How does this relative clause work? I'm reading a children's book in Japanese. In the story, Weasel runs a cake shop, and he's gotten a mysterious order for a cake - he doesn't know who it's from. Here's the sentence: > I'm reading that as something like, > Weasel was waiting, his heart pounding, wondering just who the heck (what shape-shifter) was coming to pick up the cake, asking "Well, is it ready?" Are the at the end of and the at the end of the quoting or the if/when ? Is the something a customer is saying to Weasel (asking if the cake is ready), or something Weasel is saying to a customer ("are you ready to order?") How close is my understanding to the actual Japanese? Thanks!

Your understanding of the sentence looks OK, but as I said this in a comment above, I have no idea what part you are referring to as a "relative clause". I see no relative clause used anywhere.

My "answer" below is based on the assumption that the sentence actually ends where you ended it. In children's stories, punctuations are often "ignored" so it is sometimes difficult to tell where the sentence ends if a "sentence" is taken out of the context.

>

≒

> **** (#1) **** (#2)

**** (#1) is **_quotative_**. Weasel was thinking (or saying) to himself . "What kinda monster would come pick up the cake?"

**** (#2) is " ** _when_** " as in "B happens when/while A is happening." Weasel heard someone say = "Hi! Is it (the cake) ready?"