Kuro’s direction for her Neo Baby Castella Blend was more or less settled, and the plan was to release it in two months alongside her other new products.
The following morning, I set out for Elise-san’s shop. When I thought of coffee lovers, Ozma-san was the first person who came to mind, but Elise-san’s shop was much closer to my house.
Actually, come to think of it, I didn't even know where Ozma-san lived. While the Underworld King-sama’s castle was the most likely possibility, it wouldn't be strange if he had a home somewhere else.
Well, I planned to ask him via Hummingbird later and then head over with some samples for promotion, so I decided to visit Elise-san first.
Elise-san was almost always at her shop except on her regular days off, and since she’d mentioned she rarely went out, there was a high probability she’d be there.
However, when I arrived at the shop...
"Gah."
"Ah, hello... Are you closed for the day?"
Elise-san was standing right in front of the shop, just about to hang a "Temporarily Closed" sign on the door.
"As usual, your timing is impeccable, Human-san. Well, fine. You have business, don't you? Get inside the shop quickly."
"Eh? Is it alright? If you’re closed, don't you have somewhere to be?"
"I have an errand to run this afternoon. Since there's little point in opening for only the morning, I decided to close for the entire day. That said, I have time until noon, so I can at least deal with you, Human-san. If it's something troublesome, I'll kick you right back out, but I'll at least hear you out for now."
"I see. Well then, excuse the intrusion."
As always, there was a bit of a sting in her tone... but given that she didn't complain about my arrival or try to turn me away, I figured she was a kind person at heart.
At her prompting, I entered the shop, and she pulled out a chair for me.
"So, what brings you here this time?"
"Actually, an acquaintance... or rather, Kuro—the Underworld King—gave me some samples of a new coffee her trading company is planning to release. I came to share some as a way of promoting it."
"The Underworld King-sama's trading company... coffee... Do you mean this is a new product from the Dual Star Trading Company!?"
"I didn't actually know the name of the company... but judging by your reaction, I take it they're famous?"
"Calling them 'famous' is an understatement; they are the undisputed leaders among companies that handle coffee. In almost any café, a significant portion of the products they serve are from the Dual Star Trading Company."
It seemed the company was even more renowned than I had imagined. I knew that all of Kuro's businesses were top-tier in their respective fields, but Elise-san’s intense interest took me by surprise.
"Human-san... it seems you actually do visit for good reasons occasionally."
"You make it sound like I only ever bring bad news..."
"I won't say it's every time, but it is a fact that you're often followed by trouble. Whether you do it intentionally or not is another matter... though I suppose that’s just part of who you are. So, what is this new product like?"
"It looks like there are several varieties, and I received quite a few samples. I’ll set them out on the table."
While she clearly had a strong interest in the new coffee, she didn't show the same overwhelming intensity as someone like Ein-san. Then again, Ein-san is just an outlier... and I suppose Jutia-san also loses her cool whenever black tea is involved.
In any case, Elise-san seemed a bit more energized than usual, but otherwise, she remained her calm self.
"There certainly are a lot of varieties. I wonder if they'll be released as a series... Well, since you're here, I'll brew one. Is there a specific one you'd like to try, Human-san?"
"I'm not an expert on coffee, so I'll leave the choice to you."
"Hmm, then something smooth without any overpowering characteristics would be best... Perhaps this one. I'll go brew it now, so please wait a moment."
"Ah, alright. Thank you."
Elise-san retreated to the back of the shop. After a short wait, she returned with a cup of freshly brewed coffee and placed it in front of me along with a slice of cake.
"Since you brought something good, I'll provide the cake."
"Thank you... but wait, wasn't that really fast? Does coffee usually brew that quickly?"
"Ah, it's quite an expensive item, but I have a specialized Magic Tool that uses Space-Time Magic to shorten the extraction time. Since I am a coffee lover through and through, I own quite a collection of coffee-related Magic Tools."
"I see. That sounds incredibly convenient."
"Convenient, yes, but prohibitively expensive, so few people actually buy them. They're also quite large, so they are primarily intended for use in professional establishments like cafes."
Elise-san sat across from me and began to chat while savoring her coffee. There was only a plate of cake in front of me; her side of the table was empty.
"Oh? Aren't you having any cake, Elise-san?"
"I'm not particularly fond of cake. That was intended for guests, so one portion is more than enough."
"I see."
"This blend is excellent. It's well-balanced and seems like it would pair well with almost anything."
After her concise review, the conversation turned entirely to the new coffee products, and we spent some time chatting about the different blends.
Serious-senpai: "For guests... Considering Elise's personality, she probably means Kaito and Alice, right?"
???: "No way. She's always radiating a 'Hurry Up and Go Home Aura' when I'm around and won't even offer me a glass of water. That was definitely a cake she bought specifically for Kaito-san."
Serious-senpai: "Well, an appearance from Alice appearing equals an order or work, and she certainly made it clear she wanted you to leave during the Interludes. When you look at it that way, I guess she really is much softer toward Kaito..."