starlady | xxxHOLiC 161 translation (Reply)

Leaving from Osaka for Tokyo and Minneapolis tomorrow, lots to do, let's get to it.

[01]
FX: Hmph

Watanuki: ...What.

You're thinking I've suddenly started saying weird things or something, aren't you.
Or I got hit on the head again?

Doumeki: ...No matter what?

Watanuki: Huh?

Doumeki: Will that not change no matter what?
What you just said.

[02]
Watanuki: As much as I can, that's what I think I want to do.

FX: Steps

[03]
FX: Steps

FX: Quick

Watanuki: ...Hey.

Doumeki. Let's go. Hurry up.

Watanuki: You're the one who stopped walking!!
And your house isn't this way!

Doumeki: We're bringing something, aren't we.
This.

Watanuki: We are bringing it!

FX: Gasp

Wait, you couldn't--!
You're not thinking to eat that again at Yuuko-san's place, are you!!

Doumeki: That girl made this for those people, didn't she.

[04]
Watanuki: Tha, that's right. And if you eat some too--

Besides, it's other people's.

Doumeki: You make it.

FX: Crack

Watanuki: I KNEW IT!!

Seriously, you're as brazen as if you'd missed meals for ten thousand years.

Doumeki: Annoying...

Watanuki: Now then.

FX: Creak

I wonder if Yuuko-san is in today...

[05]
Yuuko: All prepared.

Mokona: Yo.

FX: Collapse

FX: Bounce

Yuuko: I was waiting for you, Watanuki, since you two were bringing delicious things: "Now? Now?"

Mokona: Even in the bath!

[06]
FX:

Mokona: After taking a bath your skin's like an egg!

Watanuki: You really won't undo the relationship between food and alcohol.

FX: Noogie noogie

Watanuki: You're always so shameless.

Doumeki,
Take this.
I'll use a lot of containers.

Doumeki: Yeah.

Yuuko & Doumeki: Liquor too.

FX: Eyes opening in sudden anger

Mokona: Yay!

Watanuki: It's a union of drunks!!

[07]
Watanuki: Seriously, all they drink is sake!

FX: Clicking

But since Kohane-chan took such trouble to make it.

A fitting sake is best.

FX: Glug glug

Mokona: You know.

Yuuko said,

That there are two memories.

[08]
Watanuki: ...What?

Mokona: Memories of the heart and memories of the body. [TN: Throughout, "body" is being written with an unusual variant that can also mean "corpse."]

The heart is important too, but the body is really important as well.

[09]
Mokona: Sometimes, even if the heart forgets the body remembers.

[10]
Watanuki: ...Mokona.

...Is that so?

Thanks.

[11]
Customer: Um,

Excuse me.

Watanuki: Oh--

Yes?

[12]
Customer: Hello.

Watanuki: He--hello.

Um...

Customer: I came to pay a call

To this shop...

A shop that only people with wishes can enter. What inevitability does this wish bear!? Continuation 7/28!

Mokona's ability to go from completely cracked-out to deadly serious at the drop of a hat will never cease to amaze. And Watanuki/Mokona being cute = cute.

OMG another customer. I thought we were done with this tripe...well, either it will be two volumes (including this current one) to the end, or this customer will be the straw that broke the camel's back. Given the implicit ominousness in her coming to see Yuuko, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Especially in context of Clow liking red wine best (FTW, Clow!), Watanuki's dislike of people drinking is beginning to seem pathological. There's no other kikkake (cause) in the text than Watanuki pouring the sake for Mokona to suddenly bring up the memory-thing, so I'm wondering if his thing about sake is a body-memory?

Also, the side-text mentions that xxxHOLiC now has nine million copies in print.
I'm off to mail the pages to