Capítulo 227: Dragon's Tea Shop (Worm/SI) by Aria
Words: 100k+
Link: -https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/23663
1. Gyokuro
An infant blearily opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.
"Mama! That's our baby boy!" A man hollered with joy.
"Shhh. Don't yell, Papa. We don't want to scare him." A woman replied softly but harshly.
Jokingly, the man zipped his mouth shut and placed his finger on his lips. He waddled over quietly to his wife and sat by her side, gazing upon his new found pride and joy.
"He's definitely our son. The way he's scrunching up his nose is so like you." The woman giggled softly.
His hand slid down and patted his wife affectionately. "And those eyes are yours." He sat up straight, eyes bright with mirth and pride. "And to think, he's the first child born this year in Brockton Bay."
At those words, the infant, who had been gazing upon his new parents attentively, suddenly seized up. His eyes rolled to the back of his head in a dead faint.
"Mama! What's wrong with him?!" The man cried in alarm.
The woman hissed angrily. "Go get the doctor and find out!"
As the man scurried through the corridors of the hospital screaming for aid, he failed to notice a man who had also flopped to his front in a dead faint.
I gazed upon my tea shop.
It was the product of many years of hard work. Dim lights hung from the wooden banister, giving the shop a soft, refined atmosphere. A lightly lit panel of stained glass adorned the wall behind my back, giving me that slight hint of a back glow. Low counter chairs made of green velvet lined the counter, evenly spaced at an appropriate distance to allow my customers their space to enjoy their tea. The shelves behind me were lined with only the finest and most exquisite of teas I could get my hands on. I turned around and ran my hands across the fancy boxes and packages they came in. Each cost a fortune to get. Gyokuro, Gao Shan, Darjeeling and Tienchi… just to name a few.
I breathed in a lungful of air. The aroma of different teas wafted into my nose. It felt good to have finally gotten to this point. This is what I was aiming for. Nothing would stop me from having a peaceful life.
The door opened, casting a slight glow of harsh sunlight into the dimly lit shop. It was only blocked out by a single man, casting his shadow onto the ground. He was dressed in a black suit, armed with a belt or bandolier of grenades and knives. The mask he adorned was the stuff of nightmares. Pure crimson, with two lines of green on the side. The only thing that stood out more were the giant horns that jutted out of the top. A beast from Japanese folklore… an Oni. Was he here to ruin my peaceful life?
Not really. He was just a customer.
With practiced ease and familiarity with the shop, he sat down in front of me and got himself comfortable. His hand raised slightly with quiet confidence.
"Gyokuro." His harsh, grating voice intoned.
But I wasn't here to judge my customers. "Coming up."
I took out a borosilicate glass tea pot and put it at eye level. When I was sure it was sparkling clean, I set it down and turned around to pick out the tea he ordered. Gyokuro was one of my more expensive teas, requiring me to reach for an upper shelf to take it. My hand ghosted along the cover of the tea box with reverence. Each one was precious to me… but if a parent ever told you that they loved their children equally, they were lying to you.
"Gyokuro is a tea from Japan. What sets it apart from regular green tea is that they grow in the shade… rather than under the sun. Its name in English means jade dew, showing the level of respect and reverence its drinkers have for it." I spoke. My fingers reached into the box and took out a handful of loose leaves. I didn't need a weighing machine to know that I had taken out exactly 5 grams of it and placed them at the bottom of the kettle.
The Oni raised his hand to interrupt me. I swatted it away in disdain before he could even finish his motion. "Never interrupt a master at work. Now where was I?"
"The tea is set in the shade for at least 20 days before their harvest. This allows the amino acid theanine and the alkaloid caffeine in the leaves to increase, giving it that sweet flavor everyone raves about." I filled the pot to the brim with water before setting it to heat up. Before it could begin boiling, I turned off the power. My hand lightly touched the kettle. I nodded in satisfaction. 85 degrees celcius… perfect for what I was doing. My every action was clean, immaculate and fluid. Despite my unhurried nature, a tea of this level of prestige could not be wasted by wasted actions. Everything had to be done on time and accurately.
I waited for 4 minutes before starting to pour the contents of the kettle into a single, immaculate cup, decorated with minor texture work on the sides. Not a single drop was wasted. A smooth aroma drifted from the still surface of the tea in the cup. "That process also gives it that distinct aroma you're undoubtedly familiar with." I gently pushed the cup across to my customer. "Please. Enjoy."
He did not say a word and simply accepted the cup. Unhurriedly, he raised the cup to his mouth and tilted his mask up. As befitting its status, he sipped on it lightly and savored the flavor before placing the cup down. I could not see through the mask, but I imagined that he had his eyes closed as he allowed the aroma of the tea to permeate his being. Everyone calls him a demon. But in my shop, he's just another fan of tea. The Oni continued this process several times before his cup emptied, causing him to set it down with a clink.
"You tell me the same story about the tea every single time… even when I order the same thing." He grumbled.
I bowed slightly, crinkling the dress shirt and vest I was wearing. "It is simply part of the experience you pay for in our establishment."
He sighed. "Fine. I will not begrudge your ways of doing business. Before I leave, I have to inform you that the area isn't as safe as before. The Empire 88 has been making incursions into ABB territory nearby. If you see any gaijins strolling around in large groups, be sure to give me a call. Make sure to warn Kaori-chan as well, for her safety."
I resisted the urge to facepalm. "Her name is Brenda. She's not even Japanese."
The silent and dour man finally let out a small bark of levity. "We are the names and masks we choose to wear. I am not the Oni because people have called me so. I am the Oni because I look and act like one right out of Japanese folklore. Let Kaori-chan do as she wishes."
In my eyes, the ABB were just a bunch of weeaboo cosplayers. I blamed them for causing my nice little sister to turn into one as well. Whatever. I just need to give him what he wants so he'll leave. I reached under the counter for a brown paper bag, setting it on the counter. The Oni opened it and took out rolls of 100 dollar American bills. He counted the amount before nodding in satisfaction and rolled the bag back up. "The honor of the Dragon has been satisfied. Your dues have been met for the month. I will be back next month for the same." He got up and started leaving out the door.
I cleared my throat loudly. "Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked with a raised brow. A sheet of paper was placed on the counter with a string of numbers. He looked down at it and winced. I understood why. His bill was within the 3 digits. But that's normal.
"I'd forgotten that you were this… pedantic about separating different forms of business." He ventured.
"The honor of the Dragon has nothing to do with your overindulgence in expensive teas." I said nonchalantly. "This is simply part of the regular conduct of business."
"But even at this price… I own Gyokuro of my own but am unable to reproduce the taste that you create. If I could do so, I would never pay this much for a single cup of tea." He declared gruffly.
We do this same routine every time. "But you can't. And so you're here… paying not just for my tea but my skills as well. I'm sure you receive your very own just compensation for the violence you inflict upon the enemies of the Dragon. Let us stick to our own domains. I simply don't have the skills to fight a war against countless waves of enemies. After all, I lack the ability to teleport around the battlefield like a lunatic pixie."
There was a reason I dared to speak to him this way. Experience. This was practically a ritual between us by now. I could see the annoyance attempting to explode from his body before he simmered down and slapped a few bills on the counter. I accepted them with grace, and as little smugness as possible, before depositing them in the register.
"Help me understand something." He enquired. "You are but two decades of age. How did you master a traditional skill like this so young? Even the tea experts that the Dragon brings in cannot match you, and they are very close to their death beds."
I sat down the cup I was cleaning. I knew what time it was. It was time to bullshit again. "They say that it takes 10,000 hours to be a master of a single skill. Perhaps I've practiced since the day I left the womb, staring at pictures of tea leaves and drilling in the pouring motions using a kettle and a cup. Or perhaps I sought out the masters in the mountain tops. I stayed there for years as they imbued me with the knowledge I sought through their spiritual means."
I paused.
"Or maybe I'm just talented. Who really knows?" I said with a shrug.
He did not reply and simply left through the front door, exasperation wafting from his back.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder