#591 Café After-Story

It’s me again, Kidan.

How should I say this...

Coffee, which I thought didn’t exist in this world...

...is actually being consumed in the True Demon Kingdom, rather, Demon Isle!

“They’ve been drinking it for ages, I hear. Coffee trees have grown in the wild since their ancestors arrived on the island, and they have made good use of them since then,” explains Mr. Gray Silva, barista of Lounge Ares, the café I proposed.

Since it would be irresponsible to say that my role ended soon as the café was built, I come here regularly to check on things while enjoying a cup of coffee. 

“The Demon King was so elated that he would form a trade agreement with the Demon Isle to import their coffee beans. The day may not be far off when coffee spreads throughout the Demon Kingdom.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“I’m surprised you’re unfazed by this information. Once another source is found and a supply is established, coffee will no longer be your monopoly, right?”

“I never intended to monopolize coffee.”  

If I wanted to do so, I would have kept it on the farm from the beginning and not gone to the trouble of building this café. 

Heck, I wanted more people to know about coffee, so I experimented with all sorts of things. If there’s another way to popularize the whole coffee trend, I’ll gladly welcome it.

“Besides, our local production rate won’t be able to keep up with supplying enough beans for people across the Demon Kingdom. I was just thinking about how to improve that, so this is good news.”

“Such a generous person you are. I don’t understand why you’d want to do something that doesn’t benefit you,” says Mr. Gray Silva as he roasts beans.

This man has become a full-fledged barista of this café. 

“We get the beans from the Demon Kingdom through Pandemonium. There aren’t that many, so I’m looking for ways to utilize them best.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to blend them with the beans you gave me.”

Blend?!

He’s already trying to make his original blends without anyone telling him to do so!

“I’m still trying to figure out what ratio makes for the best taste. If possible, I’d like you to accompany me for a taste test.”

“I’d love to!”

“Shax was pleased that he found another coffee supplier. He plans to set up his own chain.”

Mr. Shax said that?

Well, he helped me a lot during Lounge Ares’ initial stages. He dreamt of profiting heaps from it, but I let him down.

I’m not surprised he gladly took advantage of that business opportunity.

“The idea seems to be to make an exact copy of this café. Aren’t you going to at least talk to them about this?”

“I don’t particularly mind, but what about you, Mr. Gray Silva?”

You’ll be getting a competitor.

“The number of customers is increasing with each passing day. Frankly, I’m starting to feel like I can’t handle it anymore, so if we can even out that number, it’d be a load off my shoulders.”

“Oh, yeah, this place is bustling indeed.”

Just a quick sweep over the place, and you’ll see the cafe almost packed.

Everyone is drinking coffee and eating pancakes with relish.

“The relaxed atmosphere is one of the main selling points of this café. If that’s the case, the customer density must be relatively thin. Thanks to you, I don’t have to work so hard to make a living. You’ve given me a perfect place to lead a quiet life.”

“Are you still working a part-time job?”

Before Mr. Gray Silva was a barista, he used to be a mercenary. After he retired from being one, he was hired by the occupation government to work as an agent. 

This is precisely the kind of personal background a barista should have!

Even now, when requested, he joins a team of agents and cooperates with them in cracking down on bad guys.

A barista during the day and an agent who purges evil at night.

It sounds more and more ideal!

“I was forced to retire due to the retaliation of the terrorists, but even they can’t go after me in the Demon Kingdom. Not to mention, teleportation magic exists. I can return safely the same day, so everything works out fine.”

“I appreciate that you still do your day job as a barista.”

“Whatever the job is, I do it well. That’s what it takes to be a pro.”

So cool!!!

“So, even if there are more competitors in the market, I don’t intend to shut this place down. Well, I don’t think we’ll lose to other cafés if we have your wholesale beans.”

Huh?

Does that mean my coffee beans are better than those from other places?

It makes me happy to hear you say that.

“Besides, there’s more to this store than that.”

“You mean a low-profile barista who brews good coffee?”

“Not that...”

What’s he getting all bashful for?

“Look over there. Male customers like them come here often.”

“What do you mean?”

When I turn around to look in the direction indicated, I see a maid running around busily.

“You’ll have your order in a bit, lovelies!”

That’s not a real maid.

If I dare to point out her occupation, it’d be more accurate to call her a waitress—an employee who takes orders from customers and serves them in restaurants.

In other words, she’s a waitress dressed in a maid uniform.

Is this a maid café?!

No, it ain’t.

We have to backtrack a bit to know how this came to be.

Mr. Gray Silva can’t possibly run this café all by himself, so we recruited extra staff. 

Pandemonium introduced us to a female employee, so we had to prepare a fitting uniform.

Well, we could have gotten ready-made uniforms from them, but we decided to make our own.

That’s where Batemy came in.

I knew I had to consult with Batemy, the seamstress at our glorious farm, about clothing, and the rest was history.

“Ahhhhhhhhh! A waitress? A waitress, huh! She should wear a maid’s uniform, then! Actually, she HAS to wear a maid’s uniform! Why? Because maids and waitresses both work in the customer service industry! They have an affinity for each other! Therefore, a waitress in a maid’s uniform is a natural choice!!!”

By the way, Batemy, born and raised in this fantasy world, has no way of knowing about maid cafes. I didn’t tell her about it either.

In other words, she thought of a maid café on her own!

She’s a woman ahead of her time!

“Waitresses should only wear a maid uniform, period! Say what? Miniskirts?! Nonsense!!! Maid uniforms can’t be anything but long skirts! Maids do manual labor! To protect their legs, skirts must cover up to the ankles!!!”

Batemy was stuck up on the classics.

“Ko**ya??? What’s that? Anyway, that waitress needs a maid uniform! I won’t accept anything else! In fact, I already have 1300 different designs ready in my head! I will select from among them and create the ultimate uniform!”

The final product is this maid uniform.

As expected of Batemy’s tailoring, the design is cool yet functional, durable, and easy to move in.

It’s also breathable, yet warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It’s the perfect maid uniform that allows you to work comfortably both outdoors and indoors.

“It really is just a maid uniform.”

“Um, are you okay...? What was that all about?”

Well, that maid waitress is certainly helping to draw customers to the café.

Of the customers who fill the seats, the male customers have their eyes on the waitress.

They only ask for one cup of coffee, but if they insist on staying, why don’t they order another?

I’m worried that might be strange customers who might be stalkers, but as long as Mr. Gray Silva is here, I’m sure everything will be fine.

Not many idiots would go out and mess around in a café with an intimidating barista.

“Wait, is it just me, or are there more waitresses now?”

“We hired another one recently. As expected, it’s impossible to run such a busy establishment with only one person helping out.”

True that.

“Was it one of Mr. Shax’s referrals? If so, I don’t mind, but if not...”

“No, she personally came to apply for the job.”

Personally?!

What a bold applicant! But what about her background?

“It’s okay. I already know she’s a spy.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course. Nothing’s safer than knowing a spy whose cover has been blown. Belphgamilia sent her. He wants to know what I’m doing here.”

“What is that man up to?”

An army commander is wary around some café barista?

Can’t you just tell him you mean no harm and end it there?

“Apparently, he’s got his act together and is working as he should, so I think I’ll let it slide for a while. I even feel honored that I get to contribute to their army like this.”

Belphgamilia always tries to slack off whenever he gets the chance, after all.

Anyway, it seems Mr. Gray Silva and this café fit in the capital just fine.

* * *

Now, I would like to tell you another story about the aftermath of the recent riot between the demons.

We’ll turn back time and go back to my farm.

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hope everyone is having a swell holiday! ill be using the weekend to work on more backlog chapters, however, haha(ngl this is the loneliest christmas ill be spending cause no one celebrates it where i live). vol 13 is officially coming out on the 25th though, so ill be retagging chapters again ^^

oh and, Ko(be)ya is a Japanese bakery. look em up if you wanna see pastry that makes your mouth water. i know mine did ;-; they have an iconic checkered uniform for their female staff