Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume6 Chapter1 2 (section)

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

Shimako realized she had left her mittens in the classroom just as she was returning her indoor shoes to the shoe box. She hesitated for a moment over whether or not to go back for them. It was cold outside, plus she didn't really like leaving things behind.

But.

"What's up?"

Her onee-sama greeted her, having returned from the third year's shoe boxes. "Nothing" was her response, and she hurriedly closed the shoe box.

"It's cold, isn't it."

Leaving the entrance, the night air stung her exposed skin. It felt like it was snowing intermittently, but it didn't seem to be building up. She had brought a folding umbrella, but the two of them walked along without opening it. It was just too lovely, with the leaves of the bushes and the light reflecting off the thinly falling snow that seemed to act as a veil around the deserted pathway.

"Oh yeah. Shizuka gave me some chocolate bon-bons. That might warm us up a bit."

As she said this, she was rummaging around in her pockets, searching for them.

"Onee-sama, that's a bit inconsiderate."

Shimako let out a sigh.

"Why so? I'll give you some too, Shimako."

"That's not what I was saying."

"I see. It was mentioning Shizuka's name in front of you. But, okay. It's still true that I received some chocolates. So there's no problem with store bought bon-bons."

So come now, eat up, she urged as she offered up the small, open box she retrieved from her pocket. Inside was a neat row of five chocolate bon-bons, individually wrapped in silver paper. There was a gap about the size of a bon-bon, probably from where she had unwrapped one and tasted it in front of Shizuka-sama.

"No, what I was saying was - "

Shimako made a gesture of refusal, as she turned to look straight into Rosa Gigantea's eyes.

"What I was saying was, what about Shizuka-sama's feelings, onee-sama?"

"Huh?"

"If you were to share the present she gave you with me... If Shizuka-sama knew of this, how do you think she would feel?"

"Shizuka's feelings?"

Rosa Gigantea stopped walking and looked down in thought, then, at length, raised her head and smiled.

"I see. You're right. I've learned something."

The small box of chocolate bon-bons was once again returned to her coat pocket.

If it had been an act of kindness to try them in front of the giver of the present, then it had also been an act of kindness not to eat one when her little sister was showing self-restraint.

Shimako's onee-sama, Rosa Gigantea, was sensitive, had good intuition and was a very kind person, even if she had done something a bit inconsiderate.

"I'm sorry if I sounded patronizing."

"Not at all. I think I'm fortunate to have such a conscientious little sister. I can be relaxed about ..."

"Please don't say it."

Graduation was the word that Shimako was afraid Rosa Gigantea would say before she interrupted.

"When onee-sama leaves, I'll definitely ..."

With her equilibrium thrown off balance, her thoughts had become scattered and Shimako was unable to finish her sentence.

"You'll be fine. Everyone loves you, Shimako. The world is a much easier place to live in than you think. When I leave, you'll definitely become even stronger. So my work here is done. My leaving here won't be an ordeal for you, Shimako, but the start of a journey for both of us."

"I can't think of it like that at all."

"You will be able to think of it like that, definitely. Spring will come, summer will come... You'll be busy with your daily school life and notice that it's normal that I'm not there. When you start your second year, there will be new first years to take our place. When that happens, Lillian's will be filled with students."

"But...!"

Onee-sama won't be among the new first years. Shimako swallowed her words. Even if she said it, there was nothing that could be done about it and she didn't want to embarrass Rosa Gigantea.

Certainly, she had become good friends with her fellow first years, Yumi-san and Yoshino-san. And although they were in different grades, she had become close with her fellow boutons, Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama.

Still, none of them were Satou Sei.

And none of the new first years would be Satou Sei either.

In the whole world, the Satou Sei in front of her was the only one. There was no-one else who could take her place.

"What's the matter? This isn't like you, Shimako."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. Now then, what should I do?"

Rosa Gigantea gently wiped away Shimako's tears that had been falling unnoticed before speaking.

"Should I embrace you, like during the election? If you wish, I'll give you a kiss or anything else."

"That's enough."

Shimako shook her head.

That Rosa Gigantea had said that to her was enough.

The two of them were well matched. Therefore, they didn't get too close. Closeness, fawning over each other, would just be re-opening each other's wounds.

In this way, Rosa Gigantea was Shimako's guardian. When Shimako seemed hurt, this was how Rosa Gigantea would comfort her. In looking at each other, it was as though they were looking into a mirror, and they saw their own existence.

So Shimako's wish was only that Rosa Gigantea would be by her side. If she could look at Rosa Gigantea, that was enough. She didn't want to be held close.

"Really, what should I do? You seem a bit uneasy today."

Shimako wiped away the remaining traces of her tears from her cheeks with her left hand,  and put on a smile. In a slightly self-deprecating way. But Rosa Gigantea didn't laugh.

"Your gloves."

"Huh?"

"What happened to your gloves? You always wear them, right?"

"Ahh."

The time to recall had arrived.

"I seem to have left them in the classroom. What with the treasure hunt, and the commotion in the evening."

"Hold out your hand."

"Huh?"

"The commotion was the cause? I think it must have been me."

Rosa Gigantea swiftly grasped Shimako's empty left hand and put it into her coat pocket. Not the left side pocket she had put Shizuka's chocolates in, the right side one.

"Onee-sama."

"The marble cake was incredibly delicious."

After giving Shimako's hand, still inside her pocket a tight squeeze, Rosa Gigantea slowly walked off. Shimako too walked off, as her hand was still held inside Rosa Gigantea's pocket. Although their temperature was probably the same, Rosa Gigantea's hand felt very warm. And somehow Rosa Gigantea's pocket felt warmer than her own, even though they were made from the same material.

As they walked along, they had a conversation about matters unrelated to graduation. Rosa Gigantea steered the conversation towards food, probably because she was hungry.

When they arrived at Maria-sama's statue, Shimako made as if to stop, while Rosa Gigantea tugged on her hand, a little forcibly.

"Onee-sama?"

"That's enough for today."

Without waiting for a response, she walked off in silence. It was as though she wanted to leave this place without even a second's delay.

"..."

Somehow comprehending Rosa Gigantea's mental state, Shimako accompanied her in silence. As a result, today was the first day she had not performed the custom of praying in front of the statue of Maria-sama.

It seemed like Shimako's uneasiness was being reflected.

When they arrived at the bus stop, outside the school gates, Rosa Gigantea let out a sigh and finally returned to normal.