Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume24 Chapter3 5 (section)

===<noinclude>The Opening Ceremony's Spoiled Child. </noinclude>Part 5===

On the way home.

Sachiko-sama was the same as ever.

When Yumi had been washing the cups, when she'd been idly chatting with Rei-sama, when they'd left the Rose Mansion and were walking through the school corridor, when they temporarily split up to change their shoes and then when they reunited at the entrance, when they all walked together along the tree lined path, she neither forced herself to be near Yumi nor avoided her, but with exquisite positioning she was able to chat about the weather and interject into the second-years' conversation.

Usually, after a souring of someone's relationship with their petit soeur, they'd be conscious of it and unable to act normally, wouldn't they?

At the very least, that's what Yumi thought. Even as she listened along to Yoshino-san's chattering, she occasionally glanced over at Sachiko-sama.

What was her onee-sama thinking? That's what Yumi was wondering.

But Sachiko-sama wasn't acting like that at all. So their eyes didn't meet. That said, Sachiko-sama wasn't ignoring her, so she looked at Yumi a couple of times and their eyes met then. When that happened, Sachiko-sama smiled at her with an expression that said, "Hmm?" But it wasn't like Yumi had anything specific for her, so Yumi was the first to look away and Sachiko-sama didn't ask anything more.

Sachiko-sama didn't glance at the book return slot when they passed the library, so perhaps she'd already forgotten that incident. 

Her onee-sama was an adult, who wouldn't be disturbed by that sort of thing.

In front of the statue of Maria-sama, at the fork in the road, Yumi prayed.

(That I may grow stronger.)

That she may become a strong person who could stand tall and walk on even when her onee-sama wasn't with her.

But, in direct opposition to her prayer, she didn't really want to become the sort of person who was totally fine without her onee-sama.

She had to grow stronger.

But she felt it would be nice to remain the spoiled baby she was forever, always smiling beside her onee-sama.