Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume22 Chapter3.1

===Part 1.===

The mass had ended about an hour ago.

The roses went back to their homeroom classrooms, grabbed their things, and started walking toward the Rose Mansion. Shimako-san and Rei-sama had already arrived at the Rose Mansion's second floor, now converted into a party room.

"What?! Shimako-san is baking a cake?!"

Yoshino-san exclaimed, as she walked through the door that Yumi was holding open.

"What happened to you?!"

Yoshino-san asked Shimako-san.

"I just thought, well, I'd try it out you know..."

"Just ... try it out?"

"And then, maybe Rei-sama can teach me a thing or two."

"Hmmphh."

Yoshino-san whispered coldly, and then swept herself up into her surroundings, and began setting the cups.

Yumi helped too. She was making sure that there was enough black tea to make for toasting, and picking out the correct tea leaves, and such.

"...."

Shimako had said she'd like to just "try it out", but Yumi knew it had to be more than that. That was why Yoshino-san hmmphed, and then disappeared into her work.

After all, next year, none of them would be able to eat Rei-sama's well known "Bûche de Noël prepared with supermarket ingredients". Shimako-san obviously wanted to be able to keep the recipe going in the Rose family. Yumi couldn't believe how much the forthcoming days hinted at those two dreaded characters: "graduation". <ref>"Graduation" in Japanese is "Sotsu Gyou", composed of two Kanji</ref>

Table, check. Drinks, check. Cups, check. The cake was progressing according to plan. Then everything seemed fine.

"How should we decorate the place this year?"

Yumi and Yoshino-san looked at each other.

"Hm?"

Last year, the former Rosa Chinensis, Mizuno Youko-sama, had decorated the place in a torrent of cheap decorations. Should they do that again this year? Rei-sama replied "Even if you don't add any decorations, it's fine" and turned to look at Yumi and Yoshino-san. Suddenly quick footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs.

"I'm sorry I'm late... *huff*"

Noriko-chan suddenly appeared in the room, who was struggling to catch her breath.

"I got a little busy, and..."

As Noriko-chan explained why she had gotten late, she came up to Yumi and hung her head low.

"I'm very sorry about this morning..."

"No it's fine. I'm sorry too."

Yumi too hung her head low.

Yumi was happy that Noriko-chan had decided to talk with her. The way things had ended between them had just left a bitter taste in Yumi's mouth. Yumi thought she would try to change things, but Yumi didn't know what to do with that passionate part Noriko-chan. Yumi had begun brooding about how to deal with it.

"You came alone?"

"Kanako-san and Touko are on their way. We met up with Rosa Chinensis on the way, and she told only me to go on ahead."

"Aha."

The real bother was Touko-chan and her tepid attitude. She had been acting bleak while coming here, and had probably troubled Noriko-chan and Kanako-chan.

"Well then."

Noriko-chan slipped outside for a second, and brought in a box that obviously seemed like it had been brought specifically for the party. It was a fifty centimeter thick ball box.

"Rosa Chinensis had told me that there was some package to pick up from the first to the second floor. Is this it?"

The box had written on it in thick writing "Christmas Party materials".

"Ahh..."

How the handwriting brought her back. There was no mistaking it, it was the work of Mizuno Youko-sama.

Yumi didn't have to open the box to know what was inside. They were last year's shelf embellishments and Christmas Party decorations, which had been lying dormant for a year, and they had come back to them.

"O, Oh! This is!"

"Wow, it's still there is it?"

Rei-sama and Shimako-san, who were on their one hour break, hurriedly came to look inside. They took but one look at the box, and began wondrously calling out.

If Sachiko-sama went out of the way to bring it to Noriko-chan to hand off to the Rosas, then they had no choice but to use it.

Yumi opened the cover of the ball box, and began passing out a cardboard crown, and a chain with hoop-like links.

But to think that it had been treasured for a year. Now that she thought about it, when had the box been dug up?

Sachiko-sama was one to be feared. And of course, the one who had collected these things all together, Youko-sama.

"What an amazing perception..."

Noriko-chan joined them in putting up the decorations. Rei-sama and Shimako-san went back to their cake making. And Yumi-san.

"Kanako-chan and the rest will be coming soon right? Then, I'll be right back."

Yoshino quickly exited the Rose Mansion. She was probably going to greet Arima Nana-san.

Yumi suddenly became busy in the business of people and greetings. But somewhere a bit far from Yumi, someone sighed.

"That Yoshino..."

Rei-sama clasped her hands together underneath the table and once more sighed loudly.