Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume8 Afterword

Afterword

Once again, I find myself in confusion.

What month is it?

Hello, this is Konno.

In the place where I am it's, somehow or other, late February. Since the beginning of the year, my head's been stuck in March, which is a strange feeling that's a bit of a win and a bit of a loss. A bit of jet lag. But I haven't had time to lag. Once I reached a place to pause, it was time to fill out my tax return.

By the way, what time is it where you are?

While I was writing this book I didn't have much time to think about such things, but now I'm thinking it would be nice if the cherry trees were still blossoming when my readers hold this book in their hands.

Because this is indeed an April edition … Yeah, maybe that's not so bad.

While on the topic, because Japan stretches diagonally, the cherry trees blossom at different times. But turning that on its head, it means there are times when the cherry trees won't be blossoming in some places. But even after the cherry blossom front has passed through, it may be possible that they are still blossoming up in the mountains.

Ahh – that's nice. I don't usually drink a lot of alcohol, and rarely is there the opportunity for an outdoor party like the cherry blossom viewing presents, plus there's lots of good places for viewing them in my neighborhood, so I always look forward to this. Even just looking at them from the bus is good.

Now then, cherry trees.

I've written as much in the first part of "Joined by One Hand," but the damage the summer caterpillars do is incredible. When I was in middle school I used to commute by bicycle, but there was this long stretch of road that was lined with cherry trees, and going up and down that was such an ordeal. But in return, spring was absolutely wonderful!

Speaking of cherry trees.

Back in kindergarten, the "cherry group" was for the oldest kids. Incidentally, "rose group" was for the youngest, or at least, it was something from the rose family. As well as that there was "violet group," "lily group," "chrysanthemum group," and there should have been one more too. What was it? "Peach group," perhaps. But at this point, I couldn't say for certain.

Despite the conversation in "As the Years Pass By," I still have plenty of memories remaining about my time in kindergarten.

Like about the naughty little boys, and the crybaby girls.

Or the classroom scenery. Memories of diving beneath the sister's veil.

Or the words of the prayers, and the songs.

Or the etiquette for riding on the school bus. Really, it's strange how vivid these memories are.

Oh, right. Speaking of episodes related to kindergarten.

At a school assembly when we were all getting ready to go into middle school, I saw a girl that I hadn't seen since cherry group, six years earlier. I called out to her fondly, but she didn't remember me at all. What a great friend … that was quite the shock. So I know full well the feelings of those people surrounding Sei and Yumi. They have my sympathies.

But it goes the other way too. Sometimes classmates that I haven't seen since graduation will call out to me when I'm on the bus or walking down the street. So do I blend into the background or stand out in the foreground … ? Yeah, I don't know.

– Now that I've finished avoiding the topic by reminiscing, the Roses have at long last graduated. Sniffle, sniffle.

Honestly, when I started writing the first volume of "Maria-sama ga Miteru," I had no idea that I'd come to like them as much as I have.

When I wrote the magazine one-shot, while Shimako was Rosa Gigantea, Sachiko and Rei weren't even given names, so while I was fine with setting the book six months earlier to establish the characters, I was worried that since there were so many characters some of them might become leftovers. But once I started, they all asserted themselves wonderfully, making it interesting.

Writing about them was fun, especially Satou Sei. I wanted her to toy with Yumi even more. But the story of "Maria-sama ga Miteru" is only alive for as long as it continues, so graduation was unavoidable.

Even so.

While my "first generation" of Roses (me not knowing the history of Lillian's Girls Academy high-school) may have graduated, I think it would be nice to see them once in a while.

When April arrives, new students will enter into Lillian's High-school. The entire school will advance once grade.

It won't all be lonely.

Konno Oyuki.

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