Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter4 2 (section)

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

" – So, you came to help out?"

Shimako-san asked, blinking.

"Right. Is there anything I can do?"

After she left the middle-school staff room she returned to her classroom, but her excitement hadn't lessened. She had an overwhelming urge to do something, and to tell someone about it, so Yumi headed straight for the Rose Mansion.

Yoshino-san and Rei-sama were out at club practice, so once again it was just the diligent White Rose sisters steadily going about their work.

"At the very least, I'm delighted that you're feeling well again, Yumi-san. As for what to do … well."

Shimako-san shrugged her shoulders, and clipped a stack of documents together. There was lots to do, in fact, so much that it was hard to tell where she should start.

"Sachiko-sama's been absent, while Rei-sama's been coming before school and during lunch. Even then, I think there's too much."

"I see, so that's how it is."

This time last year, the Roses were all third-years, three in a row. While Shimako-san was currently Rosa Gigantea, she wasn't even Rosa Gigantea en bouton a year ago, so she didn't have any direct experience in preparing for the school festival.

"While I did frequent the Rose Mansion, I refrained from involving myself directly. If I knew it would turn out like this, I would have participated more actively in the meetings and preparations."

Shimako-san smiled ruefully. But it was undoubtedly because of the way she looked back on last year that she was putting all her effort into it this time around.

"Here, Yumi-sama."

Noriko-chan gently set a cup of tea down in front of her. Yumi was grateful, because she'd worked up quite a thirst running all the way here.

"Thank-you."

It was delicious. The sight of Noriko-chan standing by the sink, or taking a cup from the shelf, was that of a splendid Rose Mansion occupant. She wasn't the 'assistant' from before. She had a self-confidence that seemed to Yumi to come from the rosary she wore beneath her school uniform.

Shimako-san and Noriko-chan put down their work and sipped their tea. Without some outside impetus, it looked like they'd forgotten to take a break. Shimako-san smiled ruefully, saying that taking breaks was better from an efficiency perspective, but they were both persistent type of people.

They were both equally beautiful, but it wasn't as though these well matched soeurs didn't have their own troubles.

"Returning to our conversation."

Yumi said, after a pause.

"It seems we're understaffed at the moment."

"Yes, more or less."

Shimako-san agreed.

"I wouldn't say we have enough people. Although, compared to last year, there are no fewer members of the Yamayurikai."

Last year there were three Roses, two boutons, and one bouton's petit soeur (Yoshino-san) for a total of six people. Shimako-san was not officially Sei-sama's petit soeur at the time.

This year, there were three Roses and three boutons. Six people, the same as last year, but getting them all together was the problem.

Rei-sama was busy with her club, like last year, but so too was Yoshino-san this year. Sachiko-sama was frequently absent. Yumi was … planning to help properly from now on, but, well, let's just set that aside for now.

"Do you think we should ask someone to help out?"

Yumi proposed, as a way to alleviate their current staffing shortfall. Even with Yumi's return, she didn't see any way that she alone could completely fill the hole left by Sachiko-sama.

"Who would we ask to help?"

Shimako-san answered Yumi's question with a question. Judging by the tone of her voice, she didn't have much interest in this idea.

"I hadn't really thought that far."

Yumi shrugged her shoulders and said, "I was just putting it out there."

Although there would probably be quite a few students willing to help out with Yamayurikai work. They could choose from among the members of the school festival committee, or, if so inclined, they could recruit through the school's newspaper, the Lillian Kawaraban.

Then Shimako-san seemed to sigh as she said:

"In that case, wouldn't it be better for Yumi-san or Yoshino-san to find a petit soeur?"

"My my. Oh Shimako-san, you've become quite the Rose."

Yumi laughed, joking.

'Find a petit soeur' was the kind of cliché phrase that generations of Roses had said to their petit soeurs. Just recently, Shimako-san had been assailed by Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama with it.

"It's because I have a petit soeur. I'm more at liberty than you, Yumi-san."

"I see."

Yumi glanced at Shimako-san's petit soeur and understood. Noriko-chan accepted Shimako-san's words with a smile.

Shimako-san had probably stepped up. Noriko-chan was now filling the position that, until recently, had been Shimako-san's, and Shimako-san had been pushed forwards.

"If Rei-sama takes a break from her club activities, and Sachiko-sama returns to school, then I think we'll make it. But even so, what on earth is Sachiko-sama doing, I wonder?"

" … Yeah."

Yumi couldn't provide an answer to Shimako-san's question.

"Ah, I wasn't specifically asking you, Yumi-san. It was an innocent question."

Shimako-san frantically waved her hands, while behind her Noriko-chan murmured:

"It seems like something has happened to Rosa Chinensis."

"What do you mean?"

Two people asked simultaneously.

"Well … I tried asking, but Touko didn't let anything slip."

" – Touko-chan, huh."

Yumi had mixed feelings uttering that name.

"It seems she knows something. She hadn't said anything, but that's the feeling I get. I apologize, but I think it has something to do with the reason Yumi-sama and Rosa Chinensis were avoiding each other … "

Indeed, that's what would spring to mind. Yumi's initial, incomplete understanding was that Touko-chan and Sachiko-sama were keeping a secret. That Touko-chan knew something that Yumi, the petit soeur, did not. So she became anxious, and felt like she was being shunned.

A secret that only Touko-chan knew. It was a bit heartbreaking.

However.

Now, looking at it objectively, it seemed likely Sachiko-sama probably hadn't chosen to confide in Touko-chan. Since they were relatives, albeit distant ones, Touko-chan may have found out through a different route.

"Sorry that I couldn't provide more help."

Noriko-chan bowed deeply, as though she'd done something wrong.

"No, it's alright, thank-you."

Yumi responded, expecting this to be the end of the conversation, however:

"Ah, one more thing."

"Huh?"

Noriko-chan raised her head and continued talking.

"Yumi-sama, I apologize completely for Touko-chan's nastiness the other day too."

"…"

Yumi considered that to be completely unrelated to Noriko-chan. But perhaps she was acting as a friend.

If Yumi heard a rumor that Yoshino-san had unfairly insulted somebody, then she would apologize to that person. If the rumor were about Shimako-san, then first of all she wouldn't believe it, since that didn't seem like something Shimako-san was capable of doing.

"Despite what she did, at heart I don't think she's bad."

Noriko-chan was something of a worrier too.

" … Perhaps."

Yumi already knew that.

It was just that there were times when she became too consumed with hate.

But that seemed like it could be quite an obstacle when it came to relationships with other people.