Chapter 59: Lit has coffee, Ruti has cocoa
Translator: Tseirp
While Ruti and Tise were working at the storefront, I had Lit make an inventory by counting the type and number of medicine we had in the storeroom.
We did normally manage our inventory but Lit and I discussed and we decided that it was a good opportunity to properly check our inventory.
“Good work.”
I visited the storeroom with two cups of coffee in hand.
Lit was holding a pen and paper and seemed to be struggling with counting the massive number of medicine …
“Ah―! Sheesh! I can’t remember where I counted up till!!”
She shouted in despair.
“Sorry sorry, I’ll help out later so why don’t you take a break?”
“Okay, I’m a little tired.”
We moved to sit at the chairs in the living room.
I could hear Ruti and Tise interacting with the customers at the storefront.
“Are you sure you don’t need to watch that side?”
“There wouldn’t be any meaning in having them help out if I still had to stay there, right? Ruti is a child who would notice that.”
“You understand her very well.”
“Well, she’s my younger sister after all.”
Lit and I took a sip of the coffee at the same time.
“Nn, today’s coffee is rich, there’s plenty of sugar and milk. But it’s still delicious.”
I took a little more effort in brewing today’s coffee.
I added hot water to roughly ground coffee and filtered it through three metallic filters with small apertures.
Since the apertures of the filter were blocked by the coffee ground, the coffee was deliberately extracted over a long time.
As the flavor of the resulting coffee was very strong, I could still make a strong coffee even after adding milk and sugar to it.
“Here’s some herbal tea to cleanse your palate.”
“So it’s a coffee to enjoy during the moment and not for the aftertaste.”
“Yup.”
“Thank you, it’s delicious.”
It was a brewing style to make rich coffee meant to be drunk slowly.
The herbal tea next to it was meant to suitably reset the palate and allow one to experience the refreshing first taste once again.
We enjoyed a calming time together.
☆☆
“Thank you for the treat.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lit placed the cup down with a satisfied look.
We stared at each other silently just for a while.
But Lit immediately stood up.
“Well then, I’ll go over to the storefront.”
“The storefront?”
“It’s about time we let Ruti and Tise have a break too.”
“Then I’ll go to the storefront.”
“No.”
Lit said with a wide smile.
“Obviously Ruti looks forward to having an enjoyable time drinking coffee together with you too.”
Lit left the room before I could say anything.
I played with the coffee cup with my finger. It made a nice sound.
The tableware that Lit chose that even kept within the budget were excellent.
“Well then, I guess I’ll prepare drinks for the two of them.”
I placed the cups on a wooden tray and moved to the kitchen.
☆☆
“Good work, the two of you.”
On the table were three cookies and three cups of sweet-flavored cocoa.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for the treat.”
Ruti’s eyes shined after she grabbed the cup and took a sip.
Tise started with the cookie.
“These are preserved rations that adventurers eat, right?”
Tise showed a surprised expression.
“This is … amazingly delicious.”
“I mixed in some tree nuts that I gathered in the mountain. The taste is similar to cinnamon.”
“Cinnamon … I have never eaten that.”
“Really? Then, I’ll make cinnamon pie for tonight.”
Oh right.
“Also, here, cloth soaked with syrup.”
“Eh?”
“I figured it would be a good snack for that spider.”
I said as I took out a dish with small cut pieces of cloth on it.
The spider on Tise’s shoulder hopped off.
The spider was well-behaved as it raised a hand to greet me before starting to drink the syrup.
“Thank you very much. So you noticed.”
“This child? Of course, since you are on such good terms with it.”
“Ugeuge-san.”
“Ugeuge?”
“Its name is until the ‘san'”
Tise showed a faint smile of happiness as she looked at me.
(Both Gideon-san and Ruti-san gave the same reply when they heard Ugeuge-san’s name. As expected of siblings.)
She lacked facial expressions but the girl called Tise was probably an ordinary girl on the inside just like Ruti.
“Onii-chan.”
“Hn, what is it?”
“Can we have lunch together too?”
I pat Ruti’s head.
This girl, even though I have just been talking about dinner with Tise.
“Of course. That was the original plan after all.”
“Okay.”
“Not just lunch, you’ll be having dinner as well right?”
“Yup.”
Ruti smiled softly.
“Actually, I love Onii-chan’s cooking.”
It was an extremely natural smile. It sparkled and was a lovely smile that others could see that it originated from her heart with just a glance.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Yep!”
“Do you have any requests?”
” … I want to drink honey milk.”
“All right.”
Her request was different from what I expected to hear.
But it was fine.
There was still an hour and a half before lunch.
Maybe I’ll make something delicious which goes well with honey milk.