Editing Maria Sama Ga Miteru:Volume12 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 5===

Almost like sulking in bed, Yumi closed her eyes, but upon entrusting her body to the car's vibration, drowsiness really did come. 

If she though about it, she hardly slept at all last night. 

A crestless white cabbage butterfly flew up from out of nowhere, luring Yumi through a cabbage field.

''That's so wrong.'' -- Yumi inserted a tsukkomi<ref>straight-man's retort in a comedy duo -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukkomi#tsukkomi </ref> into her own dream.

''It was a highland plateau, so instead of cabbage, wouldn't it something like white birch trees lining the road?''

''That's dumb, Yumi-san.  There's no way that white birch grow on the  summit of Mt. Fuji!'' --Yoshino-san laughed.

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''How was it that Mt. Fuji appears here?''  Looking behind her, there Mt. Fuji was, unmistakably, towering in front of her eyes like depicted in paintings. A halo shone from Mt. Fuji, and taking a batting-pose on top was a Buddha-sama done with Jesus-sama's face. Worshiping this with a bewildered expression was Shimako-san, and, as Yumi drew near to her side, Shimako pulled out a fortune slip and presented it to her. When she opened the folded paper, there was written on it as a single word:

--''Many difficulties lie ahead.''<ref> 前途多難 </ref>

While these four characters were flying out of the screen with a kaboom as if CG<ref>Computer Graphics</ref>, she was roused by her shoulder being shaken.

"Yumi"

"Hnnna?"

"We're at the rest stop."<ref> This is written as "drive-in" (ドライブイン), so while it could be referring to something like a family restaurant, it's probably indicating a rest stop along the (toll?)highway -- particularly considering what the diver said earlier. </ref>

She wondered when they'd gotten on the highway. She hadn't  noticed at all. ''And, from when has Sachiko-sama been awake?''

"Let's go to the restroom."

Having woken up suddenly, Yumi, unable to move her mouth and body well, rubbed her eyes and lollingly nodded her head like a waking toddler. She was already thankful enough that drool wasn't flowing.

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"Though the road isn't that crowded yet, it would be good to get going just in case." 

It was a weekday, and not the time of Obon homecoming rush, and we did leave early in the morning… although not smooth sailing, the cars were flowing without delay.  However, they must not be careless.  There was no way of knowing whether it would become majorly congested at any moment. When it becomes like that, humans in compact cars without toilets end up unable to cope.

"Your eyes, are they awake? We're getting out." 

When she opened the door as she had been urged to do, the air that caressed her skin was stifling.

"Hot…"

The rest stop was to one side of the parking lot, and since there wasn't any shade, it was naturally hot. Even though the time of day was still considered mid-morning, hot air could be seen undulating as it rose up from the ground.

"Hey, Yumi. Walk properly!"

It seemed Yumi's brain was still half-asleep and she was teetering a bit. And so, Sachiko-sama took her hand and walked with her.

Although it was hot, she was a bit happy.

Certainly it was the matter of holding hands, but more than that, that they were going to the going to the restroom together…

''She's happy to be going to the restroom?'' It's scandalous, but although it might be strange, since happy things are happy, there's nothing to be done about it.

After all, with an onee-sama of a different school year, though it was  common-sense, that was the reason why there couldn't be things like having lessons in the same classroom, and so at school during break-time there wasn't even a way to ask, "Let's go to the restroom together." Thus, this was a experience to be treasured.

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Sachiko-sama's hand, which was cold at first from the air-conditioning, was warmed by the outside air and Yumi's hand, gradually becoming noticeably sweaty.

The woman's toilets were moderately crowded. Since it was summer vacation, there were grandmothers, mothers, elder sisters, and little girls all lined up. There was even the presence of a baby on a baby-bed happily working it's legs, after having it's diaper changed.

"When done, wash your hands and wait here."

"Okay."

Yumi nodded, as she lined up at the end of the queue.

"Oh look, next is Yumi's turn! The innermost one became empty!"

While never like a bossy garbage sorter<ref> The term used here (仕切り屋) is a person whose occupation is collecting and sorting garbage by use and type, but is used here to mean a bossy person giving out orders "like a garbage sorter". So I've kept a bit of both meanings to try to keep the original flavor.</ref>, an onee-sama who was briskly giving out instructions was reliable. Somehow returning Yumi back to when she was little, it had become a feeling similar to when she did outings with her mom.

By the time Yumi finished using the restroom and was washing her hands with the cold water, she'd finally come to be refreshed.

"How about we go and buy something like juice?"

Sachiko, who was standing at the neighboring wash basin, addressed the Yumi in the mirror.

"As thanks for the lunchbox, I'll buy the drinks."

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"Umm…"

At times like these, it would've been fine to have straightforwardly given thanks for the meal. Onee-sama had come to want to do big-sister-like things from time to time.

"More than that, I want to eat ice cream."

Yumi placed the handkerchief she used to wipe her hands dry into her bag and turned forty-five degrees to her right, facing her real non-mirror reflected onee-sama.

"Guess it can't be helped."

While her words sounded like grumbling, Sachiko-sama looked a bit pleased.

They lined up at the rest stop's store for a bit, and bought soft-serve ice cream.

(''Though she had acted a bit spoiled--success!'')

Although Yumi's feet were no longer unsteady, she took her onee-sama's hand as they walked. In her right hand a delicious ice-cream, in her left hand her beloved onee-sama.

"It's hot, you know."

But, since she didn't break away from her, even while saying it like that, and that they continued to walk that way, said whether it was okay.

The black car really stood out, and they could immediately pick it out from amidst the multitude of cars and such. The chauffeur-san, who had taken a break at the same time as them, had already returned, and swung his hands to make the car's location apparent to the pair.

Sachiko-sama pulled Yumi's hand and quickened the pace a bit. The planned 15 minute break, had gone 5 minutes over.

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"We'll leave right away. Finish eating quickly."

"Ye～s."<ref>Yumi draws out the sound of saying "yes" playfully: はあい.</ref>

''To be covered with soft-serve ice cream and melt with Ogasawara Sachiko-sama.''

''Her heart.''

''Not only was it cool, if she were to taste it, it would probably be pretty soft and sweet.''

''(Delicious!)''

--That was Yumi's brain already beginning to melt just like soft-serve ice cream.

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