Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume29 Chapter7 1 (section)

===<noinclude>Would You Like to Waltz? </noinclude>Part 1.=== 

They could say it was because of all the tasks they had to complete. Or how they were constantly bombarded by one thing after the other.

But, really, how could they completely forget such an important thing?

Especially me, Yumi thought to herself.

Shimako-san and Yoshino-san were still fine, since they hadn't remembered it at all.

What had been forgotten? The conversation they had to have with Touko and Noriko-chan about the party performances, of course. Despite Yumi's surprise when she remembered it on the bus this morning, she had then completely forgotten about it, perhaps because her memory playback system had broken down or she simply lacked the ability to learn.

It was embarrassing to blame it on something like the impact of Touko's hairstyle, or the third-years' send-off completely filling her head.

Anyway, Yumi had totally forgotten about it for the entire morning. It was only just before the second farewell party of the day, the "Farewell Party for Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida" that she foolishly remembered. 

While Yumi recognized that telling them about it today would probably be too late, no matter the time, telling them immediately prior to the event would just be too cruel.



The curtain closed on an incredibly successful "Third-years' Send-off." Although it went about 30 minutes overtime, there hadn't been any significant mishaps. Yumi dutifully thanked Maria-sama for seeing them safely through such a large event.

After sitting through their respective homeroom classes, it was time to start preparing for their private farewell party. The two guests-of-honor had agreed to wait in their classroom until called, allowing the first- and second-years to transform the second-floor of the Rose Mansion into a party zone.

There were still a few of the roses bought for the "Third-years' send-off" remaining even after one had been given to each senior. Shimako-san put these into small vases that she decorated the room with.

Yoshino-san cut the sandwiches that she had bought on the way to school this morning into bite-sized pieces and arranged these on plates that she then put on the table.

Yumi was taking some cookies that had been given to them by the confectionery club out of a tin when she belatedly remembered.

"Ah."

It was like telepathy. Yoshino-san and Shimako-san stopped what they were doing. Then, before Yumi said anything, they both put their hands over her mouth.

"Erp."

Luckily, Touko and Noriko-chan were both over at the sink pouring tea into teacups, so they didn't see this bizarre behavior from the three second-years.

They knew what she was going to say, so there was no need to make a fuss. After nodding to this message conveyed through Yoshino-san's eyes, the hands that blocked Yumi's mouth were removed and she was able to breathe freely.

"What do we do?"

They huddled together and spoke in a whisper. It looked like the thing they had shelved had come crashing down to the ground.

"It's a bit late to tell them now."

"But what if we don't tell them?"

Then they'd have to host the party dreading the moment when the third-years would utter the phrase, 'Party performance.' That wouldn't be good for their hearts.

"But if we do tell them, won't that just mean that the first-years will be nervous during the party."

That was the heart of the problem. But there was no-one there who could solve it.

While they were still having their whispered conversation, Touko turned towards them, followed by Noriko-chan. Then Touko said:

"Isn't it about time we got Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida?"

Yumi looked at the clock and saw it was almost 2pm. Even though it was ratcheting up the pressure, they had originally planned for a 1pm start so it had already been a lengthy wait for the two Roses.

"Th, that's right. Can I ask you to do that?"

"I'll go with Touko. We've already finished preparing the tea."

They continued their conversation after seeing off the first-years.

"Then how about we sneakily tell our onee-samas that there won't be any party performances today."

"Sneakily, you say."

"Even so..."

Right. Since the first-years had gone to fetch the third-years, there wasn't any opening in which they could surreptitiously talk to their onee-samas. And it would look very strange if they were to chase after Touko and Noriko-chan and order them back to the Rose Mansion so that they could retrieve the third-years themselves.

"If the third-years say so, then there will be a performance."

"I know."

Fundamentally, Lillian's Girls Academy was a school where the juniors obeyed their seniors. If their onee-samas asked for a performance, then they would be expecting someone to do something.

"I'll dance."

Shimako-san stood bolt upright.

"Although I don't have the cassette with me."

Yoshino-san asked what she intended to do about that. If there was some suitable music that she could dance to.

"I'll sing as I dance. It'll be okay. Sachiko-sama sang as she performed Swan Lake."

Shimako-san was visibly trembling. The story about Sachiko-sama singing as she performed ballet was just something that her onee-sama, Satou Sei-sama, had made up.

Still, Yumi understood the painful feeling of wanting to spare your darling petit soeur from embarrassment.

"Okay. And I'll sing as I do the loach scooping dance."

They started collecting the necessary props – Shimako-san made a basic folding-fan out of paper and Yumi tied some thread around a five-yen coin she found in her purse. She could use a hand-towel in place of a regular towel, but what to do about the strainer? Just as Yumi was wondering whether the basin from the sink would do:

"They're that precious to you, huh?"

Yoshino-san, who had no petit soeur of her own, looked amazed.

"But without the right props, I can't do my magic act."

Nonetheless, Yoshino-san had lined up her handkerchief, a 500 yen note and a safety-pin on the table and was quietly fiddling around with them.