Prologue

"Asuta, what is that?!" Ai Fa suddenly yelled out, seriously catching me off guard.

We were currently in the familiar vacant house at the Ruu settlement.

Once the chaos at the clan head meeting finally wrapped up, we hurried on back. Right now, it was midway between when the sun hit its peak and when it would set, so a bit after 3 PM by my estimation.

Since we hadn't really gotten any proper sleep last night, I borrowed the bathing area to shake off the drowsiness, and was feeling rather refreshed as a result... But now, Ai Fa was standing imposingly in the middle of the room, her whole body trembling with anger.

"What's wrong? What in the world has got you that mad?"

"How can you even ask?! I can't believe you...!" Ai Fa stomped on over towards me, then as I stood there at a loss, she jabbed a finger at the middle of my torso. "I meant this wound! How did this happen?!"

"Ah, that... You see, it's from when Doddo Suun kicked me last night. I was pretty surprised when I first took off my clothes, too."

I also washed my t-shirt while bathing, so I only had on my vest. Because of that, the black bruise in the middle of my stomach was clearly showing. But still, I got sent flying by a man of the forest's edge, so I was probably lucky to get off this lightly. If he had hit me in a worse spot, he could have easily broken ribs.

However, Ai Fa still looked mad.

"I never heard about that! You said everything was fine and that nothing happened, didn't you?! Were you trying to fool me, Asuta?!"

"Huh? Something this small should still count as fine, right?! It doesn't even hurt if I don't pay attention to it."

"...So if you do pay attention to it, then it hurts," Ai Fa replied, sitting down on the floor so she could stare straight at my stomach from close up. "To think that second son did such a thing... Damn! I should have dealt with him myself before he got handed over to Donda Ruu!"

"Ah, no, but I bit him on the back of his hand, so we were probably pretty equal in terms of how much damage we inflicted. There was no need for extra retaliation."

Ai Fa bit her lip with regret, and gently touched the injury with her palm.

"Does it really hurt...? Do you need medicine?"

"No, not at all! It'll disappear soon enough if you just leave it be. But thanks for worrying about me."

"How frustrating..." Ai Fa muttered, pulling back her hand. Then, she wrapped her arms around my torso and brought her cheek up to my bruise.

I heard myself yelp "Gah!" in my head, and I was left unable to move. "I-I-I really am alright! You're seriously worrying too much, here! This is practically just a scratch for a hunter, right?"

"You're not a hunter. You're a chef."

"Well, I mean, that's true, but still..."

Ai Fa put even more strength into her hug, and I felt like I was on the verge of dying in agony.

"I don't like you getting hurt..." Ai Fa mumbled quietly. "When someone weak like you is injured, it makes me feel like I'm being torn apart... And it's incredibly vexing to have failed to protect a member of my clan..."

"You shouldn't feel like that. We should be grateful that both of us came out of that huge commotion with no serious injuries, right?" I somehow managed to reply, despite still being in something of a panic. "When I learned you were alright, I was overjoyed. If Diga had gone and done something to you, I probably would have lost my mind."

"Right. If someone hadn't given me that wine to wake me, I really may have been in a bit of danger," Ai Fa said with a sigh, her cheek still up against my stomach. The feel of her warm breath sent a shiver down my spine. "The Suun clan no longer possesses the strength to harm us, but we do not know what trials await us from here on out. Rather than growing conceited, we should be even more cautious than ever before."

"Yeah, I'm fully in agreement there."

So could you hurry up and let me go already? I thought to myself, only to be saved by a knock on the door behind me.

"Asuta, are you still not ready yet...?"

It was Vina Ruu.

After this, I had to go prepare for work tomorrow.

"Right! Hold on just a moment! Okay, Ai Fa, I've got to go to work..."

"Hmm..." she muttered, and only then very slowly removed her arms and stared up at my face. "Asuta, is there anything I can help with?"

"Um, I guess there's probably something. But aren't you tired?"

"I don't exactly feel like sleeping when it's so bright out. If you don't have anything for me to help with, then I'll go gather firewood instead."

"In that case, help me out, if you don't mind. I kind of..." I started to say, but stopped myself before I could finish with "want to stay with you, too."

From tomorrow on we would be working separately again, so I wanted to spend even just a bit more time together until then. That was what was running through my head.

Ai Fa stood up, and with a very satisfied expression on her face, she replied, "Understood."

?

Ultimately, it definitely took some serious effort to switch gears in my head.

Tomorrow I would resume business with the stalls, and the day after that I would begin working with the inn. And so, I had to reset my brain from having to deal with the Suun clan and instead focus on grappling with these new tasks.

"So in the end, we're preparing a hundred of each of the dishes for tomorrow, right...? What are we doing first, though?"

"To start with, let's get the giba burger patties ready. For 100 of them, we should need, um... 25 aria."

I went ahead and grabbed the necessary ingredients from the pantry with Ai Fa and Vina Ruu's help. Then I had Vina Ruu start dicing aria, which seemed to prompt Ai Fa to give an impressed "Hmm..."

"What is it, Ai Fa...?"

"Ah, I was just thinking that you've grown quite skilled at handling a knife. I had thought you were not that proficient at manning the stove."

"Hmm...? Well, it's only natural that I improved with all the chances I've had to help out Asuta... Plus, lately, manning the stove has started to feel fun..." Vina Ruu replied, her luscious lips shifting into a smile. "Now that I think about it, you help out a lot around the kitchen, but you never pick up a knife... Is there some sort of reason for that?"

"Huh? Nothing in particular. It's just because Asuta mans the Fa clan's stoves. If I get involved, it would surely only make the food taste worse."

"Ah... You do insist that you're a hunter and nothing else, don't you...?"

"Yes, that's correct."

It was rare to see Ai Fa and Vina Ruu having this much of a conversation. If she had been talking with Lala Ruu I would probably break out in a smile and find it adorable, but something felt a little strange about this particular combination.

As that thought ran through my head, Vina Ruu went on the offensive and rather bluntly asked, "Hey... Do you really not intend on marrying anyone, Ai Fa...?"

Ai Fa had looked rather relaxed up until now, but with that she instantly pouted.

"I have no intention of becoming anyone's bride. I believe I've already told Donda Ruu as such several times."

"By now, he doesn't care about that at all. Plus, after last night, it seems the Ruu and Rutim are friends to the Fa even without any bonds of blood..."

"If my bond with the Ruu has been corrected after being soured two years ago, then I would truly be glad."

"Yes, that makes me happy, too... But still, you may have danced around the question, but did you really answer it...?" Vina Ruu pressed on, causing Ai Fa to furrow her brow even more.

"If I tell you I have no such intention, then I mean it. Why are you so fixated on this matter, eldest daughter of the Ruu?"

"Oh... Then if Asuta took someone else as a bride, you wouldn't have any objections?"

"Hold on, Vina Ruu! What are you saying, all of a sudden?!" I interjected in a panic, causing Vina Ruu to giggle.

"It's just a hypothetical. I understand that it would be a problem for you if Asuta married into some other house, but if the Fa welcomed in a bride, you shouldn't have any issues with that, right?"

Timidly, I stole a glance Ai Fa's way. And what I found was her standing there with a puzzled, childish expression on her face. Then, that expression suddenly turned my way.

"Asuta, do you have a woman you intend to take as your bride?"

"I don't!"

"I see. So you don't have one..." Ai Fa's head then made a mechanical turn back towards Vina Ruu. "Eldest daughter of the Ruu, apparently he doesn't have one."

"That's just for now though, right...? But who knows what could happen in the future..."

Ai Fa nodded, then turned back towards me.

"Asuta, will you have one in the future?"

"I won't! I've said plenty of times that I have no intention of taking a bride, haven't I?"

"I see....