Tea, green tea, coffee.

In Village Five, there’s a tea boom.

It all started with my stores, Kuro and Yuki, and Bronze Cafe.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that I had my two stores teach how to make tea to the residents.

There was already a culture of drinking tea even before the two stores opened.

However, Village Five is a place made up of migrants so they won’t easily enjoy tea.

There’s also a construction rush and rather than drinking tea and relaxing, they would prefer working and earning.

Everyone wants to stabilize their livelihoods first.

I think when they finally stabilized and gained foundation in the village, Kuro and Yuki and Bronze Café opened up.

Drinking tea at noon has become the hobby of housewives.

Seeing how popular the two stores are, those with strong business sense began offering tea in the stalls and stores.

There are even stores that imitated Kuro and Yuki and Bronze Café who are making brands by either selling at a different price or a different service.

The more places they are served, the more tea is consumed.

The tea production of Village Five can’t keep up with that so merchants purchased tea leaves from various places and wholesale them.

Tea leaves purchased from various places don’t taste the same.

It is easy to distinguish which one came from which place.

That way, residents looking for their favourite tea has become part of their daily life.

The tea boom has yet to slow down.

-0-

「Of course, I’m doing what I can to make sure this boom won’t get out of hand.」

Youko told me all of that while drinking green tea.

We are currently in a room in Youko’s mansion in Village Five.

This is a Japanese-style room with tatami floor. I made it back in the village during my free time but Youko took them from me.

Maa, if she likes it, I don’t mind.

I’m using this room when I’m here too anyway.

「The problem is coffee. Since the beans where it came from can only be found in Big Tree Village, its price is rising too much. It would be nice if it’s only that but fakes have come out.」

Fake?

「If they have found a substitute, then it’s good but they are only blackening water. There are many ways to blacken water but only a few are edible to drink. However, those kinds of imitation have yet to come out.」

….

「They managed to cheat the aroma by using real coffee beans so the customers will think that they are genuine. That caused more than a hundred people suffer stomachache. Of course, we have cracked down stores like that but….there are still people who are following their footsteps.」

That’s a headache.

「I thought I’d ask you for more coffee beans but, what are you saying about that dandelion or something?」

That’ can be used as a substitute but, are there dandelions here?

You only need to roast dandelion roots and use them as the coffee bean substitute.

「I see. Roots. I’ll have the merchants study it.」

You can also use soybean or acorn as substitutes.

「Soybean won’t be a problem. However, acorn is seasonal so it can only be used during autumn. Got it.」

While drinking tea, I discussed coffee substitutes with Youko.

-0-

Village Five has tea boom.

However, there are some people who are not interested in tea.

They are basically the drinkers.

「Heh, rather than an elegant tea, I’ll drink alcohol.」

「Right. Drinking alcohol is better than drinking tea.」

「As long as there’s alcohol, I’m happy.」

Some of the stores that serve alcohol have become tea specialty stores. The influence of tea boom is to that extent.

Drinkers sought alcohol regardless of the tea boom.

「Master, give us a drink! Three!」

「Got it. Then, here’s your alcohol」

「…..what the….isn’t this tea?」

「It’s a cocktail of green tea and alcohol, it is called green tea break desu.」

「…..」

「Next is a cocktail of tea and alcohol, it is called tea break desu.」

「…..」

「Finally, a cocktail of coffee and alcohol, it is called coffee break desu.」

「…..」

「Aren’t you going to drink?」

「Maa, that’s the plan but…..」

Drinkers don’t care about the tea boom.

Since they don’t care, they shouldn’t care.

-0-

There is a rumor circulating in Village Five.

The rumor is about a hidden tavern of the dwarves.

And not just dwarves.

It’s a hidden tavern of the elder dwarves.

If you are a drinker of Village Five, you would want to go to that hidden tavern at least once.

The hidden tavern of the elder dwarves was initially located in the underground shopping street.

It is a hidden space with only a four and a half tatami mat big and it can only serve a few customers at once.

It’s a place where only those who can find the tavern can drink.

At least that’s the concept.

「Who can find a hidden space which is not even in the blueprint of the underground shopping street? Only those who were involved with the construction, right?」

「That’s right. And those who know about it are the only ones who can drink there.」

「Fufufu. Drinking in a hidden tavern. I like it.」

The elder dwarves thought so.

However, they underestimated the passion of the drinkers.

The existence of the hidden tavern was revealed in no time and it even made the underground shopping street full.

The tavern was closed due to the order of the acting village chief(Youko).

That should have been the end of it but the elder dwarves did not give up.

They searched for a new place and opened a tavern again.

Many people gathered and it was closed again.

While repeating the trend, the hidden tavern of the elder dwarves continues.

-0-

Let’s move to another topic. There’s a newly built inn at the foot of Village Five.

It is not an ordinary inn but an inn dedicated for the seakins. Waterways spanned inside and outside of the inn.

The guest rooms are large water tanks.

Thanks to the short-range teleportation gate, the distance between Village Five and Shashaato City has become closer than ever. Due to the increased visits of the seakins, building an inn for them has become necessary.

To be honest, I thought they would just return to Shashaato City via the teleportation gate and go back to the sea rather than staying there….

But customers came on their own.

As for their reason, it takes time to use the teleportation gate so if they stay at the inn, they can enjoy Village Five from morning until late at night.

What impressed the seakins was that a dedicated inn for them has been built for the first time in history.

And those who have enough money that affords to stay at the inn stayed.

As a result, more customers came than expected.

It’s a wonderful problem.

-0-

At the basement of the inn dedicated for the seakins.

The elder dwarves are holding their heads while peeping at the waterways.

「Who would have thought that this inn would be this popular?」

「We made it so far here but….I guess we need to go.」

「We should. Everyone would be suspicious seeing dwarves entering an inn for the seakins.」

「I’m sorry. I thought it would work well during the planning stage.」

「I think it would be easier to just open a normal store. Let’s ask village chief to prepare a store for us.」

「Idiot. That’s not what we want.」

「Then, what’s the plan?」

「We’ll continue with a hidden tavern!」

The hidden tavern of the elder dwarves is looking for a new place.

-0-

Youko: By the way, village chief, I heard you’re selling coffee beans to Earth’s store in the royal capital.

Village Chief: M-my son and daughters are working hard so it is some sort of support for them….

Youko: Don’t worry, I’m not criticizing you. However, the people of the royal capital only know the true coffee so you can’t serve them substitutes.

Village Chief: I’ll consider increasing the production of coffee beans.