The Coffee Shop in a Different World Station

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Dear pa.s.sengers, thank you for travelling with us. This station is the last stop for this train.
Please show your tickets at the ticket gate. The arriving train will return as the second train to Woodford after maintenance and inspection. Please mind your belongings.
– In addition, please queue up in an orderly fashion as it can get very crowded at the ticket gates.

「Hey, it"s a simultaneous telegram.」

Tak.u.mi, who had added breakfast to their services, left the catering to Nyaachi and went to welcome the first train that came to the platform. As Tak.u.mi was greeted by the conductor of the first train, which had arrived ten minutes before the departure time as always, he was handed a memo. It seemed that it was a telegram.

Since Harper Town, the location where Tak.u.mi had worked as the station master"s representative, did not have its own telegraph machine, telegrams were sent to the train depot"s telegraph machine. However, Tak.u.mi rarely received telegrams from anyone aside from his regular business contacts, so this was the first time he had ever received a "Special Simultaneous Telegram" since he had started to work at this station.

Tak.u.mi confirmed the contents of the telegram and furrowed his brows. After sorting out his thoughts, he carefully folded the memo and pocketed it. Then, he heaved a big sigh, donned his working face, and headed off to the ticket gate. There were already many pa.s.sengers who were waiting to board the train.

「Thank you for waiting. I will be inspecting the tickets for the first train today. Boarding pa.s.sengers, please present your tickets at the gate.」

Tak.u.mi greeted every customer who pa.s.sed through the ticket gate with his usual smile. Amidst the bustling atmosphere, the sounds of the ticket puncher clicked rhythmically. Whenever he saw the face of a regular, he would briefly greet them while ensuring not to hold up the queue. He did not neglect the new customers either and politely wished them a good day. Tak.u.mi, who sent off each customer in this manner with a smile, was trying to abide by the lessons that were taught to him in his early days as the station master"s representative.

After inspecting the tickets for the first train, Tak.u.mi would hurry to prepare for the lunch service before the first train arrived. First, for the garnish for the lunch sets, Tak.u.mi returned to the kitchen where he checked the contents of the stockpot on the rocket stove. He had prepared it in the morning before he started inspecting tickets at the gate. In the stockpot, cleanly peeled patatas (potatoes), which had been quartered, were dancing about in the boiling water.

After he checked the patata, Tak.u.mi took out a dark green pepino (cuc.u.mber) that had been soaked in water, a bright orange zanahoria (carrot), and a fresh, pure white cebolla (onion). He roughly chopped the pepino into six pieces and julienned the zanahoria after he peeled off its skin. He then chopped them into fine pieces and placed them into a bowl, where he then sprinkled on some salt and mixed them well. Then, he peeled the cebolla, sliced it in half, and chopped it into somewhat small slices before soaking it in salt water. Even though fresh cebollas were less pungent, he added this small step so that it would be easier to eat.

「Good morning, master! What should I do today?」

Roland arrived with a cheerful greeting as Tak.u.mi was preparing the lunch set. Tak.u.mi returned the greeting and thanked him for helping out. He then explained today"s menu and arrangements to Roland once he had put on his outfit and had washed his hands properly. As usual, Roland would be in charge of preparing the rice, which was a rice of the long grain variety called arroz, for Set A, and toasting the bread and tortilla for Sets B and C. These were the preparations a.s.signed to him according to today"s menu.

「Now then, would you like to make the usual sauce for today? It"s a bit tricky to prepare, but can I entrust it to you?」

「Roger! I"ll do my best!」

Tak.u.mi instructed Roland to prepare the fresh eggs which had arrived this morning, colza (rapeseed) oil, sugar, salt, and white wine vinegar. The sauce for today only required the yolk of the eggs, so Roland carefully cracked the washed egg sh.e.l.ls into two and separated the yolks from the egg whites into separate bowls using the sh.e.l.l. At first, it felt like a magic trick, but through constant practice in preparing the employees" meals and trial products, it had become a familiar skill to him now.

「The egg yolks are prepared!」

「Thanks, do you remember the seasoning?」

「Err… sugar, salt, and vinegar! Combine and mix them together thoroughly!」

「Yep, that"s right. You can start making it, but be careful not to dilute the seasoning too much because you can"t revert the taste once you"ve done it.」

Tak.u.mi gave instructions to Roland as he skillfully carried out his own preparations. As instructed, Roland added sugar, salt, and white wine vinegar into the bowl of egg yolks. The egg yolks were then whisked well till they turned slightly whitish.

「How"s this?」

Roland pa.s.sed the bowl to Tak.u.mi, who tasted it to check on the taste of the mixture.
He then added in a little more salt, nodded with a smile, and gave Roland an okay sign.

「This is good. Now, the real work starts here. You don"t have to rush, so do it carefully.」

「Roger!」

Roland received the bowl back from Tak.u.mi, poured in a little colza oil which flowed like a piece of thread, and whisked it well. It was the most difficult part of making this sauce since this part greatly influenced the outcome of the finished product. When he first started, Roland poured a lot of oil in at once, making it impossible to mix the eggs and colza oil properly, but now, he had learned enough to carefully pour the oil in little by little. He only needed a small bowl"s worth of oil for 3 egg yolks. At the same time as he poured, he must keep on whisking the contents of the bowl, which was a physically demanding job. Despite that, Roland persisted patiently and carefully.

After about 5 minutes of pouring and whisking, half of the colza oil had been used up, and the egg mixture became thicker and creamier. An obstacle that had troubled him before had finally been overcome. Roland continued to pour the colza oil into the mixture and increased his pace. The contents became increasingly thick with the addition of the oil, and when he was done, a creamy and flavourful sauce called mayonnaise was completed. He scooped a little of the completed sauce with a spoon and placed it on the back of his hand to taste. The sourness of the wine vinegar and the strong fragrance of the oil was softened by the rich flavours of the egg yolk, resulting in a more mellow flavour.

"Master, I"ve made the sauce!"

Roland pa.s.sed the completed sauce to Tak.u.mi. No matter how many times he repeated it, this moment was always tense. Tak.u.mi did the same as Roland and tasted the sauce off the back of his hand. Due to Roland"s thorough performance, the sauce seemed to have emulsified properly. It was not too sour either, and thus, it was a satisfactory product.

"Yep, this is perfect. Now, let"s have you help me with this."

"Roger!"

As instructed by Tak.u.mi, Roland held down a large bowl firmly with both hands. The bowl contained all the patatas, which Tak.u.mi had mashed with a wooden spatula before mixing in the mayonnaise. It formed a white paste with a tinge of yellow. Once the paste became somewhat smooth, Tak.u.mi pa.s.sed the remainder of the mixing over to Roland. In the meantime, Tak.u.mi wrapped the finely chopped and salted pepino and the zanahoria with a piece of cloth, squeezed out the excess water, and mixed them into a bowl along with the drained cebolla slices. Finally, he added in salt, pepper, and mostaza (mustard)－a seed with a uniquely mild yet pungent flavour－after checking the overall taste of the mixture. With the pale yellow paste intertwined with green and orange, a beautiful pepino salad was completed.

"But really, this sauce… er, mayonnaise, was it? It"s really amazing!"

"Is that so? Where I come from, it was commonly served on dining tables. It was packaged in bottles and sold too."

"Really? Then, why don"t you sell it in the shop?"

Tak.u.mi forced a smile at Roland"s frankness.

"I wish I could… but unfortunately, it does not last long at room temperature. Even a.s.suming it did, isn"t it really difficult to produce this in large batches?"

Tak.u.mi patted his arm while he answered Roland.

"Ah… you"re right. Even my arms are sore. It took so much effort for just this little amount!"

This time, it was Roland"s turn to force a smile. As this silly conversation continued, Nyaachi opened the door between the hall and the kitchen and cried out.

"Hubby~! The electric tr… no, bullet tr…? Nyaaa~! The train depot people came to deliver something~!"

It was the second irregular telegram today. Tak.u.mi took the memo that was entrusted to Nyaachi and checked the contents. Just like with the first telegram, his expression turned serious as he read it.

"Master? Did something happen?"

Roland looked at Tak.u.mi anxiously.

"Hmm, just a bit… Hmm…"

Tak.u.mi folded his arms in thought. He checked the ingredients prepared for today"s lunch service one more time. On the kitchen table, there were the chicken thighs that had been marinating in yogurt since yesterday. The chicken, tender from the enzymes in the yogurt, was to be used as the main ingredient for Set C.

"Hmm… Okay, this is sudden, but I"m going to change the menu. Today"s Set C is canceled; we"re going with just Lunch Set A and B. For now, can you start boiling the arroz as usual, Roland?"

Roland, surprised by Tak.u.mi"s sudden decision, asked him again.

"Master, what"s happening?"

"Well, there"s probably going to be some trouble later on today, and I"ll probably be dragged into it as a station master representative. So, can I leave the kitchen work for today"s lunch service to you, Roland?"

"Eh? Ar- are you serious?!"

Roland"s eyes widened in surprise at Tak.u.mi"s sudden request.

"Yeah, the stew for Set A is already done, so it"s fine to just serve it as usual. I"m sure you can prepare the sandwich for Set B on the spot at your current level, so there shouldn"t be a problem with that…"

"B-but I"ve never worked alone…"

Roland looked at Tak.u.mi worriedly.

"You"ll be fine. If you"re calm like you normally are, you can do it. I"ll have Nyaachi help with the preparations too, and I"ll check it later if I have time."

Roland still seemed uneasy, but with Tak.u.mi"s words of encouragement, he shook his head as if to discard his hesitation and declared, "I understand! Then, please leave the kitchen to me today!!"

Tak.u.mi nodded at Roland who had regained his spirits and resumed his preparations for the lunch service. Since he would be working alone, Tak.u.mi explained the procedure to Roland again for when an order was placed. Roland made sure to listen carefully as well, and he repeated the instructions in his head many times.

"Yeah, I"m really sorry for earlier. I caused such a big inconvenience due to my carelessness."

"No, no, it"s alright. It wasn"t your fault. As long as the merchandise is okay, then it"s all good. Though, I was a little scared."

A well-dressed elderly gentleman was speaking to a young man, who was wearing a checkered hunting cap, in the hall of Coffee Shop "Swallow." After finishing his task of checking the tickets of the arrivals on the first train, Tak.u.mi did his rounds of tending to the customers in the hall before addressing the two male customers.

"I"m sorry for your delay earlier. Do you have any injuries anywhere, Nicholas-sama, Rodrigo-sama?"

"No. I was just a little bit shocked, but thank you for your concern."

The young male customer, Nicholas, answered Tak.u.mi. The old man replied after him.

"No, thank you very much. I"m sorry to have caused you trouble with this unsightly delay."

"It"s all good. As this railway will properly report on this issue, we would like to take precautions so that this kind of inconvenience doesn"t happen in the future, so please accept our humble apology. Now then, please wait a moment until your food arrives."

Tak.u.mi bowed deeply and left them. Let us rewind time a little. When the first train arrived at Harper Town station, there was a little incident. When the pa.s.senger Rodrigo tried to get down from the second cla.s.s carriage, he stumbled upon the steps between the carriage and the platform, pushing Nicholas who was in front of him. Unfortunately, the bag that Nicholas carried was hurled into the air and fell heavily on the ground.

To make matters worse, Nicholas"s leather case contained a lot of delicate merchandise for his business, such as pocket watches and jewelry. Tak.u.mi, who had been in the middle of checking tickets, rushed over to Nicholas upon noticing him inspecting his luggage in a panic. He quickly grasped the situation and brought them into the station master"s office. While it wasn"t truly Rodrigo"s fault, he followed as well so that he was present in the unlikely event that something happened. In the end, all the merchandise were safe, but because the verification took so long, they missed the horsecar the two had planned to take, so they had to wait for the next one to arrive.

Rodrigo chatted with Nicholas as he drank the water served to him.

"But seriously, you"re doing really well in your business despite your age."

"No, no, I"m still a greenhorn. I just happen to have good connections, that"s all."

Nicholas replied humbly. According to Nicholas, he was an independent merchant handling jewelry crafts and high quality pocket watches. By purchasing these merchandise from skilled craftsmen, he served as the middle man between them and buyers as he traveled from town to town, providing these products to the people who sought them.

Rodrigo was curious as to whether Nicholas had any interesting stories of his travels, while Nicholas was also drawn to Rodrigo, who was a good listener. He began to recount stories of different events in towns he had been to, but Tak.u.mi soon interrupted their conversation.

"Excuse me for interrupting. Your Lunch Set B is here."

Tak.u.mi served the lunch sets that was ordered by Nicholas and Rodrigo. The Set B that the two ordered were a set of two different sandwiches. The first had green and orange slices mixed in a white paste, sandwiched between two slices of cornbread. The second was an exotic, round bread with shredded lechuga, sliced tomatoes, seasoned chicken meat and a white sauce.

"This is a pepino salad sandwich and chicken tatsuta style burger. Please enjoy your meal."

After Tak.u.mi finished naming the food he served, he bowed and left the table. Nicholas stared at the sandwich. While he had traveled to many places, it was his first time seeing such a thing. Rodrigo called out to Nicholas who was wavering between the choices.

"The menu here is really unusual, isn"t it? I"m always amazed by it. Now then, please dig in. I shall also partake with you."

Rodrigo had invited Nicholas to this restaurant, treating him to lunch as apology for his inconvenience. Both he and Nicholas reached for the sandwich with the white paste first. The cross-section of the sandwich, which was sliced into two triangles, looked like green and orange stars set in a white background sandwiched between the yellow cornbread; it was a sight to behold.

(Well, the taste is what matters after all…)

Nicholas held up the sandwich and took a bite. Within the thick texture of the white paste, a mild sweet and sour taste spread in his mouth, complementing the rich flavour of pepino.

(Delicious! What is this? This isn"t just crushed pepino?)

Nicholas was surprised by the unexpected texture and taste, and he quickly shoveled two, three more bites into his mouth at once. The foundation of the taste within the paste was probably boiled mashed pepino, but there was also something "sweet and sour" mixed into it as well that he did not recognize. Was it from an egg? But if eggs were indeed mixed in, the texture would have been drier and crumbly, yet this paste was moist and smooth. Nicholas became entranced with the rich flavour of the sandwich.

Nicholas then reached out for the other sandwich with chicken and took a bite.

(This is amazing too! What"s this white sauce??)

Nicholas expected the crispness of the lechuga and the sour, bright red tomatoes, as well as the chicken flavoured with herbs. But he couldn"t help but be surprised by the supple sweet and sour richness that was packed into the white sauce between the sandwich. Nicholas unintentionally scooped a little of the white sauce with his finger and licked it. He tasted the same sweet and sour flavour as before, but there was also an intense, rich base serving as its support, like oil. However, due to the sour flavour, it wasn"t quite as greasy. Thanks to something else mixed inside together, the resulting taste was mellow.

The chicken sandwich had a completely different texture and taste from the pepino sandwich, yet Nicholas felt a strange sense of similarity. There was something in common with the taste of the two sandwiches.

(I see! It"s the white sauce in the sandwiches!)

Once Nicholas had this epiphany, he focused entirely on eating. With a sandwich in his left hand and a towel for wiping in his right, in no time, the plate was empty. At this, Tak.u.mi approached, almost as if he had been waiting for Nicholas to finish.

"This is your after meal coffee. Please enjoy."

Nicholas, who finally returned to his senses after hearing those words, offered a word of grat.i.tude in reply. The cinnamon coffee emitted a unique, refreshingly sweet fragrance that calmed Nicholas"s bulging stomach.

"Well, that was really delicious. Especially that white sauce. It was top-notch. Is it an original of this shop?"

"No, no, it was something commonly eaten in my hometown. Did you enjoy your meal, sir?"

"Yes, it was splendid. I travel a lot, but this is the first time I"ve had this kind of sauce."

"Thank you for your generous compliment. Now then, please wait a bit since I believe the horsecar will arrive soon."

After Tak.u.mi bowed and left the seat, Rodrigo called out to Nicholas this time.

"By the way, Nicholas-san, can you show me the merchandise from before again? Because, to be honest, I"m rather fond of those kinds of items myself…"

"Oh that"s a surprise. Of course it"s fine."

Nicholas placed the leather case on the table and snapped open the clasp, lifting the lid. Within the subdivided compartments of the case and cushioned by soft, white cotton were large gemstone rings, necklaces, and exquisitely crafted pocket watches.

"How is it? See any one that you like?"

Nicholas carefully picked up a ring and a pocket watch, wrapping it with a white handkerchief and pa.s.sed it to Rodrigo, who examined them with interest. Then, after comparing several items, Rodrigo opened his mouth.

"Indeed, they all are amazing, but…"

Nicholas opened his eyes wide at Rodrigo"s words and stared at him in surprise. Rodrigo continued, heedless of the gaze.

"Well, for example, this pocket watch. This is Barlagan-made right? And this ring and necklace, they"re by Hermos and Vicente, right? I"m sure any one of these are of high quality… but for example, what if I take a train and head to the stores in Rose City?"

Nicholas couldn"t help but admire Rodrigo"s discerning eye.

"…Ah, hats off to you, sir. These merchandises are certainly high quality even though they are relatively easy to purchase on the existing market. Well, there are still a limited number of people who can travel to Rose City, so these merchandise are more than enough to please them."

Rodrigo caught the nuance in between Nicholas" words and threw a sharp glance at him.

"In other words, you actually have other things besides this?"

Nicholas laughed as if he had been waiting for those words, and took out a packet from his pocket.

"Take this item for example… what do you think?"

Rodrigo quietly received the packet and opened it cautiously. Inside was a fine gold pendant enclosing a white teardrop diamond the size of two silver coins lined up together. The large, carefully cut diamond seemed to emit a dazzling brightness.

"This was a rare article that I had procured the other day. Does it please your eyes, Rodrigo-sama?"

Rodrigo stared at the pendant with a grim expression. While the size of the diamond was stunning, so was the meticulous engraving on the base of gold. Rodrigo was convinced that this article was the same as the pendant in his memories.

"This… could it be?"

Nicholas smiled at Rodrigo"s reaction. Rodrigo then handed the pendant back to Nicholas, who wrapped it carefully and returned it to his pocket.

"Yes, I"m sure it is as you have guessed."

"I see… I"m certainly impressed. By all means, I"d like to discuss with you at length, so would you care to accompany me if you"re not in a hurry after this?"

"My trip isn"t that urgent, so there is no problem. I wouldn"t pa.s.s on this precious fate by all means."

"Then, I"ll be in your care. Ah, it should be here by now."

Rodrigo looked across the table as Tak.u.mi approached and handed a note to Rodrigo addressed to the two of them.

"Thank you for waiting, Rodrigo-sama, Nicholas-sama. The carriage has arrived. Is it okay if both of you get on it together"」

"Mmm, we were just talking about that… wait, how did you know we decided to go together?"

Nicholas felt a sense of incongruity in Tak.u.mi"s words. When Tak.u.mi hesitated, Rodrigo answered in his place.

"Nicholas-san, you should just quietly come with me. Or, is it better if I call you Marcos Bernardo-san?"

Nicholas became wide-eyed at Rodrigo"s words. In the next instant, Nicholas quickly grabbed his case and dashed towards the exit. But Tak.u.mi, predicting Nicholas"s path, placed his foot in his way. Nicholas fell down loudly and rolled; the case clattered on the floor, spilling its contents. Before he knew it, Rodrigo was straddled on top of Nicholas"s back and twisted his arm painfully.

「Marcos! You lost!」

The man called Nicholas, or rather, Marcos, made an ugly grimace as he lay pinned on the floor.

"Wow, master. I"m surprised. To conduct such a big arrest right in our shop."

In the kitchen after lunch, Roland chatted with Tak.u.mi while cleaning the dishes. Tak.u.mi responded with a strained smile.

"Well, I didn"t really think it would turn out like this. And I feel guilty for the inconvenience it caused for other customers. I still have a long way to go."

"But, how did you know that he was a bad person, hubby?"

Nyaachi, who was cleaning the floor in the hall, called out while peeking into the kitchen.

"Ah, it"s all thanks to this."

Tak.u.mi took out two pieces of paper from his pocket and showed it to them.

"Isn"t this the one you received while you were preparing for lunch?"

"Yep yep. The other one was received in the morning. Thanks to these telegrams, I was able to prepare beforehand."

Tak.u.mi began to explain what had happened earlier that day. From the earlier telegram, he learned that a fraud case had happened in Rose City, and it was possible that the culprit was attempting to flee by train. In the second telegram, the detailed physique of the suspect was sent and the railroad sheriff marked the person.

"But, why didn"t the sheriff catch him on the train right away?"

"That"s because I did not have any concrete evidence yet."

Roland"s question was answered by Rodrigo, who had entered from the back door of the kitchen.

"He would definitely resist with all he has if I were to arrest him on the train. In addition, I didn"t know where the pendant was hidden, which served as the only piece of evidence. In the unlikely event that it was thrown out of the window, this case could end up poorly. So, when he got off the station, I wanted to somehow make him stay and called the arrest after confirming where the stolen item was."

"So, you stumbled onto him on purr-pose. I see!"

Nyaachi"s ears twitched as she listened to the story with great interest.

"However, if he had left the station, I did not have the authority to arrest him as a railroad sheriff, so Tak.u.mi, who had understood that, set things up so he was brought into this coffee shop."

Rodrigo grinned at Tak.u.mi. On the other hand, Tak.u.mi looked somewhat embarra.s.sed and could only nod in response.

"By eating together at the coffee shop, the unfamiliarity between you two would be reduced."

Rodrigo continued talking while nodding.

"Yes, that"s exactly what I was aiming for. And that bloke"s biggest miscalculation was…"

"The telegraph, isn"t it? I"m sure he did not know that I have been informed about it."

"That"s right. But, that bloke is going to leave his name in history in a certain way, isn"t he? As the “first criminal in the world whose escape was antic.i.p.ated and stopped due to a telegraph message."

Tak.u.mi smiled wryly at Rodrigo"s witty words, but quickly switched the topic.

"Now then, Rodrigo-san, don"t you still have railroad sheriff work to do? If you need to report the arrest, you can use the telegraph."

This time, it was Rodrigo who smiled wryly.

"Come on, let me have a cup of coffee before that. I couldn"t savour it properly from all the mental strain just now."

"Coming right up- nya!"

In the coffee shop where business had ended, Nyaachi"s voice echoed as if blowing today"s commotion away.

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