Chapter 4: The Tenth Day—Fresh Determination

1

At last, the day had arrived.

It was the sixth day of the blue month, our tenth day of business here in the post town.

On the eighth day, we sold 138 meals, and on the ninth it was 142.

That made for a net profit of 1011 red coins.

In terms of giba horns and tusks, that would be roughly 84 heads worth. If the Suun clan was looking to live buried in riches, then it was no surprise I would catch their eyes with numbers like that.

Together, the four of us had earned that sum. In just ten days, we had earned the equivalent of 84 giba. Even if you factored in the value of their pelts, painstakingly skinned and tanned, it would still be the equal of 42 giba. That was the scale our earnings had reached.

Naturally, this business was only possible thanks to the strength of the hunters, and I had no intention of forgetting their efforts. But still, those sure were some crazy numbers. Put another way, the people of the forest’s edge could earn this much money from giba meat, but they had been going and knowingly dumping it in the forest.

Looking at it that way, we still hadn’t done enough.

Giba meat still had an even higher value to it.

If not just giba cooking but giba meat itself could be exchanged for coins, then at that point, prosperity should truly come to the forest’s edge.

That was precisely why I had taken up this challenge in the post town.

“Good morning, Milano Mas.”

Ai Fa had recovered now that two days had passed, so she was accompanying me, Vina, Lala, and Sheera Ruu. And when we arrived at The Kimyuus’s Tail, we found Milano Mas already standing there behind the building waiting for us.

He wasn’t all that large of a man but he was well built, and his yellowish-brown skin marked him as a pureblooded citizen of Genos. He always had a displeased look on his face, and today was no exception.

“So you’re finally here, huh? The guards stopped by the shop earlier.”

“Huh?”

“Apparently, more folks from Sym and Jagar than ever have gathered today. This sign may be backfiring, huh?”

“This sign” referred to the small one beneath the sign for the shop itself. I couldn’t read it at all, but it should have said, “Closed on the 7th, 10th, and 11th of the blue month.”

The plan was to take tomorrow off for the study session, while the 10th was the clan head meeting itself, and then I would need to take the following day off too since I wouldn’t have time to prepare for work.

“I mean, I’d be concerned about just taking time off without letting anyone know... Is it really such a big crowd?”

“No clue. And the guards just told me not to worry about it, too.”

As he said that, Milano Mas reached into the pocket of his pale black apron. What he pulled out were eight red coins.

When I told him I was taking a break, he said in that case the contract for the myamuu giba stall and space would be temporarily canceled, so he would return the appropriate amount of money. Plus, at any rate, if I was going to keep having two stalls, it made sense to have the days on them match up.

With this, my contract with The Kimyuus’s Tail had come to an end for the moment.

The question still remained of what would happen from the day after tomorrow on, but I wasn’t able to get a response just yet.

“I’ll decide by the time you close up shop for the day. That should be fine, right?”

“Yeah. I don’t mind.”

Still, the way that I couldn’t read how Milano Mas was feeling at all just didn’t sit well with me, somehow.

Milano Mas gave a “Hmph,” then glared at each of us in turn.

“Get going already. If you end up causing another commotion, then that’ll be the end of your shop either way,” he bluntly stated.

Leaving it at that, we followed his advice and headed for our spot.

“He had a nasty air about him, right up till the end. If he hates the people of the forest’s edge that much, then why not wash his hands of us already?” Lala Ruu whispered my way as we pushed the cart along.

“Yeah... But regardless of what’s going on in his head, I guess he wants time to think it over till he feels satisfied.”

Yumi had said Milano Mas’s family or friend or something had been harmed by a person of the forest’s edge. If that was true, just how had he felt while dealing with us up till now?

If he had overcome such feelings of hatred and was able to see us as true and proper business partners, then I wanted to keep cooperating with The Kimyuus’s Tail.

Well at any rate, I’ve got to make it through today first.

No matter how things turned out, it didn’t change what we had to do. This tenth day was a turning point of sorts, but we still just had to work our hardest, the same as always.

However, there was just one point that differed from how things had been up till now. For today, we prepared 80 giba burgers.

When we moved our base of operations from the Fa house to the Ruu settlement, we ended up freeing an extra two hours for Vina Ruu. She used that time to help me with preparations, and as a result we were able to prepare an extra 20 meals.

We had heard a lot of disappointment since announcing that we were taking time off, so I figured maybe we could expect to sell better than ever on the days before and after. This was a measure taken with that in mind, but it was still anyone’s call how it would turn out.

At any rate, as we advanced along the highway, Lala Ruu suddenly let out a “Whoa...”

I looked up, and immediately recognized the reason she had done so. There was a bigger crowd than ever before gathered in front of our space.

In addition to the customers from Sym and Jagar, there were also plenty of people from the west, with it being hard to tell which of them were onlookers and which ones were there to make a purchase. But at any rate, it was such a big crowd that it nearly blocked off the path through the area. I suppose I could see why the guards weren’t going to just keep quiet about this.

“Hey there. You seem even more popular than usual today, don’t you?”

When I turned to look, I saw Dora in his usual space with a great big grin. Tara was there too, smiling away.

“But you’re not going to sell out first thing in the morning, right? We were planning on taking our time and stopping by later.”

“Right. Thank you. Well then... Could I get four tarapa and tino, and 30 aria?”

“Got it. That’ll be 12 red coins.”

After I shoved the purchased vegetables in a bag, we departed for the front.

“Give it your all, Asuta!” Tara called out from behind, cheering us on as we headed towards the sea of customers.

“Sorry for the wait!”

A cheer of sorts rang out in response to my voice, but then it soon went silent. The customers from Jagar must have been restraining themselves due to the guards keeping a watchful eye.

It hadn’t been that crowded in the morning lately, with 20-30 people lining up at most, but today there were about twice as many there. I was only taking tomorrow off, so I honestly felt so honored to see all these people showing up.

“Please hold on just a moment. We’ll be ready to go shortly.”

After setting the lit brazier into the stall, we started stirring the tarapa sauce.

We moved the meat steeped in marinade to another bag.

We diced up the tino, and sliced the aria.

By now, everyone was fully accustomed to the routine.

“Don’t you feel sort of excited, somehow...?” Lala Ruu asked, a joyous smile on her face. “This work is so interesting. I definitely like it way better than peeling pelts at home.”

“I see. Well, that’s what matters most.”

“What will you do from the day after tomorrow on? Are you going to have us swap out for other women after all?”

“I don’t know. Personally, it would be a big help to always have the same members around, though.”

For a second Lala Ruu’s face lit up with excitement, but then her expression clouded a bit.

“Um, in that case, do you mean that you don’t want to work with Reina?”

“Huh...?”

“Reina wants to work together with you really badly, you know. But would that just be a pain for you?”

Lala Ruu was staring straight at me, her blue eyes like the ocean.

Had Lala Ruu seen through how me and Reina Ruu felt, thanks to her strong sensitivity and powers of observation?

“That’s not what I meant. It’s just... I sort of thought it would be for the best if I didn’t go and carelessly approach Reina Ruu too much.”

“Is this really something that’ll be solved by not coming near her?”

“Sorry... I honestly don’t know. Maybe I’m just putting off dealing with it.”

“There’s no point in apologizing to me. At any rate, things will end up taking their own course, so why not just handle things how you like?” Lala Ruu said, shooting a wide grin my way at the end that was just like her.

With that I got myself back on track and added some aria into the heated pot.

“We’ll be open for business momentarily! Please line up in groups of five!”

The first batch to show up in front of me were from the construction group, and included Pops and Aldas.

“Good morning. You’re rather early today, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to slip away till the early afternoon once we start working today, so we rushed on over in a hurry. After all, we couldn’t let today slip us by when you’re already taking tomorrow off, right?” Aldas said with a hearty smile, while Pops stood by his side with a dissatisfied look.

“I see. In other words, you’re at fault for taking a day off. When you do that you earn less, don’t you? And we’re only here in Genos for the month, but you’re going and taking three whole days off? Don’t do that again during the blue month. If you need a break, then take it once we’re back in Jagar.”

“Ahaha, sorry about that... I’ll do my best not to let it happen again this month.”

As I replied, I tossed in three kilos of meat.

When the scent of fruit wine and myamuu filled the air, the look on Pops’s face softened ever so slightly.

“Hmm... I can’t get enough of that smell. But you’re closed tomorrow, huh...? Hey, Aldas, just what are we going to eat tomorrow morning?”

“I suppose it’ll have to be the karon wrapped in fuwano that we had been eating before, right? Wasn’t that a favorite of yours, Pops?”

“We already get plenty of karon meat at dinner, though. I want to eat giba meat.”

Then, from his position about a head higher than Pops, Aldas gave a knowing smile.

“Ah, right... Hey, kid, a guy named Naudis may stop by later, so take care of him, alright?”

“Naudis? Is he one of your friends or something?”

“I wouldn’t say that, but well, we’ve known each other for some time. It looks like he’s finally about ready to get up off his backside, too.”

I didn’t get what he meant at all, but I ended up finishing the myamuu giba before I could ask.

“Well then, see you again the day after tomorrow. Don’t go getting sick or taking any more time off, alright?”

“Right. Thank you for your continued business.”

With that, I just had to keep on focusing on making food.

The fifteen I made in advance all sold out in an instant, after all.

“Sorry! Please hold on just a moment!”

We were selling even faster than on the morning of the fifth day, which had been our busiest so far.

I sold right through the next 15 meals too, and the flow of customers only finally came to an end once I sold seven of the next batch.

When I glanced over to see how the giba burger stall was doing, I happened to find Sheera Ruu turning my way too.

“We prepared an extra 20, but we only have five of those left. Should we go ahead and get even more ready?”

“Hmm, let’s wait and see a little longer. I think you’ll be good to start making them once you’re down to three left... Ah, welcome.”

When I finished selling that customer from Sym a meal, we ended up with 52 myamuu giba left and 45 giba burgers. Pretty much no customers from the west had shown their faces yet, but things were still going almost too smoothly.

Plus, over these last three days the number of customers from the west had indeed been growing bit by bit. I believe we actually ended up with over 30 of them yesterday.

Giba meat cooking was slowly but surely penetrating the Genos domain. I’d have to make sure I reported that fact to Gazraan Rutim come tomorrow.

It was then that a cloaked group started coming our way. Naturally, it was The Silver Vase, the group led by Shumiral.

“Welcome! Thanks for your continued business.”

There were exactly ten people in the group from Sym, and as always they split up so that five of them were lined up in front of each stall.

Shumiral was on the rotation for myamuu giba on even days, so he removed his hood as always and gave a polite greeting.

“It is unfortunate, that you are closed, tomorrow. We will come again, the day after.”

“Right. Thank you very much.”

“Asuta, what will you do, about making a purchase...?”

“Ah, yes. I talked to my clan head about it, so I was thinking of stopping over at your shop after work.”

As of yesterday, we had earned over 1000 red coins. That meant it would be 100 white coins, which was finally enough to exchange for a silver.

However, money was meant to be spent. It wasn’t as if we were planning to save up for some big purchase, so I asked Ai Fa if it was about time to spend some of it, and she gave her consent.

“I am glad. I will be, in the shop, until sunset,” Shumiral replied, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

That alone was enough to show the happiness he was feeling. It really felt like over these last few days, I had built up some serious friendship and trust with Shumiral.

“Well then, I will see you later.”

“Right. See you then.”

Once we were done serving the group, we had sold through a full 40 giba burgers.

After we finished the work to prepare the next batch, we would go ahead and take a break.

“Don’t folks from the east sort of resemble the people of the forest’s edge...?”

“Ah, you think so too, Lala Ruu?”

“Yeah... A long time ago, Granny Jiba told me that the people of the forest’s edge may have been born of mixed blood between the east and south.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yup. Granny Jiba didn’t know any details either, though. Long before the war between Jagar and Sym started, clans exiled from their respective capitals met in the forest, and those were the ancestors of the people of the forest’s edge... Apparently that’s what one legend says.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! I sure do find it easy to get along with folks from both Sym and Jagar. Is that why, I wonder...?”

“Really? In that case, when Granny Jiba and the people from back then were driven from the forest in the south, they should have gone to the east rather than the west, huh?”

“Hmm... But the eastern kingdom uses a different language, right? Plus, the south and east were already enemies by then, so I suppose they had no choice but to rely on the western kingdom, which was friendly with both.”

“Ah, I see... Well, no matter what I have to say about it now, I suppose it won’t change how we live our lives.”

As we had that conversation, they apparently managed to finish preparing the giba burgers.

By this point, I was able to completely leave seasoning the tarapa sauce up to Sheera Ruu.

“Alright, then let’s go ahead and take a break. We just finished our preparations over here too, so do you mind if we go first?”

“That’s fine!”

I grabbed two giba burgers while Lala Ruu chose a myamuu giba with tarapa sauce, and we headed on over to Ai Fa. She looked like she was asleep, but when we had approached within two meters, her eyes shot open and she looked up.

“Were you asleep? Sorry about that. We brought a snack, but do you want to eat?”

“Yeah.”

Ai Fa had completely recovered.

Just to be safe, she had restrained herself and not come to town yesterday or the day before, but by today it had been six days since she had injured her left elbow. The plan was actually to set it free from its bindings tomorrow morning, even.

“I’ll still need some time before I can head into the forest, but I should be fairly recovered by the time of the clan head meeting,” Ai Fa had explained.

There were four more days till then. It really would have been bad to head to the Suun settlement with her left arm in a sling, so I was seriously glad to hear it.

“By the way, you said you were buying something after closing up shop, right? What were you thinking of?” Lala Ruu asked, brimming with curiosity while joyously stuffing her cheeks.

“Um, you see, I was actually planning on buying a cooking knife and an iron tray.”

“Iron tray...?”

“Yeah, that’s right! It’s actually a new item the guy running the pot store got in! It really seems like it’ll be useful to have around!”

“Is that all...?”

“Yeah, that’s all.”

I felt great satisfaction in the idea, but Lala Ruu was shooting me an incredibly bored look.

“Those are both cooking tools, aren’t they...?”

“Yup. But I mean, those alone will end up costing me 33 white coins.”

I had come to the decision with Ai Fa that once we had saved more than 100 white coins, I would spend around half and save the rest. And so, I would purchase the Sym-made cooking knife for 18 white coins, and the Jagar-made iron tray for 15, adding up to 33 in total.

“Ah, you’re talking about that blade the silver-haired guy from Sym showed you, right? You looked like you really wanted it.”

“Yeah! That’s right!”

“So what about you, Ai Fa...?” Lala Ruu asked, giving up on me as a cooking-obsessed fool and turning towards my clan head.

However, Ai Fa just responded, “I don’t particularly need anything,” while carefully eating away at her miniature giba burger.

“Huh? Nothing?”

“Yes. My blades are still perfectly usable, and we have no lack of medicine or cloth.”

“Then what about banquet clothes, or accessories? You just borrowed Granny Jiba’s old ones last time, didn’t you?”

“I have no intention of using such things in the future.”

“Huh? But I mean, you might be asked to man the stove for a banquet again like last time, right?”

“...I’ll deal with that when it comes,” Ai Fa bluntly answered.

Lala Ruu looked entirely dissatisfied.

“What the heck? It’s like Asuta’s the only one enjoying himself.”

“That’s right. This is the Fa clan’s fortune, so I’d like you to use as much as you want, as the clan head. Even ignoring what we make today, we’ll have 17 white coins left to spend, right?”

“If you want to use them, then use them as you please. And wait... You aren’t buying anything but cooking tools anyway, are you? I won’t tell you to waste it, but you should use it more on whatever you please.”

“Hmm. In that case, I’ll use it on some other odds and ends, I guess,” I replied, only for Ai Fa to repeat, “Use them as you please,” with a look of satisfaction.

“Got it. That’s just what I’ll do, then.”

“Hey, Asuta...” Lala Ruu said, shooting me a rather irked look.

But then, she seemed to see something in my expression and muttered, “Well, whatever...” before tossing the rest of her snack into her mouth.

2

Though we were taking our breaks, the flow of customers hadn’t come to a complete stop. And so, once we were done, we had 34 giba burgers and 38 myamuu giba left.

“We really are selling well today, aren’t we? We may just end up selling out entirely,” Sheera Ruu said with a bright smile, now in charge of the myamuu giba after the break.

“That’s true. Here I thought the day after the break would be when sales would go up. But it looks like it really was the right call to prepare more giba burgers than usual.”

“We have 170 meals in total today, don’t we? Then how many are you planning to prepare for—?” Sheera Ruu started to ask, only for her eyes to shoot wide open.

I hurriedly glanced around, but then when I saw who she was looking at, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ah, the members of the main house? They had some shopping to do today, so I asked if they could carry some firewood, too. Did I not mention it to you, Sheera Ruu?”

“No... I hadn’t heard about it...”

What was she so surprised about, though? It was just the second son and daughter of the main Ruu house coming our way down the path.

When they approached, though, I realized the reason for Sheera Ruu’s shock. Darmu Ruu’s face had been all wrapped in bandages, but now he was walking around with it fully exposed for the first time in a while.

“Sorry for the wait. Here’s your firewood,” Reina Ruu said with a smile like a flower, placing the load from her back at the side of the stall.

“Ehehe. I was free, so I decided to come along,” Rimee Ruu chimed in, placing a bundle about half the size down next to Reina Ruu’s.

Then finally, Darmu Ruu silently chucked down a large bundle of three bags worth in total.

On his face was a truly tragic number of scars. I had been worried about what exactly the nature of his injuries was, but with this it was obvious that they were quite severe.

There was a single large, serious-looking sideways scar on his right cheek, running from the side of his nose to under his ear. It was still the color of fresh flesh, and you could clearly see where it had been stitched. His face had already looked vicious, but now it looked even moreso, gaining about 50% more impact.

However, that vicious feel used to come just from the flames in his eyes and the bold expression he wore. Originally, he had been quite handsome... Thinking of it like that made it even more painful to see.

“...What are you staring at, you bastard?” Darmu Ruu questioned, glaring at me with his wolf-like eyes.

He looked like he was about to heap more abuse on me, but before he could, Sheera Ruu jumped in, “Darmu Ruu,” with a bit of urgency in her voice. “Finally, I get a chance to see you... Are your injuries doing alright?”

Darmu Ruu turned her way, looking annoyed.

“The eldest daughter of Shin Ruu’s house, huh...? What do you care about my injuries?”

“I had heard you hadn’t gone into the forest ever since that day, which caused my heart to ache as a member of your clan... And you have my deepest gratitude for saving Shin’s life.”

From what I heard, Darmu Ruu was injured protecting a man from a branch family, but that was Shin Ruu?

Darmu Ruu frowned, looking incredibly displeased.

“It’s only natural to protect your relatives. What are you, an idiot?”

“No. But even so, if you hadn’t saved him we would have lost our clan head. So please, allow me to thank you.”

With a “Tch,” of his tongue, Darmu Ruu glanced away.

It was then that his gaze landed on Ai Fa behind us, and his eyes narrowed.

“Reina, give me a minute...”

“Huh?”

Reina Ruu’s eyes went wide with surprise, but Darmu Ruu just left her behind and headed towards Ai Fa, detouring around the stall on the way.

I stepped forward without thinking and was about to shout, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?!” but then a customer from Sym arrived.

“Giba?”

“Ah, yes, this is giba cooking. If you’d like, please go ahead and try a sample.”

Reina and Rimee Ruu nonchalantly distanced themselves from the stalls, observing with great curiosity as the man from Sym tried the sample.

“That stall also sells a giba meat dish. This one uses cooked meat flavored with myamuu and fruit wine, while that one is a bit of a unique dish using tarapa.”

The customer gave a nod, then he headed over towards the giba burger stall.

“That was amazing! There really are townsfolk eating giba meat! He was from the east instead of the west, though!”

“Hey, lower your voice, Rimee. Sorry... We’re interfering with your work, aren’t we? We already finished our business here, so please excuse us.”

“Huh?! I want to talk to Ai Fa, too!”

“You already spent yesterday and the day before talking to her, didn’t you? But in that case, do you want to stay with Ai Fa until we’re done shopping? We’ll come back to pick you up once we’re done.”

“Yeah! Thanks, Reina!”

With that Reina Ruu turned my way with a glowing content smile on her face.

“Sorry about that. Well then, please take care of Rimee. But if she interferes with your business, don’t hesitate to scold her.”

“R-Right, got it.”

I got the feeling that Reina Ruu was smiling more and more as the days passed.

Honestly, I didn’t know if it was alright to feel earnestly happy about that or not.

It was then that Darmu Ruu suddenly returned with a, “Sorry for the wait.”

I turned around in a hurry, but Ai Fa was still seated under the tree, looking like nothing at all had occurred.

With one last, “Well then, see you later,” the siblings departed.

Unsurprisingly, I was feeling rather anxious.

But the customer from before returned over my way and held out coins, so I couldn’t exactly move from the spot right now.

“Thank you! Please hold on just a moment!”

I grabbed hold of a baked poitan, chanting in my head, Focus on work! all the while.

Then, a voice suddenly whispered in my ear, so quietly that I could just barely hear it.

“What business did Darmu Ruu have with Ai Fa...?”

“Huh?”

When I turned to look, I found Sheera Ruu looking incredibly depressed as she stared at the ground.

It couldn’t be... But then what was that about?

Ah, no, I really shouldn’t be trying to tie things together like that.

Still, after I hurriedly prepared the myamuu giba and handed it over to the customer, I called out to the girl by my side, “Rimee Ruu, sorry, but could you go call for Ai Fa?”

“Hmm? Got it!”

Rimee Ruu darted off, her reddish-brown hair fluttering as she went.

As that was happening, some customers from the west approached. They were youths with ivory-white skin, and they looked a bit timid.

“U-Um, two please.”

“Thank you. Hold on just a moment, please.”

If my memory wasn’t failing me, these were the youths who shrieked together with me back when that giant totos bird showed up out of nowhere. For some reason or another, they seemed to be coming once every other day.

There was still a bit of time left until the sun hit its peak, so business was going incredibly smoothly.

By the time I finished preparing the orders for those two, Rimee Ruu had dragged Ai Fa on over.

“What is it? Do you need me to buy vegetables?”

“No, we should still be fine on that front. It’s just, um... What did Darmu Ruu want with you?”

Ai Fa shot me a very dubious look, tilted her head a bit, and said, “No idea.”

“‘No idea’? But you had some sort of discussion, right?”

“I wouldn’t say it was enough to count as a discussion. He just came up and chattered on about something, then he suddenly left.”

“Is it alright if I ask what he said...?”

Ai Fa tilted her head the other way.

“What was it again...? I believe it was something about how he would enter the forest again tomorrow, and how a hunter who couldn’t do so was useless. Was he just trying to have a cruel laugh at me because I cannot venture into the forest at the moment?”

“Ahaha. Darmu’s just like a little kid.”

Apparently the intensity he gave off had no effect on the women of the Ruu and Fa clans.

Maybe he really was making light of Ai Fa in a disquieting and haughty manner like he did on that night a month back. But just from hearing the story told, it honestly did come across as a bit amusing.

And when you added in Vina Ruu’s statement that he still hadn’t given up on taking Ai Fa as a bride, it had the feel of an awkward man desperately trying his hardest to approach the woman he liked.

As a result, the expressions on my face and Sheera Ruu’s didn’t clear up in the least.

“We’re almost in the back half... Let’s work our hardest, Sheera Ruu.”

“Right... Of course,” Sheera Ruu said with a big nod, as if trying to cheer herself up.

Then, another customer appeared: my constant regular, Tara.

“Three please, Asuta!”

“Ah, thanks for stopping by again today! You really do come each and every day, don’t you?”

“I mean, it’s just so yummy that I want to eat it always! I wish you wouldn’t take tomorrow off...”

Suddenly, her dark brown eyes caught sight of Rimee Ruu.

“Ah! A girl from the forest’s edge!”

Rimee Ruu stared back at Tara, looking taken aback.

Fidgeting a bit all the while, Tara bowed her head and said, “Pleased to meet you...”

Instantly, Rimee Ruu broke out in a smile and energetically replied, “Yeah, you too!”

Seeing that, Tara’s usual innocent smile crossed her face.

“I thought only adults from the forest’s edge ever came to the post town! Ah, my name is Tara.”

“I’m Rimee Ruu! I’m still little, so I can’t carry heavy stuff, and that’s why they don’t bring me to town much.”

“Really? But you folks from the forest’s edge are so strong! I mean, you’re carrying 200 poitan, aren’t you? That’s amazing!”

It sort of felt like worlds were colliding, but in a peaceful way that was hard to describe.

Ai Fa was standing there right next to Rimee Ruu, but she was averting her gaze, as if she had no idea what to say.

I had to focus on preparing the meat for Tara, though, so I wasn’t able to lend my clan head a helping hand.

Instead, I just cheered in my heart, Give it your all, Ai Fa!

“How old are you, Rimee Ruu? I’m eight.”

“I’m eight too! We’re the same!”

“We sure are!”

“So you’re from Genos, but you’re not scared of the people of the forest’s edge?”

“Hmm... Scary people are still scary, but the people around Asuta aren’t like that at all! Now that you mention it, I did just see a scary man walking around though...”

“Ahaha. That was probably Darmu! He’s my big brother.”

“Huh?! Really?! I’m so sorry!”

“Nah, even people from other clans at the forest’s edge say he’s scary. But he’s really not scary at all.”

These girls weren’t just the same age. They also were alike in terms of height, the lengths of their hair, and overall adorableness. Somehow, just looking at the pair of them caused me to feel more relaxed.

“Those two at the other stall are both Rimee Ruu’s big sisters. And Ludo Ruu, the boy you let eat your manju a long time back, is another of her big brothers,” I chimed in.

“That’s amazing! You have so many siblings! I’ve got two big brothers, but they’re always just working back home.”

“I see. Work is definitely important.”

“Yeah.”

By now, Ai Fa’s eyes were begging, “Save me!”

All I could manage with my measly skills was thrusting the now complete myamuu giba in front of Tara.

“Thank you for waiting. That will be six red coins for the three of them.”

“Thanks! Here’s your coins!”

“Thank you! So you aren’t doing two of each today, huh?”

“That’s right! Dad wanted a myamuu giba, but I wanted a giba burger! But then my dad said why not split them, so we can both eat each,” Tara replied, puffing up her chest with pride and giggling.

I questioned how it took them seven days to hit on that idea, but regardless, Tara was just plain adorable.

“Well then, see you later, Asuta! And Rimee Ruu, I’d love to talk some more if we ever see each other again.”

“Yeah! Bye-bye!”

Thus, the chance meeting between the two young girls came to an end.

Ai Fa gave a deep sigh, then rested her right hand on Rimee Ruu’s fluffy hair.

“Rimee Ruu, I’m feeling a bit tired. Is it alright if I rest over there?”

“Yup! I’ve gotta talk plenty with you before Reina and Darmu come back!”

With that, we finally had a moment of silence.

It really had been a hectic day so far.

Well, maybe that’s fitting as the finale to these ten days...

As that thought ran through my head, Yumi approached. For today, she once again had a group of young Genos women with her.

“Hey there. Looks like business is booming again, huh, Asuta?”

“Welcome! Thanks for your continued business!”

“How sad. For today, we’re all getting giba burgers.”

Is that so? I couldn’t say I was especially upset about it.

“Ah, sorry, could you buy mine for me?” Yumi asked one of her friends, then she slid around to the side of the stall.

“Hey, Asuta, what are you going to do about that thing we discussed?”

“Ah, you mean the contract from the day after tomorrow on? Actually, Milano Mas asked if I could wait till the end of my work day today for his answer.”

“What’s that about? Why make you wait that long? Whether it’s fine or not, it shouldn’t be anything for him to be worrying so much over.”

Then, Yumi looked in a completely different direction.

“It just doesn’t feel right. And besides, just what is he standing there like that for?”

“Huh?”

I followed Yumi’s gaze, and when I did, I was surprised to see Milano Mas standing there off to the side of the road.

“Ah... I hadn’t noticed at all. Just how long has he been there?”

Sheera Ruu then quietly chimed in, “Asuta, if you’re talking about the man from the inn, then he’s been there looking at us since before Reina Ruu’s group showed up.”

“Really? Hmm, I wonder what he’s up to...”

“I have no idea. I mean, the fee for the location goes entirely to the folks in the capital, so the folks in charge only make anything off the stall rental fee. But if he was worried about that money then he could just go ahead and form another contract with you, so it shouldn’t be anything to think deeply on.”

As all this was going on, the giba burgers were completed, and Yumi’s friends came back over to deliver hers.

“Ah, thanks. I’ve got a bit more to discuss with this guy, so go eat over there for a bit, alright?”

Unfortunately, though, a new customer arrived just then.

He was from the south... I think?

Ah, no, he had the firm build and tough face of someone from Jagar, but his skin was an ivory white, though a bit on the darker side than usual.

“Ooh, so this is giba meat cooking?”

While his face was intense, he seemed overall like a mild mannered man in the prime of his life.

His hair and beard were a dark brown, while his eyes were a bright green. Those colors were seen often among people from the south, and he was also only around as tall as Yumi.

“Hmm, I see. And I can taste it?”

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

The man smoothly picked up a chunk of meat with a grigee toothpick, scrutinized it a bit, then tossed it into his wide open mouth.

“Hmm...”

“That stall also serves a giba dish. If you’d like, you can try that one too and compare.”

“Ooh, I see.”

With a bobbing, almost humorous manner of walking, he made his way over to the giba burger stall. As I watched him from behind, Yumi made a bit of a serious face.

“That person... Who is he?”

“Huh? Do you know him?”

“No. But somehow, I feel like I’ve seen his face somewhere before...”

As she bit into her giba burger, Yumi pondered with a “Hmm...” And in the meantime, that man bobbed back on over.

“That dish had kind of a mysterious taste. I’ll have this dish instead.”

“Thank you. One dish is two red coins.”

“Hmm. Two coins for this amount is quite cheap.” As he nodded, he handed over his coins.

I heated back up the meat and aria, then handed him the completed dish.

“Hmm, hmm...” he muttered, giving it one more look over, then he bit into the myamuu giba.

“Oho...”

He showed absolutely no signs of leaving, so I went ahead and asked, “How is it?”

“Incredibly delicious. I’m frankly shocked that this is giba meat. When I heard how much they were praising giba meat cooking, I thought there must be something mixed in to paralyze the tongue or some such trick. But no, this is simply truly delicious.”

“Thank you.”

“Also, the flavoring is simply wonderful. The sweetness of the fruit wine and the spiciness of the myamuu make for an exquisite combination. Who handled this flavoring?”

“I was the one in charge of that.”

“Oh, I see. That certainly is something, for one so young... Still, this fuwano has a bit of an unusual texture. It seems to have come together properly, but it’s quite soft when you bite into it.”

“Ah, that isn’t fuwano, it’s poitan.”

“Huh?” “Eh?”

The eyes of not only that gentleman but also Yumi opened wide with surprise.

“By poitan, you mean those things travelers eat? That can’t be, right? Those just turn into goopy muddy water, don’t they?”

“Ah, no, the batter for this was made by boiling down poitan, then drying it out.”

Now that I thought about it, Kamyua Yoshu had been just as surprised to hear about the poitan as he had been by the giba meat.

“Hmm?” the man muttered, staring even more intently at his partially eaten myamuu giba. “This color really does resemble that of a poitan, but... Do you really mean it? You aren’t just kidding me?”

“That’s right. There is just a bit of gigo mixed in, though.”

Maybe it was best not to bring up poitan, as it seemed to have a bad reputation in an entirely different way than giba meat.

“Poitan is a very cheap ingredient, isn’t it...?”

“Yes. I don’t personally know how expensive fuwano is, though, so I can’t compare.”

“With fuwano, you could make three of these dishes with one red coin.”

“I see. With poitan, you can make around five.”

While letting out a, “Hmm!” the man jammed the rest of the myamuu giba into his mouth.

As that happened, Yumi loudly proclaimed, “Ah! I remembered! You run one of the inns, don’t you? I thought I’d seen your face somewhere from before! It must have been at a meeting!”

“Oho? You didn’t realize until just now? You’re the daughter of The Westerly Wind’s owner, aren’t you? I’m the owner of The Great Southern Tree, Naudis.”

I had heard that name before.

“Ah, so are you acquaintances with Aldas, from the construction group?”

“Yes, that’s right. They all use my inn each year. As you can tell by looking, the blood of the south also runs in my veins, so my place is favored by customers from Jagar.”

I see, so he had mixed blood from the west and south, huh?

Well, Kamyua Yoshu said people of mixed blood didn’t face persecution as long as they weren’t mixes of enemy nations like the north and west or east and south.

“The deliciousness of this shop’s cooking has become a big topic of discussion around my inn. And it really is spectacular. I’m so impressed, I’d take my hat off to you if I was wearing one.”

“T-Thanks.”

“So, what is it...? Are you trying to sign him up to rent out his stalls from your place or something?” Yumi chimed in, sounding a bit amused.

Hearing that, Naudis tilted his head and said, “Oho? This stall came from The Kimyuus’s Tail, didn’t it? Who he rents from doesn’t really make much of a difference. I simply wanted to discuss something with the owner here.”

“Discuss something...?”

“Yes... If it’s alright, would you be interested in having my place carry your cooking?” Naudis asked, acting entirely mild-mannered all the while.

3

“What exactly... do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. I would like to be able to offer your cooking at my inn for dinner. It’s difficult to bring in a chef from the castle town, but if I’m just buying your cooking, then it should be possible to add it to my menu. Ah, my apologies.”

There had been a customer from Sym, standing there silently behind Naudis.

“Welcome. Do you just want one?”

Then, another man from Sym appeared from behind him, looking so similar that they could be twins. The two stood side by side, holding out their two coins.

“Two, is it? Thank you.”

Naudis started stroking his dark brown beard and looking apologetic.

“The sun will hit its peak shortly. I should have come earlier, but I do also have work to take care of for the morning.”

“Ah, of course... In that case, could you hold on just a little bit longer? Once I cook up some extra meat, I should be able to step away from the stall for a bit,” I called out while preparing the myamuu giba, and Naudis replied, “Yes, of course,” and stepped off to the side of the stall.

Yumi followed to the same spot, shooting him a suspicious glare all the while.

“Hey, what do you mean when you say you want to offer Asuta’s cooking? You’re just planning on buying his cooking, then selling that at dinner time?”

“That’s correct. After all, the people of Jagar seem quite fond of it. The customers all keep complaining and saying they want to eat giba meat, which has led to them being quite displeased with the dinners at my inn. As the owner, I feel quite chagrined over that fact.”

“But if you wanted to turn a profit with it at your inn, you’ll have to raise the price, right? Then nobody will want to buy it.”

“I don’t know about that. If I’m concerned about pure profit, I would certainly have to do just that. But if it was just a bit more expensive than other dishes, I believe I could still expect it to sell to some degree.”

“But then your inn won’t be turning a profit on it, right?”

“It’s true that the earnings from food would drop. But if the number of customers grows, then profit could still go up as a result.”

I stole a sideways glance as I cooked the meat, and saw Naudis’s stern face break out in a gentle expression as he talked with Yumi.

He had the wildness of the south about him, but also the slender build of the west, and his disposition felt rather complex and hard to pin down.

“For example, if I set a giba dish at five red coins, karon at four, and kimyuus at three, I would be able to provide for the customers who wanted to eat it badly enough to pay more. So as long as karon and kimyuus dishes keep selling well enough, I shouldn’t have to worry about profits severely dropping.”

“Hmm... It seems like you’ve properly thought this through.”

“I had to take several days to think it over properly before coming to a decision. I’ve been racking my brains over the matter ever since the night I first heard my customers talking about how delicious this cooking was.”

At that point, the meat finally finished cooking.

“Sorry. I’ll be back soon, so please take care of things,” I said to Sheera Ruu, then moved over towards Naudis. “Sorry for the wait... Thanks to you discussing all that with Ms. Yumi, I was able to sort out my thoughts pretty well.”

“Don’t call me ‘Ms.’ It feels all weird.”

“Sorry. Um... I have preparations and work around the house to take care of too, so I need to return home before dusk. With your proposal, you just wanted my cooking, not me personally, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. If at all possible, I would like something like the dish from the neighboring stall, where it can be served after just heating it up. And in portions enough to serve as dinner rather than just a snack. I would think between thirty and fifty meals would be appropriate to start with.”

“I see. You need something you can sink your teeth into a bit more for dinner... What size were you thinking for one meal, and how much would you be willing to buy it for?”

“Let’s see... I was thinking one and a half times the size of these, for three red coins. Though if you could sell for just a bit cheaper, I would be grateful. I think ten meals for 25 red coins sounds appropriate, but what do you say?”

I ran over the numbers roughly in my head, but as far as I could tell, at the very least it wouldn’t go pulling us into the red.

And in order to accomplish my original goal of spreading the deliciousness of giba meat, this was certainly a promising proposal.

But still, I felt the need to take one step further.

“I’m sorry, but would it be possible for you to tell me the price you pay for karon meat itself...?”

“Karon meat, is it? At my shop, we pay about one red coin per meal’s worth.”

“Huh? So you’re saying that’s the price for one and a half times the amount of meat we use at this stall?”

“Yes, that’s quite right.”

This required more calculations.

My shop used roughly 180 grams of meat. One and a half times that would be 270 grams.

One red coin for that... That meant 100 grams would be 0.37 red coins. That meant the price at wholesale was less than half of what people paid for use in their own homes.

Now that we were on the tenth day, I was finally starting to see the specific numbers at play.

“Let’s see... I’m interested in the idea of selling my dishes, but preparing the poitan takes time, so it may be best if you used fuwano as you have till now. If you do that, I think it would be possible to prepare an extra fifty meals after wrapping up with what’s needed for the stalls.”

“Oho, that would naturally change the price I pay.”

“Yes. I don’t mind if you just go ahead and subtract the cost of the fuwano. If enough for three snack sized meals costs one red coin, then that should mean two dinner sized meals should cost the same.”

Poitan were definitely cheaper, so I would be eating the difference a bit, but it really did take time to prepare them. Thinking of it like that, it didn’t really feel like a loss.

“However, I can’t predict what might happen over the coming months, and it’s also always possible other inns or restaurants could come to me with similar jobs.”

“Yes, of course. That most certainly is a possibility. My inn isn’t the only one that sees frequent use by customers from the south, and there are also a similar number of inns favored by folk from the east,” Naudis calmly stated with a big nod. “And if my shop starts serving giba meat, it’s entirely possible such places will copy me... Actually, I would call that an inevitability, sooner or later.”

“Really? I’m truly honored to hear that. However... My time is limited, so I couldn’t possibly be able to handle all of their requests.”

“That’s certainly true...” Naudis responded, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

Perhaps he thought I was trying to use that as an excuse to drag up the price of my cooking.

I was thinking something else entirely, though.

“If that were to occur, I think I would try to offer the possibility of selling just the giba meat rather than my cooking.”

“Huh?!” Naudis and Yumi shouted in unison.

“So I believe it would be a good idea for your Great Southern Tree to also consider someday moving towards a path where you purchase and cook the giba meat yourselves. In that case, you would also be able to earn a similar amount of profit as with other meats...”

“Hold on a second! If giba cooking ends up getting sold all over, then your shop will do a lot less business, won’t it?!” Yumi questioned while grabbing my arm and looking awfully flustered. “You’d definitely make a better profit just by selling your cooking! Or were you thinking you’d be better off in the business of selling meat...?”

That wasn’t it at all.

As of yesterday, the Fa clan had already run through its supply of meat, and as of today we had to start buying it from the Ruu clan. If I was just thinking of how to best profit the Fa house, then naturally it would be better to only sell my own cooking.

But our goal wasn’t primarily to turn a profit.

And so, I smiled back at Yumi and said, “It would be a little hard to explain, but that path seems more desirable to me.”

“Really? In that case, whatever, I guess...” Yumi trailed off, letting go of my arm but not sounding all that convinced.

Meanwhile, Naudis went, “Hmm... Hmm...” as he stroked his beard. “That’s certainly an interesting thought, but for now, I would be satisfied if you would just start by selling me your cooking. I’ll think about what comes next when the time comes, I believe.”

“Right, thank you. Now then, do you mind if we hammer out the details after I’m done with work? The sun’s about to hit its peak, after all.”

“That’s true. I need to be hurrying back to the inn, too. Also, please make sure you inform the owner of The Kimyuus’s Tail of this matter, too. It wouldn’t be good to have any misunderstandings.”

With that, Naudis bobbed off.

As I watched him leave, Yumi let out a “Tch,” and said, “An inn serving giba meat, huh...? I’d like to try that out at our place too, but we hardly ever get any customers from the south or east. And with mostly customers from the west, I couldn’t imagine we’d be getting many orders for it.”

“That’s certainly true, at least for now.”

For now, there was nothing I could do about that.

A mere ten days wasn’t enough to pull the discrimination shown by folks from the west up by its roots.

However, I did manage to score a ton of points with the people of the south and the east.

We had managed to bridge the first gap towards our ultimate goal.

For now, I just had to see whether or not I would succeed in my dealings with The Great Southern Tree.

“Man, now even if you end your contract with The Kimyuus’s Tail today, my place won’t really have a chance to shine... Well, no matter who you’re contracted with, it’s not like the taste of your cooking will change, so it’s fine,” Yumi stated, ending with her usual carefree smile and a slap to my arm. “Okay, my friends are waiting, so I’ve got to get going too! I’ll be looking forward to coming back from the day after tomorrow on, though!”

“Right, thank you.”

With that, I said my farewells to Yumi, and finally returned to the stall.

I had left Sheera Ruu to run the myamuu giba stall all on her own, but she had a very gentle smile on her face.

“Welcome back. We now have 26 meals left over here.”

“Huh? You sure sold a lot.”

“We have 24 left on our end...” Vina Ruu called out from the giba burger stall.

“Added together, that’s exactly 50 left... At this rate, it seems like we’ll wrap up early sooner or later.”

As soon as I said that, yet another group of customers arrived.

It was a group of three rather boorish-looking men with yellowish-brown skin.

“Welcome. Three, right?” I greeted with a smile.

I recognized these customers. Several days ago, they started throwing out complaints in front of the giba burger stall, only for Vina Ruu to handle them and ultimately get them to make a purchase.

That was how things started with them, but by now they were full-on regulars.

“Hmph... Looks like business is booming again today, kid.”

“Yes, fortunately.”

“Geez, just where did I go wrong that I’m paying money for giba meat of all things nowadays?”

It seemed he hadn’t been drinking today, as his speaking was boorish but his expression remained calm.

“Sorry for the wait,” Sheera Ruu said as she offered the completed goods. As he accepted it, one of the men squinted and brought his face in close to mine.

“Man, there sure are a lot of beauties among the people of the forest’s edge. Giba meat’s this delicious and there are beautiful women all around, so I guess it’s not so insane that someone would go and do something as crazy as try to live there.”

“Ahaha. That’s not exactly how it went.”

“If that’s not it, then what was? One of these ladies has got to be your ladylove, right?”

“Ah, no, not at all! A fledgling like me could never try to go and do something so outrageous.”

I glanced over at Sheera Ruu, but she just remained politely expressionless and allowed the customers’ nonsense to float by her.

When the three customers left with their myamuu giba, I breathed a sigh while wiping imagined sweat from my brow.

“They certainly are a rowdy bunch. Sorry about that, Sheera Ruu.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Asuta. Still... A lot of people seem to be mistaking me for your bride, don’t they?”

“Huh? R-Really?”

“Yes. I hear that several times each day. Townsfolk certainly have a strange way of thinking, believing a pathetic woman like me could be your wife.”

“Hey, I’m the one who’s pathetic here! I mean, the thought of a wonderful woman like you as my wife is... Wah!”

I had been suddenly slapped on the shoulder, causing me to shout out loudly.

When I turned around, I found Ai Fa standing there with numerous aria cradled in her right hand and scowling.

“Don’t shout all of a sudden. You shocked me, you know.”

“I-I-I’m the one who was shocked! I already told you not to hide your presence and sneak up on me like that, right?!”

“So you’re telling me I have to intentionally walk around while making noise? That’s just plainly foolish.”

Sheera Ruu didn’t look shaken in the least despite all that, and she calmly accepted the aria from Ai Fa.

“Thank you... You were busy, Asuta, so I asked Ai Fa to take care of the last bit of shopping a while back.”

“T-Thanks for being so considerate. Huh...? Did Rimee Ruu leave already?”

“The Ruu siblings came back to pick her up a while ago. It was while you stepped away from the stall and were absorbed in some sort of conversation,” Ai Fa said as she stared at me and Sheera Ruu.

“W-What is it, Ai Fa?”

“No, it’s just... Taking another look, I really can see how someone would think that you’re husband and wife.”

So she really was listening carefully, huh?!

As I racked my brain over how to respond to that, Sheera Ruu smiled and chimed in before me, saying, “I don’t think that’s true at all. There is no way that Asuta would ever choose me as his bride... And while I trust and respect him deeply, I could never choose him as my husband.”

“I see...” Ai Fa replied, then suddenly turned around.

Once she was resting in the shade of a tree again, Sheera Ruu whispered apologetically into my ear, “I’m sorry. I said something incredibly rude about you, there... It’s just, I needed to clearly tell Ai Fa how I feel.”

“Yeah, I think you definitely made the right decision... And I have a lot of trust and respect for you too, Sheera Ruu.”

She shot me a brilliant smile, and then promptly faced forwards again. After all, there was another customer approaching.

The sun had finally hit its peak, and there were even more people passing by than usual.

And sure enough, I got the feeling that the number of customers we had from the west was also slowly but steadily increasing.

“Sheera Ruu, there are just 20 giba burgers left... Do you want to change places...?”

“Right,” Sheera Ruu replied and headed over to the giba burger stall, while Vina Ruu took her place.

We had prepared 80 giba burgers, and now we were finally down to the last 20, huh? And there were only 23 myamuu giba left, too.

“It looks like we’ll be selling out for the first time in a while, doesn’t it...? It really is more enjoyable to do that than to have leftovers, isn’t it...?”

The flow of customers showed no sign of stopping, as if in response to Vina Ruu’s statement.

This was the last of our initial ten days, and it was going at an even higher pace than ever before.

We sold one meal after another, and about an hour after the sun hit its peak, we were finally down to the last three myamuu giba.

“Ooh, it seems like we might actually sell out first today,” I happily proclaimed, only for a certain someone to approach: Milano Mas.

“Ah, hello.”

This was the first time Milano Mas had ever approached either of the stalls during business hours.

He stared at the meat left on the plate and gave a snort.

“Once you sell that, you’ll be done, huh? Just how many meals did you prepare today?”

“For this stall we prepared the usual 90, while we went with 80 for the other one.”

“So 170 in total, is it? Geez, that’s a ridiculous number.”

As he said that, Milano Mas held out two red coins.

“Huh? You’re buying one of my meals?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you. Um... You can try one of these small samples from this plate first to confirm the taste...”

“You sure can talk my ear off. I already held out my coins, so hurry up and sell it to me. I don’t need to try anything first.”

Then, in his usual displeased tone, he added, “This’ll be the last time, after all...”

“‘Last’? What do you—?” I started to ask, but then a man and woman from the west approached.

“See, this is it. The sign says giba, right? This is that giba cooking people have been talking about.”

“Wow, gross... Hey, we should just leave, right...?”

“I thought so at first, too! But weirdly enough, it’s actually super delicious!”

Then, the rather young looking man stood there a little stiffly and held out four red coins.

“Hey, we’ll take two.”

“Right, thank you!”

Added together with the one for Milano Mas, that was enough for us to completely sell out.

I finished up the three dishes, then Vina Ruu handed them over to the customers.

And without saying a single word, Milano Mas started walking down south towards where the bigger crowds were bustling.

“Vina Ruu, please take care of the fire,” I said, then I followed after him.

“Milano Mas, please hold on!”

He showed no signs of stopping. And yet, he didn’t pick up his pace any, so I was able to catch up to him a bit after the giba burger stall.

“Um, what did you mean before, when you said it would be the last time?”

Milano Mas didn’t stop walking as he bit into his myamuu giba. Though, I couldn’t see any change in his expression as he ate.

“What are you getting so worked up over...? You’ll be contracted with The Westerly Wind from the day after tomorrow on, right?”

“Huh...? No, but, about that...”

“Or are you changing over to The Great Southern Tree? At any rate, it doesn’t matter at all who you have a contract with. The stall rental fees amount to nothing more than my daughter’s allowance. I’m not going to whine about it, so go ahead and sign up with a shop that values you highly.”

Milano Mas walked over to the side of the road and then stopped there. A disgruntled glare came my way from a bit lower than my height.

“I hate the people of the forest’s edge. Plus, my daughter’s terrified of you folks, too. I can’t think of a single reason to stop you from going.”

“If you say... that you honestly think it’s better that way, then it’s of course no problem on my end, but...”

But in that case, why didn’t he just tell me so two days back?

And also... Why was he making such a grave face as he ate the myamuu giba, then?

“Even if it just amounts to pocket change, it’s one white coin per rented stall. Just handing that over to another shop is bad business. And I may hate the people of the forest’s edge, but it would be downright stupid to take losses over that. I just took time to mull it over till I was satisfied because that thought was running through my head.”

“So after thinking on it, you decided to yield the contract to another place?”

That was disappointing, but the most important thing was to respect Milano Mas’s feelings.

And yet, Milano Mas just looked down at the partially eaten myamuu giba and muttered, “That’s not exactly it...”

“Huh? Then why?”

“As a businessman, I believe I should keep the contract with you. But I also figure there’s no point in clinging on and causing unpleasant feelings for both of us. After all, there’s no chance of me or my daughter ever forgiving the people of the forest’s edge.” Still looking down, Milano Mas muttered, “My close friend was killed by a person of the forest’s edge. And as a result, my wife also died. That was ten years ago at this point, though... Thanks to that, I’m good with the whole of the forest’s edge dropping dead. I don’t give a damn about what happens to the fields, and the hunters are worth less than dung to me.”

“But that’s...”

“If the folks who went and committed atrocities were judged properly, I wouldn’t keep complaining about it forever. But the people of the forest’s edge are under the lord’s protection, so they can do as they please. My friend fell from a cliff and died, and he was gripping a giba horn and tusk necklace in his hand. And yet, the people of the forest’s edge didn’t face any judgment for it.”

I stealthily gripped my fist.

Yumi had said things ended up unsettled because there was no proof... But there had been evidence. And on top of that, the people of the forest’s edge were never investigated, huh?

My feelings were seriously thrown for a loop, but Milano Mas looked even calmer than usual. What I saw vaguely in his light brown eyes wasn’t anger, but sadness.

“Then my wife just stayed in bed with worry, until she passed before much longer... The man who died was my friend, but for my wife, he was her precious older brother who raised her in place of their parents. And so, my daughter and I will probably keep on hating the people of the forest’s edge forever.”

“But, that’s...”

Dora had once said that the people of the forest’s edge attacked travelers, stole crops, and kidnapped women. And Ai Fa hadn’t refuted that point, either. It was an absolute certainty folks like that existed at the forest’s edge.

Are the Suun clan behind all of that, though...?

I had no idea.

However, the discord between the Suun and Ruu clans had grown firm 20 years ago, the era of the previous clan head. Back then, the Suun clan kidnapped a woman set to marry into the Ruu clan, then drove her to suicide. So back then, the Suun had already fallen to corruption.

“But still...” I started to say, but I held my tongue.

But still, it wasn’t as if all of the people of the forest’s edge were such villains. I couldn’t stand the thought of Ai Fa, the Ruu, and the Rutim being lumped together with folks like that.

That one weak-looking woman I met just the once also came to mind. The one who introduced herself as Saris Ran Fou, and was cradling a little baby.

The small clans who lacked the strength to hunt the necessary number of giba simply starved to death. Saris Ran Fou had even said that if Ai Fa hadn’t secretly given them pelts, she wouldn’t even be able to produce milk for her baby.

No matter how much edible fruit and the like was growing in the forest, they had to starve themselves rather than let the same happen to the giba. Those people of the forest’s edge died in order to protect their agreement with the lord of Genos, and their pride as hunters.

The prosperity of the Genos domain had been built atop their noble sacrifices. And yet hatred, fear, and contempt swirled around the hearts of the people living there.

How could such an insane thing possibly be true?

The small fraction of people who committed terrible acts and those who protected them faced no trouble at all, while in both the forest’s edge and the post town, the common folk were the ones who had to suffer.

Or to be more precise, the ruling class of Genos and the Suun clan who led the forest’s edge were lining each other’s pockets, while thrusting the suffering and misfortune on everyone else, right?

“But what? Are you trying to say not all of the people of the forest’s edge are fiends?” Milano Mas asked in a low voice. “I know that full well. If every one of the 500 people living at the forest’s edge were such monsters, the corpses would be piling up each and every day. Everyone knows that much. Otherwise, do you think I ever would have done business with you?”

With that, Milano Mas tossed the rest of his myamuu giba into his mouth.

“Plus, us townsfolk aren’t idiots. If you were that vile, nobody would ever buy your cooking... So while I have no intention of stopping you, I’m not trying to drive you away either. But the Great Southern Tree and The Westerly Wind would value you a lot more, so there’s not a single reason for you to stay with my place, right?”

“Ah, no... If you don’t want to drive me off, then I’d like to keep working with The Kimyuus’s Tail.”

“What?” Milano Mas questioned, his eyes opening wide. “Why? You don’t get anything from doing that, right?”

“I mean, I don’t really know how to answer that... I guess because it made me really glad that you ate my cooking.”

Plus, Milano Mas spent three days worrying about the matter, trying to sort out his feelings. And on top of that, he ended up deciding he neither wanted to stop me nor drive me away. And so, I couldn’t see any reason to leave The Kimyuus’s Tail.

“As a fledgling shop owner, I’m sure I’ll come up short in all sorts of ways, but I intend to keep giving it my all, so I hope to keep working with you.”

With that, I took off my towel and bowed my head.

“...You really are a baffling kid,” Milano Mas muttered with a sigh. “This is nothing to go bowing your head over. If you’re fond enough of unpleasantness that you want to pay for it, then do as you wish.”

“Right! Thank you!”

By the time I lifted my head, Milano Mas already had his back to me and was walking away again.

With that, I put the towel back on and hurried to return to the stall.

And yet, there were still restless feelings swirling around in my chest.

Since it was ten years ago, Diga and Yamiru Suun would have been too young to be involved. But was someone from the Suun clan the culprit after all?

I had no idea what the truth was.

But still, it would be impossible to bridge the gap between the people of Genos and the forest’s edge while such a criminal was still at large, right?

And even if our shop acted to bridge that gap, and most of the people around started eating giba meat without any worries... That still wouldn’t be enough to clear up the regrets of those who had been harmed directly, like Milano Mas.

The criminal had to be brought to justice. That much was completely obvious, but as long as it wasn’t carried out, mutual understanding would be truly impossible.

But just what should be done, then...? I vaguely worried as I returned to the stall.

And when I made it back, I spied a blond, spindly man standing in front of the giba burger stall.

“Hey there. Looks like I made it over for the first time in a while.”

It was Kamyua Yoshu, of course. And standing by his side was the flaxen-haired youth who served as his apprentice.

“It really has been a while, Kamyua Yoshu. I’m glad to see you doing well,” I said with a light bow as I headed into the stall.

Suddenly, Lala Ruu shot me a smile.

“These guys were the last ones. We sold all of the giba burgers, too!”

Only a bit over an hour since the sun hit its peak, we had sold all 170 of the meals we had prepared.

4

Our ten day long battle had come to an end. However, there was no time to relax.

We still had to finish cleaning up the stand, stock up on supplies for the day after tomorrow, and make arrangements with The Great Southern Tree, then make it safely back to the forest’s edge before our work for the day was done.

“So you sold 170 meals today? Man, that sure is something. And it was people of the forest’s edge selling giba meat at that! It’s no exaggeration to call that a great achievement sure to go down in the annals of history,” Kamyua Yoshu proclaimed as he stood there watching us clean up.

I figured since he was actually sticking around maybe we should handle our business with him too, so I called Ai Fa over from the shade under the trees.

When she silently stood by my side, Kamyua Yoshu said, “Hey there,” with a big smile. “So you’re here in town today too, huh, Ai Fa?! I’d been wanting to see you since I heard from Leito, but I’ve been so busy lately I couldn’t make it over.”

“...I can’t say I’ve had much to do, though,” Ai Fa coldly replied.

Kamyua Yoshu, meanwhile, looked her up and down and said, “I’m just glad to see you looking well.”

Ai Fa was hiding her injured left arm under her cloak as always, but I figured it probably wasn’t possible to fool him.

“Ai Fa, the coins.”

“Right,” Ai Fa nodded. Taking care not to open her cloak too wide, she pulled out a heavy cloth bag.

It was everything I had earned up till yesterday with the shop.

As I accepted it from Ai Fa, I ran through the calculations in my head.

“Hmm, we sold all the meals today and four chunks of jerky, so... twelve and nine, then?”

By that, I meant twelve white coins and nine red ones. I moved that much into a separate bag, and held it out towards Kamyua Yoshu.

“Hmm...?” he questioned, tilting his head.

“It’s your reward money. The net profit for these ten days came out to 129 white coins, so this is ten percent of that.”

“H-Hold on a moment. What do you mean, reward money? I can’t see any reason for you to be giving me this.”

Now, it was my turn to be astounded.

“What are you saying? Your reward money was supposed to be ten percent of our profit after subtracting expenses. You’re not saying you’ve forgotten, are you?”

“I did. Or actually, did I seriously say that in the first place?!” Kamyua Yoshu questioned, clearly a bit flustered.

Leito looked up at him and chuckled, then stated, “I remember it clearly as well. You were the one to decide on that number, Kamyua. I’m sure you meant it as a joke or something, though.”

“Huh? Seriously? Man, I’m at a loss. I don’t remember that at all... At any rate, even if I did say it, like Leito said I must have meant it as a joke. Put those back where they came from, Asuta.”

“I can’t do that. Without your advice, we never would have earned all this money, so this is your just reward. Please accept it.”

“No, but...”

“It would be a problem for me if you turn it down. I don’t want there to be debts between us,” I said, thrusting the bag towards him again. “Whether you become a friend worthy of respect or an unforgivable traitor, neither of us should owe the other anything. Please, take our feelings into consideration and accept it.”

Kamyua Yoshu gave a deep sigh, looked back and forth between me and Ai Fa, then incredibly reluctantly reached out with his long, slender arm.

“Got it. I’ll accept this money as a sort of initiation, to earn the right to stand equally as friends... Still, it’s a waste. When you give me money, it all just gets spent on frivolous stuff.”

“If that’s what you think, then treat it more carefully,” Leito retorted.

“However, it’s just this once, alright? Got it, Asuta, and Ai Fa? This is the only time I’ll take your reward money! Treat the rest of your earnings from now on as the precious Fa clan fortune.”

“Understood. And thank you.”

I gave an earnest bow, while Ai Fa thanked him with her eyes alone.

“Geez, good grief... Well then, I’ll be returning to the inn. Since you’re off tomorrow, I suppose the soonest we’ll next meet will be the day after.”

“That’s right. We’ll be awaiting your next visit to our shop.”

“Yeah, and I’ll be looking forward to my next chance to eat your cooking. Ah, right... There was one last thing I wanted to ask.”

“Yes?”

“Are you facing any trouble at the moment that I could help you out with?”

I silently looked up, following along Kamyua Yoshu’s slender frame. In all likelihood, Ai Fa was doing the same.

Kamyua Yoshu, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes and smiled. Those mysterious purple eyes, which looked at once like they belonged to an infant and an old man...

Not yet... I thought, forcing down the turbulent emotions I was feeling inside.

We couldn’t rely on Kamyua Yoshu at this stage.

After all, he had ties to the lord of Genos, so if I were to get him involved when I hardly knew anything definite about him... That really could lead to a fatal collapse of the relationship between the forest’s edge and Genos.

And so, I schooled my expression to be as aloof as Kamyua Yoshu’s, then shook my head.

“...We haven’t had any such issues arise as of yet.”

In response, Kamyua Yoshu shot me another wide grin.

“That’s certainly good to hear. Well then, see you the day after tomorrow! And to you beautiful ladies of the Ruu clan, good work!”

As Kamyua Yoshu and Leito disappeared into the crowd, I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was then that Lala Ruu called out, “Hey!” from behind. “Are you done talking? We already finished cleaning up a while ago.”

“Ah, sorry about that! Lala, Vina, Sheera Ruu, seriously, good work today. Thanks to you all, we didn’t just make it through today, but all of these first ten days.”

When I said that, all three of them broke out in carefree smiles.

“What are you being so formal about? We’re taking tomorrow off, but this isn’t the end of our work, right?”

“I’d like to keep working with you from the day after tomorrow on...”

“That’s for sure. I sincerely feel the same.”

I may have been inexperienced, but I somehow made it through ten days, so I was earnestly smiling too.

In those ten days, we managed to sell over a thousand meals. In terms of total earnings, we made more than 2000 red coins. Even after subtracting expenses and what we gave Kamyua Yoshu to get our pure profit, we made 1169 red coins. Shifting that into giba horns and tusks, it equalled 97 giba’s worth.

We had also earned a decent number of customers from the west by now, too.

And in addition to the stalls, I also managed to sell my cooking to an inn, too.

If we could just do something about the Suun clan, then I’d say we could take a firm step towards our goal.

“What is it, Asuta...?” Ai Fa asked, looking just a bit angry as she approached. “If you’re worrying about something, don’t bundle it up and hide it inside. Talk to me.”

“Of course, I will. But it’s not such a simple matter... Can we hold off and discuss it at night so we can take our time?”

Ai Fa stared silently at me for a moment, but then she stepped back and muttered, “Alright.”

“Well then, let’s head on back!”

With that, we headed down the stone highway while pushing the two stalls. At the moment, the crowds were definitely at their peak. When we passed familiar faces, they generally called out to us with a, “Good work.” But of course, there were still people who shot us looks full of fear and disgust, too. I suppose the ones who just stood there and stared were travellers who only just arrived in Genos today. At any rate, I steadily walked along while taking in such sights.

“Hey there. Are you done already? This is the first time in a while that you’ve wrapped up early, isn’t it?” Dora called out with a grin as we passed by him.

Tara was next to him smiling away, too. They looked just like when I saw them in the morning.

Thinking about it, they really were my shop’s first customers. Then the members of The Silver Vase came around, and I met Pops and Aldas and the rest, and Shumiral, Yumi, and Naudis, until I finally made it to today.

As I held that thought dear in my heart, I smiled back at the two of them.

“Yeah, business was really booming today. Could I stop by to buy the vegetables for the day after tomorrow later?”

“Sure, I’ll be waiting.”

It had only been a mere ten days, but my everyday life had shifted this much. And to be blunt, I didn’t want anyone to destroy what I had now.

As we kept pushing the stalls along, Lala Ruu soon said, “Ah, right. You have more than just vegetables to buy, don’t you? We’ll take the stalls back, so why not take care of that now?”

“Huh?” I turned and questioned, and found Lala Ruu with a seriously cheeky grin on her face.

I sure felt like she got me, but I went and replied, “Right. I’ve got to stop by The Great Southern Tree, and I guess I should take care of my personal shopping too.”

“Right. Well then, Ai Fa, take care of Asuta, alright?”

Ai Fa and I stopped in place, and we watched as the two stalls disappeared into the crowd.

“A cooking knife and iron tray, is it...?”

“Yeah. The iron tray will be heavy, so let’s save that for later and go buy the knife first.”

I already handled my preliminary investigation yesterday. The Silver Vase’s shop was right in the middle of the stalls, next to Granny Mishil’s vegetable store.

There was a large jet black cloth spread out over two shops’ worth of space, and it had assorted goods laid out atop it. Thanks to the leather roof stretched out over the vast space, it was just a bit dim inside.

Inside the shop, there were three folks from Sym.

“Pardon me. Huh...? Is Shumiral not around?”

All of the salesmen had their hoods down, but I couldn’t spy any long silver hair.

One especially tall man from Sym joined his fingers together in a mysterious manner, then bowed to me and Ai Fa.

“Shumiral, had business. He will be back, soon.”

“I see. He was supposed to have set aside some things for me. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

“Shumiral has, those items... Please wait.”

Since that was what he was saying, we just had to wait.

And so Ai Fa and I kneeled down and looked over the goods lined out on the cloth.

“This shop seems to sell nothing but unusual items, doesn’t it...?” Ai Fa stealthily whispered to me.

Well, it was no surprise she would say that considering the lineup of goods.

More than the items themselves just being odd, the way they were displayed was just too disorderly. In addition to blades made using precious Sym metal, there were also pots and jars of various shapes and sizes, delicately adorned wooden boxes, an excessively ornamental bow and arrow, shining silver accessories, overly extravagant bundles of cloth... Each and every one of them looked high class, but they were just wildly laid out with no rhyme or reason.

Still, maybe it was more flavorful this way than if it was lined up carefully. In terms of overall feel, it was a lot like an antique shop at a flea market.

“Ah, isn’t this a woman’s banquet outfit?” I questioned, spying a bundled up iridescent veil in the dim light. “These metal accessories are a lot like the ones worn by the Ruu women. Were those all from Sym, too?”

“I don’t have a use for any of them,” Ai Fa bluntly muttered, but then her eyes went wide and she said, “Ah, Asuta, what is this?”

“Ooh, it’s... A wine cup, I guess?”

From the shape, there was no mistake it was some kind of container. However, it was made out of transparent glass.

“So there’s glass in this world too, huh? That really is a surprise.”

“So it’s called glass? It certainly is pretty.”

Ooh, Ai Fa’s eyes were sparkling with an excited light.

“The glass, wine cup, is five white coins,” the young man from before said in a reserved tone.

“So it really is glass... Ai Fa, apparently it costs five coins.”

“Hmm? It certainly is pretty, but I don’t need it to drink fruit wine.”

Even so, the fingers on her right hand swept across the wine cup, with the gleam lingering in her eyes.

It wasn’t enough for her to want to buy it, but I still felt glad to see her express such clear interest in something.

It was then that Shumiral returned.

“Asuta, my apologies. Did you wait long?”

“Not at all. We only just arrived.”

I stood up and faced Shumiral, but Ai Fa kept on staring at the wine cup like a child. I nonchalantly took a few steps away from her.

“We’re done with the shop for now, so I was thinking I’d buy what we discussed.”

“Yes. That makes me glad,” Shumiral said with a nod, reaching into his cloak.

His black eyes suddenly looked at me.

“The blade, is 18, white coins.”

“Right. Thank you.”

“The stone, is 10, white coins. Do you wish, to buy it...?”

“Yes. I’d like to buy that one, too.”

Shumiral happily narrowed his eyes, then pulled out the items from his cloak and held them out.

“Together, it will be, 28 white coins.”

Then, he glanced at Ai Fa, who was still kneeling down.

“She is, a very beautiful woman. Is she, your wife, Asuta?”

“No... But she is the most important woman in my life.”

“I see,” Shumiral responded with a nod as I took the merchandise, then I handed him my 28 coins. “I’ll be using this knife starting from the day after tomorrow in my cooking.”

The vegetable knife was held in a black leather sheath. This would surely play a big role in my cooking, even with stuff like dicing tino in the stall.

“I’m honored... and I am grateful, to Sym and Selva, that I met you.”

“I feel the same way. It’s already the sixth day of the blue month, but I look forward to continuing to see you in the future,” I said with a smile that came from the depths of my heart, while Shumiral happily narrowed his eyes. “Well then, I’ve still got some other shopping to do, so I’ll have to excuse myself for today.”

“Right. I look forward, to the day after tomorrow.”

With that, Shumiral headed back into the shop while I nudged Ai Fa’s shoulder.

“Sorry for the wait. I’m done shopping here.”

“Hmm? Ah, I see.”

Ai Fa then stood up, and we left The Silver Vase’s shop together.

She stared at my hands, her eyes full of curiosity.

“So that knife cost 18 white coins, did it? It must have a splendid cut.”

“Yeah. I think it wouldn’t even lose out to my current cooking knife when it comes to vegetables.”

Then, Ai Fa broke out in an indescribably gentle smile and said, “In that case, it really must be quite a wonderful blade.”

I replied “Yeah,” with a nod, then walked over into the space between stalls.

I stopped there and looked right at Ai Fa.

“And also... Like I said I would earlier in the day, I also bought something completely unrelated to cooking.”

“Oh? What did you buy?”

The gentle expression remained fixed on Ai Fa’s face.

Just what sort of look would she have in a few seconds, though? As I firmed up my resolve in spite of that thought, I held out the item I had hidden in my hand towards Ai Fa.

“What is this...?” Ai Fa questioned, squinting at it.

What I was holding in my right hand was a pendant with a blue stone.

The stone was only just about the size of my thumbnail and was embedded in a silver disk, which dangled from a completely woven leather strap, so it could be hung from your neck.

“Well, as you can see, it’s a necklace.”

“A necklace... A necklace, is it...?”

Something clearly distinct from the calm from before was now clearly simmering in Ai Fa’s eyes.

“Are you saying you wish to adorn yourself like a woman, Asuta...?”

“No... I bought this for you, Ai Fa.”

“Oh?” Ai Fa responded, her eyes narrowing. “In other words... You haven’t been listening to a word I’ve said, have you?”

“That’s not true. I’ve been listening carefully. You said you would beat me to a pulp if I bought you jewelry and the like.”

“Yes, that’s exactly right,” Ai Fa replied, quietly glaring at me.

I silently gulped down my saliva, then I continued on, “But before you do that, let me just say one thing. This is a charm to ward off disaster.”

“Ward off disaster...?”

“Yeah. It’s apparently a charm from Sym that wards off all sorts of dangers. And considering they’re selling it in a town in the west, it doesn’t matter at all what god you worship. Apparently both men and women wear charms like this in Sym to protect themselves from disaster.”

There was no shift in the look in Ai Fa’s eyes.

Well, I had already prepared myself to take a blow or two.

“I have no idea how effective it may be, but I knew you would get angry with ordinary accessories, and you said you weren’t lacking in any daily necessities. But even so, I wanted to buy you something, so I used my own judgment to pick it out... It’s a charm, but it’s a really pretty stone, right?”

The stone was small, but it was a very deep blue.

When Shumiral showed it to me yesterday, I pretty much fell for it at first sight. After all, the stone was pretty much the exact same color as Ai Fa’s eyes.

“...How much did you spend on that charm?”

“Ten white coins.”

“Ten white coins...”

I could see all sorts of emotions flickering behind Ai Fa’s half closed eyelids.

“I know it may not be your style to rely on a charm like this. But I mean, you really are living a dangerous enough lifestyle that your recent injury could always happen again. I just wanted to give you something, like how men of the forest’s edge give their family three horns and tusks in the hopes that they live healthy lives.”

As I said that, I made a loop out of the leather string of the necklace.

“If you don’t like that, then you can go ahead and beat me to a pulp later. But won’t you please accept this? It’s a gift from your clan member, praying for your health.”

Ai Fa closed her eyes for a moment, then gave a deep sigh.

Then, she glared straight at me again.

“...Men of the forest’s edge hunt giba themselves, then give those tusks and horns to their family.”

“Right.”

“In that case, it’s not wrong for you to use the coins made through your work in the post town to buy a gift for your family... Or at least, I suppose that’s how I see it.”

“I-I’m really glad to hear you say that.”

“Hmph...” Ai Fa mumbled with a pout. “I somehow feel as if I caught my leg in a trap meant for a giba or something. I wasn’t fooled by my clan member’s scheme, was I?”

“That’s not it at all. Or at least, I earnestly don’t want you to be exposed to any sort of disaster.”

Ai Fa gave another, “Hmph,” and took one step closer to me.

Then, she slightly bowed her head.

“...What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“It’s the custom of the forest’s edge that a gift be granted by hand, isn’t it?”

“I hadn’t learned that one yet.”

As I said that, I placed the pendant with the blue stone around Ai Fa’s neck. It hung just a bit above her necklace of horns and tusks, sparkling away.

Ai Fa scooped it up in the palm of her right hand and stared at it for a bit, and then suddenly lifted her face like she remembered something.

“Ah, I have something to give you, too.”

“Huh? For me?”

“Yes,” Ai Fa said, her hand circling around her back.

With a bit of difficulty, she pulled a necklace with ten horns and tusks on it out of her cloak with her right hand alone.

“Ah... The necklace I entrusted to you, right?”

“Yes. I think we’re well past the point of needing to worry about having to use these horns and tusks. You’ve carried your work out more than well enough to wear it,” Ai Fa said, then she kicked me in the leg. “Bow your head.”

“Um... Weren’t your words and leg in the wrong order, there?” I complained, but I followed her instruction.

With just her right hand, Ai Fa skillfully took off the necklace I was wearing and solemnly replaced it with my old one.

It held the ten blessings I had received from the Ruu clan. I had promised that if my business in the post town failed, I would use it to recoup some of those losses.

“It will surely take a while still to bring prosperity to the forest’s edge, but I’m certain you will see that task through.”

“It’s not just my task. It’s both of our’s.”

“Right... And it belongs to the Ruu and Rutim, too.”

Ai Fa suddenly cast her gaze downwards. There was no longer any anguish showing on her face, but she appeared to be trying to hide the somewhat childish concern she seemed to be feeling.

“And ultimately, it’s a task for all of the people of the forest’s edge,” I said, shooting a smile her way.

“From today on, I’ll be buying meat from the Ruu clan. And sooner or later that won’t be enough either, so we may have to buy from the Rutim, too... And if it becomes so big that not just cooked meals but raw giba meat itself can be sold, then everyone can compete to sell it regardless of which clan they’re under. Thinking of it like that, it’s like we’ve just started on the task one step quicker than everyone else.”

And I felt that in order to carve the path to that future, the people of the forest’s edge would need to stand up in unison and strive for it. They needed to fight against the current unforgivable state of the forest’s edge, where the clan that was supposed to lead the people were instead the ones sullying their honor.

“Right...” Ai Fa replied with her eyes still cast downward, then scooped up the blue stone dangling from her neck.

“What is it? Did you decide I deserved a beating after all?”

“No... But even if it’s a charm, it’s still an accessory. It just doesn’t feel right for me to be wearing such a thing.”

“I see... But still, it’s a pretty stone, right?”

Ai Fa slowly lifted her face. Then, she smiled wide like a small child.

“Yes. It’s very pretty, the way that it sparkles.”

It was such an innocent smile that I ended up forgetting to breath for a second.

Our work was only just getting started, and there was still a mountain of problems left to tackle... But even so, Ai Fa’s smile brought me an incomparable amount of satisfaction and relief.

With that, the curtain finally closed on the first act of our battle in the post town.