Chapter 2: Celebration of a 13th Birthday

1

It was now the day after we welcomed the totos Gilulu as a new member of our house.

We were striving hard the same as always in the post town, but Reina Ruu also came along. Unsurprisingly, it was because she had some shopping to do.

That wasn’t a problem in and of itself, but the whole time she seemed to be thinking about something, until she finally whispered to me, “Asuta, could I have a bit of your time?”

I had an uneasy feeling about that, somehow. Sheera Ruu, who was helping me man the myamuu giba stall, also tilted her head.

“Ah, no, but... In just a bit, I have to go leave for my work at the inns...”

It was currently just before the sun would hit its peak. Since four days back, I had also taken on preparing food for The Sledgehammer, which unavoidably left me with a rather tight schedule.

“It won’t take long. Couldn’t you, please?” Reina Ruu insisted with a bit of a childish look on her face and an earnest shine in her blue eyes.

“Alright... Can I leave the stall to you for just a bit, Sheera Ruu?”

“Of course. Li Sudra should be here soon as well, so we’ll be fine here.”

We walked into the thicket behind the stalls, and I looked back on Sheera Ruu with a bit of concern as we went.

“I’m so sorry for interrupting your precious work time...”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. So, what is it?”

It had been a bit since I had last seen Reina Ruu. The last time had probably been the night after Zattsu Suun was captured, which would make it around nine days. Lately Vina and Lala Ruu had been buying the ingredients for the main Ruu house since they were coming to the post town every day anyway, so it had become noticeably rarer for anyone else from their family to come here for shopping.

Her long hair was pure black, a rare color among the people of the forest’s edge, and she wore it in two braided pigtails. The 17-year-old girl had a cute face, and though she was on the small side, her proportions were absolutely a match for her older sister’s.

She was a good, kind-natured girl, and was exceptionally skilled at cooking for a person of the forest’s edge. Yes, she was a splendid young woman with absolutely nothing to be ashamed of... and as always, I found it hard to judge just how friendly I should act towards her.

“I’m so sorry for asking such a thing of you now, but I just can’t help myself... Will you please accept my request...?”

“D-Depending on what it is, of course.”

Reina Ruu was short enough that she only came up to around my chin, but she was looking up at me with a seriously desperate expression. We weren’t touching at all, but she was close enough that I could feel her breathing.

“The thing is...”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating Lala’s birthday...”

“Huh?”

“Lala will be turning 13 years old. And so... I was hoping you could prepare a single dish for the celebration... What do you say?” Reina Ruu asked, her eyes full of worry.

Still not getting what was going on, I let out a foolish, “Uhh... How many people will it be?”

“The 12 members of the main house. We’ll prepare the poitan and soup and everything. I’d like to leave the meat dish up to you... Is that too much to ask after all?”

“No, if that’s all, then I don’t especially mind,” I replied, only for Reina Ruu’s eyes to open wide in shock.

“I-It’s really alright? I mean, you not only have your stalls, but also your business with the two inns, and you’ve been taking care of the totos as of late too, right?”

“I take care of the work with the inns during the day, and it shouldn’t be that much more than what I normally do after heading home. I don’t need to do all that much for the totos, either. So if I can do my prep work in the Ruu kitchen like last time, then it should be no trouble at all.”

“Really? Thank you so much...!” Reina Ruu said, bringing her hands together in front of her chest and breathing a deep sigh of relief.

“T-That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Why are you so surprised, Reina Ruu?”

“Huh? It’s just, I’d heard you were so busy lately that I never thought you would actually accept. But I’m sure this will make Lala very happy, too,” Reina Ruu answered, breaking out in a broad smile.

I found that affection for her family very charming, but just a bit of doubt remained in the corner of my mind. Which is to say, a concern that Reina Ruu was plotting something.

No, I’m probably just overthinking things...

At the very least, I didn’t think the joyful smile she was showing at the moment was fake. Plus, this girl wasn’t the sort to use her little sister’s birthday as part of some plot anyway, so I just brushed aside those thoughts.

Then, even though there was no way Lala Ruu would hear us when we were this far away from the stalls, Reina Ruu stretched up on her toes to whisper in my ear, “So, is there any sort of special ingredients you need? If so, I’ll try to buy everything today.”

“N-No, you only just told me about this, and I haven’t decided on a dish or anything yet... And is there any point at all to whispering right now?”

“Ah, right. Sorry, I got carried away,” Reina Ruu apologetically replied, pulling back and looking all embarrassed and bashful.

I really wanted to believe this wasn’t all calculated.

“Um, it may sound a bit childish, but could you keep this all a secret from Lala? I’m sure it’ll make her even happier that way.”

“I don’t mind that, but won’t it be totally obvious when I show up at the Ruu settlement?”

“If we just tell her our mother wanted to consult with you about business or something, I’m sure it’ll be fine. And I already talked things over with my father, too.”

“I see... By the way, you don’t mind if I talk to Vina Ruu and everyone else about it, right?”

“Of course. But please tell them to keep it a secret, too.”

“Ah, and is Mida included in those 12 you mentioned before? If he’s there, I’ll have to prepare a lot more food, right?”

“No. As of yesterday, he’s been eating with Shin Ruu’s house. And thanks to my mother’s instructions, Mida is limited to five people’s worth.”

I see, so he was put on a diet, huh? That was a great decision on Mia Lea Ruu’s part... Still, it was only limiting him to eating as much as five people.

At any rate, I seriously thought over if there was anything else I needed to confirm, only to realize I still hadn’t asked the most important question of all.

“By the way, I can’t exactly go leaving my clan head all alone, so could Ai Fa also attend dinner?”

With that, a different sort of pained look filled Reina Ruu’s eyes.

“Of course. Have you and Ai Fa ever spent the night apart from each other up till now?”

We hadn’t.

In the 60 days we had spent living together, we had often separated during the day, but we hadn’t eaten dinner and slept apart even once.

“Well then, please give my regards to Ai Fa as well. And I’m sorry again for interrupting your work,” Reina Ruu said with one last cheerful smile, and then she departed.

◇

“Hmm... A birthday celebration for the third Ruu daughter, is it? I don’t especially mind,” Ai Fa bluntly stated while waiting for me to get dinner ready. “Just allow me to confirm: Even the Ruu clan doesn’t hold a large banquet just to celebrate a birthday, correct?”

“Yeah. I suppose it’d be about the size of that preliminary banquet before the wedding. They’ll go all out with the cooking, but will only be celebrating with the same family members as always, apparently.” That said, going “all out” at the forest’s edge just meant throwing more vegetables into the giba stew than usual, until recently. “Reina Ruu and them will supposedly be giving their all to prepare the soup and everything. All I was asked to make was a meat dish, so it shouldn’t be too much of a burden.”

“I see. So what sort of dish do you plan to make, then?”

“Ah, it won’t be anything new for you unfortunately, but I was thinking I’d use what I got from the owner of The Sledgehammer.”

I was referring to a special ingredient, even more rare and expensive than the tau oil from The Great Southern Tree.

“You’re using that...?” Ai Fa questioned, frowning just a bit as that ingredient was one of her favorites.

“I mean, it’s a special occasion, after all. And we should be able to buy plenty the next time merchants from Sym arrive, so don’t go sulking like that.”

“Who’s sulking?! So... how old will the third daughter of the Ruu be tomorrow?”

“Ah, she’ll be 13, apparently.”

“13, is it? If she were a boy, that’s around when she would be taught to hunt.”

“Hmm? So what about girls, then?”

“Girls are taught how to be a bride and wife before the age of 15... But my mother Mei passed away soon after I turned 13, so I don’t know too much about that.”

“I see...” I muttered, my eyebrows drooping a bit only for Ai Fa to shoot me a harsh glare.

“What? You said you lost your mother ten years ago, so there’s no logic to you pitying me. Stop that pointless worrying and get back to manning the stove, already.”

“You certainly are restless, going right from sulking to angry...”

“I’m not sulking or angry at all!”

Despite remaining seated, Ai Fa still managed to stamp her feet.

I certainly wouldn’t dare say it out loud, but it was super adorable. And fortunately, that helped end things without feeling overly gloomy.

“Oh, right. I was told that each person gives a flower as a birthday blessing...”

“Did you think I wasn’t even aware of that much...?”

“I just wanted to confirm to be safe. For all I knew, that tradition could have even varied by clan. Ah, and we’ll be heading back to the Fa house after eating, right?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t feel right borrowing a bedroom in the main house.”

“Well then, I’ll head to the Ruu settlement right after work, so could you take care of Gilulu?”

“‘Take care of Gilulu’?”

“Yeah. Since we’re going out, you’ll need to put him in the house before leaving, right?”

As for Gilulu, he was once again seated by the entrance, his long neck stretching out across the floor. After looking over his peaceful sleeping face, Ai Fa turned and shot me a questioning look.

“Asuta, if you don’t intend to use Gilulu for an occasion such as this, then just when will you use him?”

“Huh? But it’ll be night when we’re heading back, and there are two of us... Ah, but I guess we could lead him by the reins then.”

“What do you mean? I can’t see any reason we can’t ride him both going and coming back.”

“B-But wouldn’t it be dangerous to ride a totos down such a dark path? Plus that’d blow out the flame from a candle, too.”

“We don’t need candles. If we just run Gilulu lightly, giiz and mundt won’t be able to catch us.”

“But it’s possible he can’t see well at night, isn’t it? Back in my old world, that was true for a lot of birds.”

“Oh? Totos can’t see well in the dark? Even so, as long as there’s moonlight, I’ll be fine. If the moon is hidden, though, we’d have no choice but to get down and lead Gilulu like you said, so I suppose we should still prepare a candle to be safe.”

So for Ai Fa, candles were only necessary to ward off beasts? I was once again left in awe of the people of the forest’s edge.

“Well then, there’s just one more thing concerning me... I still haven’t ridden on Gilulu’s back, you know.”

“I’ll handle the reins, so it won’t be a problem. You just need to cling to me so as not to fall off.”

Sure enough, I recalled Leito mentioning it was possible for two people to ride on a totos. I questioned a bit the thought of clinging to a beautiful young woman like Ai Fa, though.

“Shall we try practicing riding with the two of us after dinner? It seems like it will prove rather amusing, doesn’t it?” Ai Fa said with a smile, at which point I didn’t feel I could really try to object any further. “So, will it be much longer till dinner...? I’m feeling quite hungry.”

“Yeah, I just need to grill the meat, so hold on a little bit longer. Today, I’m making teriyaki with loin meat and tau oil.”

“Right.”

Ai Fa always gave back a flat response when we weren’t having hamburgers. She didn’t look disgruntled as she ate, but she also didn’t seem especially happy, either. I had yet to find a dish she liked better, and even the ingredient from The Sledgehammer ultimately just acted as an additional garnish to the hamburgers.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been around two months since I first met you. I guess it makes sense for someone from the Ruu to have had a birthday by now, then.”

“Hmm? I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I mean, there are thirteen people in the main Ruu house if you include Kota Ruu, right? So it wouldn’t be strange for them to be having a birthday every month, wouldn’t you say? This world also has 12 months to a year, after all.”

However, once every three years they had a 13th month, which I still had trouble wrapping my head around.

“You always have such unusual thoughts. We aren’t under the Ruu clan, so such celebrations would normally have nothing to do with us.”

“Well, yeah, I guess that’s true, but still...”

“And don’t go throwing out statements like ‘around two months.’”

“Huh? But that’s about how long it’s been, right? I haven’t exactly been counting, but it should be nearly 60 days soon,” I replied, only for Ai Fa to prop up her cheek by placing her elbow atop her raised knee.

“It’s not ‘about.’ As of tonight, it’s been exactly two months.”

“Eh?”

“I met you out in the forest on the 24th day of the yellow month. Since today is the 24th day of the blue month, it’s been precisely two months.”

I was at a loss for words.

Ai Fa, meanwhile, gazed off a bit into the distance.

“I suppose this was around the time of day that I was boiling that stew, wasn’t it? You were sitting there in that foreign white outfit, your eyes sparkling as you stared excitedly at giba meat that hadn’t even been bloodlet.”

It had been two months exactly since that night... Since I met Ai Fa in the forest, had a sword pointed right up against my nose, and was invited to the Fa house.

Back then, and even a month back, I had been living with no idea whatsoever what day or month it was. I didn’t start paying attention to such matters until I started working in the post town. And so, it somehow felt like I had been hit with a real surprise attack.

“Alright, I’m canceling the tau oil teriyaki! Tonight, we’re having hamburgers!”

“Hmm? Why the sudden change?”

“I mean, if it’s our two month anniversary, then why not have a bit of a celebration? Ah, right, I’ll go all out and use that, too!”

“It’s only been two months, so is it really anything worth celebrating? And besides, if you go mincing up meat now, it’ll just make dinner even later.”

“I’ve got the patties meant for selling in the post town! Of course, I’ll have to make more to replace what we eat! They’re smaller since they’re meant for snacks, so we’ll have two each.”

As I stood up to head into the pantry, Ai Fa just shot me a confused look.

“I don’t understand at all. Why are you so worked up, Asuta?”

“Huh? I’m not especially worked up or anything... I just want to at least feed you your favorite food on a day like today. But if you want to eat something other than hamburgers, I’ll certainly take any requests.”

“...Of course that’s not what I’m saying.”

Ai Fa had a very complex look on her face, as if she was at a loss as to whether or not she should pout.

And so, the Fa house had a small celebration of its own before the one for Lala Ruu’s birthday.

2

It was now the following day, the 25th of the blue month.

Just as planned, I went directly from the post town to the Ruu settlement, only to find a bizarre sight awaiting me there.

“Whoa, what’s that?”

The plaza of the Ruu settlement sat surrounded by seven houses. And in one of its corners lay an unusual blob of flesh, wrapped in cloth with swirling patterns. A number of small children had excitedly gathered around the pile of meat.

As I stood there dumbfounded, Lala Ruu answered, “Who else could that possibly be but Mida?”

It was completely obvious even at a glance that that was Mida, but I had absolutely no idea what he was doing lying down in a place like that. Lala Ruu and I approached closer, but it didn’t become any clearer in the least what was going on.

Mida was sprawled out on the ground, his huge body coated in sweat as he panted. And as he breathed, his almost perfectly round stomach moved heavily up and down. The young children climbed atop and tried to keep their balance, clung tight and giggled excitedly, and tried their hardest to scramble back up when they fell. It was as if he was some sort of playground equipment.

There were five kids in total, three boys and two girls. They were all in the sort of outfits meant for children, so they must have been under the age of ten. And the youngest looking girl of the group couldn’t have been more than three at the most.

“Umm... This isn’t some sort of abuse, is it?”

“Does it look like that?”

“No, but I don’t know what it is.”

At the very least, I couldn’t see any malice in the children’s smiles.

As for Mida, he looked like a beached sperm whale, and I honestly couldn’t even tell if he was still conscious.

It was then that a man approached from the shadow of one of the houses.

“Mida, you’ve rested enough now, haven’t you? Let’s get back to work.”

I didn’t really recognize the man, but he looked to be a bit younger than 40. He was slender and tall, had a mustache, and his long blackish-brown hair was tied together behind his head. Behind his narrowed eyes I could spy dark blue pupils, and his long face was taut, giving him a rather somber appearance overall.

“Water... I want to drink water...”

“Then go ahead and draw it yourself. You already drank the water jug dry, after all,” the man replied, no mercy or restraint in his voice.

Mida started slowly sitting up, and the children gave excited shrieks as they leapt off of his belly.

I also let slip a “Wah!” although mine wasn’t quite as joyful. That was because a soft, smooth presence suddenly clung to me from behind.

“I’m sorry. It really wasn’t on purpose... I’m just feeling unwell for some reason...”

I had been prepared to launch an immediate objection to that dangerous sensation I was feeling on my back, but when I saw Vina Ruu’s face over my shoulder, it really had gone pale. She was seriously bad at dealing with Mida.

“Ah, Sheera, you’re back? Good work today, and to you women of the main house, too,” the older man said, turning away from Mida to face our way.

That was when I finally remembered. The man was Sheera and Shin Ruu’s father, the former branch family head Ryada Ruu.

Now that I looked closely, he was dragging his right leg along as he walked. Despite being an age where he would normally head out into the forest, he didn’t have a hunter’s cloak or sword. The tendons in his legs had been severed and he was no longer able to hunt, and so this youngest brother of Donda Ruu’s had yielded his role as head of his household to his young eldest son, Shin Ruu.

I bowed my head as best as I could manage, as Vina Ruu was still clinging to me from behind like she was trying to force me to give her a piggyback ride.

“Ryada Ruu, nice to meet you... I don’t think we’ve spoken before? I’m Asuta of the Fa clan.”

I was the only one this pale living at the forest’s edge, so that introduction was probably unnecessary. However, Shin Ruu and his family had helped me out a lot up till now. And so, I wanted to show the former head the greatest amount of respect that I could.

“I believe this is indeed our first time meeting face to face. I’m the former head of Shin Ruu’s house, Ryada Ruu. Thank you for always looking after my daughter Sheera.”

He must have felt the same as I did, as he then calmly bowed back. He really did have a similar feel to Shin and Sheera Ruu about him, somehow.

“Um, what work is Mida doing, exactly?”

“Hmm? Right now, he’s been tasked with gathering lumber from the outskirts of the forest.”

I followed Ryada Ruu’s gaze, and saw a mountain of logs heaped in the shadow of Shin Ruu’s house. They were notably thicker than what was gathered as firewood, and had been cleanly cut, too.

“He’s doing that instead of working as a hunter?”

“That’s right. He may be strong, but as you can see it takes him no time at all to run out of energy. He’d just be a burden to the other hunters like this, so we’ve got him doing other work for the time being.”

As we were having that conversation, Mida apparently finally noticed us. After all, as he lay on the ground surrounded by grinning kids, he muttered in his unusually shrill voice, “Huh...? It’s Asuta... You came here, Asuta...?”

“That’s right. I’m gratified to see you again, Mida.”

As soon as I said that, Lala Ruu butted in with a, “Hey, what’s with the way you’re talking to him? He’s younger than Ludo, you know. And as of today, me and him are only one year apart.”

“No, but...” I started to argue, but then I thought it over. He was three years younger than me, so it was probably a bit much to be using such polite language around him. “Mida’s so large that I mistook his age when we first met. Do you mind if I just talk to you casually from now on, Mida?”

“Hmm...?” Mida mumbled as his fatty cheeks shook a bit, seeming not to understand in the least. Then, he let out a hefty sigh. “Ah, I get all hungry when I see you... Am I going to get to eat something yummy...?”

He really was just the same as always.

Nine days back when he was faced with Tei Suun’s remains, he was so sad that it was like the world had come to an end, and no matter how much Ai Fa and Yamiru Lea chided him, he wouldn’t stop sobbing. But fortunately, none of that grief seemed to be hanging about him now.

“There’s still some time left till dinner. So keep working hard so that you can enjoy that yummy food later, alright?” Sheera Ruu stated in a calm, kind tone.

I was caught off guard and turned her way, only for Sheera Ruu’s eyes to also go wide with surprise.

“What is it? Did I say something strange?”

“Ah, no... Sorry. I just hadn’t really heard you talk like that before... It really made you feel like a big sister or something.”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean, but that sounds embarrassing, somehow...” Sheera Ruu replied, looking down a bit awkwardly.

I scratched my head at Lala Ruu’s chilly glare, and then when I noticed Ryada Ruu’s gaze, I broke out in a cold sweat.

“Er, um... I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what you’re apologizing for, but it’s about time for me to be getting back to work,” Ryada Ruu answered with a calm, serious expression, then looked over at the children surrounding Mida. “And you all, if you don’t have anything to do, then go play over that way. You can’t bother Mida while he’s working, alright?”

“Yup!”

“Bye bye, Mida!”

“Let’s play again sometime!”

“Yeah...” Mida replied, his fatty cheeks trembling again.

As always I couldn’t read his facial expressions, but I could see a sort of disappointed light shining in his tiny piglet-esque eyes.

Seeing that, I figured he’d be just fine. And so, feeling a bit relieved, I went to say farewell to him.

“See you around, Mida. Let’s both give our work our all.”

“Huh...? You’re leaving already, Asuta...?”

“No, I’m going to be preparing a dish for dinner at the main house tonight. So if you have the time, we can always talk later.”

“Yeah... Got it...”

As I watched Mida slowly rise out of the corner of my eye, our group started moving again. Though with that said, the pots Sheera and Lala Ruu were carrying came from Shin Ruu’s house, so the two of them headed that way while I and the still staggering Vina Ruu headed for the main Ruu home.

“It’s been over ten days now since Mida came to the Ruu settlement, hasn’t it? But you still haven’t been able to overcome your trouble dealing with him yet?”

“I don’t know how everyone’s able to treat him normally like that... Ugh, he’s so gross...”

“But if he keeps working hard, then maybe Mida’s physique’ll end up normal... Er, that might be a bit far, but at least like Dan Rutim’s.”

“Will I be able to last till then...?”

By that point in the conversation, we had arrived at the main Ruu house.

After greeting Sati Lea Ruu, we headed out back to the kitchen. And right as we rounded the corner, we ran into Rimee Ruu. Or to be more accurate, Rimee Ruu riding atop a totos.

“Ah, Asuta! Hey there! Welcome to the Ruu house!”

I had built up a decent bit of immunity through living with Gilulu, so I managed to not get all flustered by the sudden appearance of the bird.

“Hey, Rimee Ruu. So you can already ride a totos all on your own?”

“Yup! It’s still tricky to make it run, though...”

She looked to be having a great deal of fun manipulating the reins and making the totos turn its head our way.

They were about the same size, but this totos had a bit darker plumage than our Gilulu, and had even darker feathers than that mixed in along its body and neck in a sort of tiger stripe pattern. Apparently when you paid attention, totos had quite a bit of individual differences.

“Hey, what did you name the Fa house’s totos? This guy’s named Ruuruu!”

“Ruuruu, huh? That’s cute.”

“Yup! That’s because it’s the Ruu clan’s totos!”

As I pondered whether or not the Zaza and Sauti clans named their totos, I answered, “Ours is Gilulu.”

“Gilulu and Ruuruu, huh? They’re kind of similar, aren’t they?” Rimee Ruu said, looking delighted.

“Ah, Vina, good work today. And Asuta, welcome to the Ruu house. Thank you for coming all this way today,” Mia Lea Ruu called from inside the kitchen, where Reina Ruu was also waiting. “Now Rimee, Asuta’s here, so our break time is over. Tie up the totos.”

“Alright!” Rimee Ruu answered, passing by the door to the kitchen to do as she was told.

Vina Ruu also lowered down her luggage, then left while still looking a bit exhausted.

“Thank you, Asuta. Um... Lala didn’t notice, did she?” Reina Ruu quietly asked from over next to her mother.

“She didn’t,” I answered with a nod. “Actually, even if she thought I may make dinner, she probably wouldn’t be surprised by that fact alone. But at any rate, she didn’t ever bring it up.”

“Still, since we’re talking about you, I’m sure you’ll prepare a dish that will really shock her, right?” Mia Lea Ruu asked.

“Ah, I thought about it a lot, but I was worried going with something unfamiliar could end with her disliking it, so I’ll just be adding something a little extra. It’s essentially just a grilled meat dish with tarapa sauce though, so please don’t go getting your hopes up too high.”

Yet despite what I said, Mia Lea and Reina Ruu shared a look full of expectations.

I really was just adding a topping, so I didn’t want them getting too hyped up. But at any rate, I went ahead and set about cooking. After all, I had to do my preparations for tomorrow here too, so I honestly didn’t have a lot of time to spare.

“Sorry for the wait! Well then, I’ll help Asuta to... Huh, can I not help out?” Rimee Ruu questioned.

“Yeah, this is my personal work. Still, it might be a little tricky today...”

Thinking about it normally, it would be pretty rough to try to finish all my prep work before dinner. Usually, when we put in a full day of work in the post town, that task would stretch until after we ate.

However, we weren’t planning on staying at the Ruu settlement tonight, so I wanted to get everything finished now if at all possible.

“Um, Mia Lea Ruu... I’m sorry about this, but could I borrow some help for today? I’ll pay the same amount as I do for the work in the post town.”

“Hmm? In that case, should I call Vina back? You haven’t been wanting for firewood lately, have you?”

Ah, right. Whenever Vina Ruu didn’t stop by the Fa house on the way back, she spent an hour gathering firewood.

“No, but I’d like to have someone to help me all the way until the start of dinner. Is anyone from the branch houses available?”

“In that case, let one of us help you out. We’ve already baked the poitan, so we should be able to handle our work with just two of us.”

“Ah, could we please do that, then?” I asked with a sigh of relief.

“Alright, then let’s work real hard! What should I do first?” Rimee Ruu said with a smile as she clung to my legs.

Seeing that, Reina Ruu mumbled in a panic, “Ah, um, you see... I-I want to help Asuta out! Is that not okay...?”

Rimee Ruu turned her way with a baffled stare, while Mia Lea Ruu gave a hearty shrug of her shoulders.

“I don’t care which of you does it. But if you’re being paid for the work, then I suppose we should go with Reina, since I’m more confident in her skills.”

“Huh?! But I can do work just fine!” Rimee Ruu argued, puffing her cheeks. “I wanted to help out with the stalls in the post town, too! And I even got left behind for the clan head meeting! Why do I always get left out?!”

“That’s because you’re still a little kid. Once you can carry a pot, I wouldn’t mind having you go to town instead of Lala.”

Upon hearing that, I was suddenly hit by a thought.

“In that case, it may be possible for Rimee Ruu to help once the Fa house gets ahold of a totos-pulled wagon. The plan was to stop by the Ruu settlement and have everyone ride in it, after all.”

“Huh? But wouldn’t stopping here take you far out of your way?”

“No. Since there’s a rope bridge along the usual route from the Fa house, it wouldn’t be possible to take a totos that way. And so, it’d be more reasonable to have everyone meet up at the Ruu settlement, then take the southern route into the post town together.”

With that, Rimee Ruu shouted, “Hooray!” and leapt into the air. And as she saw that, Reina Ruu started fidgeting.

“Uh, mother... The reason you left the work in the post town up to Vina was out of concern that the members of the Suun clan may make a move, right? And so, um...”

“Yes, but now things have gotten all complicated with the folks from the castle. We only just removed Ludo and the others as guards, so I think we should have Vina keep helping out until that discussion is held.”

“Yes, that’s true...” Reina Ruu agreed with a slump of her shoulders.

“Rimee, that goes for you too. Until we can trust that the castle isn’t our enemy, a small child like you can’t go wandering around the post town.”

“It’ll be fine! I’m sure Papa Donda will beat up those people in the castle, no problem!”

Er, it’d be a real issue if he went and did that. But at any rate, for now we just had to tackle the work in front of us.

“Well then, let’s get started. Rimee, you come help out over here,” Mia Lea Ruu stated, signaling the start of our work.

“We’ll try to take care of as much of the prep work for the stalls as we can over here. I guess we should start with the hamburger patties.”

“Right. That means dicing the aria and mincing the meat, yeah?” Reina Ruu asked, the expression on her face shifting in an instant. Now, she was wearing an unusually serious look. The people of the forest’s edge took their work seriously by nature to begin with, but what exactly had her feeling so eager? “Which should I be in charge of? Or should both of us do the same task at once?”

“Y-Yeah... We’ll start by both dicing aria, and once that’s done we’ll split off to sauté the aria and mince the meat.”

“I see... the sautéed aria needs to cool off for a bit, so it’s most efficient to do things in that order.”

Seriously, just what was going on here?

I couldn’t help but feel a bit taken aback by this sudden shift in Reina Ruu as I set about dicing up aria with my Sym-made vegetable knife.

“That knife cost 18 white coins, didn’t it...?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“That’s an unbelievable price, but it certainly does seem to cut well. I can really sense that from how you handle it.”

Despite the fact that she was stealing glances over at my hands, Reina Ruu was still managing to skillfully dice up aria.

“What is it...? You’re already totally accustomed to this sort of work, right?”

“Ah, I wouldn’t go that far... And I already realized this back at the clan head meeting, but Vina and Lala have both gotten really good at manning the stove, haven’t they?”

“H-Huh? But Sheera Ruu and I are the only ones using knives when cooking in the post town...”

“Yes. But I meant things like how to progress with work and what to use spare time on and the like. And Sheera Ruu improved at handling knives and managing flames on top of that.” Even as she was talking, Reina Ruu’s hands kept on precisely chopping away at the aria. “By now, I’m sure I can’t measure up to her at all. I suppose that’s only natural after she’s received instructions from you for nearly a month now, though.”

“I-I don’t think that’s true at all.”

“Oh, it certainly is. And I’m still just a child deep down, so I can’t help but find that a little vexing.”

Then, Reina Ruu broke out in a smile of a sort I had never before seen from her.

Just as she had said, there was still a bit of childishness about her. She was a very serious and kind girl by nature, yet while she was often frank and open, she also frequently bottled things up inside. And she was a very girly girl who I found a lot harder to handle than Rimee Ruu, who was pure and innocent, or Lala Ruu, who very openly showed her emotions. That was the overall impression I had of Reina Ruu.

But just how could I even go about describing the expression on her face at the moment...? Her smile was full of something similar to yet different from hostility or envy, and clearly displayed a strong will. It was like the grin of a warrior heading off to a decisive battle, yet there was too much joy behind it for that to fit. At any rate, it was a truly undaunted smile.

Did she see Sheera Ruu as her rival? Not in terms of love of course, but rather as women who specialize in manning the stove.

“Ah, I’m sorry...! Um, I don’t especially harbor any negative feelings towards Sheera Ruu, you know...” With that, Reina Ruu broke out in a childish expression again, and I glanced at her family behind her. However, Mia Lea and Rimee Ruu were acting like they hadn’t heard a thing, and just kept chatting away while peeling chatchi. “I just feel like I want to work even harder at manning the stove than I have up till now. Sheera Ruu is a precious member of our clan, though, so even if I do feel a bit frustrated, I would never want to disrespect her!”

“Ah, I wasn’t thinking anything like that. And that desire to improve yourself is a good thing, I’d say,” I told her. Reina Ruu stared back at my face for a bit, and then finally broke out in a relaxed smile.

It seemed like she may have been feeling more than a little emotionally unstable at the moment. However, I couldn’t help but want to cheer on this change in her.

The reason Sheera Ruu so diligently strove to practice her cooking was likely because that was where she derived her sense of worth from. By using her skills, she was able to earn money and help out her family. Plus, she looked happy at the thought of her family eating her cooking. And so, she wanted to strive even harder... That’s how I imagined she thought.

However, I didn’t sense those sort of straightforward emotions—fitting to a person of the forest’s edge—coming from Reina Ruu. No, there seemed to be more of a hazy feeling hanging about her... Perhaps a vague desire to improve, some sort of uncertain goal, or an undefined irritation drove her?

Maybe she even needed the approval of those around her for her own sense of self-esteem. However, I certainly wasn’t enough of a saint to be able to look down on her for that. In fact, that sort of thing wasn’t rare at all in the world I came from. Pretty much everybody had a bit of that in them, I’d say. That included me too, of course.

In other words, to cut to the chase, I sensed something very familiar in Reina Ruu. The scent of a rookie chef, taking pride in her own cooking skills and finding both joy and sorrow from them...

“What’s the matter...? You stopped working, Asuta,” Reina Ruu pointed out, now wearing a bit of a mischievous smile.

I can’t say I recalled seeing such an expression on her before.

Perhaps Reina Ruu was in the midst of a serious change. I guessed that was why she seemed so unstable right now.

At any rate, I found her actions that served as an omen of that change both very exciting and charming.

Of course, I didn’t mean that in terms of physical attraction, and perhaps this was a bit of a grandiose statement, but I could feel my heart tremble at the premonition that this was the birth of my future rival.

3

At last, night rolled around.

Before dinner, first the clan members were to present Lala Ruu with flowers.

Normally she was seated down from everyone else along with Rimee Ruu, but now she was sitting sullenly between the clan head and the elder.

“To think, you’re now 13... You’re pretty average in terms of height, but you’re still just a little brat inside, aren’t you?” Donda Ruu harshly commented, wearing just as sour a look on his face as his daughter.

The star of the night snapped, “Oh shut it!” with raised eyebrows. “Geez, I’m starving here, so could we hurry up and get this over with already?”

“Stuff like that is why you’re still just a brat,” Donda Ruu stated, frowning further as he reached over with his long arm without even getting up, and placed a large blue flower in his daughter’s hair. “I grant my third daughter this blessing for having passed this year safe and sound, and wish her the same in the coming year as well.”

As some wrinkles formed around her nose, Lala Ruu muttered back, “Yeah, yeah, thanks.” What a heartwarming exchange between the father and daughter pair.

Then, Lala Ruu turned the other way, towards Granny Jiba. The 85-year-old elder’s withered fingers reached out and put a small red flower in her great granddaughter’s hair.

“Happy birthday... I hope you’ll stay just as lively as always, Lala.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Granny Jiba,” Lala Ruu replied, suddenly breaking out in a completely earnest smile. Hearing her joyful voice, her father gave a little, “Tch!” from behind her.

Next up, Jiza Ruu approached holding two flowers, red and blue, then took a knee in front of his sister.

“Third daughter Lala, I offer this blessing in celebration of your 13th birthday. I hope that you continue living as a fine young woman who brings no shame to the Ruu name... And this flower is from Darmu.”

Lala Ruu replied, “Thanks,” a humble expression on her face. The second son Darmu Ruu was at the Suun settlement teaching the members of the branch families how to hunt, so he was absent from the event.

From there, the remaining members of her family each approached Lala Ruu in order.

“Congrats... But if you don’t put some more meat on you, the men won’t want anything to do with you, y’know?”

“Shut it, you dummy!”

“Happy birthday. You’ve got a perfectly fine personality, so you just need to do something about that mouth of yours.”

“Ugh...”

“Congratulations. Keep on living properly like you have been.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Granny Tito Min.”

“You’ve grown so pretty. And I love you just as you are too, Lala. Congratulations on turning 13.”

“Gaa!”

“Thanks, Sati Lea and Kota.”

“Happy birthday. I can’t believe you’re already 13, Lala...”

“Wow, what a big flower! Thanks!”

“Congratulations. May you have another happy and healthy year ahead of you.”

“Right. Thank you.”

“Congrats! Here’s a mizora flower!”

“Thanks. Man... the scent of flowers is drowning out the smell of the food,” Lala Ruu grumbled, looking rather embarrassed as she did so. Her hair and top were now full of flowers, and she seemed so earnestly happy that I felt myself wanting to smile, too.

“Congratulations, Lala Ruu. We’re not members of your clan, but will you accept flowers from us too?” I asked as Ai Fa and I finally approached the birthday girl.

“Yeah,” Lala Ruu said with a nod, so Ai Fa placed a blue flower by her hip, while I somehow managed to squeeze in a red one above her ear.

It was no surprise that everyone had picked the same colors to compliment the girl’s splendid red hair and eyes as blue as the ocean.

13, huh...? Well, I guess she looks about right for that... I thought to myself.

Her height was pretty average and she was slender, plus although she had a really nice face, the expressions she wore were generally childish. That sort of imbalance seemed fitting for the age of 13, somehow.

She had a mouth on her and was a bit androgynous, but four years from now she would surely be as much of a beauty as Reina Ruu, and by the time she was Vina Ruu’s age, she was sure to be positively stunning. Well, those thoughts were probably a bit rude, but at any rate, she was a cute, charming girl.

“Well then, let’s get this dinner started. Asuta helped us to prepare it today, too,” Mia Lea Ruu stated, standing to portion out the soup.

“Ah, so that really was it,” Lala Ruu said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I definitely noticed you trying to be all sneaky with Reina. I’m certainly grateful, but you’re not going to make me eat something weird, are you?”

“Well, let’s just say I hope it’s to your tastes, I guess.”

With that I approached the stove meant for keeping food warm and took the lid off a pot.

Instantly, the aroma of tarapa filled the room.

“What, you used tarapa? That’s the same as always, isn’t it?” Ludo Ruu complained.

Vina and Lala Ruu brought back the excess tarapa sauce from the stalls, so it must have been a part of their meals each and every day.

“Sorry about that. It’s just that tarapa sauce went best with the dish for the day. But I really did prepare it special.”

Rather than just using the leftovers from the stall as is, I carefully taste tested it while adding the secret flavors of Jagar-made tau oil and Sym-produced chitt seeds. By the way, chitt seeds were a powerful spice like red chili peppers, so I really did just add a bit to serve as a hidden flavor.

And inside that specially-prepared tarapa sauce was sautéed sirloin, cooked to a golden brown. As I scooped the chunks of meat out one by one, I also accepted my secret weapon from Ai Fa. The only ones who knew of the ingredient were my clan head, who had personally tasted it in the Fa house, and Vina Ruu, who had accompanied me to The Sledgehammer. The Sym-produced good was just too expensive, so I didn’t even use it in my cooking for the inn.

“What’s that?” Ludo Ruu asked, his eyes opening wide. The women all seemed super interested, too.

It was a white, semicircular object that was around 15 centimeters in diameter and five centimeters thick. Originally it had been fully circular, but well, we had already used quite a bit in our dinners at the Fa house. Though the surface was white, it was a pale yellow where it had been cut.

For the full original ingredient, it had cost 20 whole red coins. It was a luxury item that the owner of The Sledgehammer had purchased for his own use rather than to sell, which he fortunately was willing to sell to us in turn.

“Is it poitan? No, that’s not it... Is it food?”

“It is. The folks of the Eastern Kingdom of Sym make it from the milk of an animal called a gyama that lives there, and they refer to it as dried milk. Back where I come from we called it cheese, though.”

Using my kitchen knife, I cut that gyama cheese into slices around 7-8 millimeters thick.

I placed a piece atop each of the tarapa sauce-coated sautés, and as the cheese started to get nice and gooey, an indescribable aroma spread throughout the room.

“Whoa, what is that...? What a strange smell...”

“Right? It’s not an ingredient you see at all in the post town, but it’s supposedly full of nutrition and will help make you nice and strong. It may seem a little tricky to eat at first, but folks who like it generally really like it.”

My clan head, for example. For Ai Fa, hamburger steaks with sweet fruit wine sauce and this added on top had become her favorite dish. I had just said that tarapa went best with it before because I knew the Ruu clan head wasn’t all that fond of sweet sauces.

“Well then, let’s get this celebration started,” Donda Ruu stated in a serious tone, then began the pre-meal ritual. And once he finished reciting that, the banquet finally kicked off.

In a pleasant surprise, the first one to speak up was the birthday girl herself.

“Whoa, what is this?! It’s really good!”

“Yeah, it’s yummy!” Rimee Ruu agreed.

With that, I breathed a sigh of relief and bit into my own sauté.

The gyama cheese had a flavor reminiscent of Camembert. There was a definite richness to it, but it wasn’t too quirky of a flavor. And yeah, with the whitish color and creamy texture, it really did remind me a lot of Camembert.

It certainly wouldn’t be necessary to explain how well tomatoes and cheese went together. The tomato-esque tarapa blended with the creamy taste of the gyama cheese, and elevated the clear flavor of the loin meat.

I still felt it probably went best with the hamburgers, but this sirloin sauté didn’t exactly lose out to that, either. I even unwittingly broke out in a smile from how tasty it was.

“Hey, this cheese stuff is definitely tasty, but...” Ludo Ruu quietly started. Concerned that he didn’t like the dish, I turned his way. “What’s with this tarapa sauce? It tastes different than normal, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, I did a little extra on that end, too. I added tau oil and chitt seeds, and also fine-tuned the ratio of diced aria and fruit wine, too... Is it better normally, then?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. It’s crazy tasty. In fact, it’s almost too tasty, and that’s what caught me off-guard.” Ludo Ruu ripped off a chunk of baked poitan, dipped it in the sauce, and then tossed it in his mouth. “Yup, that’s good. Now that I think about it... it’s been a really long time since I’ve had your cooking.”

“Really? But you did some snacking when you were on guard duty, and you taste tested the cubed giba meat stew, didn’t you?”

“That’s not what I mean. I was talking about when you seriously give it your all to make dinner. And so, y’know...” Ludo Ruu said, hesitating and looking over his family.

The one to ultimately reply was Granny Tito Min.

“It’s not like you to try to act all considerate like that, Ludo. You can just come out and say something’s delicious, can’t you?”

“No, but...”

“It caught me off guard, too, Asuta. It seems your cooking skills have improved quite a bit.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, definitely. Thanks to the lessons you’ve given us, we’ve grown able to make a variety of different dishes. Reina and Mia Lea in particular have gotten so skilled that I wouldn’t have expected there to be that much of a difference between their cooking and yours, and yet...”

“Oh, stop that. There’s no way that we could ever measure up to Asuta,” Mia Lea Ruu chimed in with a grin. “Still, I was surprised, too. Your cooking truly is delicious. We should be making it in mostly the same way, so how is it that it tastes so different?”

“That’s because anything and everything about it is different. There’s of course his handling of the knife and management of the flames, and then there’s also how much of which ingredient he uses, how he adjusts things after testing the taste, and other little things I don’t even know how to explain. Asuta’s methods are completely and utterly different from ours.”

Reina Ruu had been the one to say all that.

Since Lala Ruu was seated up at the head today, Reina Ruu and I were actually a bit closer to each other than usual. And so, I could see the admiration shining calmly away in her eyes even brighter than usual as she looked my way.

“I was quite surprised as well. I suppose it’s only natural that you would improve after cooking hundreds of meals day after day for work. But still... I really was taken off guard.”

“I think ‘hundreds’ is a bit of an exaggeration...”

Still, it was true that I was spending most of each day cooking. And it was my creed to give my all each and every day, but still, it was a little embarrassing to hear such direct praise.

“But putting myself aside, you’ve grown a lot too, Reina. Go ahead and try that soup to see, Asuta,” Mia Lea Ruu stated.

I nodded back and picked up my plate of soup.

The giba soup had tau oil added, and the meat in it had turned a light brown. Mia Lea and Rimee Ruu had been the ones to make it, but the one to do the final taste testing and fine tune it with tau oil and salt was Reina Ruu.

I scooped up a spoonful, took a sip, and instantly shouted out, “Wow, that’s delicious!”

Reina Ruu broke out in a joyful grin.

“Reina’s the one who thought up that seasoning. She didn’t seem to do anything too tricky, so why is it that the taste turned out so different, I wonder?”

She didn’t do anything tricky... That certainly seemed to be the case.

She had made broth from the meat, then added salt, tau oil, and pico leaves for flavor. I didn’t think just adding tau oil should have brought about such a change, though.

The vegetables in the soup were aria, chatchi, and gigo. To relate them to foods from my world, that was like onion, potato, and yam.

The choice to add in gigo cut into circular slices was a really good one. And I’d actually been using tau oil quite a bit since first purchasing it, too. Thanks to that, I could say it really was quite a bit like soy sauce, which made it a great match for the gigo.

Even with all that in mind, this still sure was seriously tasty. Since she hadn’t used any complicated tricks, that flavor was down to the balance of seasonings and ingredients, as well as how she managed the flame. And I had to say, she had handled all that perfectly.

The real clincher in the dish was probably the tau oil. Actually, I had gotten to try some soup without any in it around ten days back. And back then, the taste hadn’t had anywhere near as much of an impact on me. So by adding the tau oil, the taste had improved dramatically. Plus, by increasing the amount of seasoning being used, that meant the balance was more important than ever before.

However, that wasn’t enough to explain everything. After all, this soup tasted even better than what I made personally.

The flavor had a depth to it. Beyond the refreshing sweetness from the tau oil, I could sense a subtle fragrant flavor. And that was where the greatest difference in the overall taste was coming from.

“Did you... add grilled meat in addition to raw when making the broth?” I saw Reina Ruu’s eyes open wide in shock. “And that’s not all. This charred soy sauce flavor... Did you sauté ground meat in tau oil and add that, too?”

“That’s amazing! How did you know?”

“Ah, so I was right? That was pretty much all just guesswork... You’re the amazing one here, Reina Ruu.”

“No, it’s still you. I can’t beat you at all, Asuta!”

As she said that, though, her eyes sparkled with joy.

Just what sort of face was I making, though? This was probably the first time I had truly thought someone else’s cooking was delicious since coming to this world.

And I wasn’t feeling that way towards a dish that used unknown foods from the south or east, but rather one made from the exact same ingredients I used. To put it bluntly, I felt incredibly moved.

“Hey, kid,” Donda Ruu suddenly called out. I was still half in a state of shock, but I managed to turn his way. “Two days from now, there’s going to be a bit of a banquet to celebrate all the giba we’ve hunted. Could you help man the stove for it?”

“Huh...?”

Donda Ruu had once again finished eating before everyone else, and was currently gulping down a container of fruit wine.

Lala Ruu’s head swiveled to stare intently at her father’s perpetually displeased-looking face from the side.

No, it actually wasn’t just her. Pretty much everyone’s eyes were opened wide in shock as they gazed at the clan head.

“I-I can really help out with the preparations for the banquet?”

“I’m the one asking you, y’know.” Donda Ruu’s always-fierce blue eyes were glaring right at me. “On that day the men under the Ruu will gather, and we’ll hold a contest of strength. I’d like to have you grill up the giba meat that’ll be given to the winner. What do you say...?”

“If you’ll have me, then I’ll gladly accept,” I replied despite not really having time to get it through my head.

Donda Ruu just quietly muttered back, “I see.”

◇

“Thanks so much for today! Your cooking was seriously tasty, Asuta!”

After the dinner ended with a friendly atmosphere and we talked for just a bit, the time came for us to leave the Ruu settlement.

Lala Ruu had been the one to escort us out of the house. Her red hair was adorned with red and blue flowers, and she had a seriously joyful smile on her face.

“That cheese stuff was such an unusual food, but I really loved it! If my dad gives his permission, could you ask for some for the Ruu clan, too?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty hard to get ahold of, but I can at least ask the owner of The Sledgehammer.”

“Thanks! You’ve really made this a day that I’ll never forget.”

When she was truly happy, Lala Ruu let it show every bit as clearly as Rimee Ruu. And just seeing this smile was enough to completely wipe away my exhaustion from today’s work.

“Still, I never imagined my dad would go and ask you to man the stove, Asuta! I was so surprised that I almost choked on some meat!”

“Yeah, it caught me off guard, too. But it also made me happy... I’m sorry for going and accepting all on my own, though, Ai Fa.”

“Don’t worry about that. Instead, you should feel glad to have one of the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge acknowledge your cooking skills like that,” Ai Fa bluntly replied while holding onto Gilulu’s reins.

Her expression looked kind of displeased somehow, but before I could bring that up, Lala Ruu cheerfully chimed in, “That’s right! And it’s the contest of strength, too! The one to win that’s always either my dad or Dan Rutim! So that means he asked you to man the stove because he wants to eat something tasty, right? That’s amazing!”

“A contest of strength, huh? Doesn’t it seem like Mida would have a real chance, then?”

“There’s no way! Even Mida couldn’t possibly compete with dad or Dan Rutim. Dan Rutim even went and lifted the eldest son of the Maam, who’s bigger than him, right over his head!”

“Ah, so is the contest of strength a grappling competition, then?”

If that was the case, I could certainly see Mida failing to get the better of Donda Ruu or Dan Rutim.

At any rate, all I had to do was put all my skill into preparing a dish for the winner.

“Well then, I guess it’s about time for us to head out. I’ll be counting on you again tomorrow at work, Lala Ruu.”

With that, we finally went to leave.

However, the smiling Lala Ruu went, “Huh?” with a tilt of her head, looking past us. “What are Shin Ruu and Mida doing out so late at night?”

When I turned and looked, sure enough I found the pair approaching from the other side of the plaza. Mida was the one holding a candlestick, and seeing his face illuminated from below was seriously like something out of a horror movie.

“Hey, Mida. We were planning on heading over your way next, but you came to us, huh?”

“Yeah... And Ai Fa’s here too...”

“That’s right. I’m glad to see you looking well, Mida of the Ruu clan,” Ai Fa stiffly replied, her gaze narrowing a bit. “Still, did you lose a bit of weight? Though you’re still quite unusually large.”

“Huh, what are you talking about?! He’s just as soft and flabby as always!” Lala Ruu excitedly chimed in, despite the fact that she was saying something rather rude. It seemed that girls her age were quite frightening in this world, too.

“Asuta, Ai Fa... I’m sorry...”

“Huh?”

“For what? I don’t remember anything happening that you would need to apologize for.”

“But because of me, you aren’t able to sleep at the Ruu settlement, right...? So I’m sorry...” Mida’s fatty cheeks trembled, but his expression didn’t shift. “Once my house is done, I’ll be giving back that other one... So till then, I’m sorry...”

“Your house?” I questioned.

The always calm and composed youth by Mida’s side responded, “Mida is currently building his own home under my father Ryada’s guidance.”

“Your own house! So that’s what the lumber you were gathering earlier in the day was for?”

“Yeah... Mia Lea Ruu told me to make one. It’s really really tiring, but I’m giving it my all...”

Mida was currently sleeping in the vacant house we always borrowed. That was why we had ended up heading home instead of trying to stay at the Ruu settlement. But was Mia Lea Ruu reading too much into that and going overboard? If so, then I felt plenty bad for Mida, too.

But when I went to voice those feelings, Lala Ruu beat me to the punch and said, “You don’t need to worry about that. We would have needed a new house down the line, anyway. And my mom said it made sense to have him learn the techniques, too.”

“Ah, right. The general rule is that when anyone but the eldest son gets married, they’re supposed to move out of the house, right? And the Ruu main house alone has seven of you siblings, too.”

“That’s right. And everyone but me and Rimee have already turned fifteen, so they should hurry up and get out already.”

“And you’ll be able to get married in two years too, huh?” I quietly muttered, only to get a firm slap on the back.

Mida didn’t seem to even understand what we were talking about, and his blank gaze turned towards Ai Fa.

“Once my house is ready, will you two come to the Ruu settlement more...?”

“That’s nothing for you to worry yourself about. Besides, it’s been decided already that we’ll visit this settlement again two days from now. But at any rate, that work will surely grant you strength. So keep on striving to your fullest at it.”

“Sometimes, I don’t understand what you’re saying, Ai Fa...”

“I’m saying keep giving it your all.”

“Yeah, I will...” Mida replied, his cheeks shaking again.

If he lost a bit more weight, would I start having an easier time reading his emotions? I got the feeling that if that happened, I would more directly come to understand this mysterious being.

“By the way, what are you doing here, Shin Ruu? Do you have some sort of business with Asuta and Ai Fa?” Shin Ruu looked just a bit troubled at that question from Lala Ruu. And seeing that shift in expression, Lala Ruu raised an eyebrow. “What’s with that face? You didn’t want to ask how to perform sacrificial hunting again or something, right? Your house is earning coins now, so there shouldn’t be any need for that.”

“That was over a month back. Please just drop it already.”

With that, Lala Ruu turned away with a “Hmph!”

As he stared at her angry face from the side, Shin Ruu held out his right hand. Held in it was a truly splendid yellow flower, about as big as a human palm. Lala Ruu glanced over out of the corner of her eye, and in no time at all she was exclaiming, “Wow! That’s amazing! What a pretty flower! Is it a mizora...?”

“Yeah. It was my first time seeing a yellow mizora too, so it really caught me off guard. I happened to find it while out hunting today.”

“That’s so amazing! I never knew there were yellow mizora! I’ve never seen one before, either!” Lala Ruu exclaimed, then she brought it to her face and sniffed. “It smells nice, too!”

“Only members of the same house are supposed to grant blessings for a birthday, but... would you accept this?”

“Huh? You’re giving it to me?” Lala Ruu questioned, looking clearly puzzled.

Shin Ruu just gave a small nod, the same look on his face as always.

“You’re fond of yellow flowers, aren’t you? And since I happened to find it on the day of your birth, I wanted to give it to you. Is that a problem...?” the boy answered, his composed face looking a bit red. Perhaps that was just due to the light from the candlestick Mida was holding, though. I couldn’t tell, to be honest, but it was abundantly clear that Lala Ruu was blushing, at least.

“Did I ever tell you that I liked them, Shin Ruu...?”

“You did. I think it was back when we were even littler than Rimee Ruu, though.”

“I see,” Lala Ruu whispered quietly, moving one of the flowers adorning her head down to her chest. Then, she turned so that the now open spot was facing straight towards the youth.

Shin Ruu gently placed the yellow flower he was holding beside Lala Ruu’s temple. It was striking how vividly that primary color popped against the girl’s flame-like red hair.

“I’ll be praying from the depths of my heart that this next year is filled with happiness for you, Lala Ruu.”

“Thanks,” Lala Ruu mumbled looking back at Shin Ruu with upturned eyes.

Sensing the mood, I gave my clan head’s arm a nudge with my elbow.

“Okay, well then, it really is about time for us to get going. I’ll see you again tomorrow, Lala Ruu. And Shin Ruu and Mida, you two take care.”

“Ah, r-right! You be careful on your way back, too! And thanks for everything today!”

As they saw us off, the two of us crossed through the plaza while accompanied by Gilulu.

The moonlight actually seemed to be shining down pretty brightly tonight.

“Man, that sure was a great day. Lately we’ve been heading to the Ruu settlement whenever there’s trouble, so it was nice to head there and take it easy for the first time in a while,” I earnestly stated.

“Really?” Ai Fa replied.

Huh? I thought to myself, and turned around to find her seriously frowning.

“W-What’s wrong? You’ve been looking all displeased for a while now. Are you upset about something?”

“I certainly am... Just what exactly was with that soup the second Ruu daughter came up with?”

“Huh? That was ordinary soup using tau oil, wasn’t it? The seasoning made it really delicious, though.”

“Why are you just smiling away like a fool...? Did you not feel anything at all after eating that, Asuta?”

“I wasn’t especially smiling or anything... And what exactly are you so angry about?”

Ai Fa stopped right around when we were exiting the plaza and turned to face me head on.

“Asuta! Tomorrow, make a soup that’s even tastier than that!”

“Huh? What’s this about, all of a sudden? I’d of course like to strive to do that too, but it’s not like everybody’s tastes are the same to start with anyway...”

“I don’t need your excuses! If you won’t promise me that, then I’ll drag you back rather than letting you ride on Gilulu!”

“Alright, I got it! I’ll give it my absolute best shot!”

“Don’t go forgetting those words...”

I didn’t really get it, but it seemed Ai Fa was also taken aback by Reina Ruu’s skills.

I was grateful to see her get so worked up over the matter, and it wasn’t like I just felt casually glad to see the growth displayed by the girl. Reina Ruu wasn’t just my future rival. She had already climbed her way up to that point, here and now. And there was no way that would ever fail to get me fired up.

Perhaps sensing something from my expression, Ai Fa’s frown shifted back to normal and she gave a firm nod.

“As long as you understand. Well then, shall we be heading back?”

“Yeah.”

At last, it was time for the tandem totos ride.

Thanks to the bit of practice I did last night, I had learned how thrilling riding on a totos could be. And as long as Ai Fa was wearing her leather cloak, there shouldn’t be any issue with clinging closely to her...

Or at least that was the thought running through my head, but Ai Fa suddenly started undoing the fastener to the cloak in question.

“H-Huh? Um, clan head...?”

“What is it?” Ai Fa asked as she laid out her removed cloak atop Gilulu’s back. Then, she kicked off the ground and landed atop the totos just as gallantly as always. “Now then, you get on too.”

“Y-Yeah, I will. But why did you go and remove your cloak? It should be fine to keep it on while riding Gilulu, right?”

“Hmm? I simply removed it because it can prove annoying when the wind catches it. That’s no problem at all when I’m riding alone, but with you clinging onto my torso from behind, the gusts that get caught will go right up to my shoulders rather hard.”

“I see. But it’s not like you’re going to be running Gilulu full force, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?”

“It may not be a serious issue, but it’s still annoying. Anyway, just hurry up and get on.”

Ai Fa stared my way, a clear look of displeasure shining in her eyes.

Having no choice at that point, I grabbed ahold of her outstretched hand and clambered up atop Gilulu’s back. Then, I wrapped both arms around Ai Fa’s waist... and cried out, “I really can’t do this, after all!”

However, my clan head paid my complaint no heed and just gave Gilulu a kick in the side. The totos broke out in a stride in no time at all, and I clung to Ai Fa in a panic. I was grabbing her bare midriff, which wasn’t covered by any clothing whatsoever. Had she been using giba summoning fruit in traps? Because I could smell a sweet fragrance coming from her complexly done-up blonde hair.

“The moon is bright out tonight. Should I run him a bit faster?”

Cut me a break! I screamed out in my head, just in time for Gilulu to energetically pick up speed. I clung as tight to my clan head as I could possibly manage so as not to be thrown off.

Lala Ruu had turned 13, and I had also encountered my first true rival since coming to this world. Yes, the 25th of the blue month had certainly been an eventful day.