48-043 Present despair

"So this is the coffee shop. ...... It's a coffee shop.

Yeah. It looks like a nice little coffee shop in a Japanese residential area.

Right?　Let's go in.

When we opened the door and went inside, we found that there were no customers today either.

"Welcome!　Nao-san!

Aera was standing at the counter with a gloomy expression on her face, but as soon as she saw my face, her expression lit up and she ran over to me, took my hand and squeezed it.

He took my hand and squeezed it. "You came, you came!　Thank you so much!

Aera-san looked up at me with slightly teary eyes.

I thought I heard a voice behind me say, "Guilty," but I must have been imagining it.

You said you were coming yesterday, right?　You said you'd be here yesterday.

Oh, yeah, I'm sorry.

Here, let me introduce you to my friends. This is Natsuki, and this is Yuki.

It's nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. --I mean, the way Nao talks is weird. He sounds like a ...... pick-up artist.

Is that it?　I'm so mad at you!

It is true that the tone of voice was a bit like that of a child, but ...... should we speak in polite language for the outside world?

I'm sure you're not the only one.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I nodded my head in thought. I'll talk to you in the same way as Yuki and the others. Sorry if I was rude.

"No, no, no. We're not that old. We're fine.

Oh, you're the same age?

No, of course not. In fact, if you've trained at a restaurant and saved up enough money to start your own business, there's a good chance you're older.

Well, these two are two of my companions. There are two more, a beastman and an elf, but they're not here today because they have something to do. They may come later when they have more time.

Oh, so there are others of your kind. I'd like to meet them. I haven't seen any of my kind in this town. ......

Oh, you're right, I haven't seen any elves.

In the city where Aella was trained, you could see a few elves on the main street.

In this city, Aera is the first elf, and I can only remember seeing a few other races as well.

I'll bring them back when I have time. First, let's think about rebuilding this store.

That's right!　So what should we do about ......?

What should we do about ?" When Aella twisted her head, I pointed to Yuki and the others and said.

First of all, ...... can you serve lunch to these two today?　Just for one person.

"Yes!　Yes, I understand!　But it will take a while, okay?

Oh, it's still morning. No problem. Please.

All right. One moment, please.

Aella bows her head and retreats to the kitchen.

"Hmm, pretty girl, huh?

Yes. She looks younger than she is, and she's the kind of girl you want to protect. Do you like girls like that, Nao-san?　Are you a pedophile?

That's a terrible accusation!　It's not like that!

I don't deny that I think she's cute, but I don't intend to ...... do that at all.

--No, because, you know, I'm a guy too, right?　You can't help but feel a little bit like that when you see a cute girl, right?

It is rather abnormal not to have any interest in girls. Yeah.

And Aella's not a loli. She's probably older than you.

Well, it's about the store now, right?　Do you have any advice for me?

Heh, well, I don't mind, but...

Yuki nodded and looked around the store in a way that didn't sound good at all.

The inside of the store has a nice atmosphere, doesn't it?

Yes, it is. The shop is well cleaned and it would be nice to have the luxury of spending an afternoon tea in a place like this.

I see, a cafe. ......

The coffee shop I went to before going to Sahlstat was popular, though a bit expensive.

It might be a good idea to go there, but the location might be a problem.

If it were a little better known, it might attract people as a coffee shop with a relaxed atmosphere, but in this world where there are few ways to advertise, it might be a little difficult to get there.

"Don't you have a menu at ......?

They give you a wooden board instead of hanging it on the wall.

Hmm, I see. ......

"Well, I see. " Natsuki groans with a slightly difficult expression.

This is a common method in Japan, but it is rare in our world. You can take your time to choose. .......

Oh, sorry to keep you waiting!　I'll put it on the ...... table.

Aera-san came out of the kitchen and looked as if she was wondering for a moment if she should put the plates she was carrying on the counter, then she put the plates on the table, as if she had thought about the number of us.

"Here you go!　Please try it.

"Wow, what a beautiful arrangement. Let's eat.

Yuki took a bite of her food first, then passed it to Natsuki.

"Yes. It's all delicious. It's all very good. It's above ...... the standard.

Yes, probably, but in this city it's up there.

Natsuki took another bite of her plate, which was then placed in front of me.

Yeah, we just had breakfast. You can't eat that.

I have no choice but to dispose of the rest.

It's a different dish from yesterday, but it's still good.

The seasoning itself is relatively simple, but I wonder if it's the use of herbs that's so clever.

Can you show me the ...... menu?

"Yes, yes!　Here it is!

Aera-san runs to the counter and brings back a menu.

"...... I see. I get it. Let's sit down and talk about it, okay?　Is that okay?

"Yes!　I'll get you a drink.　What would you like?

I don't care what it is, but can I have a cup of Musk tea from ......?　Is that okay with you two?

What's that?

I'm not sure what it is, but if Natsuki chose it, it might mean something, so I nodded.

I understand. Please wait a moment.

I'm not sure what that means, but if Natsuki chose it, it might mean something.

I'm sure you'll agree.

The first thing to do is to find out why there are no customers coming in.

"Oh, really?

Yes. If it wasn't your store, I'm sure you would have noticed it right away, but the store is too high-class.

I knew it.

Right?

Ha!

This is a very ordinary residential area, not an area where rich people live.

It's not a main street, so it's not a street that people who live in other areas would pass by.

In other words, to people who usually walk in front of this store, the appearance of this store looks very expensive.

I tried to enter the shop because I had common sense from my original world, but if Aera had not come out at that time, I would have turned around and left.

If you're a tycoon who doesn't care about what's in your wallet, you might want to come in, but for ordinary people, it's not easy to enter a store with a "market price" policy.

But for the average person, it is not so easy to enter a restaurant where the prices are so high.

But in the case of this newly-opened shop, there are no such connections, and inevitably, there are no customers.

If you ask me, that's true. I was happy that a beautiful and nice store was built, but if you ask me if I would want to join this store with my salary, I would ...... hesitate.

Aera looked down dejectedly.

It's the kind of thing you'd normally notice right away, which makes it all the more shameful.

It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything that might help you.

No, you don't need to do anything that expensive.

Yes, yes. All you need to know is the price. All you have to do is put up a simple price list in front of your store.

This is a technique often used by restaurants on the second floor or higher of apartment buildings, and is familiar to us.

They look at the menu and pictures in front of the stairs and decide whether to go up or not.

If it weren't for that, we wouldn't bother to go up the stairs to the top of the restaurant.

That is, unless you were introduced to the restaurant by someone, or had done some research on the Internet beforehand.

Aella nodded happily at Yuki's gestural explanation of how the sign worked.

I'm sure the carpenters who renovated this store can make one for you!　Thank you very much.

If you want to take some trouble, you could paint the signboard black and change it every day with chalk. If it's a daily lunch, it would be interesting to draw an illustration or an explanation of what kind of food is served.

"I see!　Indeed, .......

There is no explanation for the daily specials served at restaurants around here, so in a sense, it's a gamble.

And the odds of winning are basically zero.

Except for the Bear Pavilion of Slumber.

If there was a sign outside the restaurant, some people would say, "It looks good, so let's go in.

Now, I think we'll probably get some customers. ......

Yes!　Thank you very much.

Thank you very much." While Aella bowed with a big smile on her face, Natsuki shook her head and said firmly, "But it will probably fail.

But you'll probably fail.

"What?

Aera-san's smile froze at his words.