Page 36
Nakagawa Nobuyuki pulled a chair from somewhere and sat aside with a serious expression.
"This guy is actually so serious about this." Nagasaki Suyo thought to herself, but her hands did not stop moving. After pouring the coffee beans into the grinder, she started grinding the beans.
However, this manual grinder is indeed difficult to use for Nagasaki Suyo, who has been a lady in seclusion for a long time, because her hand strength is not strong enough.
Looking at Nagasaki Suyo who was biting her teeth, Nakagawa Nobuyuki took it speechlessly.
"Shigasaki-san, you should exercise more."
What he said was not in vain. When Toyokawa and I were working in the coffee shop, Toyokawa could use this thing very freely, without having to struggle like Nagasaki Suyo.
Nagasaki Suyo gently held her cheek, quietly recalling the process that Nakagawa Nobuyuki had just described.
Because she also discovered that Nakagawa Nobuyuki seemed to really intend to teach her well... If she behaved too strangely, Nakagawa Nobuyuki would probably become suspicious, right?
After all, if the roles were reversed, Nagasaki Suyo would hardly believe that such a good thing would happen, and that she could take advantage of the situation and receive a considerable salary.
Fortunately, Nagasaki Suyo's memory is still pretty good, and she can still recall a lot of the process sequences that Nakagawa Nobuyuki had just mentioned.
As he was speaking, Nakagawa Nobuya finished grinding the beans and looked at Nagasaki Suyo with a slightly testing look.
"Don't forget that it's dark roasted, so what temperature of hot water should we use to brew it?"
After a moment of contemplation, Nagasaki Motoyo smiled and gave the answer.
"88 degrees?"
Nodding in approval, Nakagawa Nobu continued, "For dark roasted beans, 86 to 88 degrees of hot water is usually enough... I thought you were distracted, but you still remember it, right?"
Nakagawa Nobuo put the kettle on the heating stove, and reminded Nagasaki Suyo beside him: "Take it down when the temperature is about right."
Not long after, Nakagawa Shin, who had just found the coffee filter, heard Nagasaki Suyo calling him.
...Is the heating power so high? If I remember correctly, the kettle was just put on?
"...Shigasaki-san."
"The temperature on this screen is in degrees Fahrenheit...it's not even close."
Nakagawa Nobuyuki looked at Nagasaki Suyo, who was a little embarrassed, with some amusement.
"Nagasaki, you should be missing President Jimmy Carter now. If it weren't for his failed metric reform—"
Back to the topic, it didn't take long for the water to reach a similar temperature. Nakagawa Nobuyuki also tested Nagasaki Suyo on a few other points, and it turned out that Nagasaki Suyo knew them all... What a terrible memory.
After placing the coffee filter paper and coffee powder in the filter cup, Nakagawa Nobumasa picked up the kettle on the side and handed it to Nagasaki Motoyo.
"Remember to hold it steady - and don't rush the coffee grounds when you turn it around."
Nakagawa Nobuyuki warned.
If a young lady breaks a kettle because she can't hold it properly, whether she gets burned or not is one thing, but she will definitely have to lose her first day's salary.
Nagasaki Suyo was also somewhat involved. When she heard Nakagawa Nobuyuki talking about flushing in circles, she suddenly forgot that she had just made up her mind to talk less to Nakagawa Nobuyuki, and subconsciously asked, "What if it flushes?"
Although this broke some of her own rules, Nagasaki Suyo was really a little curious.
After all, this is what human beings are like. Everyone has the same rebellious psychology. If you are told not to rush to the edge, then everyone will be curious about what will happen if you rush to the edge.
"...It's going to be bitter, but some guys love it."
Nakagawa Shin shrugged.
After filtering the coffee, he shook the coffee in the pot slightly to allow it to mix evenly and then let it cool down a little. Then, Nakagawa Nobuyuki poured half a cup of coffee into the cup.
"It's simple, right?"
As Nakagawa Nobuyuki said this, he handed the coffee cup in his hand to Nagasaki Motoyo.
"...Nakagawa-san is amazing."
A smile spread across Nagasaki Motoyo's face, and Nakagawa Nobuyuki suddenly felt a little healed.
But after taking a sip, the smile on Nagasaki Motoyo's face became a little twitchy.
The reason is simple: this stuff is indeed a bit bitter, especially for people who have little experience in coffee tasting.
"...It's very delicious."
Forcing a smile, Nagasaki Suyo still tried to give an excellent evaluation. She thought that Nakagawa Nobuyuki would look at her with a happy face, but unexpectedly, she only saw Nakagawa Nobuyuki's strange look.
"Shigasaki-san, if you really think it tastes bad, you don't have to pretend."
Speechless, Nakagawa Shin placed the milk and sugar cubes on the table and took the coffee from Nagasaki Motoyo who was still pretending.
Hearing what Nakagawa Nobuyuki said, Nagasaki Suyo simply stopped acting and complained softly, "Do you really like to drink this kind of stuff?"
He unscrewed the cap of the milk bottle and poured almost half a cup of milk into the still slightly hot coffee, then Nakagawa Nobuyuki handed the coffee to Nagasaki Motoyo again.
“There are always people who like to drink this.”
After tasting the coffee with new milk, Nagasaki Sushi nodded slightly. The texture and taste were much softer.
"Haha, you know, black coffee is a taste that only belongs to mature adults."
After saying that, Nakagawa Nobuyuki raised the cup and took a deep sip of the black coffee in his hand.
At this time, Nagasaki Motoyo was holding her latte in both hands, looking at Nakagawa Nobuyuki with a distorted face with a smile.
After a long time, Nakagawa Nobuyuki adjusted his expression and put down the cup as if nothing had happened.
(Nakagawa, you are too hard-mouthed, like a funny comedian.)
Nagasaki Suyo thought to herself.
After a while, looking at the small handful of coffee powder washed by water in the filter cup, Nagasaki Suyo felt curious again.
"Can I make more coffee with the remaining grounds?"
At this time, Nakagawa Nobuyuki had just added milk to his coffee. When he looked up, he found that Nagasaki was particularly interested in the coffee grounds in the filter cup.
"I can't drink this anymore. It's bitter and astringent... It's as bitter as it can be."
Unexpectedly, Nagasaki Suyo nodded slightly, and then immediately asked: "How hard is it?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki poured the coffee grounds in the filter cup into the trash can with an expressionless face.
"Very bitter... Do you know how I would describe how bitter this thing is?"
“It’s about as hard as accidentally putting your pants on inside out and walking out the door in the middle of a busy street realizing it.”
When he thought of the scene at that time, Nakagawa Nobuyuki still didn't want to recall it.
When Nagasaki Motoyo thought of that scene, she couldn't help but want to laugh: "So what happened to Nakagawa-san in the end?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki still had a blank expression on his face and said stubbornly, "First of all, it's not me. Secondly, you can pretend that these are the latest and most fashionable pants and put your hands in your original butt pockets."
Isn’t it funnier when you think about it this way?
Imagining such an embarrassing situation, Nagasaki Suyo gently covered the corners of her mouth that were slightly raised.
"It seems that Nakagawa-san is quite fashionable?"
However, Nakagawa Nobuyuki didn't buy it.
"I wish I was more old-fashioned if I could."
Chapter 47: A new migrant worker?
"You can laugh if you want."
"I will never laugh again."
Nakagawa Nobuyuki's entire body had turned gray.
Now for an urgent background briefing.
About twenty minutes ago, after Nakagawa Nobuyuki casually mentioned the embarrassing incident of wearing his pants inside out backwards, Nagasaki Suyo became very interested in this matter.
As a result, at the strong request of Nagasaki Motoyo, Nakagawa Nobuyuki had to tell several similar stories, such as when his shoes were squeezed off when he was squeezed into the tram and he had to hop on one foot to exit the station.
Of course, this is what happened to a friend of Nakagawa Nobuyuki.
"...Nakagawa-san, I'm not laughing at you."
Nagasaki Suyo had a serious expression on her face, but her slightly curved eyebrows betrayed her true inner thoughts.
Although she had already made a rule in her heart to talk less to him, but... listening to the story of Nakagawa Nobuyuki's humiliation was indeed interesting, so Nagasaki Suyo quietly decided to give him some leniency here.
If it's a story about him getting humiliated, it wouldn't hurt to listen to it yourself.
"I do not believe."
Nakagawa Nobuyuki turned his head expressionlessly.
"Since you're here to be a barista, you should start business now."
After saying that, Nakagawa Nobuyuki really started to clean the filter cup, as if he was going to start work right away, and abruptly changed the subject.
"Hmm... Nakagawa-san, we don't need to worry about management matters, right?"
Nagasaki Suyo looked at Nakagawa Nobuyuki who had his back turned and quickly reminded him.
You're not really here to work, so why do you have to run the business of receiving customers?
If something went wrong, wouldn't it be their problem? Nagasaki Suyo knew that it was wrong to make trouble for no reason.
"Shigasaki-san, since I promised to help you, I will definitely help you thoroughly... Chatting with you is really like chatting with someone for a fee."
Nakagawa Nobuyuki shook off the water in the filter cup, wiped the filter cup with kitchen paper, and replied casually and helplessly.
If it were really possible to chat with pay, Nakagawa Nobuyuki would be quite satisfied...but because he didn't want to make it difficult for Nagasaki Suyo in front of his boss, he should start well.
The two of them said they had been working for almost an hour, but in fact they had done nothing except drinking coffee and chatting. If Nakagawa Nobuyuki were the store manager, he would have been dissatisfied a long time ago, and the other employees nearby even gave him strange looks.
Although I still have some doubts about the core motive of Nagasaki Motoyo in pulling me in for this well-paid job, it can be considered as helping me. Making groundless speculations about friends in secret... is not my style at all.
"...The store manager said that I only need to study for a while today."
Nagasaki Suyo wrapped her fingers around her soft and smooth hair and spoke softly.
"It's okay. I think we can try to start receiving guests."
Zhonghe Xin looked at the small passenger flow at the moment and felt quite confident.
"...That's fine too."
Seeing that Nakagawa Nobuyuki seemed particularly serious, Nagasaki Suyo knew that it would appear strange if she still objected now. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and agreed to Nakagawa Nobuyuki's choice.
After informing the clerk at the other counter who was taking out the receipt, although the clerk's suspicious look was a little piercing, she still agreed to pass on the receipt.
The two didn't have to wait long for the order. Soon, the order for mixed lattes appeared on the screen in front of them.
Although the recipe and method of making mixed latte were pinned on a small board on the side, even if it wasn't there, Nakagawa Nobuya had just explained the method of making latte to Nagasaki Motoyo.
"Nagasaki, do you remember how to make latte?"
Taking the coffee beans from the shelf on the side, Nakagawa Nobuyuki turned and looked at Nagasaki Suyo.
"...get the ice milk first?"
Nagasaki Suyo looked a little uncertain.
"That's fine too, Nagasaki. Can you use the steam wand to heat the milk first? I'll make the coffee and latte art."
Nakagawa Nobuyuki looked at Nagasaki Motoyo very seriously, and it was obvious that he had entered the working state.
Nagasaki Suyo, who felt the change in Nakagawa Nobuyuki's aura, did not raise any other objections. She nodded slightly and walked towards the freezer on the side.
...after a while.
“…and then froth the milk at the end.”
Nagasaki Suyo looked focused, and as she moved her hands, she silently recited the last step in her mind.
As the stirring rod rotates, a thick layer of foam is formed on the hot milk in the latte art cup, which looks like jelly under the light.
"Nakagawa, I'm all right here, okay?"
Nagasaki Suyo let out a light breath, gently tucked the flaxen hair that was hanging down on one side back behind her ear, and turned to look at Nakagawa Nobuyuki.
"What a coincidence, I'm here just in time."
In front of me is Nakagawa Nobuyuki, who is holding a coffee cup and seems very satisfied with this coincidence.
"Although it's a little thick, it's enough."