Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume33 Chapter7 2 (section)

===<noinclude>Connecting Chains. </noinclude>Part 2.===

The sun's rays were warm.

Sachiko instinctively squinted the instant she stepped through the doorway.

"Yumi."

In amongst the light was her petit soeur.

"Have you been waiting for me?"

Yumi came running up to her as she walked forwards.

"Yes... Here."

Yumi was holding out the black ribbon that Sachiko had left in her keeping.

Their charm. An item that would bind them together even when they were apart.

Sachiko nodded, and picked up one end of the neatly folded ribbon. Pulling at it, the ribbon stood up in Yumi's palm like a folding fan. 

And then it stretched between the two of them, like a finishing line. There was no trace of where it had been tied that morning. 

Just as it was about to leave her palm, Yumi pinned the free end down with her index finger. And like that, the two of them tugged playfully on the ribbon.

Once, twice, three times.

And then it was free of Yumi's hands. The two of them smiled. No words were exchanged, but they had clearly conveyed what they wanted to say.

Sachiko folded the ribbon once more, this time in her palm, and put it into her pocket. Then she reached her now empty hand into purse.

"Here, this is from me."

After saying this, Sachiko offered her tissue case to Yumi.

"Ahh."

Yumi was a bit flustered. Probably thinking that Sachiko was taking offense at her red nose.

"You'll feel better after you've blown your nose."

"Umm, this isn't…"

Yumi was probably going to say that it wasn't from crying. Sachiko used her hand holding the tissue case to gently lower the hand Yumi had pointed at her own nose.

"It's good for anything, right?"

From dry-eye to hay-fever. That was something that Yumi had said. Although Sachiko was unsure whether Yumi would remember it.

"Right. Gochisou-sama."<ref>This is an expression of gratitude usually said after meals.</ref>

Yumi took the tissue that was poking out from the case. She had spoken quite naturally, but something sounded amiss.

"Gochi...?"

"Ahh, no, that's wrong. Itadakimasu<ref>And this is usually said before meals.</ref>, I guess."

Both of these phrases made it sound like Yumi was responding to an offering of food.

"You're not a goat, you know."

As Sachiko smiled at this, the sound of Yumi blowing her nose rang out.