“....Please, this way.”
The one that got the guiding role was Ruu families second sister Reina Ruu.
Rimi Ruu went inside the building to clean up the guests' swords, her grandmother, Tito Min is wringing up the rest of the fat, and the rest of the ladies returned to their own works, so they quickly dispersed.
The furnace room is located at the back of the building.
Since their family is this large, their hall and kitchen seems to be at separate places. There is also a separate building located behind the main building that is 2 times smaller than it, and it seems that there are rooms for furnace, food storage, and giba dismantling room.
"Eh? There is also a furnace there?"
At the side of the building, There is a stone furnace that is built the same way as the one at Ai Fa’s house, just waiting there. Furthermore, there are two.
It's installed outdoors, and above it is a roof made out of wood. The furnace's front is lined together with a gap showing their mouth’s to each other, it's like a staring contest.
However, neither had iron pots placed on them.
"This is the furnace that we used to grill the meat, my father, Donda likes to grill it more than boiling it.
The long black haired girl with small build answered with a smile.
"I see! If you grilled giba meat, the smoke is awful after all. It's fine. Then let's use this furnace for today."
"Eh? Did Asuta grill the giba meat?"
I was taken aback by something, I ended up looking back at the girl's round and cute eyes.
What is this? Calling another girl with the same name as my childhood friend felt somewhat strange.
"....Yeah, I planned to make a grilled food today though, is there something wrong?"
"Yes. I heard from Rimi that she ate a very soft meat, so I thought that it was surely a stewed giba meat."
"Is that so? But I really did made a grilled giba meat. Well, it's made using various complex methods though, because there are some complicated parts, I will be the one in charge of it, best regards?"
"Yes! For me, Grandma Jiba is also an irreplaceable family, so I am really grateful to Asuta! I will do my best!"
Compared to that, it’s quite a trivial thing――She seems to inherit the same gene as her older sister that has plenty of sex appeal even though she is short.
She has pretty good fat in her arms and legs, her chest and butt also draws a very feminine line. Although, I don’t have any overweight impression of her because her waist is constricted――I am having a slight trouble on where to look.
In the first place, girls of this settlement are too lightly dressed. It isn’t only their chest and waist that need to be hidden, and because the cloths they used to wrap their body around is thin, their body line is showing more than what should be shown.
And these girls, unlike the other women in the village that I saw so far, they wear “ornaments”. Although the bracelet made knitted from Gurigi fruit is a standard accessory, there is also something else, like a metal colored hair ornament that shines; earrings, anklets, and――
“....Ah. That necklace.”
“Eh?”
“You guys all have 3 fangs on your necklace. Is it something like a good luck charm?”
"Yes. Since women don't hunt Giba. We are given fangs from the men. It is so that we can live a healthy life in the forest."
The girl smiles happily while holding the swaying necklace on her chest, showing her bold undulating form.
"If they are children then it's from their father, if she is a wife then it's from their husband. To prove that it's not a giba that they hunted by themselves, 1 of the 3 fangs and horn that was given was broken off."
When I answered "Hmm. It's an interesting custom." back, because the back of my nape felt chilly, I looked back, and Ai Fa that is leaning on the wall was giving us a cold look.
Of course, it's not like I have forgotten about her. My mind just deviated because I discovered a furnace that was installed outdoors, my master.
"E-tto, there are 4 pots right? Let's light the one in the indoor kitchen for now."
"Yes. I will guide you."
After she smiled happily again, Reina Ruu moved closer to Ai Fa.
After bowing to the girl that was having a sour look, Reina Ruu slid a side door that was right next to Ai Fa.
"Here, this is the furnace."
While carefully moving my feet, I tried to speak to Ai Fa, but my dear mistress went through the door ahead of me and averted her face in a bad mood.
Why? I don't understand, but it might be something hard to understand.
Anyways, I set my foot in the building as well.
"Hee. This is a splendid thing."
The room was about 8 tatami mats at most in size, but because there was only a few pieces of furniture, it looked quite spacious.
In the center of the room, 4 furnaces were lined in two rows. I was slightly impressed because each one of these furnaces came with one water jug with plenty of water, and a workbench complete with designated logs as the base.
Firewood is also piled up.
Because the ground is bare, the wooden walls and beamed ceilings are much different from Ai Fa's house.
However, various sized cooking knives, ladles, stirring sticks that look like wooden pestles are hung on the wall, tablewares such as wooden spoons or bowls are packed and stuffed onto the shelf that has no shutter.
This place is no doubt, a furnace room. A kitchen. A cookhouse.
Carelessly, my chest throbs a little.
When I closely examine the cookwares, Reina Ruu who crouched before the furnace called me out with a carefree smile again.
"May I set up the fire? I will undertake it."
She came with "I will undertake it" (TL: she is saying ウケタマワリマス)
Even though she is innocent, she tried to be elegant huh.
By the way, the ignition method was identical with the one from Ai Fa's house. Leaves of a grass called Rana are dried then bound to the tip of a thin firewood, and then rubbed strongly against the other firewood, which will cause it to burn like a match.
While paying attention so the fire won't go out, they wait for the fire to spread to the other firewood.
I still failed 2 of 3 times so I was worried, but of course Reina Ruu succeeded in one try.
"Un. Then please put water until it's at least mid-way full in the pot. Use strong heat, okay."
She answered "Yes", and Reina Ruu moves the water promptly.
...I can somehow feel eyes on my scruff again, but I didn't made a single blunder in that one act right?
"Okay, Ai Fa, please lend me the giba meat. Uhh, you, you don't mind spreading this meat on the top of the table right?"
"Yes, of course. ...Umm, if it's okay, please call me Reina Ruu."
"Hm, ah, I guess so. As expected, having to call someone with the same name as my acquaintance made me feel a little bit strange."
I received the wrapped up giba meat from Ai Fa, and peeled the rubber tree leaves. When I did that, Reina Ruu tried to look at my face from the side and smiled.
"By any chance, Is that Reina an important person for Asuta? Is that why it's hard to call me with that name?"
"....No, it's not like that."
Then why? Something like that, even I didn't know.
However, that's right―― Maybe it's because she is someone that has accompanied me for a long time besides my family, though I don't even feel a single tinge of love as a woman toward her, from now on, I guess I will never meet her again, when I think about it -- my chest always feels painful, she is that kind of existence.
That's why, I don't really want to speak of that name very much, I also don't want to hear it.
Something like that, is not something that should be told to someone that by coincidence has the same name, right?
"...Eh?"
A small brown hand is placed on my hand that is peeling the leaf wrappings quietly.
When I move my eyesight because I was surprised, Reina Ruu's face that was still smiling until now, became clouded like she was crying.
"I’m sorry. I have said something I wasn’t supposed to say. I have made Asuta's eyes look sad like that."
"No! There is no such thing! I am really, really okay! I was just lost in thought a little!"
What is this? I have not gone specifically to this place just to do a romantic comedy, okay?
Ah, I have pain on the back of my head. It feels like a drill that is made from ice is screwing in. To think, I am able to perceive one's gaze like this, do I really have the talent to become a master swordsman?
"Thanks for waiting~! It's Asuta's knife dayo~!"
"Uwaa!" I ended up screaming.
My back was suddenly stabbed, so I thought I was slashed by a cooking knife by "someone" there.
(TL: Asuta was thinking that Ai Fa is the one that stabbed him lol"
"Ahh, Rimi, don't do that! You must not play with knives!"
"Eh? It's okay since it's inside it's sheath right!"
While wiping my cold sweats, I took the santoku knife from Rimi Ruu's finger.
"Th, then since I will cut up the meat, can you bring me poitans up to the serving that people will eat? And when the water in the pot is boiling, please throw all of it in."
"Okay~! Reina-nee, let's go to the food storage~!"
"Un."
When the sisters that are on good terms went out of the kitchen, only me and my mistress were left in the room.
I swept away the piko leaves that were stuck to the block of thigh meat, while I inserted the knife to the surface, I glanced a little.
My mistress was leaning on the wall and sat cross legged with one knee standing.
"...Look's like there is nothing I can do."
"There is no such thing! You are my mental support! Because you are there watching me, I can have peace of mind while cooking!"
"...Why are you losing your composure?"
I am not losing my composure. If I lost my composure, it's because your voice is unusually cold to the point it can make me freeze.
However, this is a valuable chance to have a personal conversation with Ai Fa. Though I have shrunk from the cold power of her eyes, I decided to spit out all my accumulated feelings.
"...Uh, to be frank, those guys are more friendly than I thought, the Ruu Family. I thought they will be more like, “We are the representative of a hunting tribe so we are hot-blooded!” I imagined them like that."
"I don't know. Even for me, this is the first time I met the other women other than Rimi Ruu and Jiba Ruu after all."
"Ah, you didn't meet with the men?"
"...When Donda Ruu came to propose the marriage, the 3 sons was also taken along. If you are waiting eagerly for the hot-blooded ones, wait until dusk."
"No, I am not really waiting eagerly for them though..."
When I talked with her to that extent, the close sisters returned.
Both of them were carrying something similar to a basket with both their hands, there was a huge mound of the potato like poitans. Because it's 14 people x 2 poitan, it became 28 poitans, as expected, it's a huge amount.
But, there is one person helping behind the sisters.
It's the chubby old woman with semi gray hair, Tito Min.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting. I will also help you. ...Ooh, this is a splendid giba leg."
Her wrinkles are deep, but her complexion is good as she smiled broadly, baba-sama looked at Ai Fa.
(TL: baba-sama is literally “grandma-sama”."
"Fa family's Ai Fa. I heard you protect Fa Family by yourself, if that is so, then you brought down this giba by yourself?"
"....Yeah, That's right." Although her tone didn't change at all, Ai Fa bowed her head in acknowledgement while standing."
"It's really a big deal. Furthermore, Fa Families blood relationship with other families has been cut off right? Someone like me can't imagine with the way I live, how a woman like you can protect your family alone without the strength of others."
"....It's nothing special. Father taught me how to hunt giba. He taught me how to live in the forest. Without borrowing other's strength, I can keep on living."
"To live, and then die?"
Surprisingly, the old woman's face had a clear smile.
Ai Fa opened her mouth again, but closed it without saying anything.
"If the women do "Giba Hunting", will they be able to deliver a child? Living alone, dying alone, and Fa Family will cease to exist. ...Are you satisfied with that, Fa Family's Ai Fa?"
"Like that, there were plenty of families that died out so far in Morihen. Not every family can have power like Ruu family."
"Now then? What is power? By no means someone like Reina or Rimi or me hunt giba right? Not only that, even within the men, there is no one that could hunt giba alone. When you think like that, someone with strength like you, doesn't exist right?"
"That is...."
"However, Fa's blood will cease, Ruu's blood will remain. What does that possibly mean.... When you think about something like that, maybe Fa's blood will cease but may remain don't you think?"
(TL: Dammit, this grandma starts to annoy me)
"...Hey, what kind of talk does grandma Tito Min have?"
Rimi Ruu who seems bored and poking poitan fruit is asking with curiosity.
The old woman looking at her, looked at her fondly like she was having fun.
"The day when Rimi Ruu will understand it will come someday. ...Now then, looks like the pot has started to boil."
"Ah?! Rimi will put it in!"
Apparently Rimi Ruu that doesn't seem to call herself with her last name declared it energetically, and she took a slender cooking knife from the wall.
And then, she trots to the boiling nabe and looks inside it with her eyes, "arere?" and tilted her head to one side.
(TL: "Arere" is like "huh?" in a cute japanese way I guess. If you watched detective conan, you would know")
"Somehow the hot water is not enough? Does Asuta want to boil all of these poitan with only this pot?"
"Yeah, that's fine. If you want to eat yesterday's poitan, then please throw it all inside."
"Waiiiii!"
I made a cut in the huge pile of poitan and throw it all inside. At that time, I have mostly finished cutting the thigh meat.
The fat was cut off for cooking, and since the lean meat was cut properly, it's easy to mince it, so it's no trouble. The weight is about 5 kg.
Then this time Tito Min smiled at me.
"Fa family's Asuta. You used a knife more skillfully than women I see."
"Eh? Ah, yes. I was an apprentice cook in my country."
From my answer, Tito Min smiled and said "Hmm".
"A woman that hunts giba and a man that is good at cooking. That is a really fascinating combination. Then, maybe I didn't have to intervene."
"That's right, Grandma Tito Min. Intervening with other families is not a good thing, Okay?"
Reina Ruu made a complaint in a slightly childish tone.
It somehow made an "At home" feeling.
However, my feeling does not feel at ease very much.
When I glanced at Ai Fa to see how she is faring, my mistress was making a sour face like she is chewing a bitter insect.