The Coffee Shop in a Different World Station Chapter 3

"Dear pa.s.sengers, thank you for traveling with us. This is the last stop for this train. Please present your tickets at the ticket gate. Please board the second train to Woodford when returning as the arriving train will be sent for maintenance. Take care to not leave any luggage behind."

"On another note, there are free drinks for guests with children in our coffee shop today. Please feel free to drop by."

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"No, I don’t want tooooo!! I want to go backkkkkk!!"

The first train had arrived on time today. When the first signs of spring had finally started to show, a shrill scream echoed throughout the peaceful station. Tak.u.mi, who was acting as the 'station master's representative' and collecting the arriving guests' tickets, wondered what could have happened and looked around for the source. He then saw a small girl stubbornly clinging to the train door, crying, while her mother tried to calm her down. Since he saw that the conductor had responded to the child’s cry and had rushed to them, Tak.u.mi entrusted the situation to him and continued with his ticketing work.

After a while, the queue at the ticket gate had disappeared, leaving only a pair of pa.s.sengers. It seemed like the conductor had managed to get them off the train while he had been collecting the tickets. Tak.u.mi took over from the conductor and approached sitting on a platform bench.

"Thank you for your patronage today. Do you happen to be tired from travelling?"

"Ah, I’m fine, but the long journey seems to have frustrated my child… I’m really sorry for causing a scene."

The woman who responded seemed to be the mother. She was wearing a white capelin hat, adorned with a sky blue ribbon, and a shawl over her white long dress. It gave her an elegant, prim, and proper atmosphere. On the other hand, the little girl, who was puffing up her cheeks splendidly and sulkingly, was wearing a white flare dress like her mother and had a big, red ribbon tied on top of her head.

"No, no, even adults find long trips unbearable sometimes, I’m sure it must be difficult for small children as well. How about this? Once you are done validating your tickets, would you like to head to the coffee shop?"

"Coffee shop, was it? There is one nearby?"

"Yes ma'am, I was given permission to renovate one of the corners of the waiting room and turn it into a coffee shop. Just for today, we have a free drink service for pa.s.sengers with children, so please feel free to make use of it."

"Oh my! What a kind offer. Much appreciated. I’m sure this child will settle down if she rests a bit… Come, Liana, I hear you can get a drink there. Let’s go."

The girl, Liana turned her face away from her mother. Nevertheless, when the mother took her hand, she reluctantly headed towards the ticket gate, still pouting. Tak.u.mi helped the mother-daughter pair with their luggage while guiding them there.

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"Thanks for travelling with us. Today that'll be one free drink for the cute Liana-chyan! What would you like, mrrhm?"

Nyaachi had heard about the circ.u.mstances from Tak.u.mi, who had guided the mother-daughter pair to the coffee shop. The girl was sitting down on a seat, so she crouched down to be on Liana's eye level before talking to her. The drinks that the children could select from the free menu were: fresh milk that had just arrived, café au lait with plenty of milk, and fresa au lait – a fruit juice made of a small, sweet and sour, red fruit that was crushed and mixed with milk. Liana glanced at the menu, but then turned away sulkily. The mother, seeing Nyaachi panic, made an order instead.

"I’m really sorry. Uhh, well then, can you give her this fresa au lait?"

"Certainly! Then, does Liana-chyan’s mama want coffee, or one of the drinks offered just nyow?"

"Oh my, I can order too? Then, I want a… a hot cafe au lait, please."

"Got it! Please wait a moment-nya!"

Nyaachi headed to the counter and took out several fredag fruits (strawberries) that were floating in a bucket, removed the calyx, and placed them in a small mortar. She started to sway and hum a tune with as she crushed the fresa fruit with a wooden pestle, her ears moving in rhythm with the song. Once the fruits was crushed into small bits, the mash was poured into the milk. When the fresa juice mixed with the pure white milk, the drink took a faint pink color. Nyaachi checked the taste, added a touch of honey as a secret ingredient, and stirred the whole thing well to crush the fresa fruits further. After pouring it into a gla.s.s through a small, fine mesh to strain the remaining pulp, the fresa au lait was ready. Meanwhile, she mixed the milk, which was kept warm on the oven stove, with the insulated pot containing cinnamon coffee to create the hot cafe au lait.

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"Thank you for waiting. One fresa au lait for Liana-chyan, and one hot cafe au lait for Mama-san. Please help yourself-nya!"

Nyaachi placed the free drinks on the tray and carried them to the table where Liana-chyan was still sulking. Even though the girl was still in a bad mood, it seemed the fresa au lait piqued her interest a little as she kept sneaking glances towards the gla.s.s.

"This fresa au lait is made by combining fresh milk and real fresa juice. It’s yummy, y’knyow."

When Nyaachi leaned in close in order to start a conversation, Liana finally opened her mouth.

"I… I don’t want to drink a childish drink like this! Isn’t there anything more suitable for a lady?"

"Liana, this is something made specially for you, you shouldn't be so rude."

Even though her mother chided her, Liana didn’t seem to care.

"I really don’t want to drink this, so it's fine."

"Is that so. Even though I’ve made it so nyummy… Then, since it’ll be a waste to throw it away, can I have it instead-nya?"

Nyaachi, whose cat ears drooped in disappointment, tried to take away the fresa au lait from Liana with a pleading look. The girl panicked and immediately held onto the gla.s.s.

"Don’t, don’t be silly! This is for me right? Well, it can’t be helped that it looks childish, I'll drink it. Also, it’s not Liana-chyan, call me Liana-san!"

Unable to resist it any more, Liana kept on talking quickly while picking up the fresa au lait and drinking it in one gulp. The sweet and sour taste of the fresa mixed with the mellowness of the milk spread within her mouth. She unconsciously smiled with a blissful look on her face, entirely engrossed with the taste.

"It… it isn’t that delicious…"

When Liana noticed that Nyaachi and her mother were watching quietly, she quickly tried to put on another sour face. But, it was difficult to adopt a pout on a face once it had softened up. Liana turned away, either from embarra.s.sment or awkwardness. At that moment, after being recently stimulated by the fresa au lait, her stomach echoed with a loud rumbling noise.

"Oh my, oh my, come to think of it, it’s already lunch time. Could it be, you were in a bad mood because you’re hungry? It was very early in the morning…"

Liana nodded slightly at her mother’s words, looking down to hide her cheeks flushed from embarra.s.sment. Her mother looked at Liana with a sweet smile, and gently patted her head. Then, she spoke to Nyaachi.

"Well then, since we’re here, I would like to have something to eat. What do you have on the menu?"

Liana suddenly raised her voice, shouting over her mother’s words.

"I want something fit for a lady, not a fancy menu!"

Nyaachi's ears perked up at Liana’s words, and she answered the girl with a big smile.

"Cerrrtainly! Hmm, how about our chef’s special lunch set-mrrhm?"

"I don’t mind. But, don't leave a lady waiting!"

The mother chided Liana again for her persistently stubborn att.i.tude.

"I am really sorry about that. As for me, I can’t eat too much right now, so just something light will do… If possible, I’d like something sour, please."

Nyaachi took the order and answered with a smile as usual.

"Nya got it! Well then, please wait a while!"

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Tak.u.mi was in the kitchen deep-frying foods for the imminent lunchtime business when he heard the orders that Nyaachi had received. He wondered what to make. Today, the lunch set was supposed to consist of: A set – seafood curry with a lot of sh.e.l.lfish, served along with corn couscous; B set – corn tortilla tacos filled with karaage, beans, minced meat, and topped with piri piri salsa; and C set – beef slowly roasted in the oven stove and covered with gravy. Every one of these was for adults, and couldn’t possibly suit the palate of a small child like Liana. However, it would be lunchtime soon and the shop would become crowded with customers. There was no time to make something complicated.

That being the case, Tak.u.mi went into the food pantry to select the necessary ingredients while thinking of the suitable candidate for the special lunch menu. Firstly, he brought out two kinds of flour from the food cabinet: corn flour and soy flour. Along with it, he also brought out eggs, milk, b.u.t.ter, colza oil, baking soda, and sugar that tasted like brown sugar but had slightly larger crystals. Having gathered the ingredients, Tak.u.mi started by cracking the eggs into a bowl and beating them with a whisk to incorporate plenty of air. Once the eggs were sufficiently whisked, he liberally added in sugar, milk, and just a pinch of baking soda before mixing everything together again. He then put some of the mixture onto the back of his hand and licked to check the taste. Dissatisfied, he added a pinch of salt, and gently mixed again. Once the sweet and thick egg mixture was made, he combined the corn flour and soy flour in a 1:1 ratio, sifted it, and added it in in several portions. As he checked the stiffness of the batter, he made sure to mix it properly to trap in as much air as possible. He thought it was a little runny, so he kept adding in more flour until he happy with the thickness. Then he poured in a spoonful of colza oil and mixed it in thoroughly. With that, the batter was completed.

While he was making the batter, he preheated a frying pan on the oven stove coating it with a thin layer of b.u.t.ter. Next, he scooped the batter till the ladle was half-full, and gently poured it into the middle of the frying pan letting the creamish-yellow liquid slowly spread on the surface. Paying attention to the temperature of the frying pan so the batter did not burn, he waited until the edges dried up a little, and bubbles began to pop out on the batter's surface. This was the cue to flip it over. He did that by sliding a spatula between the batter and the iron surface. His reward was a delicious looking, slightly dark, brown color. He left it like that for a while, cooking the other side carefully, until the batter that he poured in expanded to double the initial thickness.

Just like that, he cooked three specially-made, small, palm-sized pancakes, and stacked them on a round plate with part.i.tions, in a way that filled up the big part.i.tion on the plate. On top of the pancakes, he placed a cut piece of b.u.t.ter and plenty of honey and next to them some freshly whipped cream, and jam that he had previously made from fresa fruits. On the bottom of one of the two smaller part.i.tions, he laid shredded lechuga (lettuce), and two pieces of karaage from the lunch. In the other one, he placed some potato salad made by mixing mashed potatoes ( used in the lunch set ), boiled eggs ( from the breakfast set ) some chopped, long, slender, deep green vegetable called pepino (cuc.u.mber), homemade mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste.

Strawberry pancakes

After that, Tak.u.mi started on the final touches for this special lunch set. He took out a small piece of paper from the corner of the kitchen and drew a smiley face in the centre. He then glued it to a short, wooden skewer which was as thin as a matchstick, and poked it through the centre of the pancakes.

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"Master, it is wonderful. I’ve never seen a lunch set like this before!" said Roland, a boy that still had traces of innocence about him and wore a white ap.r.o.n over his jeans.

He was aspiring to become a chef, and the food he had eaten on his previous visit to this coffee shop had shocked him to the core. Thus, he came to help out in the kitchen, a partly uninvited apprentice of sorts, in order to receive guidance from Tak.u.mi. Tak.u.mi was perplexed at first, but was eventually moved by the boy's eagerness seeing him run to the store everyday. The journey took Roland about 30 minutes by foot every morning once he was done helping out his fishermen parents. Tak.u.mi hired him as an apprentice, mainly to help during the lunch hours.

"Yeah, actually I wanted to make hamburger steak as a children’s lunch set. But, as expected, there wasn’t enough time. Hey! Hands off! You’ll ruin it."

"Ah, I’m sorry! So, what are you going to make for the mother?"

"Yeah, about that… Let’s use this combination, I guess."

"Eh?"

Roland was surprised by the combination of ingredients Tak.u.mi had prepared on the table. There was homemade yogurt from fermented milk, pomelo (grapefruit), a citrus fruit that was more sour and bitter than naranja (orange), and honey. It was almost like a combination for desserts, and even though there was honey, there was enough a.s.sorted sour ingredients to stimulate salivation just by looking at them. Roland, who wasn’t good with sourness, frowned unconsciously.

"Yeah, I don’t usually combine them like this."

Tak.u.mi had a hunch. When he was interacting with the pair in the station earlier, Liana’s mother looked somewhat sickly. In addition to this, a mother who ordered sour food because she had no appet.i.te, while wearing a long dress that was loose on the stomach, and Liana, who kept throwing tantrums like a child younger than her actual age… naturally led to one answer.

Tak.u.mi prepared the pomelo fruits by cutting them into wedges with a kitchen knife and pared them one after another. As he removed all the fibers and tufts of skin, the flesh of the pomelo fruit, midway between orange and pink in color, was exposed, and a unique sweet and sour fruity smell filled the air. After a minute spent on doing that, he added a little honey to the yogurt and mixed it. He then mixed the sauce with the fruit as a dressing and served it in a deep bowl with a mint leaf on top. He then arranged it on a wooden tray together with another bowl that contained potato salad which was dished up earlier.

Graprefruit yogurt

With this, the preparation of the special lunch set for the mother and daughter was complete. Tak.u.mi placed each dish on the shelf by the window that part.i.tioned the kitchen and the counter, and rang the bell to signal that they were ready.

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The mother gently watched Liana eat her lunch wholeheartedly. Her daughter was never a light eater, but she was always very picky about her food. She wouldn’t even touch food that didn’t suit her tastes. Right now, however, she was enthusiastically eating a potato salad which contained her disliked pepino with a dimple on her cheek that soon grew into a full smile. What surprised Liana’s mother more, though, was the lunch prepared for her. The grapefruit with the sourness of the white sauce was perfect for her current appet.i.te and physical condition. Also, whatever was mixed into the mashed potato, or used as the seasoning, that gave the salad a sour flavor, made it very easy to eat. Above all, the smell of meat and fish brought a tightness to her chest at today, so this lunch prepared with fruits and vegetables was a welcome sight.

"How is it? Does it suit your taste?"

Tak.u.mi came to the mother and daughter’s to greet them. Liana responded with the liveliest voice she had today.

"Yesh, it’s veeeery yummy! Thanksssss, Uncle!"

"It's fine, as long as you enjoy it. Ah, how about you, madam? Are you able to eat it?"

"Yes, it’s very delicious. Thank you very much. Uhm… Did you maybe notice that I am pregnant?"

"No, I just suspected that was the case. Looks like it was a good guess after all."

"Yes, but there’s still time before it’s due to be born."

"You know, Liana is going to be a big sister!"

Liana, having finished her lunch, cut in while Tak.u.mi and her mother were talking. Her mother smiled tenderly, and gently patted her head. Then, she spoke to Tak.u.mi.

"I was able to get a nice lunch for this girl and the child in my belly. Thanks to you, this girl cheered up, and I was able to eat plenty after a long time. I’m really grateful."

"You’re welcome, I’m glad you had a good meal. Please do not push yourself, and spend everyday peacefully. Liana-chan too, you have to help your mother a lot, okay?"

"Yeees! I’m going to be a big sis, so I'll do my best to help!"

After finishing their lunch, Liana and her mother boarded a carriage in front of the station with renewed vigour, and rode off in the direction of the springs. They would surely be resting in the hot springs area for a while. Tak.u.mi offered a silent prayer while working on today’s lunch business that a healthy baby would be safely born.