"Is Chin even in like, the top 5 Chinese last names?"

"Sorta depends how you're Romanizing, actually."

"Cultured AND knowledgeable. You really are the perfect woman."

"What can I say, you gotta be able to order in the local language to get the niftiest food and you pick up a few things."

Katie has polished off her heap of waffles and accoutrements and is now comfortably full, a state that was scarcely possible for her just a few days ago.

What if Monoceros gives her another waffle.

She gives it her best effort, queasy though she may be. Subspace is a hell of a drug.

"Good little arancini."

"Now that's a food comparison I appreciate." The thought occurs to Katie that maybe Mo is fattening her up to eat her and the food pet names are classic extremely obvious foreshadowing. Oh well. If she dies, she dies doing what she loves.

"You've tried them? Aren't they divine!"

"Indeed they are."

"You have quite a palate for such a stick of Pocky."

"You're such a flatterer."

Monoceros grins and gives her a maple-flavored kiss. "You should start thinking about packing for the science fair."

Blush blush. "Oh, yeah, when is that again?"

"Couple days, but if you forget something we can't really run to a konbini in the submarine so much."

"I don't know what a konbini is but I don't really have many possessions I need with me every day so it won't be a big deal. I assume you'll pack whatever clothes you think your hot new science project will be most eye-catching and jealously-inducing in."

"Convenience store, loaned into Japanese and received in a more convenient condition. And yes, hmm, I do need to dress you up..."

Yet more blushing.

"Pearls, probably. A bit on the nose but it's such a good nose." Noseboop.

Katie's cheeks are the color of pink lemonade. "God, imagine how people will react when they see what I look like next year."

"The pearls'll be internal then. I'll have to set up an x-ray sort of thingy."

"Oh, no, I mean the uuh, engirthening."

"Eh, they might be impressed but I'm not doing very much mad science about that part, just a really good kitchen setup."

"Impressed isn't exactly the emotion I'd imagine they'd be feeling. Though frankly this kitchen setup is more than worthy of it."