Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 27 - Chapter 3.3

3

“I’m so terribly sorry!” Yun Sudra said, apologizing out of the blue the following morning. It was currently right before we were about to start the prep work for the stalls. She had come here to the Fa house ahead of the other women and was bowing deeply to me and Ai Fa.

“Y-You don’t have to do that, Yun Sudra. There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

“Well, I mean, I never expected that Jou Ran would tell you everything that happened. I had a really hard time stopping myself from slapping him again!” Yun Sudra said, looking up at me and Ai Fa. Her face was as red as ours had been the night before. “I-I’m sure it must have been a terribly unpleasant conversation for the two of you, and I am deeply sorry for that.”

“That fool was the one who made things unpleasant. There isn’t the slightest need for you to apologize,” Ai Fa replied.

“Oh, but... But one of the causes of all this was the improper feelings I had for Asuta,” Yun Sudra protested, fidgeting and causing her gray-brown side ponytail to sway. “Still, I made the decision to cast those feelings aside. I’m sure Asuta’s told you already, Ai Fa, but I hope that you won’t doubt me about that.”

“I have no doubt that you’re being truthful, and regardless, that is still no reason for you to apologize.”

“But I want to have a proper relationship with you and Asuta, so I really do feel bad that this has become such a serious issue,” Yun Sudra insisted, shrinking in on herself more and more.

Ai Fa’s expression was hard to read as she stared back at the girl. “Regardless, our feelings are unimportant. Have you made up your mind to reveal everything to the Sudra and the Ran?”

“Yes. I was worried that I might cause the two of you trouble if I did so. But I changed my mind after talking to Jou Ran this morning. Besides, it’s now painfully clear to me that he isn’t capable of keeping this secret in the first place.”

Yun Sudra seemed to resent the fact that Jou Ran had opened up to the two of us, which was only natural. He should have conferred with her before he visited the Fa house.

“I’m on duty for work in the post town today, so my intention is to explain myself to the clan heads when they return from the forest this evening. Sorry to ask, but could you please keep this to yourselves until then?”

“Understood. As I’ve said again and again, I don’t believe you have done anything wrong. You were simply unlucky enough to end up involved with that complete and utter fool.”

“I cannot help but feel guilty as well, but it still makes me very happy to hear you say that, Ai Fa,” Yun Sudra replied with a smile, her cheeks still a little red. “I’ll get to work now. Sorry for taking up your time.”

With that, Yun Sudra vanished into the kitchen, and Ai Fa gave a small sigh.

“Yun Sudra certainly has an earnest heart,” she said. “I cannot understand why that fool wasn’t able to discard his attraction to me after being paired with such a fine woman.”

“Well, I sort of get it.” I couldn’t stop myself from making an unnecessary comment, and it earned me an instant kick to the leg from Ai Fa as her face went red.

“That’s entirely different. You live with me, while I’ve only ever met Jou Ran a handful of times, so it’s nonsensical to think of him as being the same as you in any way.”

“Well, I pride myself on knowing your charms better than anyone— Ow! Ow! Okay, I’ll stop!” After that, I went ahead and retreated to the kitchen before she seriously injured my leg.

However, Yun Sudra was the only person awaiting me there. As she was preparing to boil a big potful of curry ingredients, she shot me a bashful smile and said, “I really am sorry, Asuta.”

“Like Ai Fa said, there’s no need for you to apologize. I’m certain everyone else will feel the same way too.”

“I’m not so sure. If nothing else, it was definitely rash of me to slap Jou Ran.” Yun Sudra sighed heavily. “As I’ve told you before, I believe you and Ai Fa belong together. There’s no space for me between you. That’s why I decided to cast aside my feelings. But then he just had to go and say what he did. It made me so mad that I lost control of myself.”

“Well, it’s only natural to feel angry about that. His words made a complete mockery of your resolve.”

There were some points I could sympathize with Jou Ran on, sure, but that didn’t mean it was in any way acceptable for him to have acted so rudely toward Yun Sudra. No matter what he had been thinking, trying to drag her into his scheme had been absolutely wrong.

“What will the Ran and Fou clan heads think? Even if my crimes are forgiven, will my relationship with Jou Ran be able to survive?” she wondered aloud.

“Huh? I can’t imagine them deciding that you should still take Jou Ran as your husband after what he said to you.”

“They might. Even if you commit a crime, if you accept punishment for it, you will be forgiven, so we may be told to simply reassess whether we are fit to be partners.”

“In that case, can’t you just say that he isn’t right for you? I mean, I don’t think you should force yourself to marry someone you don’t get along with.”

“I certainly do hope that I won’t have to. But I shouldn’t let my personal feelings endanger our bond with the Fou and Ran.”

As the contents of the pot started bubbling, Yun Sudra sighed once again. At this point, all we could do was wait for the evening to come, to see whether she would be freed from this anguish.

Not much happened at work. The flow of customers was the same as always, and we burned through our stock of meals in no time. The post town was getting more and more lively again with each passing day. The only noteworthy thing that did happen was that Yumi and a few of the other townsfolk were given an invitation to the Ruu’s upcoming festival of the hunt, surprisingly enough.

“Huh?! Seriously?! I had totally given up because I figured we couldn’t come to an event like that!” Yumi excitedly asked back.

“Yes, we’re serious,” Reina Ruu replied with a smile. “We were thinking about holding a separate event on a different day instead, but since Mikel and Myme are staying at the Ruu settlement as guests anyway, we decided that adding a few more people wouldn’t be an issue. We figure this’ll help the two of them feel more comfortable too.”

“Hooray! I’m not sure if I should say this, but your dad is a really generous guy! He looks really scary and stubborn, but he’s nothing like my old man!”

“Yes. Though, it is true that my father can be both scary and stubborn at times,” Reina Ruu replied with a giggle. “Also, it won’t just be a festival of the hunt. It’s going to be Jiba Ruu’s birthday celebration as well. If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell each guest to bring a single flower?”

“A flower? Can we bring just any flower we find growing on the ground?”

“Yes. As long as they aren’t poisonous, any kind will do. What’s important is the emotions of the person giving the gift.”

“Got it! I’ll be sure to tell Telia Mas that, and whoever else I bring too! Oh, and how many people would it be okay for us to invite?”

“Hmm, well, three or four shouldn’t be any issue.”

“Then I’ll definitely have to go with Telia Mas and Tara. I’m sure they’ll be really happy. Seriously, thanks so much!” Yumi said, before walking over to the outdoor restaurant space, radiating joy.

I spoke up then, having been listening in from two stalls over. “Sounds like she’s really thrilled about this.”

“Yeah. If it weren’t also Granny Jiba’s birthday, I don’t know if my dad would have decided to let them come. I think he only changed his mind because of how they bonded with our elder during the revival festival.”

“You might be right about that. And I really appreciate you guys inviting me and Ai Fa too.”

This was kind of a big deal. The Ruu clan must have already heard about how Yumi wanted to marry into the forest’s edge. Shumiral and Sufira Zaza had both made it painfully clear how difficult it would be to do that. Even so, Donda Ruu had still given his permission for her to be invited as a guest. That was probably because he trusted that so long as they acted appropriately, as Shumiral and Sufira Zaza ultimately had, any problems that arose would eventually work out fine. It was a decision that showed his determination to not shy away from forming bonds with outsiders simply because of what might happen.

And Yumi is going to have to prove that her determination is equally strong.

She still didn’t know about the incident with Sufira Zaza and Leiriss. She probably hadn’t heard too much about Shumiral or Morun Rutim either. I figured I would need to explain to her how much weight marriage held at the forest’s edge before the day of the festival of the hunt arrived. Of course, I was planning to get approval from the members of the Ruu clan before I made such a move.

Even so, if Yumi is really serious about marrying into the forest’s edge, I’d definitely be glad if she can pull it off, I thought while wrapping up business for the day.

And then, night rolled around.

Unsurprisingly, there was a knock on the Fa house’s door shortly after we finished dinner and started relaxing. Our visitors were none other than Raielfam Sudra, Baadu Fou, and the head of the main Ran house. After handing over their swords and stepping into our main hall, the first thing they did was apologize.

“Jou Ran and Yun Sudra told us everything. We’d like to start by apologizing for this unnecessary commotion.”

“Hmm. I don’t see any need for you to apologize to us,” Ai Fa told them.

“It did cause a disruption between the women working for Asuta, did it not? And Jou Ran interrupted your meal last night as well. I believe that’s more than enough to count as troubling you,” Baadu Fou said.

Even though it had been members of the Sudra and Ran clans who had caused this most recent incident, the Sudra were going to become a clan under the Fou soon, so he was being proactive about taking the lead on this as the head of the parent clan.

“The root cause of all this was the feelings the two of them individually had for members of your clan. We want to let you know that we of course do not feel any misplaced resentment toward either of you,” he continued.

“And we appreciate that very much. We thought that we might need to apologize for that, but didn’t know how to go about it,” my clan head responded.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. They had feelings for you, but that isn’t your fault in any way.”

Then the Ran clan head bowed his head. “I should be the first one to apologize. That fool Jou Ran asked you to marry him, Ai Fa, without even giving me any notice. That goes against our customs here at the forest’s edge.”

“He did make that request of me, but it was in regard to the distant future. He simply said that if he eventually surpassed me as a hunter, he would like to ask me to become his bride. I don’t think that is anything to find fault with him for,” Ai Fa calmly replied, speaking as solemnly as the other clan heads. “However, last night did upset me somewhat. What he said to Yun Sudra was truly unbecoming of a person of the forest’s edge. I would like to know what you have decided to do because of his actions.”

“You’re right. That was unforgivable. As the head of the Ran clan, I feel truly ashamed. He can be a bit hard to read, certainly, but I never thought that Jou Ran had strayed so far from the proper path.”

Ai Fa nodded. “Yes, he trampled over Yun Sudra’s feelings and the trust you three clan heads gave him. I was worried that you might feel as indignant as I do, head of the Sudra clan.”

“I don’t feel any indignation. I’m more astounded than anything else,” Raielfam Sudra replied. The wrinkles on his forehead looked deeper than usual. “Besides, no matter how rude Jou Ran was, it doesn’t change the fact that Yun, a member of my clan, struck him. That also goes against the customs of the forest’s edge, so we have no choice but to acknowledge that there was some fault on both sides and move on.”

“I’m truly grateful for your kindness,” the Ran clan head said with a bow.

Raielfam Sudra patted him on the shoulder and said, “It’s the natural thing to do. We already have a Fou woman marrying into the Sudra, so our clans will be linked by blood before too much longer regardless. The best thing for us to do would be to overlook the discord of the last few days and work to deepen our bonds instead.”

“So, what will happen with Yun Sudra and Jou Ran?” I interjected.

“Hmm?” Baadu Fou tilted his head questioningly. “Nothing at all. It’s true that both of them violated our customs, but it’s nothing that requires serious punishment. They just need to be sure not to make the same mistakes again in the future.”

“So do you still expect the two of them to get married?”

“No,” Baadu Fou bluntly replied. “Neither of them wants that, after all. Jou Ran and Yun Sudra don’t see one another as fitting partners. We’ve accepted that.”

“I see.”

At last, I could breathe a sigh of relief. The planned marriage was off, and neither side would be punished. The issue seemed to have been fully resolved.

“We should still have a Fou woman and a Ran woman marrying into the Sudra, as well as a Sudra woman marrying into the Fou, so we don’t need to pressure Yun Sudra to get married right now. The rest will have to wait until the clan head meeting.”

“The clan head meeting? What do you mean?”

“The matter with the Rutim and the Dom. At the next clan head meeting, a decision will have to be made about whether they’ll be permitted to form blood ties without involving their related clans, right? I don’t think there’s any need to force marriage talks to go forward before that’s sorted.”

“Indeed,” the Ran clan head agreed. “If they are permitted to go ahead with that, we’ll be able to consider forging ties with other clans while still keeping the Fou as our parent clan. That will allow us to gain more strength than we’ve ever had before.”

“Then you’re all in agreement with Gazraan Rutim’s proposal?”

The answer, apparently, was yes.

“We’re thinking of holding a festival of the hunt with the Deen and Liddo to allow new pairings to form between our clans.”

“Nowadays, we can interact with other clans much easier thanks to our wagons. We invited the Ruu hunters to our settlement not long ago too.”

“Yes, and our women are getting closer to those from the Gaaz and Ratsu as well. If even holdouts like the Beim and Ravitz come to approve of the Fa clan’s actions, we’ll have many more opportunities to forge strong bonds with other clans,” Baadu Fou said, and then he turned toward Raielfam Sudra. “If the three proposed marriages go through, the only unmarried person left in your clan will be Yun Sudra. That being the case, it seems like you would be well justified to wait until after the clan head meeting, to give the Sudra more time to form bonds with other clans.”

“Quite so,” Raielfam Sudra agreed. “To be honest, Yun has told me that she would like to take her time selecting a husband, so I’m sure that she’ll be much happier if we give her more leeway on that.”

“There are a lot of men at the forest’s edge, so I’m sure she’ll find an ideal partner eventually.” Baadu Fou had been looking solemn for the entire conversation so far, but now he suddenly broke out in a grin. “Though, considering the last guy she fell for was Asuta here, I’ve got no idea how long she’ll have to search.”

“Yes, and the same is true for Jou Ran. Out of all the women in our tribe, very few are like Ai Fa,” the Ran clan head noted.

“I ask that you all refrain from teasing us about that,” Ai Fa said with a sour look.

Baadu Fou’s smile softened in response. “We’re all friends here. Surely you can allow us to joke around with you a bit? Besides, it’s undeniable that there aren’t many people out there like the two of you.”

“That’s right,” the Ran clan head chimed in. “I mean, the two of you are a woman who’s an exceptional hunter and a man who is a fantastic chef. I can’t imagine it would be easy to find anyone like either of you.”

“Even so, Yun did cast aside her feelings for Asuta. She may no longer be marrying Jou Ran, but she won’t cause the Fa clan any trouble either,” Raielfam Sudra remarked, his small eyes staring straight at Ai Fa. “Ai Fa and Asuta, I would like to ask you something as a friend of the Fa clan: do you two have no intention to ever marry anyone?”

“We don’t. Why do you feel the need to ask about that, Raielfam Sudra?” Ai Fa asked.

“Obviously, because there will continue to be no shortage of people falling for the two of you in the future,” Raielfam Sudra replied while stroking his flat chin. “It’s understandable that you cannot take a husband as a hunter, Ai Fa. But Asuta, you also don’t intend to marry any other woman?”

“I-I don’t. I’m sorry, but that’s just what I want.”

“Hmm. So your feelings haven’t changed.” I had discussed this with Raielfam Sudra before because of Yun Sudra’s feelings for me. “If that is what you have decided, then we have no right to argue, as we are not related by blood. Still, we cannot help but think that it’s a real shame that the Fa clan’s bloodline will soon die out, when you are the ones who carved open a path forward for us.”

“Be that as it may, this is the path we have chosen for ourselves,” Ai Fa calmly retorted.

“Hmm.” The Ran clan head scratched his head with a pensive look. “Now that I think about it, there’s something I need to ask as well. Jou Ran has been insistent about wanting to know who you have feelings for, Ai Fa. What are your thoughts on that?” the clan head asked, still maintaining his solemn expression.

A slight blush appeared around Ai Fa’s eyes. “I cannot see any reason for me to answer that.”

“No, there’s certainly no need for you to do so. I was asking if it would be all right for us to tell him.”

At that point, Ai Fa’s face turned red enough that it would be impossible for anyone in the room to miss. “Y-You couldn’t possibly know that for sure, could you?”

“True enough. But I can only think of one possibility.”

Ai Fa went silent.

“I’m closer to the two of you than Jou Ran is. And he didn’t visit the Fa house when Asuta fell ill, did he? Anyone who saw you then would be able to hazard a guess, even if they didn’t know anything else about the two of you.”

Ai Fa scratched her head for a moment, but didn’t lower her arm when she was done, as if she was trying to use it to hide her glowing face.

Baadu Fou and Raielfam Sudra both looked a little puzzled.

“Jou Ran fell for you, and yet he doesn’t even know that, Ai Fa? I don’t see any problem with simply being open about it.”

“Yeah. Honestly, I don’t think you could hide it if you tried.”

Now even the other two clan heads were talking about it, causing Ai Fa to give a loud, flustered, “Hold on! I-I don’t recall ever discussing this with anyone! H-How are you all talking as if my feelings are completely obvious to you?!”

“Well, I’d imagine most people who know you have noticed by now.”

“Yeah, I mean, even we picked up on it.”

“If anything, Jou Ran’s a real fool for not realizing it.”

I felt like I was being publicly embarrassed too as I sat there beside Ai Fa. I felt hot from my neck on up, and I was even sweating a bit.

“We’ve all seen just how much the two of you care for each other. Even putting aside the state you were in when Asuta fell ill, there was also the clan head meeting at the Suun settlement, and the time when Asuta was abducted by that noble girl. Not to mention the way you two act around each other normally. To be perfectly frank, it feels strange that you still aren’t married yet.”

“I-I understand, so let’s please stop talking about this!”

“There’s no need to get so flustered. Besides, I don’t think this will mean the end of the Fa clan’s bloodline,” Baadu Fou said, looking at me and Ai Fa with a kind gaze. “Ai Fa, you turned eighteen last month, correct?”

“Yes. What of it?”

“Even ten years from now, you’ll still only be twenty-eight. It’s entirely possible to have children at that age. Working as a hunter for ten years might be enough to satisfy you. And if it is, then no one would object to you getting married at that point.”

“Wh-What nonsense are you—?!”

“People’s hearts can change. It might only take five years rather than ten. Or even just one. No one can tell how you will feel in the future until it becomes the present. It all depends on the will of the forest, Ai Fa.”

“Right. Ai Fa’s one of the best hunters our people have. In five years, she could very well hunt down as many giba as an ordinary hunter would in a lifetime,” the Ran clan head said.

“No matter which path you take, we’ll remain friends to the Fa clan, so do whatever you believe is right,” Raielfam Sudra added.

Still holding her head in one hand, she called out in resignation, “That’s enough! S-Sorry, but my head is starting to hurt! So if you’re finished discussing Yun Sudra and Jou Ran, then please leave!”

Baadu Fou nodded in acknowledgment. “Very well. Sorry for stopping by so late at night. All of our clan members have been told about what happened between Yun Sudra and Jou ran, so the women should start acting normally again tomorrow.”

With that, the three clan heads headed back to their own houses.

Ai Fa wasn’t moving, so I went ahead and bolted the door myself. Then, when I glanced back at the main hall, I found that my clan head was already lying on her side atop the floor.

“Th-That was quick. I didn’t sense you moving at all.”

Ai Fa said nothing in response.

“Isn’t that uncomfortable, with your hair still up?”

“Quiet!” Ai Fa grumbled, her back facing me. Well, she had just weathered a pretty rough surprise attack, so I understood how she was feeling. Honestly, I hadn’t expected the clan heads to go as far as they had either.

I guess it’s simply proof of how important the Fa clan is to them, I thought as I quickly got ready for bed myself.

I prepared my bedding and blew out the candle, and as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, I lay down. The sky seemed to be clear that night, judging from how much pale moonlight was streaming in through the window.

“Good night, Ai Fa,” I quietly called out, and she seemed to whisper something back. “Hmm? Sorry, I couldn’t quite catch that.”

“Even I don’t know how I’ll feel five or ten years from now.”

As I stared at Ai Fa’s smooth back, I found myself smiling before I knew it.

“It all depends on the will of the forest, right? As long as I’m with you, though, I’ll be happy.”

Ai Fa seemed to squirm a bit in protest.

With gentle bliss washing over me, I once again said, “Good night.”

There were a few more developments worth noting after that. The next morning, Yun Sudra showed up at the Fa house before anyone else again, with a bright smile on her face completely unlike what I had seen from her the day before.

“Good morning, Asuta! I heard our clan head stopped by your place last night!”

“Y-Yeah, good morning. You look like you’re feeling a lot better, Yun Sudra.”

“I am! I feel like all my troubles have been blown away! The world around me looks as if it’s sparkling!”

Yun Sudra was a cheerful girl by nature, but it was rare to see her this excited. That just went to show how heavily the events of the last few days had been weighing on her.

“Did you hear everything from the clan heads? Not only are they not going to pressure me to marry, I was even told I could take my time finding a partner!”

“Yeah, I heard. Still, that’s going to depend on the result of the clan head meeting, won’t it?”

“Yeah. But I’ll be praying to the forest daily for every single clan to accept the Rutim’s proposal when the time comes!”

The strength of Yun Sudra’s desire to not get married was a little surprising to me.

Then she smiled bashfully at me with a hint of red on her cheeks. “I mean, I fell for you, didn’t I? It’s going to be hard to find a man more charming than you are. In fact, I bet it’ll probably take until I’m twenty or so, like the folks from the Ruu clan.”

“I-I see. But you’re still only fifteen, aren’t you?”

“Five years will be plenty of time for me to go around to all of the other clans and meet every single one of their men,” she replied, teasingly sticking out her tongue. It felt as if Yun Sudra had been freed from all the frustration she had been feeling, not only for the past few days, but for the past few months. “Honestly, I’m jealous of Reina Ruu. She doesn’t pay any mind at all to talk of marriage and just focuses on polishing her cooking skills. I think that really makes her shine brilliantly.”

“I see. Well, I can definitely get how you feel. But I’m sure your clan members must worry about it.”

“Yeah, but I’ll take a husband eventually. I mean, I’d like to eventually marry someone I love and hold my child in my arms, but I don’t mind if it takes a few years for that to happen!” Then Yun Sudra smiled at me and narrowed her eyes like she was staring at something dazzling. “I’m sure that someday I’ll find a man I adore even more than you. I just hope that we’ll be able to keep being friends like we are now.”

“Yeah, thanks. I look forward to continuing to work with you too.”

Yun Sudra really was a strong, earnest person. Comparing Jou Ran to her almost felt unfair. I actually felt kind of sorry for the guy, though I hadn’t told anyone that, since I didn’t think it was my place to say anything, according to the customs of the forest’s edge.

Jou Ran had fallen for someone who was out of his reach, spiraled out of control, and made an unbelievable mistake. At the forest’s edge, that was considered to be his fault alone, but I saw things a little differently. There were plenty of people back where I was born and raised who screwed up like he had.

It’s all too common for matters of love to not go the way people want them to. When you have a burning passion inside of you, it can sometimes run out of control, and that could lead to you losing sight of good manners or morality. After all, we human beings are far from perfect.

However, the people of the forest’s edge valued manners to a stifling degree. They had an overwhelming sense of responsibility to their family, their clan, and their people. Honestly, I thought that those among them who lived pure lives with an unbreakable spirit that always kept them on the right path—like Yun Sudra—were truly amazing. And not just her, but Sufira Zaza and Morun Rutim as well. The moment when the former cast aside her feelings for the sake of her people was really burned into my memory.

Since I had been acknowledged as being one of the people of the forest’s edge, I strongly felt that I needed to lead a proper life like they did, which meant that I had to find the right way to live so that my happiness overlapped with theirs. Still, it wasn’t like I had changed at my core. I was confident that my happiness could be found at Ai Fa’s side and nowhere else.

In one year, or five, or ten...if the day comes when Ai Fa feels like she’s fulfilled her duty as a hunter and can marry the person she loves...wouldn’t that mean she could live a happy life as both a hunter and a woman?

Up until she had met me, Ai Fa had lived all on her own. For two whole years, she had hunted alone, eaten alone, and completed all of her work without anyone to help her. In effect, she had been doing both a man’s work and a woman’s work entirely by herself. So then, shouldn’t it be possible for her to find happiness as either a hunter or a woman?

In that case, I...

I would have to keep supporting her in her role as a hunter. And...I had to become a man worthy of being her husband. The numerous incidents that had happened over the last half month had made me more keenly aware of that than I had ever been before.