What iare Aaron and his girlfriend saying?
That seems to make sense. I think the middle character is “bu”, so maybe Aaron is saying “dui bu shi”.
He says: “Sorry.”
She replies: “That’s okay.”
mei guan xi (her reply) also translates as “it doesn’t matter” or “don’t worry about it.”
Note that they are using traditional characters (used in “Nationalist China” or “The Province of Taiwan” depending on your point of view).
I understood the Chinese, but what is the joke in the strip?
Not much of a “joke” per se, but Luann, the girl who showed up at the apartment, had a huge crush on the guy, Aaron, ever since they were little kids. She finally gets up the nerve to tell him - but he surprises her first with the news that he and his parents are moving to Hawaii. Months later or something, she wins a trip for two to Hawaii (and coincidentally the same island where he moved) via a contest, and takes her mom along, with big dreams of surprising Aaron. She looked up his family in the phone book, her mom drove her over, and she had this speech memorized to tell Aaron. He opens the door - and there’s this gal there, presumably his girlfriend.
That was yesterday’s comic. So that what we are talking about does not get lost to the ages, here is a direct link to the comic in question.