Ai Fa’s home was less than a ten minutes’ walk away. Just like the others, it was an isolated wooden building constructed on a flat cleared-out area with only a bit of shrubbery left to it.
Even just from our journey here, I quickly noticed how spaced out the houses were. The area around Ai Fa’s home in particular was so desolate that it felt almost eerie.
Still, considering Ai Fa’s outfit and the name “people of the forest’s edge,” I’d expected a much more primitive dwelling. But looking at it up close, it seemed to be rather splendidly made.
“Huh. You sure do live in a pretty nice place, don’t you?”
It didn’t quite have the quaint appeal of a log cabin, but still... The evenly-cut boards and logs were all well assembled, and besides, it was just plain impressively large. Heck, it may not even lose out to the Tsurumi Restaurant in terms of plot size.
It had gotten pretty dark out, so I couldn’t quite make out the details, though... At any rate, it had a rather unique structure with the roof slanting slightly from right to left, and it looked to be made entirely using woodworking, without any nails or screws. There was a moat about half a meter deep dug out around the house, with a log crossing over it at the entranceway. I figured it must have been for keeping animals away, or maybe directing rainwater.
“What are you doing...? Hurry up and head inside.”
“Ah, right, sorry.”
The door at the entrance slid to the side, reminding me of the type we had back in Japan.
Following after the home’s owner, I nervously entered into the dwelling.
“Pardon me...”
It was even darker inside. But still, I could tell that it really was spacious. The floor, meanwhile, had dark, reddish-brown pelts laid out over it.
As soon as I saw Ai Fa taking off her leather sandals at the earthen-floored entrance, I hurriedly started doing the same. I worried about what to do with my socks, but I ultimately decided there would be no harm in just taking them off. The feel of the stiff fur actually tickled my bare feet a bit.
Then, I heard a heavy clang from behind me.
Ai Fa had placed a large bar across the door in the entryway.
Now even if I scream or shout, nobody will come save me...
Well anyway, I gave the room another look over while praying that such actions wouldn’t be necessary to start with. It looked to be around 20 square meters. There were large windows cut into the walls to the left and right, and though they didn’t use any glass or anything of the sorts, they had vertical wooden bars set in them spaced about 8 inches apart.
Looking at the far wall, I spied three doors.
The ceiling, meanwhile, was fairly tall, but the beams were exposed and showed that the roof indeed slanted down to the left, just like I had seen from outside. I figured it was built that way to endure the wind and rain, but I wasn’t really sure.
To be honest, though... my attention was more on what my nose was picking up rather than what my eyes were seeing.
It seemed that three of the ingredients in the complex aroma surrounding the girl were strongly filling the space. In particular, they were the smells of meat, herbs, and spices.
“Does your foot still hurt?”
“Huh? Ah, no, it’s nothing that serious. It feels sort of warm, but it’s not really swelling or anything. It should probably be better by tomorrow, even if I don’t do anything to treat it.”
“I see...” Ai Fa had walked to the center of the room, and now looked like she was thinking something over. “I want to hear what you have to say as soon as possible, but I’m hungry as well. So for now, I’ll start preparing the food.”
“Go right ahead... Um, I don’t have anything to offer in exchange, but will I be allowed to partake, too?”
“Do you really think we could hold a conversation while your stomach is making such a commotion...?”
Come on, you don’t have to grit your teeth and get so angry...
Still, I was certainly grateful for the chance to eat a proper meal free of charge. I mean, if I had to sit in a room filled with this delicious scent as she ate alone, I may have ended up passing out.
So, the time came to prepare dinner. Of course I had only just set foot into this house for the first time, but I could see a setup near the window on the right hand side that looked to be for that purpose. It was the only place that didn’t have fur carpeting, instead having small stones laid out in a square that was about 2 meters on every side. There were also yellow rocks arranged neatly into a trapezoidal shape. That waist-high pedestal had a hole open wide in the front of it, and enshrined atop it was... a large, shiny, black metal pot.
It was just a bit primitive in nature, but this was clearly a cooking stove. Off to the side was what appeared to be a thin pile of kindling. Did that mean this huge hall also doubled as a kitchen? Maybe they had a custom of everyone helping cook and then eating together...
And yet... the only one I could see right now in this huge room was Ai Fa.
“Now that I think of it, where’s the rest of your family?”
“...I already told you that my father passed away, didn’t I? And my mother died even further back,” Ai Fa bluntly stated while ladling water from the jug next to the stove into the pot.
I had no idea about the logic or common sense of this world, so all I could say was, “I see...”
Meanwhile, Ai Fa had lit the stove. Just what sort of ignition technique had she used? I wish I had seen...
At any rate, the room gradually brightened up.
“What are you standing there like an idiot for...? You’re being an eyesore, so hurry up and sit down already.”
“Ah, right, um... Where should I sit? I’m sorry, but I really don’t know anything about the culture or customs of this land.”
Ai Fa got up from the stove and shot a puzzled look my way.
“Who the hell needs culture to tell you how to sit down? You truly are a strange man...”
When I noticed the light from small flames coming from each of her hands, that diverted my attention a bit. She was holding onto the handles of little candlesticks on saucers. They were the third bit of metalwork I’d seen since coming to this world, after Ai Fa’s blade and pot. On top of that, they were definitely made with tallow, as they were filling the room even more with a scent that incited my appetite.
Ai Fa went about the room setting the candles in front of the windows, then she gently removed the fur cloak she had draped over her shoulders. The room brightened up significantly, bringing Ai Fa’s slender limbs into clear focus... and then my heart suddenly skipped a beat without me even thinking about it. I mean, she didn’t have anything on anywhere but her waist and chest, and then that necklace. She was every bit as exposed as if she would be if she was wearing a swimsuit or just her underwear. And I mean, no matter how unsociable she may be, she was still a woman, and quite a beauty at that. She had a carefully tempered body despite her slenderness, giving the impression of a flexible leather whip, which combined exquisitely with the elegant, womanly contours of her body, and how should I put it...? She was just plain beautiful and charming. That fact only hit me all the harder now that she had removed that unrefined cloak.