Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume10 Chapter6 1 (section)

===<noinclude>Premonition. </noinclude>Part 1===

"I'm sorry."

The day after the Maria ceremony, quite unusually, Sachiko-sama bowed her head in apology.

"Okay?"

Yumi looked up at the sky, her onee-sama was apologizing – was it snowing?

The weather was fine.

It must be the early summer fine weather before the rainy season started. The sky as seen from the courtyard sandwiched between two school buildings sparkled clear and blue and wide, with only a few wispy clouds. Just like Maria-sama's soul.

And yet, despite this, Sachiko-sama's face. Call it gloomy, or boarded up, either way it was like a cloudy sky.

When, after they'd finished eating lunch in the Rose Mansion, Sachiko-sama had said, "Yumi, a moment," Yumi had happily thought that they were going for an after-meal walk or something. The weather was good, and the Rose Mansion's courtyard had plenty of grass, the perfect place for an afternoon nap.

But, thinking about it, she had so far never received such a wonderful invitation. Thinking logically, it was probably to say something she didn't want to say in front of other people, that much Yumi understood. In the room on the second-floor of the Rose Mansion, the usual members, Rei-sama, Yoshino-san and Shimako-san, were relaxing.

"To tell you the truth."

"Ah, yes."

Gulping down her saliva, Yumi put herself on guard. Since she had absolutely no idea what Sachiko-sama was going to say, and how it was related to her being sorry, Yumi was on edge as she waited for those words.

"It's about our trip to the amusement park, it'd be a great help to me if we could push that back until next week, if that's possible."

"Huh? Ah?"

They were going on a trip to the amusement park together.

The cherry-blossom season and the Maria ceremony were overlapping and flowing together, that was the plan for their half-day date that Yumi had requested instead of White Day or birthday presents. With the condition that they didn't go on the roller-coaster.

"What do you think?"

"Ah, yes. I don't mind. If you'd like."

Yumi had thought it would be something more monumental. They'd only made the plans yesterday evening. Sachiko-sama had probably gone home and asked, then found out she had other plans for that day.

"You're fine with it? Ahh, that's such a relief."

Sachiko-sama put her hand to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing her expression, Yumi was relieved too. She was glad it wasn't a serious conversation.

While it was true the date had slipped by a week, that was no reason to get mad. Having a cloudy expression for something like that, onee-sama.

It was a postponement, not a suspension, so there was no reason whatsoever to be bothered by it.

The mid-term tests were coming up soon, so Yumi thought that maybe that was just perfect. 

Sachiko-sama never studied for exams so it wouldn't matter to her, but Yumi had to study hard just to maintain her average grades and it would be a real help to spend that precious day before the exams preparing for them. By having their date the following week, the tests would be over and she'd be able to relax and enjoy their time together.

"It really helps that you're such an accommodating petit soeur, Yumi."

Sachiko-sama smiled as she adjusted Yumi's tie, like always.

The daisies in the small flowerbed beside the grass rustled, as though they were laughing.