As they spoke, a rough-skinned man walked over with a chuckle. Seeing the guests before him, he said wistfully, "It's been a long time since the shop was this lively."
As he spoke, he walked to the center of the courtyard. A machine covered in a dusty cloth stood there. The old farmer grabbed the cover and pulled it away, revealing an old-fashioned machine beneath.
—This was one of the place's specialties: a Popcorn Machine.
Jiang Xia looked at the machine, which seemed not to have been used in ages. "It seems like you don't get many customers here."
The old farmer laughed. "The shop is in the mountains, after all. Only diligent customers are willing to come all this way. But isn't that better? You've practically booked the whole place."
As they spoke, the short-haired woman—the shop owner's wife—approached with a tray. She set down several cups of tea. "Please enjoy. This is our special mountain tea, perfect with Popcorn."
After the high school students divided up the tea, the shop owner's wife did not leave.
She had clearly heard what the guests had been saying and defended herself, "It is a little quiet now, but not long ago, our shop was quite bustling. Look."
Proudly, she picked up the remote and turned on the television nearby.
A recorded video began playing on the tv. It appeared to be an interview. The female host held a microphone and gestured toward the middle-aged man beside her. "Next, let us introduce—Mr. Takehara Genichi!"
Mouri Ran recognized him. "That's the shop owner from earlier!"
The hostess said, "After resigning from his job, Mr. Takehara opened a unique coffee shop and set up many mountain village activities here, bringing considerable vitality to the area. Mr. Takehara, could you tell us why you chose