The red savage girl Tia was now living with us at the Fa house.
That said, it wasn’t like this was a serious problem for us. Tia was obedient and she was mindful of the laws of the forest’s edge, so she was able to adapt to this new way of life rather smoothly. The one thing that was troubling to me was the fact that no matter how much I warned her about how she was risking making her wounds worse, Tia refused to leave my side.
“If the laws of the forest’s edge and the outside world do not permit it, I will obey. But otherwise, please allow me to stay with you so that I may atone for my crimes,” she had said.
And so, aside from the times when I headed to the post town, Tia shadowed me all day long. Of course, that didn’t cause any real harm in and of itself, but it made me feel kinda bad for Ai Fa.
Additionally, having Tia come along with me while I was gathering firewood and pico leaves was a bit of a concern. On our first day together, I had given up on it and let Ai Fa handle it alone, but I couldn’t keep doing that forever. I might have been able to leave the gathering work for our business up to the other clans, but it was the Fa clan’s way to gather all the firewood and pico leaves we needed for our own personal use ourselves.
“In that case, do as you please. But if you collapse in the forest or worsen your wounds, don’t expect me to lend you a hand!” Ai Fa had said, and the three of us had made our way to the outskirts of the forest together. However, it seemed that our concerns had been completely unfounded. Even with the ground being somewhat uneven in the forest, Tia had been able to keep up with us no problem by skillfully manipulating her crutch to stabilize herself.
Mount Morga was also covered in dense vegetation, so the girl was obviously used to dealing with that kind of environment. But what was really impressive was how Tia had remained barefoot, even while we’d been out foraging. She had apparently never worn shoes in her life, so the soles of her feet were as tough as leather, and even when she had stepped on rocks or thorny plants, it hadn’t seemed to hurt her.
So, despite our worries, it was looking like she would be able to accompany us when we went out gathering without any issues. However, we had ended up needing to have another discussion about bathing, since that was something Ai Fa and I did during our morning outings. On that first day when we had gone out together, Tia had insisted that she didn’t want to leave my side even when I was cleaning myself.
“If I can assist you with washing your body, Asuta, that is a means of atonement. I want to do everything I can to repay you,” she had insisted.
Naturally, Ai Fa refused that request with a disquieting tone in her voice. “At the settlement at the forest’s edge, if a man sees the naked body of an unmarried woman, his eyes are to be gouged out. You may not be one of our people, but as the clan head of the Fa, I will not allow Asuta to be put in that situation.”
“But I’m still only twelve. On Morga, you aren’t considered to be a man or a woman until you turn thirteen.”
“At the forest’s edge, you are a woman from the age of ten onwards! As long as you are not a member of the same family, you are not permitted to look at the naked flesh of another!”
Tia had frowned in dissatisfaction, but in the end, she had joined Ai Fa and the two of them had bathed together instead. Meanwhile, I was left leaning up against my usual boulder and watching over our stuff. On the other side of the large rock, I could hear Ai Fa and Tia having a lively chat.
“The people of the forest’s edge wash their bodies daily? We only do it once every few days.”
“Quiet, you. As long as you are living at the forest’s edge, you will abide by our customs.”
“How annoying. It’s uncomfortable waiting for your hair to dry after getting it wet, isn’t it?”
“It’s far more unpleasant to leave it dirty. Now sit still and behave.”
I could hear the sound of water splashing as they talked. Tia couldn’t remove the splint on her leg, so she must have been seated at the edge of the river as Ai Fa wiped her down.
“Your body has such a strange color to it that it’s hard to tell where you’re dirty.”
“You all are the ones with skin that’s brown like wet dirt, aren’t you? By the way, why is Asuta the only one with skin of a different color?”
“Because Asuta was born outside of the forest’s edge. But he is now one of our people, regardless of skin color.”
“I see. I went after Asuta first because he was the only one who looked different. Oh, and he looked pretty weak for a grown man too, so... Ai Fa, it hurts when you scrub my head that hard!”
“Silence! If you hadn’t harmed Asuta, I wouldn’t have to deal with this hassle!”
Tia never got angry, so Ai Fa always ended up being the one raising her voice. Honestly, it was kind of awkward for me to listen to.
“Ah, there’s one other thing I’ve been wanting to ask,” Tia said. “Did all of the kids the two of you have had join other houses?”
“What are you talking about? Asuta and I don’t have any children.”
“What? But you and Asuta aren’t parent and child or siblings, right? So if you’re family, what other option is there than the two of you being married?”
“I judged Asuta to be a good-hearted person and welcomed him in as a member of the Fa clan. That’s all there is to it,” Ai Fa stated, sounding perfectly calm and steely.
Unfortunately, Tia was a little too innocent to just leave it be at that. “Then did your husband pass away, Ai Fa? If you’re this old now, you must have had a lot of babies, right?”
“I haven’t given birth, because I live as a hunter.”
“Huh? But your breasts and butt are so big. A woman without children wouldn’t have a body like that, right?”
“That’s incorrect... And hey, where are you touching?!”
“But look at how weighty your breasts are! Wow, they’re so soft, but they’re heavy too! See, look?! Ow...! Why did you hit me?”
Naturally, that exchange left me holding the sides of my head as I was leaning against the boulder by myself. But yeah, that was more or less how our chaotic life with Tia was going.