“She really knows how to mix those flavors and aromas. I’ll give her that…”
This master of mixing was the mother of Ichinose Tea’s manager. Her original blends had been the store’s top product for as long as anyone could remember. From signature blends to seasonal blends to brand-new creations, she could do it all. Everyone from tea novices to seasoned connoisseurs were utterly enchanted by them.
Not long ago, old Mrs. Ichinose had stepped down as manager, leaving her son in charge. But the store still sold her original blends—the teas only she could make.
Mr. Ninomiya heaved a sigh. Wasn’t he ever going to get rid of her?
As it turned out, he wouldn’t have to wait long. Soon, Mr. Ninomiya heard a very interesting rumor. Mrs. Ichinose, the former owner of Ichinose Tea, had fallen ill with a serious disease. People said it was so bad that she had virtually no chance of recovery. That was the best news he’d heard in a while.
All right! There’s no way that store can keep putting out those original blends now. That new manager is nowhere near as good as his mother.
The events of the next few weeks unfolded just as Mr. Ninomiya had predicted. With Mrs. Ichinose laid up in bed, the store’s supply of her teas rapidly dwindled. They couldn’t make more to replenish it. Nobody could make tea the way she did. Once the current supply was used up, they’d be gone forever.
Day by day, more and more SOLD OUT signs appeared on Ichinose Tea’s shelves. And as the shelves emptied, the customers started to desert the store as well. It was a mere shadow of its former self, and Mr. Ninomiya couldn’t have been happier.
Yeah, just like that…
At this rate, his rival’s sales would decrease more and more, and the store would be forced to close for good.
It’s only a matter of time before that eyesore disappears forever!
As far as he was concerned, that happy day couldn’t come quickly enough.
✦ ✦ ✦
Then, one day, an unusual visitor wandered into Ninomiya Tea. He wasn’t a customer, but a traveling salesman who’d come to try selling some products of his own.
“Would you like any medicine? I have some very effective treatments here,” the man said.
He was polite enough, but that didn’t take away from how shady he looked. He was wearing a beaten-up old trench coat, along with a broad-brimmed hat and a thick scarf that cast dark shadows over his face. Mr. Ninomiya could hear the man talking, so he must have been moving his lips, but his actual mouth was all but invisible.
The shady salesman carried a large leather briefcase. Parts of it were discolored from old stickers that had long since peeled off. He opened the case and took out one of the things he was selling. It was a little glass bottle, about the size of a pointer finger.
“This bottle contains a miracle cure,” he explained. “Mix it into tea or water, and you can recover from any injury or illness in the blink of an eye. And that’s not all. You see, this is called—”
“Whoa, whoa, let me stop you right there. We don’t need any medicine.”
Mr. Ninomiya shook his head. A medicine that could heal any injury or sickness? The very idea was ridiculous. As if something as great as that really existed. It had to be some kind of scam. Most likely, the bottle contained nothing more than a sickly sweet syrup, medicine in name only. This weirdo probably made his money hawking useless products like that to gullible customers.
Seriously, though… What the heck is with this guy?
Mr. Ninomiya squinted at the strange man’s face and felt a chill run down his spine. He’d been straining his eyes for a while now, but the shadows over the man’s face were still just as dark. He couldn’t make out any of the man’s features at all. It was almost like he didn’t have a face, like underneath his hat, there was just one big lump of shadow.
Whatever this guy’s story was, nothing good would come of having him around. Better to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Mr. Ninomiya began waving his visitor toward the door. “Go on now, get out of here. You’re interfering with my business.”
“Ah, I see…”
The peddler offered no resistance, nodding and packing his things away. He wasn’t going to make trouble; that was a relief. But just as he was stepping out of the door, Mr. Ninomiya had an idea. With a little smirk, he called out to the strange man.
“Hey, if it’s medicine you’re selling, I know somebody who might be interested. There’s a little place near here called Ichinose Tea. I hear the manager’s mother is real sick right now.”
“…Is that so?” He tipped his hat and bowed in gratitude. “Ichinose Tea, you say? I shall go and pay them a visit this very minute.”
With that, the man with the dark, shadowy face left the store and set off toward his next stop.