Volume 1 - CH 29

With less than a month until the day of the festival, preparations are made step by step in a planned manner so as not to waste time.

First of all, Alme made a shopping list and used a whole day off to buy everything she needed at once.

Since since had enough glasses to serve shaved ice, she bought the same number of spoons. She bought a few inexpensive ones at the secondhand market, so the cost was less than she had expected.

She bought some water magic stones to wash the returned dishes and empty magic stones.

As the name suggests, an empty magic stone has not yet been imbued with magic power. If fire magic is put into an empty magic stone, it becomes a fire magic stone, and if ice magic is put into an empty magic stone, it becomes an ice magic stone. Although there are some restrictions, it is a stone that can store magic.

She planned to store her ice magic in the empty magic stone now and use it as an aid on the day of the festival.

If she continued to use magic power too much, she would get tired, so this was to take measures against magical fatigue.

After collecting the magic stones, she bought a glass bottle to put the syrup in. Also a large transparent bottle with a lid and a soup ladle to scoop up the syrup.

While she roughly bought the necessary tools, she also got an affordable wooden board and paints.

On the wooden board, she wrote “ice cream shop” in the written language of this world, and added the price in large numbers.

The price of shaved ice is 500G. If the customer returned the bowl and spoon, they would be refunded 100G, so the actual price is set at 400G.

It’s about the same price as the shaved ice at the store in her previous life.

Even a child can buy it with pocket money, so this is a great place for them to stop by.

Pulling out a reasonably sized cart from the house, she loaded it with all the necessary items, including handmade signs and tableware in wooden boxes.

Since the festival stall space can only be filled three days in advance, until then these parcels were stored at the edge of the shop.

While she was arranging for this and that, the preparation day came in no time.

So today is three days before the festival. It is the first day of the preparation period.

Pushing the rattling cart with her packed luggage, Alme reached her stall space.

Checking the numbers drawn in chalk on the stone floor of the street, she pushed the cart into the space.

This is a corner space on the street facing the entrance of the plaza. It’s a place with lots of blocks and benches where customers can sit, with flowerbeds full of greenery and flowers nearby.

“It looks even better than I thought it would. I’ll have to work hard for the nice place they gave me.”

Looking out over the perfect view as the backdrop of the food stalls, her feeling is getting better and better.

Alme quickly unloaded the luggage from the cart and began setting it up in the space. Desk, chair, and equipment crates were placed as previously planned.

When she finished setting it all up, she turned her attention to the people around her who were also preparing. Unfortunately, she didn’t know anyone.

The flower shop stall that Ena looks after seems to be in the western district, which is the exact opposite of this one. Due to the distance, they won’t be able to meet during the festival.

It’s a little lonely not to have any acquaintances nearby, so she thought it would be nice if she could get along with the people in the space next to her during the preparation period, but unfortunately the space next to her is still empty.

…It looks like she’s going to face the day with her heart pounding, but she chided herself that this is also a new experience.

When she finished bringing in her belongings, lastly she placed the wooden tag on the desk as a sign of participation.

In fact, this wooden tag is a bit of a magical device. When one offers their name and number registered at the reception desk, and a prayer to the spirits, the magic is activated.

“Alme Titty. One, five, seven. Spirit, please protect my luggage.”

As she said this to the wooden tag, a particle of light, like a small firework, crackled and popped.

It is said that this wooden tag has a spirit that protects luggage. –Even though it provides protection, it’s not enough to repel luggage thieves.

It is said that if there is an unauthorized person who takes away the luggage, the spirit of the wooden tag will remember the person and locate them.

Nevertheless, it is strictly forbidden to leave valuables in the hands of the spirits, since it is said that if the culprits are many, the spirits will get lost and it will be difficult to track them if they escape outside the city.

However, this method is used because it is a sufficient deterrent to theft when it comes to food stall equipment.

Once she left the luggage in the space to the spirits, she left the place early, pulling only an empty cart.

She would have liked to look around a bit more, but Alme still had some work to do.

(When I get home, first sterilize the large glass jars with boiling water and make the syrup–……)

While confirming the schedule in her head, she hurried on the way home.

As soon as she got home, she started preparing the syrup bottles.

She poured boiling water for disinfection into the clean bottles. While turning it upside down to dry, she started making the syrup.

The ice cream shop is closed for the three days leading up to the festival to allow time for preparation. She wanted to be able to take this time to make the important syrups without being distracted by the shop.

She put the fruits for the syrup on the cooking table and look around to see which one to start with. Somehow, she picked up the herbal tea that was placed at the very front.

“Let’s start with blue syrup. The blue sky I just saw outside was beautiful.”

This herbal tea was given to her by Ena. It seems to be called Sky herb. As the name suggests, it is a flower tea that gives off a bright blue color like the sky when soaked in hot water.

The color is beautiful, but the taste is very weak, so it seems that it was left over at Ena’s house without being used. That’s why she got so much.

She took the Sky herbs out of the paper bag and put the dried blue flowers out in a colander and set in a glass bowl.

When boiling water is poured, a bright blue tea pools in the bowl. At this density, the color looks more like a slice of the ocean than the sky.

While it soaked for a while to get the blue color, she prepared the syrup to match.

She put sugar and water in a large pot and put it on the fire. After simmering it for a while and letting it thicken, she poured the strong herbal tea into the pot.

Mixing well with a wooden spoon, and the sky herb syrup is ready.

Using a soup ladle, the blue syrup is transferred to a sterilized glass jar. The blue color, moderately diluted by the sugar water, shimmers through the light and is absolutely beautiful.

She took a sample with the soup ladle and transferred it to a glass cup. She took a sip to taste.

“Yes, it’s perfect! The fact that the herbal tea tastes so light is a good thing. It’s like ice honey.”

This syrup is what they call ‘ice honey’ in her previous life. But that’s not all, this syrup can change color when acidity is added.

Taking a lemon from the group of fruits on the table, she cut it in half.

Squeezing the lemon into the blue syrup in the tasting glass – and as if by magic, the blue color turns orange.

It is an herbal tea that tastes light and unsatisfactory when one drinks it normally, but it is said that there are quite a few fans who are attracted by the beauty of this color change and buy it.

“I’ll also serve lemons to the customers who choose the blue syrup. They’ll love it.”

When she imagined the customer’s smiles, her cheeks relaxed.

Her grandmother had continued to run a juice shop to make people smile, and it seems that Alme has definitely inherited some of that in her blood.

Thinking about it makes her heart warm.

“Grandma, I’m going to do my best at the festival stall! I’m going to save Titty’s shop, I promise. I won’t let the Beatos family get away with this debt. I’m going to make all my customers smile, make good sales, and keep the Alme Titty Ice Cream Shop going!”

She dedicate a prayer to her grandmother in heaven and renew her enthusiasm.

The blue syrup, shining like the sky, swayed and shone in response to Alme’s feelings.