[March 28th] Hidden library village

[Alfred F. Jones]

Oh. It was nice? Well... yeah. It was. But America would have used a stronger word. Being told he was big made him grin, though. (And no, he was not thinking about being big there.)

"Haha, thanks!" he said. "You're pretty small so I guess that makes sense, right? And Boston's only a part of it, we've got everything here in America from cities to deserts to mountains and farms and beaches and there's even Alaska, where it's all snowy, and I guess Puerto Rico counts too, they speak Spanish there, can you believe that?"

Yes, Japan. Get used to him talking a lot.

[Honda Kiku]

Well, it's not like he had particularly strong feelings about this country yet, though a small inkling of annoyance was forming against the person in front of him. No, Kiku, you must be more open-minded. You are here to learn, after all.

Japan almost looked like he was pouting a little at the small comment before it was replaced with a more neutral expression. Overwhelmed with all this information, he paused for a minute before replying, "How impressive."

[Alfred F. Jones]

They will be best friends yet! America was determined on this. With only a few exceptions, America was determined to befriend EVERYBODY. Well, not most of the developing countries. And not anyone who was communist. But that was still a majority, right? Of course it was. And who wouldn't want to be friends with the country that had spawned Pokemon?

"I know, right? Is there anything cool about Japan, other than Pokemon and that really hard-looking writing system you guys have?" He was genuinely curious.

[Honda Kiku]

And he was almost determined to keep completely to himself. France and America were both making this very difficult.

Japan wasn't exactly sure what constituted "cool". "There are many wonderful things about my country, of course. There is the cuisine and the art that comes to mind. Not to mention all of our history."

[Alfred F. Jones]

Huh. If America were at all conscious of that sort of thing, he might feel bad that the first thing that came to mind when Japan introduced himself was anime and Pokemon, especially since there were many other things he should appreciate about the country.

But he wasn't at all conscious of that sort of thing, of course.

"Cuisine? Like sushi? I like sushi! California rolls are great!" America was now getting a little hungry. Darn.

[Honda Kiku]

And if Japan knew he wasn't conscious of those things, he would be massively disappointed.

"Er, yes, sushi." He hesitated... and ultimately decided that it was pointless for him to point out California rolls were not really sushi. "There is also soba and udon. And many rice dishes."

[Alfred F. Jones]

This acquaintance would be doomed from the start if either of them realized what the other was really thinking (or not thinking, in America's case).

"What about ramen?" America asked, tilting his head thoughtfully. "I like the shrimp flavor. And the beef. Ramen is yours too, right? You really do make good food!"

[Honda Kiku]

Utterly doomed. America's lucky Japan is so polite.

A small smile made its way onto Kiku's face at that. "Yes, ramen is mine as well. And thank you very much. I take great pride in my food."

[Alfred F. Jones]

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and this is especially true for America. "I take pride in mine too! Do you like hamburgers? There are McDonald's restaurants in Japan, right? That's one of my favorite places to eat."

America's stomach starts rumbling just thinking about burgers. Thinking about California rolls earlier hadn't helped much. Nevermind that he just ate less than an hour ago.

[Honda Kiku]

"Y-yes, there are, but I do not go often." Hamburgers made him think of a very different dish, after all. A nice piece of meat with a small heart-shaped egg on it... so perfect, so moe.

He raises an eyebrow at the rumbling. "Perhaps you should go fix that."

[Alfred F. Jones]

Oh, good idea! America pulled out of his pocket a sort of smushed granola bar and started munching on it. A crumb fell in Japan's general vicinity.

"You should go more often, man," he said between bites. "I'll take you sometime if you want! I'll get you a Big Mac, and you'll never want to eat another thing in your life after eating a Big Mac!"

[Honda Kiku]

He brushed the crumb off with a frown and immediately regretted ever suggesting that at all.

"Ah... I am not so sure about that-- I would miss Japanese food too much."

[Alfred F. Jones]

America laughed. "No, no, I meant... you'll want to eat other things, of course. I like other stuff too, but Big Macs are my favorite. I bet you'd like them too. We seem to have really similar tastes, with the ramen and the sushi and stuff."

If only America knew real Japanese food.

[Honda Kiku]

"A-Ah. I see. I apologize for misunderstanding." Just a tad embarrassed? Maybe.

"Hm... perhaps someday." That sounded pretty noncommittal, didn't it?

[Alfred F. Jones]

"Hey, it's okay, don't worry about it," America said, finishing off his granola bar. "How about we go tomorrow?"

To America's ears, Japan sounded very committed. And why shouldn't he be? This was McDonald's they were talking about, after all!