Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume18 Chapter1

Shock²

Part 1

It all began with that single sentence.

"So, about the play for the school festival."

Going back in time, to just before the school field trip. When this year's Yamayurikai production to be staged for the school festival play was revealed to the first- and second-year students.

One day, with the sports festival safely behind them, during lunch break, at the Rose Mansion, while eating bento, in the middle of a short briefing session, Rosa Chinensis, Ogasawara Sachiko-sama, suddenly stood up and spoke.

"So, about the play for the school festival."

This abrupt broaching of the subject "play" took even her even her soeur Fukuzawa Yumi by surprise. Why here, onee-sama? When we were discussing other clubs?

"This year we will do 'Torikaebaya Monogatari.' That's all."

Then, she sat back down.

"Torikaebaya..."

"...Monogatari."

"Ah."

One by one, they each repeated what they had heard.

First was "Torikaebaya...": Rosa Foetida en Bouton, Shimazu Yoshino-san.

At first glance, it seems she was continuing her friend's words, but after a moment, the line "...Monogatari" came from Yumi.

The final "ah" seemed to be a single person, but really it was two voices in perfect sync. This unplanned harmony came from Rosa Gigantea Todou Shimako-san and her petite soeur Nijou Noriko-chan. Soeurs for not even three months yet.

It was lunch break, so only official members of the Rose families were present in the Rose Mansion. The two helpers from first-year Camellia class were not here. Just the two members each from red, white, and yellow. Six people total.

"What's the 'ah' for?"

Posing this question to the white rose soeurs was Rosa Foetida, Hasekura Rei-sama.

"You two had a different reaction than Yoshino and Yumi-chan."

The preceding two lines were merely repeats of the title that Sachiko-sama had said. The final "ah" was clear that they had thought of something.

That was the issue. Speaking of 'Torikaebaya Monogatari'.

"Ah."

Yumi cried out, belatedly. Sachiko-sama, who, for the meeting, was seated across from Yumi, quietly raised an eyebrow as if to say "took you long enough." But for the Yellow Rose sisters, this was something they did not understand.

"This."

Shimako-san pulled a book from her handbag and placed it on the table.

"A library book?"

Before Rei-sama could reach out for it, Yoshino-san picked it up and flipped through its pages.

"Ah, is this that book you were talking about?"

"Yoshino, you know it?"

"Because I saw Noriko-chan borrow it when Yumi-san returned it. Oh, yeah. Shimako-san borrowed it after that."

It was one volume in a series of Japanese classical literature, holding countless stories. 'Torikaebaya Monogatari' is one of them.

"I see. That's what the 'ah' was for."

Rei-sama nodded while watching Yoshino-san pass the book around.

"And? Why did Yumi-chan have this book?"

"My onee-sama asked me to read it. If it was the theme for the play, it would have been nice to say so from the start."

With assumed importance, Yumi took a fleeting glance at her onee-sama's face. Sachiko-sama then made a surprising reply:

"You baka. There's no way I could have told you.

"Uh, why?"

"If I had told you, wouldn't you have objected? So I consulted with Rei, and we kept it quiet until some preparations were completed."

"Why would you expect us to object?"

Well, even though 'Torikaebaya Monogatari' is classic literature, it includes romance throughout, which might be a bit too exciting for someone halfway through high school. But any objections for those reasons would more likely come from Sachiko-sama, not Yumi.

"...no way."

Yoshino-san whispered.

"What?"

"What Yumi-san said just now. Please, say it one more time."

While not really understanding, Yumi tried to do as Yoshino-san asked.

"Why would I... object? Huh? What, just me?"

Shimako-san and Noriko-chan nodded in agreement as they suddenly understood the situation, joining Yoshino-san in the "outside of this event" group.

Still not getting it, Yumi pointed a finger at herself and tilted her head. Feeling sorry for her friend, Yoshino-san gave a hint.

"Yumi-san, did you read this book?"

"I read it."

"Then let's play a word-association game. What about 'Momotaro'?"

"Oh, exterminating oni?"

"'Tale of Genji'"

"Biography of a playboy."

"I'm not sure I'd call it a biography, but, good enough. 'Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'"

"Buh, beautiful space alien who returns to the moon?"

What? Answering but still not getting it. They came to the main point.

"So now, 'Torikaebaya Monogatari'?"

"A brother and sister who look alike, switch places.... What!?"

And now even thick-headed Yumi figured it out.

"No, no way."

"Yumi-san may think 'no way', but that's how it is."

The three-member "outside of this event" group, which did not include Yumi, all looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

"It's a pity, but it's settled."

Yoshino-san chuckled as she clapped Yumi's shoulder.

"That's right. Especially since Yuuki-san will be coming to help us."

Do not agree to this so gently, Shimako-san. Help! Please!

"As expected, Rosa Chinensis-sama. Making use of a good opportunity," said Noriko-chan. While everyone pretty much sympathized, they all looked at the chosen one with faces wishing her good luck from the bottoms of their hearts.

"I'd love to take your place, but unfortunately I don't have a brother like Yuuki-kun."

With reasoning like that, there was nobody else who could take her place. Yoshino-san's cute face now also looked like a demon's.

"Onee-samaaa..."

It was hopeless from the start. Yumi, not to be beaten by Yoshino-san, with great effort made a cute face, begging for help.

"That's how it is. Choose to prepare yourself, Yumi."

Total and honorable defeat.

It wasn't a question of quantity or quality of affection. It's just that Sachiko-sama was not Rei-sama.

"Your reply?"

"...yes."

And there you have it. After last year's lead role was a fiercely fought contest that she narrowly escaped, this year she broke away from the field already.

Fukuzawa Yumi, in her 17th autumn.

Part 2

"Why is this happening?"

Oh dear. Sixth period was over, it was the peace after finishing today's lessons. Yumi slumped over her desk, with those words escaping her mouth as the problem repeated over and over in her mind. In shock from Sachiko-sama's bombshell announcement, an hour of mathematics, plus political economy, did nothing to help her wake up and pull herself together. Today's lessons did not make it into her head.

"By 'why is this happening?', do you mean 'Torikaebaya Monogatari'?"

Yoshino-san reflexively responded to Yumi's talking to herself, coming up to her side.

"Yep. Sigh."

Yoshino-san nodded, then they both went to the hallway. There was a little more time before homeroom. Coming out of a classroom while thinking of something, Shimako-san was waiting there for some reason.

"Rei-chan said that the idea was conceived about a year ago. Of course, since Sachiko-sama first learned of Yuuki-kun's existence at last New Year's, she probably wasn't thinking of 'Torikaebaya' before that."

A while ago? So that's when. While thinking about this, Yumi concentrated on listening to Yoshino-san's story. It seemed that while Yumi was still in a daze from the shock, Yoshino was moving about and quite animated during this break time. After all, this time was for exchanging information and preparing for after-school gatherings.

"Speaking of that, I remembered something, too."

Shimako-san said. The two second-year Pine class members drew near. What? What?

"Something Eriko-sama said at last year's school festival."

"Eriko-sama?"

Yoshino-san's body trembled like it had just been zapped by static electricity. Startling Shimako-san.

"Wha, what's wrong?"

"Ah, that's just Yoshino-san. She overreacts at the name of Eriko-sama. Don't mind her. Please continue, Shimako-san."

Yumi explained in Yoshino-san's stead. The entire story was quite long, so this was the severely abridged version. Yoshino-san was presently under daily pressure from the now-graduated, previous Rosa Foetida: Torii Eriko-sama.

"...Is, is that so? It seems that last year, Eriko-sama learned that this year, we'd do something Japanese."

"Ah, yes, I heard something like that. 'Kaguya Hime,' if I'm not mistaken."

Yumi remembered, too. It was said sarcastically about Sachiko-sama's long and silky smooth hair, pinned up in a complicated style.

"How about a hint?"

"Well, 'Kaguya Hime' is no good. But why 'Torikaebaya'? 'The Bamboo Cutter' is a story that everyone knows, so wouldn't that be better?"

"You baka. That's not enough reason for Sachiko-sama to make it 'Kaguya Hime.'"

Yoshino-san smiled, wryly.

"Why?"

"Noriko-chan, explain it to poor Yumi-san."

Yoshino-san said to Noriko-chan, who had just belatedly arrived.

"Rosa Chinensis has no intention of playing the lead role this year. But if we did 'Kaguya Hime', everyone would probably think of Rosa Chinensis's physical appearance. So to avoid this, she had to choose a story that absolutely would not call for her as the leading role."

"Ah. That's why."

"Torikaebaya Monogatari."

"I object."

Yumi walked out into the hallway. Heading for the third year Pine class. Onee-sama's class.

If Noriko-chan's reasoning is correct, then because onee-sama did not want the lead role herself, she's going to sacrifice her petite soeur.

"Please wait."

Yoshino-san grabbed her wrist.

"You want to battle Sachiko-sama with words?"

"Oh..."

Certainly. One quick "why is that bad?" and it would be over.

"Sigh. The theme of 'Torikaebaya' is ponderous. A story that starts with giving birth to the protagonist is not appropriate for a high school play."

"Sachiko-sama said it's a play with big dramatic scenes, with a whole volume of happenings that call into question masculinity and feminity, all in order for brother and sister to switch places. You heard her."

She heard her. But she still felt like objecting.

"Um. Sets and costumes for period dramas are hard."

"The Crafts club and Art club will be thrilled at the challenge. Before commissioning, we'll go and make the rounds of the clubs and explain the story."

Without being shown the story, it would be difficult to take commissions for costumes, props, and sets. Even if they don't know the title, they can understand that the story is set in the Heian era.

"I see. But..."

"There you have it. It's pointless to resist."

"Hm."

"Can't you be unwilling but still give in and perform 'Torikaebaya'? Just changing the play, the lead role is still Yumi-san."

"Why?"

Yumi asked in return.

"'The Prince and the Pauper.'"

Shimako-san said, following Yoshino-san's words.

"'Lottie and Lisa.'"

"'The November Gymnasium'"

Noriko-chan continued.

"There are stories from all ages and places where people who look alike swap places. Set the stage in the Heian era and go for it."

Go for it, Yoshino-san said. Come on. They got together to use this short time before homeroom, and the conclusion was "go for it."

"Oh, I have to go back soon."

Noriko-chan looked at her watch and said.

"Really. Yumi-san. We'll support you as much as we can. There you have it."

Shimako-san saw the second-year Wisteria class homeroom teacher in the hallway, so she left.

"..."

Yumi wondered if she got up to avoid getting the lead role, but in the end, it looked like the point of this meeting was to get Yumi to resign herself to her fate. Somehow, she was hit by a wave of exhaustion.

As for the remaining two, their teacher had not yet come, so there was no particular hurry to return to the classroom. They remained in the hallway, leaning against the wall.

"By the way, Yumi-san. Isn't the one-year anniversary of your becoming Sachiko-sama's petite soeur coming up? Are you doing anything?"

It seems that in Yoshino-san's head, the subject of 'Torikaebaya Monogatari' is already stamped with "finished."

"Nothing special."

Yumi shook her head. If she had asked Yoshino-san the same thing, her reply would probably be "We might do something, we might not, no, we'll probably have an event."

When she had first entered high school as a new first-year student, Rei-sama came over after school with a cake that she herself had baked. In Yoshino-san's room, the two of them ate the whole thing, not cutting slices, just going straight at it with forks.

"If you think about it, Rei-chan was probably in the same mental state as a husband who returns home with flowers for a wedding anniversary."

Yoshino-san laughed while playing with part of the rosary chain that hung around her neck. But at the time, she probably did not notice Rei-sama's feelings. More like she asked, "why the cake?" Although of course, she ate the delicious cake.

"In our case, we had always been neighbors. Even without the rosary exchange, in our hearts, we had already decided to be sisters. So an anniversary isn't anything. See?"

She'd feel sorry for a husband who had brought home flowers for a wedding anniversary, only to find that the wife had totally forgotten and had a usual dinner. That poor husband would be Rei-sama.

But that's not as sad as if the wife had already gone to bed, and he had to eat a microwaved dinner. They ate a cake together.

"But obviously, Yumi-san's case is different from ours."

"Um, yeah."

"It feels like more than some month or day, it's the school festival night, exactly one year ago?"

"...Um, yeah."

"A special day for the two of you. Please make the effort to have a beautiful anniversary."

That's easy to say for somebody else's problem. For Yumi herself, it was a high hurdle, and how to clear it was the problem.

'A beautiful anniversary,' huh? Just what on earth was that?

What should she do, to make it an unforgettable anniversary?

"Ah, you two. Yoshino-san, Yumi-san."

A school festival executive committee member stuck her head out of the classroom and called to the two of them.

"We'd like to decide on a schedule for our class' shop. Could you come help?"

"Ah. Yes."

And with that response, they straightened themselves up from leaning on the wall.

"Phew. Good grief."

Of their own free will, the class was steadily in the midst of preparing for the school festival.

The second-year Pine class' plans were a festival shop. It was a joint effort with Shimako-san's second-year Wisteria class.

Part 3

When another person heard about the reality of the leading role, they said "no way" just like Yumi did.

"No way."

Said Yuuki, just as Yumi herself had said a few hours ago. She gazed at his dumbfounded face.

"What? You're in the same position as me, and not a lot of room to escape." Yuuki, seeing no way to escape, looked at Yumi with an accusatory expression. So, that's how he sees it.

"When I first heard about it, I had the same reaction as Yuuki."

Arriving home, she had a little distance from the shock, so she was composed, even if only a little bit. Surprise isn't something that lasts forever. But after that comes defiance, then acceptance.

However, Yumi thought it was bad to skip over this part of the story. Like a grandma's stomach medicine, half an hour after a meal. She wished she could have had just a bit more time to reflect. Unfortunately, due to shock, they had all but forgotten Yuuki's digestion of tonight's side dish of Japanese-style hamburger.

But, after helping clean up after the meal and going upstairs, Yuuki would get ready for the bath. Then after he got out, mom would say "Yumi go ahead, it's your turn next." Then some show that Yuuki wants to watch will start. Then Yumi's weekly variety show. They could not easily talk during all that. She had to catch him now, she'd have no other chance to talk with him today.

She had been appointed her onee-sama to talk with Yuuki before the day was over. Because the Lillian second-years started their school trip this Friday, the idea was to get the script to the Hanadera side where they could look it over for that week.

The announcement was probably delayed until now so that the two leads (the Fukuzawa siblings) would not have a chance to complain. With Yumi in Italy, she wouldn't make an international phone call just to protest, and Yuuki wouldn't do anything without Yumi there as support. That's what Yumi thought.

"This is Sachiko-san's doing."

While slapping the script that was handed to him, Yuuki said, "there's nobody other than Yumi and me that could do this." He put things on his bed like a towel and pajamas, and sat in his desk chair. He made a single turn in his chair.

"Hmm. That means Yuuki knows the contents of 'Torikaebaya Monogatari.'"

Yumi picked up a cushion that had been thrown on Yuuki's bed and laid it out on the floor as a substitute seating cushion.

"I haven't read it. But even if one hasn't read all of 'Tales of Genji,' they know the general story. To a degree."

Bringing up 'Tale of Genji' again. Is it easy to use that case as an example, or that it has the same feeling as 'Torikaebaya Monogatari'? No, it's just that Yoshino-san and Yuuki both think alike.

"I'm the only one who thinks of 'Tale of Genji' as a playboy's biography. In classical literature, it was just called 'Young Murasaki.'" She only remembered the part about Inuki escaping the sparrow chick. Specifically, the teacher's emphasis that "Inuki is a person's name, not a dog."

"Biography? Isn't it something different? Because of Kaoru."

"Kaoru?"

Now that he mentioned "biography", Yoshino-san also recited this dissenting opinion.

"The last person that Tale of Genji centers around is Kaoru. Haven't you heard of the Uji chapters?"

Uji chapters. She might have heard something like that. Or not.

"So who is this Kaoru?"

"Hikaru Genji's son. No. ...from cheating on his wife, ... well, lots of things."

Yuuki faltered, hesitant to say. As if he did not wish to continue such a graphic talk between siblings. Yumi did not particularly want to take up the initiative here, either.

"I haven't read all of it, so I don't know all the details."

"Ah, so."

While still sitting in his chair, Yuuki stretched and looked at the ceiling. Returning to his original posture, he smiled as if remembering something.

"Probably, that's it. It's Kashiwagi-sempai's fault."

"Kashiwagi-san?"

"There's a chapter about Kashiwagi in 'The Tale of Genji.'" As a student, he was sometimes called "Master of Light (Hikari no kimi)". Students caught up in Genji mania were in the student council, too. That's surely why 'The Tale of Genji' is so familiar."

"...even then, 'Master of Light'?"

It was embarrassing just to say it, such a grand name. But the image is perfect. Kashiwagi-san is handsome, sociable, smart, and a young master. Ah, that's right. But then wouldn't it be better to exchange the parts of fondness for "woman" to "man"?

"Oh."

Yuuki let out a big sigh.

"Whatever we're made to do, it'll be fun compared to last year's Kashiwagi-sempai."

"Last year, huh."

Each year, it was customary for the Hanadera and Lillian high school student councils to help each other out for their school festivals. Last year, Hanadera student council president played the role of the prince in the Lillian school festival's play, Cinderella.

"The time on stage is not small, so that much wasn't so bad?"

"That's because it was Kashiwagi-sempai. Around this time last year, we heard what he had to do, we all shuddered."

"Why?"

"Can we ballroom dance?"

"Oh. I see."

In reality, it's pointless without lessons. But lessons certainly exist. More than that, it was being exposed in public, on a girl's school gym stage that appeared to be unbearable. That's why Kashiwagi-san, who cleared this task easily, was regarded as a respectable man in this aspect. It appears Yuuki did not wish to follow another's example. ...whether he knew it or not.

"Yuuki said that the role this time isn't as easy as Cinderella's prince, right?"

"Because there are double lead roles. Isn't this a bit too much work for an assistant from the neighboring school?"

"Well, yeah. But, for Yuuki, won't memorizing the lines be easier than dancing?"

"Depends on the amount. Sachiko-san must know that I am not a very good actor."

Yes, yes. Earlier, Yuuki was too flustered to say even his single line of "Hey, Sachiko-san," seeing Sachiko-sama at point-blank range.

"You were chosen for your face, so it can't be helped, no?"

"When I was born, I should have chosen mother's face."

The Fukuzawa siblings, both of them, took after their father's Tanuki face.

"If I could choose one I liked, I think I too, would choose mother's face."

"Well, in the end, we can't."

Even though the shape of their faces now is different from then, in the end, that's why they were chosen for the lead roles for 'Torikaebaya Monogatari.'"

"So let's resign ourselves to memorizing the lines?"

"Yeah."

Their faces said it was fruitless.

Yuuki said, "Anyway, I'm going to take a bath. It feels like defeat, so I'm going."

Lightly slapping both his cheeks, Yuuki got up from his chair.

"...Itterashai. It was bad, asking you to take on such a bit role. But you really helped."

Yumi put her hand on her own room's doorknob after watching Yuuki from the stairs. On the way, about three steps down, Yuuki stopped and looked back.

"Yumi is a girl so you might not know this."

"Hm?"

"It's not just the lead role or the number of lines that has me so bummed."

What? What? It was a mood of a young boy about to make a serious confession. Yumi pulled her hand off the doorknob.

"Torikaeba, it is... I'm going to have to wear a dress."

"What?"

"That's rather painful."

After saying that, Yuuki waved his hands bye-bye behind his back. The air around him filled with gloom as he went down to the first floor.

"Is that what it is?" Yumi, left behind, said softly.

Ballroom dancing on a stage or cross-dressing on a stage? For a man, which was more embarrassing?

Yuuki Fukuzawa, 16 years old.

The balance scales in his heart tilted which way? The swaying could not be easily settled.