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白衣のバリスタ

category story ending Body levelBond
YuiYagi's Story The Barista in the White Coat The Barista in the White Coat Strange, what's with this weird fishy stench?
This is already her third experimental coffee today. The girl in the white coat puzzles over the mixture, analyzing what went wrong.
Her theory should've been flawless. A good cup of coffee is all about balancing bitterness, acidity, and a rich, mellow body. In other words, all she had to do was add ingredients to compensate for the bitterness of the beans. The more variety, the richer the layers of flavor would become. So the experiment began. In went the dried tangerine peel, sun-dried tomatoes, pickled plums, yogurt, and even a splash of balsamic vinegar... Everything had gone perfectly on paper, and the final product should have tasted delicious. And yet...
"Could it be... I still haven't added enough?"
The girl reaches into the shopping bag, stuffed with all sorts of ingredients she prepared for this experiment. She then pulls out a jar of fermented fish sauce and carefully examines the label.
The conclusion is... this can't be added.
Adding this would completely undo all of her efforts.
"Making coffee is, in essence, no different from exploring the cosmos."
Every time she goes to play in the lab, her father says this with a smile.
The ways you can combine coffee beans are as countless as the stars in the sky. From the grind of the beans, to the pour of the water, and even the materials of the tools – there are just so many factors to consider. That's why Father always used to say that pursuing the perfect cup is a journey with no end.
It feels just like exploring a dark universe – piloting a rickety spaceship through an uncharted void. Yet Father thinks that's precisely what makes it romantic.
To challenge the unknown, even in the face of repeated failure... Perhaps what Father truly loves isn't the perfect cup of coffee, but the journey itself.
...That said.
"...Coffee really is complicated, isn't it, Father?"
The girl mumbles to herself.
Of course, she has people she could call friends. They play mahjong together, and sometimes even talk about science. But she would never tell a soul that she's trying to create the perfect cup of coffee.
Not that she distrusts them... Probably.
...It might just be a little embarrassing.
Brewing coffee is, perhaps, one of the last threads still connecting her to her parents. Letting anyone into that warm, private world... it just feels wrong.
Which is why, the perfect cup of coffee must be created by her own hands alone.
Once her mind is made up, she begins her fourth attempt. Before adding any ingredients, she takes a sip of the plain coffee to use as a control.
"...Hmm?"
...It's actually good.
How is this happening?
Compared to her carefully crafted blends, this seemingly plain black coffee carries a simple yet refined deliciousness.
"Am I mistaken... from the very beginning...?"
Her words still hanging in the air, she abruptly shook her head.
Impossible. It must be the wrong ingredients.
The theory she deduced – that adding delicious ingredients increases the overall deliciousness – should be as accurate as the fundamental principles of the material universe.
She brushes aside a flicker of doubt and turns her attention back to the experiment.
"It's definitely gonna work this time!" 		絆レベル1