First Time at a Cafe
Riding in Shino-san’s car, we headed for the shop that Asahina-san had made a reservation for.
I was preparing my inner self for whatever extravagant place we’d arrive at, but where we arrived was a much more normal café than I had expected.
The shop is stylish, with a calm atmosphere, where the customers are mainly women and couples, enjoying pleasant talk and a light meal.
Maybe, she was being considerate of me not being used to this sort of situation and chose a store with a nice atmosphere for me.
「This store’s desserts are quite delicious. I’d especially recommend the freshly-cooked waffles.」
「Waffles… I’ve never had any before. Since Asahina-san is recommending it, it surely is delicious.」
The dishes lining the other tables also all look good.
Remembering that I still haven’t eaten anything today, I feel like I’ll unconsciously lose focus due to my hunger.
「Waiter-san, can you take our order?」
Calling out to the passing employee, Asahina-san opened the menu.
「A daily special sandwich. For black tea, iced earl grey, could you please bring it out first. Then, for dessert, waffles and a chocolate crepe, one of each.」
As if asking, “What will you have, Azusa-chan?” I’m handed the menu.
Being so chaotic with so many item names listed and since I’ve never been to this sort of shop, I have no idea as to what would be delicious.
In the end, I ordered the same meal and drink as Asahina-san, then ordered a strawberry parfait for dessert.
The reason I didn’t order the waffles that Asahina-san was recommending was because she said that she’d split it with me. According to Asahina-san, it seems that the portions served at this store are a bit too much for a woman to finish by herself.
「Do you like them, strawberry parfaits?」
「I’ve never eaten them before so… I’ve heard that they’re delicious, and I’ve been curious about how they taste」
It’s probably just in relation to the season, but I have the idea of strawberries being “expensive things”.
That’s why, for me, who economized my food expenses, I didn’t have the leeway to buy them and never had the desire to eat them.
Thus, having been able to get some money, it should be fine to indulge myself a bit, right?
「Eat whatever you’d like. There’s no reason to hold yourself back anymore.」
「…okay. Thank you.」
「Being thanked for something of this level gives me complicated feelings」
Asahina-san made a bitter smile while saying that there’s no need to express gratitude for something on the level of strawberries.
She promised to take me to a whole bunch of places and feed me many different delicious things.
Imagining it, my chest feels pleasantly warm. What a strange feeling. I’ve never felt these emotions before, so it’s exciting.
「Ah, our black tea has arrived first.」
Iced earl grey, was it?
I’ve never drunk tea before, so I don’t know the taste, but it has a nice fragrance. It seems like the warmer it is, the stronger the scent.
When drinking, add some sugar and… the milk-like white liquid, I guess. For me, since I don’t know anything, I’m learning by imitating Asahina-san.
「How is black tea different from regular tea?」
「I hear the production method is different. When it is completely fermented, it is black tea and when it is first heated then incompletely fermented, it is green tea.」
「…?」
「Basically, they come from the same ingredient, but depending on how it’s made and brewed, it’ll result in variations, or something like that.」
「I see.」
I just asked, “why do the same teas have different names?” as I had some doubts.
Speaking honestly, I’ve never drunk either green tea or black tea, so even if I drink the two now, I won’t be able to tell the difference. But, getting to know something new is a good thing.
Asahina-san knowing this as though it’s natural and being able to give a simple explanation is amazing. …Somehow, she gives off the feeling of being a reliable woman.
「Recently, some interesting tea leaves have been made. There’s also some for Valentine’s Day, which have a chocolate flavor. That one is surprisingly delicious.」
「Such a thing… that’s amazing.」
Even though you’re drinking tea, you can smell chocolate.
Just imagining it, I became a bit interested in it.
…It’s currently the start of spring. It hasn’t even been a month since I’ve become a second year. But, since the season for Valentine’s has already passed, as expected, it’s probably not being sold anymore.
「Earl grey is plenty delicious itself, though… well, why don’t you try it?」
Nodding, I timidly put the straw in my mouth.
Just as the tea enters, a fragrant scent fills my mouth. Tasting the sweetness of the sugar and milk, I become immersed in sucking the straw.
「…mm, mmn… it’s delicious.」
Until now, in order to cut down on expenses, I’ve only drunk water.
Since I didn’t know that such a delicious drink existed, my surprise is immense.
「To think that just one drink of tea would make you so excited… really, you’ve lived a harsh life.」
Being told such, I wonder if that’s so.
「I’ve lived while thinking that this was normal, so I didn’t really think of it as harsh.」
Thinking about it now, the relatives that begrudgingly took me in were the worst people, and afterward, there weren’t any decent people in my surroundings. But for me, that was 『normal』.
What caused that thought to change was meeting Asahina-san.
(Author note: It’s become long, so I’ll cut it here.
Thank you very much as always.
If you found this interesting, please bookmark and leave your impressions below.)
(TL note: Black tea vs. Green tea article
For the chocolate tea, a quick Google search is saying that there are multiple kinds, so if you’re interested, here’s my search.
Also, this is just a coincidence that I’m translating and uploading on Valentine’s Day, for a chapter mentioning Valentine’s themed goods.
Anyway, enjoy your Valentine’s treat.)
Souzoukai Imagination 
Thanks for the chapter!
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