Volume 2 - CH 56

When Alme arrived at Café Heston, Will and Alyssa greeted her with smiles. They were already looking excited.

The café is closed today, so they can have plenty of time for the prototype meeting and future meetings.

Gathered at the counter table, they first exchange greetings.

“Hello, Mr. Will and Mrs. Alyssa. This is my friend Mr. Falk.”

“My name is Falk. I’m honored to be a member of the group. I look forward to working with you.”

“I’m Will. This is my wife Alyssa. Nice to meet you.”

“Miss Alme, Mr. Falk, welcome to Café Heston. Now, let’s have the taste testing meeting before the ice cream melts!”

Alyssa clapped her hands and then she began to move quickly.

Several different types of glasses are pulled from the shelves and placed on the counter. There are long, tall glasses, glasses with handles, glasses with rounded, bulging bottoms and feet, and so on.

“Which glass would you recommend for the coffee float? If you’re aiming for female customers or wealthy people, I think a stylish decorative glass would be good.”

“Yes, a stylish glass would look nice. It’s a cold drink, so I don’t think it’s too big.”

“If it’s a stylish glass, there’s something like this. Although the number is a little small.”

The glass Alyssa pulled out was a beautifully cut decorative glass.

The delicate lace-like cuts reflects the light and sparkles. It is, as they said in her previous life, cut glass work.

Looking at the fine decorative glass, Falk and Will also offer their opinions.

“It’s a beautiful glass. It seems that noble ladies like it.”

“How about serving it in this glass at first to attract customers, and then using a different glass when the product becomes popular?”

“It’s nice to have a gorgeous glass because it catches the eye so easily! This glass looks like it would hold just the right amount, so let’s go with this one for now.”

After deciding on a glass, Alyssa took out the same glass for the number of people present.

As she looked at the decorative glasses lined up, another menu item popped into Alme’s mind. Come to think of it, in a previous life, there was a gorgeous ice cream served in such glasses, she thought.

(This glass would look great for parfaits. If, as Mr. Falk says, noble ladies like this kind of gorgeous thing, I wonder if parfaits will be popular?)

The parfaits in her previous life were varied and fun to look at. She had a feeling the people of this city would like them.

Alme added what comes to mind to the mental notes in her head. She’ll make a prototype of it one of these days.

Alyssa washed the glasses and Will started preparing the coffee.

Falk put the bag of ice cream on the counter and said to Alme.

“This container here is milk ice cream, and what’s in this smaller one?”

“This is cherries and mint for decoration. I also brought a piece of lemon peel for Shirotaka-chan decoration.”

“Can I help with the decorations? I feel bad about just eating them.”

“Of course. Then, after I serve the ice cream, please?”

Falk’s face lit up when Alme asked him to help. It would be a somewhat interesting sight to see Shirotaka making Shirotaka-chan ice cream.

Will slowly poured hot water over the coffee beans that he had blended in advance.

Coffee drips down into a large glass container – a server. The server is filled with ice, and the hot coffee is quickly cooled.

The hot water was poured in successively and soon the server was full of coffee.

Alyssa put ice in a decorative glass and passed it to Will. Coffee is poured from the server into the glass, and the iced coffee is ready for the first time.

A good aroma fills the shop with the clinking sound of ice. It already looked delicious, but now they’re going to make it into a float.

Alme put milk ice cream on the iced coffee served on the counter. She scooped it from the container with an iced spoon and it floated roundly in the glass.

She passed it to Falk next to her and asked him to decorate it.

Falk used tweezers to add decorations in a crisp manner. He uses lemon peel to add eyes and a beak to the milk ice cream.

“You’re so dexterous, Mr. Falk. I can’t believe it’s your first time.”

“I’m good at detail work. I didn’t think that the skills I developed during my daily surgeries would come in handy in a place like this.”

“That’s a bit…I didn’t want to hear it now.”

“Sorry.”

Alme turned her eyes to Falk, who had let his mouth slip. She wanted him to stop talking about the work of a priest while decorating food… she thought she might lose her appetite.

Looking sideways at the work, Alme took out cherries and mint leaves and gently added it to Shirotaka-chan ice cream.

This completed the coffee float.

Alyssa served the float with caramel syrup in a small milk pitcher.

“I think it would be even tastier if you put some caramel on it. Give it a try.”

“How about a product name like ‘Caramel Shirotaka-chan Coffee Float’?”

“Caramel Shirotaka-chan… haha, that’s interesting. It’s like a new take on it.”

Alme laughed a little at the name Will suggested. She wondered if there will be more types of Shirotaka, such as strawberry Shirotaka, chocolate Shirotaka, and so on.

When she looked at Falk next to her, he had a shy, troubled, and indescribable expression on his face.

When the prototypes were completed for the number of people, they evaluated the finished product. The four of them gathered around the counter and stared intently at the float, exchanging impressions.

“This is the coffee float. Funny how you put a dessert on top of a drink. How did you come up with that?”

“Maybe you can decorate with more flashy edible flowers.”

“A friend of mine who works at a flower shop told me that white flowers are popular these days.”

“I think it would be better if there were colorful flowers instead of white flowers…”

Laughing at Falk’s troubled face, Alme reached for her spoon.

“Now let’s taste it before it melts. Bon appétit.”

Each of them picked up a glass, scooped some ice cream and tasted it.

The combination of aromatic coffee and sweet ice cream is exquisite. Dipping it further into the coffee or pouring the caramel syrup from the pitcher over it, tastes different and delicious.

Falk, who had about half of it in his stomach in no time, said with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Delicious…I’ve lived my whole life without drinking iced coffee itself… but if I can enjoy this refreshing coldness and taste, I’ll be thankful for the heat of Luorio. You can’t get this sensation in the north…”

“Oh, Is Mr. Falk not from Luorio?”

“Yes, I’m from the city of Bereslena in the far north.”

“Oh! Isn’t that from the same place as Mr. Shirotaka?”

“Oh, um, what a great coincidence…! I’m jealous of Mr. Falk for being close to someone famous.”

Alme interrupted the conversation and restrained Falk, who was about to reveal his identity in a relaxed atmosphere.

At the mention of Shirotaka’s name, Will suddenly looked mystified.

“…But I wonder if this coffee float will get me caught for blasphemy by pouring caramel on Shirotaka’s alter ego.”

“Oh, uh, I think it’ll probably be fine.”

“There’s absolutely no problem. Shirotaka likes sweet things, so I think it would be fine to pour caramel or anything on it, that’s what I’ve heard anyway…”

“I can’t quite imagine that Mr. Shirotaka likes sweet things. That person seems to exist only by eating air.”

When Alyssa said it jokingly, Falk made a complicated face and brought his face to Alme’s ear. He whispered softly.

“Is it possible that Shirotaka is not treated as a human being in this world…”

“I don’t know…If anything, you might be treated like a spirit.”

“Then…how do I become human…?”

Alme almost laughed out loud when he said something like a youkai yearning to be a human.

She didn’t want him to be sad because his personality is human enough.

While sitting at the counter seat and enjoying the tasting, they also proceeded with the partnership talk. While looking at the situation, it was decided to try to be positive for the time being.

The delivery of the first milk ice cream was decided on two containers. The size of one container is about the size that can be held lightly with both hands. In terms of her previous life, it’s about 2 liters.

While watching the pace of decrease, they decided to make additional deliveries as needed.

Taking notes in her notebook, Alme surreptitiously calculated the money at hand.

(Assuming that one container is provided for 3,500 G, sales for two will be 7,000 G. One can of raw milk, 260 G and if I assume that we use about four cans of milk and another 200 G for the eggs,  if we subtract the cost from the sales, the profit is…)

Alme wrote the numbers down in her notebook and was about to assemble the equation when Falk whispered to her.

“It’s 5,760 G.”

“Calculator is next to me…”

“Calculator? I’m Falk.”

Alme couldn’t help but mutter the name of a useful machine from a previous life. Falk seems to have a calculator function as well as an air purification function.

Furthermore, since he is knowledgeable, he can also do things like ‘internet search’. She thought she might accidentally call him a personal computer sooner or later.

One per household—no, one Falk per household.

They were talking quietly together, looking at her notebook, when Will brought up another topic.

“I am happy to consult with you if you have any problems, even if they are not related to the products we are selling this time. It must be difficult to run a shop by yourself, isn’t it? Especially when you are a girl, you often get caught up in some kind of dangerous situation.”

“Thank you. For the time being, I now have two employees, and I know that if my search for a match goes well, I will eventually be able to get support from my husband. I just recently had a dinner meeting to find a match…”

“Wait a minute. I’ve never heard you talk about it before.”

Falk interrupted her conversation with Will. Alme hadn’t talked to him about it, so she had to tell him what was going on as well as a story for the occasion.

“Um, actually, I recently started looking for a match. Embarrassingly enough, the first matchup didn’t go well…I’ll try harder next time!”

“Oh my goodness, you’ve been through a lot. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Miss Alme is close in age to my son and his wife, and I may be able to help you find a match.”

“When the time comes, I’ll appreciate your support.”

Following Darnell’s example, she bowed her head respectfully to Alyssa.

Alme has no relatives, so she is grateful for this kind of connection. She hoped to receive support if she is stuck in matchmaking.

Falk asked with a solemn expression.

“What kind of person was your partner at that dinner party?”

“I don’t know how to say it, he had a kind of loose atmosphere with an earring dangling, and when he left, he blew a kiss at me.”

“Kiss…! Oh please don’t! A man who would make a move that quickly!”

Falk raised his voice. She was surprised and, at the same time, she laughed out loud. He was talking sternly like a father.

This is just an image, though, since Alme does not have a father in this world.

As she was shaking her shoulders and holding back her laughter, Falk let out a big sigh and held his head. He let out a whisper while glaring at Alme.

“It’s no laughing matter. Even though I’m worried about your safety… Would you like me to be an interviewer? I’ll be sure to test any potential suitors, such as their propensity to flirt.”

“What kind of test is that? It sounds like an employment exam. Please don’t do that. If Mr. Falk becomes an interviewer, I’ll never be able to get married.”

There are only a handful of people in this world who can pass the high-ranking priest exam. She didn’t have any high hopes of hitting the elite, so please don’t give her a hard time.

When Alme flatly refused, Falk frowned and let out another big sigh.

Seeing Falk’s condition, Mr. Heston and his wife both look at each other.

“My goodness.”

“Oh, dear.”

They both giggled, muttering similar things to each other.

After that, they watched the exchange between Alme and Falk with strangely lukewarm smiles.