Black tea, green tea, and coffee.
In Village Five, tea was the latest craze.
The trend had been sparked by my own shop, Kuro and Yuki, along with Cafe Blue. Of course, that isn't to say these two shops were the first to introduce the residents to the concept of tea. A culture of tea-drinking had existed long before they ever opened their doors.
However, since Village Five was primarily composed of new migrants, most people had initially refrained from such luxuries. Between the construction rush and the need to establish their lives, they had prioritized working and earning a living over relaxing with a hot drink. It made sense; everyone wants to stabilize their foundations before they start worrying about leisure.
I believe the catalyst was the fact that Kuro and Yuki and Cafe Blue opened just as that stabilization was taking root. Before long, having tea at midday became a status symbol among a segment of the local housewives.
Once that happened, those with a sharp eye for business began offering tea at food stalls and small shops. Some establishments imitated our shops directly, while others tried to differentiate themselves through lower prices or unique services. As the number of venues increased, consumption skyrocketed.
The tea leaf production in the immediate vicinity of Village Five couldn't keep up with the demand, prompting merchants to source leaves from various regions to sell wholesale. Since leaves from different areas had distinct flavors, this led to even more variety. Eventually, residents began seeking out specific blends that suited their personal tastes, making tea a permanent fixture of their daily lives. The boom showed no signs of slowing down.
"Naturally, I’m taking measures to ensure the trend doesn’t spiral out of control," Yoko told me as she sipped her green tea.
We were in a room at Yoko’s mansion in Village Five. I had originally designed this space to be a Japanese-style tatami room for my own use, but Yoko had essentially commandeered it. Well, as long as she enjoyed it, I didn't mind. I wasn't able to stay here very often anyway.
"The real issue is the coffee," she continued. "Since the raw beans are only produced in the Village of the Great Tree, the prices have surged. I could live with that, but now counterfeits are starting to hit the market."
"Counterfeits?" I asked. "You mean substitutes like dandelion coffee?"
"If only. Those would be fine. No, these are just jars of black water. There are many ways to turn water black, but almost none of them result in something a person should actually ingest. Let’s just say that the ones who used ink were actually on the more palatable end of the spectrum."
I was at a loss for words.
"What’s worse, they use a few genuine coffee beans just for the scent to deceive people, so they actually end up drinking it. We’ve had over a hundred people come down with stomachaches. I’ve already cracked down on those shops, of course, but there are always others looking to try the same trick."
It was a massive headache of a problem.
"I was going to ask if you could increase bean production, but did you say this 'dandelion' thing can actually work as a replacement?"
Apparently, it could, though I wasn't sure if we had any dandelions nearby. If I recalled correctly, you made it by roasting the roots.
"I see. The roots. I’ll have the merchants look into it."
"I’ve also heard you can use things like soybeans or acorns as substitutes."
"Soybeans seem practical. As for acorns, that would be a matter of the season—we’ll have to wait for autumn. Hmm."
Yoko and I continued to discuss coffee alternatives over our tea.
While tea was the height of fashion in Village Five, there was one demographic that remained largely uninterested: the drunkards.
"Pah! I’ll take a stiff drink over a cup of refined tea any day."
"Damn right. Give me booze over leaves."
"As long as I’ve got my sake, I’m a happy man."
A few of the taverns had converted into tea specialty shops, but that was as far as the trend’s influence went for them. The drinkers wanted their alcohol regardless of what the rest of the village was doing.
"Master! Bring us some drinks! Make it three!"
"Certainly," the bartender replied. "In that case, might I suggest these?"
"...Wait, what’s with the tea?"
"It’s a cocktail of green tea and spirits—a Green Tea-wari."
"..."
"And this one is black tea mixed with spirits—a Black Tea-wari."
"..."
"Lastly, a blend of coffee and spirits—a Coffee-wari."
"..."
"Will you not be drinking?"
"I—I’ll drink it, but..."
The drunkards didn't care about the tea boom. They really, truly didn't care.
Meanwhile, a certain rumor was circulating through the village—the legend of a Dwarven Secret Tavern.
And these weren't just any dwarves. It was said to be an Elder Dwarven Secret Tavern. To the drinkers of Village Five, visiting this hidden spot was a dream of the highest order.
This secret tavern had first appeared within the underground shopping street. It was operated out of a hidden space no larger than four-and-a-half tatami mats, serving only a handful of customers at a time. A place where only those clever enough to find it could drink—that had been the original concept.
"We hid this space during the design phase of the underground mall! There’s no way anyone could find it!"
"Exactly. Only the few of us involved in the construction know it’s here."
"Fufufu. A quiet drink in a secret tavern. This is the life."
The Elder Dwarves had been quite proud of themselves. However, they had drastically underestimated the sheer obsession of a dedicated drunkard.
The place was exposed in the blink of an eye, and the tiny tavern in the mall was soon packed to bursting. When a line started forming outside in the hallway, the Acting Village Head, Yoko, stepped in and ordered it closed.
That should have been the end of it, but the Elder Dwarves refused to give up. They found a new spot and built another one. The drunkards found them again. A crowd gathered, and it was closed once more. This cycle repeated itself several times, yet the secret tavern lived on.
On a different note, a new inn had recently opened at the foot of Village Five. It wasn't your typical lodging; it was a Sea Race-Dedicated Inn, featuring a complex network of waterways weaving throughout the interior and exterior. The guest rooms even came equipped with large water tanks.
With the short-distance teleportation gate making Shashato City so accessible, the number of visitors from the Sea Race had increased, making such a facility necessary. To be honest, I had suspected that since the gate made the ocean only minutes away, most of them would just go home instead of staying the night.
I was wrong. A significant number of guests arrived.
Part of it was that using the gate could sometimes be time-consuming, and staying at the inn allowed them to enjoy Village Five from early morning until late at night. But the biggest factor was the emotional sentiment. The Sea Race were deeply moved that an inn had been built specifically for them. Many of those with wealth to spare chose to stay there simply because they didn't want such a thoughtful establishment to go out of business.
As a result, the turnout was better than we ever imagined—a welcome dilemma.
Down in the basement of this Sea Race-Dedicated Inn, in a space where one could look through glass partitions into the waterways, the Elder Dwarves were currently holding their heads in their hands.
"I never imagined this inn would become so popular."
"We put so much work into this spot... Is it already over?"
"Most likely. Besides, the sight of us dwarves hanging around an inn for the Sea Race is suspicious enough on its own."
"Gunuugh! I was so sure this plan would work!"
"Look, isn't it about time we just stop hiding and open a regular shop? It would be so much easier. If we asked the Village Head, he’d probably set us up with a decent-sized place."
"You fool! You don't understand at all!"
"Understand what?"
"The fact that it’s hidden is the whole point!"
And so, the Elder Dwarven Secret Tavern began its search for its next home.
Yoko: "By the way, Village Head. I heard you’ve been shipping coffee beans to Earth’s shop in the Royal Capital?"
Village Head: "W-well, my son and daughter are working hard there, so I wanted to support them..."
Yoko: "I’m not scolding you. Really, I’m not. It’s just that we get visitors from the Royal Capital who know what real coffee tastes like. Substitutes won't pass muster with them."
Village Head: "I understand. I’ll give serious thought to increasing our coffee bean production."