Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 10

“By the way, I paid Darum-nii a visit just now.”

Midway through dinner, Ludo Wu blurted that out nonchalantly, leading nearly everyone in the hall to gasp in shock.

The ones surprised were his sisters. His father and brother already heard the report, while his mother and grandmother weren’t that alarmed.

“What? Isn’t Darum-nii in the northern village, far away from here?”

“That’s right! It’s unfair for Ludo to go alone!”

The noisiest were Rimee Wu and Lala Wu. Vena Wu and Leina Wu were already waiting for Ludo Wu to continue, with eyes widely open.

“Fairness has nothing to do with this; I was tasked by Dad to relay a message to the northern village. Anyway, Darum-nii is the same as ever.”

“What do you mean by ‘the same’!? Is Darum-nii alright?”

“Didn’t someone infiltrate the northern village? Was Darum-nii in danger?”

“You all are so noisy. Darum-nii won’t be defeated by someone from town.”

Ludo Wu put some kiba chest meat, dyed in red tarapa sauce, into his mouth as he continued:

“Darum-nii was watching the prisoners inside the house during that time, so he didn’t see anything. Although someone did attempt to go near that building.”

“Someone from town infiltrating the Forest’s Edge settlement is no laughing matter. Things are getting dangerous.”

To soothe her rowdy daughters, their mother Mia Lei Wu spoke in a calm voice. Their grandmother Ditto Min Wu and great-grandmother Jiba Wu watched quietly.

At this moment, Sati Lei Wu returned and asked with a smile: “Ara, what’s the matter?”

Sati Lei Wu was the wife of their eldest brother Jiza Wu. Their child Kota Wu was crying for milk, so she went to another room to nurse him. After being put into a cradle and cajoled to sleep, Kota Wu burped with satisfaction.

“Ludo went to visit Darum-nii! It’s unfair for him to go alone!”

When she heard Lala Wu, who was the closest to her, saying that, Sati Lei Wu smiled with an “Ara”.

“Totos are really convenient. Is Darum okay?”

“He’s the same, straight-faced as usual. Ah… but there’s one thing different about him.”

“What! Just now, didn’t you say he is the same!?”

“What’s different about Darum-nii?”

Ludo Wu backed away as his sisters pressured him. It wasn’t a change that could be explained so simply.

Darum-nii seemed troubled over something. This wasn’t a positive change, and he seemed to be looking very hard for an answer.

A lot happened to Darum-nii recently too.

Ludo Wu felt it was a hassle to explain to his sisters, so he turned towards Sati Lei Wu.

“Anyway, Darum-nii is doing well. But he complained that the food doesn’t taste good.”

“Huh, Darum actually said that?”

Ditto Min Wu retorted, and Ludo Wu nodded sagely.

“That’s because the people in the northern village eat kiba that hasn’t been bloodlet, so, of course, the food tastes nasty. They don’t have a good cook like Leina-nee either.”

“No cook can make delicious meals out of meat that hasn’t been bloodlet. Isn’t that obvious, Ludo?”

Leina Wu said with a smile to hide her bashfulness. She looked shy and happy at the same time; Leina Wu has always been passionate about cooking.

Darum-nii isn’t the only one who changed.

Ludo Wu thought as he looked at his other brother who was quiet.

“Erm, Jiza-nii, do you still think Asuta is a nuisance?”

Jiza Wu took a sip from his bowl of soup as he looked at Ludo Wu.

The eldest son’s eyes were narrowed to a slit, so it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Ludo Wu continued, worried that he had made Jiza Wu mad:

“That was a long time ago. Didn’t you say that Asuta should live in town? Do you still feel the same way now?”

“Huh? Jiza-nii said that?”

Lala Wu turned and looked at Jiza Wu in surprise. Rimee Wu who was beside her opened the eyes wide.

However, Jiza Wu just kept eating in silence.

“It was in the morning of Kaslan Lutim’s wedding, correct? It has been so long; Jiza-nii, do you still feel the same way?”

“…”

“Back then, Asuta was just running around Forest’s Edge. And now, he started a business in the Post Station Town, brought down the Tsun clan during the House Head Conference, and helped in many ways, right? More than half of the houses concur with the Fa house; what do you think, Jiza-nii?”

“… All those who concur with the Fa house are the heads of the minor houses. The Zaza house is still opposed, while the Sauti clan is neutral.”

Jiza Wu finally spoke.

But that didn’t convince Ludo Wu.

“What the other houses think doesn’t matter. It’s your opinion I want to know, Jiza-nii. Do you still find Asuta and Ai Fa to be an eyesore?”

“…”

“Also, the Wu clan concurs with the Fa house, right? We send people to the Post Station Town to work for him, and even invited him to cook for the Harvest Festival.”

At this moment, their father Donda Wu who had been drinking all the while said unhappily: “You are noisy, Ludo.”

“What’s wrong, this is important, right? Dad is now the tribal chief of Forest’s Edge, and Jiza-nii will inherit this position. If the tribal chief and heir have different views, it will cause problems in the future.”

“That’s why Jiza needs time to think.”

Mia Lei Wu spoke this time.

“Leave the complicated matters to the clan head and Jiza, so just finish your own work properly, okay?”

“But this is the Wu clan’s problem, correct? Asuta is an important person to us, so I can’t help worrying about this.”

The oldest member of the family, Jiba Wu chipped in this time:

“Ludo, I’m happy that you said that, but… because he is an important person, and this is an important matter, we need to consider this carefully just like Mia Lei said.”

“That’s true, but isn’t Ai Fa an important person to Grandma Jiba?”

“That’s definitely true… Ai Fa is an old friend, and Asuta is an important person to me who made me realize the joys in living… Asuta and Ai Fa are also doing something important, and it would take time to ascertain if they are doing the right thing…”

Ludo Wu didn’t really get it.

But Jiba Wu definitely cherished Asuta and Ai Fa as much as Ludo Wu did. After getting admonished by Grandma Jiba, he started wondering if he was a bit too anxious.

Tch, no matter how you dice it, Asuta and Ai Fa are doing this for the sake of Forest’s Edge; can’t they just admit that this is the right thing to do?

Ludo Wu swallowed his dissatisfaction alongside the soup seasoned with Tau sauce.

No one mentioned the Fa house for the rest of the dinner.

Ludo Wu then laid down in his room for a while after that, and then Rimee Wu and Lala Wu visited him.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. We just want you to tell us more about Darum-nii.”

Lala Wu looked angry, while Rimee Wu blinked with anticipation.

After the House Head Conference ended, Darum Wu had been staying in the northern village. He came back during the Harvest Festival, but took on the job of guarding the prisoners in the northern village shortly after that. He had been away for twenty-odd days, and his sisters were getting lonely.

The hunters of Forest’s Edge would spend most of their day in the woods, so spending time together on their rest days was a blissful thing. But Darum Wu had to leave the house during this period. It was only natural for his younger sisters to feel lonely.

“With Darum-nii gone, this room seems so big.”

Rimee Wu, who sat down beside Ludo Wu, looked around the room. Jiza Wu had his own room after getting married, so Ludo Wu was staying here alone.

“So, how is Darum-nii? Did anything happened in the northern village?”

“I don’t know. I think it has nothing to do with the people of the north; he is pondering about something.”

“But aren’t the Zaza, Dom and Jean houses in the north the kin of the Tsun clan? Before Papa Donda became the tribal chief, we weren’t on good terms with them.”

That seemed to be the thing his sisters were worried about.

And recently, the head of the Zaza house Graff Zaza had more chances to visit the Wu clan. His sister must have seen Graff Zaza with his kiba head hood and feral eyes. Even though they weren’t hunters, Graff Zaza’s appearance must seem intimidating and fearsome.

“Darum-nii was asked by the Zaza house to help, that’s why he went to the northern village. There’s no way they would get into a fight. And also, the northern tribes were at odds with us because they followed the Tsun clan without thinking for themselves. But they now feel they had been tricked by the Tsun clan, so there’s no reason for us to be enemies anymore. If not for that, Dad wouldn’t have given them the position of tribal chief.”

Ludo Wu suppressed a yawn and continued with his response:

“As I said, Darum-nii is thinking about something else. A lot happened between him and the Fa house, so it’s only natural for him to be troubled, right?”

“Eh… Darum-nii doesn’t seem to get along well with the Fa house…”

Lala Wu hugged her knees listlessly.

Donda Wu proposed that Ai Fa marry Darum Wu, but Ai Fa turned him down and chose to live on as a hunter. Not long ago, Ai Fa brought Asuta to the Wu clan, and after many tribulations, she got a good placing in the recent Harvest Festival.

There is glory in victory, but no shame in losing in the contest of might… That might be so, but losing to someone he proposed to was still a disgrace. There had never been a female hunter before, so only Darum Wu knew about this shame.

“Be it the Harvest Festival or his visit to the northern village, Darum-nii has been acting strangely. Darum-nii… Erm, does he still want to marry Ai Fa…?”

Ludo Wu answered the listless Lala Wu: “Who knows…”

“If that is true, then it’s not good for the Fa house either. Aside from Asuta, I can’t think of anyone Ai Fa would want to marry.”

“Yes, Ai Fa is pretty and I like her. But I think someone who will stay quietly by Darum-nii’s side will suit him more!”

“Who knows. Choosing a spouse depends on the person and the house head.”

“That’s true… Tch, if only Darum-nii paid more attention to the people around him…”

Lala Wu knew this wasn’t something she could tell Ludo Wu.

“Darum-nii isn’t a kid anymore, so we don’t need to worry about him finding his way. Well then… I’m turning in.”

“Yes, Rimee wants to sleep too.”

Rimee Wu yawned cutely and leaned onto Ludo Wu’s chest.

“Hey, Ludo! It’s been a while since we slept together, how about doing that tonight?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I feel lonely because Darum-nii isn’t here.”

“Am I a substitute for Darum-nii?”

Ludo Wu turned his head away after sticking out his tongue, and Rimee Wu shook his body: “It’s fine, right!?”

“Rimee is just eight, so I can sleep with a male family member, right? I won’t be able to sleep with Ludo Wu two years later, right?”

“Two years is a long time. Never mind… Where you sleep isn’t my business.”

Rimee yelled happily: “Don’t wanna!” while Lala Wu grumbled: “Hey! Then I will be alone! I’m already 13, so I can’t sleep with my brother.”

“Then spend the night in Vena-nee’s room. The three of you can sleep together.”

Lala Wu said: “I can’t even!” angrily and stomped out of the room.

Rimee Wu giggled and laid down beside Ludo Wu.

“Erm, don’t you use a blanket when sleeping, Ludo?”

“Yes, it’s not cold anyway.”

“Is that so? But it’s warm when we stick together!”

Rimee Wu said innocently as she put her head on Ludo Wu’s chest.

Her red hair wriggled right before Ludo Wu’s nose, and Ludo Wu patted her fluffy head.

“… Is Darum-nii really fine?”

“He’s fine, trust Darum-nii.”

“Yes! Since Ludo says so, I will believe it!”

After saying so, Rimee Wu buried her head in Ludo Wu’s chest, and soon let off a calm breathing sound.

Ludo Wu hugged her small head and closed his eyes as he fluffed her soft hair.

The next morning, when Ludo Wu opened his eyes, Rimee Wu was gone.

The women had to do chores in the morning, so she probably left at dawn. Ludo Wu stretched his back and decided to take a stroll.

When he left the house, the sun had risen higher than he expected, so instead of venturing off, he headed for the kitchen instead. An appetizing aroma was coming from there.

The Totos tied behind the house was eating leaves with a dumb expression as usual. After patting the back of the Totos as a greeting, Ludo Wu looked inside the kitchen.

The women were hard at work. They were the four sisters of the main house and Shela Wu from the branch house. They were instructed by Asuta to prepare the dishes to be sold in the Post Station Town.

“Ah, morning, Ludo! Why are you up so late today?”

Rimee Wu grilled mini poitan one by one and smiled at him. Lala Wu still looked grumpy though.

“You are burning tons of firewood so early in the morning again. But… I thought only three people are helping Asuta?”

“I finished my other chores, so I’m here to help. Helping is practicing kitchen work too!”

Rimee Wu answered energetically and then puffed her cheeks.

“And Rimee is the only one who can’t go to the Post Station Town… Rimee wants to work with everyone too!”

“Wait until the friction with the nobles subsides. Rimee will definitely be able to come then.”

Leina Wu smiled and comforted her. After Vena Wu got injured, she could go and work in the Post Station Town every other day, which made her very happy.

In contrast, Vena Wu didn’t look happy at all. It had nothing to do with her work in the Post Station Town; she was probably thinking about that easterner who left Genos. She was suddenly proposed to by someone who wanted to marry into the family and was told to consider it for half a year. Vena Wu must be troubled about it.

She has always been the one breaking men’s heart, so it’s fine for her to be troubled once in a while too.

Ludo Wu looked around the kitchen again.

It was like the preparation for a banquet. Leina Wu and Shela Wu made the meat patty for the “Kiba burger” one after another and then put them into the pot. In another pot was tarapa soup, which Vena Wu was stirring while sighing.

Beside Rimee Wu and Lala Wu were piles of grilled poitan. Asuta would sell 150 meals a day, so they were preparing half of that.

“Erm, I smell grilled meat, and I’m hungry. Will you get mad if I ate one?”

“Of course we will! I will definitely get mad!”

Leina Wu didn’t joke around while cooking and running a business. Ludo Wu shrugged and decided to leave.

He returned to Lulu’s side, and a familiar youth was there. It was Shela Wu’s younger brother and the head of a branch house, Shin Wu.

“Yo, you are early, Shin Wu.”

“Ah, Ludo Wu. I was thinking about taking a bath.”

The Wu clan’s watering hole was behind the main house. Shin Wu was carrying a rag to wipe himself and a change of clothes.

“I want to go with you. I’ll get my clothes, can you wait for me?”

“Alright.”

Ludo Wu walked past Shin Wu towards his home.

He changed his mind midway and looked at Shin Wu’s face.

“The bruise on your face is getting better. Does it still hurt?”

“It wasn’t that painful in the first place.”

Shin Wu was thrown down by a youth named Geta and kicked in the face. His thin face still had a faint bruise.

“Shin Wu, you are already a hunter who won’t sully the name of the Wu clan. The opponent was just too strong, so don’t take it to heart.”

“…”

“How was your training with Rau Lei yesterday? You seemed very tired on your way back, so I didn’t ask you for the details back then.”

“The training is very useful. I’m grateful to Rau Lei and Ai Fa who urged as to practice.”

“Is that so. There is the issue of the suitability of a training partner too. Rau Lei seems to be compatible with Shin Wu, isn’t that great?”

Ludo Wu then smiled at him, but Shin Wu merely nodded. He had always been calm, but he seemed frustrated about letting Geta escape.

He can only train until he acknowledges his own skills.

Shin Wu was one of the stronger hunters of the branch houses, which was impressive since he was just 16.

But everyone in the main house was stronger than him. Ludo Wu, who was a year younger than Shin Wu, had never lost to him before.

My target is Dad and my bros.

Ludo Wu was already confident that he wouldn’t lose to Darum Wu. If things went well, he could defeat Jiza Wu too. But Donda Wu and Dan Lutim were on another tier, and he even lost to Mida in the last Harvest Festival. Be it Ludo Wu or his brothers, they would chase right after their father’s footstep and not be satisfied with the present.

Shin Wu regrets his lack of ability. He might cheer up if I mess around a little.

But everyone’s personality was different. It would be difficult to change a person’s character, so Ludo Wu could only smile at his stubborn childhood friend.

“Wait here, I will grab my clothes…”

Someone suddenly shouted from behind: “Ludo Wu!”

He looked back and saw it was Shela Wu working in the kitchen. Looking at him with eyes that resembled her brother, Shela Wu jogged towards them.

“Ah, you are here too, Shin. I have something I want to tell Ludo…”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“… Ludo, Lala Wu and the others told me that you went to the northern village last night?”

Ludo Wu was taken aback a little and then nodded.

“Darum-nii is doing fine. He seemed to be thinking about something and looked a little depressed.”

“Oh, I see…”

Shela Wu patted her breasts.

She was worrying for Darum Wu as a relative. But, given the relationship between Lala Wu and Shin Wu, there was some similarity here.

It’s a fact that Ai Fa and Darum-nii are always squabbling. Someone docile like Shela Wu might be more suitable for Darum-nii.

Shela Wu has been acting strange recently too.

She used to be timid and lack confidence. She didn’t have enough strength and struggled just to fetch a water flask. Ludo Wu wasn’t sure since he was younger than her, but he heard that Shela Wu was often sick in the childhood.

The denizens of Forest’s Edge prioritized having a healthy and strong body. This was obvious since the men needed to hunt and the women had to do laborious chores every day and raise the children.

All the men were mesmerized by Ai Fa not only because of her looks but also due to the strong life force her body gave off.

“… But Shela Wu doesn’t look bad either.”

“Huh? W-What’s the matter?”

“N-Nothing. It’s just that your cooking can rival Leina-nee’s, so you can marry any men that you like, correct?”

Shela Wu started to blush.

“W-What are you saying all of a sudden, Ludo Wu? Could it be… Asuta told you?”

“Huh? Why did you mention Asuta?”

“N-Nothing! That’s not it, so forget about it.”

He wasn’t sure if Asuta who worked in the kitchen would notice the worries of the girls and talk with them.

And Asuta was a guy as frail as a girl. However, he had the aura that could rival Ludo Wu’s father and brothers and would show the eyes of a hunter at times. He was a strange person.

“Anyway, Darum-nii is doing well. He probably won’t come back before the troublesome matters with the nobles are resolved, so don’t worry too much. Also… The people in northern villages only eat meat that hasn’t been bloodlet, so he is probably craving for Shela Wu’s cooking.”

“I-Isn’t cooking for Darum Wu the job of the main house?”

“Shela Wu’s dishes are as good as Leina-nee’s; he will definitely be happy if Shela Wu cooks for him.”

Shela Wu blushed even redder and then left after saying: “I-I still have work to do…”

“Hehehe…”

When he heard Ludo Wu laugh, Shin Wu looked at him in surprise:

“Why is Shela so frantic? And what were the two of you talking about?”

“Hmm? Shin Wu, don’t you know?”

“No, I don’t.”

Ludo Wu smile brightened, and he put his arm around Shin Wu’s neck.

“You are so interesting. I’m so glad that Shin Wu is my kin.”

“I’m happy to hear that, but I still don’t get you.”

“Alright, it’s fine for you to stay this way, Shin Wu.”

Ludo Wu was always smiling for some reason.

Everyone had a hectic time because of Ai Fa and Asuta, but they all managed to walk on the right path. Ludo Wu could feel that somehow.

Shela Wu learned to cook from Asuta and became like this. Shin Wu, who wanted Ai Fa to teach him the “Sacrificial Hunting Method” but was turned down, had been somewhat influenced too. Despite being just 17 and a girl, Ai Fa was already the head of the Fa house and lived a proper life as a hunter. Shin Wu had definitely learned something from Ai Fa.

His family from the main house had also interacted with the Fa house more now. The Fa house had a new friendship with the houses around them. After winning their struggle against the Tsun clan, Ai Fa and Asuta had found a place in the Forest’s Edge that was different from before.

Be it Jiza-nii, Darum-nii, or that bunch from the Zaza house, they will acknowledge Asuta and Ai Fa one day. They are an interesting couple after all.

Ludo Wu had grown to like Asuta and Ai Fa when he first ate their cooking. That’s why he gave Asuta his blessing and wanted the foreigner to marry one of his elder sisters. Asuta and Ai Fa were getting accepted in Forest’s Edge gradually, which made Ludo Wu very happy.

“Let’s protect them properly today too! No matter who attacks, we will beat them all up!”

“Of course. We can’t lose to the same person twice.”

Shin Wu answered with a stern face, with Ludo Wu arms still around his neck.

“… Speaking of which, I want to take a bath.”

“Oh, that’s right! Wait for me!”

Ludo Wu poked Shin Wu’s head one last time before running home.

He was filled with the joy of being born in the Wu clan, and getting to befriend Asuta… And the pride of being a denizen of Forest’s Edge.

Translator’s Afterword

It takes about five weeks for me to translate a volume, so splitting a volume to five parts is the most ideal situation. However, splitting the chapters in volume 10 would mean stopping at weird spots, so I ended up translating 10~15% more for the first four parts. This means that the fifth part is about 50% shorter than the norm. Instead of posting this short fifth part as it is, I decided to translate the afterwords for the first ten volumes translated so far. Also, the promotional art drawn by the illustrator こちも (Kochimo) is included, put in random order.

His art is posted on http://kochierensyu.blog.shinobi.jp/, so give it a look if it intrigues you.

See you next post!

Afterword V1

Thank you, everyone, for reading the first volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

I’m the author EDA, pronounced “Ehh Daa”; I hope everyone can remember me.

I started uploading this novel to the website “Become a Novelist” in August 2014. This afterword is written in January 2015. I’m still looking from the edge of the forest towards the end of this story in the distance, and I hope everyone can continue to support me online.

<TL: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3125cg/>

Thanks to everyone who have supported me since I started posting, this book gets to be published, and I’m very honored. I’m thankful to everyone from the bottom of my heart.

I put in a lot of effort for the sake of the old readers who supported me and the new readers who purchased my book; what do you think about it? I hope this book suits your taste.

The protagonist who found himself in a different world gets to know the people in that world through his culinary skills! After this inspiration struck, I started writing this story. The story is developing according to my draft mostly, but there are times when it differs in small ways. Some characters shine unexpectedly, while other important characters get relegated to the background, making the project even more interesting.

I told myself that ‘such uncertain factors bring more life to the story!’ and wrote relentlessly every day. What will happen to Asuta, Ai Fa, and the various characters? I’m worried and watch over them, but this is also an enjoyable experience. If you share the same joy as me when reading it, I will feel really happy too.

Finally, I want to thank my editor from Hobby Japan, the illustrator who drew the wonderful pictures, and everyone who worked on the publishing of this book. Once again, thank you, everyone, who bought this book. I will be stopping here.

See you next volume!

January 2015, EDA

Afterword V2

Thank you everyone for reading the second volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

The structure of this volume is a little special, with a quarter of it being a side story that had never been published before.

Like I explained in the afterword for the previous volume, this work is originally posted onto the web, and each chapter is written freely by me, without any set number of words.

And so, in order to compile the chapters into a book, the previous volume was compressed a little, while a 30,000-word side story was added to this book.

There is another way though, which is adding more words to the main story. I edited the story with this in mind, but realized that expanding the chapters unnecessary will disrupt the rhythm of the story, so I changed to using a side story to expend the page count instead.

From the next volume onwards, if the word count of the main story falls short, I will think about what I need to do to give the story the best structure in order to make the story even better.

The title of the side story is Apéritif, and it features Ai Fa from two years ago as the protagonist.

Two years ago, her esteemed father passed away and she got into bad terms with the tribal chief clan. For Ai Fa, that was the most painful period of her life.

I have been planning to write about Ai Fa before she met Asuta since a long time ago, so I’m very happy to write this. I thought about continuing until Ai Fa met Asuta, but that felt a little unnecessary, and I wanted to write about the key scenes better too. After changing my mind, that’s how the ending came about.

Asuta is the protagonist of this work and also the clown character. Without him around, the comedic element will fall drastically. The atmosphere in the side story is worlds apart from the main story, making it a slightly bitter Apéritif, but I hope everyone will enjoy reading it.

As for the main story, in order to make the vertical columns in the book easier to read, I did some editing and adjusted some parts that bothered me after reading through it.

Like the previous volume, I did my best to satisfy first-time readers and readers who had to peruse my work online.

The story will continue quietly.

The next volume will revolve around Lutim house and unveil more about the Forest’s Edge.

New characters will make their debuts. Kochimo-sensei already illustrated Asuta, Ai Fa, and many other denizens of the Forest’s Edge in a very ideal way; how will he portray these new characters? As the author, I’m brimming with anticipation.

The next volume is rather long like the first volume, so I need to compress the content properly.

I will do everything I can to bring out the best content and remove the fluff.

Ara, there are quite a number of pages in this afterword.

Asuta and company will weave more stories in the future, and I will be elated if everyone can continue reading.

Finally, I want to thank my editor from HOBBY JAPAN, the illustrator Kochimo-sensei, all the staff who helped in the publishing of this volume, and, once again, I want to give my gratitude to all the readers who bought this book.

Let’s meet again in the next volume!

March 2015, EDA

Afterword V3

Thank you, everyone, for purchasing the third volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

Before I realize it, the number of volumes increased again.

This is thanks to all the readers who had supported me so far.

And this time, I’m very honored that the author of 『School-Live!』 Norimitsu Kaihō has written a comment on the book’s band.

<TL: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81SdstAOPbL.jpg>

Speaking of Norimitsu Kaihō sensei, the party scene he wrote for a certain anime left a deep impression on me.

<TL: 『Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet』>

The female characters adorned their dresses and danced more energetically than usual, and displayed a sensual side of them, unlike their usual self. In my description of the wedding, that scene would show up in my mind from time to time.

However, the banquet in my story had an unexpected ending… Asuta fell asleep before the girls started to dance. When this part was posted online, one reader commented with: 「This main character is too dense!」.

Anyway, Asuta’s life in another world is going to start officially.

I hope everyone can look forward to future installments of this series.

Then, as usual, I want to thank my editor from Hobby JAPAN, the illustrator, all the staff involved in the publishing of this work, and the readers who bought this book.

I hope to see everyone in the next volume!

May 2015, EDA

Afterword V4

Thank you, everyone, for purchasing the fourth Volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

It has been half a year since the first volume was published in February.

Time seems to pass fast and slow at the same time… which is unfathomable. No matter what, thanks to the passionate support of everyone, the series managed to publish so many volumes.

My most sincere gratitude to everyone.

This volume ends with the “our battle is just beginning” phrase, and just like what it implies, Asuta and company’s fight is just starting.

Fortunately, the schedule of future volumes is now fixed, and I hope everyone can continue to like this work.

The story is finally shifting to the Post Station Town, and the next volume will continue this trend.

But there are all sorts of problems in the Forest’s Edge settlement so the story will develop over there simultaneously.

The antagonist in the first volume has finally made their appearance before Asuta and company.

This series has a lot of characters.

More than thirty characters have already appeared.

The Wu clan that made their debut in the first volume is a big family of 13, including their baby. Just keeping the track of this group alone is hard enough.

When this story was being serialized, what I was most concerned about during my first meeting with my editor from Hobby Japan was, “Is it fine to have so many characters?”

Leaving that aside, what I look forward to as an author is seeing which character will be illustrated by Kochimo-sensei.

Kamyua Yost made it to the color pages in this volume.

Everyone had a different impression of this vague character which might be friend or foe, so it must be a challenge to draw him. However, I’m very satisfied with this color drawing as the author.

Personally, I’m very glad that the easterner merchant was illustrated in this volume.

Having the characters I created take visual form is a very blissful thing.

I will throw myself into my creative work with this happiness in mind.

After so much idle banter, I will end it at this point.

Then, as usual, I want to thank my editor from Hobby JAPAN, the illustrator, all the staff involved in the publishing of this work, as well as the readers who bought and read this book.

Let’s meet in the next volume!

Our battle is just beginning!

August 2015, EDA

Afterword V5

Thank you, everyone, for purchasing the fifth volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

In a blink of an eye, five volumes have been published.

The last volume was published just three months ago, but it still felt so quick.

Following the last volume, the story this time describes Asuta’s business in the Post Station Town.

Some readers will read the afterword first so I won’t mention the details, but I hope everyone can appreciate how hard and tenacious Asuta’s work ethics are.

I mentioned in the past afterwords that this story is first posted on a website. When it comes to publishing in volumes, I’m always troubled by where to stop the story.

Even when the story is at a stopping point, there is still a need to reduce the word count to compile it into a volume. Hence, I’m always troubled by the need to edit things.

I needed to cut out tens of thousands of words in this volume alone.

In terms of page count, that is 46 pages worth of words.

As you might imagine, when the story is serialized on the web, I will always write as I wish and tend to drone on. Because of this tendency of mine, editing my work will help to reduce descriptions that are too long.

Because I needed to cut out tens of thousands of words, I removed a certain key dialogue scene. If there is a chance, I hope to insert it into a future volume.

Other than that, I also edited many places to make the passages read better.

However, it will be detrimental if I cut away the interesting passages too. So this isn’t an easy task.

In order to let the readers who got into this story through the published books or from the web enjoy this series, I did the best I can. Is the story satisfying to you? I hope my efforts yield good results.

Everyone can guess who the main character of the new short story is from the title, correct?

This character appeared in the previous few volumes, and I’m elated to see her featured in the colored illustrations for this volume.

When I first drafted the concept of this character, I didn’t expect her to play such a large role in the story. She isn’t as energetic as the Wu clan four sisters, but I hope everyone likes her too.

I would also like to inform everyone that, starting from the fifth volume, the cover art will change a little.

The fifth volume also has its scenes depicted in the style of a photo. However, starting from this volume, I decided to emphasize more on the 「expression of a concept」.

Up until volume four, the cover was mainly 「scenes that happened in the story」, but that might not necessarily apply from this volume onwards.

Specifically speaking, the scene depicted on the cover of volume five isn’t described in this volume.

I might have the chance to describe the scene happening on the cover in future volumes, but that won’t happen for volume 5. I intentionally let the cover show a scene that wasn’t mentioned in the volume.

Actually, when planning the cover of the past four volumes, instead of staying faithful to the story, I have always placed more emphasis on the 「expression of a concept」.

Using Asuta and Ai Fa from volume one as examples, Asuta didn’t wear a bandana while he was cooking. That’s because I wanted everyone to see 「Asuta’s expression」 clearly. They both wore shoes despite being indoors because I wanted everyone to know 「what their attire is like」.

The cover is the 「face」 of the story, so I think 「expression of a concept」 is very important.

The scene on the cover this time is 「Denizens of the Forest’s Edge Rimee Wu and Lala Wu enjoying a meal together with Tara from Post Station Town」.

Will the Forest’s Edge welcome a peaceful future? I hope everyone can continue to support this work.

Well then, I will sign off with the usual. My deepest thanks to my editor from HOBBY JAPAN, the illustrator Kochimo-sensei, all the staff who helped in the publishing of this volume, and all the readers who bought this book.

I hope to meet everyone again in the next volume!

November 2015, EDA

Afterword V6

Thank you, everyone, for purchasing the sixth volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

Time flies, and the first volume has been out for more than a year.

As I’m writing this afterword, February is coming to a close; I hope everyone can take care of me this year too.

And so, this is already the sixth volume of this series.

This volume detracts from the business in the Post Station Town and focuses on the Forest’s Edge settlement again.

The denizens of Forest’s Edge face off directly with the negative influence of the Tsun clan.

Some readers might browse through the afterword before reading the main story so I will refrain from mentioning the story, but, compared to the struggles in the Post Station Town, this volume’s content has a different appeal to it.

Asuta and Ai Fa’s goals remained unchanged; I hope they can overcome all obstacles and move towards a bright future.

Ai Fa finally got onto the cover of Volume 6 after a long absence.

Speaking of which, the main heroine didn’t appear on the cover of the volumes four and five.

Ai Fa can finally smile again.

Whenever a new volume is published, this series will illustrate new characters. And this time, they are all male.

And there are six of them. This is the first time we are adding illustration for so many characters. Three of them were drawn due to the strong demand by the author, so I’m very grateful for this.

To avoid spoilers, I won’t mention who they are, but they made their debut at the same time.

Their names aren’t revealed in this volume, but they are key characters for this arc, so I strongly wished for them to be illustrated.

In a sense, they were scarier than Papa Donda.

When I first received the draft illustration, my heart skipped a beat from how intimidating they looked.

This humble author realized once again how fortunate I am that Kochimo-sensei is doing the illustration for me.

Next is the mid-meal snack that is published for the first time. I chose the easterner Shumimaru who didn’t show up in this volume as the main character.

As the main story was rather serious, I was planning to write about the wonderful lives of a cute girl in the mid-meal snack, but when I realized it, the mid-meal snack was as serious as the main story.

The author really likes Shumimaru, and I hope everyone will like this story as well.

Well then, in the next volume, Asuta and the others will get embroiled in new tribulations.

They will restart their business in the Post Station Town.

Kamyua Yost who had been quiet for some time will make an appearance again.

In order to let the readers enjoy this work, the author will strive forth too.

Well then, I will sign off with the usual by thanking my editor from HOBBY JAPAN, the illustrator Kochimo-sensei, all the staff who helped in the publishing of this volume, and all the readers who bought this book. Allow me to give you my most sincere thanks.

Let’s meet again in the next volume!

February 2016, EDA

Afterword V7

Thank you, everyone, for purchasing the seventh volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

If the book goes on sale according to schedule, half a year of 2016 should have passed by now.

The speed that time goes by surprises me every time.

And during this time, the seventh volume of this series has been published successfully.

This is thanks to the support and care of all the readers, and I wish to express my deepest gratitude to everyone.

Because there was too much content for this volume, I had to edit the drafts by a lot.

The story didn’t change too much, but I actually cut away roughly 60 pages of the original draft. This is the first time I compressed the content by that much.

Since the number of pages exceeded the norm by this much, you might think that splitting this into two volumes would be easier. However, I prefer to end this story in just this one volume.

Compressing the passages is both joyful and sad. I pray that going through this arduous and happy process will bring about better results.

The mid-meal snack is centered around Leina Wu.

I wrote a lot of side stories for the other characters, but this is the first time I let Leina Wu take center stage.

On second thought, aside from Rimee Wu in the first volume, I had not written any side stories for the Wu clan main house four sisters yet. They were central figures in the stories, so it was hard for me to write about them.

I will want to feature the other Wu clan sisters as the main character in the future so everyone will have a chance to read a side story about Vena Wu and Lala Wu.

Two innkeepers are illustrated this time.

For readers who like old men, this must be a joyous occasion.

Aside from them, I also asked the illustrator sensei to draw a middle-aged man who made his debut in this volume, but we had to give it up because of the page planning of the book. In the next volume… he won’t make an appearance either. The author hopes he will get to be in the limelight one day.

And so, the next book is volume 8.

To avoid spoilers, I won’t mention the story, but the author had a lot of fun writing volume 8.

The 6th and 7th volumes are more serious so the readers can look forward to a cheery story. The atmosphere won’t be too different, but the content is more warming.

The story structure will resemble episodic short stories. The posts I’m publishing recently is done in a similar way too.

The content isn’t too different from before, so do look forward to the next volume’s development.

Let me add some additional information. As there are plenty of pages in the next book, I might insert a side story I published online, or write tens of pages of new side story like I did for volume 2. I’m still considering both options.

Finally, I will sign off with the usual thanking of my editor from HOBBY JAPAN, the illustrator Kochimo-sensei, all the staff who helped in the publishing of this volume, and all the readers who bought this book. Thank you, everyone.

I hope to meet everyone in the next volume!

May 2016, EDA

Afterword V8

Thank you, everyone, for purchasing the eighth volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

I informed everyone in the last volume that this book will comprise of several short stories.

It is mainly about the events before the denizens of the Forest’s Edge face off against the nobles.

The chapters are short, but these aren’t side stories, and I hope the readers can enjoy this volume as usual.

Thinking back to how I felt when penning this part where the denizens started opposing the Tsun clan and nobles, the all-important cooking element got sidelined. I wrote these side stories back then with such feelings of regret.

When writing these short stories, I intentionally separated it with the previous volume. I wanted to describe life in the Forest’s Edge in further detail from the new chapter onwards.

I’m sorry for analyzing my own work so objectively, but these stories were written by me in late 2014 to early 2015, and it had been a year and a half since then.

It is really surprising how time flies.

When the book is published, I won’t normally think about the time when I first wrote the draft, but this volume left a deep impression on me.

Why? In the uploaded post for the New Year of 2015 I intentionally made Asuta say: 「Congratulations! I will be in your care in the future too.」.

<TL: A standard thing to say in Japan for New Year>

I can publish my story online immediately, that’s why I can pull off such a playful move. I removed these words in the book version, so the readers can guess where Asuta said that line.

For the side story, I wrote something from the perspective of Vena Wu.

This story fills me with emotions.

I thought up this story a long time ago and decided to write it out one day.

Without any spoilers, this is about Vena Wu meeting a certain character five years ago. People who read the main story might be curious: 「Vena Wu’s residence is so far from that person’s house, so how did they meet?」 This is my answer.

The women in Forest’s Edge don’t really spend much time heading to other people’s house. If two people live too far apart, they might not get to know each other forever. At most, they might meet each other when shopping in the Post Station Town.

And so, when that character appeared in the main story, why did Vena Wu know her? This is the reason I thought up, and to this day, I never had the chance to write it in detail.

I checked, and that character debuted in the main story in October 2014, which is volume five of the book version.

When I saw that character debut two years later, I felt glad that I could finally unveil how that character met Vena Wu.

That’s all for the afterword in this volume, my page count is done.

These might just be some behind-the-scene stories, but I feel this is the interesting part of an afterward, and I hope everyone will like it.

Well then, I will sign off, as usual, by thanking my editor from HOBBY JAPAN, the illustrator Kochimo-sensei, all the staff who helped in the publishing of this volume, and all the readers who bought this book.

Let’s meet again in the next volume!

August 2016, EDA

Afterword V9

Thank you, everyone, for purchasing the ninth volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

The series doesn’t have any specific arcs, but after the 「Forest’s Edge settlement arc」 and 「Genos Post Station Town arc」, we will finally be moving into the 「Pyschkurewuss arc」.

The denizens of Forest’s Edge, who knew this bastard by name only all the while, will be facing off directly against him.

That might be so, but the protagonist Asuta is just a chef, and he won’t be trading his kitchen knife for claymore or halberds, and he will just perform the job he is supposed to do.

And in this volume, more new characters made their debut.

As Shumimaru’s and Pops Balan’s groups will be leaving Genos, there will be many new characters taking their places.

All the new characters act independently, but what kind of relationship will they build with Asuta and the denizens? I hope everyone will continue following their story.

I just received the draft of the non-colored illustration today and saw the designs for Psychuurewuss and the new characters today.

I have the habit of explaining the fine details, which gives a lot of work to Kochimo-sama. Thanks to his great effort, the finished product is outstanding this time too. I’m very thankful to Kochimo-sama.

Everyone should have noticed from the title of the mid-meal snack that it is a story about Pops and the southerners.

I was writing a sweet story about Shin Wu and Lala Wu in the beginning, but I gave up due to the page count and other factors. I hope that I will have the chance to share this story with everyone.

Pops and his gang have yet to return in the web story yet, and it has been a year and a half since I wrote about them. May the light shine on those middle-aged men.

Well then, my page count is almost up.

Actually, the afterword is written in the leftover pages when publishing a book. If I insisted that 「I want to write an even longer afterword!」 it might add 16 more pages, which would be a problem.

Finally, I will sign off with the usual gratitude towards my editor from HOBBY JAPAN, the illustrator Kochimo-sensei, all the staff who helped in the publishing of this volume, and all the readers who bought this book.

We will be breaking into two digits in the next volume, let’s meet again then!

November 2016, EDA

Afterword V10

Thank you, everyone, for purchasing the tenth volume of 『Cooking with Wild Game』.

The series has finally reached its tenth installment. I’m very proud of the number of volumes reaching double digits.

This is only due to everyone who accompanied me all this way. I’m bad in expressing myself, but I still wish to give my most sincere thanks to everyone.

The ones on the cover of this memorable volume are the men of the Wu clan. I’m very moved by this, as the fearsome Papa Donda Wu has never been featured on the cover before.

On the side note, the mid-meal snack is also about the Wu clan, in line with the cover. The illustration on the inside cover is so cute. It is told from the perspective of the mischievous youngest son Ludo Wu. Please look forward to it.

<TL: Pic above is what the author is talking about>

Next will be some idle chatter. At the end of the volume is an advertisement for my work that is being published in Kadokawa. I will be happy if you support me in that series as well.

<TL: https://store.kadokawa.co.jp/shop/g/g321609000487/>

The afterword is just two pages this time, so I have to keep things brief.

I will conclude, as usual, by thanking my editor from HOBBY JAPAN, the illustrator Kochimo-sensei, all the staff who helped in the publishing of this volume, and all the readers who read this boo;, I’m very grateful to everyone.

Let’s meet again in the next volume!

February 2017, EDA