As she stared back at him, Tia nodded and replied, “Yeah. I need to repay Asuta, so I’m staying close to him.”
“I heard about that from my old man too. But what can you even do to help Asuta in a place like this?”
“I’m not certain. But a beast could suddenly attack—”
“If that happened, the Fa clan head would take it down before you could do anything! She’s one of the strongest hunters in this whole settlement!” In contrast to his sour mood at our previous festival, this time Geol Zaza was heartily laughing his head off. But, well, that had to be at least partially because of the alcohol. “And besides, a giba wouldn’t come anywhere near a place as noisy as this! Otherwise we wouldn’t let the women and kids roam around outside!”
“Obviously. But there could still be some other opportunity for me to be of help.”
“Hey, you got special permission to be here even though you aren’t one of our people, yeah? And yet all you’re thinking about is your own situation, eh?”
I was starting to feel anxious about what Geol Zaza was trying to say. The hunter pointed one of his thick fingers at me.
“You’ve been staying at the Fa house for several days now, haven’t you? Give them a bit of freedom already! Having an outsider like you around means they can’t deepen their bonds as family!”
Tia looked rather troubled as she glanced back and forth between me and Ai Fa. I was perplexed, while Ai Fa was giving a doubtful frown. I was worried that it could be trouble if he poked at the delicate relationship between me and my clan head yet again, but apparently that wasn’t what Geol Zaza was actually complaining about.
“We people of the forest’s edge value blood ties above all else! Well, these two aren’t actually related by blood, but the two of them are still family all the same! So you should be aware of the fact that you’re getting in the way, don’t you think?”
“But I need to repay Asuta.”
“I’ve already heard that excuse. I’m telling you that you should at least give them a little space during the banquet at a festival of the hunt!” Geol Zaza leaned over, and with his eyebrows drooping sleepily, he stared directly at Tia’s face. “My old man told me that you value family, just like us. If that’s true, you should get what I’m saying.”
After a long pause, Tia nodded once and said, “Yes, I think I understand.” Then she turned toward us with a resolute expression. “Until this banquet is over, I will leave your side, Asuta. I promise I will not go against the customs of the forest’s edge. I simply want the two of you to be able to enjoy this event.”
“A-Are you really okay with that?”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about! If she causes any trouble, we’ll just punish her!” Geol Zaza said with a laugh as he stood, flicking his hand like he was shooing off a dog or a cat. “Now get going already. You must have all kinds of things to share with each other after the last few days.”
I was still feeling pretty uneasy, but I knew that if I acted stubborn now, I would be trampling over Geol Zaza’s and Tia’s feelings.
Ai Fa, on the other hand, accepted the proposal easily, turning around and saying, “Let’s go.”
I looked down at the young girl. “W-Well, we’ll see you later, Tia. You still haven’t had enough to eat yet, so make sure to have some more food.”
“Yes, I understand,” Tia replied with one last dauntless smile.
I gave her a quick nod, then hurried off after Ai Fa. My clan head was already a few meters ahead, and when I caught up to her, she brushed aside her bangs and remarked, “I was wondering what in the world Geol Zaza was going to say, but surprisingly, he seems to be more astute than usual when he’s drunk.”
“Ah ha ha. Well, Geol Zaza is set to inherit the role of leading clan head. He’s still much younger than Jiza Ruu, but I’m sure he’s got his act together on some level.”
“Hmm. To be honest, I might have underestimated him somewhat,” Ai Fa replied with a solemn look on her face. However, she was definitely stealing glances over at me. “At any rate, we should start by eating. I’m sure you’re still far from full.”
“Yeah, but since we have the chance, I’d like to take my time chatting with you too.”
Ai Fa’s cheeks went just a little red, and she gave me a light jab in the side with her elbow. “You’ll be returning to your work after this, won’t you? So you should be sure to fill your stomach before that. Also...”
“Also?”
“Tia said she would leave us be until the banquet is over, didn’t she? That means we’ll have plenty of time to talk after you’re done with your work.”
Unable to stop myself from grinning widely, I nodded as I replied, “Yeah.” And then, I leaned in close to whisper into Ai Fa’s ear. There was something I had been curious about for a while. “By the way, I noticed that you’re not wearing your hair accessory today.”
Ai Fa’s eyes narrowed and she shot me a suspicious glare. “For festivals of the hunt, I participate as a hunter, and hunters don’t wear such things.”
“Ah, so that’s it. And I guess that makes sense, considering you’ve got such a fine woven crown to wear instead.”
Even so, a part of me had been looking forward to seeing her wearing it, so I had wanted to confirm her reason for not wearing it, just to be safe.
My clan head directed an unimpressed look at me and snorted, “Hmph. We’ll be attending a banquet at the Ruu settlement in a few days, so you will simply have to wait until then.”
“Oh, you’re planning to wear it to that one? Glad to hear it,” I said with a smile that came from the bottom of my heart, causing Ai Fa’s face to go red. She elbowed me with a fair amount of force, making my ribs throb painfully, but I was so happy that I barely felt it. And all around us, there were people who were just as happy as we were as they deepened their friendships with their precious comrades.