Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume20 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 4.===

"Yumi-sama what kind of little sister do you hope to find? Someone friendly and cute like me? Or like Rosa Chinensis, who's beautiful and prideful?"

This was free time. Free time was the time set aside to stand up from your seat and chat with someone who might be feeling shy. Yet...

"Umm... That's... When I stop to think about it, I guess that's not really what I'm feeling." For a while now, Yumi had found herself stuck in her chair. She was surrounded by three first-year students and was encountering a barrage of questions. She had been cornered, as if in a Shougi-style pincer maneuver. It had become impossible for her to move, like a cornered Shougi piece.<ref>(E: Shougi is a Japanese chess-like game.)</ref> Having sat in a chair at the end of the room had been her fatal mistake.

In truth, she had wanted to have a discussion with Naito Shouko-san, but such thoughts had been ground to dust with the intervention of these three. Because they were doing her a courtesy she was happy, despite being blocked from her goal. Thus, she answered their questions one at a time. It was impossible to simply say, "Could you step aside and let me out?"

"When soeur meet for the first time, is there really an impact like a crash of thunder?" The person asking the question was Aiko-chan. When it had come time to prepare the tea, she had been the first to step forward.

"Who can say. I think each person feels differently about it." In Shimako-san's case, the elder sister and younger sister's first meeting place was under the cherry blossoms. They each seemed to have experienced an impressive first meeting. Though in Yoshino-san's case, she had known Rei from the time she was born, so she wouldn't likely to have been very excited when they became sisters.

"Then, how about in Yumi-sama's case? How did you feel when you met Rosa Chinensis?" Chigusa-chan asked with glittering eyes.

"Because I had admired her for a long time, my heart was pounding! But, in Onee-sama's case her feelings about it were indifferent."

"No way!" Nozomi-chan gave a small outburst.

"It's true. But after a while I forgot about that meeting." Because of the feeling behind Yumi's words, all three laughed explosively at the same time.

"What's this? Yumi-san's gotten herself a harem." Yoshino-san happened to be passing by and was heard to tease. "I'm jealous. I wonder if I wouldn't be able to join the group?"

The first-years of course said, "Oh, please do" and opened a path. Yumi however had only been thinking, the more the merrier. The three first-years had probably also felt that way. Chigusa-chan stood up and gave up her chair. Yoshino-san said "it's okay" and slapped Yumi's hands with hers.

"Time to switch."

"Huh?" Confused. Yumi forcibly stood up against her will and settled Yoshino-san into the seat. As they were changing places, she heard whispered in her ear. "Yumi-san, you were thinking you want to talk to that girl, don't you?" That girl... in glancing over her shoulder she saw that it was Naito Shouko.

"Wow." she understood what she meant and was surprised.

"Don't make fun of your best friend. I have a special insight on such things," was what she said. Then finally she said, "it'll work out fine."

"Yeah." Afterwards, she made up her mind with a nod and left the circle. Yumi cocked her head. Why did Yoshino-san say, "it'll work out fine" and how did she know what Yumi was thinking? Yoshino-san is a person capable of telepathy after all, isn't she? However, the tone of voice that had said "it'll work out fine" had been lowered, so maybe she was a little bit worried. Looking back at Yoshino-san, the first-years who had been chasing Yumi, seemed to have calmed down. She joined her hands together in thanks in her mind. Yumi called out to Shouko-chan.

"Good day. Are you having fun?"

"Yes." Mami-san, who had been sitting at Shouko-chan's side, was just departing. Yumi took the seat that had just been vacated.

"Naito Shouko-san. There's been some gossip that you're Naito Katsumi's real little sister, but..." was it true? When she heard this, the girl came back quickly with an acknowledgement.

"It's not that I was hiding that fact. But given that my older sister has graduated... And besides, even if I were to say that, wouldn't it work against me? It probably wouldn't open any doors for me, would it?"

"Why not?"

"Because probably my older sister didn't leave the best impression on the persons of the Yamayurikai."

"I'm not sure." Yumi didn't herself have any first-hand knowledge of Katsumi-sama. The omniscient Yoshino-san had been the one to have made something of a squawk.

"Since I've entered high school, I've been asked again and again about the time my older sister was enrolled here. I don't really resemble her. So why does the conversation naturally flow to that question? As a cram-study person, she held this kind of event in derision. She seems to have seen Torii Eriko-sama as a rival." She was put-off by Torii Eriko-sama!

"But you and your sister are close, aren't you?"

"That's not so. Since we were little, we've repelled each other."

"Oh...." She was thinking of a comparison, but did not voice it. [[Talk:Maria-sama_ga_Miteru:Volume20_Chapter2|*]]  "Then, because you're the opposite of Katsumi-sama, you came to think you want to work with the Yamayurikai?"

"Not quite. Last year… No, this year on Valentine's Day you held the Treasure Hunt Event. At that time..."

"Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt?" Once again, unexpectedly the conversation had turned to that.

"At that time, I was a student in middle school but, it looked like it might be fun so I came to the high school."

"False start." At Yumi's words, Shouko-chan laughed and recognized it was a "false start."

"At that time, I saw Yumi-sama energetically running around."

"OH! Yeah, that." She didn't want to remember too much which would conjure up the image. Rather than the Treasure Hunt, it was more so the chase. Frantically running around with their skirts fluttering, it gave the girls a dreadful appearance.

"It looked awesome, vivid and fun. Yeah, it was good. I had nothing to rely on for what the Yamayurikai were like but the image portrayed in the Lillian Kawaraban. I was aware from the outset that they were real flesh and blood people." Vivid... It wasn't what she was saying; it was how she was saying it. Shouko-chan continued.

"Since I entered high school, I've paid attention to every occasion. I was engulfed by surprise and thrilling emotion at the new student reception. I still can't forget it. At the Sports Festival, even though I should have just been one student, unrelated to the Roses or the Boutons, why was it everyone's eyes were always being drawn to the Yamayurikai staff?"

"..." What would be an acceptable response? However, no matter what was said, it looked as if she was opening the floodgates and spilling her heart out. It didn't seem like Shouko-chan's momentum had abated in the least.

"And then, the culture festival. The play was wonderful, but... The thing I envied the most was in the Photography Club's exhibition hall. The panel had been decorated with everyone glittering and shining in their photos."

"The Photography Club's panel?"

"I sincerely thought I wanted to become a part of that existence. How could I be admitted? I've been thinking about it all this time. Then I learned of the plans for this tea party." Ahh. So that was it. At last, she understood.

"Therefore, either Yoshino-san or I would be an acceptable partner, right?" What is it that Shouko-chan desires? And to grant such a wish, who had it in them to fulfill this serious need? Perhaps, that person already exists. In that brief moment, various feelings ran through Yumi's head.

"I'm sorry. I was being too foolish and honest. I've offended you."

"I'm not. It's just... listening to your story. Shouko-chan is feeling misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Shouko-chan cocked her head. "What is being misunderstood? I don't really understand it myself."

"If you can't be in the center of the Yamayurikai, your life can't be vivid. But even if you are able to be in the center, it doesn't necessarily mean you'd be able to be vivid," Yumi said.

"It's not that the only fun things in high school can be found in the student council. Where are you looking? What do you want? There are a lot of glittering people, so if Shouko-chan only wants the glitter found in a photograph, it's not necessarily here. Even if you can't become a Bouton, wouldn't it be all right?"

Shouko-chan had been silent while Yumi was talking and listened. Because she was wise, if she was only able to say this much, she is likely to have understood:

"In other words, I've been rejected, right?"

Yes, Yumi nodded. Putting aside the words, Yumi had only decided not to make Shouko-chan her little sister.

"For me, I want to choose the person who sincerely wants to become my little sister. I want you to find an irreplaceable Onee-sama for yourself."

"In that case, since I was thinking either would be good, trying for Yoshino-sama would be useless." Shouko-chan glanced over and saw Yoshino-san. Yoshino-san was separating from the three first-years near her. She was calling on another first-year.

"Don't worry about it, it's just my soliloquy."

"Your soliloquizing pierced my chest and struck home."

"I'm sorry. Did I offend you? Please balance my impolite appeal and comments."

"I understand." Yumi held out her right hand. Shouko-chan offered her hand in response. "I was able to understand, and it was refreshing." They shook hands. Even as they were shaking, if she were asked, she wouldn't be able to explain it well. However, at that point they were both glad of the meeting of minds. The meaning behind their words could be conveyed to both parties.

"My aim was to become a Bouton but I've been able to modify it." With those words, Shouko-chan departed from Yumi's side. She wasn't sure whether or not she'd be able to find an Onee-sama. Proactively talking to all the second-years and first-years, the tea party had been fun.

Now, if Tsutako-san was here... She who could not be surpassed with her culture festival exhibition panel photos. She would have been able to bequeath a smiling face... Yumi thought it was only a little bit regrettable.