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Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume22 Chapter1.4

2010-06-03T17:28:30Z

141.211.172.33: Volume22 Chapter1.4 1st pass edit

=== Section 4 ===

The Fukuzawa family dinner ended in an aura of calm.

Touko-chan laughed abundantly, talked profusely, and happily ate all the food on her place. As a guest, one could not get more hospitable or perfect.

Even though they told her not to, after she finished eating, Touko-chan picked up the tableware and placed it in the sink. Then she said, "Could I please use your phone?"

"Eh?" She said it so quickly, Yumi had to ask for clarification. "Why?"

"I don't want to impose. I bothered all of you so suddenly, and I'm very sorry."

"You'll go back? But to where?"

"Home. My mind feels a lot cooler. If I don't go back, then my parents would start shortening their lives in worry." Touko-chan was serious. Yumi understood that Touko-chan thought highly of her parents, and that Touko-chan's parents were raising her with a lot of care.

"Do you want to call home?" Since he was the closest to the phone receiver, Yuuki brought it over and asked.

"No. I left the house after a small argument, so I'd rather not talk to them on the phone and instead meet them in person, I think."

"Then who will you call?" Was Yuuki not going to give her the receiver until he found out who? Yuuki held on to the receiver, and was not letting it go.

"I thought I'd call a taxi. Even if my parents left to look for me, I'm pretty sure somebody would be at home." That was when Yumi remembered: Touko-chan had walked here. Rather than going to the bus station and taking a train, it would be faster to get into a car and go directly to the Matsudaira home. But she didn't have the money to return by train, so this was probably the real reason why she wanted to call a taxi.

"Why don't we take you. Where do you live?" Yumi's father put on his jacked, and took the keys for the car. "Yumi should come too. Her parents might be worried, so if you go together and say hello it would ease them."

"Ah, sure," Yumi answered and wondered, ''What does this situation remind me of?'' Now she remembered: When she was a child, Yumi had forgotten why but, her friend had been scolded by her parents. Yumi had let her friend come home with her, and later they had both gone to her parents and apologized. Her friend's parents held back from scolding her badly in front of a friend. Even after Yumi left though, her friend had gotten scared at least a second or a third time, but neither time was as bad as the scare she had gotten from the first time (that had prompted her to come home with Yumi).

Yet, it seemed that wasn't why Yumi's father wanted Yumi to come along. If they confirm that Touko-chan had been staying at her "school sempai's" house until such a late hour, then it would put Touko-chan's parents at ease.

"I won't let her come." Touko-chan held back. She didn't want to put the Fukuzawa family through any more trouble. Touko-chan also didn't want to ask for travel expenses.

"Don't worry about us Touko-chan. But if you get into a taxi alone to go home at this hour, then we’d be bound to worry."

There was no reason to doubt the Fukuzawa family, but Touko-chan, who had run away from home, had to decide whether or not she would go home by herself. Young maidens can, after all, suddenly change their mind halfway through a decision. Someone must keep an eye on these maidens, because they seem sensitive to smoke. <ref>I think the idiom "sensitive to smoke" seems to imply that their decisions are wispy and easily blown away, twirled, and changed.</ref>

"I think I'll go home by myself," Touko-chan declined politely. Howevever, Yumi's father would not give up. And then...

"Um ... can I say something?"

"What, Yuuki?"

"You have to compromise. And I'm the one who'll decide this," Yuuki said, as he picked up the receiver and pressed one button. It seemed like he had forgotten to press the other numbers. Soon, sounds could be heard coming from the receiver. Someone was on the other line. "Ah, hello? Please take care of it," was all Yuuki said before he cut the line.

"Who did you call?" He hadn't called a taxi company, that was certain. He hadn't dropped any hints from names, but by saying "Please take care of it", it was obvious that a car was on its way.

"You'll find out soon."

"You'll find out soon." Right after Yuuki finished talking, within ten seconds, the Fukuzawa home's intercom rang. Yuuki opened the door without bothering to find out who it was. Wondering what was going on, Touko-chan tagged along with Yuuki and Yumi, and they met an unexpected person.
"I'm sorry for calling so late at night."

"I'm sorry for calling so late at night." The visitor came up from behind the kids, walked up to the parents, and bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry that Touko took so much of your time."

Hearing his apology and his deference, Touko-chan suddenly made a deflated face. "Suguru Onii-sama." That was how she called him, the man known as Kashiwagi Suguru-san.
He finished talking with the Fukuzawa parents, and then came over gently to Touko-chan. "I came to pick you up. Let's go."

Touko-chan nodded slightly.

Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume22 Chapter1.3

2010-06-03T14:38:22Z

141.211.172.33: /* Section 3 */

=== Section 3 ===

The menu was exactly what it smelled like: curry and salad. The meal had been cooking from before Kashiwagi-san had called Yumi, so it was a surprisingly tasty spread.

The Fukuzawa home's curry was made in huge quantities, so if one or two extra people would join them it would be fine. Yumi's mother also enjoyed cooking such huge quantities. Yumi's mother had been expecting Yuuki's friends to come over, so there was a very strong possibility that curry and stew would be common this winter. Steak and fish need to be prepared one-at-a-time, and if there aren't enough it's problematic to cook them in large quantities, as they would often run out.

Shortly before Touko-chan and Yumi came downstairs, Yumi's father had returned. Now the full Fukuzawa family and Touko-chan added up to five people and would surround the dinner table.

Touko-chan sat in the seat next to Yumi, where Yuuki would normally sit. Yuuki sat in their mother's seat. Their mother would sit at the narrow part of the table, and so on. It wasn't the normal seating arrangement, so it took a bit of shuffling to get seated.

"Could you pass me the Meat and Curry Dumplings?"

Yumi was tense because her father really loved Meat and Curry Dumplings. But in front of his daughter's friend, he seemed not to act like he normally did.

"The salad dressing recipe was one I saw being made on TV. What do you guys think of it?"

Both Yumi's mother and father were being excellent hosts.

"Everything is great, Mrs. Fukuzawa. You must be good at cooking."

Touko-chan seemed to really find the food tasty. She asked about the type of cheese used in the meat dumplings, and asked for the amount of the secret ingredient, balsamic vinegar, in the dressing.

She asked it all without flattery. Yumi did not know whether Touko-chan planned on really going back home and trying out some of these recipes. Nevertheless, her mother was very happy when Touko-chan did not simply say the food was tasty, but also asked how the food was made and what ingredients went into it.

"Is this rice ... white rice?"

"It's a medley of brown rice, barley, and white rice. I prepare it with the curry."

Yumi's mother would change the ratio of one rice to the other in each batch, so she told Touko-chan that she couldn't give a definite number. Yumi didn't know anyone who'd ask a question about the ratio. Obviously her mother would know that brown rice and barley went into the mix, but how much of each she doubted that her mother kept track.

Yumi's mother was very happy to talk to Touko-chan about such things. She was talking much more than she normally would.

"Oh, speaking of white rice. When Yumi and her friends went to her Onee-sama's summer house, the rice I had sent gave Yumi the nickname Princess Koshihikari. Did you know that, Touko-chan?" <ref>In the Vacation of the Young Lambs story arc, Sachiko had invited Yumi to her summer house to enjoy the summer together. There, they met Sachiko's 'friends', a bunch of self-conscious snobs, among whom was Touko, vying to come into the Ogasawara family's favor by thrusting themselves onto Sachiko. They considered Yumi to be not on their level and made fun of her, and socially slighted her, unaware that Sachiko hardly cared about the social class of Yumi. One of the names Yumi was called was Princess Koshihikari in reference to the Koshihikari brand of rice her mother had sent to Sachiko's summer house.</ref> Well she hadn't been expecting that subject to come up, but it was too late.

It wasn't as if Touko-chan had been the instigator that came up with the name, so Yumi thought it probably would not bother her excessively. If Touko-chan wasn't the "person who made the name" but rather the "person who eventually laughed at the name" she was not to blame.

As expected, Touko-chan became obviously dejected, and whispered, "...There are some bad people out there in this world."

"Touko-chan, you're being too hard on yourself." Yumi's mother laughed warmly.

Yumi explained to Touko-chan, "Mom really liked the name."

"Princess Koshihikari?" Unable to fathom this, Touko-chan knit her eyebrows together.

"Yeah. Don't you think it has a much better ring to it than Princess Sasanishiki or Princess Hitomebore? I'm glad I sent Koshihikari. But you know, Princess Unwashed-Rice sounds more story-like, much more story-like." Wasn't Princess Koshihikari more than enough? Yet, as Yumi's mother was glowingly smiling, she let the irritation go, and even Touko-chan let out a small laugh.

"Yumi-sama's family talks about almost everything."

At which point, Yumi's father laughed to himself. "Nope. There are a lot of things we don't talk about at home. Because there are a lot of things we don't understand." Like a bride's father, Yumi's father talked solemnly, and Yumi's mother suddenly caught on.

"Honey, why did you suddenly get so serious? That's what friends are for. Touko-chan, please engage Yumi in some good conversation."

"I, well..."

"Don't hold back. I think Touko-chan is a great conversationalist." When Yumi heard her mother's words, conversely she wondered if she could become a good conversation partner for Touko-chan. .

Had Touko-chan not been picked up by Yuuki, she wouldn't have come to this house. Just why had she left home? That was one topic that they could not discuss. But why? What had happened? Maybe if she just asked once. Even though she hadn't come here looking for Yumi's help, if she asked the question after she let Touko-chan in the house, Touko-chan would hesitate. Then she would grow fearful. ''This is none of Yumi-sama's business.'' She'd be denied. When she thought of the denial, she felt too scared to ask.