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Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter8

2013-01-19T00:17:13Z

Mako1138: /* Afterword */ apostrophe

== Afterword ==

Things I've recently seen from my window:

Ants walking across the screen door.

Small black and orange caterpillars on the leaves of the tallest tree near the house.

White-eye birds come to eat them.

Completely unrelated to them, noisy crows.

A stray cat taking no notice of any of this, and having a leisurely nap atop the fence.

Akebi fruits, fully-grown, about the size of a pinky finger.

– At any rate, it's peaceful. The rainy season has yet to arrive.

Hello, this is Konno.

The previous book, "Rainy Blue," ended with Yumi in a tragic spot, so I'm sure there were a lot of people that thought, "Huh, you're cutting it there!?" Actually, I got a lot of letters about this. Sorry for causing you distress.

– Start with something like that.

This book, "Holding a Parasol," could probably be called a conclusion to "Rainy Blue," as it's intended to settle the debts from the previous book. I'm sorry for making you all wait so long. No, I suppose the wait was longest for Yumi, frozen in place with the rain pelting down on her.

That troublesome final scene. It's not like the pages were all there and the manuscript arbitrarily chopped at that point. From the outset, that was how I thought I'd end it.

So, while they may form a continuation, for some reason I thought they were also independent. Or maybe I formed that conclusion just because I wanted them to have different titles.

In "Rainy Blue," there were three stories in the one book. And, obviously, I didn't want to continue the negative connotations of "blue" forwards into the next book.

So, while they aren't Part 1 and Part 2, the two books have an inseparable relationship. Basically, they're like soeurs, I suppose. Looking at it that way, I'm grateful. The symbol of "Rainy Blue" would be the rain umbrella, and, for "Holding a Parasol," it's the sun umbrella from the title. Even if they're the same umbrella, the damp and the dry are completely different. That's the kind of feeling I wanted to evoke. Just having the word 'parasol' has a forward-looking feel, and the writer can write with more energy.

Now then.

The story is not over, so I'm sure there will be plenty of speculation from the readers about the current developments and mysteries. This time around, the largest volume of responses was undoubtedly about "Sachiko-sama's secret." (I haven't really solicited responses. These were all from people taking the initiative). Speculation about why Sachiko-sama was standing Yumi up, and just what on earth Touko-chan was doing.

Here's some examples:

<nowiki>#</nowiki>1: "Is Sachiko-sama taking driving lessons so that she can drive to the amusement park?"

… Satou Sei got her license while she was still in high-school, so it's worthwhile considering. In that case, if Sachiko had her provisional license then she could practice on the road with Kashiwagi Suguru's support. That's how Touko's added. But, if she were the one driving, she wouldn't get carsick, usually.

<nowiki>#</nowiki>2: "Sachiko-sama's been practicing so that she can ride the roller coaster."

… Just what type of practice has she been doing? Riding a roller coaster non-stop? I laughed, and this may be letting the cat out of the bag, but I'm not sure the readers were laughing. That's putting the cart before the horse. And to abandon Yumi in "Rainy Blue" for that, it's just too sad.

<nowiki>#</nowiki>3: "I don't know the reason, but I'm sure Sachiko-sama has a good one."

… There were a lot of people who immediately thought that. Surprisingly, there were an equally large number of people booing, saying, "Sachiko-sama's horrible," and that she shouldn't be trusted. When my supervisor read "Rainy Blue," she got angry, saying, "What's going on with Sachiko's personality?" (lol)

Receiving the jeers alongside Sachiko was Touko. But I don't think Touko really did anything wrong. Despite this, I got a huge number of letters begging me, "Please don't make her Yumi-chan's petit soeur." Reading the letters I'd quip, "Well, how about Yoshino then?"

Just to be clear, everyone, I am in no way thinking about having Yoshino and Touko become soeurs. Since, as Yoshino said herself, their characters collide. Hmm.

I had considered adding the full story of the blue umbrella and white parasol to this book if there was space, but I had to pass that up. I do have some provisional material, but what I'll do with that from here on out is undecided.

It might get written some time, some place. But, like Yumi said at the end, I don't think there's any reason to force it.

Konno Oyuki.

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Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter6 5

2013-01-18T04:24:55Z

Mako1138: /* Visitor. Part 5 */ you're -> your

===<noinclude>Visitor. </noinclude>Part 5===

"Onee-sama … "

The room was dimly lit.

Perhaps that was unavoidable because it was cloudy out. But stepping from the hallway lit by incandescent lamps into the unlit room, the impression of gloominess couldn't be wiped away.

Facing the door was a large, open window, and the lace curtains fluttered silently.

It looked like it was somebody's bedroom, as the canopied bed and old, large, wooden cabinet were quite conspicuous.

Where was Sachiko-sama? Yumi focused her eyes and searched.

"Onee-sama."

Keeping the closed door behind her, Yumi called out.

Something near the foot of the bed moved slightly.

Initially, Yumi thought it might have been a dog. Before that, she'd believed it to be a bed cover that had fallen and crumpled together.

However.

" – "

That was Sachiko-sama. Lying across the bed, her legs on the floor, she raised her head slightly.

"Yumi … ?"

The curtains fluttered in the breeze, and a little bit of sunshine made its way into the room.

Yumi's eyes widened in surprise. Sachiko-sama had lost a lot of weight and looked worn out. Even though she was wearing the familiar Lillian's school uniform, there was no sign of her customary aura. Was this person really Ogasawara Sachiko-sama?

"I wonder if I'm dreaming."

Sachiko-sama reached both her arms out, as though stretching.

"Onee-sama."

Yumi rushed over, and jumped into those open arms. But Sachiko-sama's body was a lot thinner, and weaker, than usual, almost as though she would snap in two. So Yumi pulled her onee-sama towards her and embraced her tightly.

"This is a dream."

Sachiko-sama said, again.

"No, onee-sama. I'm here."

Yumi released the embrace, so that Sachiko-sama could see her face clearly.

"But in my dream, my onee-sama said that she'd bring you to me."

Apparently Sachiko-sama thought that she'd only dreamed the request she made to Youko-sama.

"Right. But, here I am."

"Is that you, Yumi?"

Sachiko-sama's fingers gently stroked Yumi's cheek. As though to confirm that Yumi really was there.

Softly, softly, as though she were touching valuable glass-work.

"I'm sorry, onee-sama."

Yumi instinctively took hold of Sachiko-sama's hands and squeezed tightly. Sadly, even her fingers felt gaunt.

"I was only being selfish during such a difficult time for you onee-sama. I caused you so much trouble."

"You're not to blame, Yumi. I was wrong. Because I couldn't – "

"No."

If Yumi had only believed in her unconditionally, none of this would have happened.

Despite hitting rock bottom, Yumi had been able to quickly recover. But for her – such were Yumi's thoughts as she supported that frail body.

Slender, exhausted, and grief stricken. Forgetting things like eating when left alone, and so withdrawn into her own world that the boundary between dreams and reality had blurred.

Until now, Sachiko-sama had always been a strict person, relentlessly driving herself. But now she was weak, unable to surface under her own power.

"Onee-sama."

"You'll still call me that?"

"Of course."

For Yumi, there was only one person in her life that she'd ever call "onee-sama," and that was Ogasawara Sachiko-sama.

"You'll forgive me?"

Sachiko-sama smiled weakly.

"There's nothing to forgive."

Yumi hastily shook her head.

From what Sayako oba-sama said, neither was in the wrong, they were just not connecting with each other. Now the only regret remaining was that she couldn't have stayed dependable just a little bit longer. As her petit soeur, Yumi was supposed to cover for Sachiko-sama when she wasn't in complete control of her emotions.

"While my grandmother was still alive, I told myself that it couldn't be helped, that you were the sacrifice. I told myself that you would understand. But that was naïve. You're a living human, you get hurt, and you get disappointed. What kind of an onee-sama am I, that I wouldn't notice something so obvious?"

A flood of tears came gushing out of Sachiko-sama. As though all the tears that she couldn't cry while her grandmother was critically ill, or after she'd died, came bursting out at once.

"If only you'd told me."

Yumi took a handkerchief from her pocket and held it up to Sachiko-sama's cheek.

"My grandmother told me not to say anything to you."

Sachiko-sama said, the handkerchief halting the stream of tears.

"Huh?"

"Because she loved you, Yumi."

"Even though we never met?"

"Yes. I suppose it is odd. She always said not to talk about her illness. I think that's probably because she didn't want to worry her friends."

It was a strange feeling for Yumi. Somebody she'd never even met liked her. On top of that, by the time she heard of it, she was never going to be able to meet that person for all eternity.

"I was really looking forward to going to the amusement park with you, Yumi. So, I wanted to go. It probably looked to you as though I was breaking our promise, or being wishy-washy, but I wanted it to happen soon because my grandmother was looking forward to hearing about it too. Those were my honest feelings. But then my grandmother's condition took a sudden turn for the worse, and when I found out I rushed over to the hospital."

So she may have wanted to talk, but she couldn't say anything to Yumi. For some reason, the words of Katou-san came back to her at that point. Katou-san had said that when her father had collapsed, there had been no room for her emotions. That there had been nothing she wanted to say, and no-one she wanted to listen.

So, even if Sachiko-sama hadn't been told not to by her grandmother, she may not have said anything to Yumi. Because Sachiko-sama loved her grandmother, Yumi thought she may not have wanted to admit that she was in hospital.

That showed even in the clothes she was wearing. Certainly, the school uniform was a convenient garment to wear for a memorial service, but Sachiko-sama's family wouldn't have had any trouble procuring a mourning dress. That they hadn't done so was probably because they hated the thought of preparing for this.

Even if they're resigned to it, some things are hard to admit and accept.

Of course, that was all just speculation on Yumi's part.

"Whenever I spoke about you to my grandmother, I think it took her back to her youth."

Sachiko-sama looked around the darkened room before she said this. As though she was checking that her grandmother wasn't present.

"So that's why she thought of me as a friend."

Yumi said, and Sachiko-sama answered with, "Yes," and sat down on the bed. She patted the space beside her, inviting Yumi to sit down too.

"But I think, deep down, she was waiting for her friend to come and visit her."

"She was waiting?"

Yumi sat down on the bed too. It had probably been the bed that Sachiko-sama's grandmother had used, but she didn't dislike that. Actually, Yumi was delighted by it, because it felt like she was getting closer to Sachiko-sama's grandmother.

"Not for you, Yumi, but for her real friend."

Sachiko-sama explained that her grandmother would occasionally, when rambling incoherently, call out her old friend's name. She would also say, "I miss her."

She didn't want people to find out, so they wouldn't worry. – Despite this, she still had that feeling of longing.

"So I found her phone number from the Lillian's graduate contact list and called her from the hospital. Unfortunately, that lady was – "

"What happened?"

Yumi called out instinctively. Sachiko-sama was taken aback by the force of the question, and faltered as she answered.

"She wasn't at home."

"Ah, not at home."

Yumi felt a bit deflated, which was quickly followed by embarrassment. What on earth had she been expecting?

"The house-sitter told me she was traveling. By this point my grandmother's condition had deteriorated to the point where she was near-death, so even if I waited until the lady returned and asked her to visit, she may not have made it in time. I hung up the phone, dejected. Then when I turned around, what do you think I saw? You wouldn't believe it, but there she was, standing right there."

"Oh … "

"There was my grandmother's friend. She and I both realized it straight away. Because when she saw me, she said, "Saiko-san.""

Sachiko-sama's excitement made her speak faster.

"My grandmother's name was Saiko. That lady was traveling to the hospital to visit my grandmother."

Miracle. Fate. Those words spun around Yumi's head. Then Sachiko-sama suddenly said, "Say, do you believe in miracles?"

"That lady told me that long ago they had a fight and separated. So she never thought they'd meet again their entire lives. But a few days ago, she suddenly thought back to those days and really wanted to see my grandmother again. So she made some inquiries as to her whereabouts. As though she'd heard my grandmother's pleas. No, it was as though their hearts were drawing them together."

Just then, a woman's face floated into Yumi's mind. Holding a white parasol, heading out saying she was going to set things right with an old friend, an old lady with a sunny smile.

"When my grandmother saw that lady's face she was overjoyed, and her condition seemed to improve temporarily. When they parted, they were both content, even though they knew they'd never see each other again. Not long after that my grandmother passed away, but she had such a serene look on her face."

For she no longer had any regrets. She was able to recover what she'd lost so long ago.

"That started me thinking. Right at the end, my grandmother was able to free herself from her regrets. What about me? If I died right then, could I claim that I had no regrets?"

Sachiko-sama gripped the handkerchief tightly in her fist and covered her eyes. The tears that had stopped temporarily were flooding out again.

"No, I had my regrets. That's why I had to see you, I had to tell you."

Tears soaked through the gaps between her fingers, down the palm and back of her hand, onto her wrist.

"Onee-sama… "

"I love you."

During that downpour, Yumi had thought that it would be better if she disappeared. But if she had disappeared, she never would have been able to receive these wonderful words from Sachiko-sama.

"I love you too onee-sama."

She never would have been able to convey this important message to Sachiko-sama.

Never again would she compare herself to Touko-chan.

Seeing those tears, she would believe her onee-sama no matter what.

She said that I was the only one.

Sachiko-sama's one and only petit soeur.

Yumi thought, "Ahh, so that's how it was."

Yumiko-san had seen through the situation. That's why she had declared, "If you still love her, things will be fine."

Don't mock the wisdom of the elderly. For they are more experienced in life.

"You know, I'm feeling a bit hungry."

Sachiko-sama suddenly mumbled.

"Then you should tell your mother, and she'll get you something. I'm sure she'll be delighted."

Yumi led Sachiko-sama by the hand.

Joyously.

[[Image:MM_v11_195.jpg|thumb]]

Perhaps Sachiko-sama's metabolism was getting back to normal after all that crying. At the very least, Sachiko-sama's appetite returning was something to be happy about.

"What is it?"

Sachiko-sama asked, looking at Yumi's grinning mouth.

"No, it's nothing."

Yumi hurriedly covered her mouth. Now that she'd been spotted, if she said something like, "I'm just happy that your appetite is back," then Sachiko-sama was likely to act perverse and respond with, "Well now I'm not hungry anymore."

"Such a strange girl."

"Yes."

Yumi opened the door and let Sachiko-sama go first.

"Your grinning is disturbing, stop it."

"Yes."

She'd been scolded be her onee-sama. What bliss.

Raindrops started to appear here and there on a hallway window.

But for now, Yumi felt like taking a walk with a parasol, not an umbrella.

Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter6 2

2013-01-17T23:53:51Z

Mako1138: /* Visitor. Part 2 */ grammar, consistency

===<noinclude>Visitor. </noinclude>Part 2===

About a dozen people had gathered in front of the staff room.

"Ah."

Yoshino-san spotted Yumi and raised her arm.

Just like the other times, students other than the one called had spontaneously gathered at the designated location.

Taking a rough survey of the people in front of her, there was Rei-sama, Shimako-san and Noriko-chan. They'd probably hurried over when they heard "Fukuzawa Yumi" called. It felt like they'd all dropped everything to come here.

As she looked at each of their faces, Yumi thought, "They're good friends alright."

Touko-chan was nowhere to be seen. Although Yumi hadn't really expected Touko-chan to be worried about her. Still, she was a bit disappointed by her absence. Well, it was after school on Saturday, so perhaps Touko-chan had gone home already. Even if she was still on campus, it was possible that she was somewhere where she couldn't hear the announcement – .

Setting that aside for now.

Yumi had no idea whatsoever why she had been called here, and while she was still trying to figure out what sort of expression she should have, a group of students encamped near the door to the staffroom made their way over to her. The mood wasn't right for a greeting of "Gokigenyou," so they simply bowed to their target.

( … Thanks for everything.)

The newspaper club's Mami-san and the photography club's Tsutako-san could always sniff out when something was happening, and as expected they had both gathered here.

The rest were probably just curious onlookers. They had their backs to her, so they hadn't noticed that Yumi had arrived, clumped together in a circle like a dumpling.

"It's Yumi-san."

One of them noticed her and whispered to the others, and the dumpling fell apart in the twinkling of an eye. Like the blossoming of a flower bud, a single young lady appeared in the center. That person was –

"Rosa Chinensis!?"

"Gokigenyou, Yumi-chan. It's been a while."

She was wearing a dark suit that blended in with the Lillian's school uniforms, so Yumi hadn't noticed someone in street clothes mixed in among the group. It was indeed Rosa Chinensis. Well, more accurately, it was the former Rosa Chinensis, Mizuno Youko-sama, magnificently taking center stage like "The Birth of Venus," as she turned to Yumi and smiled.

"Wh-what on earth brings you here!?"

Yumi rushed over to her. Youko-sama slowly moved forwards to meet Yumi. Youko-sama really felt like an adult, perhaps due to her light makeup. It seemed unbelievable that until just three months ago they had worn the same school uniform.

Her muted matte pink lipstick coated lips informed Yumi:

"I came to see you. I'd like you to come with me."

"Huh? But I was called to – "

Yumi pointed at the staff room right beside her, and Youko-sama smiled wryly.

"Took you a while. I was the one that asked the teacher to do that. It seemed the quickest way to catch you."

"Wh-wh"

"Why? Because I'm in a race against time."

[[Image:MM_v11_159.jpg|thumb]]

Youko-sama spoke quickly.

"Hey, Yumi-chan, if you could help Sachiko-sama, would you?"

"Yes."

Yumi didn't know what was going on, but to the question of whether she would help Sachiko-sama, the answer was always an unconditional yes.

"Then come with me."

Youko-sama took Yumi by the hand, opened the door to the staffroom and informed them:

"Teacher, Fukuzawa-san's here, thanks for all your help."

"Okay."

One of the teachers called back from inside. Apparently she'd made full use of her status as a former pupil and Rosa Chinensis to convince the supervisor and broadcasting club to summon Yumi. That was the ever-practical Youko-sama.

"Here, Yumi-san."

They set off walking down the corridor and Yoshino-san popped out in front of them and held out a schoolbag.

"Youko-sama said she was taking you away, so I rushed back to the classroom and got it."

It was indeed Yumi's schoolbag.

"Thank-you."

As she took the schoolbag, Yoshino-san gave Yumi's hands a quick squeeze.

"Good luck. Tell me all about it later."

"Okay."

It felt like Yoshino-san's power flowed into Yumi's body.

Yumi didn't know where Youko-sama was taking her, but it was to help Sachiko-sama, so she gladly went. If her hard work could help Sachiko-sama, then she'd work as hard as she could.

"Youko-sama, come and visit us again sometime."

"Next time, stay a little while longer."

The students that had previously been surrounding Youko-sama reluctantly waved and said their goodbyes. Yumi felt like she'd seen them somewhere before, so perhaps they were the former Rosa Chinensis' fan club, enthusiastic devotees of Mizuno Youko-sama.

Youko-sama looked back over her shoulder and waved briefly in response. But that was all. There were no lingering farewells, as soon as she took hold of Yumi's hand she moved quickly to leave the staffroom behind.

Youko-sama was silent as they descended the stairs and walked along the first-floor hallway. She kept walking, not saying anything about where they were going or why Sachiko-sama needed Yumi's help.

Even when they split up, Yumi going to her shoe box and Youko-sama going towards the visitor entrance, all she said was, "Well, I'll wait for you outside." She didn't seem angry, but she wasn't the usual brimming-with-confidence Youko-sama that Yumi knew.

When they rejoined in front of the visitor entrance, Youko-sama said nothing and started walking quickly.

Yumi felt like she'd only seen Youko-sama's face from diagonally behind for a while now. Perhaps it was due to the angle, but her expression looked quite stern.

"Umm."

Unable to endure the lengthy silence any further, Yumi started speaking.

"What?"

Youko-sama didn't stop walking, instead turning only her head as she questioned Yumi. Seeing her eyes for the first time in a while, Yumi bowed her head deeper than before.

"I'm sorry."

"What on earth for?"

As expected of Youko-sama, she stopped on a dime, turned and asked the question.

"You told me to take care of Sachiko-sama, and I – "

"Ah."

Should that response from Youko-sama be taken to mean that she knew the current state of affairs between Yumi and Sachiko-sama, or was there a certain amount of conjecture involved? Maybe she hadn't understood everything.

"I'm sure Sachiko's at fault."

Youko-sama said curtly as she resumed walking.

"But."

Yumi followed after her.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't some grandiose commandment. If two people are only joined together because someone else tells them to, it will never work out. Things fall apart when it's their time to. I say that intentionally too."

Things fall apart when it's their time to. The impact of those words reverberated around Yumi's heart.

"So even if we say that you ran out of patience with Sachiko, I think that was unavoidable. But right now, I want you to come with me. And I want you to help Sachiko."

Youko-sama ran her hand through her short hair and smiled thinly.

"Even after graduation, I'll probably be her big sister for the rest of my life. That's why I've become used to doing such foolish things for her. Entering my alma mater, using the PA system for personal reasons, and now forcing a junior to accompany me."

"Ah."

Yumi had finally hit upon something.

"Don't tell me Kashiwagi-san too … !"

There was no need to hear her response. Youko-sama had dragged Kashiwagi-san into this. Even though he wasn't romantically interested in Sachiko-sama, Kashiwagi-san probably cared for her deeply, so would have happily lent a hand to help Sachiko-sama.

"What happened?"

Sachiko-sama must be in dire straits to force Youko-sama and Kashiwagi-san to take action. But Youko-sama wouldn't tell her anything. The only thing she said was:

"All I'll say is that, right now, you are the one thing that Sachiko needs most in this world."

When they reached the statue of Maria-sama, Youko-sama said to Yumi, "Go ahead and pray," then gave her a gentle nudge forwards.

"And you?"

"I'll pass for today. I prayed earlier today, elsewhere. Don't mind me, I'm just not in the mood."

"… ?"

Yumi didn't really understand, but knew they were in a rush, so she hurried over to the statue and prayed.

For Sachiko-sama to be saved.

She made the request not knowing why Sachiko-sama needed saving.

As always, Maria-sama said nothing and smiled.

But that was fine. Having her watching over them like that was enough to bring comfort to Yumi.

"I look displeased, don't I?"

Youko-sama asked, after Yumi had run back to her.

" … A little."

After she answered honestly, Yumi thought, "Ooops," but she couldn't take back the words she'd said. However, Youko-sama smiled.

"It's okay. I am displeased. It annoys me that I couldn't do anything for Sachiko-sama, despite how much I care for her. Like I was nothing. I adore you Yumi-chan, but I'm also feeling a little bit jealous … it's complicated."

"Jealous?"

"Right. You're a big-shot. And I'm jealous of that."

In contrast to her words, Youko-sama gently embraced Yumi's shoulder as they walked together.

"Yumi-chan, do you love Sachiko?"

"I do."

"Okay. That's good."

Somehow, it felt like she'd had that same conversation with someone else recently.

Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter6 1

2013-01-17T23:46:36Z

Mako1138: /* Visitor. Part 1 */ space, hyphen

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

"Sooner or later" came surprisingly quickly, and it brought someone unexpected to her.

Saturday.

They'd completed the first stage of cleaning the classroom and Yumi had ventured away from the school building to dispose of the rubbish. The school's PA system echoed through the cloudy sky.

"High-school second-year pine class Fukuzawa Yumi-san. Please report to the staff room immediately."

Yumi thought, "Hey, the person they're calling has a name just like mine," as she set the garbage bag down in the collection area, but then she realized.

"Huh?"

"I repeat – "

The PA system called for Fukuzawa Yumi-san once more.

"Uh, uh, uh."

Fukuzawa Yumi from the second-year pine class. The only person that could be was herself.

This was the first time her name had ever been called over the school PA system, and a light panic set in. She picked up the garbage bag she'd just set down, turned around and took three steps forward before realizing what she'd done and putting the garbage back. Thankfully, she was on her own, so no-one saw this.

"What to do?"

Yumi stopped to think for a moment.

Wait, it wasn't only students that had done something wrong that were called for over the PA system. But recalling those close to her that had been summoned, like Satou Sei-sama during the "Forest of Thorns" strife, or Torii Eriko-sama during the "Yellow Rose" paranoia, they had all been surrounded by the pungent scent of scandal.

"Maybe this has something to do with Touko-chan … ?"

But the bad rumors had stopped completely when she brought Touko-chan in to the Rose Mansion. It didn't seem likely that the teachers would only have found out about this now either.

On top of that, she was being told to go to the staff room. Not the educational guidance room or the school principal's office, but somehow more befitting of Yumi's lowly stature.

"They said 'immediately,' so I guess I have to go."

Even after thinking about it, she saw no alternative. She wasn't brave enough to go home and pretend she hadn't heard. Yumi started walking back towards the school building and saw Shimako-san's classmate Katsura-san running towards her, brandishing her schoolbag.

"Wah, it's Yumi-san!"

Yumi didn't know why, but Katsura-san seemed shocked to see her, like she'd just seen a ghost.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't really know what's happening, so I came running back because I really wanted to tell you about it most of all, and then I saw you."

Katsura-san took hold of Yumi's hand and squeezed tightly.

"What did you want to tell me? Is it about the announcement?"

"What announcement?"

"Over the PA system … right?"

Apparently they were both talking about different things.

"I told you, I've just run all the way back from the school gate. There's no way I could have heard any announcement."

Katsura-san said, puffing her chest out with pride.

"The school gate?"

Yumi asked. What possible reason could Katsura-san have to run all the way back here from the main gate?

"Right, the gate, the gate. I was so surprised, I had to come back. Pretty impressive, hey."

"What are you talking about?"

"The prince. Weren't you listening?"

Wasn't she listening? That was the first time Katsura-san had mentioned the word 'prince'.

"The prince came to the school gates in a bright-red pumpkin sports-car. I wonder who he's here for. Wearing a suit and all, he looks so much more dashing than before."

A bright-red pumpkin sports-car. Totally incoherent. However.

"The prince … "

Yumi could only think of one person who could be a bright-red pumpkin sports-car driving prince.

The prince of the ginkgo nut country, Kashiwagi Suguru. Sachiko-sama's cousin, and provisional fiancé. Until Touko-chan's appearance, he had been Yumi's number one rival.

Last year, he had been recruited from the neighboring boys school to play the role of the prince in 'Cinderella' for the Yamayurikai executive's school festival production.

"The first-years were asking, "Who's that?" The second and third-years were all telling them, "It's the prince, the prince." There was a huge group of people looking on, like some boy-band photo-shoot."

Then Katsura-san got excited and wanted to tell someone all about it, and before she knew it she'd run all the way here. Kashiwagi-san had obvious good looks, the type that were incredibly well-received at an all-girls school.

"Was Kashiwagi-san by himself?"

"When I saw him, he seemed to be waiting by the car alone. That's the impression I got."

Katsura-san leaned against the wall of the school building and crossed her legs. Then she flicked her bangs.

"Oowah."

Yumi could picture it in her imagination. He would have been fine just waiting in the car, but no, he was the type of person who just had to get out of the car and grab everyone's attention. Since he was a narcissist who knew just how good he looked, he'd unashamedly adopt that sort of pretentious pose. Basically, the prince character. And the fairy-tale prince was most definitely never shy.

"So, what do you think, Yumi-san?"

"What do I think? Cinderella's absent."

If Kashiwagi-san was the prince, then Cinderella was Sachiko-sama. That was the play's cast, there was no way to shift the roles around. Incidentally, Yumi had played Older Sister B, one of Cinderella's tormentors.

"Don't you think he could be here for you? After all, you were last year's Miss Cinderella."

" … And this is the prize, huh?"

Miss Cinderella was an earlier award. But recognition as a heroine was the only prize she'd received for having the good fortune of going from unknown first-year student to Sachiko-sama's petit soeur.

"The prince probably just came to pick up Touko-chan."

They were both Sachiko-sama's relatives. They referred to each other as "Gentle brother" and "Touko," so it wasn't strange that he'd come to pick her up.

"Maybe you're right. That's kinda boring though."

Katsura-san joked, but she seemed refreshed now that she'd said what she wanted to say. Completely the opposite of when she'd come running up, Katsura-san said a polite farewell of, "Well then, gokigenyou."

"Ah."

Katsura-san had started walking back towards the school gate when she suddenly stopped, spun around and said to Yumi:

"So, what was the announcement that you were talking about, Yumi-san?"

"Ah – !"

Yumi cried out.

"Sorry, Katsura-san, I've got to go. I'll tell you all about it next time."

She quickly wiped the soles of her indoor shoes on the mat, then flew into the school building. Thanks to Kashiwagi-san, she'd completely forgotten about it.

Ah, but even so.

Since the announcement had said 'immediately,' just how much tardiness would they accept?

Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter4 3

2012-12-15T06:38:38Z

Mako1138: /* Welcome. Part 3 */ discrete -> discreet

===<noinclude>Welcome. </noinclude>Part 3===

The rain fell gently all through Tuesday morning.

When lunchtime arrived, the sun didn't come out, but there was at least a break in the rain.

The morning TV weather forecast had said, "Rain, with occasional cloudy periods," so they were currently in one of those 'occasional' times.

"So?"

The young lady with vertical hair rolls stood on the rain-slicked pavement, looking straight ahead, almost glaring. Raindrops glistened on the shrubbery leaves.

"What did you want with me?"

Was her bad mood because she couldn't stand being called out by a senior? Or was it because she didn't want to look at Yumi's face?

Well, maybe it was both.

Touko-chan was being honest, and hadn't tried to conceal her displeasure ever since they left the classroom.

"Are you going to continue where we left off before?"

She looked straight at Yumi, her eyes open wide.

"Continue what?"

Yumi asked, not immediately recalling. Touko-chan snorted, perhaps thinking she was feigning ignorance.

"There's quite the rumor on the streets, perhaps you plan to turn that rumor into reality."

That Touko-chan had slapped Yumi, or that they'd fought over the rosary? Either way, if they got into a physical scuffle, the sisters would put a stop to it. Well, things had been quite lively up until a little while ago.

Still, even if there was a rumor doing the rounds, it was only within the high-school. To call that 'the streets.' Touko-chan was exaggerating a bit.

"Perfect. There's quite the crowd, we're not lacking witnesses. Now to give them something."

"Witnesses … "

Yumi discreetly glanced around. While there weren't that many people in the courtyard, there were students gathering around the windows in the school building that faced the courtyard, obviously watching them.

"If you do anything to me, Yumi-sama, I'll cry. Even if it doesn't hurt, I'll bawl."

" … Ever the actress."

Yumi thought Touko-chan was trying to make a big scene. As if that was the way to behave over a simple misunderstanding. While the rumor about her and Touko-chan was finally dying down, who knows how she'd be labeled if she called a younger student out here and made her cry.

Seeking to change the mood, Yumi cleared her throat and said:

"First of all, I wonder if you could relax your fighting stance."

"Okay?"

Touko-chan asked, looking dubious. Probably trying to find some hidden meaning to her words.

"Look around. Umm, you said it yourself, Touko-chan, there's lots of people watching."

Not just from the first-floor windows either, there were students watching from the second and third-floor windows too.

"Then, why did you chose this place?"

"For the appeal."

"Huh?"

Touko-chan's voice sounded strange as she questioned Yumi's answer.

"You and I don't have a bad relationship. Right, Touko-chan?"

Yumi turned towards the school building, then smiled and waved at the gallery.

"Wait, hold on, what are you doing, Yumi-sama!?"

Touko-chan hastily grabbed Yumi's hand and pulled it down.

As for the people watching, they had all sorts of reactions ranging from awkwardly looking away to happily waving back.

"Geeze, that's embarrassing, stop it already."

"They're so far away that our voices won't carry. So if we smile as we talk, it'll look like we're friendly."

" … You're overdoing it."

Touko-chan sighed in exasperation. With one thing and another, her fighting stance had been completely canceled.

In truth, Yumi had chosen the courtyard because the rain had stopped and it felt good, so this had been an unintended side-effect.

"But when you said before that we don't have a bad relationship, that's not quite right, is it?"

Touko-chan muttered, her brow wrinkled.

"Oh, so you're boldly declaring that we have a good relationship? But, don't you think that's going a bit too far, too fast?"

"That's not what I meant!"

[[Image:MM_v11_117.jpg|thumb]]

Touko-chan balled both her hands into fists, reached up, then swung down with them. Performing such a violent action in front of the crowd would probably count against her if she pretended to cry later.

"Ah."

Whether she'd just noticed this, or simply decided that her actions were improper, Touko-chan seemed to calm down and straighten herself up, then she brought a handkerchief up to her mouth and said:

"You and I do not have a good relationship. And that's fine."

She leaned in close to Yumi, as though whispering a secret. But Yumi didn't agree with that sentiment.

"Don't say that."

Right, speak plainly. Don't take a stance that prevents the message from being conveyed.

"Why not?"

"That's, umm … Uhh, what was it?"

The reason had completely slipped her mind momentarily, perhaps because they'd been talking too much.

"Umm … Yumi-sama?"

Like she'd just been struck by a headache, Touko-chan touched her temples and creased her brow.

"Please think things through properly before speaking."

It wasn't as though this was completely unplanned. Last night, Yumi put her usually under-utilized brain to work and eventually came up with a solution. But, since she had forgotten the main point, she still had a way to go. Having said that, she'd have also looked quite stupid if she kept referring to notes during the conversation.

"Ahh, right. Now I remember. I wanted to ask you to help out with the Yamayurikai, Touko-chan. So it'd be a problem if we had a bad relationship. That's what I wanted to say."

"Huh?"

This time Touko-chan brought a hand up to her ear, like a granny that had forgotten her hearing aid. Her hand brushed a hair roll, causing it to sway like a spring.

"Just until the end of semester. There's no pay, but there's all-you-can-drink tea. What do you think?"

"… And that's why you called me out?"

Naturally, Yumi nodded vigorously. Other than calling her out, how would she have seen her?

"Rei-sama's semester's packed, she's busy with club activities at the moment. So, just for now, we need an additional pair of hands."

The kendo club had an unexpectedly large number of new members this year, and most of them were beginners. But the number of people who could lead hadn't kept pace, so it seemed to be quite a struggle. Most of the third-years had retired, to prepare for their university entrance exams. The only remaining ranked members were Rei-sama and the club president, as well as two second-years.

Since these girls had gone to the effort of joining the club, Rei-sama wanted to watch them practice, at least while they were learning the fundamentals, which meant she was going to club activities as often as she could. Yumi thought this was because she wanted to ensure they knew the joy of kendo.

After summer vacation, focus would shift to the school festival and she'd squeeze in some Yamayurikai work, but after the school festival came the autumn kendo tournament after which she'd retire, well, that was the plan anyway.

"That's quite a selfish tale."

Touko-chan responded coldly, having listened to Yumi's explanation.

"How so?"

Yumi thought it best to progress the conversation as calmly as possible, and put all her effort into smiling.

"Rather than having Rei-sama and Yoshino-san stop club activities, you're looking for outside assistance. Don't you think that's a bit odd? Even if it was a farce, the Roses were elected to be the students' representatives. If it's an obstacle to their Yamayurikai work, shouldn't they stop their club activities? If they wanted to do something like kendo, they shouldn't have signed up for the school council."

"While they are representatives, they're still students first of all. Even the Roses have the right to participate in club activities … umm, on top of that, each and every high-school student is a member of the Yamayurikai, an organization that's there to support the Roses – "

Yumi trailed off towards the end, but she felt like she'd offered something of a rebuttal. Maybe she would have looked better if she'd had more confidence and spoke more powerfully … Speaking truthfully, she dreaded arguments.

"I understand what you're saying. But, Yumi-sama? Aren't you forgetting that, much like Rei-sama and Yoshino-san are busy with club activities, I'm busy with the drama club?"

"So come on the days you don't have club activities."

"In the lead up to the school festival, I'm busy e-v-e-r-y day."

Touko-chan looked away.

"Has the drama club finalized their rehearsal schedule? They still haven't got a script, so there shouldn't be practice every day, right?"

"…"

Yumi was, at least for now, Rosa Chinensis en bouton. She'd looked over reports and schedules from all the various clubs. Naturally, before she made the offer, Yumi had tried to understand Touko-chan's situation as best she could.

"The drama club president did say that things would start in earnest during summer break."

Touko-chan seemed to sense her general position. Although she didn't say anything, she sighed as if to say, "I'm beat."

"I suppose the others know about this?"

"Huh?"

"That I'll be coming to help."

"Ah, that – "

Yumi was beaming ecstatically, and Touko-chan didn't miss the chance to burst her bubble.

"However, I'll only help out while Rosa Chinensis is absent. I have no intention of helping out with Rosa Foetida or Yoshino-sama's work."

"Okay, I can accept those terms."

That was what Yumi wanted. In truth, Rei-sama and Shimako-san weren't really interested in the idea, so Yumi had gone out on her own to scout someone to help for a fixed term.

"But, why did Yumi-sama come?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, no, nothing … Wait, what are you doing?"

Touko-chan threw herself backwards.

"Huh? I just thought we should link arms."

Yumi had only lightly brushed her arm, but Touko-chan didn't seem at all pleased by it.

"I told you, there's no need to try and be all friendly, geeze."

As she spoke, Touko-chan shook free Yumi's arm that had been entwined around her elbow.

"If our conversation is finished, I'll leave."

Touko-chan walked ahead, looking angry.

Her ears were just a little bit red.

Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter2 1

2012-10-29T03:09:55Z

Mako1138: /* Classmates. Part 1 */ there -> their

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

The following morning, Yumi's lungs were straining when she woke up. It felt like she'd just got out of the pool.

Even her eyelids felt a bit swollen.

She had a dull pain near her temples. The after-effects of yesterday's tears.

When she was much younger, she used her whole body when crying, and she'd always feel like this the next day. She wasn't really much of a crybaby, but once she started crying it would get intense. Back then, since she couldn't put things into words that well, all she could do was resort to crying.

Yumi thought that perhaps she hadn't changed that much even now. About the only thing that was different was that she didn't have a fever.

"Get it together, Yumi."

She gave herself a pep-talk, as she patted her cheeks. She wasn't forcing herself to be cheerful. She just didn't want to go to school with that miserable look on her face.

From her closet, she took the uniform out of its wrapping and changed into it. The uniform that she'd worn yesterday had been dried and brought back to its usual condition by Katou-san, but some stains had appeared later on so it had been taken to a dry-cleaners yesterday evening.

She tied her tie neatly and, since it was there, turned and smiled at the mirror. A bit awkward, but still okay. If she didn't say anything, no-one would know about her swollen eyelids.

She left the house with her red folding umbrella in hand.

Today's weather report had predicted a 20% chance of rain.

"Yumi-san, you're looking sharp."

"…"

Yumi looked up, there were eagle-eyed people everywhere, weren't there? It was Mami-san, from the newspaper club.

Even so, checking out her classmates' attire on the way in to the classroom. If she were following protocol, she should have started with "Gokigenyou."

"Yeah. A bit. I got caught in the rain yesterday and – "

Yumi mumbled a harmless answer, then, over Mami-san's shoulder, caught sight of a girl with braids some distance away and hurriedly stood up.

"Sorry, I've got to go."

Leaving Mami-san where she was, and bumping into a number of chairs in the process, Yumi leapt over to Yoshino-san.

"– Yoshino-san."

"…"

Yoshino-san, who had just entered the classroom, regarded Yumi with suspicion.

"Sorry about yesterday. You were worried about me, and it sort of looked like I turned you away."

This was about yesterday's events. Yoshino-san had tried to get her to go to the Rose Mansion, to meet Sachiko-sama, and Yumi had flatly rejected the offer.

"Hmm."

Yoshino-san seemed to sigh, then placed her bag on her desk and pointed her chin towards the hallway, indicating to Yumi that they should go outside.

Indeed, the classroom wasn't the kind of environment where they could have a quiet one-on-one chat. Having just apologized, Yumi's mind was, for now, completely at ease, but it looked like the same wasn't true for Yoshino-san. Preparing herself to listen to Yoshino-san's gripes, Yumi followed along behind her.

As they walked through the hallway and down the stairs, Yumi's eyes were fixed on Yoshino-san's braids as they swayed across her back. Occasionally they'd bounce a bit, and depending on how Yumi's own heart was moving, they seemed to be either angry or dancing with delight.

Yoshino-san made her way to a courtyard in a different direction to the Rose Mansion, into the shade of a tall tree. She checked to make sure the area was deserted, then stopped and turned to face Yumi.

The pair were facing each other directly, and Yumi instantly tensed. Yoshino-san seemed to be silently scowling at her.

What was going to happen to her? Suddenly Yumi's heart started pounding. She didn't think she'd done anything bad enough that she'd get hit, but –

Just then.

"Yumi … !"

Like she'd snapped under tension, Yoshino-san threw her arms around Yumi's neck and embraced her tightly.

"Wh, what's the matter?"

"I'm so glad. I thought I was no good. I thought we were done for."

"Huh?"

Yoshino-san had said 'we.' It must have seemed as though Yumi and Sachiko-sama's relationship wasn't the only one in trouble.

"But, we're okay right? When you said you were sorry, you meant you still wanted to be friends with me, right?"

"Right … but why are you saying this?"

"Never mind. No matter what happens between you and Sachiko-sama, as long as we stay friends, it's fine. I won't keep badgering you to come to the Rose Mansion, so you don't have to ditch me along with the Yamayurikai."

"Yoshino-san – "

It seemed like Yoshino-san had been having troubles of her own yesterday while Yumi was going through her ordeal.

But what should she do about her current situation? Since Yoshino-san was short, it was completely different to when Sei-sama embraced her, it felt somehow fresh and new, and a little bit exciting.

"I'll still love you even if you're not a bouton."

Yoshino-san let go of Yumi's body, and took her hand.

"…"

Way back when, they'd said, "Let's be good friends forever," and shook hands. At the time, they'd wanted to foster a good relationship, like the Roses had, with the expectation that one day they would become Roses themselves.

But things were a bit different now.

Yumi too had started to think that even if she wasn't in the Yamayurikai, she still wanted to keep her friendship with Yoshino-san the way it was.

"Yeah, I like you too Yoshino-san."

Their relationship was changing. Evolving even.

Yumi felt nostalgic thinking about how they were when they'd made the "Let's be good friends forever," comment. As though the bonds between humans could be brought into existence just through words. What it really took was realizing just how much you needed someone, and how much they needed you.

"I'm sorry."

There were still so many ties between the two of them. Binding them and making them irreplaceable to each other.

"I'm so sorry, Yoshino-san."

Yumi's mind had been full of Sachiko-sama so she'd never noticed, but Yoshino-san must have been suffering. Yumi had never meant to damage her relationship with Yoshino-san.

"I was so worried. But it's okay. It was just me worrying about nothing."

Yoshino-san took a couple of steps along the path before turning around again.

"Anyway, you made the right decision not to come to the Rose Mansion yesterday. Sachiko-sama had left early."

"Yeah."

Yumi ran her fingers through the branches of a Scotch Broom shrub.

"What? How did you know? Did you meet her?"

"Yeah."

"And … it went well?"

Yoshino asked, quite shyly. She'd obviously been concerned about it, since she said, "No matter what happens between you and Sachiko-sama."

"Nope."

Yumi smiled.

"Because I ran away."

Even though it was only the day after those painful events, she was able to speak smoothly. As though she was giving an outline of yesterday's TV drama.

"Why did you run away?"

Yoshino-san frowned as she asked the question.

"Because Touko-chan was there too."

When she heard Yumi's answer, Yoshino-san's hands clenched into fists and trembled.

"Touko!? That little – what was she doing there?"

"Don't mind that. I don't think Touko-chan's in the wrong. She just brought things to a head."

"But still."

[[Image:MM_v11_051.jpg|thumb]]

Yoshino-san didn't seem satisfied by this. So Yumi explained further.

"If I trusted Sachiko-sama, then I'd be unconcerned even if she was with Touko-chan."

"Uh-huh. So it's a problem between you and Sachiko-sama. I think I kind of understand."

Yoshino-san folded her arms across her chest and grunted, "Hmmm." Even though she said she kind-of understood, she seemed to get it at a deep level.

Fundamentally, human relationships were one-on-one, so assuming that Sachiko-sama had cast aside Yumi and was gravitating towards Touko-chan, then that was Sachiko-sama's decision and unrelated to Touko-chan.

People's feelings can change. It wasn't like Sachiko-sama was Yumi's property, she was her own person with her own personality.

Therefore, it was unthinkable that their relationship was being torn apart by Touko-chan.

"So, what happens next, Yumi-san?"

"I'm not sure what I'll do."

In her mind, Yumi knew that she should go to the Rose Mansion, meet Sachiko-sama and settle things. But it was hard to face up to Sachiko-sama after her shameful behavior yesterday.

"It's lonely in the Rose Mansion at lunchtime without you. What do you do for lunch?"

"I eat in the classroom."

But that was a complicated matter too.

Since the boutons were supposed to be busy, it would be odd for her to eat in the classroom day after day. There were people that would notice that kind of thing too. Yamaguchi Mami-san and Takeshima Tsutako-san had been glancing in her direction. Quite recently.

"Maybe I should do what Shimako-san did, and eat outside in an out-of-the-way place."

"During the rainy season?"

Yoshino made the classic catching-raindrops-on-the-palm-of-her-hand pose. It hadn't rained so far today, but it wouldn't be unusual for it to start any time.

"I could take my umbrella when it rains."

"Yumi-san, do you have a bread roll today?"

"Nope."

"That's quite a feat, to hold an umbrella with one hand and use your chopsticks with the other."

"I guess so."

Yumi ran a few simulations in her head, and it did look quite complicated.

"Either way, you don't look too concerned by it."

And just how should she have looked? Yoshino-san had sounded dejected when she muttered this last comment.

Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume28 Chapter12

2011-11-20T12:19:26Z

Mako1138: typo

==Bouton of Light==

The first time I saw her was on the day of the first-year's welcoming ceremony.

Although not at the welcoming ceremony itself. That morning, as she was standing by herself in a hallway on the first-floor of the school building, I gazed at her figure from some distance behind, and that was all.

She was looking out through an open window.

Her appearance was beautiful, like something out of a poem.

I had a premonition.

Meeting her would have a profound impact on my life.

I soon learned her name.

Fukuzawa Yumi. Rosa Chinensis en bouton. The petit soeur of Rosa Chinensis.

She stood beside Rosa Chinensis during the welcoming ceremony, assisting her onee-sama.

Even someone like myself, who only entered Lillian's at the start of high-school, knew about the three Roses at the top of the Yamayurikai, Lillian's high-school student council, and their petit soeurs, who were called boutons.

This knowledge was acquired naturally, from fragments of conversations I'd heard my fellow classmates engaged in – it wasn't something I'd actively pursued.

– Classmates. In particular, Matsudaira Touko and her band of merry friends were always making a fuss.

They'd treated their self-introductions to the class as a joke, called out shrilly whenever one of the Roses walked past our classroom, got way too excited about class seating positions and handled the physical examinations like some kind of circus event.

But it's not like they were cutting themselves off from the students who'd come from other schools, by passing Lillian's entrance exam. It started with, "Why don't we have lunch together?" but they'd also offer other assistance, such as, "I can help you if you're having trouble memorizing the prayers," or, "Feel free to ask if there's anything you don't understand."

As someone with a rule of never buying from pushy salesmen, they quickly became accustomed to me declining their offers and moved on to easier targets. Thankfully, they also came to regard me as someone who was a bit strange, and so left me alone.

Through until the end of middle-school, I'd always attended co-ed public schools.

My father's infidelity, and my parents subsequent divorce, still loomed large in my thoughts and I'd chosen an all-girls school thinking that I didn't care where I went as long as there were no males present. I set my sights on Lillian's because of its extremely high barrier to entry, so that my classmates from middle school couldn't say, "She's only going to a private school because she failed the public school entrance exams." I hated those girls who fawned over boys almost as much as I hated the boys themselves.

They'd refer to themselves by their first names rather than using "I," and they'd talk in a sweet voice. The way Matsudaira Touko spoke was close to this, and it always made me uncomfortable when she acted cute because it reminded me so much of my former classmates, half of whom were obsessed with boys. That's why I was unable to get along with her, although I was only vaguely aware of it.

Before long, the rainy season had arrived.

One morning, quite by chance, I found myself seated next to Fukuzawa Yumi-sama for the bus ride to school. Since I was facing forwards as I lined up for the bus I hadn't noticed her, but apparently she was two or three people behind me in line. Without thinking about it, I settled down on a two-seater towards the back of the bus. Not long after, Yumi-sama said, "Pardon me," and sat down beside me.

"Gokigenyou, Rosa Chinensis en bouton."

"Gokigenyou. The weather's not letting up, is it?"

She was probably used to strangers approaching her. Yumi-sama returned my greeting amiably. She then looked out the window and let out a small sigh, perhaps depressed by the cloudy skies.

"You dislike the rain?"

"I wouldn't go that far."

Yumi said, then smiled and continued with:

"But the way the moisture ruins my hair is a bit annoying."

Even though she was Rosa Chinensis en bouton. I suppose her unassuming manner was probably the secret behind her popularity.

When we stood up to get off the bus, Yumi-sama took one look at me and hurriedly asked, "Are you, by chance, a senior?" She obviously thought I was older than her based on my height, which she probably hadn't noticed when we'd been sitting down.

[[Image:MM_v28_167.png|thumb]]

"No, I'm a first-year."

I smiled. I usually didn't like being singled out because of my height, but I didn't mind at all that time.

A few days later, I witnessed a strange scene.

It was on the path leading to Milk Hall. Matsudaira Touko and Yumi-sama were arguing. Well, that's not quite accurate. If I had to say, it felt more like Matsudaira Touko was haranguing Yumi-sama about something.

I don't know what they were talking about. It seemed like something had rubbed Matsudaira Touko the wrong way. But still Yumi-sama wouldn't say anything. She just stood there, looking straight at Matsudaira Touko and waiting for a break in the diatribe. When it came, Yumi-sama merely said, "I have no right to tell you that."

She was beautiful.

Her faintly quivering lips. Her eyes, filled with strength. For someone whose upbringing was seemingly free of interpersonal conflict, the way she stood her ground without flinching looked innocent and divine. She had the solemn beauty of someone using their body to shield something important.

Just as I was starting to detest Matsudaira Touko for cornering Yumi-sama, I also felt a funny sort of pity for her too.

I'd come to a realization.

In some ways, Matsudaira Touko and I were very similar. We both struggled with the dark shadow that we held in our hearts, unable to either accept it or drive it away.

The shadow sought the light. And the shadow inside Touko had keenly sensed it too. But even though the light was right there she hurled insults and pushed herself further away from it, rather than reaching out for it.

I would never do something so foolish. If you yearn for the light, you have to be ready to emit it.

The rainy season ended and Yumi-sama was shining ever more radiantly. There were those who said it was because Rosa Chinensis had returned from her short absence, but I chose to believe it was because the weather was no longer ruining her hair.

Yumi-sama wasn't the kind of person who stopped glowing because someone else wasn't there. Yumi-sama was the sun. And when her light shined on us, it made us shine too, like the moon.

I spotted Yumi-sama in the library, standing on tiptoes trying to reach a book on the top shelf.

"Let me get that for you."

I easily picked the book out and handed it to her. It was at times like these that my usually annoying height was a great asset.

"Thank-you very much. Regrettably all the step-ladders were in use, so you were a great help."

Yumi-sama said, looking up at me.

"You don't have to be so formal, I'm only a first-year."

I forced a smile.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

Yumi-sama hadn't remembered me from our brief encounter on the bus.

A tall person with long hair. With those conspicuous features, for better or worse, I should have been easy to remember. Yet I'd completely slipped from Yumi-sama's memory. For some reason, that felt incredibly reassuring.

"There may be other books that you can't reach."

"Well then, could you accompany me for now?"

"Of course."

Another couple of encounters with her and she would probably recognize me as a first-year.

She would probably even remember my name, some day.

I would continue to wait patiently.

That was fine.

Even the statue of Maria-sama probably still couldn't remember the names and faces of all the students at this school.

<noinclude>
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Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume28 Chapter9

2011-11-20T12:03:42Z

Mako1138: typo

==Frame of Mind 5==

"But enough about that, the film, the film."

Yoshino-san launched a surprise attack and took the film from Tsutako-san. Well, it may be impolite, but 'stole' would be a more fitting description.

"If we have a look inside, we'll crack this case immediately. The criminal's dying message is undoubtedly in here."

"Aaah – !"

While Yoshino-san was talking, Yumi and Tsutako-san worked together to relieve her of the film. There was a time and place to joke about criminals and dying messages, but now was not that time. Yumi grabbed Yoshino-san's arms and held them behind her back, while Tsutako-san deftly caught the film that she dropped.

"Two on one, that's unfair."

Yoshino-san grumbled as she freed herself from Yumi's grasp.

"Unfair, huh."

What's that, great detective? Just what were you planning to do? But now the mask of the great detective had been cast aside and the samurai warrior's features shone through.

"You can't expose undeveloped film to light."

Tsutako-san said, as though she were chiding a pre-schooler.

"Oh, well of course I knew that."

Yoshino-san laughed it off, but it was hard to tell if that was the truth or not.

"But still. If you got that developed, you'd be able to tell whose it was, right?"

"I would, but I can't do that."

"Can't you just pretend that it's yours and get it developed? You could just say that you got it developed because you thought it was yours after some first-year gave it to you. No-one's at fault then."

"But it's not mine."

"You're such a stiff, Tsutako-san."

"And you're way too loose, Yoshino-san."

So in the end, Yoshino-san had merely caused a commotion and hadn't provided them with any constructive input, leaving them back at the beginning. Yumi folded her arms and thought about what they should do.

"It has to go to lost property."

Tsutako-san said.

"That seems best."

Yumi concurred. Rather than continuing to sit around, look at each other and wonder what to do it would be better to let a specialist (official) handle this. Sure, they were interested in finding out what was inside and who it belonged to, but that wasn't strictly necessary. Yumi volunteered to take it to the lost property office tomorrow. Then Tsutako-san said that she'd accompany her.

"If I don't go and explain what happened, it'll just end up coming back to me."

Tsutako-san said. After all, it had 'Takeshima Tsutako' clearly written on it, so they'd obviously think it was hers. The name must be that of the owner, right?

"Sorry."

Yumi bowed her head, apologizing for saddling Tsutako-san with this burden.

"It's okay. It all started with those kind first-years anyway."

Right at that moment, Toudou Shimako-san entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late. I apologize for keeping you waiting."

She had a worn-out expression on her face.

"No, we weren't waiting … as such."

"Huh? Oh, darn."

It looked like Shimako-san had forgotten that they didn't have a meeting scheduled for today.

"That would explain why Noriko isn't here."

Rosa Gigantea gave an embarrassed smile as she put her bag down. She looked completely exhausted.

"Were you meeting with that first-year?"

Yoshino-san inquired and Shimako-san responded in the affirmative. 'That first-year' was the winner of the Valentine's Day treasure hunt. Although she (from memory, her name was Igawa Ami-san) hadn't been able to participate on the day, she entered the white card's hiding spot in the absentee's draw and, as a result, won the prize of a date with Shimako-san. Igawa Ami-san proved to be a bit of an eccentric character, saying that she didn't want to be seen with Shimako-san. This must have caused all sorts of problems in their discussions about the date.

"Dealing with first-years is much harder than I thought. It's so much easier with Noriko."

Unusually, Shimako-san was complaining. Still, Shimako-san and her petit soeur Noriko-chan were 100% compatible with each other and got along incredibly well. So if Noriko-chan was used as the basis of comparison then the vast majority of first-years would be labeled as troublemakers.

"That's true. For a second-year, thoughts aren't vocalized as much, instead they're expressed through a change in behavior."

Tsutako-san said, as though she were speaking to herself.

"Say what?"

The trio of future Roses took notice of this seemingly profound utterance. It was unusual for Shimako-san to grumble, but this sort of thing was unheard of from Tsutako-san.

Yumi was wondering if something had happened with Shouko-chan, but apparently that wasn't the case. Tsutako-san soon followed up on her earlier statement, apparently feeling she was being misunderstood:

"I'm not talking about myself."

Then, as the conversation continued around her, Tsutako-san returned to work, sorting through the photographs. She picked up a new envelope, then set it off to the side without opening it.

"What's this?"

"Checking those would be a waste of time."

Covering the entire front of the envelope was the word 'Unpublishable.' These were photos that, for one reason or another, couldn't be shown to other people.

"But why?"

Shimako-san curiously inquired.

"I thought you destroyed even the negatives if the subject didn't like them."

"Ahh, that's right."

Yumi nodded in agreement. It was supposedly part of Tsutako-san's moral code that no traces would remain on earth in those situations.

"The subjects were happy with them, and I have permission to keep them. But even so, they can't be displayed."

"Oh, are they nude photos or something?"

Yoshino-san joked. Tsutako-san responded seriously with, "In a sense."

Her smiling profile indicated that they were all brilliant photographs and that Tsutako-san probably felt a sense of regret about not being able to show them. The other girls also felt a similar sense of regret about not getting to see those photographs.

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Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume28 Chapter1 1

2011-11-20T11:07:17Z

Mako1138: typo 'futata'

<span style="font-size: 300%; border: "><center>*</center></span>

Since that day, I'd occasionally experienced this deja-vu based precognition and it never really startled me. Either because of the way I'd been tempered by events of the past year, or because I'd simply become numb to the sensation of surprise.

A year ago I was involved in a car accident, suffered a head injury, and slept for ten months. Then, on a warm February morning, with no prior indication, I opened my eyes. The next two months consisted solely of having various scans taken and doing rehabilitation work. A whole year had passed by the time I was ready to resume normal school-life. As a result of my prolonged absence, the number of days I had attended and credits I had received were nowhere near enough to pass so, now, I've restarted high-school after a year's delay. Consequently, minor things like that don't really disturb me any more.

Anyway.

Although I look like I've completely recovered, I have no memories from the day of the accident, from the time I woke up until the accident itself. Well, according to the doctors I probably still have those memories somewhere, I'm just unable to find where they're stored.

At any rate, I interpreted my strange ability as a consolation gift, given to me by God who took pity on me for losing a part of my memory. Either that, or a part of my memory had to be erased to make way for this new ability. – Well, at the very least I felt that these were two sides of the same coin.

While on that subject, the deja-vu I occasionally encountered was neither beneficial nor detrimental – it could probably best be described as harmless. It was only minor things like knowing the pun the teacher was about to make several seconds before she said it, or that one of the teachers would hold quizzes from the first lesson onwards. The sort of thing that a new high-school student might hear from their onee-sama or an older student in one of their clubs, rather than experience as deja-vu. And even when I could predict that there was going to be a test, it was pretty much useless because I wouldn't know what questions would be on it. Additionally, I'd usually only realize right before it was about to happen, so it didn't give me any more time to prepare either.

"Ichigo-san."

I turned around and Futaba-san was standing there, smiling.

"The blackboard almost looks like a mirror, it's so sparkling clean, see."

She took the cloth from my hand and used it to skilfully wipe clean the inside of a bucket. I looked around and saw the desks, which had been stacked to one side, had been returned to their usual positions and the windows, all of which had been opened, were all now closed. It looks like the classroom cleanup had been completed while I was spacing out.

"Hehehe. Ichigo-san, your consciousness flies away somewhere else from time to time, doesn't it? Right? It's weird, but no-one says that. Even though there's this hard-to-approach vibe about you. Everyone says that you're conversing with God, since you look so beautiful and serene."

Futaba-san finished cleaning the bucket while she was saying this, then held my bag out towards me and said, "Let's go home together."

"It must be nice to be you, Ichigo-san. You've got slender arms and legs and you're taller than average. And your short hair matches nicely with your sharp facial features."

Futaba-san joked as we walked along the ginkgo tree-lined path, standing up on her tiptoes.

"I wonder. After all, little Futaba-san is quite cute, no?"

I smiled. Because that was how I felt, from the bottom of my heart.

There was nothing about me that should be envied. My limbs were slender because they had been reduced to just muscle and bone while I was comatose, and my hair was short because my head had been shaved following the accident to make it easier for the doctors to operate on me. And I thought the reason I was taller than Futaba-san was probably because I was actually a year older than her.

The truth was, I liked Futaba-san. Her cheerfulness, her vibrant personality, her face, everything about her fit me to a tee.

"Hehehe. I might be this small and cute now, but you'd better believe that I'm going to shoot up anytime now. That's how it is in my family. Even my mother was like that."

"Really?"

But the thing I liked most was when she called out my name.

"Ichigo-san, Ichigo-san."

That gentle, enveloping voice seemed to overlap with another I could only vaguely remember.

Could this too be deja-vu? A voice that had appeared countless times during my dreams.

The voice that whispered, "Ichigo-san, Ichigo-san," sounded like Futaba-san's, only more ephemeral and heartrending. It sounded so sorrowful that I always thought I should reply, but I could never open my mouth. Nor did I know what that person's face looked like.

I wasn't certain of just when exactly I had had this particular dream. Whether it was during my ten month coma, or some time after I had regained consciousness. Either way, it was definitely some time after the accident.

The dreams all seemed so similar that I started to wonder if they were, in actual fact, reality. My working theory was that someone came and talked to me while I lay comatose.

However, none of my friends from middle-school had a voice that sounded like that. I entertained the possibility that it had been Futaba-san, but quickly discarded it. I went to a different middle-school and passed the entrance exam to join Lillian's high-school, whereas Futaba-san graduated from Lillian's middle-school, so there was no possible intersection in our lives prior to the start of high-school. And since I was repeating first-year, I'd be a year older than Futaba-san.

"Hey, did any of my friends come and visit while I was in hospital?"

I asked my mother when I returned home.

"… Friends? You mean Miko-chan and Hiro-chan?"

The names listed were my two closest friends from middle-school.

"Not them."

"I don't know any other friends of yours."

"I suppose so – ?"

The accident happened on the day of the entrance ceremony last year, as I was making my way home from school.

"I guess I wouldn't have had any time to make friends at Lillian's high-school, right?"

I looked to my mother for confirmation.

"Th, that's right."

For some reason, she looked away before continuing.

"But I don't really know."

The way she said that sounded somehow wrong. As though she may have been hiding something. She'd been wiping the same spot on the table for some time now.

"Why are you asking about this, Ichigo?"

"Oh, no reason."

Getting information out of someone who was trying to hide it would probably be difficult. I decided to stop in at the hospital on the way home from school tomorrow, and ask one of the nurses from the ward I'd stayed in about it.

"Oh … ? There was?"

It was much easier getting information out of someone who wasn't trying to keep a secret.

"Yeah, there was. She wore the same kind of uniform that you've got on now. She came to visit you every day, more or less."

The friendly nurse said, full of confidence.

"Every day … ?"

"Yep. She was a nice, cheerful kid. She didn't know if you could hear her or not, but she'd talk to you about school. Things that happened in class, the teachers lame puns, things like that."

"– Ohh"

"Come to think of it, she stopped coming just before the summer holidays. I wonder why that was."

My poor friend, obliterated from my memory. I nervously asked:

"… This girl, what did she look like?"

"Let's see. She was short, a bit chubby, and had pimples all over her face."

No matter how I looked at it, those features belonged to Futaba-san.

User:Mako1138

2010-09-02T07:32:53Z

Mako1138: New page: He's just zis guy, you know? Lurking, editing, maybe attempting some Marimite.

He's just zis guy, you know?

Lurking, editing, maybe attempting some Marimite.