After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

Other than the Pharmacy and the Post Office, the new shops that were established on that street were also very lively.

The most popular ones were the cafes, which sold coffee and chocolate!

They had just been made commercially available, and the Supermarket was understandably quick to lose stock.

There was no way: these two products were gold!!

To the Terrans, it was filled with more than just the taste (which was glorious), but the appeal was more about the nostalgia and memories of a peaceful past.

For aborigines, it was a totally new taste they couldn't help but be addicted to!!

There was understandably a huge demand for it, and fast-thinking merchants were quick to jump on the bandwagon.

However, it was still a new product in the end, and it was barely enough to satisfy the Alterran population. How could they cater to outsiders?

A few people managed to secure supply deals with Miss Althea, and it was unavailable to outsiders for now to bulk-buy. All they could do was buy within the purchase limits in the supermarket.

Of course, when it first appeared, the aborigines didn't exactly know what the fuss was about (the supermarket was packed with crazed customers when it was sold), so they didn't really fight too hard for the deals.

Until they entered the newly opened stores in Post Street, that is.

At this time, there were two shops in the street selling coffee and chocolate, owned by the Farrol brothers1, who created a team that was filled with food experts.

One was more of a coffee shop that offered varying caffeinated drinks from hot coffee and tea, with each one having a vast array of choices. This had a learning curve for the aborigines, but they were all about learning about this fascinating new type of drink.

It also had snacks like bread and dessert that would fit well with caffeine. For example, Citrus-based desserts like lemon bars and orange tarts, which had a bright, zesty flavor to create a refreshing contrast with the savory taste of coffee.

There was also the almond biscotti, with its slightly crunchy texture and a subtle sweetness that paired wonderfully with the drinks.

Other snacks included oatmeal cookies, cheese, and crackers, and so on.

There were also a few dark chocolate desserts, wherein it could enhance the effect of the caffeine, and the chocolate's bitterness complemented the coffee's.

Speaking of chocolates, the other shop had a quirkier design and focused on desserts, with the specialty menu being mostly cocoa-based.

Both stores had long queues during the first few days since they were opened. The aborigines, who didn't know what it was about at the time, knew it must be a good thing.

Since they were rich though, they hired people to line up for them. This practice had become so lucrative that a group of people rose. They called themselves 'professional queuer' who did this job as a (in their words) 'profitable part-time side chick'.

Anyway, upon entering, one could feel the unusual ambiance of the place. The layout was comfy and inviting, and it had bright colors that accented the overall peach and white undertones of the interior.

They offered a variety of other desserts like fruit cakes, cookies, tarts, and the like. There was also a new type of candy that was bought by small bags and was designed to be smaller than normal candies.

Emenems were basically chocolate that had a candied exterior that allowed it to melt in their mouth and not in their hands.

They also offered drinks like milk tea, cold chocolate drinks and so on…

The main attraction though was the chocolate desserts, which the aborigines tasted for the first time and the Terrans craved so much for. For those who were already taking a bite of the dessert, it really looked like they were ready to die in satisfaction.

This was what the couple Hilda and Orion saw as they entered the establishment. It was really crowded for the two who preferred solace, though they also felt a bit curious not to leave the queue.

They looked at the tables with the people eating having expressions of bliss, and then at each other.

Hilda was very curious, but she was expecting Orion to change his mind. His time was far too important to be queuing like this.

To her surprise though, he did not move.

Hilda pursed her lips. "H-Husband… do you want to call a queuer for us?"

Orion looked at her and turned to the line. There were only two people ahead of them. "Do you want to?"

"Well, not really. I just thought…"

"No," he said. "I'll wait with you."

…

The couple settled in the quiet corner on the second floor. They asked the cashier about what she recommended, and the girl kindly described the items. Fortunately, they had sampler sets with a little of everything, which was what they took.

The items were delivered to them some minutes later on a large tray. There were smaller pieces of each dessert that were worth about a couple of bites. They had different appearances and tastes, and they could decide which one they liked most on their own.

They never would've thought dark brown dessert would look so appealing. Of course, Orion's face didn't change much.

In any case, the curious Hilda took her fork and took a bite, eyes widening when it touched her tongue.

"This is delicious!" she said, and Orion nodded as he also took a taste.

In the end, they decided to order the usual sizes for the desert they liked the most. Hilda's favorite flavor was something green called pistachio, while Orion's was dark chocolate. They also asked the waiter to recommend the fitting drinks for the flavors, and now all they had to do was wait.

The desserts arrived shortly after that, and the two enjoyed their quiet time eating their sweets.

Unexpectedly, though, when Orion turned to look at his wife, endless tears were flowing down her eyes. He flinched, shocked and confused, though externally his eyebrows only furrowed.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I'm so happy…" she mumbled, her shoulder shaky as she tried to hold back her tears but they were too much for her to hold. "I…so happy."

Silence passed between the couple.

Some people also saw them, and Alterrans, having wild imagination were already imagining various scenarios why this was happening.

This had nothing to do with the couple who barely even remembered they were in public.

"Do you like the cakes so much? I can buy more."

"It… it's not that," she said. "I…thank you for spending time with me."

Orion stared at his wife for a while, realizing the reason why she was so happy with something so small was that she couldn't take his time for granted when she should.

He unconsciously raised his hand to touch her face, but it stopped midway, immediately felt awkward. He didn't know what to do with it now.

However, a moment later, an unknown resolve passed in his mind, and his hand finally moved, though it ended up just patting the woman's head.

"I'll do better," was all he said, but it was enough to sustain Hilda for a long time.

The dessert tasted particularly sweet after that.

This is Cooke (the owner of the premium resto) and his brother who was a refugee