Maria-sama Ga Miteru:Volume17 Chapter 3 2

A Leisurely Dialog Part 2

At 7:20, arriving in the dining hall between the lobby and first floors, one group of classmates were already seated and had started eating.

"Yumi-san, Yoshino-san, over here." Tsutako-san and Mami-san beckoned with waving hands. "Two seats just opened up."

"Gokigenyou."

Yoshino-san exchanged greetings then sat down. A man who appeared to be a waiter came up to the two of them and asked if they'd like anything. Understanding only the initial "Buon Giorno" but fairly sure it was a greeting, they replied "Buon Giorno" just in case.

"He's asking what would you like to drink," Tsutako-san explained for them. It seems breakfast was buffet style, but first, drinks were ordered. Even so, that was some incredible listening comprehension. He spoke quickly and muttered. Yumi couldn't understand a thing.

"We didn't understand, either. But the Wisteria class students who were sitting here a while ago explained it to us. So, what would you like?"

"What to drink. . . ."

But there was no menu. Without hesitation, Yoshino-san ordered, "Café au lait, please."

At that, the waiter tilted his head.

"What did you two get, Tsutako-san?" asked Yumi.

"Caffè latte."

"Then I'll get that too. Caffè latte, please."

Yoshino-san added, "Me too."

This time she ordered properly. If you thought about it carefully, café au lait was a French drink. Tsutako-san and Mami-san exchanged glances and chuckled. Likewise, the two of them had copied the Wisteria class students and ordered caffè lattes. So, they weren't smart from the beginning.

When they returned with their plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and croissants covered in powdered sugar, their caffè lattes were already placed at their seats. Yumi mused that there weren't all that many vegetables, so Yoshino-san got up, poured a glass of tomato juice and brought it back for her.

"You can drink that, right?"

She was being excessively helpful, perhaps as a result of what happened last night.

"So, how was last night?"

Mami-san broached the topic while pouring herself another caffè latte. She wasn't holding her usual reporter's notebook, this was just idle chatter.

"The shower is hard to use."

"Ah, when you went to flush the toilet, did you know what to do?"

It looks like Mami-san had consulted Tsutako-san on this matter after answering the call of nature. At first, Yumi was also stumped: she could not find a lever like they have in Japan. But when she noticed a big square button on the wall (about the size of a small drawer in a writing desk) she got all excited. If that moves, that's it.

"Speaking of bathrooms, isn't the toilet small and cold?"

"Yeah. When I sat down, I let out a 'yikes!'"

"Okay, that's enough."

It was mealtime, so it would be better to end this discussion as soon as possible.

"Come to think of it, did any of you bring an alarm clock?"

Yumi disclosed the events of last night, when she asked for a wake-up call while in a panic. Then —

"It was on the TV, wasn't it?" Both Mami-san and Tsutako-san said after exchanging glances.

"Really?"

"It felt like programming a VCR, didn't it? At the set time, the TV will automatically turn on and wake you up."

". . . I didn't notice that."

She probably would have noticed if she had turned on the TV. But last night? Not so much.

"But that's good, right? Thanks to that, you were able to have a valuable experience."

The two of them had already finished their meals, so they waved, laughing, and left. Some folks who had come in were looking around for seats.

"Is it okay if we sit here?"

It was Michiyo-san and Itsue-san, also from Pine class. Little by little, the faces of Sakura class students were starting to appear, too.

"Yes, please do."

Yumi and Yoshino-san greeted them with warm smiles. The waiter came and greeted the new guests with "Buon Giorno."

"He's asking what do you want to drink."

Of course, somebody explained it to them.