Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 28 - Chapter 2.4

4

We found fried dishes—cutlets and croquettes—awaiting us at the next stove. The croquettes came in two varieties: the standard type made with minced meat and chatchi, and cream croquettes. Apparently, this was Radd Liddo’s first time trying the latter, and his eyes shot open wide when he did.

“What strange little morsels! They’re quite good, though, considering there’s no giba meat in them!”

“Indeed. They were a little difficult for us to make, but Yun Sudra worked hard to prepare them,” the Fou woman on serving duty replied with a smile.

The cutlets and standard croquettes had a bit of Worcestershire sauce on top of them, while the cream croquettes used a ketchup-style sauce. It must have taken quite a bit of work to prepare enough for fifty people, but it definitely seemed to have been worth the effort, judging from all the smiling faces around us.

A few of the guests happened to be hanging around the area too, namely Toor Deen and the members of the Zaza clan. I had spotted them earlier in the evening, but I hadn’t said hello to them yet, so I gave them a quick bow.

“Geol Zaza, Sufira Zaza. Hey there. So this is where you were. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah,” Geol Zaza bluntly grumbled in response while chewing some giba cutlet. Sufira Zaza carefully bowed back to me, as she was carrying a plate with a cream croquette on it. The two of them seemed to be the only people not smiling in pretty much the entire plaza.

I hadn’t seen the two of them since the match with Leiriss at the Ruu settlement, and to be honest, I had only seen them from a distance then, so we hadn’t spoken. In Sufira Zaza’s case, this must have been the first time I had seen her up close in several months.

She wasn’t clad in banquet attire. Following the customs of the Zaza, she was wearing a sash made from a pelt and had added some accessories to her outfit, but her hair wasn’t down, and she looked the same as usual otherwise. She did seem rather serene, though. Sufira Zaza had always been curt with me in the past, but I couldn’t sense any of her typical prickliness now. In fact, she appeared to be quite calm and collected. She had an aura about her that reminded me of an elder, which hadn’t been there the last time I had seen her.

“Um, Geol Zaza, if you just keep on eating giba cutlets, there may not be enough left for everyone else. Don’t you think you should try something else?” Toor Deen chimed in. She was wearing proper banquet attire, and the silver accessories she had received from Odifia were in her hair and in front of her chest, sparkling in the firelight.

“Do we really have to worry about fussy stuff like that in the middle of a banquet? The Fou and Sudra said that as guests we can do as we please, didn’t they?” Geol Zaza said.

“Yes, but wouldn’t it be more enjoyable for you to try all sorts of different dishes too, Geol Zaza? Giba cutlets contain a lot of fat, so if you eat too many of them, it could be bad for you.” Though she appeared to be a little concerned, Toor Deen didn’t seem intimidated at all. Geol Zaza had a giba pelt on, and his face looked particularly fierce for a hunter his age, but apparently the young chef didn’t have any trouble interacting with him.

“Ha! There’s no way this would be enough to hurt me!” Geol Zaza insisted, but he set down his plate and started chugging fruit wine instead.

Radd Liddo—who had also been stuffing his face with giba cutlets—snorted, “Hmph. Geol Zaza, it looks like you’ve grown more mature in the short time since I last saw you.”

“Huh? Are you trying to say you thought I was immature when you saw me before?”

“Yes, but you’ve completely shed your childishness now. Still, you’ve got a long way to go before you catch up to Gulaf Zaza!” Radd Liddo said with a laugh, not holding back at all, even when dealing with the heir to his parent clan.

“Hmph!” Geol Zaza snorted, looking away in a huff.

Then, with that calm expression still on her face, Sufira Zaza turned toward me. “Asuta of the Fa clan, is that Morun Rutim girl skilled at making dishes like these that use giba fat?”

“Yeah, definitely. As a highly skilled Rutim chef, Morun Rutim should be able to make these no problem.”

“I see. I was taught how to make them during my time at the Ruu settlement, but I’ve never gotten them to come out right. If I can learn more from her, I’m sure my family will be very happy.” Her tone was fittingly steady and didn’t betray anything of what she was feeling inside. And yet, there was a certain softness to her that hadn’t been there before. It was hard to describe it in words, but it didn’t seem like a bad change.

“Is that Rutim girl doing okay at the northern settlement? I haven’t heard anything about that lately,” Radd Liddo chimed in, asking the question I wanted to bring up.

“Yes,” Sufira Zaza replied with a nod. “Morun Rutim has been getting along well with the members of the Dom clan. I’ve seen her every now and then myself, and I don’t believe there’s any need to worry about there being discord between them.”

“Ah, I see. Well, considering she asked to marry the head of the Dom clan of all people, I was a bit concerned that some of the women might not look upon her fondly.”

I had felt much the same way. For a comparison using the clans under the Ruu, it would be like someone completely unrelated asking to marry the head of the Rutim or Lea, so it was definitely a big deal.

“Well, there weren’t any women at the northern settlement who were pursuing Deek Dom, because most assumed he and I were going to get married.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Though apparently, Deek Dom himself was of the opinion that he should marry someone from the Deen or Liddo, since his clan’s blood ties with theirs have been growing thin.”

“Considering this is the head of the Dom we’re talking about, I’m sure our women would find that to be a rather intimidating proposition! Looking at him as a fellow hunter, I can’t say there are many men out there who are as impressive as he is!” Radd Liddo remarked with a hearty laugh. “But I suppose we’ll have to wait until the clan head meeting to find out if that Rutim girl’s wish can be made a reality! Until then, I hope she keeps doing good work as a chef!”

“We have an even better chef than her among our relatives, though,” Geol Zaza said. He had been silently chugging down fruit wine, but now he was looking down at Toor Deen. “Hey, if you were to stay at the northern settlement, wouldn’t it help the women there grow their skills faster?”

“Huh? B-But I have to help out with the Fa clan business, so I can’t be away from home for too long,” the young chef protested.

“Well, I can’t say I see the sense in ignoring your own relatives in order to help out some other clan.”

Toor Deen’s gaze drifted downward. She seemed incredibly troubled, but before I could come to her aid, she looked up again, staring resolutely at Geol Zaza, who absolutely towered over her. “I was able to improve my cooking skills because I’ve been assisting the Fa clan. It would be incredibly selfish of me to suddenly abandon my job with them, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, but...”

“And I still have a lot I need to learn. If I leave Asuta’s side now, I won’t be able to improve as much anymore. That would leave me with a lot of regrets as well.”

Geol Zaza held his tongue, scowling like a sulking child. It was only at times like these that he looked his actual age. Toor Deen, however, offered him a timid smile as if trying to soothe him.

“But I could start visiting the northern settlement every now and then, the day before I am off from work. That way, I could keep helping the Fa while also giving lessons to the Zaza women.”

“Hmm? The day before rather than the day off itself?”

“Yes. When we have business the following day, I need to do prep work in the evening. But after I finish work on the day before a break, I can head to the northern settlement then.”

“So, how many days do you take off from business?”

“Our current schedule has us working for five days and then taking one break day.”

“I see,” Geol Zaza said, smiling brightly, which seemed to fluster Toor Deen a little bit.

“The Zaza and Deen clan heads will have to be the ones to make the decision, though, so we would need to get their permission first,” she said.

“My old man won’t put up a fight. So, where’s the Deen clan head?”

“He’s going from stove to stove with our clan members.”

“Got it,” Geol Zaza said with a nod, hurrying off.

Sufira Zaza gave Toor Deen a rather worried look. “Are you really okay with that? You don’t need to force yourself to fulfill Geol’s selfish requests.”

“If it strengthens our relatives, then I’d be happy to do so,” Toor Deen responded.

When she heard that, Sufira Zaza’s eyes seemed to smile, even though her mouth didn’t move. “I see. I have to say, I’m quite glad that you now fall under the Zaza clan.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Sufira Zaza nodded once, then hurried after her brother.

After watching her go, Ai Fa turned to say something to the young chef. “You’ve grown strong, Toor Deen. The way you handled yourself just now was very impressive.”

“Uh, no, it was nothing special... I mean, I am a relative of the Zaza and all,” Toor Deen replied, her face going red as she stared down at the ground.

Radd Liddo, meanwhile, gave a hearty nod. “You really are the greatest chef under the Zaza, Toor Deen! I’d love to have you offer more lessons to the Liddo clan too!”

“Uh, of course, I’d certainly like to if the opportunity arises...”

“I’ll be looking forward to it! Now then, why don’t we move on to the next stove? Would you like to join us too, Toor Deen?”

And so, our group expanded to four members, all of whom I thought were great for spending time with.

The next stove had the whole-roast giba. It apparently hadn’t been that long since it finished cooking, so there was still plenty left of each cut. But then my eyes went wide when I saw that Yun Sudra was the one serving it to people. “Huh? You’re helping out tonight, Yun Sudra?”

“Yes. The others aren’t that confident when it comes to cutting slices off the roast, so I was called over to handle it.”

It seemed that Yun Sudra was acting as a jack of all trades today. But, well, that made sense, as she was one of the most skilled chefs among the three clans—the Sudra, Fou, and Ran—who were putting on tonight’s event. It was similar to how Toor Deen stood out among all the clans under the Zaza—the Deen and Liddo included.

“We only ever get to have this whole-roast stuff at banquets! I’m really fired up now!” Radd Liddo loudly declared while biting into the back meat that Yun Sudra had sliced off for him.

The banquet certainly seemed to be in full swing at this point.

While we were enjoying our pieces of whole-roast giba, Baadu Fou and the Ran clan head approached us. “Ah, Radd Liddo, Ai Fa. So this is where you’ve been. Are you enjoying the banquet?”

“Yes, I’ve been having a blast! The dishes are all so incredibly delicious I almost can’t take it!” Radd Liddo said boisterously.

Ai Fa simply nodded.

“That’s good to hear. By the way, I’d like to have a brief discussion with you regarding the next festival of the hunt,” Baadu Fou said.

“Hmm? Is there some sort of issue?” Radd Liddo asked.

“No, not at all. It’s just something the Deen and Sudra clan heads gave us their approval for a moment ago, so we’d like to discuss it with you now. Shall we talk over there where it’s quiet?”

As the other three clan heads stepped away from the stove where we were standing, Ai Fa shot me a concerned look. I simply smiled to reassure her and said, “I’ll be fine. I’ll just stay here and talk with Toor Deen and Yun Sudra. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Very well,” she replied, then walked off to follow the others after a moment of hesitation.

“I wonder what that’s about. I hope it’s not any sort of trouble,” Toor Deen said with a worried look, so I sent her a smile too.

“The clan heads didn’t look all that serious, so I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. It’s hard to imagine these three clans fighting in the first place.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Toor Deen replied with a smile of her own.

While we were talking, Yun Sudra was splitting the legs off of the young giba. “I’ve removed the legs. Would you two like some of the meat from them?”

“Thanks, we’d love that,” I said.

I hadn’t gotten any at the last Ruu festival, so this was the first time in a while that I was able to enjoy whole-roast giba. With the crispy skin and juicy meat, it was delicious no matter the cut. It also seemed to have been coated in a tau-oil-based sauce, and that flavoring served to whet my appetite further.

“Have you eaten enough yourself, Yun Sudra? I know how easy it is to get so busy with work during a banquet that you forget to eat. Ai Fa’s warned me about that plenty of times,” I inquired.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Yun Sudra replied, a bit of tension entering her voice as she spoke. Her well-shaped eyebrows knitted together sharply as she stared at something behind me. Following her gaze, I found that Jou Ran was suddenly standing there.

“Um, could I have a word with you, Asuta?”

“What do you want to discuss with Asuta?” Yun Sudra asked before I could answer.

Jou Ran’s eyebrows drooped sadly. “It’s nothing serious. At least, as far as anyone but me is concerned.”

“People will get suspicious if they see you trying to involve yourself with the Fa clan, don’t you think?”

“I suppose so,” Jou Ran replied, his shoulders slumping. He looked so pathetic that I couldn’t help but want to cut him some slack.

“I don’t mind listening to what you have to say, if that’s all you want. As long as it isn’t anything people would get upset about. Is it?”

“No...it probably isn’t.”

Yun Sudra looked like she was about to start going after him, but I went ahead and accepted Jou Ran’s request. Toor Deen also looked worried, so I gave her a quick smile before moving a short distance away with the Ran hunter.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well... Um, are you the man Ai Fa would like to take as a husband, Asuta?”

It wasn’t exactly a surprising question. “I don’t think we should discuss that when she isn’t present. That goes against the customs of the forest’s edge, doesn’t it?”

“But the members of the Ran and Fou have all been talking about it... Is it really true?”

“Like I said, it would go against the customs of the forest’s edge for me to reply to that.” I was sticking with that line because it was undoubtedly what Ai Fa would have said if she were in my position. Rather than confirming or denying anything, I decided to hit him with a question of my own. “And even if it were the truth, what would you do about it, Jou Ran?”

“I mean, Ai Fa has already made it clear that she won’t have anything to do with me, so no matter who she has feelings for, there’s nothing I can do about it,” Jou Ran replied with a deep sigh. “But it seems that what everyone’s been saying really is true. I can’t believe you’re the one she has feelings for. I want to dig myself a hole and just lay in it.”

“Wh-What do you mean? How does the person she has feelings for change anything?”

“Ai Fa became angry with me because of what I tried to get Yun Sudra to do. And I didn’t even realize that there were two reasons for her to feel that way. To think that I made the woman I fell for that upset. I truly, utterly despise myself.” Well, it wasn’t like I couldn’t understand how he felt. Still, it felt kind of strange to see a man of the forest’s edge be so open about his emotions. “Besides, you’re someone I can never compete with no matter how hard I try. It’s not like you can have a contest of strength between a hunter and a chef, after all.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“Was Ai Fa drawn to a chef like you because she’s a hunter? You’re as gentle as a woman, and you have a cute face too.”

How was I supposed to respond to a statement like that?!

Anyway, Jou Ran was standing there with a look on his face that felt like a “boo-hoo” sound effect would have gone with it perfectly. “Still...I also feel a bit relieved in a way. No matter how good of a hunter I become, I won’t be able to change how Ai Fa feels. Now that I know that, I think I’m finally ready to let this go.”

“I-I see.”

“If the two of you get married, I want to be able to give you my blessing from the bottom of my heart. Uh, but please don’t get married, like, tomorrow or the day after, okay? I can’t imagine being able to sort my feelings out that quickly...”

We had no plans to get married, but I didn’t feel like it would be appropriate to tell him that, so I simply replied, “Yeah, got it.”

“All right, excuse me... I have no idea how Yun Sudra is still able to act so normal. She really is a strong woman.” And with those final words, Jou Ran trudged away.

Feeling somewhat gobsmacked, I headed back to the stove. Ai Fa was talking with Yun Sudra, but when I approached, she suddenly turned toward me incredibly fast.

“Asuta! You said you would wait here, didn’t you?!” Ai Fa asked as she walked directly over to me and grabbed ahold of my shoulders. “I heard what happened from Yun Sudra. Did that fool go and say something ridiculous again?”

“U-Uh, he seemed to be sorry that he made you so mad. And he wanted to come to terms with his feelings, so he could give you his blessing no matter what happened.”

“If that was all he wanted to say, why were you the one he asked to speak to?”

“I guess he wanted to talk to me because he figured you wouldn’t be willing to hear him out. Also, he tried to get me to confirm who the person you want to marry is.” I whispered that last bit, and my clan head’s face went red as she kept gripping my shoulders. “But all I said was that I couldn’t tell him without you around. Was that okay?”

“He didn’t say anything else, did he?”

“Um, just that I’m cute like a woman,” I added as a joke, trying to soothe Ai Fa’s emotions.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “What’s that about? It’s weird for a man to say that about another man.”

“Yeah. I didn’t know how to respond, myself.”

With a sigh, Ai Fa finally let go of my shoulders.

Radd Liddo—who was once again getting his fill of whole-roast giba—then cut in, saying, “What’s going on? It’s all well and good to be close, but you should probably show at least a little restraint when you’re at someone else’s wedding, wouldn’t you say?”

“That’s not what’s going on! You shouldn’t make such thoughtless jokes, clan head of the Liddo!”

“I wouldn’t exactly say I was joking there,” Radd Liddo replied with a laugh, not looking concerned in the least. Since Yun Sudra and Toor Deen were with us, it was my turn to feel embarrassed.

“S-So, what did Baadu Fou want to talk about?” I asked.

“Hmm? Ah, it wasn’t anything all that important! Just some details about our next festival of the hunt! The main thing was about who should organize the banquet.”

“Who should organize it? Oh, right, the job of organizing the celebratory banquet was supposed to be passed around among the clans, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed. Based on the order we decided on before, the Sudra should have been next, but now the Sudra have become a subordinate clan to the Fou, so we were discussing whether we should have someone else handle it.”

In other words, their thinking was that it would be wrong to have related clans take on that burden multiple times in a row, so either the Deen, Liddo, or Fa should take the Sudra’s place. It was exactly the sort of reasoning I’d expect from an earnest guy like Baadu Fou.

“At any rate, it will be held here in the Fou settlement, and the food will all be based on Asuta’s teachings regardless, so it won’t be all that different no matter who does it. But there’s also the honor of the Zaza clan to consider, so we decided that next time it should be either the Deen or the Liddo.”

“Ah, I see. The festival will be next month, right? That’s definitely something worth looking forward to,” I said.

“Indeed! Thanks to the Fa clan, banquets have gotten a whole lot more fun than they used to be!”

Radd Liddo’s boisterous nature had managed to completely wipe away the awkwardness Jou Ran had left in his wake. Ai Fa was rubbing her cheeks again to loosen them up, which was pretty adorable.

“Okay, I’ve had back, chest, and leg meat now, so why don’t we move on to the next stove?!” the head of the Liddo clan declared.

Yun Sudra still had work to handle, so our group of four once again got moving.

The other folks around us also seemed to be enjoying the banquet, regardless of which clan they belonged to. Though it had gotten quite dark out, the ritual flame and the bonfires were still burning brightly. These festivals at the forest’s edge really got my heart pumping, no matter how many times I experienced them.

Less than ten days from now, Sheera and Darmu Ruu will be getting married. And we just had Granny Jiba’s birthday recently too... I’m sure this must be the first time I’ve been to so many celebrations in a row. Still, I certainly wasn’t getting tired of them. It wasn’t like everyone was getting excited for no reason at all. No, after having completed their difficult work, they were celebrating their precious family getting married or the birthday of their elder and enjoying themselves as much as they could in the process. They always had a solid reason for throwing a banquet; it was never just out of habit. And incidentally, if they had been too inflexible about adhering to their old customs, they wouldn’t have ever invited Ai Fa and me to celebrate with them like this. That was another reason for me to feel truly appreciative for all the bonds I had managed to form with everyone.

“Oh? Do we have sweets next?” Radd Liddo asked from the head of our group.

When I looked, I saw that sure enough there weren’t any stoves in front of us. Instead, there were tables made of logs and planks, atop which sat a lineup of desserts. There were baked sweets, chatchi mochi, and a large plate of steamed pudding. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of women and young children gathered there. However, it wasn’t like there weren’t any men at all, and Raielfam Sudra was even there in the mix.

“Well, if it isn’t the head of the Sudra clan. What are you doing here on your own?” Radd Liddo asked.

“My wife was with me until just a short while ago. But she had to head back into the house, so I figured I would bring her something sweet.”

Raielfam Sudra was even smaller than most women, and something about his size made the sight of him leaning forward as he tried to choose between the desserts on offer kind of humorous.

“Is Li Sudra not doing well?” I asked, feeling a bit worried.

“She’ll be all right,” the Sudra clan head replied with a shake of his head. “She’s just resting up because she’s trying to take care of herself. Her stomach has never gotten so big before, so she’s been getting tired rather quickly of late.”

“Hmm... She certainly does seem ample enough to give birth at any moment. But you’re still expecting it to take over a month more?”

“Yes, that should be correct.”

“In that case, your child is sure to be quite a large one! I’m looking forward to next month!”

Though they were both clan heads, the two of them were very different. Still, Raielfam Sudra never let anything shake him, and seemed to be able to interact with Radd Liddo just fine, without getting overwhelmed by the other clan head’s boisterous nature. That was no surprise, though, since he didn’t flinch even when dealing with people like Donda Ruu and Gulaf Zaza.

As I was thinking about that, Raielfam Sudra’s eyes with their deep inner glow turned toward me and my clan head. “Ai Fa, Asuta, could I have a bit of your time?”

“Hmm? That shouldn’t be any issue,” Ai Fa said.

“Well then, please follow me.”

It sure did seem like we were having an awful lot of private conversations today. At any rate, we separated from Radd Liddo and Toor Deen and walked over to the edge of the plaza.

“I’ve been quite busy, so I haven’t had time to say hello, but I’m very grateful we were able to invite the two of you today.”

“I feel much the same way. I’m so glad that we were able to celebrate this happy day for the Sudra and Fou with all of you,” Ai Fa replied, and I nodded along in agreement.

Being about a head shorter than either of us, Raielfam Sudra stared intently up at our faces. “I know it’s a bit late to be saying this, but I truly am grateful to the two of you.”

“Hmm? Why are you speaking so formally?”

“Looking back, it is ultimately thanks to the Fa that Cheem was able to take a bride from another clan, and that the child in Li’s stomach is growing so well. I have never forgotten that debt, not even for a single day.”

Ai Fa suspiciously furrowed her brow. “What is this all about, really? The Sudra have helped us as well, many times, so I don’t believe there’s any need to worry too much about who owes whom.”

“No, we’ve still barely repaid you at all for everything you’ve done for us. Perhaps it is wrong to belabor this point among friends...and yet, I feel the need to say it.” Though Raielfam Sudra’s expressions were often hard to make out on his wrinkled face, there was a deadly serious light in his eyes. “We Sudra were a clan left with no choice but to await our destruction. We couldn’t even buy enough aria and poitan to feed ourselves, and were forced to watch our children and relatives starve to death. And before we realized it, there were only nine of us left. Four of them were young folks who were still unwed, but if they wouldn’t be able to have children and raise them properly, we couldn’t have them pair off.”

“Indeed.”

“Everyone gave up on even having children. Li and I knew the pain of losing a child all too well, so we had no other choice. Even with Cheem, I came to assume that one day he would simply hunt his last giba and perish out in the forest. But today, he was able to take a bride from a fine clan such as the Fou, so I’m sure he’s every bit as grateful to the two of you as I am.” As he spoke, he grabbed one of my hands with his right and one of Ai Fa’s with his left. “I would like to offer my thanks as the head of the Sudra clan. And I swear that we shall continue to lend the Fa clan our strength wherever we can. Even if it means fighting the leading clans, we will never treat you as our enemies.”

“We have no intention of making enemies of the leading clans ourselves. Besides, the leading clans have more or less accepted what we’ve been doing thanks to all the support the other clans have given us, the Sudra first and foremost,” Ai Fa gently replied. “And out of all of our friends, you have helped us more than any other, clan head of the Sudra. I will never forget how you backed us at the clan head meeting with no fear of the Suun, or how you protected Asuta from Tei Suun.”

“I’m honored to hear you say so.” After one last firm squeeze, Raielfam Sudra let go of our hands. “I’m sorry for bothering you in the midst of this celebration, but I felt that I absolutely had to thank you today.”

“Of course. I would like to continue walking forward with you, hand in hand as friends,” Ai Fa said.

“Yeah. I’m glad that we’ll always be able to count on you, Raielfam Sudra,” I added.

Raielfam Sudra broke out in a smile. He really did have a strange face, but still, it was nice to see him grinning so brightly, considering he rarely ever did so.

Shortly after that, the sound of grass whistles started to fill the air. It seemed it was time for the unwed women to dance. However, there were only a small handful of women gathered in front of the ritual flame. Apparently, there weren’t many unmarried folks left between the Fou, Ran, and Sudra.

“Are you not going to dance, Ai Fa?” Raielfam Sudra asked.

“No,” my clan head replied. “I have no intention of taking a husband, so I have no reason to do so.”

“That’s true. It would be a shame if more men like Jou Ran were to become infatuated with you,” Raielfam Sudra remarked, the smile still lingering a bit on his wrinkled face. “Ai Fa, Asuta, I most certainly am no longer young, but I’ve decided to live as long as I can to see my child grow up. And so...I’ll be looking forward to seeing you two get married as well.”

“What are you going on about, clan head of the Sudra?” Ai Fa questioned, going a bit red and looking taken aback. Of course, I was probably blushing about as badly as she was.

“What I just said was no jest. I owe you both a great debt, and I wish to see you find happiness. I’m looking forward to it every bit as much as I am to my own child’s wedding.”

“Ah, but...”

“My own child is not yet born, so it will be well over ten years before they can be wed. Don’t tell me you two will take even longer still.” With that final statement, the Sudra clan head walked off.

There in the dim light, we looked at one another, our faces turning red.

“Hey, Asuta, I...”

“I know. We have no way of knowing what will happen from here on out, do we?”

“That’s true,” Ai Fa muttered, turning away. Any redness on her face was mostly hidden behind her semitransparent veil.

The sound of the grass whistles continued to reverberate throughout the plaza, and for a while, we just stood there in the darkness, enjoying each other’s presence.