Shinkou looks at Astri, trying to understand that petite female. The first female who saw Astri before appears there and snorts at Astri, with crossed arms.
"Hey. You must be new here, but this male is out of your league. He will be mine soon. You better stay away from him and stop trying to seduce him." The female says, and then passes her hand on Shinkou’s arm in a sexy way.
Shinkou steps away from the female, wiping her hand off of him.
"I already told you I’m not after a female, and I never said I would be your male." Shinkou says to the female.
"For now. You’re the most handso around here. You need the best female. And she’s clearly not the best." The female says and looks at Astri with disdain.
"As you might be able to see, I’m not dressed vulgarly to try to convince any male to be mine. Well, even if I were, I would never dress as a cheap female. My body is sothing only my males can see." Astri says.
"Are you calling cheap?"
"No. Pff. No!" Astri says, clearly lying, and that made Shinkou smile.
"I think you’re lying. You must have beco of age now. You’re brave trying to get the best males for your first males. But let tell you sothing, little b!tch.." The female says, then grabs Astri’s hair.
Before Kenzou does anything, Astri takes the female’s hand and twists her wrist, making her cry in pain and kneel, shocking everyone.
"What is your na?" Astri asks the female.
The female tries to slap Astri, but Astri holds her other arm and knees the female’s nose, making blood flow over her mouth.
"Enough.." One of the female’s spouses holds Astri’s arm to try to help his female.
Astri beats his jewels. He lowers his head, feeling the pain thundering through his body, and then she punches his nose above her shoulder. He falls back and rolls on the ground slowly, holding his jewels and nose.
Everyone is amazed by Astri’s quick movents and for defeating a male by herself.
"What is her na?" Astri asks Shinkou.
"Shinobu.." He answers, looking at Astri impressed.
"Miss Shinobu. If you or any of your spouses ever touch again, I promise you that I won’t be as nice. Lord Shinkou is not yours, and he’s the one who decides to whom he will direct his words." Astri says, and hugs Kenzou’s arm while looking at Shinkou. "If you want to hear about our offer, please co to the Spirit Tree Shrine, Lord Shinkou."
Astri pulls Kenzou, who was mouth agape, too. They walk away, and Astri whispers to Kenzou:
"Sorry."
"For what? It is I who needs to apologize for not protecting you. But you were so fast.." Kenzou quickly says.
"I apologize for reacting that way. I really hate this kind of female, and she touched ."
She then sees a stall with several sacks of grains. She rushes to it and checks what is being sold. There is rice, so nuts, and she finds azuki beans. She holds her excitent and looks at Kenzou with shining eyes.
"Can we get so of these beans?" She asks.
He smiles and nods. She asks for so honey, too. Then she walks fast to go back to the shrine. She puts the beans in water and lets them rest.
"Let help you with your chores today." Astri says to Kenzou.
He was reluctant to let her help, but when she said she needed to do sothing to fill her head so she wouldn’t get depressed, he let her help him.
"Do you think Shinkou will help you?" He asks her while they’re picking fruits from trees.
"Probably. He’s watching us from afar. Probably wanting to know what we have to sell." She answers.
Kenzou looks around, impressed because he didn’t sense anyone near, but he rembers that foxes are good at hiding and being invisible. He looks at Astri, impressed that she knows that Shinkou is watching. If Nature didn’t tell her that, she would never have known before him.
"Let help you with your daily chores because I’ll need your help to make so things. I’m not strong enough for that."
She asks him to make pots, buckets, and wooden boxes. He starts to do what she asked, while she cleans inside the shrine. She starts to make a basket from bamboo straws. Shinkou watched her working, wondering why she was doing that.
So males ca to the shrine looking after her and offering help. Kenzou sent them away for now, saying Astri doesn’t want to be bothered, but he’s wondering if he will need more males to keep her protected.
Almost at night, Astri was making dinner when Kenzou arrived with one pot and a few buckets that he had made.
"Are these good enough?" He asks, and she nods.
"It’s perfect. Thank you."
Finally, Kenzou sensed Shinkou’s presence. He imagines it’s because he got interested in the sll of the different food she’s making, and that made him expose his aura a little.
"Just co to us already, Shinkou. You’re annoying, lurking around so much." Kenzou says, making Astri giggle.
After so seconds, Shinkou jumps from a tree and walks to them.
"Sit. I imagine you want to eat." Astri says to Shinkou.
He sighs and sits next to Kenzou on the wooden floor of the shrine’s deck. She puts the food on wooden plates and on little tables, then brings them to the curious males.
"I hope you enjoy it." Astri says.
They look at the little tables and their mouths are filled with water. The fish, the vegetables, the rice, all of them slled delicious. And when they tasted it for the first ti, they felt the explosion of flavors on their mouth. She smiles watching them digging into the food, she had put enough for them to feel satisfied, and she eats slowly in silence, too, not wanting to break their concentration.
"Lady Astri.. I apologize. It was so good I didn’t stop eating." Kenzou says.
"It’s all right. I’m glad you liked it." She answers.
"You’re not from here.. This kind of food is not from people of this area. Where are you from?" Shinkou asks.
"I’m not from here. You’re right. I’m a curious glutton, that’s all. I like to make nice food." She says, and keeps eating.
"Hum... So your na is Astri."
"Yes. Nice to et you." She answers after swallowing.
"How old are you?"
"I’m.. How old am I? I think I’m 25. I have 10 spouses and 7 children. So, no, I’m not underage like Shinobu thought I was." She answers.
"You have 7 children?" Shinkou asks, impressed.
"Yes. Why?"
"I just...it doesn’t look like it. You’re small and.. Look young."
"Thank you." She finishes eating, then takes their plates and brings them to the water basin to wash them.
"Oh, please. Let wash them. You made great food, let wash it to repay." Kenzou says.
"Thank you." Astri says, then takes the basket she was making and keeps working on it.
"What is that?" Kenzou asks.
"A basket to carry fruits." She answers.
"That is very well made. You’re good with your hands."
"Thank you."
They stay in silence for so ti, and then Shinkou clears his throat to call attention, since she wasn’t paying any attention to him there.
"So.. What is the offer you wanted to make?" Shinkou asks, looking at Astri.
"I’ll have salt to sell in two days. I would like you to sell it to other rchants in small quantities, not to raise any suspicious attention to you or us. I’ll give you half of what they pay if you promise to follow what I just said." She says, very direct to the point, and that took him by surprise.
He blinks, trying to understand what she just said.
"You have salt to sell?" He asks.
"I will have."
"How will you have it?"
"I’ll make it. I’m not a rmaid, and I know how to make it. You will not let anyone know how I make it, and that I make it. You will bring up so story that you made a deal with a rman, and he brings you salt on days the rman chooses to co." She answers.
He starts to laugh. He looked at Kenzou, and then at Astri, and saw that they weren’t laughing. Kenzou was serious and quiet.
"Are you two serious? A female knows how to make salt?" Shinkou asks.
"I’m not a common female as you might have already noticed, Lord Shinkou. If you can’t take this offer, there’s no problem. I’ll find soone else to help ."
"Bring the salt and I’ll sell it for you. If you can bring salt, of course I’ll sell it." He says.
"Good! Then it’s a deal. Co back in three days and I’ll give it to you."
"I’m just curious... You’re a female. If you’re so eager for gems, why don’t you ask your spouses to sell the salt? If they can’t, why not find a rich spouse?" Shinkou asks.
"It’s none of your business, with all due respect." She answers.
"All right.. You’re right. It’s none of my business. The thing is that I need to know with whom I’m dealing. Specially for sothing so expensive and rare like salt."
She sighs, thinking that he’s right, but not feeling ready to talk it out loud again.
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