Chapter 1. The Absolutely Horrendous Dinner
Part 1
And now, I was here.
I shook off Reina and the firefighters and charged into the flames, and now, I found myself in this unfamiliar forest alone. When I made it through the sea of flames back then, I reached the kitchen in a perilous situation and picked up the Santoku knife.
The next instant, the building made an intense sound and started to collapse—— I should have been buried together with the Santoku knife and cooked under the fire and smog.
But there wasn’t any burns on me, or even any scorch marks at all.
And I had the knife that should have burned to crisp with me in my hand.
「This… must be the world after death.」
I tried pinching my cheeks, and it still hurt as expected.
That was only natural, and even if this was the world after death, it didn’t feel like a dream or delusion.
A warm breeze came from the grass.
It was hot and humid.
I felt sweat drip down my cheeks.
The smooth sensation of the wooden sheath.
…… This was definitely not a dream or delusion.
「I’m really dead!」
I shouted and sprawled down onto the ground again.
It couldn’t be help that I died. It was impossible to survive after charging into such an intense sea of flame.
However—— I couldn’t just watch idly by back then.
I only did something so foolish because I didn’t want to see my dad’s look of despair.
In the end, I couldn’t protect the Santoku knife and even lost my life. That wouldn’t do.
A decade ago, his wife fell to illness. Now, he lost his shop and his son. If he also loses the Santoku knife from 『Shop Sakaki』 —— what then would dad live for?
With the sheathed Santoku knife in my hands, I closed my eyes tightly and gritted my teeth.
If I didn’t do that, I think I would burst into unsightly tears.
Reina is probably crying right now…
I couldn’t see my childhood friend who was like a sister to me, or my only living relative, my dad again. My dad lost everything, and everything was taken from me.
… Just what is the meaning of my life?
As I was thinking about that, I heard rustling from the trees beside me.
After that was a burst of ‘Purururu’... That was definitely a grunt of a wild beast.
I stayed on the ground and slowly moved my gaze towards it.
From the shadows of the trees, there was a pair of crimson eyes burning.
What the… is a ghost or demon going to come out?
It might look like a tropical paradise here, but maybe this wasn’t heaven, but hell?
I couldn’t help thinking that those eyes look hostile.
Give me a break. I don’t remember doing anything bad in my previous life.
I got up slowly, trying my best to not agitate that thing.
And then—— that thing appeared slowly.
Uwah...
It was a wild boar.
Or something that looked like a wild boar.
That creature was a quadruped that looked like a boar with a giant body weighing roughly 90kg..
Its brown bristles that looked black were as hard as steel wires, and its mane extend from its head all the way to its back like a punk head.
It had short limbs, but they were very thick.
Two sharp tusk protrude out, flanking its flat nose.
Beady eyes were on either side of its face.
Its large round body was short and fat.
The more I looked at it, the more it looked like a boar.
But it wasn’t a boar after all.
Because it had a pair of ivory horns protruding out from its forehead, which were as long as the tusks growing out from its jaw.
「… Uwah!」
I caught a glance of its hind legs kicking off the ground, and it charged at me.
From what I knew, boar could reach up to speeds of 40 km/h, but what about this guy?
As far as I know, boars were omnivorous, but it didn’t have the habit of eating live prey, what about this guy? I thought as I ran with all my might.
I had a hectic time running around when I was still alive, and I still need to run when I’m dead?
I’m dead, so I didn’t need to be afraid. But being stabbed by the sharp horns and tusk of beasts would probably be more painful than my cheeks being pinched.
And so, I was running for my life like a headless chicken.
With no time to look back, I jumped over shrubs, brushed aside branches as I weaved through the trees, running forward without stopping.
I ran and ran -- and catastrophe struck again.
「Uwahhhh!」
The ground sunk rapidly.
It was a trap hole.
The world started spinning and I felt dull pain all over my body.
I fell into the depths of the hole in confusion.
「That hurts…. Damn it, what the hell, that hurts!」
My body laid prone at the bottom of the hole, and I lifted my head.
The forest scenery looked as if it had been cut into a circular shape. It looked roughly 3 metres deep.
If this was dug by humans, it was impressive work.
「Damn it! This joke is going too far. Really...」
Fortunately, that boar like creature didn’t fall into the hole with me. I kept the Santoku knife I was holding tightly in my right hand into my shirt, and tried to stand up.
That instant, I felt a burning pain in my right ankle.
I seemed to have sprained my ankle when I fell.
I was thrown into the depths of the forest in a state of confusion, ran into an unknown creature that chased after me. In the end, I fell into a hole and sprained my leg.
This was the worst bullshit. The situation was so bad that I couldn’t help laughing.
「No, now isn’t the time to laugh!」
As this was not the time to laugh, I tried getting mad.
「Damn it all! I don’t know if you are a god or the devil, but what did I do wrong!? Are my sins really that grave? The way I died might not be worth boasting about, but I don’t remember doing anything that deserve such harsh punishment! If you have a problem with me, then banish me to an even harsher hell!」
「… You’re a really noisy man.」
I was surprised, as if someone had hit the back of my head with a metal baseball bat.
In the circular piece of sky above my head, a dark figure appeared.
「… Why’re you being so noisy in a place like this?」
The other party spoke with a tone of a man, but sounded like a young woman.
Her voice was a little deep and hoarse. Her tone might be cold, but it sounded nice to me.
Sparse sunlight through the branches illuminated her from behind, which made it hard for me to discern her face.
So humans exist in this world too. I felt relieved, and decided to reply first:
「As you can see, I fell into a hole. I don’t know who dug this hole or why they did it, but this prank has gone too far.」
After a moment of silence, the girl said with an even colder tone:
「… This trap is set by me.」
「Eh?」
「I can’t fill my stomach even if I catch a human. This is meant to trap Kiba beasts. You know how much effort I put into digging this hole?」
「Eh? No, this is… my bad? Should I apologize to you?」
「……」
「Hmm, but I’m really sorry about messing up your work. I will apologize to you, so could you help me out of this hole?」
「… It’s just this deep, you should be able to climb out yourself.」
That figure seemed to be leaving, so I continued in a hurry:
「No, I actually sprained my ankle when I fell! It’s not that serious, but I can’t get out by myself. Sorry to trouble you, but can you lend me a hand?」
「… Who cares. Just starve to death here.」
That figure vanished.
「Wait! That’s too cruel! Hey, save me!」
She didn’t answer.
Was she really planning to leave me to die?
「Hey! Please! I will really starve to death here! If you have even a little bit of conscience left, then come back!」
「… You’re a really noisy man.」
I couldn’t see her, but I definitely heard that girl’s voice.
After that, something weird fell in.
It was vines growing all over the forest.
Five of them were bundled together. I gave it a tug, and it felt really secured.
「… Hurry and climb up.」
Huh, so she was planning to rescue me from the very start.
What a cheeky girl. In modern terms, she was a 「Tsundere」.
No matter what, I felt her compassion, and considering the strange situation I was in, her actions made me even more grateful. I should give my sincere thanks once I climbed up. I thought as I stepped onto the wall.
My sprained ankle still stung, but it wasn’t unbearable. Although the crumbling dirt made it hard to scale, I still climbed with all my might.
But… this situation is really confusing.
If this was hell, why would a saviour appear when I was at a loss? That was strange.
What I felt through my senses were very realistic too, just like when I was alive. I couldn’t tell that 「I was really dead.」
Nevermind, things would sort themselves out in the end. With the last bit of my strength, I finally reach the surface.
I escaped the hole safely.
Nightfall was probably imminent, and the surroundings were turning dark.
「That hurts… Thank you. For saving my life.」
I collapsed onto the grass, and lowered my head in thanks to the girl saviour who rescued me.
That girl stood with feet apart, crossing her arms as she waited for me. She then quietly pointed the thing in her hand towards my nose.
It was a sabre, with a glint in its silver blade.
Part 2
「So, who exactly are you?」
The glimmering sabre stopped right before the tip of my nose.
This sabre was no joke, 80cm long and 10cm wide. It was ruggedly made, as if it was modified from a hatchet. Even so, the blade was grinded to a razor sharp edge. With this sabre, she could probably cut through the bones and sinews of her prey.
Now wasn’t the time to be impressed.
「W-What’s the matter? Greeting me like this suddenly is dangerous! I already told you that I will apologize for messing up your trap!」
「Shut up. Hurry up and answer my question.」
The girl was calm and collected… But her cool demeanour was making me afraid.
I sighed, and alternated my gaze between the girl’s face and the sabre’s blade.
「I want to ask you first, where is this place? This doesn’t feel like the world after death…」
「This is the foot of Mount Morga, called Forest’s Edge.」
<TL: モルガ>
「… Mount Morga?」
「This is Western Kingdom Selva, territory of Duke Genos… Where the hell did you come from?」
I was completely lost.
But I could only answer honestly.
「I came from a country named Japan. Chiba prefecture of Japan. Do you know?」
「Japan… Chiba prefecture…?」
She never heard of that before. How could she have?
This world had nothing in common with 「Japan」 in all sorts of ways.
In the world I lived in, boars didn’t have horns and girls wouldn’t walk around with huge blades on them. Furthermore, that girl’s looks —— I had never seen someone who looked that way.
Her skin tone was dark, as brown as dark chocolate.
But her hair was dark blonde.
And her eyes were deep blue.
That girl’s brownish blonde hair was very long, and was tied up with straps into a strange pattern. In the dim light, her blue eyes looked strong and sharp.
Her facial features were well proportioned.
The corners of her eyes were raised a little, like those of a cat’s. She had a thin nose and small pink lips —— the lines around her cheeks were soft, making her look young. She should be about my age.
Her looks were really outstanding.
I wouldn’t hesitate in calling her stunningly gorgeous.
Personally, I think her brown skin matched with her pink lips looked really sexy.
But what was with her attire?
A thick fur cape draped down her shoulders —— cloth with beautiful patterns were wrapped around her chest and waist.
The intrinsic patterns on these two pieces of cloth didn’t feel cheap at all, but her dressing was a little too sexy.
Aside from her clothes, she had a necklace filled with beast horns or tusks. She had bangles of nuts on her wrist, and a sheathed knife hung on her shapely waist. Those were all that she wore, and the rest of her smooth brown skin were laid bare. There were some strap-like things on her feet, which should be shoes.
Even though this mesmerizing and scantily clad girl was standing before me, my only thoughts were 「She sure is scary」.
Although her facial features were cute, her expression was fierce.
A fire burned in her eyes, and just like a real cat, her cute lips were pursed together tightly.
She was tall for a girl, and appeared rather slender.
But she didn’t feel weak at all.
The girl showed her arms, legs, shoulders and abdomen, and they were as tight as a whip, without a single bit of fat. There were also plenty of white scars on her skin, which reflected how tough her life had been.
She was filled with powerful strength, or should I say primal life force. Modern men had become slaves to technology, and would never exhibit such power.
Even so——
What was that smell?
My heart was filled with questions when I came face to face with this extraordinary girl.
It was a complicated fragrance.
A bitter sweet smell, akin to completely ripe fruits.
It had a mysterious feel to it at the same time, like budding flowers on the verge of blooming.
The fragrance was refreshing and soothing, just like herbs.
But it had a violent nature, like a strong spice.
It also smelled like the meat and oil of animals, a bloody scent.
These scents mixed together in a complicated matter, stimulating my nasal cavity.
I didn’t want to brag, but since I was young, my dad let me apprentice in the kitchen, so my sense of smell was more keen than others. More importantly, this smell was making me hungry… When I thought this far, my body seemed to know what I was thinking, and my stomach growled.
The girl’s raised blade wavered a little.
「What are you scheming?」
「I’m not scheming anything… I’m just hungry.」
My stomach rumbled again.
How unsightly.
The girl raised her beautiful brow, and showed a ferocious face.
「Hey, stop kidding around. Are you making fun of me?」
「I’m not kidding. This is a normal body reaction, I can’t help it. Because you have a delicious scent, so my stomach is reacting.」
「What do you mean? I don’t have any food on me. Because of you, I couldn’t get anything today.」
「Well, I will apologize for wasting your efforts…」
My stomach went 「Growl」 again, overlapping with the ending of my sentence.
My stomach was making too much noise.
Sigh, this was bad. The girl scowled her face further, and her shoulders started trembling.
Was I going to face death again for such a dumb reason?
「Anyway, I have no intention of making trouble on your turf. I got left in this place with no idea what is happening. I’m confused too. If you don’t like it, I can leave right away...」「Growl!」
This was really bad.
No matter how sincere my apology was, my stomach kept interrupting me.
As I was thinking all that—— the girl suddenly turned her head.
Her right hand was still threatening me with her sabre, but she was covering her mouth with her left hand.
Her shoulders were trembling harder.
「… What’s the matter?」「Growl?」
Her blade drooped onto the ground.
The girl’s face was blushed.
「Hey? Are you feeling unwell?」「Growl? Growl growl?」
「Pfft」, the girl made a strange sound.
She was staring at me through the tears in her eyes.
「Enough… Stop that...」
Even her voice was turning weak.
That worried me even more.
「Even if you ask me to stop…」「Growl. Growl growl growl...」
The girl sat down on her butt with her hand still on the hilt of the sabre.
She then started laughing out loud, 「Bwahahaha!」
Ara, her smiling face looked so cute.
So she was just trying to hold back her laughter just now.
After she laughed for a while, she wiped away her tears and stood up. She pointed her sabre at me and spit out these words:
「… I will kill you.」
「Why?!」
I was still sitting on the ground, and backed away in a panic.
But the maw of the hole I crawled out from earlier was still waiting behind me.
The steel blade inched towards my nose.
「This is the most shameful moment of my life… I will definitely kill you.」
Even in the night, I could see that her face was beet red.
Was this her feeling of shame? Or the ultimate in tsundere? That couldn’t be!
No matter what, I couldn’t die here.
When my hand touched the edge of the hole, I raised both hands in surrender.
「If my obnoxious stomach hurt your pride, I apologize! This is all the fault of my stomach being empty! Speaking of which, I haven’t ate since noon!」
「……」
「I’m really confused! I don’t know where I am, and why I’m here, all of this just confuses me! I am completely befuddled, if you kill me, then why the hell did I…」
Why did I jump into the sea of flames at the cost of my life?
When I thought about that, my throat tightened and the words didn’t come out.
I was at a loss, and could only look back at the girl.
There was a sort of glint in the girl’s blue eyes, as if she was looking at an unfathomable creature.
「… I don’t understand what you’re saying either.」
She lowered her blade a little.
「Aren’t you a citizen of the Rock City?」
「Rock City? Like I said, my home is a country named Japan.」
「… I have never heard of a country by that name. So, you’re not a citizen under Genos’ rule huh.」
The girl finally lowered her blade after saying that.
But the doubt and suspicion in her eyes lingered.
However… I felt a complicated wavering emotion that seemed to be hidden behind her fierce eyes.
「… Tell me more.」
The girl said softly.
「Let’s head to my place. If you are not willing to come, I will leave you here.」
「… You’re willing to bring a man of unknown origin like me home?」
「Night is falling. I don’t have time to answer your question here… Let me tell you first, if you don’t prepare a fire beforehand, you will lose your life if you stay inside the forest.」
The girl picked up the leather sheath she dropped by her feet, and sheathed her sabre. I looked at the girl’s majestic figure, then propped myself up with my hands and stood up.
「I understand, I will do as you say… By the way, I haven’t introduce myself. I’m Tsurumi Asuta.」
「Suroomi… Yazuka?」
「No, Tsurumi Asuta.」
「Choorumi Yasuka……」
She was too cute.
Because the subject was saying this with a serious face, she looked even cuter.
「Hmm. If it’s difficult for you to pronounce, just Asuta would do. What’s your name?」
「……Ai Fa.」
She left her name and turned her back to me.
She had a slender body, but she was shorter than me. Around 167-168 cm.
She was about average height, thin and slender, so how did she lift that scary sabre with just one hand? Maybe she had different muscle or bone density, and the structure of her body was unlike any people I know.
As I was thinking leisurely about all that, the girl glared at me sideways.
「What are you doing? Don’t your feet hurt? Hold onto my shoulder.」
「Huh, is that fine?」
「Time is precious, hurry up.」
I was a little hesitant, but I still put my right arm over Ai Fa’s right shoulder.
The next second, she elbowed my chest.
「I didn’t tell you to put your arm around me. I just told you to grab my shoulder.」
「Uwah… I see.」
I patted my chest softly as I grabbed Ai Fa’s left shoulder with my right hand.
I wasn’t hurt that badly, so this was enough to help me walk.
The girl was wearing a thick fur cape anyway, so I could only feel the rough sensation of her cape.
「… You’re hiding a knife in your chest?」
「Eh?」
I stopped in surprise.
When I put my arm around her, my chest lightly brushed her back. She could feel that even through such a thick piece of hide?
Compared to her elbow to my chest, this reaction was much scarier.
「You noticed in that short amount of time? I have no intention of harming you, so don’t worry.」
「Why do I need to worry? If you want to hack me down, you can give it a try.」
Ai Fa glanced back at me, and said with an icy gaze:
「But if you tried that, I will cut your windpipe ahead of you. If you think I’m bluffing, you’re free to try me… Asuta.」
Part 3
And hence, Ai Fa and I advanced through the forest in the evening.
It was almost night fall, and the surroundings were dark.
「All because you wasted so much of my time. We need to leave the Kiba beasts’ activity zone quickly.」
My hand was on Ai Fa’s left shoulder as I took care not to strain my sprained right ankle and inched forward. I asked back: 「Kiba beast?」
「You set that trap in order to catch those things? Are you referring to that boar like creature?」
「… Boar?」
「Yes. Dark skin, round and stout with horns…」
「That’s a Kiba beast, you saw one?」
「I saw one, or rather, it was chasing me. That’s why I fell into that trap.」
「How laughable. When a Kiba beast is attacking you, you should climb up tall trees. That’s common sense.」
「Like I said, I don’t know such common sense.」
I said as I looked at the shoulder I was holding.
「I want to ask, is that fur cape made from the hide of a Kiba beast?」
「Of course. I’m a denizen of Forest's Edge. People of the Forest's Edge will routinely hunt Kiba beast, eat their meat and make a living selling their horns, tusks and hide.」
Ai Fa carefully pulled aside the shrugs, and glared at me with annoyed eyes.
「… And those citizens of Rock City, mock us, the people of Forest's Edge as 《Kiba eater》.」
「Hmm? But why? Boars are delicious.」
I wasn’t trying to brag, but during winter break during my second year in middle school, I participated in a farm life experience organized by hunting hobbyists, and butchered boars and deer over there. The boar stew I ate back then was absolutely delicious.
「… It’s not a 『boar』, it’s Kiba beast. Kiba beast meat are tough and smelly. They say the people of Forest's Edge who eats the Kiba beast, have the same stench.」
「You’re not smelly at all, your smell is very fragrant.」
Ai Fa’s eyes looked even more unhappy.
Well, girls around this age were hard to handle.
For the sake of Ai Fa’s reputation, I need to make it clear that she didn’t just smell like meat and oil. Her scent was mainly that of bitter sweet fruits and refreshing herbs, which complement the fragrance of the meat perfectly, and kept stimulating the part of my brain that control my hunger.
「But seriously, my sense of smell is really keen. Kiba beast must be delicious.」
「… There’s no distinction of food being delicious or not.」
Ara, that was rude. I might still be apprenticing, but I was still a chef. Were those words a challenge against me?
But in this situation, it would be useless to preach about my world view. So I kept my mouth shut and focus on walking quietly.
We walked in the forest like this for about 15 minutes—— Suddenly, my field of vision became wide.
We walked out of the forest.
The sun was about to set.
The orange light illuminated the settlement in the valley.
Ah… So people really lived in this world.
I was overwhelmed.
The surrounding was dark, so I couldn’t see very clearly, but this stony clearing was made by clearing the forest, and wooden houses were spread sparsely across the place. Red light could be seen inside those lodgings, and white smoke from the cooking of dinner rose into the sky.
… See, don’t it smell delicious?
The fragrance from the protein of meat and spices melded into the air.
In order to not agitate Ai Fa, I tried my best to suppress my stomach’s growling.
「It feels serene outside the forest, not bad. Roughly how many people live here?」
「How would I know… Probably less than five hundred.」
「Five hundred? This is an enormous settlement. I couldn’t tell that there’re so many families.」
「… The settlement where the people of Forest's Edge live is a strip of land stretching from the north to the south, between Mount Morga and Genos’ territory. It would take at least half a day to travel from one end of the forest to the other.」
I see, as the land was narrow, there would be quite a distance between each houses. It’s more comfortable to live with less people, but I think the way the houses were spread didn’t really fit with the term 「settlement」. I tried asking for more information, but an unexpected guest appeared.
「Yo, Ai Fa. Where did this weakling come from?」
A low male voice interjected suddenly.
That surprised me, but Ai Fa just clicked her tongue softly.
「… None of your business, Diga Tsun.」
「Of course it’s my business. The Tsun House is the ruler of everyone in Forest's Edge.」
A large figure approached swiftly.
It was a young man who was dressed similarly to Ai Fa.
He was tall and well built. I apologize, but I could only use the measurements in my world to describe it, and he was about 180 cm. His frame and muscles were lean, and was about 80 kg in weight.
His dark brown hair was cut really short, with light brown skin and a pair of blue eyes. Aside from hair colour, he was similar to Ai Fa.
He had a fur cape on his huge body and cloth material, and a large sabre as well as a knife on his waist. A large number of beast tusks and horns hung from his neck, many more than Ai Fa.
He blocked our path, stopping us from advancing and observed me without reservation.
「Hmmp, your clothes are really weird. Where do you live?」
His voice was rough, but he spoke slowly. Listening to him felt uncomfortable.
Although his eye colour was similar to Ai Fa, his eyes looked murky.
He was the second human I encountered in this different world, but I don’t feel any good will towards him.
As far as I could remember, I had been helping out with my family business. If a punk like that could rustle my jimmies, that meant I didn’t have what it takes to be a business man’s son. With that in mind, I wanted to be as friendly as I could——
「none of your business.」 Ai Fa said before I could reply.
「Let me tell you, Diga Tsun, I don’t owe anything to the Tsun House. Not just that, you keep finding trouble with me. I don’t want to talk to you at all. Take your useless big body with you and disappear from my sights.」
「What did you say…」
Although that man’s face turned stiff, Ai Fa continued:
「Diga Tsun, if you have a problem with me, we can have a duel any time. If you don’t want to, then don’t show yourself before me again. You are an eyesore.」
Ai Fa walked away briskly after saying her piece.
As I needed to hold on to her shoulder, I had to keep up with her with a jog. That young man was trembling from anger, and when I passed by him, I still nodded in greeting.
「You ostracized weirdo! You better watch your back, and don’t get mistaken for a Kiba beast and get your head hacked off!」
The voice of the man who lost his composure echoed throughout the entire foot of the mountain.
His yell completely spoiled the poetic scenery.
「Can I ask you a question? An outsider like me shouldn’t be asking this, but shouldn’t you have cordial relations with your neighbours?」
「… The night my father passed away, that man Diga Tsun ambushed me in my room, and planned to assault me. So after I beat him off, I threw him into the river.」
「……」
「Because he will be the next Tribal Chief, everyone think I was the one that shamed him. No one in the settlement is willing to have anything to do with me… You want me to have cordial relations with such a person?」
「I take that back. I shouldn’t have nodded at him. Should I give him a punch?」
After I said that, I relaxed my grip on Ai Fa’s shoulder and stopped. The next instant, Ai Fa grabbed my right wrist tightly.
Her slender but powerful fingers dug into my hand.
「What idiocy are you saying, such a man is not worth your time to beat up.」
「But you have been shamed because of him, right? That is too unfair.」
「I am not living in shame. I don’t like interacting with people outside my family anyway, so this is more relaxing.」
She looked at me with anger, her blue eyes had the strong light of righteousness in them, the man just now couldn’t hold a candle to her.
「However, since I brought you to the settlement, I would need to take responsibility if you harm anyone from House Tsun. I might get exiled by the settlement because of that… You want me to live in the wild?」
「Ah… That’s true. I’m sorry, I didn’t consider your position. I’m probably hungry, that’s why I got angry so easily.」
After saying that, my stomach seemed to agree with me and made 「growling」 sounds.
Ai Fa was still grabbing my hand, and her shoulders started trembling again.
「… You’re doing that on purpose? You want me to dump you into the river too?」
「I-I’m not good enough to make my stomach growl on command. By the way, if you want to laugh, just laugh.」
「Shut up!」
Ai Fa let go of my hand and walked off in large strides.
I grabbed her left shoulder in a hurry.
I watched her ears and the nape of her neck that was completely red, and thought about something trivial —— 「The humans in this world are the same too, their body feels warm」.
Part 4
After walking for another 10 minutes, we reached Ai Fa’s residence.
Like the other lodgings, Ai Fa had a wooden house built on even grounds with some shrubs around it.
From what I observed on the way here, all the houses were rather far apart. But Ai Fa’s house was exceptionally isolated. It was so quiet that it was discomforting.
However, from Ai Fa’s wild attire and the words 「Denizens of Forest's Edge」, I thought her residence would be more primitive. On a closer look, the style of the house was unexpectedly nice.
「Oh, your place isn’t too bad.」
It wasn’t as fashionable as a cabin in a vacation resort, but this house was built delicately with bare boards and logs, and was spacious and felt cool. The space alone could match 『Restaurant Tsurumi』.
As the sky had darkened, I couldn’t observe too clearly. Anyway, the special thing about this house was its roof that tilt slightly from left to right. It seemed to be made timber-frame construction, without using any nails or screws.
A ditch about 50 cm wide and deep was dug around the building, with a log bridging it leading right to the entrance. Was it used to stop wild animals from entering? Or drainage for rain? I started to think.
「… What are you doing? Hurry on in.」
「That’s right, sorry sorry.」
The door at the entrance was a horizontal sliding door that felt really Japanese.
I followed behind the Mistress of the House and entered timidly.
「Sorry for intruding…」
It was darker inside the house.
However, I could still tell that it was really spacious.
The floor was covered with brown fur. Ai Fa took off her leather slippers at the entrance, and I followed her lead.
I didn’t know what to do about my socks, but I think it wouldn’t matter even if I don’t wear them, so I took them off.
I walked barefooted on the rough fur, and it felt a little itchy.
A heavy thud came from behind me.
Ai Fa had barricaded the door to the entrance with a large piece of wood.
No one will rescue me no matter how much I scream now.
I prayed in my heart that it wouldn’t be necessary to do that, and surveyed the room again.
The room was rectangular, about 12 tatami in size. The walls to the left and right had large windows. And of course, the windows didn’t have things like glass, but it did have thin vertical wooden bars about 20 cm apart, which served as a window grill.
<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami >
The inside of the house was separated by a wall, and I could see three doors.
The ceiling was high and the supporting beams could be seen in clear sight. Like what I saw outside, the roof was tilted slightly to the right. I wasn’t sure, but this design was probably meant to block out the elements.
However… To be honest, instead of the visual information, I was more interested in what my nose was telling me.
Of the complicated fragrance on this girl, there were three of them that lingered in the house strongly.
They were the scent of meat, spice and herbs.
「… Does your leg still hurt?」
「Eh? It’s not a big deal. It feels hot, but there’s no swelling. Even if it’s not treated, it should heal by tomorrow.」
「… I see.」
Ai Fa walked to the middle of the room and seemed to be thinking.
「I want to ask you some things, but I’m hungry too. I will prepare dinner.」
「Please go ahead… Erm, I have no way of repaying you, but can I have dinner with you?」
「… If your stomach keeps rumbling, how can I ask you anything?」
She didn’t need to say that through gritted teeth though.
But since she was treating me to a meal without asking for anything in return, I was very grateful. With the fragrance in the house, I might faint if she forbid me from eating.
So, dinner preparation was beginning. The moment I stepped into the house, I immediately confirmed the space that served as a kitchen, which was the area near the window to the right.
It was a square about 2m in each direction. That was the only place that didn’t have any fur rug, and had white stones covering the ground. And yellow stones formed a trapezoid base right over there.
The base reached to about my waist, and there was an empty black hole right at its front. And on top of that base was —— A black gleaming metal pot.
It’s design might be simple, but this base was definitely a 「stove」.
<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamado >
Beside the stove was bundles of small wood, which was probably firewood.
So this house had an in built kitchen.
Everyone cooks together and eat together. That might be their custom.
However —— In this spacious house, there was just me and Ai Fa.
「By the way, are your family away?」
「… I already told you that my father is dead. My mother on the other hand has been dead for a long time.」
There was a water jug beside the stove. Ai Fa scooped used a long ladle to scoop up water and pour it into the pot as she spoke.
I still didn’t know the common sense and reasoning of this world, and could only answer 「I see」.
While we were talking, Ai Fa started the stove fire.
How did she do that? I should have watched her actions more carefully.
Anyway, the room was gradually turning brighter.
「… Why are you standing there? It’s an eyesore, hurry up and sit.」
「Oh, well, where should I sit? I’m sorry, but I don’t understand this land’s culture and custom at all.」
Ai Fa stood up and looked at me in surprise.
「It’s just sitting down, what has that got to do with culture? You are a strange man.」
I noticed a small light between her hands, which intrigued me.
It was a small plate-like wick stand with a handle.
After the sabre and the pot, this wick stand was the third metal I saw in this world.
The fuel burning inside must be animal fats. A smell that stimulates my appetite started drifting inside the room.
Ai Fa walked through the room. After placing the wick stand at the left and right windows respectively, she slowly took off the fur cape she was wearing.
Ai Fa’s body line was illuminated by the new light sources in the room —— I felt my heart pounding.
After all, she was just wearing the clothes covering her chest and waist right now. Aside from her necklace, her exposed skin was on the level of wearing a swimsuit or a lingerie.
She had a cold personality, but she was still a girl.
And a beauty at that.
Her body was slender, but looked well trained and was as lean as a whip. Her elegant body line was very feminine, and these two characteristics were perfectly compatible. How should I put this… she was beautiful and full of charm.
After taking off that crude cape, her attack power doubled.
「… Hey.」
「Yes! Is there anything!?」
「Don’t need to be so loud… Give me that thing in your chest.」
Ai Fa hung her cape onto the wall, leaned her sabre against the wall under the cape, and then glared at me.
「A weak man like you can’t harm me even if you have a blade. But as a guest in someone’s house, you have to deposit your blade with the owner. This is the rule of the people of Forest's Edge.」
I was dumbfounded.
Ai Fa narrowed her eyes and walked towards me with a dangerous aura about her.
That knife was still on her slender waist.
「I will say again, if you are sincere about following the rules of Forest's Edge, then give me that knife.」
「Wait, what you mean is… This custom is to confirm the trust between people?」
Ai Fa reached out her left hand towards me in silence.
After troubling over it for three seconds, I made my decision.
「I understand. But this is important to me. And instead of a hunting tool, it is meant for more delicate work, please use it with care, alright?」
「… Are you mocking me? Everyone in Forest's Edge treats blades with care.」
「No, that’s not what I mean. I’m saying that you need to be careful when using that knife. It is hard to repair the blade if it is damaged. If you understand, I will hand it over to you.」
I took out the Santoku Knife that was in front of my collar, and handed it to Ai Fa handle first.
Ai Fa looked at the black knife handle, and she was the one who stopped this time.
「…Is this knife a memento from your late parents?」
「Yes, you can say that.」
The one who died was actually me, but it was certain that I won’t see my dad ever again.
Ai Fa took the Santoku knife, and walked deep into the house with it clutched tightly in her arms.
「… Everyone in Forest's Edge cherishes their family.」
She muttered and opened the rightmost door, and disappeared behind it.
When Ai Fa came out, the Santoku knife was no longer in her arms, and was replaced by a large number of foodstuff.
I walked to the stove curiously.
After getting closer to the pot, I realized the size of the pot was incredible.
The pot had a round bottom, diameter about 60 cm wide and 30 cm deep. It was a deep pot, like a sphere being cut right in half.
The pot was half full, and was about to boil.
「What’s the matter? Preparation will take some time, just sit down somewhere.」
「I’m interested in the food culture of this world. After all, that’s my family business.」
Ai Fa was doubtful, but she didn’t say anything and placed the ingredients by my feet.
「Oh, it feels rather luxurious.」
There were two unfamiliar vegetables.
One had a green luster, but the size was really close to an onion.
What about the other? It was a ball about the size of a fist with an uneven surface. If I really had to describe it, it looked a little like a potato. But it was cream colour and didn’t have any stems, so it wasn’t vegetable dug up from the ground.
However —— A thick piece of meat overwhelmed the presence of these vegetables.
The meat was probably from the hind leg of that creature called Kiba beast.
It was cut off from the hip joint area. It probably wasn’t the first cut, but there were still plenty of it to go around, and that piece alone was at least five kg.
Ai Fa had already cut off the hide, and she sprinkled something that looked like black sawdust, which had a strong fragrance of black pepper. That was definitely a spice serving as a preservative.
Beneath the meat was a large leaf that was as large as a banana leaf. Only the meat was placed on top of that smooth leaves, the other vegetables were placed directly on the floor.
Tonight’s dinner was definitely filling enough.
「… How is this luxurious? You don’t understand the daily lives of Forest's Edge at all.」
Ai Fa muttered disinterestedly and picked up that meat.
Holding it by the trotter, she lowered the meat into the steaming pot.
She isn’t going to dump the entire thing in right? As I stared at her, she drew out the knife from her waist and started slicing the Kiba beast’s meat.
She slowly sliced the surface of the meat, like the hawker selling Shawarma in the streets.
<TL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma >
The thin slices of meat fell into the hot water.
Ai Fa seemed to be prioritizing in cutting away the place covered in spice. The red meat beneath the spice was gradually exposed.
No matter how I looked at it, that knife was a hunting knife, but it was very sharp.
The blade of the knife was about 20 cm long, 7 to 8 mm thick and the back of the blade had jagged teeth. The appearance of the blade was just like a survival knife.
Like the sabre the hilt of the knife was wrapped in leather that prevent slippage, but had no guards.
She sliced thin pieces of meat with that hunting knife, what a pure cooking method.
I was the heir of an economical priced restaurant after all. I wasn’t interested in high class dishes, and I wouldn’t mind what method they used to cook, as long as it was hygienic.
The most important thing about food was it’s tastiness.
In order to let the diner enjoy the food, we would be mindful of its presentation. Because no matter how delicious the dishes were, it was meaningless if it was harmful to the body. That was why we emphasize on hygiene during cooking.
To express my thoughts in simple terms —— Just looking at Ai Fa’s practiced movement as she sliced the meat made me hungrier.
「… Why do you look so happy?」
「Eh? I just think this looks delicious.」
「… There’s no distinction of food being delicious or not.」
Ai Fa said something rude again and covered the pot with a lid. I called it a lid, but it was just a rectangular piece of board. She put a rock on top of the board.
The Kiba beast’s leg meat still had plenty of meat on it, so Ai Fa put it back into the food store. After checking the fire, she nodded with an 「Hmm」.
She then turned to me.
「The meat will be cooked in a while… Before that, let me ask you questions.」
Part 5
「That’s right, listening to my story after the meal might not be good for digestion. Let’s get the troublesome matters out of the way first.」
When she heard my reply, Ai Fa sat down beside the stove with a hmmp.
She sat down crossed legged, with one knee propped up.
Ai Fa’s sitting posture looked authoritative, but girls who were dressed so scantily weren’t suited for such a posture.
「… I will relax a little too, aright?」
After announcing that, I unbuttoned my apron.
The temperature here was similar to early summer in Japan. Adding the fire that was going, it was rather hot.
But after taking off the top half of my chef uniform and apron, I only had a T-shirt on me. The night breeze blowing in through the windows felt really comfortable.
「… Your attire is really weird. I had never seen such clothing even in the Post Station Town.」
<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shukuba >
「Hmm, well, it’s the same for me. I have never seen someone dressed like you before.」
I faced Ai Fa and sat cross legged like her on the rough fur.
「Well? What do you want to ask me? To be honest, I don’t understand my situation too, so I’m not confident that I could explain things clearly though.」
「… Where did you come from?」
This was the second time she asked me that.
I’m from a country named Japan, from Chiba prefecture in Japan… Even if I explain it that way, I wouldn’t be able to continue.
Ai Fa’s eyes had a gleam like a cat in the darkness. I looked at her and said:
「Ai Fa, not only did you saved me, you even brought me to your house as a guest. Thank you for bringing me home, I’m very thankful for your compassionate actions. What I’m about to say do not contain a shred of falsehood.」
Ai Fa tilted her head, as if she was asking 「And so?」
「So, I will tell you the entire truth. I will let you decide whether you believe me or not.」
I was confused myself, but I still told her everything.
I lived for seventeen years in a country that was relatively peaceful.
One day, a catastrophe happened, and I had to jump into a sea of fire.
I thought I was dead, but I unexpectedly woke up unscathed in that forest just now.
It might look similar to my world, but everything was fundamentally different.
「… considering the possibility, maybe I am still in my own world, but ended up in an completely unknown place. I should be dead, so being still alive should be the biggest question. No, even if I ignore that, there are too many contradictions.」
I tried telling her the questions clouding my head.
「For example, the language I’m using now. Ai Fa, have you heard of a country named Japan before?」
「… Never heard of it.」
「Hmm, just this point confused me. If you never heard of Japan, then it’s impossible for you to be fluent in Japanese. So how are we communicating so smoothly?」
「……」
「Aside from the people in Forest's Edge, there are the Rock city and Western Kingdom, right? How large are these nations?」
「… I have never visited Rock City or other cities, so I don’t know. I have only visited the Post Station town outside the Rock City in order to sell the Kiba beast’s horns and tusk, I learn everything I know through hearsay.」
At this point, Ai Fa groaned a little and said quietly:
「I remember… there are several thousand people living in the castle town inside the stone walls, that’s the territory of the Western Kingdom Selva. I heard that Selva’s citizens living in their towns are as numerous as the stars…」
「I see. The scale is quite large… Do you know which gods the people in Rock City worship?」
Ai Fa looked surprised when she heard my question.
「Do you even need to ask? The citizens of Selva worships the God of the West Selva of course. There are four major kingdoms in Amusehorn continent. Similar to the four kingdoms, there are four major gods. Without the protection of the four major gods, the people of Amusehorn won’t be able to survive. If the people lose their faith in the gods, they would be reduced to mere beasts… Asuta, are you telling me you don’t know such common sense?」
「Unfortunately, I really didn’t know. I have never heard of this continent, these Kingdoms or these gods.」
I smiled wryly and scratched my head that was wrapped in a towel.
「Be it a tribe of 500 hunters or horned boars, if I never heard of such trivial matters, it would probably be due to my ignorance, and had never dabbled into such fields… But that explanation wouldn’t work now. It’s regrettable, but I have made my conclusion.」
I didn’t place much hope in that small possibility in the first place, so it wasn’t a huge let down.
However, this means I couldn’t see my dad or childhood friend again, and the reality of that hit me again.
I looked into Ai Fa’s blue beautiful eyes and said:
「I will tell you the conclusion I made… Maybe it’s the whim of the gods or some other reason, but I got thrown into this world from mine. Maybe the gods pulled some tricks, allowing me to communicate with you so smoothly.」
「……」
「I don’t know if this is far into the past or the distant future, or a parallel world that represent one of the possibility of my world, or this is an entirely different world… simply put, this isn’t the world I grew up in.」
「……」
「I’m a human who came from another world.」
After saying this unfamiliar term, I shrugged depressedly.
「Or I hit my head, and is retarded enough to treat my delusion as reality. I think these are the only two answers.」
「… You admit that you are crazy?」
「I don’t think so. To me, the seventeen years of my life is my everything. If they are delusions, then my existence would be a lie.」
I gulp down the sigh I was about to exhale, and said with conviction.
I had no other choice but to accept this.
「Just to be sure, let me ask you one thing. Aside from me, no one else encountered the same thing, right? Did the people who died in my world all transported here…?」
「Such a retarded thing is impossible.」
「That’s true. If there is such a system, this world would be flooded by people.」
I mimicked Ai Fa and propped up one knee, placing my arm on my knee and supported my cheek.
「That’s all I can tell you. I will let you judge for yourself.」
「… I understand.」
After Ai Fa glared at me one last time, she stood up slowly.
「… Well then, it’s almost time.」
「Hmm?」
「The meat is almost done.」
Ai Fa then picked up the rock on top of the lid and took the lid off.
A white mist spew out from the pot.
「Uwah, it smells delicious.」
I stood up hurriedly and looked into the pot over Ai Fa’s shoulder.
The soup and meat pieces were moving inside the pot.
A large amount of steam kept coming out from the pot, and plenty of foam appeared. There was so much bubbles, as though a bar of soap had been tossed in there.
「… I know dinner is important, but don’t you have other questions?」
When she heard me, Ai Fa glared at me from up close.
「You’re either from another world, or a lunatic who completely believes in your delusion… I know this two things.」
「Even though you say that, but are you willing to believe something so incredible?」
「… At the very least, I know that you have no intention of deceiving me.」
Ai Fa averted her face and picked up the vegetable by her feet. It was that onion like object.
When she cut open that vegetable, the bright green insides could be seen. The entire thing felt just like an onion.
Ai Fa only peel off the dried outer skin, cut it in half and then tossed it into the pot.
「You don’t look like a liar, so you’re probably a lunatic.」
Thomp, thomp.
She tossed 5 to 6 fake onions into the pot.
This scene was just like a 「hot pot from hell」. I stared inside the pot and muttered 「Thank you」.
「What do you mean, you’re happy to be called a lunatic?」
「That’s right. Instead of being called a liar, I prefer being called a lunatic. And this means you believed me.」
「… I don’t understand you at all.」
Ai Fa’s voice had a hint of anger. She picked up the cream coloured fake potato this time. She then peeled it, and just toss it into the water after making a cut on its surface.
The pot was deep, but the foam almost reach the brim of the pot.
Ai Fa picked up a thick wooden rod and stirred the pot, and then glared at me with ferocious eyes.
「… So, what do you plan to do from now on?」
「Hmm? Do? What do you mean?」
「I mean what are your plans for the future? Do you want to search for a way to go back to your old world?」
「Well, should I really do that? If I return to my world, I might go back to that burning place. Turning into a ball of fire the moment I get back is as good as suicide.」
But if I could return the Santoku knife to my dad, it might be worth sacrificing my life. However, if I turn into a ball of fire, the Santoku knife would probably suffer the same fate.
「I still can’t figure things out. Or rather, no matter how much I worry about it, I wouldn’t be transported back to my world out of the blue. After all, I don’t know how I triggered such an interesting phenomena, or the logic behind it in the first place. So I won’t be fazed no matter what happens in the future.」
「… I see.」
「If you regret bringing a troublesome guy home, you can just tell me. I will leave right away. Fortunately, the weather is great, so it won’t be too harsh to camp outside...」
「If you spent the night outside the house, you won’t just be stomped to death by the Kiba beasts, your corpse will also become food for the wild beasts. By morning, only your bones would be left.」
Ai Fa said, as if she was trying to stop me from continuing.
「Also, Diga Tsun already saw you together with me. If a person who don’t even know about the four major gods commit any serious taboos, I would need to take on the responsibility.」
「Eh? But then…」
「Just stay within my sights for now, and don’t move around on your own.」
Ai Fa said in an unhappy tone. She stirred the metal pot, and looked just like the witch in fairy tales.
「At the very least, you need to remember the logic of this world and the rules of Forest's Edge. After remembering that, you can die out there if you wish.」
「I understand… Ai Fa, I’m very grateful.」
「Hey! Why are you thanking me at this moment for! Are you happy about me telling you to die out there?」
「I’m happy. At least you aren’t chasing me out right now.」
I tried my best to make my tone sound less serious.
I then took a step away from Ai Fa.
If I continue to look at her from so close, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to hold back and hug her.
That was how uneasy I felt about my future.
After losing everything, that was how much despair I was in.
But Ai Fa wanted me to stay here, and even said that I couldn’t be a liar.
Despite the trials and tribulations fate had thrown at me, I was truly thankful that the first person I met in this world was such a caring girl who was also a little weird.
「… It’s done.」
Ai Fa said in an unhappy tone and turned her back to me.
She disappeared behind the door in the middle. When she returned, she had two sets of bowls and spoons, and an oval ladle —— the utensils for 「soup」. And of course, all the utensils were made from wood.
The entire pot of soup were white from the heat and foam. Ai Fa used the ladle to scoop up soup and poured it into the containers, and passed it to me in silence.
「Thank you.」
I was filled with gratitude, but my stomach was empty.
I received the container gratefully and sat onto the fur rug.
As I waited for Ai Fa to prepare her own portion, I inspected the content of the container intriguingly.
It was a bowl of thick white soup.
It looked like butter clam chowder soup, but it had the fragrance of a boar stew.
I could catch a glimpse of the coffee coloured meat and green vegetable through the snow white surface.
The fake onion broke down into an adequate size, while the fake potato —— was gone. It had completely dissolved in such a short amount of time?
Speaking of which, this bowl of soup, or rather, stock, was cream in colour, just like that fake potato.
They might look similar, but that isn’t a real onion or potato, how does it taste?
Even though there was so much foam, Ai Fa didn’t scoop them away, which made me concerned. But when in rome, do what the romans do. Even though the foam would affect the taste, it also held the essence of all the ingredients. There wasn’t a need to get rid of them excessively.
This way probably has its own unique cooking method. A man from an alternate world like me is not in the position to say too much.
As I was thinking about that, Ai Fa sat down beside me.
「Why aren’t you eating? Did you change your mind, and think that Kiba beast is unpalatable after all?」
「That’s not it, in the world I was from, we have the tradition of everyone eating at the same time. This looked delicious.」
Ai Fa shrugged nonchalantly, and started muttering to herself, as if she was chanting a spell. She then started to eat.
Seeing her dig in, I also said 「Bon apetit」, and picked up my wooden spoon.
I scooped up the white soup together with the coffee coloured pieces of meat.
This was my first dinner in this otherworld.
Chapter 1. The Absolutely Horrendous Dinner
Part 1
And now, I was here.
I shook off Reina and the firefighters and charged into the flames, and now, I found myself in this unfamiliar forest alone. When I made it through the sea of flames back then, I reached the kitchen in a perilous situation and picked up the Santoku knife.
The next instant, the building made an intense sound and started to collapse—— I should have been buried together with the Santoku knife and cooked under the fire and smog.
But there wasn’t any burns on me, or even any scorch marks at all.
And I had the knife that should have burned to crisp with me in my hand.
「This… must be the world after death.」
I tried pinching my cheeks, and it still hurt as expected.
That was only natural, and even if this was the world after death, it didn’t feel like a dream or delusion.
A warm breeze came from the grass.
It was hot and humid.
I felt sweat drip down my cheeks.
The smooth sensation of the wooden sheath.
…… This was definitely not a dream or delusion.
「I’m really dead!」
I shouted and sprawled down onto the ground again.
It couldn’t be help that I died. It was impossible to survive after charging into such an intense sea of flame.
However—— I couldn’t just watch idly by back then.
I only did something so foolish because I didn’t want to see my dad’s look of despair.
In the end, I couldn’t protect the Santoku knife and even lost my life. That wouldn’t do.
A decade ago, his wife fell to illness. Now, he lost his shop and his son. If he also loses the Santoku knife from 『Shop Sakaki』 —— what then would dad live for?
With the sheathed Santoku knife in my hands, I closed my eyes tightly and gritted my teeth.
If I didn’t do that, I think I would burst into unsightly tears.
Reina is probably crying right now…
I couldn’t see my childhood friend who was like a sister to me, or my only living relative, my dad again. My dad lost everything, and everything was taken from me.
… Just what is the meaning of my life?
As I was thinking about that, I heard rustling from the trees beside me.
After that was a burst of ‘Purururu’... That was definitely a grunt of a wild beast.
I stayed on the ground and slowly moved my gaze towards it.
From the shadows of the trees, there was a pair of crimson eyes burning.
What the… is a ghost or demon going to come out?
It might look like a tropical paradise here, but maybe this wasn’t heaven, but hell?
I couldn’t help thinking that those eyes look hostile.
Give me a break. I don’t remember doing anything bad in my previous life.
I got up slowly, trying my best to not agitate that thing.
And then—— that thing appeared slowly.
Uwah...
It was a wild boar.
Or something that looked like a wild boar.
That creature was a quadruped that looked like a boar with a giant body weighing roughly 90kg..
Its brown bristles that looked black were as hard as steel wires, and its mane extend from its head all the way to its back like a punk head.
It had short limbs, but they were very thick.
Two sharp tusk protrude out, flanking its flat nose.
Beady eyes were on either side of its face.
Its large round body was short and fat.
The more I looked at it, the more it looked like a boar.
But it wasn’t a boar after all.
Because it had a pair of ivory horns protruding out from its forehead, which were as long as the tusks growing out from its jaw.
「… Uwah!」
I caught a glance of its hind legs kicking off the ground, and it charged at me.
From what I knew, boar could reach up to speeds of 40 km/h, but what about this guy?
As far as I know, boars were omnivorous, but it didn’t have the habit of eating live prey, what about this guy? I thought as I ran with all my might.
I had a hectic time running around when I was still alive, and I still need to run when I’m dead?
I’m dead, so I didn’t need to be afraid. But being stabbed by the sharp horns and tusk of beasts would probably be more painful than my cheeks being pinched.
And so, I was running for my life like a headless chicken.
With no time to look back, I jumped over shrubs, brushed aside branches as I weaved through the trees, running forward without stopping.
I ran and ran -- and catastrophe struck again.
「Uwahhhh!」
The ground sunk rapidly.
It was a trap hole.
The world started spinning and I felt dull pain all over my body.
I fell into the depths of the hole in confusion.
「That hurts…. Damn it, what the hell, that hurts!」
My body laid prone at the bottom of the hole, and I lifted my head.
The forest scenery looked as if it had been cut into a circular shape. It looked roughly 3 metres deep.
If this was dug by humans, it was impressive work.
「Damn it! This joke is going too far. Really...」
Fortunately, that boar like creature didn’t fall into the hole with me. I kept the Santoku knife I was holding tightly in my right hand into my shirt, and tried to stand up.
That instant, I felt a burning pain in my right ankle.
I seemed to have sprained my ankle when I fell.
I was thrown into the depths of the forest in a state of confusion, ran into an unknown creature that chased after me. In the end, I fell into a hole and sprained my leg.
This was the worst bullshit. The situation was so bad that I couldn’t help laughing.
「No, now isn’t the time to laugh!」
As this was not the time to laugh, I tried getting mad.
「Damn it all! I don’t know if you are a god or the devil, but what did I do wrong!? Are my sins really that grave? The way I died might not be worth boasting about, but I don’t remember doing anything that deserve such harsh punishment! If you have a problem with me, then banish me to an even harsher hell!」
「… You’re a really noisy man.」
I was surprised, as if someone had hit the back of my head with a metal baseball bat.
In the circular piece of sky above my head, a dark figure appeared.
「… Why’re you being so noisy in a place like this?」
The other party spoke with a tone of a man, but sounded like a young woman.
Her voice was a little deep and hoarse. Her tone might be cold, but it sounded nice to me.
Sparse sunlight through the branches illuminated her from behind, which made it hard for me to discern her face.
So humans exist in this world too. I felt relieved, and decided to reply first:
「As you can see, I fell into a hole. I don’t know who dug this hole or why they did it, but this prank has gone too far.」
After a moment of silence, the girl said with an even colder tone:
「… This trap is set by me.」
「Eh?」
「I can’t fill my stomach even if I catch a human. This is meant to trap Kiba beasts. You know how much effort I put into digging this hole?」
「Eh? No, this is… my bad? Should I apologize to you?」
「……」
「Hmm, but I’m really sorry about messing up your work. I will apologize to you, so could you help me out of this hole?」
「… It’s just this deep, you should be able to climb out yourself.」
That figure seemed to be leaving, so I continued in a hurry:
「No, I actually sprained my ankle when I fell! It’s not that serious, but I can’t get out by myself. Sorry to trouble you, but can you lend me a hand?」
「… Who cares. Just starve to death here.」
That figure vanished.
「Wait! That’s too cruel! Hey, save me!」
She didn’t answer.
Was she really planning to leave me to die?
「Hey! Please! I will really starve to death here! If you have even a little bit of conscience left, then come back!」
「… You’re a really noisy man.」
I couldn’t see her, but I definitely heard that girl’s voice.
After that, something weird fell in.
It was vines growing all over the forest.
Five of them were bundled together. I gave it a tug, and it felt really secured.
「… Hurry and climb up.」
Huh, so she was planning to rescue me from the very start.
What a cheeky girl. In modern terms, she was a 「Tsundere」.
No matter what, I felt her compassion, and considering the strange situation I was in, her actions made me even more grateful. I should give my sincere thanks once I climbed up. I thought as I stepped onto the wall.
My sprained ankle still stung, but it wasn’t unbearable. Although the crumbling dirt made it hard to scale, I still climbed with all my might.
But… this situation is really confusing.
If this was hell, why would a saviour appear when I was at a loss? That was strange.
What I felt through my senses were very realistic too, just like when I was alive. I couldn’t tell that 「I was really dead.」
Nevermind, things would sort themselves out in the end. With the last bit of my strength, I finally reach the surface.
I escaped the hole safely.
Nightfall was probably imminent, and the surroundings were turning dark.
「That hurts… Thank you. For saving my life.」
I collapsed onto the grass, and lowered my head in thanks to the girl saviour who rescued me.
That girl stood with feet apart, crossing her arms as she waited for me. She then quietly pointed the thing in her hand towards my nose.
It was a sabre, with a glint in its silver blade.
Part 2
「So, who exactly are you?」
The glimmering sabre stopped right before the tip of my nose.
This sabre was no joke, 80cm long and 10cm wide. It was ruggedly made, as if it was modified from a hatchet. Even so, the blade was grinded to a razor sharp edge. With this sabre, she could probably cut through the bones and sinews of her prey.
Now wasn’t the time to be impressed.
「W-What’s the matter? Greeting me like this suddenly is dangerous! I already told you that I will apologize for messing up your trap!」
「Shut up. Hurry up and answer my question.」
The girl was calm and collected… But her cool demeanour was making me afraid.
I sighed, and alternated my gaze between the girl’s face and the sabre’s blade.
「I want to ask you first, where is this place? This doesn’t feel like the world after death…」
「This is the foot of Mount Morga, called Forest’s Edge.」
<TL: モルガ>
「… Mount Morga?」
「This is Western Kingdom Selva, territory of Duke Genos… Where the hell did you come from?」
I was completely lost.
But I could only answer honestly.
「I came from a country named Japan. Chiba prefecture of Japan. Do you know?」
「Japan… Chiba prefecture…?」
She never heard of that before. How could she have?
This world had nothing in common with 「Japan」 in all sorts of ways.
In the world I lived in, boars didn’t have horns and girls wouldn’t walk around with huge blades on them. Furthermore, that girl’s looks —— I had never seen someone who looked that way.
Her skin tone was dark, as brown as dark chocolate.
But her hair was dark blonde.
And her eyes were deep blue.
That girl’s brownish blonde hair was very long, and was tied up with straps into a strange pattern. In the dim light, her blue eyes looked strong and sharp.
Her facial features were well proportioned.
The corners of her eyes were raised a little, like those of a cat’s. She had a thin nose and small pink lips —— the lines around her cheeks were soft, making her look young. She should be about my age.
Her looks were really outstanding.
I wouldn’t hesitate in calling her stunningly gorgeous.
Personally, I think her brown skin matched with her pink lips looked really sexy.
But what was with her attire?
A thick fur cape draped down her shoulders —— cloth with beautiful patterns were wrapped around her chest and waist.
The intrinsic patterns on these two pieces of cloth didn’t feel cheap at all, but her dressing was a little too sexy.
Aside from her clothes, she had a necklace filled with beast horns or tusks. She had bangles of nuts on her wrist, and a sheathed knife hung on her shapely waist. Those were all that she wore, and the rest of her smooth brown skin were laid bare. There were some strap-like things on her feet, which should be shoes.
Even though this mesmerizing and scantily clad girl was standing before me, my only thoughts were 「She sure is scary」.
Although her facial features were cute, her expression was fierce.
A fire burned in her eyes, and just like a real cat, her cute lips were pursed together tightly.
She was tall for a girl, and appeared rather slender.
But she didn’t feel weak at all.
The girl showed her arms, legs, shoulders and abdomen, and they were as tight as a whip, without a single bit of fat. There were also plenty of white scars on her skin, which reflected how tough her life had been.
She was filled with powerful strength, or should I say primal life force. Modern men had become slaves to technology, and would never exhibit such power.
Even so——
What was that smell?
My heart was filled with questions when I came face to face with this extraordinary girl.
It was a complicated fragrance.
A bitter sweet smell, akin to completely ripe fruits.
It had a mysterious feel to it at the same time, like budding flowers on the verge of blooming.
The fragrance was refreshing and soothing, just like herbs.
But it had a violent nature, like a strong spice.
It also smelled like the meat and oil of animals, a bloody scent.
These scents mixed together in a complicated matter, stimulating my nasal cavity.
I didn’t want to brag, but since I was young, my dad let me apprentice in the kitchen, so my sense of smell was more keen than others. More importantly, this smell was making me hungry… When I thought this far, my body seemed to know what I was thinking, and my stomach growled.
The girl’s raised blade wavered a little.
「What are you scheming?」
「I’m not scheming anything… I’m just hungry.」
My stomach rumbled again.
How unsightly.
The girl raised her beautiful brow, and showed a ferocious face.
「Hey, stop kidding around. Are you making fun of me?」
「I’m not kidding. This is a normal body reaction, I can’t help it. Because you have a delicious scent, so my stomach is reacting.」
「What do you mean? I don’t have any food on me. Because of you, I couldn’t get anything today.」
「Well, I will apologize for wasting your efforts…」
My stomach went 「Growl」 again, overlapping with the ending of my sentence.
My stomach was making too much noise.
Sigh, this was bad. The girl scowled her face further, and her shoulders started trembling.
Was I going to face death again for such a dumb reason?
「Anyway, I have no intention of making trouble on your turf. I got left in this place with no idea what is happening. I’m confused too. If you don’t like it, I can leave right away...」「Growl!」
This was really bad.
No matter how sincere my apology was, my stomach kept interrupting me.
As I was thinking all that—— the girl suddenly turned her head.
Her right hand was still threatening me with her sabre, but she was covering her mouth with her left hand.
Her shoulders were trembling harder.
「… What’s the matter?」「Growl?」
Her blade drooped onto the ground.
The girl’s face was blushed.
「Hey? Are you feeling unwell?」「Growl? Growl growl?」
「Pfft」, the girl made a strange sound.
She was staring at me through the tears in her eyes.
「Enough… Stop that...」
Even her voice was turning weak.
That worried me even more.
「Even if you ask me to stop…」「Growl. Growl growl growl...」
The girl sat down on her butt with her hand still on the hilt of the sabre.
She then started laughing out loud, 「Bwahahaha!」
Ara, her smiling face looked so cute.
So she was just trying to hold back her laughter just now.
After she laughed for a while, she wiped away her tears and stood up. She pointed her sabre at me and spit out these words:
「… I will kill you.」
「Why?!」
I was still sitting on the ground, and backed away in a panic.
But the maw of the hole I crawled out from earlier was still waiting behind me.
The steel blade inched towards my nose.
「This is the most shameful moment of my life… I will definitely kill you.」
Even in the night, I could see that her face was beet red.
Was this her feeling of shame? Or the ultimate in tsundere? That couldn’t be!
No matter what, I couldn’t die here.
When my hand touched the edge of the hole, I raised both hands in surrender.
「If my obnoxious stomach hurt your pride, I apologize! This is all the fault of my stomach being empty! Speaking of which, I haven’t ate since noon!」
「……」
「I’m really confused! I don’t know where I am, and why I’m here, all of this just confuses me! I am completely befuddled, if you kill me, then why the hell did I…」
Why did I jump into the sea of flames at the cost of my life?
When I thought about that, my throat tightened and the words didn’t come out.
I was at a loss, and could only look back at the girl.
There was a sort of glint in the girl’s blue eyes, as if she was looking at an unfathomable creature.
「… I don’t understand what you’re saying either.」
She lowered her blade a little.
「Aren’t you a citizen of the Rock City?」
「Rock City? Like I said, my home is a country named Japan.」
「… I have never heard of a country by that name. So, you’re not a citizen under Genos’ rule huh.」
The girl finally lowered her blade after saying that.
But the doubt and suspicion in her eyes lingered.
However… I felt a complicated wavering emotion that seemed to be hidden behind her fierce eyes.
「… Tell me more.」
The girl said softly.
「Let’s head to my place. If you are not willing to come, I will leave you here.」
「… You’re willing to bring a man of unknown origin like me home?」
「Night is falling. I don’t have time to answer your question here… Let me tell you first, if you don’t prepare a fire beforehand, you will lose your life if you stay inside the forest.」
The girl picked up the leather sheath she dropped by her feet, and sheathed her sabre. I looked at the girl’s majestic figure, then propped myself up with my hands and stood up.
「I understand, I will do as you say… By the way, I haven’t introduce myself. I’m Tsurumi Asuta.」
「Suroomi… Yazuka?」
「No, Tsurumi Asuta.」
「Choorumi Yasuka……」
She was too cute.
Because the subject was saying this with a serious face, she looked even cuter.
「Hmm. If it’s difficult for you to pronounce, just Asuta would do. What’s your name?」
「……Ai Fa.」
She left her name and turned her back to me.
She had a slender body, but she was shorter than me. Around 167-168 cm.
She was about average height, thin and slender, so how did she lift that scary sabre with just one hand? Maybe she had different muscle or bone density, and the structure of her body was unlike any people I know.
As I was thinking leisurely about all that, the girl glared at me sideways.
「What are you doing? Don’t your feet hurt? Hold onto my shoulder.」
「Huh, is that fine?」
「Time is precious, hurry up.」
I was a little hesitant, but I still put my right arm over Ai Fa’s right shoulder.
The next second, she elbowed my chest.
「I didn’t tell you to put your arm around me. I just told you to grab my shoulder.」
「Uwah… I see.」
I patted my chest softly as I grabbed Ai Fa’s left shoulder with my right hand.
I wasn’t hurt that badly, so this was enough to help me walk.
The girl was wearing a thick fur cape anyway, so I could only feel the rough sensation of her cape.
「… You’re hiding a knife in your chest?」
「Eh?」
I stopped in surprise.
When I put my arm around her, my chest lightly brushed her back. She could feel that even through such a thick piece of hide?
Compared to her elbow to my chest, this reaction was much scarier.
「You noticed in that short amount of time? I have no intention of harming you, so don’t worry.」
「Why do I need to worry? If you want to hack me down, you can give it a try.」
Ai Fa glanced back at me, and said with an icy gaze:
「But if you tried that, I will cut your windpipe ahead of you. If you think I’m bluffing, you’re free to try me… Asuta.」
Part 3
And hence, Ai Fa and I advanced through the forest in the evening.
It was almost night fall, and the surroundings were dark.
「All because you wasted so much of my time. We need to leave the Kiba beasts’ activity zone quickly.」
My hand was on Ai Fa’s left shoulder as I took care not to strain my sprained right ankle and inched forward. I asked back: 「Kiba beast?」
「You set that trap in order to catch those things? Are you referring to that boar like creature?」
「… Boar?」
「Yes. Dark skin, round and stout with horns…」
「That’s a Kiba beast, you saw one?」
「I saw one, or rather, it was chasing me. That’s why I fell into that trap.」
「How laughable. When a Kiba beast is attacking you, you should climb up tall trees. That’s common sense.」
「Like I said, I don’t know such common sense.」
I said as I looked at the shoulder I was holding.
「I want to ask, is that fur cape made from the hide of a Kiba beast?」
「Of course. I’m a denizen of Forest's Edge. People of the Forest's Edge will routinely hunt Kiba beast, eat their meat and make a living selling their horns, tusks and hide.」
Ai Fa carefully pulled aside the shrugs, and glared at me with annoyed eyes.
「… And those citizens of Rock City, mock us, the people of Forest's Edge as 《Kiba eater》.」
「Hmm? But why? Boars are delicious.」
I wasn’t trying to brag, but during winter break during my second year in middle school, I participated in a farm life experience organized by hunting hobbyists, and butchered boars and deer over there. The boar stew I ate back then was absolutely delicious.
「… It’s not a 『boar』, it’s Kiba beast. Kiba beast meat are tough and smelly. They say the people of Forest's Edge who eats the Kiba beast, have the same stench.」
「You’re not smelly at all, your smell is very fragrant.」
Ai Fa’s eyes looked even more unhappy.
Well, girls around this age were hard to handle.
For the sake of Ai Fa’s reputation, I need to make it clear that she didn’t just smell like meat and oil. Her scent was mainly that of bitter sweet fruits and refreshing herbs, which complement the fragrance of the meat perfectly, and kept stimulating the part of my brain that control my hunger.
「But seriously, my sense of smell is really keen. Kiba beast must be delicious.」
「… There’s no distinction of food being delicious or not.」
Ara, that was rude. I might still be apprenticing, but I was still a chef. Were those words a challenge against me?
But in this situation, it would be useless to preach about my world view. So I kept my mouth shut and focus on walking quietly.
We walked in the forest like this for about 15 minutes—— Suddenly, my field of vision became wide.
We walked out of the forest.
The sun was about to set.
The orange light illuminated the settlement in the valley.
Ah… So people really lived in this world.
I was overwhelmed.
The surrounding was dark, so I couldn’t see very clearly, but this stony clearing was made by clearing the forest, and wooden houses were spread sparsely across the place. Red light could be seen inside those lodgings, and white smoke from the cooking of dinner rose into the sky.
… See, don’t it smell delicious?
The fragrance from the protein of meat and spices melded into the air.
In order to not agitate Ai Fa, I tried my best to suppress my stomach’s growling.
「It feels serene outside the forest, not bad. Roughly how many people live here?」
「How would I know… Probably less than five hundred.」
「Five hundred? This is an enormous settlement. I couldn’t tell that there’re so many families.」
「… The settlement where the people of Forest's Edge live is a strip of land stretching from the north to the south, between Mount Morga and Genos’ territory. It would take at least half a day to travel from one end of the forest to the other.」
I see, as the land was narrow, there would be quite a distance between each houses. It’s more comfortable to live with less people, but I think the way the houses were spread didn’t really fit with the term 「settlement」. I tried asking for more information, but an unexpected guest appeared.
「Yo, Ai Fa. Where did this weakling come from?」
A low male voice interjected suddenly.
That surprised me, but Ai Fa just clicked her tongue softly.
「… None of your business, Diga Tsun.」
「Of course it’s my business. The Tsun House is the ruler of everyone in Forest's Edge.」
A large figure approached swiftly.
It was a young man who was dressed similarly to Ai Fa.
He was tall and well built. I apologize, but I could only use the measurements in my world to describe it, and he was about 180 cm. His frame and muscles were lean, and was about 80 kg in weight.
His dark brown hair was cut really short, with light brown skin and a pair of blue eyes. Aside from hair colour, he was similar to Ai Fa.
He had a fur cape on his huge body and cloth material, and a large sabre as well as a knife on his waist. A large number of beast tusks and horns hung from his neck, many more than Ai Fa.
He blocked our path, stopping us from advancing and observed me without reservation.
「Hmmp, your clothes are really weird. Where do you live?」
His voice was rough, but he spoke slowly. Listening to him felt uncomfortable.
Although his eye colour was similar to Ai Fa, his eyes looked murky.
He was the second human I encountered in this different world, but I don’t feel any good will towards him.
As far as I could remember, I had been helping out with my family business. If a punk like that could rustle my jimmies, that meant I didn’t have what it takes to be a business man’s son. With that in mind, I wanted to be as friendly as I could——
「none of your business.」 Ai Fa said before I could reply.
「Let me tell you, Diga Tsun, I don’t owe anything to the Tsun House. Not just that, you keep finding trouble with me. I don’t want to talk to you at all. Take your useless big body with you and disappear from my sights.」
「What did you say…」
Although that man’s face turned stiff, Ai Fa continued:
「Diga Tsun, if you have a problem with me, we can have a duel any time. If you don’t want to, then don’t show yourself before me again. You are an eyesore.」
Ai Fa walked away briskly after saying her piece.
As I needed to hold on to her shoulder, I had to keep up with her with a jog. That young man was trembling from anger, and when I passed by him, I still nodded in greeting.
「You ostracized weirdo! You better watch your back, and don’t get mistaken for a Kiba beast and get your head hacked off!」
The voice of the man who lost his composure echoed throughout the entire foot of the mountain.
His yell completely spoiled the poetic scenery.
「Can I ask you a question? An outsider like me shouldn’t be asking this, but shouldn’t you have cordial relations with your neighbours?」
「… The night my father passed away, that man Diga Tsun ambushed me in my room, and planned to assault me. So after I beat him off, I threw him into the river.」
「……」
「Because he will be the next Tribal Chief, everyone think I was the one that shamed him. No one in the settlement is willing to have anything to do with me… You want me to have cordial relations with such a person?」
「I take that back. I shouldn’t have nodded at him. Should I give him a punch?」
After I said that, I relaxed my grip on Ai Fa’s shoulder and stopped. The next instant, Ai Fa grabbed my right wrist tightly.
Her slender but powerful fingers dug into my hand.
「What idiocy are you saying, such a man is not worth your time to beat up.」
「But you have been shamed because of him, right? That is too unfair.」
「I am not living in shame. I don’t like interacting with people outside my family anyway, so this is more relaxing.」
She looked at me with anger, her blue eyes had the strong light of righteousness in them, the man just now couldn’t hold a candle to her.
「However, since I brought you to the settlement, I would need to take responsibility if you harm anyone from House Tsun. I might get exiled by the settlement because of that… You want me to live in the wild?」
「Ah… That’s true. I’m sorry, I didn’t consider your position. I’m probably hungry, that’s why I got angry so easily.」
After saying that, my stomach seemed to agree with me and made 「growling」 sounds.
Ai Fa was still grabbing my hand, and her shoulders started trembling again.
「… You’re doing that on purpose? You want me to dump you into the river too?」
「I-I’m not good enough to make my stomach growl on command. By the way, if you want to laugh, just laugh.」
「Shut up!」
Ai Fa let go of my hand and walked off in large strides.
I grabbed her left shoulder in a hurry.
I watched her ears and the nape of her neck that was completely red, and thought about something trivial —— 「The humans in this world are the same too, their body feels warm」.
Part 4
After walking for another 10 minutes, we reached Ai Fa’s residence.
Like the other lodgings, Ai Fa had a wooden house built on even grounds with some shrubs around it.
From what I observed on the way here, all the houses were rather far apart. But Ai Fa’s house was exceptionally isolated. It was so quiet that it was discomforting.
However, from Ai Fa’s wild attire and the words 「Denizens of Forest's Edge」, I thought her residence would be more primitive. On a closer look, the style of the house was unexpectedly nice.
「Oh, your place isn’t too bad.」
It wasn’t as fashionable as a cabin in a vacation resort, but this house was built delicately with bare boards and logs, and was spacious and felt cool. The space alone could match 『Restaurant Tsurumi』.
As the sky had darkened, I couldn’t observe too clearly. Anyway, the special thing about this house was its roof that tilt slightly from left to right. It seemed to be made timber-frame construction, without using any nails or screws.
A ditch about 50 cm wide and deep was dug around the building, with a log bridging it leading right to the entrance. Was it used to stop wild animals from entering? Or drainage for rain? I started to think.
「… What are you doing? Hurry on in.」
「That’s right, sorry sorry.」
The door at the entrance was a horizontal sliding door that felt really Japanese.
I followed behind the Mistress of the House and entered timidly.
「Sorry for intruding…」
It was darker inside the house.
However, I could still tell that it was really spacious.
The floor was covered with brown fur. Ai Fa took off her leather slippers at the entrance, and I followed her lead.
I didn’t know what to do about my socks, but I think it wouldn’t matter even if I don’t wear them, so I took them off.
I walked barefooted on the rough fur, and it felt a little itchy.
A heavy thud came from behind me.
Ai Fa had barricaded the door to the entrance with a large piece of wood.
No one will rescue me no matter how much I scream now.
I prayed in my heart that it wouldn’t be necessary to do that, and surveyed the room again.
The room was rectangular, about 12 tatami in size. The walls to the left and right had large windows. And of course, the windows didn’t have things like glass, but it did have thin vertical wooden bars about 20 cm apart, which served as a window grill.
<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami >
The inside of the house was separated by a wall, and I could see three doors.
The ceiling was high and the supporting beams could be seen in clear sight. Like what I saw outside, the roof was tilted slightly to the right. I wasn’t sure, but this design was probably meant to block out the elements.
However… To be honest, instead of the visual information, I was more interested in what my nose was telling me.
Of the complicated fragrance on this girl, there were three of them that lingered in the house strongly.
They were the scent of meat, spice and herbs.
「… Does your leg still hurt?」
「Eh? It’s not a big deal. It feels hot, but there’s no swelling. Even if it’s not treated, it should heal by tomorrow.」
「… I see.」
Ai Fa walked to the middle of the room and seemed to be thinking.
「I want to ask you some things, but I’m hungry too. I will prepare dinner.」
「Please go ahead… Erm, I have no way of repaying you, but can I have dinner with you?」
「… If your stomach keeps rumbling, how can I ask you anything?」
She didn’t need to say that through gritted teeth though.
But since she was treating me to a meal without asking for anything in return, I was very grateful. With the fragrance in the house, I might faint if she forbid me from eating.
So, dinner preparation was beginning. The moment I stepped into the house, I immediately confirmed the space that served as a kitchen, which was the area near the window to the right.
It was a square about 2m in each direction. That was the only place that didn’t have any fur rug, and had white stones covering the ground. And yellow stones formed a trapezoid base right over there.
The base reached to about my waist, and there was an empty black hole right at its front. And on top of that base was —— A black gleaming metal pot.
It’s design might be simple, but this base was definitely a 「stove」.
<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamado >
Beside the stove was bundles of small wood, which was probably firewood.
So this house had an in built kitchen.
Everyone cooks together and eat together. That might be their custom.
However —— In this spacious house, there was just me and Ai Fa.
「By the way, are your family away?」
「… I already told you that my father is dead. My mother on the other hand has been dead for a long time.」
There was a water jug beside the stove. Ai Fa scooped used a long ladle to scoop up water and pour it into the pot as she spoke.
I still didn’t know the common sense and reasoning of this world, and could only answer 「I see」.
While we were talking, Ai Fa started the stove fire.
How did she do that? I should have watched her actions more carefully.
Anyway, the room was gradually turning brighter.
「… Why are you standing there? It’s an eyesore, hurry up and sit.」
「Oh, well, where should I sit? I’m sorry, but I don’t understand this land’s culture and custom at all.」
Ai Fa stood up and looked at me in surprise.
「It’s just sitting down, what has that got to do with culture? You are a strange man.」
I noticed a small light between her hands, which intrigued me.
It was a small plate-like wick stand with a handle.
After the sabre and the pot, this wick stand was the third metal I saw in this world.
The fuel burning inside must be animal fats. A smell that stimulates my appetite started drifting inside the room.
Ai Fa walked through the room. After placing the wick stand at the left and right windows respectively, she slowly took off the fur cape she was wearing.
Ai Fa’s body line was illuminated by the new light sources in the room —— I felt my heart pounding.
After all, she was just wearing the clothes covering her chest and waist right now. Aside from her necklace, her exposed skin was on the level of wearing a swimsuit or a lingerie.
She had a cold personality, but she was still a girl.
And a beauty at that.
Her body was slender, but looked well trained and was as lean as a whip. Her elegant body line was very feminine, and these two characteristics were perfectly compatible. How should I put this… she was beautiful and full of charm.
After taking off that crude cape, her attack power doubled.
「… Hey.」
「Yes! Is there anything!?」
「Don’t need to be so loud… Give me that thing in your chest.」
Ai Fa hung her cape onto the wall, leaned her sabre against the wall under the cape, and then glared at me.
「A weak man like you can’t harm me even if you have a blade. But as a guest in someone’s house, you have to deposit your blade with the owner. This is the rule of the people of Forest's Edge.」
I was dumbfounded.
Ai Fa narrowed her eyes and walked towards me with a dangerous aura about her.
That knife was still on her slender waist.
「I will say again, if you are sincere about following the rules of Forest's Edge, then give me that knife.」
「Wait, what you mean is… This custom is to confirm the trust between people?」
Ai Fa reached out her left hand towards me in silence.
After troubling over it for three seconds, I made my decision.
「I understand. But this is important to me. And instead of a hunting tool, it is meant for more delicate work, please use it with care, alright?」
「… Are you mocking me? Everyone in Forest's Edge treats blades with care.」
「No, that’s not what I mean. I’m saying that you need to be careful when using that knife. It is hard to repair the blade if it is damaged. If you understand, I will hand it over to you.」
I took out the Santoku Knife that was in front of my collar, and handed it to Ai Fa handle first.
Ai Fa looked at the black knife handle, and she was the one who stopped this time.
「…Is this knife a memento from your late parents?」
「Yes, you can say that.」
The one who died was actually me, but it was certain that I won’t see my dad ever again.
Ai Fa took the Santoku knife, and walked deep into the house with it clutched tightly in her arms.
「… Everyone in Forest's Edge cherishes their family.」
She muttered and opened the rightmost door, and disappeared behind it.
When Ai Fa came out, the Santoku knife was no longer in her arms, and was replaced by a large number of foodstuff.
I walked to the stove curiously.
After getting closer to the pot, I realized the size of the pot was incredible.
The pot had a round bottom, diameter about 60 cm wide and 30 cm deep. It was a deep pot, like a sphere being cut right in half.
The pot was half full, and was about to boil.
「What’s the matter? Preparation will take some time, just sit down somewhere.」
「I’m interested in the food culture of this world. After all, that’s my family business.」
Ai Fa was doubtful, but she didn’t say anything and placed the ingredients by my feet.
「Oh, it feels rather luxurious.」
There were two unfamiliar vegetables.
One had a green luster, but the size was really close to an onion.
What about the other? It was a ball about the size of a fist with an uneven surface. If I really had to describe it, it looked a little like a potato. But it was cream colour and didn’t have any stems, so it wasn’t vegetable dug up from the ground.
However —— A thick piece of meat overwhelmed the presence of these vegetables.
The meat was probably from the hind leg of that creature called Kiba beast.
It was cut off from the hip joint area. It probably wasn’t the first cut, but there were still plenty of it to go around, and that piece alone was at least five kg.
Ai Fa had already cut off the hide, and she sprinkled something that looked like black sawdust, which had a strong fragrance of black pepper. That was definitely a spice serving as a preservative.
Beneath the meat was a large leaf that was as large as a banana leaf. Only the meat was placed on top of that smooth leaves, the other vegetables were placed directly on the floor.
Tonight’s dinner was definitely filling enough.
「… How is this luxurious? You don’t understand the daily lives of Forest's Edge at all.」
Ai Fa muttered disinterestedly and picked up that meat.
Holding it by the trotter, she lowered the meat into the steaming pot.
She isn’t going to dump the entire thing in right? As I stared at her, she drew out the knife from her waist and started slicing the Kiba beast’s meat.
She slowly sliced the surface of the meat, like the hawker selling Shawarma in the streets.
<TL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma >
The thin slices of meat fell into the hot water.
Ai Fa seemed to be prioritizing in cutting away the place covered in spice. The red meat beneath the spice was gradually exposed.
No matter how I looked at it, that knife was a hunting knife, but it was very sharp.
The blade of the knife was about 20 cm long, 7 to 8 mm thick and the back of the blade had jagged teeth. The appearance of the blade was just like a survival knife.
Like the sabre the hilt of the knife was wrapped in leather that prevent slippage, but had no guards.
She sliced thin pieces of meat with that hunting knife, what a pure cooking method.
I was the heir of an economical priced restaurant after all. I wasn’t interested in high class dishes, and I wouldn’t mind what method they used to cook, as long as it was hygienic.
The most important thing about food was it’s tastiness.
In order to let the diner enjoy the food, we would be mindful of its presentation. Because no matter how delicious the dishes were, it was meaningless if it was harmful to the body. That was why we emphasize on hygiene during cooking.
To express my thoughts in simple terms —— Just looking at Ai Fa’s practiced movement as she sliced the meat made me hungrier.
「… Why do you look so happy?」
「Eh? I just think this looks delicious.」
「… There’s no distinction of food being delicious or not.」
Ai Fa said something rude again and covered the pot with a lid. I called it a lid, but it was just a rectangular piece of board. She put a rock on top of the board.
The Kiba beast’s leg meat still had plenty of meat on it, so Ai Fa put it back into the food store. After checking the fire, she nodded with an 「Hmm」.
She then turned to me.
「The meat will be cooked in a while… Before that, let me ask you questions.」
Part 5
「That’s right, listening to my story after the meal might not be good for digestion. Let’s get the troublesome matters out of the way first.」
When she heard my reply, Ai Fa sat down beside the stove with a hmmp.
She sat down crossed legged, with one knee propped up.
Ai Fa’s sitting posture looked authoritative, but girls who were dressed so scantily weren’t suited for such a posture.
「… I will relax a little too, aright?」
After announcing that, I unbuttoned my apron.
The temperature here was similar to early summer in Japan. Adding the fire that was going, it was rather hot.
But after taking off the top half of my chef uniform and apron, I only had a T-shirt on me. The night breeze blowing in through the windows felt really comfortable.
「… Your attire is really weird. I had never seen such clothing even in the Post Station Town.」
<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shukuba >
「Hmm, well, it’s the same for me. I have never seen someone dressed like you before.」
I faced Ai Fa and sat cross legged like her on the rough fur.
「Well? What do you want to ask me? To be honest, I don’t understand my situation too, so I’m not confident that I could explain things clearly though.」
「… Where did you come from?」
This was the second time she asked me that.
I’m from a country named Japan, from Chiba prefecture in Japan… Even if I explain it that way, I wouldn’t be able to continue.
Ai Fa’s eyes had a gleam like a cat in the darkness. I looked at her and said:
「Ai Fa, not only did you saved me, you even brought me to your house as a guest. Thank you for bringing me home, I’m very thankful for your compassionate actions. What I’m about to say do not contain a shred of falsehood.」
Ai Fa tilted her head, as if she was asking 「And so?」
「So, I will tell you the entire truth. I will let you decide whether you believe me or not.」
I was confused myself, but I still told her everything.
I lived for seventeen years in a country that was relatively peaceful.
One day, a catastrophe happened, and I had to jump into a sea of fire.
I thought I was dead, but I unexpectedly woke up unscathed in that forest just now.
It might look similar to my world, but everything was fundamentally different.
「… considering the possibility, maybe I am still in my own world, but ended up in an completely unknown place. I should be dead, so being still alive should be the biggest question. No, even if I ignore that, there are too many contradictions.」
I tried telling her the questions clouding my head.
「For example, the language I’m using now. Ai Fa, have you heard of a country named Japan before?」
「… Never heard of it.」
「Hmm, just this point confused me. If you never heard of Japan, then it’s impossible for you to be fluent in Japanese. So how are we communicating so smoothly?」
「……」
「Aside from the people in Forest's Edge, there are the Rock city and Western Kingdom, right? How large are these nations?」
「… I have never visited Rock City or other cities, so I don’t know. I have only visited the Post Station town outside the Rock City in order to sell the Kiba beast’s horns and tusk, I learn everything I know through hearsay.」
At this point, Ai Fa groaned a little and said quietly:
「I remember… there are several thousand people living in the castle town inside the stone walls, that’s the territory of the Western Kingdom Selva. I heard that Selva’s citizens living in their towns are as numerous as the stars…」
「I see. The scale is quite large… Do you know which gods the people in Rock City worship?」
Ai Fa looked surprised when she heard my question.
「Do you even need to ask? The citizens of Selva worships the God of the West Selva of course. There are four major kingdoms in Amusehorn continent. Similar to the four kingdoms, there are four major gods. Without the protection of the four major gods, the people of Amusehorn won’t be able to survive. If the people lose their faith in the gods, they would be reduced to mere beasts… Asuta, are you telling me you don’t know such common sense?」
「Unfortunately, I really didn’t know. I have never heard of this continent, these Kingdoms or these gods.」
I smiled wryly and scratched my head that was wrapped in a towel.
「Be it a tribe of 500 hunters or horned boars, if I never heard of such trivial matters, it would probably be due to my ignorance, and had never dabbled into such fields… But that explanation wouldn’t work now. It’s regrettable, but I have made my conclusion.」
I didn’t place much hope in that small possibility in the first place, so it wasn’t a huge let down.
However, this means I couldn’t see my dad or childhood friend again, and the reality of that hit me again.
I looked into Ai Fa’s blue beautiful eyes and said:
「I will tell you the conclusion I made… Maybe it’s the whim of the gods or some other reason, but I got thrown into this world from mine. Maybe the gods pulled some tricks, allowing me to communicate with you so smoothly.」
「……」
「I don’t know if this is far into the past or the distant future, or a parallel world that represent one of the possibility of my world, or this is an entirely different world… simply put, this isn’t the world I grew up in.」
「……」
「I’m a human who came from another world.」
After saying this unfamiliar term, I shrugged depressedly.
「Or I hit my head, and is retarded enough to treat my delusion as reality. I think these are the only two answers.」
「… You admit that you are crazy?」
「I don’t think so. To me, the seventeen years of my life is my everything. If they are delusions, then my existence would be a lie.」
I gulp down the sigh I was about to exhale, and said with conviction.
I had no other choice but to accept this.
「Just to be sure, let me ask you one thing. Aside from me, no one else encountered the same thing, right? Did the people who died in my world all transported here…?」
「Such a retarded thing is impossible.」
「That’s true. If there is such a system, this world would be flooded by people.」
I mimicked Ai Fa and propped up one knee, placing my arm on my knee and supported my cheek.
「That’s all I can tell you. I will let you judge for yourself.」
「… I understand.」
After Ai Fa glared at me one last time, she stood up slowly.
「… Well then, it’s almost time.」
「Hmm?」
「The meat is almost done.」
Ai Fa then picked up the rock on top of the lid and took the lid off.
A white mist spew out from the pot.
「Uwah, it smells delicious.」
I stood up hurriedly and looked into the pot over Ai Fa’s shoulder.
The soup and meat pieces were moving inside the pot.
A large amount of steam kept coming out from the pot, and plenty of foam appeared. There was so much bubbles, as though a bar of soap had been tossed in there.
「… I know dinner is important, but don’t you have other questions?」
When she heard me, Ai Fa glared at me from up close.
「You’re either from another world, or a lunatic who completely believes in your delusion… I know this two things.」
「Even though you say that, but are you willing to believe something so incredible?」
「… At the very least, I know that you have no intention of deceiving me.」
Ai Fa averted her face and picked up the vegetable by her feet. It was that onion like object.
When she cut open that vegetable, the bright green insides could be seen. The entire thing felt just like an onion.
Ai Fa only peel off the dried outer skin, cut it in half and then tossed it into the pot.
「You don’t look like a liar, so you’re probably a lunatic.」
Thomp, thomp.
She tossed 5 to 6 fake onions into the pot.
This scene was just like a 「hot pot from hell」. I stared inside the pot and muttered 「Thank you」.
「What do you mean, you’re happy to be called a lunatic?」
「That’s right. Instead of being called a liar, I prefer being called a lunatic. And this means you believed me.」
「… I don’t understand you at all.」
Ai Fa’s voice had a hint of anger. She picked up the cream coloured fake potato this time. She then peeled it, and just toss it into the water after making a cut on its surface.
The pot was deep, but the foam almost reach the brim of the pot.
Ai Fa picked up a thick wooden rod and stirred the pot, and then glared at me with ferocious eyes.
「… So, what do you plan to do from now on?」
「Hmm? Do? What do you mean?」
「I mean what are your plans for the future? Do you want to search for a way to go back to your old world?」
「Well, should I really do that? If I return to my world, I might go back to that burning place. Turning into a ball of fire the moment I get back is as good as suicide.」
But if I could return the Santoku knife to my dad, it might be worth sacrificing my life. However, if I turn into a ball of fire, the Santoku knife would probably suffer the same fate.
「I still can’t figure things out. Or rather, no matter how much I worry about it, I wouldn’t be transported back to my world out of the blue. After all, I don’t know how I triggered such an interesting phenomena, or the logic behind it in the first place. So I won’t be fazed no matter what happens in the future.」
「… I see.」
「If you regret bringing a troublesome guy home, you can just tell me. I will leave right away. Fortunately, the weather is great, so it won’t be too harsh to camp outside...」
「If you spent the night outside the house, you won’t just be stomped to death by the Kiba beasts, your corpse will also become food for the wild beasts. By morning, only your bones would be left.」
Ai Fa said, as if she was trying to stop me from continuing.
「Also, Diga Tsun already saw you together with me. If a person who don’t even know about the four major gods commit any serious taboos, I would need to take on the responsibility.」
「Eh? But then…」
「Just stay within my sights for now, and don’t move around on your own.」
Ai Fa said in an unhappy tone. She stirred the metal pot, and looked just like the witch in fairy tales.
「At the very least, you need to remember the logic of this world and the rules of Forest's Edge. After remembering that, you can die out there if you wish.」
「I understand… Ai Fa, I’m very grateful.」
「Hey! Why are you thanking me at this moment for! Are you happy about me telling you to die out there?」
「I’m happy. At least you aren’t chasing me out right now.」
I tried my best to make my tone sound less serious.
I then took a step away from Ai Fa.
If I continue to look at her from so close, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to hold back and hug her.
That was how uneasy I felt about my future.
After losing everything, that was how much despair I was in.
But Ai Fa wanted me to stay here, and even said that I couldn’t be a liar.
Despite the trials and tribulations fate had thrown at me, I was truly thankful that the first person I met in this world was such a caring girl who was also a little weird.
「… It’s done.」
Ai Fa said in an unhappy tone and turned her back to me.
She disappeared behind the door in the middle. When she returned, she had two sets of bowls and spoons, and an oval ladle —— the utensils for 「soup」. And of course, all the utensils were made from wood.
The entire pot of soup were white from the heat and foam. Ai Fa used the ladle to scoop up soup and poured it into the containers, and passed it to me in silence.
「Thank you.」
I was filled with gratitude, but my stomach was empty.
I received the container gratefully and sat onto the fur rug.
As I waited for Ai Fa to prepare her own portion, I inspected the content of the container intriguingly.
It was a bowl of thick white soup.
It looked like butter clam chowder soup, but it had the fragrance of a boar stew.
I could catch a glimpse of the coffee coloured meat and green vegetable through the snow white surface.
The fake onion broke down into an adequate size, while the fake potato —— was gone. It had completely dissolved in such a short amount of time?
Speaking of which, this bowl of soup, or rather, stock, was cream in colour, just like that fake potato.
They might look similar, but that isn’t a real onion or potato, how does it taste?
Even though there was so much foam, Ai Fa didn’t scoop them away, which made me concerned. But when in rome, do what the romans do. Even though the foam would affect the taste, it also held the essence of all the ingredients. There wasn’t a need to get rid of them excessively.
This way probably has its own unique cooking method. A man from an alternate world like me is not in the position to say too much.
As I was thinking about that, Ai Fa sat down beside me.
「Why aren’t you eating? Did you change your mind, and think that Kiba beast is unpalatable after all?」
「That’s not it, in the world I was from, we have the tradition of everyone eating at the same time. This looked delicious.」
Ai Fa shrugged nonchalantly, and started muttering to herself, as if she was chanting a spell. She then started to eat.
Seeing her dig in, I also said 「Bon apetit」, and picked up my wooden spoon.
I scooped up the white soup together with the coffee coloured pieces of meat.
This was my first dinner in this otherworld.
