Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume24 Chapter4 5

===<noinclude>Explanatory Meeting and Clandestine Meeting. </noinclude>Part 5===

By the next morning, the story of Touko running in the student council election had spread throughout the high school.

There had been a lot of people gathered around the electoral committee's office the previous evening and they'd all seen Touko force her way into the meeting. As a result, it had spread from there with amazing speed, and even some of the students that had gone home early were informed by evening phone calls from friends that were either being kind or meddlesome, so it had spread in the twinkling of an eye.

"Gokigenyou. Have you heard? About Matsudaira Touko-san from the first-year camellia class?"

That greeting was everywhere during the morning. By lunch, even the teachers had heard about it.

Touko was surrounded by her classmates during recess, but she kept silent, acting as though she didn't hear anything, and as a result they soon left her alone.

So their attention next turned to Noriko. Shimako-san had also attended the information session, and was expected to run in the election, making Noriko the petit soeur of one of the people at the middle of the maelstrom. They all approached her nonchalantly, pretending to strike up a friendly chat, while trying to find out a bit about what was happening in the Rose Mansion.

In truth, she wanted to ignore them. But they'd just got that treatment from Touko, so she couldn't really do the same thing. They were classmates, so there wasn't any ill will. But it was a bit sad feigning ignorance to them all one after the other.

"I'm sorry. I don't really know anything either. I was in the Rose Mansion during the information session, and neither the Roses nor the second-years seem to have given much thought to it."

So, for now, she kept repeating this, and resolved to hide in the toilets as much as she could during breaks until the storm had blown over. That sort of running and hiding wasn't like her, but she was Shimako-san's petit soeur, so she had to keep in mind that her words and actions reflected not just on herself. If she made some off-the-cuff remark that was misunderstood, it could cause problems for Shimako-san.

She wanted to talk with Touko, but with so many people watching she wasn't able to act freely. 

During lunch, she escaped to the Rose Mansion for a breather. The three second-years also seemed completely exhausted, probably in the same situation (or an even worse one). Neither Rosa Chinensis nor Rosa Foetida were present. The third-years weren't allowed to vote, so the people around them probably weren't as excited.

There wasn't much conversation happening in the Rose Mansion, so after she finished eating her lunch Noriko said, "I've got some business to attend to," and left.

She couldn't see any of the students that had been trying to get a peek at what was going on in the Rose Mansion either. They'd probably decided that no-one would be coming out of the Rose Mansion for a while and had gone off somewhere warm to have lunch.

She walked silently, around the back of the school building. Her goal was the auditorium. The business Noriko had to attend to was behind that.

The air was cold. That may be why there didn't seem to be all that many people around.

At the start and end of lunch break the numbers increased around Milk Hall, with girls coming and going. Still, during warmer months, students could be seen enjoying a stroll around the grounds all throughout the lunch break.

But it was the middle of winter right now. Plus it was right in the middle of the lunch break, so it was unlikely that anyone would think of going to such an out-of-the-way spot as they shivered from the cold. That's why she'd chosen it. She wondered if that came through.

"Touko."

She was already there.

"You're late. You called me, so you should have got here first and waited."

"I didn't think you'd actually come."

Noriko felt like she'd taken a few steps back and seen how relieved she was.

"When it came time to leave fourth period class, someone dropped a note on my desk like it was rubbish, leaving me no way to refuse. Even if I'd wanted to."

Touko smirked. In her hand she held a scrap of paper. It was the note Noriko had written to Touko. – "In 30 minutes, I'll be waiting behind the auditorium. Noriko."

"But."

If that was the case, she could have ignored it. Let the lunch break pass by, like their classmates were doing. Pretended she didn't see it, smiled and said, "Sorry, I didn't notice," and that would have been that.

But despite that she'd come. In the cold.

"Thank-you."

"We'd agreed to talk today."

It wasn't all that strong, but an extremely cold breeze was blowing through the trees. Their leaves long since fallen, the ginkgo trees and the cherry tree all looked really cold.

"Why?"

Noriko mumbled, looking up at the cloudy sky through the tree branches. She released the word she'd been repeating over and over in her mind on to Touko.

""Why?""

Touko repeated back at her. As though she had no idea what Noriko could be asking her about.

"Why … "

Why had she rejected Yumi-sama's offer?

Why was she running in the student council election?

Why hadn't she said anything to her?

Why – 

Considering each of these questions in turn, her fists clenched tight, Noriko came to a realization.

"Lots of things, but really they're all the same, aren't they?"

There was one answer to her many questions of "why?" The minor details and phrasing may vary, but it felt like there was one reason behind everything.

"Noriko-san, sometimes you say complicated things that Touko can't understand."

Touko smiled, acting coy.

"Don't play dumb."

This was a serious conversation.

If she was saying she didn't understand at this point, was she also still thinking about running away?

No. Touko was smart. She should know that she wouldn't get anywhere with Noriko by acting like a child or playing dumb.

"Alright."

Touko said, switching to a flirtatious smile.

"But you could take what I said about not understanding at face value, and leave saying, "It's pointless talking to you about it.""

It was like she was leaving Noriko a way out. Saying that she shouldn't poke her nose into something troubling. But all she heard was a warning that she'd get hurt if she got too involved.

"I'm not about to do that."

Even if Touko was just an acquaintance, rather than the friend Noriko was proud to proclaim her as, Noriko would rather drag her out of that endless swamp than stay alone in a safe spot.

"Alright, let me ask you something then."

Touko looked her right in the eye.

"Lots of things, but they're really all the same … Let's suppose what you've said is true. Is that really something that I have to tell you?"

"Huh?"

Noriko was taken aback. She hadn't expected this counterattack.

"Do friends have to tell each other everything?"

It was a sound argument. Noriko had no rebuttal.

"Alright. What you're saying may be true."

She'd get hurt if she got too involved – in a sense, that was correct. She hadn't been able to drag Touko out of that endless swamp. Instead, it had resulted in Noriko being deeply wounded.

"I'm going."

Touko turned around.

"If you understand, there's nothing else to say, right?"

They'd stand out if they went back to the classroom together. Which wouldn't help Noriko. Touko must have factored that in too.

"Touko."

Noriko called out instinctively. Touko slowly turned around.

"I like you, Touko. I thought I'd always be on your side. But in this … in the election, I can't do that. I'm Toudou Shimako's petit soeur. And it's not just because of my position, I want my onee-sama to be one of the student council leaders with all my heart. So I have to support my onee-sama."

Touko smiled lightly.

"Well, obviously."

"After that."

The tears fell, even though it wasn't something like a final farewell. Even though we'd be studying in the same classroom during fifth period.

"I'm glad to call you my friend."

"Such a good little girl."

Leaving her with that sarcastic remark, Touko walked off towards the school building.

"Too good for you."

Noriko muttered, watching Touko leave.

Being a friend was tough.

She could faintly hear the chatter of students returning from Milk Hall.