Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume9 Chapter8 1 (section)

===<noinclude>Intriguing First-Year. </noinclude>Part 1.===

At first glance, the first-year Nijou Noriko was an ordinary young lady.

She had a bob haircut, although it was a bit long. Her straight black hair reached down to around her shoulders. Her bangs reached her eyebrows, forming a single line. Basically, it was an old-fashioned hairstyle that made her look like a traditional Japanese doll.

(What's so special about this girl … ?)

8:10am. Yumi was observing Shimako-san's first-year friend from a spot in the hallway where she could see into the first-year camellia group classroom. Actually, she'd shadowed her here from the main gate. Or, more accurately, she already knew what Nijou Noriko looked like because she serendipitously happened to see her yesterday after school, so when she spotted her getting off the bus this morning she'd followed her here.

Incidentally, about yesterday's serendipity. 

Of all things, Yumi had witnessed Touko-chan hiding Nijou Noriko's shoes. At any rate, she couldn't tell if Touko-chan was being daring or mischievous. She could have chosen a less obvious hiding place, but she simply dropped the shoes at the main entrance, a couple of metres away from the changing area, and went home.

Still, she couldn't approve of harassment, no matter how light. Yumi was about to quietly return the shoes when a first-year student walked past her. Yumi realized this was Nijou Noriko when she opened her shoe locker, stopped to think for a short while, then continued on her way home still wearing her indoor shoes. The young girl seemed as undisturbed as she was new to Lillian's.

Presently, she was sitting at her desk reading a paperback. After observing her like this for a couple of minutes, Yumi still couldn't detect any remarkable traits.

(What do she and Shimako-san have in common – ?)

Yumi had expected her to be a devout Christian, but this morning she'd walked straight past the statue of Maria-sama at the fork in the road without stopping to pray. Even if it was an honest mistake, it seemed unlikely that a true believer would forget to greet Maria-sama.

"… Like, does her family also run a temple?"

"No. Her father's a public servant and her mother's a teacher. Although, her family lives a fair way away, so she's currently living with a relative."

"Ah, I see."

As she was agreeing with the voice coming from behind, Yumi suddenly realized. She hadn't come here with anyone.

(Who is it!?)

Hastily turning around, Yumi recognized the girl with ringlets that was standing there and smiling.

"Yumi-sama."

"Ah, yes!?"

Yumi was a second-year and Touko-chan a first-year. Naturally, the honorific "-sama" had been used to address the older student, Yumi, but looking at it objectively their roles were reversed. Yumi was timid, like a child that had been caught doing something naughty, while Touko-chan was calm, like an adult admonishing her.

"Playing the detective?"

"No, not really."

Although it was probably pointless denying it at this point. A second-year student peering into the first-year camellia group classroom was bound to look suspicious, no matter how you look at it.

"If you're concerned about her, you should just ask Touko."

Touko-chan took Yumi by the hand and walked over to the classroom door. She could get a better look at Nijou Noriko from closer in, and by being with Touko-chan it wouldn't seem unnatural. From a distance, it would look like a conversation between a close junior and senior.

Yumi cleared her throat quietly and changed the topic of conversation.

"Um … did you just arrive at school, Touko-chan?"

Touko-chan was holding her school bag which smelled of brand-new leather.

"No, I arrived before 8, but I've stayed away from the classroom to establish an alibi."

"An alibi … !?"

"See, someone who arrived after her wouldn't have had a chance to tamper with her indoor shoes, right?"

She smiled suggestively.

(What's she done this time, the little … )

Having just witnessed what happened yesterday, Yumi didn't want to hear about this.

"Don't be so concerned. It wasn't anything major."

" … Ah, r-right."

That's not so good, is it Fukuzawa Yumi? This person you've only just met is already able to read your mind.

"Noriko-san seems a bit standoffish, don't you think? She's always like that."

Touko-chan glanced inside the classroom.

She never lifted her gaze from the paperback when her classmates walked past her. She'd respond when asked something directly, but once the task was done she immersed herself in reading once more. Indeed, she didn't seem like the type who needed her friends to go with her to the toilet.

"But she shows a different side of her during lunchtime and after school."

"A different side?"

Yumi's gaze shifted from Nijou Noriko to Touko-chan. A different side. That was an intriguing statement.

"Do you want to see it?"

"I do!"

"Shh."

Touko-chan drew her index finger up to her lips and glared at Yumi. She hadn't meant to raise her voice that loudly, but Nijou Noriko suddenly raised her head so the pair hurriedly hid behind the door.

"Alright then, today at lunch. Wait for me near the main entrance."

Touko-chan said, at extremely low volume.

"Huh? Lunchtime's not that good for me."

Yumi hesitated for a moment. She was supposed to have lunch at the Rose Mansion today. Not for a meeting about the first-years' welcoming ceremony, but for a private discussion about how to go about getting Shimako-san to reveal her secret.

"It's fine if you don't want to see."

Faced with the two options, she made a bold choice. Seeing the other side of Nijou Noriko would surely come in useful in the future.

"Well, until then."

Grin. Touko-chan smiled, seemingly buoyed by her success. Yumi didn't know what Touko-chan was going to show her, but she started to feel a bit uneasy, wondering if it really would measure up against lunch with Sachiko-sama, as well as the important private discussion.

"Ah, please come alone too."

Touko-chan said, stopping to turn around after entering the classroom as though she just remembered.

"Why?"

"If we're not quiet, the wild duck will fly away. And even at the best of times, your lack of composure makes you stand out."

Yumi thought that last remark was uncalled for, but said nothing. Without Touko-chan's guidance, she wouldn't be able to see the wild duck Nijou Noriko in her natural habitat. Besides, she couldn't come up with anything to refute the "lack of composure" claim.