Chapter 10: Coffee, Stitch and Frogs
"I am not sure."
Jumba led 419 and 626 through the coffee outlet to the counter.
"I see whachya mean," 419 replied, "but what logical reason would Nani have to agree?"
"Nota worak, Nani ishtail?" Stitch asked.
"And be left alone with Little Girl, Pleakley and 426?" asked Jumba, trying to muffle a laugh. "I doubt that would be anyone's idea of restful."
At the counter sat a young Japanese teenager; in one hand was what could only be assumed to be the equivalent of Personal Computer World, and the youth was reading this intently.
Jumba coughed. The dude didn't move.
"Er… hajimashite?" 419 asked in a high-pitched voice.
At this the teen jumped; he proceeded to hurriedly stow the magazine in a drawer.
"Hajimashite, watashi no namae wa Joshi desu," he stammered quickly, scattering some of the pens on the desk.
"Sumimasen."
"He says his name is Joshi, and he apologises for his unpreparedness," 419 translated.
"Why is he bowing head? No-one has died…"
"No, no, no… that's an almost universal greeting in Japan. It's a sign of respect, it's acknowledging your existence. Bow back."
"If you insist…"
Jumba preformed a sweeping bow. Stitch nodded his head.
The counter-person smiled sheepishly and muttered something about 'gaijin'.
"Gochuu man wa ochimari desuka?"
"Hai, koohii o..."
Suddenly, she noticed 626 sneaking behind the counter-guy.
"...aaa... hitotsu kudasai."
Placing his head between the coffee spill collection platform and the nozzel, 626 turned on the coffee machine.
"Denbu de nihyakuen desu," said the counter-guy.
419 nodded and retrieved 200 yen from her wallet. Stitch pulled his head from under said coffee machine and climbed onto the ceiling.
Having stored the money in a cash register, Joshi grabbed a cup and put it on the tray.
"626!" 419 scoulded as Stitch jumped down. "You could get us thrown out!"
"Soooorry."
"Ahem," the counter-guy ahemed, holding Stitch's drink.
419 gave it to Stitch.
"Be careful, it's..."
Stitch glugged it down.
"...hot."
He burped.
"Ee, Suteicchi wa koohii ga dai suki desu," said 419, noticing the amazed look on Joshi's face. "Jamata!"
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with… er…"
"Hey guys," 419 interrupted, "what we miss?"
"Well," said Lilo, "Nani went to the bathroom," (the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard in the distance) "and 426 almost got arrested." (426 and a security guard were fighting over a box of pizza.)
"And I got this hat," said Pleakley. "Isn't it facinating?"
"Hey, Madison!"
Madison, a ten-year-old girl with long black hair, a white shirt and midnight-blue dress, and a camcorder hanging by her sholder, turned to face her best friend, Sakura, who was blading towards her.
"How's the report coming along?"
"Not good," replied Sakura. "A thousand words about frogs. I don't even know a thousand words!"
"Could be worse."
"Worse?" Sakura waved her hands in the air. "How could it be conceivably worse?"
"We could be the CWSA class."
"Good point."
"I saw one of their homework assignments. They had to bring in a forklift to load it into the car!"
Sakura laughed. "Make sure Zachary doesn't hear you, or we'll never hear the end of it."
"Hey, there's Julian."
"Where? Who? How do I look?"
"Fine!" called Julian from his bike, causing Sakura to blush.
Madison smiled.
"So... once we get to school, will it be straight to the Tower?"
"No," said Madison, "Mr. Terada insisted we fit a little 'local history' in before the trip."
"Great, more research."
"Look on the bright side," said Madison cheerfully, "Tokyo Tower! And I'll be there to capture every moment on film!"
"Don't ever change," said Sakura, laughing.
A/N: First off, I apologise if I get any of this wrong, I'm still learning.
Gaijin is the Japanese word for foreigner, a contraction of 'gaikokujin' (outside country person). Some feel that the latter should be used, and that the former is an insult. However, others do not.
The conversation that 419 and the counter-guy have can be translated thusly:
CG: Are you ready to order?
419: Yes, coffee...
419: ...er... one, please.
CG: That will be 200 yen.
...
419: Yeah, Stitch really likes coffee. See ya!
CWSA stands for Children With Special Abilities (cue the irony), and is also known as GAT (Gifted And Talented).
And, since I haven't mentioned it, Cardcaptors/Card Captor Sakura is © CLAMP, Kodansha, NEP21 and Nelvana.