by Andrew Reise
Alan's struggle to be cost conscious continued!
Meanwhile, Tom was speaking with the contractor that he had sent to Alan.
Hearing all of the work that Alan wanted done, he despaired. He wouldn't be able to get his coffee anytime in the near future at this rate.
The contractor worked for his company, so he ordered him to put aside all of his other jobs and focus exclusively on this one. Furthermore, if he didn't finish it within a week he'd be fired. If he finished it in less than a week he'd get a nice bonus for the holidays.
And so, once again, a number of innocent people found themselves called in by their boss, the contractor. Birthdays went uncelebrated, weddings were postponed, and workers from all over found themselves recruited in a massive effort to renovate this one two story building.
The contractor sweated as he wondered if he could get it all done in time. He shouted a little louder at the workers as the work went on.
Of course, karma was swift.
Alan, who now lived upstairs, found himself unable to even think as the loud sounds of hammering, sawing, and drilling rang out from the lower floor.
He tried putting a pillow over his head, but it didn't work.
He sighed. "Well, I'll just put up with it for now. They'll have to stop when they go home to sleep."
However, contrary to his expectations, as the sky grew darker the work never stopped. New workers replaced the old workers, taking shifts to make sure that construction was constant. No contractor had worked so hard, so quickly in history.
The next day, Alan, eyes red from lack of sleep, walked downstairs where work was still happening. The entire first floor had been torn apart as they prepared to install new wood floors and paneling.
Alan sighed. "I might have to sleep at my parent's place tonight."
He'd called them the night before to tell them what was going on. He said a customer had decided to invest in his business to explain the sudden change. They were thrilled to hear it, but somewhat skeptical.
He didn't look forward to another night there. It would just make them doubt his story even more.
"System, if this keeps up I won't be able to run the cafe when it opens because I'll be too tired."
The system was silent for a minute before responding. "The system has developed a solution while taking into account Host's preferences."
Alan was taken aback. Since when was the system so considerate?
"What's the solution?" Alan asked cautiously.
"Host can buy earplugs." The system said blandly.
And there it was. Alan almost keeled over. Though he'd expected it to be unhelpful, he'd thought it would do more than that.
"System, can't you soundproof the building or something?" He asked desperately.
"Host, you have made it clear you want to save money. Given your current lack of money, soundproofing would be impossible. Thus, the system considerately thought of a low cost solution. You're welcome, Host."
Alan could only ignore it. Maybe he was just projecting, but he swore the system sounded smug when it said that.
Tom's carrot and stick approach was effective and construction progressed quickly. After the remodeling was done, the furniture began to arrive. Once again, the contractor assisted, even though his work was mostly done at that point.
Alan meticulously directed the workers with where he wanted everything. He wanted to match the design he'd made in the system perfectly.
Similarly, his kitchen was taking shape nicely. It looked like the kitchen of a modern French restaurant rather than some random cafe.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. When he went downstairs on the morning of the sixth day, he was completely broke but he had a fully functioning cafe. It was currently 6:00 AM. He was debating what sort of hours he wanted to keep. Now that he owned his own cafe he had much more freedom.
As he pondered this the system chimed in.
"Host, as mentioned earlier, the system will be implementing rules now that the tutorial is over. Since Host is determining store hours at the moment, Host should know that the system has already determined the ideal store hours. Host must only make sales between 6:30 AM and 8:00 PM."
Alan actually didn't complain about that. Those hours felt fine. Frankly, they were a bit longer than he intended. He might open later in the mornings so he could sleep in a bit. He snickered a bit as he thought that.
Tom felt a shiver down his spine as he got ready to head in to work. "Something terrible must have just happened." He said superstitiously.
Alan walked outside and looked at his cafe. The front of the building looked inviting. The glass windows looked in on the luxurious lounging area.
Across the window in fancy script was the name of the cafe: Lux Cafe.
Alan had hesitated about naming it Lux Cafe, but he ultimately decided on it since it reflected his end goal.
Walking back inside, Alan took out a small whiteboard with a string attached to it. He wrote the hours on it and hung it in the window. However, what he wrote was 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM. He smiled and then went upstairs to get an extra hour of sleep.
When he woke up again and prepared to open for business he heard a ding.
"The system has detected that Host has successfully met the requirements to start the next mission. Issuing mission now."
A screen popped up in front of him. It read:
Mission: Sell 100 cups of coffee.
Description: Host has not established a customer base for the cafe yet. Work hard to sell 100 cups of coffee and earn some regular customers.
Alan scoffed slightly when he saw the mission. He had managed to sell plenty of coffee at the other cafe. He didn't think this would be a problem at all.
He went into the kitchen and basked in the glory of the chrome and stainless steel appliances. Finally he went into the pantry and pulled out some of the Prosperidad coffee beans. He took them into the kitchen and went about making himself coffee. He was highly anticipating the taste of this freshly ground coffee after it went through his perfect brewing process.
However, unlike in the past, this time he decided to try something new. After completing the tutorial he had received his reward: cappuccino. Like in the past, as he went to the cappuccino machine he suddenly understood how to use it even though he never had before. Truthfully, making a cappuccino didn't require much skill once you made the espresso extract to go into it.
The real challenge lay in the froth art. That is the design made in the froth of the cream added to the cappuccino to make the foam on the surface.
Alan found himself able to do it with relative ease. He didn't get too fancy with it. He decided to make a classic froth art. He designed a leaf.
Looking at the cup of cappuccino in front of him he felt it was almost a waste to drink it, it looked so good.
He admired it for a bit as it sat steaming, but then he took a sip. The milkiness of it mellowed in his mouth. If his cup of joe was a kick starter in the morning, then this cappuccino was the perfect drink to have in the afternoon as you were trying to wind down.
"System, what effect does the cappuccino have on customers?" Alan asked.
"Host, the cappuccino has the same effect as the cup of joe. However, as it is diluted, the effect is much more muted. It is good for a slight boost without making the drinker feel too keyed up. Such a drink is perfect for social occasions or to take the edge off a long work day." The system explained.
Alan didn't fully get it, but he kept the system's description in mind.
Walking back into the main area, Alan sat in one of the leather arm chairs and enjoyed his cappuccino while he waited for the clock to strike 7:30 AM.
Before the clock hit 7:30 AM a figure appeared at the door. It was Tom.
He looked at the board in the window and felt shocked. What was up with those hours? He was tempted to bang on the door, but he resisted the urge and just waited for the cafe to open.
The city was bustling as people
passed by on the street. He drew some strange stares. Most people wouldn't stand around on the sidewalks in the city unless they were begging or asking people for a moment of their time to tell them about their 'cause'. To see a businessman in an expensive suit standing outside a cafe was very unusual.
Still, people didn't pay it too much mind and continued on their way. At 7:30 AM, Alan got up from the chair, put his cup on the bar top, and turned to unlock the door. He was surprised to see Tom there.
He opened the door and held it open for Tom.
"Good morning," He greeted him.
"What's the deal with opening at 7:30?" Tom asked. "Most cafes in the area open way earli-" he cut off as he looked around, noticing the interior of the cafe.
The lighting was dim, not so much as to strain the eyes, but low enough that it felt more like ambient light.
The polished wood floors glistened in the sun filtering through the windows. The leather armchairs and the fireplace gave the room the ambience of a living room in the house of a well off person.
Along the wall, dark oak tables stood spaced out, with chairs at each and outlets built into the tables themselves, similarly covered in dark oak.
Tom had been in here less than a week ago, but walking in today, he barely recognized the place.
Alan smirked and said, "This isn't most cafes."
Tom was still shocked by the change, but he went ahead and ordered his coffee.
Rather than going to make it, Alan paused.
"What's the problem?" Tom asked impatiently.
"I'm happy to make you coffee, but...well you should check the prices." He pointed to a chalkboard above the back of the bar.
Listed there was the price of a cup of coffee: $20.
Tom's mouth gaped open.
Alan watched, sympathetically, understanding his reaction.
He'd had a similar reaction just a short while ago. As he had gone to sit down and enjoy his coffee, the system had prompted him to remind him he needed to pay for the coffee.
Alan had nearly forgotten about the system's quirk. Sighing he reached to pull out $3 and put it in the cash register. However, as he did so the system spoke.
"Host, as a reminder you are no longer using the low quality coffee beans from before."
"I know that, System. I had to choose a luxurious coffee bean to satisfy you." He said irritated.
"Well, Host, due to the increase in quality of the coffee beans the cost of the coffee understandably has increased."
This gave Alan pause for a moment. However, he was happy about it. This meant he could finally charge more for his coffee. He celebrated for a moment before suddenly feeling dread shoot down his spine.
"Then, System, how much does the coffee cost?"
"Host, a cup of coffee is now $20."
Alan let out a breath of relief. It was high, but at least he hadn't broken the bank with his coffee this morning.
"However, Host, a cappuccino costs $35."
Alan felt like he was kicked in the chest. That was almost double the cost!
Suddenly he thought of another problem. "System, how am I supposed to get new customers while charging so much for a cup of coffee?"
"Please endeavor to sell 100 cups of coffee and complete the mission, Host."
Alan realized he'd once again been scammed by this system.
As he stood in front of Tom now, he completely related to what he was feeling. He began to explain before Tom could say anything.
"Now that I'm running my own cafe, I decided to make it in the style I wanted it to be. As the name indicates, the cafe offers a luxury experience that can't be found anywhere else. Putting aside the incredible decor," He said, gesturing around the room. "I also made sure to get extremely high quality coffee beans. This particular brand of coffee is called Prosperidad. It goes for $120 per pound. There are few batches of it in existence. If you thought my coffee was good before, this one will blow your mind. I'm also now offering cappuccinos."
As Alan said this, Tom's gaze went back to the board and saw the price of the cappuccino. He nearly fainted.
However, being as successful as he was, he was willing to pay that much for coffee, especially since he had experienced first hand how good Alan's coffee was.
"I'll just take a regular cup to go please." Tom said, putting aside his reservations.
Alan coughed before saying, "About that. I'm afraid that at the moment I don't offer takeaway coffee."
The moment he had been dreading arrived.
Tom choked on the joke he was about to make about the price.
"I'm sorry," Alan said. "At the moment I haven't figured out a way to properly ensure that the experience of drinking my coffee will maintain its quality as takeaway coffee. Please do understand."
Alan had thought long and hard about this excuse ever since the system told him about the new rule. He was pretty proud of it actually, and he kept a straight face as he said it.
Tom suddenly felt like he'd made a bad decision helping Alan get his own cafe.
"Alan, come on, can't you make an exception? Think of how much I helped you." Tom tried.
Alan hesitated, he really did owe Tom a lot. However, as he did so the system spoke up. "Host, as a reminder, the rules are non-negotiable. As the future owner of the world's most luxurious cafe you must be even handed in how you deal with all customers be they family, friends, or strangers."
Alan sighed internally, but remained calm on the surface. "No can do Tom. You know how I am about my rules."
Tom muttered something about him being a square under his breath before saying, "Fine, just get me a coffee."
He felt somewhat disgruntled at this point.
Alan went to make him his coffee.
When he came back, the smell hit Tom instantly and made his mouth water. It was like the best sip of coffee he ever had bottled and sprayed in the air. He stared at the steaming cup of coffee heading his way.
He chose to seat himself at the bar. If he was going to stick around he wanted to at least be able to talk to Alan while he did it.
He lifted the coffee to his mouth in anticipation, letting the wonderful smell waft upwards, stimulating his sense of smell and making his mouth water.
He carefully sipped at it.
The coffee was hot, and slightly burned his tongue, but Tom didn't care. If his first time tasting Alan's coffee had been an awakening to the difference between good and bad coffee, then this time was an awakening to how good coffee could be.
He couldn't restrain himself and lifted the coffee for another sip despite the pain on his tongue.
Alan watched, feeling satisfied by the look on Tom's face. "Well, it's worth $20 right?"
Tom didn't stop drinking the coffee and just nodded.
He drank the coffee in the span of a couple of minutes.
Afterwards he sat for a moment before saying to Alan, "I had my doubts, but you proved once again that you know how to make an unparalleled cup of coffee. Even if I have to come here and sit every day in order to drink it, I would come here."
Alan nodded, accepting the praise.
Tom continued. "I don't suppose there's anyway I could-"
Before he could go any further, Alan cut him off. "No seconds. You know the rule. If you want another cup of coffee come back in 6 hours."
Tom put on a look like he'd been dealt a grievous wound. Still, he got up contentedly and went off to work.
Alan took the cup and put it in the dishwasher in the kitchen.
Then he came back out and waited for more customers to come in.
And waited. And waited.
Before long, it was noon, and he had still only had one customer: Tom.
Just as he was despairing, a woman in a pantsuit came inside. She looked distracted, reading a document in her hands, and just said, without looking up, "Get me a coffee please."
Alan hesitated but then cleared his throat and said, "Ma'am, first maybe you should take a look at our prices."
The woman looked up at him irritated before looking at the prices. She stiffened in shock, but recovered quickly. She eyed him doubtfully.
Part of her suspected he was a scam artist. However, this cafe looked very well put together. Furthermore, he'd even warned her about the price when he could have just served her coffee and demanded payment.
She opened her mouth and said, "It's fine. In fact, get me a cup of cappuccino."
Alan opened his mouth to agree, but as he did so the system spoke again.
"Attention, Host. You have met the requirement to learn of another rule. Cappuccino may only be served after 3:00 PM. It is meant to be a drink to help wind down from the rest of the day. Serving it earlier will not deliver the same luxurious experience."
Alan's mouth closed with an audible clack. He ground his teeth momentarily in frustration. The system dropped this rule on him now?
Alan cleared his throat again, trying to recover from the shock the system gave him. "I'm afraid we only serve cappuccino in the afternoon. Would a regular coffee be acceptable?"
The woman was stumped. On the one hand, he had just refused her which she was unaccustomed to. On the other hand, he offered her the less expensive of the two options. If he was a scammer, he would go with the more expensive of the two. Still, she was displeased at his refusal.
"It better be a good cup of coffee. I'll take it to go." She said coldly.
Alan wanted to cry. He further explained that they did not offer coffee to go, making the same excuse he did with Tom.
The woman looked ready to walk away in anger at this point. Instead, she just told him to hurry up.
Alan did so. He brought out a cup of coffee and placed it in front of her. Unlike Tom, the woman did not particularly want to interact with Alan, finding him unpleasant after his refusals. She took the coffee to one of the armchairs, sat and blew on it, trying to cool the coffee down.
Alan watched from the bar in anticipation as she took her first sip.