Kamyua Yoshu and Leito stepped into the room, and at the same time, Ai Fa stood up and whispered into my ear, “It wouldn’t be right to leave Tia alone with Granny Jiba, so I intend to stay here until they’re done talking, but you can go ahead and see to your work in the meantime.”
“Got it. What has Granny Jiba been talking to Tia about, though?”
“It seems she was interested in how people live on Mount Morga. They’ve been discussing that ever since we arrived at the Ruu settlement. The red people have a very peculiar way of life, so I suppose I can understand Granny Jiba’s interest.” Ai Fa was in the middle of a break period, so she must have come here to the Ruu settlement with Tia after finishing with her hunter training when the sun hit its peak. That had been over two hours ago.
“I see. I’d love to hear about that too if I get the chance.” For the time being, though, I had a job I needed to focus on—the chefs invited by the Ruu clan were supposed to cook the banquet food under my guidance. “Anyway, I’ll excuse myself here. I’ll see you later, Jiba Ruu.”
“Of course. I’ll be looking forward to some delicious food, Asuta,” Granny Jiba replied with a gentle smile. Tia looked really reluctant to let me leave without her, but after I had said goodbye to her as well, I exited the bedroom with Mia Lea Ruu, who smiled at me as we headed back to the main hall together.
“That Tia certainly is a mysterious girl. Still, she seems to have an incredibly pure heart. I think I would probably want to welcome her in as one of our people if only the law allowed for it.”
“Yeah, I feel the same way.”
Unfortunately, the laws of both Genos and the red people would never permit that. Plus, what Tia wanted was to return to Mount Morga, so it was important for us to show strict respect for the customs of the red people.
It’s always best for people to return to the place they call home. And I want to see Tia off with a smile when the time comes.
I had no way to get back to my original homeland, but I had decided that this settlement at the forest’s edge was my second one. Even if there was some other place out there that would warmly welcome me, this was where I could be happiest. And I wanted Tia to return to her own home as soon as possible, so she could be happy too.
“Oh, Asuta, are you already leaving?” Yun Sudra called out to us when we entered the main hall where she and Toor Deen were playing with Jirube and Brave. Vina Ruu must have already taken the chefs from the castle town to where Mikel was, as they were nowhere to be seen. But at any rate, it was about time for us to get to work too.
“We’ve planned things out with Tari Ruu, so you can feel free to use their stove however you wish. I’ll certainly be looking forward to seeing what sort of banquet food you all prepare,” Mia Lea Ruu said.
After saying farewell to her as well, we headed over to the kitchen at Shin Ruu’s house, where we would be working today. And as we approached, we found Ryada Ruu and his second son training with wooden swords off to the side of the building.
“Ah, there you are, Asuta. The women have already gotten to work,” he informed me.
“Good. Thanks for letting us borrow your kitchen.”
As we went to move past them, the man’s son shot us a smile and bowed his head. He was the older of Shin Ruu’s younger brothers, and in a year or so he’d turn thirteen and become a hunter in training. He had a slender build, just like his father and older brother, and a friendly face that he seemed to have gotten from his mother. It was hard to believe that an adorable kid like this would be heading out into the forest in a year.
I’m sure Shin and Ludo Ruu must have looked pretty cute when they were that age too, though, I thought as I knocked on the kitchen door.
“Coming,” a voice called out. The door opened, revealing a young Fou woman standing there. “Ah, we’ve been waiting for you Asuta. Yun Sudra, Toor Deen, good to see you too.”
A Ran woman and a Liddo woman were waiting for us inside the kitchen too. They were my cooking team for today. The five clans that lived around the Fa had said that they wanted to participate in the friendship banquet too, so permission had been given for one man and one woman from each clan to attend, and the chefs had gathered here early.
“We’ve gotten a good start on preparing the vegetables. The ones we’ve chopped already are in this pot here and that one over there.”
“Thank you. We’ll be getting to work right away too, so please continue as you have been.”
There were around three hours left until sunset. These three had arrived first and had been working steadily, though, so it seemed like there was no need to rush.
This was the first time the three of them had been invited to a Ruu banquet, and they looked to be in really high spirits as they worked. Since they didn’t help run our business in the post town, they must have been really excited to form bonds with the townsfolk they had heard so much about.
“The Fou clan has started selling giba meat in town, so we do interact with the townsfolk a bit, but I have to imagine that it’s nowhere near as much as you and the chefs who work with you do, Asuta.”
“The Liddo clan doesn’t even get to do that. I was so excited for today’s banquet that I had trouble sleeping last night.”
Everybody was continuing to work as they chatted. After washing my hands in a water jug, I shot them a smile and got started too.
“I’m really glad to hear that you’re all looking forward to getting to know the townsfolk. A year ago, that would’ve been unthinkable,” I said.
“Well, everyone who got to participate in that festival in town or in the Ruu’s last friendship banquet seemed to have really enjoyed themselves. We’ve all been feeling jealous of them ever since,” the Ran woman stated.
“That’s right,” the Liddo woman agreed. “If the Fa clan’s business is accepted as a proper endeavor at the clan head meeting, the Liddo clan will be able to help you out too, Asuta. So when the time comes, I hope that we’ll be able to work together.”
“Yeah. I’ll be hoping things turn out that way too.”
At this point, the clan head meeting was just nine days away. That was when the vote would be held to determine whether doing business in town was a boon or a poison for the people of the forest’s edge. In the last year, had I successfully managed to get through to the clans that had been opposed to us, like the Zaza, Beim, and Ravitz? How did previously neutral clans like the Sauti feel? And would the other clans lend the Fa their support now too? I was sure that it would work out okay, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous and uneasy deep down.
Some time later, the chefs from the castle town showed up, led by Bozl.
“Ah, so this is where you’ve been, Sir Asuta. The person out front gave us permission to enter, but is that all right with you?” he asked.
“Of course. Everyone, these are the chefs from the castle town who were invited to join us today. And the six chefs here all come from different clans,” I said, and those who were meeting for the first time bowed to one another. “So, were you able to talk to Mikel and Myme?”
“Yes. And when we were done, we decided to go around and take a look inside all the kitchens. We’ve seen some very interesting work being carried out in every single one we’ve visited so far.”
Bozl seemed greatly satisfied, Roy appeared to be just as sullen as always, and Shilly Rou still looked kind of tense. It was difficult to tell how they felt about their first encounter with Mikel in seven months from their expressions alone.
“I apologize for saying this, but I was rather surprised by how skilled all of the people we saw were. They looked more like professional chefs than people doing work around the house.”
“Yeah. The people of the forest’s edge are all hard workers. And today they’re really giving their all to make the best banquet food they can.”
“I see. Still, seeing how much they were all enjoying themselves left quite an impression too. I feel like we should all try to remember to find joy in cooking, even when doing it for business.”
Perhaps due to his age, Bozl’s words felt very weighty. He had a huge grin on his face, though. It was easy to imagine him drinking and enjoying himself alongside hunters like Dan Rutim.
“Hey, are you really planning to serve shaska today?” Roy asked after watching Toor Deen and everyone else working for a while.
“Yes,” I replied with a nod. “We worked with it all of yesterday and the day before, and we’ve finally arrived at something close to my ideal. We’re preparing enough for everyone to have at least a little, so I’d love to hear your impressions.”
“Obviously, we’d be sure to let you know, even if you didn’t ask. Still, I never expected you to complete a shaska dish in just two days.”
At that point, Shilly Rou sent an intense glare my way. “Even if there is plenty to spare, you’re still using a large amount of shaska, an ingredient that Varkas was the first person in Genos to purchase, and out of his own pocket at that. If you prepare a crude dish, he is sure to be deeply disappointed.”
“I know. Personally, I’m really satisfied with how it turned out, but I’m also looking forward to seeing if it’s to everyone else’s tastes or not,” I earnestly replied. It made me happy to be able to prepare shaska in a way that was similar to my beloved white rice, but would other people find it tasty too? So far, I had asked Ai Fa and several chefs from the forest’s edge to try it, and they had all thought it was good, but I was definitely curious to see how the townsfolk would react to it.
But for the moment, I still needed to focus on prep work. In order to give everyone a taste of freshly cooked shaska, I had to watch the time very carefully as I prepared it. I was very excited, and felt a great sense of anticipation as I got back to work.