Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume32 Chapter9 3 (section)

===<noinclude>The Ribbon's Path </noinclude>Part 3.===

She had left the Rose Mansion in a hurry, but Yumi didn't know where to go.

Her only thought was, 'Onee-sama is calling to me.'

Yumi grasped tightly the ribbon that she held in her hand for the first time in a year and a half.

To everyone else this wasn't Rosa Chinensis' lost item. So there was no need to have a ceremony to return it either today or tomorrow.

But Yumi alone knew who the owner of this ribbon was. So it was up to her to deliver it.

Onee-sama is waiting for this.

But where could she be right now?

(Thinking logically, she'd be in her classroom.)

But before that, Yumi went to check her onee-sama's shoe box. If her indoor shoes were in there, then there was a high probability that Sachiko-sama had already gone home and Yumi would have no option but to abandon the search.

(I knew it.)

Just as she had expected, inside the small locker with the 'Ogasawara' name-tag was a neatly placed pair of black outdoor shoes.

Her onee-sama was still at school. There was no doubt about it (because it was impossible that she would have absentmindedly gone home wearing her indoor shoes).

Leaving this area, Yumi headed towards the third year classrooms. 

If, like a little while ago, her onee-sama was being besieged by autograph seekers, Yumi decided that she would wait openly until they were finished rather than hiding.

But there was no such scene.

Quite some time had passed since then. There were no longer any younger girls looking for autographs. Perhaps they all thought that Rosa Chinensis had left some time ago.

"Excuse me."

When Yumi opened the door to the third year pine class, she saw there were still a fair number of people inside.

"Oh, it's Fukuzawa Yumi-chan."

"It is too. Rosa Chinensis en bouton."

Come in, come in, they beckoned her over so Yumi strode confidently inside.

There were about ten people there all up, and they had joined their desks as though they were having lunch together. It seemed as though they were having some kind of party. A farewell ceremony, most likely.

"But Sachiko-san isn't here."

"… It looks that way."

It didn't take long to check the ten faces.

But there was a huge difference between these people and last year, when Sei-sama had been alone in the classroom at dusk. They seemed to be having a lot of fun, with their rows of sweets and drinks.

"Do you know where she went?"

The kind girls of the third year pine class gathered together their eyewitness accounts to give to Yumi.

"I saw her about an hour ago together with Rei-san from chrysanthemum class in Milk Hall."

"Hmm."

That report seemed to be a little too out of date. Yumi had seen her less than an hour ago signing autographs in the hallway. Thinking back on it, Rei-sama had been close by then too. They were probably on their way back from Milk Hall.

"Oh, I didn't see Rei-san, but I saw Sachiko-san walking down the hallway with Minako-san from the newspaper club."

"Minako-sama?"

That was the first Yumi had heard of that. So she dug a bit deeper.

"Do you know where they were going?"

"Let's see....? Actually, they were heading in that direction, so they were probably going to the newspaper club's clubroom. Because Minako-san was with her."

The clubhouse was definitely in the general direction she was pointing.

But going with Minako-san to the newspaper club's clubroom? Why on earth would her onee-sama go there?

"A little while ago I saw Rei-san on my way to the toilet, so they may have split up by then."

"I guess so."

At that point, the reports dried up. It was only natural – they had been having their party together in the classroom for most of the afternoon.

"How about the Rose Mansion?"

"I just came from there."

"I see."

As Yumi was thinking that she should search somewhere else, one of the chocolate snacks was put in her mouth.

"Well, Sachiko-san's bag is still here, so she'll have to come back to get it."

"Oh wis that sho."

Leaving her bag in the classroom made it seem as though she had just momentarily stepped out. At the very least, it was further proof that she hadn't just gone home in her indoor shoes. On top of that, the candy was delicious.

"So why don't you stay here and wait for her?"

"Hmm."

Yumi understood the rationale, and was grateful for the offer, but was feeling impatient so she couldn't just accept their invitation and wait.

"Thanks for the chocolate."

After bowing quickly, Yumi left the third year pine group classroom. If Sachiko-sama came back, she could rely on them to inform her that Yumi had been here.