After walking around the flower garden to some extent, we arrived at a wooden houseā¦ā¦ Rosemary-sanās home. Describing it as a small house in the middle of a flower garden fits perfectly, and although it wasnāt that big, I felt that its appearance matched the flower garden.
Once inside, I found it to be another stylish space. The interior was tastefully decorated with furniture of calming wooden colors, and the space inside was nothing short of magnificent, not being gaudily wide, yet not cramped either.
This was a room that one would have to have a very good sense of style to create. Even if I used the same furniture and interior design, I wouldnāt be able to create this stylish atmosphere.
[Itās a stylish and beautiful room.]
[You think so? Hearing you say that makes me happy. Ahh, Kaito-kun, sit there and let me make you some tea.]
[Thank youā¦ā¦ Ah, thatās right!]
[Unnn?]
The timing is just right, so I decided to give her the cup I brought as a souvenir.
[Actually, our Nebula and Illness-san recently took up pottery making, and they made teacups for Rosemary-san for this visit.]
[Eh? Is that so?]
[Yes. And so, if youāre fine with it, here you go.]
[Thanks, it makes me happyā¦ā¦ Ohh, theyāre very beautiful. They just started recently and made something this great? They seem to be designed with black tea in mind, and the rose pattern is so beautiful, so it would be no surprise if you said they were made by a skilled craftsman.]
Receiving the teacups with the beautiful rose patterns, Rosemary-san smiled, looking really happy.
If she is this happy, Iām glad I gifted them to her. Well, it was Nebula and Illness who made themā¦ā¦
[ā¦ā¦By the way, you mentioned it being designed with black tea in mind?]
[Errr, for cups oriented towards black tea, basically, they should be thin, with a wide mouthpiece and a short height to bring out the flavor and appearance of the tea. On the other hand, coffee cups should be thicker, have a cylindrical mouthpiece, and be taller.]
[I seeā¦ā¦]
Heehhhā¦ā¦ Thatās the first time Iāve heard about that. Come to think of it, they do use different cups for tea and coffee. I was never really that fussy about drinking tea or coffee back then, and when I was in Japan, I used to drink coffee from a mug.
[ā¦ā¦Well then, letās use these cups right away. It seems just right, as youāve brought me two.]
[Yes.]
[Kaito-kun, are you okay with rose tea?]
[Errrā¦ā¦ I havenāt drank much of them. I did have an acquaintance who likes herb tea, and they brew them as a blendā¦ā¦]
[I see, then, I guess the pink rose, which doesnāt have too strong an aroma would be betterā¦ā¦]
I have many opportunities to drink tea, but not so much herb teaā¦ā¦ most of my experiences with them were when Dr. Vier serves them to me at her place. However, I donāt think Iāve had tea made from roses.
[ā¦ā¦Iāve had rose hip tea before, but is that different?]
[Thatās right. Rose tea is made from the roseās petals, while rose hip tea is made from the small red berries that form after the roses bloom.]
[I guess that makes their taste quite different?]
[Rose hip tea is more sour and a little stronger in taste. Rose tea tastes sweeter, but theyāre rather light, and its special feature is its strong aroma.]
With these words, Rosemary-san prepared rose tea using dried rose petals with her experienced hands.
The tea was a beautiful shade of red and purple, and combined with the transparent pot, it looked very stylish.
[Thanks for waiting. Well then, Iāll pour them into the cupsā¦ā¦ Ahh, thatās amazing. When I pour tea in themā¦ā¦ the rosebud pattern in the cup bloomed beautifully.]
[If Iām not mistaken, they added some sort of mechanism where the pattern changes depending on the temperature.]
[I see, thatās amazingā¦ā¦ Ahh, sorry. Here you go.]
[Thank you.]
[Try drinking it normally, and if you think the taste is weak, add some honey, it will make it sweeter and easier to drink.]
It seemed that the souvenir cup was designed to bloom into a rose when tea was poured into it, and I couldnāt help but notice the vivid change in its appearance.
[ā¦ā¦Arehh? Didnāt the color of the rose slightly change?]
[Ahh, itās trueā¦ā¦ Perhaps, it changes not only with temperature, but also with the passage of time? When you pour tea, the flower blooms and you can enjoy the changing color of the rose flower as time goes by. Itās really amazing.]
[How should I say thisā¦ā¦ It kinda makes drinking tea fun.]
[Unnn. Itās pleasing to the eye, so itās really lovely.]
Seeing Rosemary-sanās smile as she said that, my eyes were unintentionally captivated. How should I say thisā¦ā¦ When sheās really not nervous, she feels more like a kind and gentle woman, giving me the strong impression that sheās a lovely person.
When sheās nervous and looks sharp though, she feels more like a cool personā¦ā¦
As I had such thoughts in mind, I brought the rose tea Rosemary-san brewed to my mouth. The scent of roses spreading in my mouth somehow felt elegant and pleasant, and drinking it made me feel relaxed.
***
[Afterword]
Serious-senpai: [I wonder why, but it really feels like Rosemary-san is flirting with him hereā¦ā¦ Could it be because she has really relaxed her guard around Kaito?]