cheery tone, “And now that I’m taking on this challenge, I’ve got a whole lot to consider. It goes without saying that I need to figure out what dish I’ll go with, but I also need to carefully calculate out the ingredients, plus how to transport them and my pot to the post town is also a tough problem. This whole thing’s gonna be easier said than done.”

“What, you’ve already thought things through that far? Are you sure you weren’t planning from the very start to open a shop no matter what anyone said, Asuta?”

“Of course not. But it’s fun to think it over more and more. I think I’ll have to try talking to Gazraan Rutim again tomorrow.”

“You certainly are a calculating man,” Ai Fa threw out there, rolling on her side atop the bedding.

So she’s sleeping there after all, I thought to myself with a strained smile.

“Well, I’ve got to get my thoughts in order a bit, too. Since I’m taking on this challenge, I want to be successful for sure.”

I stretched out atop the rug, facing towards the ceiling, and Ai Fa called out, “Asuta.”

“What is it?” I replied, and then she sat up and kneeled atop the bedding, pulling it down just a bit.

“This bedding thing feels surprisingly nice to sleep on. You come here too and rest.”

“...What?” I questioned, tilting my head.

Ai Fa laid down on her side again, and then stretched out both arms.

“It feels nice to sleep on. They went and prepared it, so there shouldn’t be any issue with using it.”

“N-No, you go ahead and use it if that’s what you want. I’m fine just sleeping atop the rug.”

“...Do you not trust my words?”

“That’s not it. I mean, everyone used bedding back where I came from, so I’m plenty aware how nice it is.”

“Then come here.”

“No, no, no. That bedding’s too small for the two of us, right? Please, don’t worry about me and just get some sleep.”

“...Why are you refusing so firmly?” Ai Fa quietly muttered, still facing the ceiling. “Did I do something to hurt your feelings?”

“That’s not it at all! It’s just back in my country, as long as they’re not a child and parent or husband and wife, two family members would never sleep together atop the same bedding.”

“...This isn’t your old country. It’s the forest’s edge.”

“Uugh...” I mumbled.

I didn’t know if it was intentional or what, but Ai Fa’s eyes were still hidden behind her long hair, so it was incredibly difficult to read the expression on her face.

Maybe her eyes actually hadn’t regained that perfect calm, and were flickering with unease... The thought made my heart ache.

Was this yet another trial someone was forcing upon me?

It sure was a fitting challenge, if so!

“...If you hate the idea that much, then just do as you please.”

Ai Fa turned her whole body towards the wall, so I could no longer see her face at all.

It was time to make a decision.

But well... No matter how I thought about it, Ai Fa had firmly declared that she didn’t want to take me as a husband, so there shouldn’t be any misunderstandings from this.

And to start with, I was only conscious of it because this thing was laid out on the floor, as we normally slept together super close anyway. Thinking of it that way, it was just like moving a mere couple dozen centimeters closer.

If that small of a difference in distance would bring Ai Fa peace and relief, then what need was there for me to hesitate?

I got my breathing in order, held my heartbeat back as much as I could, said, “Excuse me,” and then got atop the bedding.

Ai Fa didn’t move.

While taking care not to look too much at her beautiful back, I gently laid down on the bedding.

Well, it really was decently soft and comfortable. If you asked me, I honestly longed more for a pillow, but well, I wasn’t about to go demanding such luxury. At any rate, as my thoughts raced through scheduling everything out for opening a shop in the post town, I decided it was best to get to sleep early for today and closed my eyes.

In that very instant, Ai Fa suddenly rolled her whole body to face me.

“Oh... So you came after all, Asuta?”

“Y-Yeah. I mean, you went and invited me, after all.”

Ai Fa was using her right arm as a pillow and lying on her side, and now she was staring right at my face.

Her eyes didn’t have a hint of sadness or unease about them. No, they just looked happy.

“You should have just listened to what I told you from the start...”

Ai Fa just looked so earnestly joyful at the moment that I was finding it hard to even quip back.

I’d seen Ai Fa mad and sulking an awful lot, but expressions like this were rare... Actually, this may be my first time seeing one since we met.

As I was busy being all confused about how to feel, Ai Fa quietly started talking.

“Asuta. Your strength when it comes to cooking is immeasurable. Even so, no one can say for certain if you really will find success the way that Gazraan Rutim described.”

“Yeah... Of course that’s the case.”

“Still, no matter how things turn out, I will have no regrets. You simply need to keep on mustering your own strength as you’ve done up till now.”

“Right, that’s what I intend to do.”

“...I’m proud of you. I find such great joy in having met you, and welcoming you into the Fa Clan.”

With that, Ai Fa closed her eyelids.

A smile of such pure joy crossed her face.

“Well then, I’m going to sleep. We can discuss the rest tomorrow...” she said, drifting off into sleep incredibly quickly as that sentence trailed off.

Her face was so remarkably at ease, she almost looked like a small child.

That was my line...

As that thought passed through my head, I just couldn’t bring myself to look away from that adorable sleeping face and close my eyes, kicking off a sleepless night for me.