Editing Maria Sama Ga Miteru:Volume12 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 4===

 

"Well, then. Why not ask Sei-sama?"

The school semester ending ceremony had finished, and after homeroom Yumi waited for Sachiko-sama at the garden. Such was Sachiko-sama's reply after listening to Yumi.

"Sei-sama?"

If it were one of the previous Roses, then it would be just fine to suggest Eriko-sama. Why did Sei-sama's name come up instead then? Perhaps the incident one month ago still left a sting at Sachiko-sama's heart? Yumi thought to herself.

That day during the rainy season, heavy clouds lingered over the sister's just like the sky in those days. Envious of Touko-chan, Yumi ended up throwing herself into Sei-sama's arms as if to escape from Sachiko-sama.

Now it was a summer afternoon.

The sky was clear blue. The sunshine was so ferocious that her arms sticking out of her short sleeves were burnt mercilessly.

The heavy rain that soaked Yumi's heart and body that day now seemed like a dream. How unbelievable that only one month had passed!

"With Sei-sama, Yumi would enjoy more, wouldn't you?"

"..."

Unbelievable as it looked, Sei-sama often appeared whenever Yumi was in danger and extended a saving hand, Yumi came to realize. Therefore Yumi grew dependent on her. Sachiko-sama must feel a little bitter about this, Yumi faintly sensed.

Perheps it was envy? -- Yumi cheekily began to analyze.

But Yumi always only had Sachiko-sama in her heart, and never flirted around. Well, there was that kiss on the cheek, but to Sei-sama that was nothing but a greeting. -- At this point, Yumi started to reflect on herself honestly. Such insensitivity was already a problem itself.

"But university students are having seminars and such, aren't they?"

''Don't know for sure, but maybe.''

"Well, probably."

Sachiko-sama walked slowly along the shaded paths in the garden, while gently touching the fresh lush green bush leaves. Stealing a glance around, there was nobody but the two of them. Students longing for their sunny summer vacations had quick feet to go home, that's why.

Perhaps Sachiko-sama didn't care at all, Yumi thought as she followed behind. Even so, Yumi just didn't feel right to invite Sei-sama. Searching frantically in her head for a subtitute of Sei-sama's name, Yumi replayed the first name that popped up for the time being.

"How about Touko-chan?"

In Yumi's brain, Yoshino-san was yelling the seventh "Stupid." However, the words had come out of her mouth, so she couldn't do a thing.

"Touko-chan?"

Sachiko-sama repeated with a little startle. At that time, Yumi realized something, and gave herself the eighth "Stupid" in her heart. What was the point of doing to Sachiko-sama the same thing that Sachiko-sama had once done to her? Now it would look as if Yumi was exceedingly conscious of Touko-chan.

"She is no good."

Before long, Sachiko-sama replied.

"No good...?"

Yumi probed deeper. It was all right; Sachiko-sama didn't look like she would spew fire for the time being.

"In July she is going to Canada on a trip with her parents."

"Canada..."

How grand.

"It is better for us not to invite her then."

A summering in Japan or a vacation overseas. No matter how much Touko-chan admired Sachiko-sama, putting the two choices on a scale, Touko-chan surely would choose to go overseas.

At least the situation Yoshino had scolded Yumi about could be avoided. Yumi gave a sigh of relief and looked at Sachiko-sama, to find a calm face that showed no emotions.
It looked as if Sachiko-sama was in deep thoughts, and took no notice even when Yumi was staring at her.

It would be easy to ask Sachiko-sama what she was thinking about, but if Yumi raised the question, would she be intruding Sachiko-sama's time? Yumi ended up sinking into deep thoughts as well.

Finally, Sachiko-sama felt Yumi's stare and turned to her. Yumi plucked up the courage and asked.

"Onee-sama, do you feel uneasy to be just with me?"

"How can that ever be? How did you come a conclusion so wide off the mark?"

Sachiko-sama's words might be tough, but she was smiling.

"To me, it is already enough if just Yumi comes."

"Oh"

What a killer line.

--It is already enough if just Yumi comes.

Isn't it the line to drop down on Yumi's student notebook, and take it everywhere without leaving her body for a moment?

"To me also, if just Onee-sama comes...!"

Suppressing her urge to hop up, Yumi confessed. ''Hey, the two of us are feeling the same thing! This is just joy above anything.''

But why would Sachiko-sama think of inviting other people?

Nevertheless, under such a powerful line of "if just Yumi comes," such trivial doubts became blurred right away, and soon vanished like morning smoke.

"So just the two of us is all right?"

Sachiko-sama asked the same question again.

"Yes!"

Yumi replied energetically.

With just the two of them, it should be fun regardless of the venue.
At that point of time, such was believed without a doubt.

: *
:: *
::: *

"Did you hear that?"

"I heard that."

After the red rose sisters returned side by side, basking in the warm sisterhood between them, two shadows appeared from within the dense bushes.
[[File:MM v12 003.jpg|thumb|right|Mami and Tsutako spy on the red rose sisters]] 

"The Ogasawara's summerhouse. No matter how, I want to receive an invitation. If impossible, it would be good even to just sneak a glimpse of the red rose sisters' vacation."
	
Bangs parted to one side<ref>七三分け(7-3 parting) -- this is an expression used for describing a hair-style with the hair parted to one side, and is what the author uses to refer to Mami during this passage.</ref> with a hairpin, the short-haired girl who had stopped, shut the memo pad which was open and muttered.

"But, since it's private property, right?"

Replied the silver-rimmed glasses girl, gripping a small camera in her hand.

"We can't freely trespass, eh?"

"Putting that aside, by the way, concealing myself in this thicket and chasing after the red rose sisters, I didn't expect there was a visitor ahead of me."

"Geez. Me too. You appearing at times -- it's a startling thing."

"It's because the direction of our interest is the same, isn't it?"

While both were laughing, they straightened their backs and worked their shoulders. It was proof that they had lurked there in the same posture the whole time.

"Wouldn't it be better to give up here, and target either the yellow rose sisters or white rose sisters?"

As a suggestion, parted-hair girl enquired of glasses girl.

"Looks that way, doesn't it. So, the white rose sisters?"

"If I'm not mistaken, they are going around visiting churches and Buddhist statue exhibitions or something."

"Yellow rose?"

"Climbing Mt. Fuji."

The parted-hair-girl's interview notes were primarily chock-full of gossip related to Yamayurikai staff.

"Well, either way it only seems to be places that aren't without complications."

"Yeah, truly. However, better to have a chance of victory from outside the summer house's grounds, than stick to two who we don't even know when they will head out."

"Though, it's a problem even with churches and Buddhist statue exhibitions, right? Although shadowing is easy enough, because there are many situations where I can't take photos, it's a bit…"

"Such being the case, with the Mt. Fuji climbing, what's the chosen day? In the way of my motto, ''for a thorough article, thorough investigation'', for that reason, though shadowing, I must climb to the summit."

"Or better yet, instead of shadowing, switch to travelling together? If we go to that extent, most likely, the yellow rose sisters will even cooperate with the investigation."

Glasses-girl turns the camera towards parted-hair-girl.

"But, though I'm not proud of it, I don't have confidence in my physical stamina."

"Whoa. For a newspaper reporter that is fatal."

Like a cicada's cry cut off, the shutter's delightful sound echoed once. Due to the short time it takes to enter the school building, they probably already couldn't be heard by the red rose sisters.

"Always, willpower moves the body to investigate, but climbing Mt. Fuji -- there is a feeling of defeat right from the start."

"With the opponent being Japan's best, anyone would be nervous."

Glasses-girl lowered the camera and laughed.

"Well, as expected, maybe the red rose sisters are the best choice. Do we try to ask Yumi to take us along? We might get an OK, you know."

"But. Having snuck a view of that situation's two-people-in-their-own-world feeling, it's a bit difficult to ask, right?"

"We'd be intruding, wouldn't we?"<ref> The word used here is お邪魔虫. Which roughly translates to "intruding bug", or put more simply: a pest. </ref>

"Yep, intruding."

The two, being Fukuzawa Yumi's classmates, know just how fond she is of her onee-sama. For that alone, and beyond that -- what a thing it would be if friendship was not able to hinder their cutting in on such modest happiness, no matter how good the photos and stories to be had.

"To that point, you know, about the sisters' vacations, it's not about getting shown, rather I want to see."

"I understand, I understand. A desire not for reporting the smiles, but for the unintentional private facial expressions."

"Just so."

Finding a kindred spirit, that's probably what this sort of thing is called. Though the genre of both photos and newspapers are different, the pair's preferences align considerably. <ref> "genre" may seem to be a bit of an odd choice of word, but the author uses that English word in the original text: ジャンル</ref>

"Do we sneak in?"

When they can join forces, people turn on the acceleration and become confident. Parted-hair girl, tucked her hair, cut uniformly short in advance of summer vacation, behind her ear, and grinned broadly.

"That is probably reckless. It's an Ogasawara household owned summer house. Adequate security is to be expected."

If she went too far, one could say it'd be a big relief if there was a human being who is given to restraint nearby. On that point, glasses-girl, because she could determine the expected follow-up, could likely be called suitable.

"Especially, if it is during a high class lady's stay over. Of course, it's expected to encounter a flawless security system."

"If there is a trespasser, the security company will detect it immediately and come running. No, it's more than that, that's half-hearted."

"Above the fence, barbed-wire with high-voltage electric current flowing?"

"That's it. Ogasawara household employed security guards are just like sentinels guarding a gate, and also patrolling  around the perimeter of the high fence ―――"

"Attending bodyguards, of course, are all uniformly handsome men in the style of Paris collection men's models."

"Although, because the two of them are immersed in their own world, they would give no regard to such men……!"

The ability to imagine passing through the defensible range, steadily swelled to be called a delusion.

"Regardless, I want to see."

"Yeah, me too."

Their dream -- the red rose sisters serene, yet beautiful, vacation relaxing at the Ogasawara household's summer house.



Incidentally, parted-hair girl is named Yamaguchi Mami, and glasses girl is named Takeshima Tsutako.

Unknown to them at that moment, Yumi, not knowing that such a conversation had unfolded, would busily set about packing that very night.

From Monday in the last week of July, she would be departing to spend one week with her onee-sama at the highland summer house.

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