Chapter 3: The Sixth and Seventh Days—A Corrupt Messenger

1

At any rate, work went smoothly.

As always, the sixth day of business started with plenty of customers from the east and south crowding around before opening, then buying a whole lot of food. Just how much of the 150 meals we prepared would we actually manage to sell, though? My expectations on that front were quite high, right from the start of the morning.

“Hmm... It feels less busy today than yesterday, doesn’t it?” Lala Ruu questioned as soon as the morning rush died off.

“That’s true. We showed them yesterday we can stay open till the early afternoon, so there were probably less who felt the need to force themselves to line up first thing in the morning. Well... I’m still just guessing though, and we won’t really be able to say for certain until everything is over.”

“Hmm? Then what’ll we do if there’s food left over?”

“In that case, I intend to negotiate with the Ruu settlement to see if I can exchange it for uncooked poitan and meat. I mean, I can’t just let all this go to waste.”

As we were talking, though, there were customers from the south and east periodically stopping by.

Even the number of people from the west peeking our way didn’t seem any less than yesterday. On my first day of business I had thought pretty much nobody was around at this hour, but it was dramatically more lively now.

“Alright, for now it looks like the flow of customers has calmed down, so let’s take snack breaks again in groups of two. After that, can I put you in charge of the giba burgers, Lala Ruu?”

“Right, got it... Which dish do we get to eat today?”

“Today, I was thinking we’d try myamuu giba meat along with tarapa sauce. It’ll be a special dish just for the employees.”

“Huh?” Lala Ruu questioned, her blue eyes opening wide.

Frankly, I was a little shocked to see just how surprised she was.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you think tarapa sauce would pair well with the taste of the meat soaked in marinade? And both ways should use pretty much the same amount of ingredients.”

“N-No, I was thinking earlier that it would probably be good like that, so I was just surprised.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I figured you would like it, Lala Ruu.”

When I said that, Lala Ruu question, “Why?” as her eyes went wide again.

“Why, you ask...? You didn’t much care for the softness of the hamburgers, but you said you loved the tarapa sauce, so that seems like the perfect combination, right?”

“Why do you remember every little thing like that...? It’s been over 10 days since we talked about that!”

“Huh? Well, it’s hard to get specific reactions from the people of the forest’s edge, so your words really left an impression,” I replied, only for Lala Ruu to mutter out a barely audible little, “Thanks...”

With a smile, I said back, “You’re welcome. Now then, who should get the first break? Do you think you’re about ready to eat, Lala Ruu?”

“Yeah. I’m good to go whenever... Hey, what about Ai Fa?”

Ai Fa had accompanied us to the post town just like she had said, and ever since she finished helping carry everything, she had been resting in the shade of the grove of trees behind the stalls.

Her cloak hid her left arm, while she leaned back against the trunk of a tree with her one knee up in the air and her blade in her right hand. She was a bit far from the stall, though, so I couldn’t quite tell if she was asleep or awake.

“I made enough for her too, but I guess we have to check if she’s up or not first.”

“Ah, in that case, I’ll go ask,” Lala Ruu said, already hurrying towards Ai Fa before she even finished speaking.

Apparently Ai Fa was awake, as they exchanged a few words before Lala Ruu promptly returned.

“She said she’s ready to eat. So first up should be me, you, and Ai Fa.”

“Right, but I don’t mind either way.”

Thinking about it, I’m pretty sure this wasn’t the first time I’d noticed Lala Ruu seemed to want to get along with Ai Fa.

I know she said we shouldn’t rely on the Ruu clan, but I still don’t think we should act all hardhearted when any of them are personally trying to be friendly.

At any rate, I left the giba burger stall to Sheera Ruu and the myamuu giba stall to Vina Ruu, then we went over to Ai Fa holding our snacks.

“Sorry for the wait. It’s giba meat with tarapa sauce, wrapped in baked poitan.”

“Right,” Ai Fa replied with a casual nod.

Ai Fa had been working more than she probably should have all morning, but she didn’t seem to be having any problems with her injury hurting or her fever flaring back up. In fact, she just had her usual serious look on her face.

Lala Ruu and I went ahead and sat down, sandwiching Ai Fa between us.

“You seem like you’re feeling alright. And today’s luggage was a pretty big load, so you were a serious help there.”

“Until I have recovered enough to go back into the forest, I can lend you my aid every morning. However, you’ll have to figure out how to manage after that on your own.”

“I mean, I can think about it as hard as I like, but in the end I’m just going to have to put all my strength and stamina into getting it done.”

Even that short conversation had been almost enough to finish the miniature sized snacks.

I went ahead and stopped talking for a second, and then Lala Ruu spoke up, as if she had been waiting for that moment.

“Um, Ai Fa... I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me...?”

“Yeah. I heard about the sacrificial hunting thing from Shin Ruu. Thank you for talking to him properly about it. He ended up not doing anything dangerous. So, thanks,” she said, giving a little bow with her veiled, red head.

Ai Fa, meanwhile, just tilted her head and looked bewildered.

“I simply said what I thought. That it was foolish to go and use the giba summoning fruit when he was surrounded by so many people depending on him. Sacrificial hunting runs the risk of endangering those around you, too.”

“Right. And Shin Ruu felt really bad about that, too. He said that he had only been thinking of his own pride.”

“...There’s not especially any shame in resolving yourself to rely on your clan.”

Ai Fa’s voice and expression were incredibly blunt, but Lala Ruu gave a satisfied sounding, “Right. I feel the same way,” and a nod.

“Well then, should we head on back? I’m sure Vina’s probably getting all anxious.”

“Right,” I replied, and Lala Ruu and I got up.

Then, Ai Fa called out, “Asuta. Your work is only just getting started... But I can easily see that you’re carrying it out properly,” with an ever so slight smile. “That’s all I wanted to say. Return to your tasks.”

“Right, got it.”

With that, I headed back towards the stall, my spirits greatly bolstered.

And as we walked that short path, Lala Ruu whispered to me, “That seriously surprised me. I didn’t think Ai Fa could smile like that.”

“Huh? Ah, yeah.”

That was actually a pretty reserved smile for Ai Fa as she had been recently, but it was still enough to shock Lala Ruu. I guess that was down to how Ai Fa always had her poker face on in front of others.

After that, Vina and Sheera Ruu had their break, and then I had the two newcomers swap their positions. That meant Sheera Ruu was with me manning the myamuu giba, while the sisters from the main Ruu house were in charge of the giba burgers. I hadn’t originally planned to speed up their training like this, but they turned out to be much quicker learners than I had expected.

“I can see you really made the most of your experience from working the Rutim banquet. I’m seriously impressed with your skills.”

“I’m truly honored to hear you say that, Asuta,” Sheera Ruu replied with a gentle smile.

As I wondered to myself if she was always the sort to smile this often, Sheera Ruu stared straight at the sample plate.

“Asuta, this dish has a very strong flavor to it, but would it be possible to make it weaker?”

“Yeah, of course. You could do that by lowering the amount of time you let the meat soak in the marinade. It seems like this flavoring is a bit strong for the people of the forest’s edge, so I actually intend to weaken it when I make it back at the house, too. And it seems like it would be good to go a bit lighter on the myamuu, too.”

With that, a hesitant, anxious look filled Sheera Ruu’s eyes as she stared at me.

“Um... I was thinking I’d like to have my family try this dish too, but... I don’t know how to adjust the time, or make the marinade, so could you please teach me sometime...?”

“I can teach you that much right now, if you want. You have six people in your house, right?” I asked as I started hashing out rough calculations in my head. “Um... I think you’d be good with a bit under a fourth of a container of fruit wine, a fourth of an aria diced up, and a finger’s length of myamuu. And right now I let the meat steep for exactly as long as it takes boiled-down poitan to dry out, so use that as a basis and try cutting down from there. It may be good to try slicing the meat thicker, too. There’s no need to make it so thin for people of the forest’s edge, and that would naturally help to weaken the flavor of the marinade.”

“Right. Thank you,” Sheera Ruu added with a broad, joyful smile.

“However, that flavoring ultimately just comes down to my own tastes, so there’s no need to firmly stick to that when cooking for your family. If you want a sweeter taste then you can reduce the amount of myamuu, and if you want a mellower flavor you can try adding more aria... And you could even dice up other ingredients and add them if you’d like. Please, try looking for a flavoring that’s more to your tastes by doing stuff like that,” I added.

Sheera Ruu looked a bit surprised, but then she broke out in another gentle smile that was like a blossoming flower.

“Thank you. Somehow, it feels like ever since I met you, I’ve had so much happiness in my life. It brings me such joy, knowing that I can feed my family delicious meals.”

“It makes me really happy to hear that, too.”

As we had that exchange, a rather unusual pairing showed up at our stall: Kamyua Yoshu’s apprentice Leito and Tara.

“Asuta, two please!”

“I will also take two.”

“Got it. Thanks for your continued business... What’s your master doing today?”

“Kamyua worked till morning again, so he’s sleeping at the inn. However, he didn’t want to miss buying your cooking two days in a row, so he asked me to go in his stead.”

Leito was smiling, and so was Tara. And yet, looking between the two of them, the difference was clear. Tara was smiling out of joy felt from the depths of her heart, while Leito just looked like he was being overly mature.

Perhaps it was due to the preconceived notions I had due to him being that sketchy guy’s apprentice, but I still felt a sort of air about him I couldn’t ever imagine coming from an innocent child.

“Here, thanks for waiting.”

“Thank you. Um... That’s the head of the Fa clan, isn’t it? She came with you to town today?”

While thinking to myself that he sure was sharp eyed, I went and shot him my sales smile.

“Yes. Today, she helped with carrying luggage. Apparently giba hunting has become quite an ordeal lately, so she’s taking several days off from going into the forest.”

“I see. I suppose things like that do happen,” Leito replied, his smile utterly unchanged.

Just how was Kamyua Yoshu spending his days now that he had thoroughly disappeared into the shadows? It certainly didn’t feel like I could probe this boy to find that out.

At any rate, after those young customers disappeared, the stalls really started getting busy.

The sun was finally closing in on its peak, and the number of passersby had clearly started to increase.

We may have had a more lax start than yesterday, but we had still managed to sell 63 meals in total. That was already fantastic business compared to the other shops around, and it wasn’t all that big of a difference compared to two days ago, when we sold all 70 meals by the time the sun hit its peak.

Yes, things were going super smoothly.

It seemed like I wouldn’t end up regretting having prepared 150 meals.

“Sorry, Lala Ruu, but could I have you go do some shopping? We need two tarapa and tino, and 20 aria.”

“Got it,” Lala Ruu said, then took off running with the coins in her hand.

That was when I suddenly sensed someone from behind.

“Hmm? What is it, Ai Fa?”

At some point, Ai Fa had apparently come up and started standing behind us.

Even Sheera Ruu turned to face Ai Fa with a clear look of surprise in her eyes.

Ai Fa, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and fixed her gaze north.

“...There are people of the forest’s edge.”

I instantly felt my nerves flare up and looked in the same direction as Ai Fa.

If they were coming from the north along the highway, there was a chance they belonged to the Suun clan.

And in the end... One of them was Tei Suun, with his grey hair clearly visible.

The person walking alongside him wasn’t that fleshy blimp, Mida Suun, though. It was a thin woman, wearing a veil and shawl.

There was a strange, ominous feel about the pair, and they cut right through our customers to stand in front of the stall.

“Hmph... I found it a little hard to believe, but it looks like there really are people of the forest’s edge running stalls in the post town.”

The voice that assaulted my ears had a shrill, metallic tone. And... seriously, what was with this woman? Just standing face to face with her was enough to send a chill down my spine.

She was a beautiful woman. Her facial features were all well sculpted, and her proportions may have even been a match for Vina Ruu. Numerous strands of her long, finely done-up dark brown hair were spilling out over her veil. And there was a light shining in her slightly blackish eyes. However, it was a cold, cruel light, reminding me of a venomous snake. The smile on her face was dripping with poison, too.

“My, I had heard tell there was a strange foreigner living at the Fa house, but I never imagined even the clan head was coming along to town. You are the one female hunter of the forest’s edge, the Fa clan head Ai Fa, aren’t you?”

That was it.

The chill running down my spine didn’t come from her appearance, or her voice that stung my ears. It was from my sense of smell warning me in advance.

The fragrant aroma of fruit wine and myamuu was floating all around the stall. But a truly ominous smell was wafting in from beyond that. Like rusty metal and a bit of decay... It was clearly the stench of putrefied blood.

“Who are you...?” Ai Fa questioned in a low voice.

The corners of her mouth raised up as the woman giving off that horrible smell grinned.

“I’m the eldest daughter of the main Suun house, Yamiru Suun. I hear I owe you for looking after my little brothers, Diga and Doddo, female hunter of the Fa clan.”

2

The eldest daughter of the main Suun house, Yamiru Suun.

While smiling like a viper, that woman cloaked in the ominous stench of blood glared at Ai Fa, me, and Sheera Ruu.

When Sheera Ruu stepped back from the sheer pressure coming off that glare, Vina Ruu called out from the neighboring stall, “Hey... Sheera Ruu, sorry, but could you switch with me for a bit...?”

While keeping her gaze fixed on Yamiru Suun, Sheera Ruu went ahead and slowly moved over that way.

After entrusting her with the wooden spatula for stirring the tarapa sauce, Vina Ruu then gracefully came over our way.

“Long time no see... Do you remember me, I wonder...?”

“...Of course, Vina Ruu, eldest daughter of the main Ruu house,” Yamiru Suun replied, the faint smile remaining on her face.

Vina Ruu’s sleepy-looking eyes narrowed, just like they had when she faced off with Mida Suun.

“Hmph, so the Ruu clan really was wrapped up in this after all. I had heard the Fa house’s foreigner was put in charge of the Rutim banquet’s stove too, so it seems the Ruu and Fa clans are rather close, doesn’t it?”

“That’s true... We’re getting along wonderfully, aren’t we? So, just what did you come to a place like this for...?”

“Hehehe. I just came to deliver a message from the clan head.”

With that, Yamiru Suun’s chilly, snakelike gaze turned my way.

“Foreigner from the Fa clan, may I ask your name?”

“...I’m Asuta,” I replied.

I wasn’t feeling especially afraid or anything. It was just that she felt plain eerie, more so than even Mida and Tei Suun.

Why did she have such a clear scent of blood lingering about her? Even if she had just finished dissecting a giba, the stench shouldn’t have been clinging to her this badly.

If this was a giba dissection room there would be nothing strange at all, but I couldn’t help but feel suspicious and disturbed by her giving off such an obvious smell just by standing there.

“Asuta of the Fa clan, is it? Now then, Asuta, the Suun clan actually has a bit of a problem at the moment.”

“Huh...?”

“Mida is crying... He says he wants to eat your cooking like he had at the post town once again.”

Mida Suun, huh?

So what exactly is she asking me to do about it?

“And so, I came here today to deliver the words of the Suun clan’s head, Zuuro Suun... Asuta of the Fa clan, just one night would be enough, but will you man the Suun clan stove?”

The crunch of gravel under foot sounded out.

Ai Fa had taken just half a step forward.

And naturally, there was a blue blaze burning fiercely in her eyes.

“You said you were the eldest daughter of the main Suun house, Yamiru Suun, didn’t you?”

“Yes, that’s correct, Fa clan head Ai Fa.”

“Asuta may be a foreigner, but he is still a member of the Fa clan. If you have business with my clan, then you should be coming to me with it, as I am the clan head.”

“Oh, is that so? Then what do you—”

“I refuse,” Ai Fa stated, cutting off Yamiru Suun’s shrill voice.

With that, the woman’s voice shifted to a metallic sounding snicker.

“You refuse...?”

“I do.”

“Well, that’s certainly an issue... I thought Mida would calm down once the night had passed, but yesterday and today have come, and not only has that not happened, but he has kept on wailing. Diga and Doddo have kicked and hit him out of anger, but it’s done no good. And as a result, he’s been eating even more than normal. He really is difficult to deal with.”

“That’s the Suun clan’s problem. The Fa clan has nothing to do with it.”

Ai Fa was clearly furious, and the light of a hunter was burning bright in her eyes.

But in spite of that, the faint smile remained fixed on Yamiru Suun’s face, while Tei Suun just stood there like her shadow.

“Why do you say that, though? You managed the Rutim banquet, so for what reason do you refuse to man the Suun clan’s stove?”

“What reason? You should ask yourself that. Consider how the Suun clan has acted towards the Fa up until now.”

“You mean when Diga crept into the Fa house? Or perhaps when Doddo pointed his blade towards you all in the post town and at the Rutim banquet? If that’s the case, then if my bungling younger brothers apologize to you, will you man the stove?”

“I have no interest in hearing superficial apologies. If they wish to apologize, then they should offer up an arm or some such.”

Her voice didn’t grow louder in the slightest, but it was openly awash in profound anger. Had the Suun clan’s ridiculous request that I man their stove really angered her that badly?

“If you wish to eat Asuta’s cooking, then you can abide by the laws of the post town and pay coins. There is no other means by which a member of the Suun clan will be allowed to eat food that he has prepared.”

“Coins, is it...? But just how many coins would it require to fill Mida’s stomach, I wonder...?” Yamiru Suun questioned, as I spied a suspicious sparkle in her blackish eyes.

This poisonous snake looked like she had found her prey.

“Speaking of which, Asuta, were you paid a fitting price when you manned the Rutim stove?”

“Huh? What about it...?”

“Yes, well the Ruu clan has over 100 people under it. On top of that, you played a big role in the wedding banquet for the Rutim heir, so since the Fa clan are utterly unrelated, you must have been paid a price to accept, correct?”

Something felt dangerous about her approach.

This Yamiru Suun woman didn’t seem the sort to grow violently emotional and run wild like her younger brothers. But I was sure that instead, she was the type to use crafty plots to ensnare her foes.

“Just how much was that payment, I wonder? 10 giba worth of horns and tusks? 20? Or perhaps 30?”

“...I don’t believe we’re under any obligation to answer that.”

“Oh, I see. Very well... In that case, the Suun clan is prepared to pay you 40 giba worth of horns and tusks.”

I was frozen in place, completely and utterly dumbfounded.

40 giba worth of horns and tusks... That was the equivalent of 480 red coins. Even if they were monopolizing the reward money from Genos, could the Suun clan seriously afford to use up that great of a fortune on such a farce?

I looked left and right, in order to confirm the expressions on Ai Fa and Vina Ruu’s faces.

Ai Fa’s eyes were burning away with the same blaze as before, while behind Vina Ruu’s drooped eyelids, I could see a look of suspicion shining through.

“Y-You’re saying you would be willing to pay that much just for manning the stove for one night? In that case, why not just make a purchase from this stall?”

“We won’t pay that much for the cooking from your stall. Instead, we wish to entrust you with a similarly grand task as the Rutim banquet.”

I felt like I heard someone gasp. Considering the direction, it had probably been Vina Ruu.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the creepy smile on the face of the female ghoul standing in front of me to check, though.

“On the tenth day of the blue month, the yearly clan head meeting will be held. All clan heads will be gathered there, each bringing one man to accompany them. We would like to have you man the stove for that night in which roughly eighty people will gather, Asuta, and we will pay you 40 giba’s worth for it.”

“So that’s how it is... I thought you were being overly generous, but you’re intending to have each of the clan heads pay one giba’s worth, aren’t you...?”

“Yes. Asuta’s cooking is worth that much, isn’t it? After all, the people of the post town detest giba, yet he’s skilled enough to sell giba cooking here. Well then... What do you say, Asu—”

“We refuse,” Ai Fa bluntly repeated, cutting her off again. “It doesn’t matter how much you may pay. We have no reason to accept such a job.”

“Oh, my... Then you intend to keep your fortune and secrets all to yourselves?” Yamiru Suun questioned, her lips curling into a sneer again. “Just yesterday, over 100 people from the post town bought Asuta’s cooking, didn’t they? To do such a thing with giba meat, called hard, smelly, and disgusting, is nothing short of a miracle... So does the Fa clan intend to keep that secret all to themselves, so that only they can profit?”

I secretly gave a gulp.

This woman really did have some sort of hidden trump card. Otherwise, there was no way someone outside of our group would know about our sales numbers from yesterday.

“Are you saying that is some form of crime? We have nothing to be ashamed of. If you wish to know the truth, then bow your heads and beg to be told. But don’t try some roundabout method like asking that he man your stove.”

“Like I said, this all began with Mida. I have no personal interest in your fortune or secrets, Ai Fa of the Fa clan,” Yamiru Suun said, her slender tongue licking her lips. “40 giba worth of horns and tusks. That’s nothing to feel dissatisfied with, is it? As long as you feed Mida in addition to providing for the clan head meeting, you will satisfy our clan head’s request... But if you refuse even so, I’ll just have to give up on everything.”

“Give up on everything...?” I repeated.

Her voice and expression felt way too ominous.

“Yes... Mida is my cute little brother, but my power alone can’t protect him. So I suppose I’ll simply have to leave his fate to the heavens.”

“I don’t understand what you mean...”

“I mean just what I said. As is, he may well get beaten to death by Diga and Doddo, so I’ll have to free him from his chains.”

“Chains...?”

“Yes. I’ll remove his chains, and tell him to go wherever he pleases... As a result, he may get stabbed to death on the spears of the post town’s guards, but that’s a far easier end than getting beaten to death by family, wouldn’t you say?”

Was this woman serious?

In all likelihood, it was just a bluff. She was surely just threatening me, saying she would set Mida Suun loose on me if I didn’t give her the answer she wanted.

In the first place, the very idea of chaining up a family member sounded suspicious. I couldn’t believe anyone would do such a thing, and I didn’t want to hear differently.

Yes, in all likelihood it was a bluff.

I was 99% sure that was all it was.

And yet, this woman felt ominous enough to make me believe in that 1% that it may really be true.

“...As if that has anything to do with us,” Ai Fa stated, her tone utterly unchanged. “If the youngest son of the main Suun house harms a member of my house, I will abide by the laws of the forest’s edge and cut him down. There won’t be any time for the guards to get involved.”

“Hmph, you certainly are a stubborn one.”

Yamiru Suun sent a bewitching smile back at Ai Fa, showing no signs of flinching in the least.

“Well, so be it. I simply stated my own thoughts just now, so I’ll return home and discuss this matter with our clan head. I’ll come again tomorrow at the same time to hear your reply. Decide on your answer by then.”

“Today or tomorrow, our answer won’t change. And if you don’t like that, you can act however you please.”

“I understand your feelings full well, Ai Fa. But after this, talk with the Ruu, Rutim, and Asuta. Well then, I will see you again tomorrow...” Yamiru Suun stated, nodding to Tei Suun at her side.

Finally, Tei Suun, who hadn’t said a single word this entire time, gave us a nod with his utterly emotionless eyes and then followed after his mistress.

After that, the remnants of the nightmare they brought dispersed, leaving behind only silence.

“We’ll have to discuss this with my father...” Vina Ruu finally muttered along with a sigh. “Just what is that woman plotting...? It just looked like she was nitpicking faults and sowing confusion, but...”

“Yeah, what was with her? I felt like I was getting seriously swindled or something.”

I couldn’t imagine that all of her words and actions had been thought up on the spot. She had seen through everything far too well for that. She even seemed to have a firm grasp on things that Mida and Tei Suun shouldn’t have known from the day before last.

There was no doubt that woman was plotting something, simply using Mida Suun’s fixation on my cooking as an excuse.

“What are you thinking about, Asuta...?” Ai Fa called out in a low voice.

When I turned, I found her staring straight at me, the embers of her fierce emotions still smoldering in her eyes.

“There’s nothing for you to worry yourself over. Just carry out your own work, and ignore the Suun clan’s nonsense.”

“Yeah, but...”

“No buts. I will never allow you to man the Suun clan’s stove,” Ai Fa stated with some anger in her voice, then returned to the shadow of the trees, where she had been before.

When I glanced over at the giba burger stall, I saw Sheera and Lala Ruu staring our way with seriously concerned looks. And so, I gave them a nod to say everything was alright before turning towards Vina Ruu.

“Vina Ruu, what was with that smell just now?”

“Smell...? What about the smell...?”

“Huh? Wasn’t there a strange scent floating in the air that whole time?”

Vina Ruu shook her head.

“The myamuu smell was too strong, so I didn’t notice anything...”

Really?

Well, I did have a better sense of smell than most, so maybe it was actually subtle enough that only I could pick up on it. But even so, that wasn’t enough to erase my suspicion.

I wanted to ask more about the Suun clan and Yamiru Suun in particular, but a customer from Jagar then popped up all of a sudden.

“Hey, are you alright? There’s a sort of dangerous feel in the air somehow, isn’t there?”

“Ah, sorry. It’s nothing all that serious.”

“Really? It sure didn’t look that way... Hey, don’t go causing any weird incidents and getting kicked out of town, alright? I can’t stand the thought of losing the chance to eat your cooking, since that’s always the bright spot of my day.”

“I’m incredibly honored to hear you say that... Will just one be fine for today?”

“Hmm? No, I’ll take three. Hey, it’s fine now!”

With that, another two men from Jagar shuffled over our way.

Had they been waiting for Yamiru and Tei Suun to leave? It looked like there were customers from Jagar and Sym approaching the giba burger stall now, too.

I guess it’s pretty hard to approach when there are people of the forest’s edge around giving off such a dangerous feeling...

In all likelihood, this was a critical moment.

With this, the Suun clan had finally started openly meddling in my affairs.

Even if Yamiru Suun’s sickening story from before was all a bluff, it was still inevitable that the very act of Mida Suun coming uninvited to the stall without a coin to his name would lead to a huge commotion. And if that led to some kind of big incident, I was going to get exiled from the post town for sure.

The very thought of manning the Suun stove was enough to make my hair stand on end, but that didn’t mean it was necessarily a good idea to just flat out reject them. If we didn’t think this over and deal with it properly, it could mean the end of this shop even though it was well on track.

With things as they are now, we can’t rely on Kamyua Yoshu... I guess we’ve just got to consult with Donda Ruu and Gazraan Rutim.

Plus, it would be essential to convince Ai Fa.

Sensing that may actually be the greatest hurdle here, I gave a little sigh.

And as I was sighing, I noticed for the first time that there was some sort of violent emotion swirling around in my gut.

I couldn’t help but feel shocked and wonder what this powerful feeling inside me was.

“I hate them...” I seemed to sense someone chanting inside.

But I naturally didn’t have some other personality hiding within, so that chant had to be coming from me.

“Who do I hate, though?” I asked myself.

“Anyone who gets in my way,” the other me responded.

Was I really that short-tempered of a person? I mean, this wasn’t the first time a member of the Suun clan had gone and done something awful, right?

So what was I so worked up about?

I mean... That was pretty much their way of doing things, right...?

Their?

By that I meant... Those guys who used such awful tactics to interfere with my old man’s business, maybe?

When my old man wouldn’t listen to them, they hit him with a truck, then finally were without a doubt the ones who set fire to the shop... Was I overlapping those cruel bastards with the Suun clan in my head?

I’ve got to calm down, here. They may think the same way, being scum who make a mess of someone else’s business, caring about nothing but themselves... But it’s not like the situations are all that close, right?

I gave a big sigh and swallowed down the powerful emotions that had been steadily creeping up.

I won’t just do what the Suun clan says, of course... But it’s easy to lose a winning fight when you let the blood rush to your head. So I’ve got to start by calming myself.

When I came back to my senses, I realized Vina Ruu was staring at me with a vacant gaze.

“What is it?” I asked, shaking my head.

“Asuta... So you can get that look in your eyes too, huh...? You almost looked like my father or Ai Fa there...”

“Huh? That’s a big problem! I can’t handle customers looking like that!”

With that, I gave myself a firm slap on the cheeks.

And man did it hurt.

“...Let’s focus on work. Could you switch with Sheera Ruu again? And make sure Lala Ruu properly understands how to put together the giba burgers, alright?”

“Yeah...” Vina Ruu replied, falling back despite looking reluctant to do so.

First off, we had to handle the job in front of us now. Worrying about stuff would have to wait till after that.

Now that I noticed, the sun was already just about at its peak, and we still had plenty of food left.

And so, I had no choice but to store away all my worries deep in my chest and work as hard as I could.

3

No further disasters came our way after that, and we were able to safely finish our business for the day.

A number of customers from the west came bit by bit, and we ended up holding out till the very end, selling 141 meals in total.

On our sixth day of business, we had at last hit the limit for our customer traffic. It was unclear if we would have to adjust our numbers from here on out, but we still were approaching my goal at a far quicker pace than I had ever expected.

I wanted giba meat to be seen as valuable enough to be worth paying coins for it, and I wanted to bring prosperity to the forest’s edge. In order to see those objectives met, we had taken on this reckless challenge.

I definitely didn’t want to let anyone get in my way.

And so for that reason, we decided to visit the Ruu settlement.

“I never figured the Suun clan would propose something that absurd...” Donda Ruu grumbled, holding a container of fruit wine in one hand.

It was past dinner in the Ruu house. The only ones left in the main hall illuminated by animal fat candles were the four men of the main Ruu house, Mia Lea and Vina Ruu, me and Ai Fa, and Gazraan Rutim, who had hurried over from the Rutim settlement.

“The stove for the clan head meeting, is it? If it weren’t for the fact that the Suun clan will be running it, that would be no worry at all. It certainly is troublesome when you can’t tell what your foe is after, isn’t it?” Gazraan Rutim, who we were seeing for the first time in around ten days, muttered.

Apparently, Dan Rutim was indifferent to the matter of our shop in the post town, so he entrusted everything to his extremely calm and composed heir.

“Sorry, but what exactly is that clan head meeting thing anyway? It’s some big gathering held once a year, right?”

“Yes. Once a year, the clan heads all gather in the Suun settlement to report on their circumstances. After all, the settlement is vast, so it would be impossible to know how each clan was doing otherwise.”

That clan head meeting was on the tenth day of the blue month... Eight days from now. Maybe that was why Ai Fa had reacted to the mention of the blue month this morning.

“The meeting itself is held in the early afternoon, and after that there is a modest dinner for everyone. Then after staying the night in the Suun settlement, everyone returns home at daybreak... But the Suun clan requested that Asuta man the stove for that dinner, right?”

“Hmm, but what’s the deal, here? The thing with Mida Suun is probably just an excuse, and they have some other plot... But just what point is there to summoning me to the Suun house?”

“I do not know. Rather, don’t you have any thoughts on that matter, Asuta?” Gazraan Rutim gently replied, and I gave a little nod back.

“The thing is, that Yamiru Suun woman seemed to be aware of how much profit our stalls were pulling in. I figure that means the information is probably leaking through the currency exchange.”

“The currency exchange?”

“Yeah. It’s obvious the Ruu and Rutim don’t, but I can’t imagine the Suun clan really intermingling with the townsfolk, either. But the currency exchange operates in the post town under the lord’s orders, so I think it would be pretty plausible for them to be leaking information to the Suun clan.”

I used their services every day, so the person running the place should have a good grasp on how my business was going. And since there were ties between the Suun clan as the leaders of the forest’s edge and the lord of Genos, they could certainly get information through that route.

“The Suun clan is already aware of the amount my business is making. And so, I think that may be tied to the main cause here... What do you think?”

“That may be exactly right... Actually, that may even be the most natural thought here. The head of the Suun clan and the leader of the forest’s edge, Zuuro Suun, surely has his eyes on the fortune you’ve amassed, Asuta,” Gazraan Rutim stated.

Hearing that, Ludo Ruu shouted, “That’s ridiculous! Still, it does sound just like the Suun clan. They probably just want to live their lives buried in coins.”

“That’s true. I had thought that we would need to come up with a plan so that the Suun clan couldn’t monopolize any fortune made from selling meat once such a thing is possible, but before that, the profits from Asuta’s shop alone proved enough to tempt Zuuro Suun.”

“But how does them wanting me to man their stove tie into things? Do they want to try to steal my cooking techniques?”

I wasn’t even trying to hide those in the first place, though.

But Gazraan Rutim just slowly shook his head.

“The Suun clan head has fallen to the depths of depravity, so he wouldn’t be thinking of such roundabout methods. Zuuro Suun most likely wants to get ahold of you directly... It’s possible he’s plotting to invite you to marry into his clan, isn’t it?”

“Marry... You mean with that Yamiru Suun woman?”

Just imagining it was enough to cause a chill to run down my spine.

Well, even if we weren’t talking about that creepy woman, I just wasn’t planning on marrying anyone right now.

“Still, isn’t that a bit hasty, having a foreigner like me marry into their clan for a reason like that?”

“That was just one example. However, I’m certain that he wishes to get ahold of you. That’s the sort of man that Zuuro Suun is.”

This time, it was Donda Ruu’s turn to mutter “Ridiculous...” in response. “It’s so stupid I can’t even laugh at it. I mean, this pale foreigner, marrying into the clan that leads our people?”

His tone was quiet, but there were powerful emotions burning in his eyes.

It seemed like Donda Ruu had even more trouble restraining his emotions than usual when it came to the Suun clan.

“So... What do you intend on doing, kid?”

“Th-The idea of marrying into the Suun clan is nuts. To start with, even the idea of manning their stove is totally crazy... But if Mida Suun came to the post town and ran wild, there’s a high risk that I’ll be exiled from there.”

“Why’s that? That’d be Mida Suun’s crime, not yours, Asuta.”

“Yeah. But when I didn’t prepare enough food and some customers from Sym and Jagar started getting into a quarrel, I almost got thrown out of town. The guards who protect order about town, plus Milano Mas who runs the area with the stalls, seem to think just me being there is unpleasant.”

“Is that the law of the city...?”

“More than that, it may just be their personal feelings.”

“Huh, those city folk are more ridiculous than I thought. So they value their feelings more than the law?” Ludo Ruu questioned, sounding amused, only for his father to shoot him an annoyed glare.

“Ludo, are you in any position to talk all high and mighty? Are you saying you respect each and every law of the forest’s edge?”

“I follow all the important ones, right?” Ludo Ruu childishly snapped back.

As I watched that exchange out of the corner of my eye, I decided to keep talking.

“Also, like I mentioned before, back when there was that incident with Doddo Suun, the guards listened more to his excuses than anything Ai Fa and I had to say. Considering all that, it’s certainly possible that Mida Suun going wild could lead to the worst case scenario where only I face punishment for it. That Yamiru Suun woman could be keeping all that in mind when plotting to set Mida Suun loose on me.”

To be honest, that was more just what I wanted to believe rather than proper speculation.

The thought that they really had Mida Suun in chains, and wouldn’t mind if the guards killed him... I didn’t want to believe it could be true.

If they had tossed aside not only their pride as people of the forest’s edge but even their affection towards family, then they were just way too irredeemable.

“Hmm... But Ai Fa, you don’t want Asuta going anywhere near the Suun clan, correct?”

For the first time, the conversation was thrown Ai Fa’s way.

However, though there was a restless shine in her eyes, she didn’t respond. Ever since our encounter with Yamiru Suun, Ai Fa seemed to be in a bad mood.

“I can certainly understand those feelings. Since it’s the clan head meeting, you yourself can’t constantly stay by Asuta’s side. And also... the clans under the Suun will be attending too. In a manner of speaking, they may be even more dangerous... But Asuta, you intend to keep on operating your business in the post town, don’t you?”

“Yes. Things are going far better than expected, so I intend to keep on striving my hardest until my initial objectives come to fruition.”

“Hmm... In that case, we really do need to plot out how to fully resolve this, don’t we?”

Placing his hand on his sturdy chin, Gazraan Rutim sunk deep into thought.

As I stared at him from the side, Ludo Ruu made another hawkish statement.

“Hey, why not just flatly turn down their offer? Then if that lump of flesh comes after you, we can just strike him down, right? It’d be a bit of a hassle to handle without a blade, but I and at least one other man could beat him down.”

“But in that case, we would need to wait for Mida Suun to act violently. We would be at fault if we did anything before they made a move, and if we’re seen as acting maliciously... Even if we manage to get rid of Mida Suun, Asuta may still be driven from town,” Gazraan Rutim stated, getting all depressed by his own thoughts, but he continued on with his extremely logical statement. “Also, it would be difficult to have two men stay by Asuta’s side, since we have no idea when Mida Suun may appear. They wouldn’t be able to carry out their work as hunters like that.”

“Geez, what a pain. What should we do, then?”

“Well... I suppose there’s no choice but to agree for now to man the banquet.”

When Gazraan Rutim said that, Ai Fa’s eyelids started twitching.

“But it would be too dangerous to have Asuta handle it alone. I don’t know what they may be planning, but regardless, it will be essential for us to come up with a method to protect him.”

“Hmm? Well, it’s the clan head meeting, so dad and Dan Rutim will be there, plus the men accompanying them. But they can’t protect Asuta if they’re not allowed in the kitchen, right?”

“Yes. That is women’s work, after all,” Gazraan Rutim stated, looking over at Donda and Mia Lea Ruu.

“Women of the Ruu and Rutim will accompany Asuta... How about making that one of the conditions for accepting the job?”

“Hmm? You’re saying we’ll be taking charge of the stove for the clan head meeting alongside Asuta?” Mia Lea Ruu questioned, not looking the least bit shaken.

Donda Ruu, meanwhile, shot Gazraan Rutim a probing gaze.

“Asuta’s cooking is special. And also, there will be 80 people gathering for the clan head meeting. We’ll insist that the women of the Ruu and Rutim are necessary to prepare such a vast amount of food, since they’re already familiar with the techniques... Then insist that the women of the Suun clan assist, and pound the cooking methods into them, whether they want to learn or not.”

“I see. That way they would be able to satisfy Mida Suun even without me around, right?”

“Yes. And to go a step further, if he learns that the Ruu and Rutim already know those techniques too, Zuuro Suun may become less fixated on you in particular.”

That sounded like a pretty effective method to me.

“Your words are quite complex, Gazraan Rutim. But... if we’re talking about helping Asuta, then I have no objections,” Mia Lea Ruu said with a smile. Her smile really did look just like the ones Ludo and Lala Ruu made.

I chewed on that rather out of place thought for a bit, that they really were mother and children despite the fact that their faces weren’t all that similar.

“And if we’re going to be spanking the rears of those Suun women, then all the better. The blame for a house falling to corruption falls on more than just the men. I’ll leave it to you all to take the men to task, but I’ll gladly take charge of handling the women.”

“Hey. Are you planning on ditching your duty of keeping the house together, and run off to the Suun settlement of all places?” Donda Ruu grumbled, sounding disgruntled.

“That’s not a problem, is it?” Mia Lea Ruu replied with a smile. “There won’t be many folks left in the house, anyway. If we just leave Tito Min and Rimee behind, they should be able to handle the housework... Now that I think of it, who are you planning on bringing to accompany you on that day?”

“Hmm... Actually, I was thinking of taking Darmu,” Donda Ruu said, looking at his second son.

The bandages were now mostly removed from his head, but he still had them all wrapped around the middle of his face.

“It’s eight days till the clan head meeting, is it? Well, I suppose we’ll have to see how much his wounds can heal by then.”

“If Darmu can’t do it, then it’ll be me, right?” Ludo Ruu happily chimed in.

As I pondered to myself if that meant Jiza Ruu wouldn’t be called upon, I spied a slightly regretful look in Gazraan Rutim’s eyes.

“On the night of the clan head meeting, the custom is for we heirs to look after our houses. That isn’t necessarily true for small clans with few men, but the Ruu and Rutim must abide by that custom. For the Rutim, I believe the second son of the house will be accompanying our clan head.”

“I see... So if the clan heads and the men accompanying them add up to 80, that means there are only 40 clan heads in total, right? Isn’t that a pretty small number, seeing how there are around 500 people of the forest’s edge?”

“Only the heads of the main houses attend the meeting. The branch families aren’t included.”

Now that I thought about it, I recalled the second Rutim son was already married and had a child, and was in charge of his own branch family.

But at any rate, the Fa clan didn’t have any branch families or anything, so Ai Fa participated all on her own last year, huh? On top of that, it was held at the home of the Suun clan, who she had bad blood with, and she couldn’t rely on anyone to help her.

Man, just how tough was my clan head?

“Darmu,” Donda Ruu called out, staring at his second son with an intense gaze. “That kid gets worked up too easily, so I’d feel uneasy bringing him. Heal up your wounds enough to move about properly in the next eight days.”

“Understood,” Darmu Ruu replied with a nod, while Ludo Ruu puffed up his cheeks and said, “Geez...”

“In that case, Jiza, Ludo, Jiba, and Sati Lea will remain at the house. Tito Min and Rimee should be able to manage the stove. I’ll take Vina, Reina, and Lala along with me to help Asuta with his work. And we should have no problem borrowing two or three women from the branch families, right?”

“We’ll also offer a number from the Rutim, so that should make for 10 women or so in total. If that many are always by Asuta’s side, I believe that should prevent any Suun plots in their house’s kitchen... What do you think?”

That last question was directed towards me and Ai Fa.

In the end, the two of us would be the ones to make the decision.

Would we accept this suspicious job from the Suun clan, or no? If we accepted, the Ruu and Rutim were saying they would lend us this much of their strength...

They had realized this job would have a large impact not just on my work in the post town but the very future of the forest’s edge, so they had promised their assistance before we could even ask them for it.

Ai Fa... was biting her lip and looking a bit pained.

“So... We have no choice but to accept the Suun clan’s request after all?”

“Yes. I believe it’s far safer trying to protect Asuta in the kitchen than to do so in the post town. Even if we deal with Mida Suun, there will always be a reason for concern as long as Zuuro Suun remains fixated on Asuta.”

Gazraan Rutim stared straight at Ai Fa’s distressed profile.

“And also, now that things have come this far, we should let all the clans know through the clan head meeting just what the Fa clan is thinking by opening a shop in the post town. And we should additionally inform them of the importance of bloodletting and proper dissection techniques.”

“Huh? We’re going to reveal that this early on,” I questioned, only for Gazraan Rutim to give a big nod back.

“There’s no helping it now that we’ve come to this point. All of our people should know the truth, that interfering with your business is obstructing the prosperity of the forest’s edge. And the fact that there will be an even greater fortune to be made once giba meat has value may also distract Zuuro Suun from focusing directly on you.”

With that, Gazraan Rutim suddenly broke out in a smile.

“After discussing that matter at the clan head meeting, they’ll all be eating your cooking. After that, our points will seem all the stronger, wouldn’t you say? I can already imagine them thinking that they could even see townsfolk wanting giba meat if it can be used in such delicious cooking.”

Gazraan Rutim may just have been intending to seize the initiative and use this dilemma to in turn guide the future of the forest’s edge.

They say offense is the greatest defense... But still, it was almost frightening how decisive he could be.

“But ultimately, that’s nothing but the path that I personally believe is best. Donda Ruu seems to have his own thoughts on the matter, and the final decision still falls to you and Ai Fa.”

“Hmph... It’s not like I’m lending you aid because I’ve been fooled by your smooth talking or anything. I’m just agreeing to loan you our women in exchange for a fair price,” Donda Ruu bluntly stated. “If you want them to help out with manning the stove for the clan head meeting, then I expect you to pay appropriately. That’s all I wanted to say.”

“Oh, you’re so stubborn, dear,” Mia Lea Ruu said with a sigh of exhaustion.

“So naggy...” Donda Ruu muttered, facing the other way.

It was then that Ai Fa glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and I gave a big nod back.

“Just the thought of manning the Suun stove makes me shudder. It’s a bit different when it comes to the clan head meeting, though. And if folks from the Ruu and Rutim will be with me, and we can straighten out the Suun clan’s crookedness even a little... Then I guess I have no serious objections.”

Ai Fa remained silent.

“At any rate, I can’t stand the thought of the Suun clan interfering with my business. If I failed due to my own lack of skill that would be one thing, but if the Suun clan got in my way out of nothing but their selfish desires... At the very least, that’s one thought I just can’t stand.”

I could feel the violent emotions in my gut wriggling about. But I desperately held them back, and stared into Ai Fa’s eyes.

“...I see,” Ai Fa replied, casting her gaze towards the floor. “I find it greatly troubling to go so far in borrowing the strength of the Ruu and Rutim, who we have no relation to, but—”

“Don’t act like such a stranger! You all saved Jiba’s soul, taught us how to make delicious food, and provided such a wonderful meal for the Rutim banquet, didn’t you? I consider you and Asuta precious friends, Ai Fa,” Mia Lea Ruu loudly proclaimed with a smile. “Plus, if we leave the Suun clan be and they wreck Asuta’s shop, Vina and Lala will be out of a job too, right? In that case, this is also important for the sake of protecting the Ruu clan’s wealth. And so, there’s no need for you to hold back. In fact, if you do, it could lead to our harm. Please keep that firmly in mind as you decide on the path you believe to be the right one.”

“In that case... Will you lend us your strength?”

Ai Fa placed her right fist on the floor and stared up intently at Mia Lea Ruu.

“Since we’re talking about the clan head meeting, I also won’t be able to go near the kitchen... During that time, will you protect this member of my house?”

“We will. No matter what, we won’t allow the Suun clan to pull anything.”

Vina Ruu, who was seated next to her mother, also nodded along with a serious expression on her face.

Ai Fa was silent for a moment... But then she bowed her head.

“In that case, I... I agree with Gazraan Rutim’s opinion.”

In all likelihood, Ai Fa was against the idea of trusting our fates to anyone else, even a little. That must have been why her face looked so pained.

But we never would have been able to open a shop in the post town by our power alone in the first place. If she couldn’t stand that, we would have just stayed on our own, living modest lives in the Fa house all on our own.

And yet, we opened the shop in the post town in the hopes of bettering the future for the people of the forest’s edge... Unless we were planning on trudging our way backwards along that path, then I believed it was important we join our strengths together with the Ruu and Rutim in order to keep moving forward.

That was how I had planned to convince Ai Fa, but apparently while deeply worrying over the matter, she had reached the same conclusion I had all on her own.

Though nobody noticed it, that thought secretly filled me with joy.

“Then it’s decided... Well then, let’s save working out all the details for tomorrow morning. I’m going to sleep,” Donda Ruu solemnly stated, his words signaling the end of this secret discussion between three clans.

The members of the Ruu house all returned to their rooms, while we three guests headed towards the door. Just like before the wedding, the plan was for Gazraan Rutim to stay with one of the branch families, while Ai Fa and I were to spend the night in the vacant house.

Gazraan Rutim stepped outside a bit before us, while I waited for Ai Fa to put on her footwear with just one hand. As that was going on, Mia Lea Ruu approached.

“Excuse me, Ai Fa. I was just wondering, could we have you stay here in the Ruu settlement until the day of the clan head meeting?”

“Why...?”

“Naturally, because we’ll need to meet a number of times beforehand, and also because we will need to get in a good bit of practice making the food we’ll be serving at the clan head meeting. So wouldn’t it just be more convenient if you were to wake up here at the Ruu settlement?”

“But...”

“You can just bring all the meat and vegetables from the Fa house here. That way, you won’t need to keep returning there, right? And also... You don’t need to worry about Darmu and Reina. The pain they feel in their hearts will be the same whether you and Asuta are here or not.”

“M-Mia Lea Ruu, what are you...?” I started to question in a fluster, but she just shot back a complacent smile.

I’d use that same word to describe Kamyua Yoshu’s smiles, but unlike with him, her smile was overflowing with warmth.

“I can at least tell how my own son and daughter feel. And those kids in particular are just like me and our clan head when we were young. Jiza and Vina can be a bit tricky sometimes, though... At any rate, we want to be fully prepared when dealing with that troublesome Suun clan, don’t we? So I can count on you, right?”

Then, Mia Lea Ruu returned to her room without even waiting for a response.

Ai Fa and I shared a look, each of our eyes full of complex emotions.

“I somehow feel like I’m seeing the depths of Mia Lea Ruu’s capabilities today...” Ai Fa quietly said with a sigh, then she wrapped on her leather footwear.

When we finally left the house, Gazraan Rutim was still standing there waiting for us.

“Good work today, Ai Fa and Asuta. You have work again tomorrow, but we kept you quite late, didn’t we?”

“Ah, no. We’re just going to sleep after this, so it’s no problem.”

I had already finished the preparations for tomorrow in the Ruu house’s kitchen. In fact, since I was able to leave the dinner to the women of the house, it went even more smoothly than usual. And so, I didn’t foresee staying here having any negative impact on business in the least.

“I hadn’t expected that Zuuro Suun would fix his eyes on you at this point, Asuta... Though I suppose I should say also that I had never anticipated you to be earning so much in such a short period of time, either.”

As we walked together under the moonlight towards our resting places, Gazraan Rutim shot me a gentle smile.

“I thought I had grasped how much strength you possessed, but I’m ashamed at how ignorant I was.”

“It’s not my strength, it’s the strength of the giba meat. And I have to admit that I underestimated it when I started doing business, too.”

“I’m certain when your strength and that of the giba meat are combined, it will bring even greater prosperity here to the forest’s edge... And for that reason as well, we need to keep the Suun clan’s tyranny at bay here and now.”

Gazraan Rutim looked back and forth between me and Ai Fa, a calm yet incredibly strong look in his eyes.

“Once I discuss the matter with my father Dan and Donda Ruu, I believe it will be necessary to explain the circumstances to the other affiliated clans such as the Min, Lea, and Maam, and join our strengths with theirs. Let us overcome this trial by working together, Ai Fa, Asuta.”

“Right. We’re happy to be working with you, too.”

The Suun clan was a threat, but with the Ruu, Rutim, and Ai Fa together, we would never yield to them. That was what I believed.

My personal strength was puny, but if we had them, we would be fine.

And I would carry out my own work, too. I would never let them crush our shop through such unscrupulous means.

As I looked up at the entirely different sea of stars from the one over my old world, I swore that firmly in my heart.

4

“Well then, do we have a deal...?”

It was the following day, the third day of the blue month and our seventh day of business.

Just as promised, Yamiru Suun had returned to the post town, and would leave with a satisfied smile on her face.

“Thanks to this, Mida will be saved. I’ll make sure to tell my younger brothers not to do anything foolish either, so you needn’t worry... Well then, I’ll be looking forward to that day.”

Ultimately, she ended up accepting every single one of our demands.

Yamiru Suun didn’t show even the slightest sign of disapproving the request of having women from the Ruu clan come along to assist me, or to having as many women from the Suun clan assist as possible.

It actually went so smoothly that it ended up feeling eerie, but at the very least, we had cleared away our immediate concerns.

“Alright, let’s put that aside and focus on our work... That nuisance is gone, so shall we finally try selling this?”

Ai Fa retreated to the grove in the rear, while I shot a smile at Vina Ruu as she rotated over to the myamuu giba stall.

“This” had referred to the giba jerky that the people of the forest’s edge ate during the day.

It was a food that prioritized preservation over taste, which made it pretty unpalatable. To be blunt, it just tasted strongly of salt and pico leaves, and was exceptionally tough. I honestly couldn’t even chew through it without letting it soften up in my mouth first.

However, dried meats were already sold to travelers passing through the post town, and I couldn’t say that those were any better. Kimyuus was a bit softer but tasted of nothing but spices, while karon had a taste like high class beef jerky, but it was even tougher than giba meat.

It was possible I would be met with objections, questioning if I was greedily trying to make even more coins on top of what I was getting from selling meals... But if I wasn’t prepared for dealing with a bit of friction, I never would have started this shop to begin with. In order to get the people of the post town to acknowledge the value of giba meat, I would try everything that I could.

By the way, as for the price of the jerky, I saw that karon was notably more expensive than kimyuus, so I set my price with that in mind. The price was roughly 200 grams for three red coins, and the custom seemed to be to sell it in chunks of four or six hundred grams.

Now that I think about it, meat and vegetables sure are cheap. If I treat one red coin as 100 yen, that would make the pseudo-onion aria 20 yen each, the cabbage-esque tino 50 yen, and 100 grams of karon 150 yen... Whereas even a cheap kitchen knife would be 4500 yen, and a pot would be 24000 yen, huh?

It may not have been excessively so, but food still felt awful cheap when compared to leather and cloth goods.

At any rate, jerky took a good bit of effort to make, so it ended up with a fittingly high price. Fresh meat, however, cost way less. According to what Dora told me, even when you were just buying it to use in your own home, 100 grams wouldn’t even cost a full red coin. Kamyua Yoshu had told me before that meat cost more than vegetables, but it was still a whole lot cheaper than it was back where I came from.

That must be why giba didn’t get any attention in terms of meats. In that case, I’d like to at least see giba meat be worth the same amount as karon.

As that thought ran through my head while I shaved off jerky with a knife to serve as samples, a man from Sym wearing a hood quietly approached.

From underneath the hood, I could spy long silver hair.

“Huh? What is it, Shumiral?”

I was certain he had already ordered a giba burger first thing in the morning.

But at any rate, his black eyes were staring straight at my hands.

“Is that jerky, giba meat...?”

“Yeah. I was thinking of selling this from today on, too. If you’d like to try a sample, then go right ahead,” I said, holding out the plate with the shaved off jerky.

Shumiral nodded, then he ate one.

“...How many coins, does it cost?”

“I was thinking of going with the same price as karon jerky. So at this size, it would be six red coins.”

“How much, do you have, now...?”

“Huh? Um, for today I have ten of these chunks prepared.”

Since it was ten chunks of 400 grams, that meant I had around four kilos of meat.

Pretty much only travelers were interested in dried meats to use as rations, so I wasn’t expecting to sell all that much.

I’d like to try out emphasizing taste rather than preservation at some point and make giba bacon...

As that thought ran through my head, Shumiral emotionlessly questioned, “How long, does the jerky, last?”

“If properly stored, it should last for half a year.”

“I see,” Shumiral replied, then he started searching around the inside of his cloak. “I’ll take, all of it.”

“Huh?”

“That will be, six white coins, yes?”

“H-Hold on a second, please! The Silver Vase is staying in the post town for the month, right? So why do you want to buy such a large amount of jerky?” I questioned, completely caught off guard.

“To sell, in another town,” Shumiral replied, tilting his head a bit. “In Genos, food is cheap. We buy food, and sell it, in other towns.”

Resale, huh?

I see. So it wasn’t just products from their homeland, but also local specialties they picked up from the towns and cities along the way that they sold. Thanks to that, they continually keep on doing business.

“Giba meat, is rare. I’m sure, it will sell lots, in other towns. I would like, more jerky.”

“I see... Exactly how much were you thinking you wanted?”

Shumiral’s eyes shot downward a bit as he mulled it over.

“...If it’s possible, I would like, 60 white coins worth.”

60 white coins... From some rough calculations in my head, that meant around 40 kilos.

Still, the Ruu and Rutim had plenty of excess meat even now, so that would be no problem at all.

“In that case, how about I prepare it all for just before The Silver Vase leaves Genos? If I prepare it right before selling it to you, you should get a full half a year out of it.”

Shumiral’s eyes narrowed, and he looked ever so slightly happy.

“That method, is a big help. Thank you.”

“Not at all! I’m the one who should be thanking you! On top of stopping by for a snack each and every day, you also brought this wonderful proposition my way.”

“Our Silver Vase, and you, have formed a very, good bond. I give my thanks, to the eastern god, Sym.”

With that, Shumiral’s gaze shifted to my side.

Meanwhile, Vina Ruu was staring at the highway and feigning ignorance.

“...Asuta, called you, Vina Ruu. Is that, your name?”

“What of it...?” Vina Ruu answered while glaring at Shumiral and looking like she found this a huge pain.

Shumiral then shook his head, his face remaining utterly expressionless.

“No, I just thought, it was a beautiful name. Well then, excuse me...” Shumiral said, then he raised his hood again and departed.

Vina Ruu haughtily crossed her arms, and I gave a small sigh.

“Hmm, he seemed kind of pained, somehow... Still, he’s seriously becoming an important person in my life.”

“That may be so for you, but it isn’t for me. I told you I just don’t like people whose emotions I can’t read, didn’t I...?”

“Is that so? I feel like it’s a bit of a shame to go and treat him like someone as sketchy as Kamyua Yoshu, though.”

“Yes, he’s completely different, but I still really do find people like you who can’t hide their emotions at all to be far more charming...”

As we had that conversation, Vina Ruu stole a bit of a worried glance behind us.

As always, Ai Fa was still resting in the shadow of a tree about five meters back.

She really didn’t seem to have any energy at all right now.

“That’s why I have a bit of difficulty dealing with people who hide their hearts away like Ai Fa...”

“Hmm... But doesn’t it make you really happy when a person like that occasionally lets their earnest emotions slip through?”

“Is that why you find a woman like Ai Fa so charming...?”

“Th-That’s not what I meant.”

While we enjoyed that peaceful exchange, the number of people passing by had steadily increased.

Just as I was thinking the back half of our fight was kicking off, I spied two familiar faces approaching.

“Asuta, two please!”

“Could I get two, Asuta?”

It was Tara and Yumi, and they had ordered in perfect sync.

The yellowish-brown skinned young woman and ivory-white skinned girl stared straight at each other, with a height difference of about two heads between them.

“Ah! You’re that kid from back then!” Yumi yelled out, and Tara just looked shocked.

“When does ‘back then’ mean?”

“Ah, so you don’t remember? Well, whatever... Still, you seem awful friendly with Asuta.”

“Yeah! I owe him my life!”

That was definitely an exaggeration, but thinking about it, I met Tara during that time with Doddo Suun and Yumi when Mida Suun suddenly showed up. As I pondered how strange fate could be, I set the brazier in place and started sauteing aria.

“Hmm, you’ve sure got some skills, to get even a pureblooded child of Genos as a customer. And then you even sold giba burgers to some old drunks before, didn’t you?”

That second “you” naturally referred to Vina Ruu.

Hearing that, Vina Ruu gracefully shrugged her shoulders.

“I honestly do think it’s a big deal. I mean, your stalls are all the way out here, but you’re earning more than anyone, aren’t you? And there are even a good number of folks from the west coming now too, right?”

“Yes, fortunately. Two of your friends were actually here a little while ago and made a purchase.”

“Hehe. That’s because I’ve been spreading the word all over. I’d bet a ton of young folks have heard of your reputation and stopped in by now, haven’t they?” Yumi proudly boasted.

“I told lots of my friends, too!” Tara loudly chimed in.

Immediately afterwards, though, she looked dejected.

“But they all said they were scared of giba and they wouldn’t come... And that their moms and dads would scold them if they did...”

“There’s no helping that. Folks who have lived in Genos for a long time probably have no interest in eating giba. I figure the only way to deal with that is to just give it time, right?” I said, trying to console Tara as the giba meat cooked.

“Hey, she’s a customer too, isn’t she?! That’s no fair, just acting all polite with me.”

“Huh? Well, there’s the age difference to consider... Ah, and I met Tara before opening the shop. Right, Tara?”

“Yeah!” Tara replied, looking happy again as she gave a big nod.

“Grr, I’m still not happy about it...” Yumi grumbled with a disgruntled look about her. “By the way... How many days have you been running this stall for now?”

“Eh? The neighboring one has been open for seven days now, while it’s been three for this one.”

“I see. Well then, what are you planning on doing next? You’re not just planning on closing up shop after ten days, are you?”

While thinking to myself that she sure was knowledgeable about how the stalls worked, I replied, “I’m not,” with a nod. “At this point, I was thinking I’d like to keep on doing business for as long as I’m able.”

“Well then, how about signing your next contract with our place?”

“Huh?”

“You see, my family actually runs an inn called The Westerly Wind, and we’re also involved with managing the stalls. And my old man may be a real hardhead, but my mom already knows how delicious giba meat is. I’m sure we’d treat you like a normal business partner.”

This was seriously an unexpected proposal.

“The oldtimer who runs The Kimyuus’s Tail has some sort of grudge against the people of the forest’s edge and treats you badly, doesn’t he? And you probably want to keep doing business under more pleasant circumstances, right?”

“H-Hold on a second, please. Milano Mas, the owner of The Kimyuus’s Tail, has a grudge against the people of the forest’s edge?”

“Yeah, though I don’t really know the details. I think his family member or friend or something was killed by a member of the forest’s edge... But in the end there wasn’t any proof, so things were left all unsettled.”

There was an ever so slightly turbulent shine in Yumi’s eyes.

“Incidents like that happen a lot, so nobody trusts the people of the forest’s edge. I mean, if I hadn’t seen that exchange between you and that monster, I probably never would’ve gotten so close to you... But like you said, that’s something that’ll take some time.”

“Right... That really is how it feels.”

I went ahead and prepared the four myamuu giba, holding back a sigh all the while.

“In regards to the contract, I’d like to talk to Milano Mas first. But I personally don’t feel a need to distance myself from him or anything, so I’d like to respect his feelings here. Is that alright?”

“Yeah, of course. Just go ahead and handle it how you want. As long as I still get to eat your delicious cooking, then I have no problems,” Yumi said, once more sporting an innocent-looking smile as she accepted her myamuu giba.

Tara let out an excited, “Yay!” too. Then, when she took off running towards the myamuu giba stall, Yumi’s eyes opened wide.

“Huh? You’re planning on buying even more?”

“Yeah! The myamuu giba are for the men from the cloth and pot stores! But me and my dad are having giba burgers!”

“Hmm... You sure are a hard worker, considering how tiny you are.”

After saying that, Yumi seemed to wait for Tara to finish her shopping for some reason, then they headed back south together.

Their skins were different tones, and yet they still somehow looked like sisters. As I saw the two of them off, I thought in the back of my head about how there were just three days left in my initial ten days.

I had initially thought I’d be plenty satisfied if I could sell somewhere between 20 and 30 meals a day, but it had gone so well that we ended up adding a second cart and selling nearly 150 a day.

We had warded off the threat of the Suun clan for the time being, so for now, I just needed to focus on the shop.

There were seven days left until the clan head meeting. If this shop kept on pulling in results till then, then that should make it easier to show the possibility of a bright future for the forest’s edge at the meeting.

I won’t let things go how the Suun clan wants, no matter what.

With that thought firmly in my heart, I pulled up the leather bag full of giba meat.

5

By the end of that day, we had sold 145 meals in total.

If we had stayed around for another half hour or so, we probably could have sold the remaining five. But I couldn’t make light of my agreement with the Ruu clan, so when it was halfway between when the sun hit its peak and sunset, we promptly started preparing to head back.

Incidentally, we ended up selling just 800 grams of the jerky. That only amounted to 12 red coins in earnings, but it only needed salt and meat to make. And so, even without the agreement with The Silver Vase, it still had the potential to be a significant addition to our arsenal.

But at any rate, our business day wrapped up without incident.

I had wanted to talk to Milano Mas about my coming contract, but he was holed up in the kitchen while the only one at the desk was his daughter, who was terrified of the people of the forest’s edge. And so, I decided to put that off till later.

Kamyua Yoshu wasn’t around either, so for both yesterday and today, I had only seen his apprentice, Leito. Somehow, it felt like my relationship with him was weakening just as I was seeing more and more of the Suun clan.

Was he purposefully avoiding us, taking Donda Ruu’s words to heart? Maybe he had some other reason in mind? Or perhaps it was just down to fate? I was no god, so I couldn’t even begin to guess.

Well, I guess it’s better than him indiscriminately poking his nose into my affairs.

When this thought cropped up, while the trio of myself, Ai Fa, and Vina Ruu were starting to head on back, it put most of my concerns about him to rest.

To start with, we had to stop by the Fa house to grab what we needed. What that meant was: all of the ingredients sleeping away in our pantry, everyday goods like clothing, whetstones, and leather straps, plus the money we had made up till now.

By this point, we had already earned more than 60 white coins. Once we finally hit 100 white coins, we would be able to exchange that for a silver. But until then, we would have to either store away the coins we had or walk around with them.

“We’re saying farewell to this house for seven days...” Ai Fa muttered emotionlessly while staring at the now empty pantry.

This was my second time being away from home for an extended period of time, but naturally, this was going to be a fresh experience for Ai Fa.

We shoved as much as possible into the pot, and then whatever didn’t fit, Ai Fa dragged along on the pulling board. And with that, feeling a bit like we were moving houses, we headed for the Ruu settlement.

“Ah, welcome home!”

After we handed over our blades we headed towards the kitchen, where we found Rimee and Reina Ruu preparing dinner.

“Ehehe. You’re really living at the Ruu settlement, right?!” Rimee Ruu said with a smile directed at me and Ai Fa. She hadn’t gotten much of a chance to hear what was going on yesterday.

“Yeah. We’ll be counting on your kindness for the seven days till the clan head meeting. Are you making hamburgers tonight...?”

“Yup! The two of us have gotten really good at making them! They’re really tasty, so look forward to it!”

Rimee Ruu’s smile was just so bright that I couldn’t help but grin back without even thinking.

After a bit of hesitation, Reina Ruu also looked up from dicing aria and smiled too.

“Welcome to the Ruu house. Will you be working here too, Asuta?”

“Yeah. I’ll be borrowing one of your corners for that,” I replied as I spread out a large amount of meat, vegetables, and fruit wine atop my work station.

My initial plan had been to start purchasing meat from the Ruu clan today, but considering the circumstances, I would instead use up the Fa house’s meat first.

But I was using up over 27 kilos a day, so I should run out by the day after tomorrow. Then, I would buy meat from the Ruu until Ai Fa’s wounds healed.

“Now then...” I started, lifting up my kitchen knife, only for Ai Fa to call out, “Asuta, I’m a bit tired. I believe after I talk to Granny Jiba a bit, I’ll rest in the vacant house until dinner.”

“Got it. Are you alright? Your fever hasn’t come back or anything, right?”

“I’m fine.”

Vina Ruu had already headed back to the house, so that just left me, Rimee, and Reina Ruu. The one other person manning the kitchen, Granny Tito Min, was outside baking poitan.

There was still around an hour and a half till sunset. It was pretty hectic last night in the Ruu house, so I hadn’t been able to finish off my work, but normally I wouldn’t be able to finish before dinner if I started this late anyway. In all likelihood, I’d have to borrow their kitchen for a bit after dinner, too.

Making the patties took the most amount of time, so I was dicing up aria for now for those.

“Ai Fa seemed really down, somehow. Does her arm hurt a lot after all?” Rimee Ruu muttered worriedly as I added the diced aria to the pot and started sauteing.

“I’m not sure. It’s already the third day, so I wouldn’t think it’d hurt that badly anymore. But I’ve never dislocated anything, so I honestly don’t know.”

“Is there going to be a meeting after dinner again tonight...?”

“No, I don’t think there’s anything new that needs discussing today. Ah, were the Rutim informed about how today’s meeting went with Yamiru Suun too?”

“Yeah. Ama Min Rutim was still in the kitchen when Lala and Vina returned, so I think she got told then.”

“Ooh, so she’s still studying cooking here?” I replied, turning to Reina Ruu. To my surprise, though, she had a big grin on her face. “W-What’s up? Did something happen with Ama Min Rutim?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” she questioned with a tilt of her head, but the smile remained plastered on her face. She seriously looked overjoyed.

“Reina, why are you all smiley?” Rimee Ruu questioned, finally addressing the elephant in the room.

Instantly, that smile disappeared and she went beet red.

“I-I was smiling? Sorry, it’s nothing... I was just glad I got to talk to you for the first time in a while, Asuta...”

She said “a while,” but it had only been three days or so.

And when we had parted ways three days ago I had caught a glimpse of her usual innocent self, but with that smile now... She looked earnestly happy, from the depths of her heart.

“Plus, our mother told me all about the clan head meeting. I’m truly glad to have the chance to help you with your work.”

“You’re so lucky! Why am I not allowed to help out, too?! I wanted to go with all of you...”

“You can’t. There are a lot of violent men in the Suun clan, after all. So you know there’s no way dad would allow it, right?” Reina Ruu’s now serious gaze turned my way. “Asuta, I’ll protect you no matter what. No matter what the Suun clan may be planning, I won’t let them touch so much as a single hair on your head.”

“T-Thanks,” I said, and tried to focus on dicing aria.

Then, Reina Ruu’s expression suddenly shifted again. This time, she looked somehow pained.

“By the way... Just what sort of person is Yamiru Suun of the Suun clan? Vina said she was very suspicious, but also incredibly beautiful...”

“Yamiru Suun? If I had to sum her up in one word, it would be ‘eerie.’ To be perfectly blunt, I find her even creepier than that youngest son of the main Suun house.”

“Really?” Reina Ruu replied, smiling broadly again.

Was I just imagining things, or were her emotions swinging all over the place? And right when Ai Fa left, too...

It hurt before when she was hiding her emotions away too, but still... She sure is a girl of extremes, huh?

Well, I suppose she just had to slowly course correct bit by bit.

After that, I enjoyed some idle chatter with the two of them, then when about half of the cut up meat was left to be handled, we hit our time limit.

When we arrived at the main hall of the house where everyone was gathered, we sat in the same spots as the night prior. For tonight’s dinner, we had hamburgers and baked poitan, soup made with aria, chatchi, and giba meat, and my personal contribution, a kilo of myamuu giba meat alongside the leftover tarapa sauce.

There were no issues at all when it came to the taste of the hamburgers or soup. It seemed the skills of the main Ruu house’s women really were steadily improving day by day.

“What, this is all you had leftover today, Asuta?” Ludo Ruu whined while staring at the large plate of meat coated in tarapa sauce.

“Yeah. I suppose it’s about half as much as yesterday? Sorry it’s such a small amount.”

“There won’t even be enough for everyone, will there? What’ll we do?”

“What a noisy child. In that case, why not just eat what you want? You’re the only one who’ll have an issue with that,” Granny Tito Min chided with an amused smile.

There was an undeniable tension in the air during last night’s dinner, but now that Yamiru Suun had accepted all of our demands without a fuss, that had clearly softened.

Though in the first place, none of the men of the family other than Ludo Ruu would ever crack a smile anyway. Jiza Ruu had been especially quiet lately, and he was rather hard to read to begin with, so I couldn’t help but feel concerned on that front.

“Still, the meat that Asuta shared with us is even more delicious when covered in tarapa sauce than normal meat, isn’t it? I think it would be even better if the flavor was just a little weaker, though,” Jiza Ruu’s wife Sati Lea Ruu gently chimed in.

“That’s true. That meat has been soaked in a marinade made of fruit wine and aria mixed with myamuu. I instructed Sheera Ruu on how to make it, but...” I started to say, but then I remembered something that needed to be mentioned sooner than later, so I turned to Mia Lea Ruu. “Sorry, I know we’re in the middle of dinner, but I still have a bit of work left to do afterwards. Would it be alright to discuss something now, Mia Lea Ruu?”

“Huh? What is it?”

“My shop is coming up on ten days of being open for business. Once that happens I was thinking I would like to take a single day off and have a study session on cooking as prep for the clan head meeting. What do you think?”

“Hmm? Do you mean to teach us cooking methods?”

“Yes. The dish that Mida Suun ate from my stall was called myamuu giba, and I would like to have everyone learn how to make it... It’s not an especially difficult recipe, but I don’t have much free time to spare when I’m working, so I was planning on trying to handle everything on that one day.”

“I don’t especially mind. But in that case, all the women who will be coming along to the clan head meeting will need to free up their schedules, won’t they?”

“I’ll have the whole day open, so I don’t mind if it’s done in groups of a few at a time. It’ll be necessary to let the Rutim women know, too.”

Then, I looked over at Donda Ruu, who was heartily devouring his hamburger dunked in soup.

“Also, considering the time and effort involved, I was thinking of splitting the payment equally among everyone helping out. Is that alright?”

“What did you say...?” Donda Ruu grumbled, a look of annoyance in his eyes. “You’re the one who accepted this ridiculous job from the Suun clan, aren’t you?”

“That’s true, but this isn’t like with the Rutim banquet. Plus, the Ruu and Rutim women also have the secret task of protecting me, so I think they should be paid fairly.”

I got no response.

“Also, the job they’ll be openly doing is already going to be plenty intense, don’t you think? Plus, it’ll be necessary to give the Suun women instruction since they won’t be experienced in such matters, so I believe Mia Lea Ruu’s group will be working just as hard as I will. So in that case, our payment should also be the same.”

Donda Ruu just said, “Do as you please.”

Mia Lea Ruu, meanwhile, gave a strained smile and added, “So distant... Is it the custom of the Fa clan to be that way? Like I said yesterday, the Ruu and Rutim consider you a precious friend, Asuta.”

“I really am grateful to hear that. And I also feel like you people from the Ruu and Rutim are very precious to me, too,” I honestly stated, even if it was a bit embarrassing. “That’s why I want to have a relationship where we don’t worry about debts... And to face the Suun clan as equals. It’s a bit of a presumptuous way to put it, but I want us to be allies, worrying about the future of the forest’s edge together.”

“That isn’t presumptuous in the least,” Granny Tito Min replied from Mia Lea Ruu’s side. “You may have been born in another nation, but you’re far more splendid a member of the forest’s edge than anyone in the Suun clan. And that’s only become all the more clear with this latest incident.”

“...Thank you, Tito Min Ruu,” I replied, only for Rimee Ruu to let out a sudden, “Ah!”

The contents of Ai Fa’s bowl of soup, which had still been around half full, spilled out over the ground.

Then, Ai Fa’s body started to sway, till I hurriedly supported her shoulders.

“My apologies... I went and wasted this precious food...”

“Ai Fa! You’ve got a fever again, don’t you?!”

I could already tell just from the heat coming off of her shoulders.

Ai Fa, meanwhile, placed her right hand on the floor and frowned, looking a bit pained.

“Shall I lay out the bedding in Jiba’s room...?” Mia Lea Ruu asked, getting up.

“It’s nothing so serious...” Ai Fa managed to wring out. “I have romu leaf on me, so if I just drink that and rest... I’ll recover soon...”

I turned and faced Mia Lea Ruu, supporting Ai Fa’s body all the while.

“Sorry. I know we’re in the middle of dinner, but I’ll be excusing myself for a bit... Rimee Ruu, the romu leaf is in a pocket inside Ai Fa’s cloak. Could you get it out?”

“Yeah!”

“Ai Fa, can you walk?”

“Yes...” Ai Fa said, placing her right arm around my neck.

I grabbed hold of her wrist, supported her waist with my other hand, then stood up as gently as I could.

Reina Ruu was busy assisting Granny Jiba, but now she was looking our way, her face full of complex emotions. This was no time to be paying attention to such matters, though.

“Sorry, but I have to get Ai Fa to somewhere she can rest.”

“That certainly seems prudent. Rimee, crush up the romu leaf and bring it here... Ah, you were still in the middle of eating, weren’t you, Asuta? In that case, we’ll bring over enough for the two of you, so just go ahead and stay with Ai Fa.”

“Right. Thank you.”

With that I headed for the door, lending Ai Fa my shoulder all the while.

She didn’t seem to be in any state to put on her footwear, so I just slipped on my own shoes and stepped outside.

It was then that Ai Fa suddenly collapsed to the ground.

It seemed she didn’t have enough strength left to walk on her own.

“Are you okay? You didn’t seem like you were doing that bad before eating...”

Even as I said that, I intuited the source of this fever: It was probably caused by emotional stress.

Considering everything about how Ai Fa had acted last night, that definitely seemed like a solid guess.

That was why I had hurried a bit in order to get her away from everyone. In all likelihood, Ai Fa wanted to avoid having others see her looking so weakened above all else.

“I’m pathetic, aren’t I...?” Ai Fa muttered weakly.

“That’s not true at all,” I said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with my palm. “You probably caused your fever to resurface by worrying too much about everything while you were injured. You really are bad at using your head, aren’t you?”

Ai Fa broke out in a pout, leaning up against my chest all the while.

“Whatever, let’s just hurry to our temporary lodging... I don’t want Rimee Ruu to see me in such an unsightly state, either...”

“I see. Well then, bear this for just a bit, alright?”

I supported Ai Fa’s back with my left hand and wrapped my right around the back of her knees. Then, with a firm, “ready, go!” in my head, I slowly stood up.

“Hmm, this sure is pretty tricky.”

There was hardly any height difference between me and Ai Fa. Plus, considering the density of her muscles and bones, there probably wasn’t a big weight difference either. And so just by lifting her up like this, I could feel my arms and legs about to start trembling.

“What are you doing...?”

As Ai Fa was resting her head firmly against my shoulder, I had lifted her up and cradled her in my arms, so now she was looking at me with a bit of bewilderment in her eyes.

“What? You wanted to hurry back, right? In that case, I can’t see any other option.”

If her left arm wasn’t injured then a piggyback ride would be easier, but it was only a couple dozen meters between the main Ruu house and the vacant one where we were staying. So I just had to give it my all and manage that far.

And so, I stepped forward carefully, making certain that even if something went wrong, I wouldn’t drop her.

“Doesn’t this just make me look all the more pathetic...?”

“It’s not pathetic. Family helps one another when they’re in trouble, right? Plus, I don’t want to see some other guy cradling you in his arms, no matter what.”

I was quickly sweating up a storm, but even so, I kept on advancing under the light of the moon.

If it weren’t for all the daily manual labor I had done, I may well have ended up needing a break partway through.

“Rest up properly, and get well soon. I need you, Ai Fa... I’m only able to work my hardest because you’re there for me.”

“I wonder about that... Aren’t you living more like a proper member of the forest’s edge than I am now...?”

“There’s no way that’s true.”

So she was worried about something like that after all, huh?

I had sort of got that feeling ever since last night.

“It’s got nothing to do with the people of the forest’s edge or anything. You’re just bad at relying on others, I figure. But you were able to get through the last two years all on your own, so I don’t think you have anything to feel embarrassed about.”

She didn’t respond.

“I wouldn’t have the strength for something like that. For me, I spent each and every day both relying on others and being relied on like it was only natural... But a while back, someone told me I was bad at relying on family, too.”

I didn’t think there was any contradiction there, though. I think it’s just that because I was that type of person, I became bad at telling the difference between relying on others and taking advantage.

Meanwhile, Ai Fa had a different reason entirely: She was so strong of a person that she worried asking others for help would make her look pathetic.

We were seriously complete opposites, but we may have also actually been a lot alike.

“I’m sure I could never live like you, and I don’t think you could live like me either.”

I was seriously running out of breath, but even so, I still managed to shoot Ai Fa a smile.

“So in that case, we can just keep on living while compensating for what the other is missing, right? It would make me happier than anything if we could do that for each other.”

“Don’t discuss such bothersome matters when I’m feverish...” Ai Fa said, then she smacked her head into my cheek.

Then she kept on grinding her burning forehead firmly up against me.

“Ow, ow... Anyway, what I was trying to say is that it makes me happy when I can help you out. Sometimes it seems like you don’t need me at all.”

“You really are a complete and utter fool...” Ai Fa muttered, sounding like her consciousness was fading. “I’m the one who needs you... So always...” she drifted off, and I didn’t catch the end of that statement.

And so, in my heart I quietly responded, “I’ll always stay by your side, Ai Fa.”