Book 5: Chapter 4: A Cup of Something Inappropriate (2/2)
Since Monica was not as good as her and stood out in class, taking care of her satisfied Lana's pride a little.
Above all, although Monica tended to hang her head down, when Lana offered her a little help she would smile like a blooming small flower. This tickled sensation made Lana can't leave her alone. Whenever Monica looked at Lana with respect, Lana's heart was slightly filled with joy.
In fact, she was expecting Monica's adoring gaze at today's tea party. She even had chosen the tea leaves with great enthusiasm, but Claudia pointed out that they were inappropriate, and Lana's pride was in tatters.
Why does it always have ended up this way?
All I wanted was… to give my friend the best tea I could.
It brought back memories of her childhood when she served the best pastries and tea to her friends she invited to her house only to be criticized for ”bragging about being rich” behind her back.
Lana simply wanted to give her friend the most wonderful thing to eat.
”Well, sorry for the long wait.”
Casey, who had been absent, quickly came back. But Monica was not standing next to her.
Lana asked with her eyes, ”Where's Monica?” Casey scratched her cheek with a vague expression and took a seat.
”Hmm, well… I think she'll come here soon.”
”You weren't helping Monica prepare tea, were you?”
In response to Lana's question, Casey muttered crisply, ”No, it's…”
What exactly is going on? Did something happen to Monica?
As Lana sat up, a soft, pleasant smell tickled her nose. But it was not the smell of tea.
”T-Thank you… for waiting…”
With her unreliable wobbling feet, in an almost dangerous, Monica approached the table. On the tray in her hands were an empty cup and an unfamiliar pot.
Monica placed the tray on the table and wiped the sweat from her forehead. It seemed that just carrying the tray up there was a big task for the non-athletic Monica.
Claudia, who had been looking unenthusiastic, slowly raising up her head then stared at the pot.
”…It doesn't smell like tea.”
”This… is a coffee…”
Looking straight at Claudia, Monica said in a shaky voice.
”L-Lady Claudia. Since you said, If you start the party with something of a strong flavor, it will numb your tongue… So, since I am the last, having coffee with a strong taste should not be a problem.”
”Coffee is a drink for men. I don't think it's appropriate for a women's tea party.”
What Claudia said was correct. Coffee has indeed become quite popular in this country, and while coffee houses do exist, it is mostly men who drink them.
Above all, coffee has a strong bitter and sour taste, making it difficult to please everyone. Although Lana had tried it a few times, she was not very fond of it.
But then again, Monica said firmly, which was unusual for her.
”D-Don't worry. I think it will taste delicious, so…”
She then poured the coffee from the pot into the cups and added warmed milk to the three cups.
”S-Since it is meant to be drunk as a palate cleanser after a meal, I really want people to drink it as is, but I know many people don't like bitterness, so I add milk to your cup. You can add more sugar if you like.”
After the cups were handed out to all of them, Claudia was the first to lift her cup. After smelling at the aroma, she sipped it.
”………”
Claudia's unresponsive attitude did scare her a little.
Both Lana and Casey added sugar to their cups before sipped timidly.
”What's this… there's no bitterness or sourness at all.”
Muttering, Lana sipped the contents of the cup once more. The mellowness of the milk enveloped the refreshing bitterness.
That was a flavor that Lana had never tasted before.
Casey was also looking at the cup closely, surprised.
”Hey, I've never had this kind of coffee before… is it supposed to be this easy to drink?”
It was understandable for Casey to say that.
Speaking of coffee, until a long time ago, it used to be made by boiling down ground beans then added with sugar. But, after siphons and other tools have become popular recently, many flavorful coffees have been appearing.
Still, the coffee that Monica prepared was more than flavorful.
Claudia gazed at the silver pot then muttered.
”…coffee tastes more bitter the longer it is brewed.”
”Y-Yes… That's why I use this pot to make a quick extraction. This pot uses steam power to brew coffee in a short time…”
”…I've never seen this appliance before. Not even in a book.”
At Claudia's muttering, Lana and Casey widened their eyes.
Claudia was probably the most knowledgeable person here… no, perhaps at this school.
Having born in the lineage of a family that had such a vast amount of knowledge, she was nicknamed as ”walking library.”
And for someone like her, How could there's nothing she did not know about!
Claudia drank the contents of her cup cleanly and looked at Monica with blue eyes that were still unreadable.
”I see, not a bad way to catch me off guard. But this is a ”tea ceremony class,” remember? A drink that isn't even tea is completely out of that category.”
”W-Well, I think so… B-But…”
Monica looked down and picked up her own cup.
Her cup was the only one that did not have milk in it. She was probably used to drinking bitter coffee.
”I… I wanted my dearest friend to drink what I love the most… So… Um…”
Waring both of her hands around her cup, Monica lowering her eyebrows then smiled.
”…I guess I'm the most inappropriate here.”
As Monica smiled shyly, Lana felt as if her mind was going blank.
What is this? What is this? What is this…?
Lana thought that her tea was the most inappropriate at this table, but now Monica brought in coffee that was more inappropriate for a tea party. She would probably get a point deduction.
Lana gulped down the contents of her cup.
”It's really good… I like it a lot,” said Lana as she tried to hold back her tears, looking at Monica's smile which still looks like a blooming flower.