Misadventures at Work

Summary: Osaka and Chiyo work at a fast food joint. But are they really suited for work?

A/N: In the manga, Chiyo and Osaka worked part-time at a restaurant. I took this small subplot and used it as the basis for this story. So R&R. I don't own Azumanga Daioh, the characters, Magnetron Burger, or anything else. Please don't sue. I don't have anything to give. Besides my Wii. And I'm not giving it up. Oh, and by the way, I'm just assuming that Japanese fast food restaurants have the same type of food as America's since I've never been to Japan.

Chapter 1: Of Magnets, Pigtails, and… Fires?

3:30 PM, Chiyo looked around the parking lot of Magnetron, waiting for Osaka. "Where can Osaka-San be?" Chiyo waited for about three more minutes for her spacey friend until going inside. She dealt with the front desk herself until 4:00 when Osaka finally entered.

"O-ha, Chiyo-Chan!" Osaka said happily, waving at Chiyo.

"Where have you been, Osaka-San?" Chiyo asked.

"Well," Osaka began, "first I noticed how bright the sun was, and so I stared at it for a while. Then my eyes started to burn, so I looked away. Then I started to see spots. I stared at them for a while until they disappeared. Then I got hungry, so I went to the store and bought some bread."

"But you could have just eaten here!" Chiyo exclaimed, waving her arms.

Osaka stared blankly into space for a few seconds. "… Oh yeah."

Chiyo sighed. Osaka took over the front desk, while Chiyo took the grill. Even though she loved cooking, she didn't really like grilling burgers.

A customer with pigtails walked to the front desk. She told Osaka her order, Bbut Osaka just stared at her. After half a minute, the customer waved a hand in front of Osaka's face.

"Is something wrong?" The customer asked. Osaka continued staring at her blankly. She finally spoke. "Pigtails." The customer tilted her head at Osaka. "Yes, they are." Osaka began contemplating ideas similar to her ideas of Chiyo's pigtails. She came to the same conclusion she had for Chiyo's pigtails.

"Can you fly with them? Like Chiyo-Chan?" Osaka asked in her spacey tone. The customer looked at Osaka with wide eyes. "Fly? What are you talking about? Who is this Chiyo-Chan?" Osaka pointed toward Chiyo, who was flipping burgers. "That's Chiyo-Chan!"

Why is there a child working the grill? Since when can pigtails fly? Am I dreaming? The customer, convinced she had stepped into the twilight zone, walked out of the building. Osaka stared toward the door with a wide, somewhat creepy smile. "Thank you, come again!"

Business slowed down quickly, and soon, the fast-food restaurant was nearly empty. Chiyo and Osaka were taking a break and sitting at an empty table. "Chiyo-Chan, why is this place called 'Magnetron Burger?' Maybe it has something to do with magnets?" Chiyo shrugged. "Maybe." Their break ended and they were back at their posts. A few customers came in and they were served, surprisingly, without any distractions form Osaka. Buisness soon died down again and Osaka began feeling under the counter and found a magnet.

"Aha! I knew it! A magnet!" Osaka began basking in what she felt was a triumph. "Osaka-San!" Chiyo cried from the grill. Osaka dropped the magnet and went to the back.

"Yes, Chiyo-Chan?" Osaka responded. "Do you have any antacids? I have an upset stomach." Osaka dug through her bag and retrieved a bottle, "Here you go Chiyo-Chan!" "Thank you, Osaka-San!" Chiyo said smiling.

Osaka walked back to the cash register. A customer ordered something, but when Osaka tried to type in the price, something went wrong. She looked down and realized the magnet had landed on the register when she dropped it.

Osaka realized what had happened. "Um, Chiyo-Chan?!" "What?" Chiyo called from the back. "I need help." Osaka called. Chiyo ran to her side. "Yes, Osaka-San?" Chiyo asked. Osaka pointed at the register.

"When you called me over, I dropped this magnet. Now the register isn't working right." "It's because the register is a computer. I might be able to fix it if the magnet isn't too strong." After tinkering with it for a few minutes, it started working again.

"I don't know how you do it Chiyo-Chan." Osaka said to her friend, smiling.

"Erm… You don't really seem… together today. Why don't I take over the register?" Chiyo asked, not realizing the mistake she was making.

Business was still going rather slow. But after a while, a few customers ordered meals, but no one came with their meals.

"Um… Excuse me one moment, everyone." Chiyo said to the customers, smiling. She went to the back to find… A sleeping Osaka? And even worse, a grill that was still on. The burgers began catching fire. Chiyo shrieked. "Osaka-San, what are you doing?"

Osaka opened her eyes halfway. "Why are you being so mean to me, Mihama-San? I don't want my tongue yanked out." Chiyo turned the grill off and began frantically running around, looking for a fire extinguisher.

She found one and sprayed it. The foam went everywhere. It extinguished the flame and awoke Osaka. "Ah! Chiyo-Chan, what happened? Why am I foamy?"

Chiyo sweatdropped. "Osaka-San, you fell asleep manning the grill. It started a fire!" Osaka stared at her blankly. "Wow, really?"

The manager of the restaurant walked into the kitchen angrily. "Ayumu Kasuga, this is the second time you've done something this stupid! One more- ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?"

Osaka looked at him. "Huh, are you talking to me?"

The manager sweatdropped. "YES, YOU'RE NAME IS AYUMU KASUGA, ISN'T IT?"

Osaka thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, but most people call me Osaka."

The manager's nostrils began flaring. "No matter what your name is, you are on thin ice! One more screw up and you're fired!"

Osaka tilted her head cluelessly. "All right, whatever you say, boss!"

"Sometimes I worry about you. Take an IQ test in the next couple of days. I'll go print one out for you." The manager said, walking into the back room. He handed Osaka many papers a few minutes later.

"Now take these tests, I want to evaluate you." The manger said, calming down. Osaka saluted. "Okay, boss man!" The manager left.

When Chiyo got back to the desk, all the customers were gone. "Oh… They left." She looked at the clock. "Hey, it's the end of our shift! Osaka-San, come on, it's time to go!"

Osaka and Chiyo walked home together. "Hey, Chiyo-Chan?" Osaka asked, staring into space. "Yes Osaka-San?"

"Why is it called a hamburger. It isn't made out of ham. Speaking of ham, where did the word hamster come from? Are they descendants of pigs?" Osaka began trailing off.

"What a long day…" Chiyo thought to herself.