I Didn’t Lull You to Sleep Only for You to Be Obsessed With Me - Chapter 109

RP: Haebaragi_syk

⎯⎯⎯⎯

Chapter 55.2

In the end, she didn’t want to put something on the menu she wasn’t familiar with.

‘Maybe I should hire someone who knows tea well?’

But that would feel a little strange. Lilies of April was supposed to be a coffee-focused cafe. If they started offering a full tea menu, it would completely change the concept.

‘But I can’t just turn away people who came here for tea.’

At first, she tried to promote coffee to those who came for tea. About half of them gave it a try because of her enthusiastic pitch, but the response wasn’t great. Even when she recommended a sweet latte, which had a milder coffee flavor, they still couldn’t handle the characteristic bitterness of coffee.

In that case, a new menu was needed, something different from what she had now.

‘For example, a menu that combines tea and coffee…’

“Ah!”

After thinking it over, April let out a gasp.

‘That’s it!’

Without wasting a moment, she grabbed Asher, who was practicing writing, and headed to the kitchen.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

“Fruit syrups? We do have some, but what kind are you looking for?”

“Anything! It’d be even better if it’s a sour fruit syrup.”

“That’s right!”

Asher, not knowing much about it, eagerly agreed with a smile. The head chef, Hans, led them to a cool storage area and pointed toward a collection of glass jars.

“These are the fruit syrups we made last year. We have just about every common type, so let me know what you need, and I’ll bring it to you.”

“Most of the common ones…”

April thought for a moment and remembered something she was most familiar with.

“Do you have lemon syrup?”

“That’s the basic one. Let me see.”

Saying this, Hans brought over a large glass jar and set it on the table. Inside, thin slices of lemon were floating in clear syrup. The vibrant yellow looked incredibly appetizing.

Just looking at it, Asher couldn’t help but swallow, imagining how sour it must be.

“Sister, can I try that?”

The answer came from Hans.

“Of course, young master. It’s too sour to drink on its own, so I’ll

“Wow.”

While Asher enjoyed his lemonade, April stood in front of the tin case holding the tea. The tin was decorated with the names of different teas, most of which she didn’t recognize. As she frowned and sighed, Hans, who had just washed his hands, came up beside her.

“Why the sigh? Ah! Are you thinking about adding a tea menu to your cafe?”

“Yes, that’s right, but I’m trying to create a slightly different menu.”

“Something different?”

April shot him a playful wink.

“I’ll show you in a moment. But in the meantime, do you happen to know which tea has the least bitter taste?”

“This one’s the smoothest.”

Hans pulled out a mint-colored tin case from the far right.

“I’ve never actually brewed tea myself. If you don’t mind, could you brew it for me?”

“Of course, that’s no problem.”

While Hans was preparing the tea, April tried the lemon syrup. The sweet yet sour taste made her squint her eyes, and Asher giggled.

“Sour?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty sour.”

“But still really good.”

The child took a sip of the lemonade and shivered, letting out a strange sound, ‘Kya!’

April chuckled, and Asher scratched his head, embarrassed. Meanwhile, Hans brought over a teapot with freshly brewed black tea and poured it into a cup.

“Here, go ahead and try it.”

She took a sip of the plain black tea. Whether it was Hans’s brewing skills or the high quality of the tea itself, it was incredibly smooth with no bitterness at all.

‘This tea completely shattered my belief that black tea is always bitter and astringent.’

On top of that, the distinctive, fragrant aroma of the tea that lingered in her mouth was quite pleasant.

“It’s delicious.”

“Haha, it’s just basic skill.”

“By the way, do you have any ice?”

“Oh, you want to drink it as iced tea?”

Hans quickly brought over a glass full of ice. April poured the tea into the glass and then added some lemon syrup with a wooden spoon. As the thinly sliced lemon and the thick syrup splashed in, the dark brown tea changed to a clear, light brown hue.

April prepared two more cups of homemade iced tea and handed one to Hans and the other to Asher.

“Alright, let’s give it a try.”

April clinked her glass against the child’s and took a sip.

The refreshing iced tea with lemon syrup tasted even better than before. The subtle aroma of the black tea mixed with the sweet and tangy lemon flavor that lingered on the tip of her tongue.

“Wow.”

Asher’s eyes widened.

“The black tea’s not good, but this is delicious!”

On the other hand, Hans’s response was pretty indifferent.

“Hmm, it tastes good, but there’s nothing about it that makes it stand out as a cafe offering.”

Hans’s critique was spot on.

‘People around here usually drink tea with lemon or sugar, so it’s not really anything new.’

April readily agreed.

“You’re right. There’s nothing special about this. But how about we try something else?”

Finishing her words, she quickly brewed two shots of espresso and poured them into both her cup and Hans’s. A golden crema formed on top, and the drink, which had been a light brown, darkened to the rich color it had before.