Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume25 Chapter1 1

===<noinclude>Sometimes Falling, Sometimes Pulling. </noinclude>Part 1===

"Touko wasn't looking to win."

The moment after she said this, Noriko spotted Yumi-sama's lips mouthing the words, "I knew it," even though no sound came out.

She knew it, Touko had run in the election in order to lose.

It wasn't as though Noriko doubted her own intuition, but if Yumi-sama was saying that then it was further proof. Therefore the conclusion was correct. That was how she felt.

Yumi-sama should have been one of the chief revelers in the crowd of students cheering on the announcement of the next student council, but her face was pale. 

On the sheet of paper put up on the noticeboard in front of the auditorium, the name "Fukuzawa Yumi" sparkled with the mark of victory – a red flower sticker. But despite this, the owner of that name looked as though she'd just lost the election.

Still, Noriko wasn't in a position to talk either. Her onee-sama had been elected to the next student council alongside Yumi-sama and Yoshino-sama. But Noriko's current expression wasn't that of a petit soeur overjoyed at her onee-sama's success.

"Congratulations, Rosa Chinensis en bouton."

"Do your best, Yumi-sama."

Even while she was talking to Noriko, voices called to Yumi-sama, one after another, and she responded to them with, "Thank-you," and, "I'll try." She didn't know how Yumi-sama saw them, but to Noriko the people surrounding them offering their congratulations and well wishes were like a video recording. To the extent that there was a marked difference between their and her levels of excitement.

With those sort of phrases flying about, and amidst numerous interruptions, Noriko continued their conversation.

"But why?"

Touko ran in the election in order to lose. They both shared that opinion, so the obvious follow-on question was why did she have to lose the election?

Typically, people would run in an election in order to win. So, why?

"I see. So you don't know either then, Noriko-chan."

"… So you're saying … "

She was saying that she didn't know either. Seeing Yumi-sama nod, Noriko did an about-face.

"Wait, where are you going?"

Yumi-sama called out to her after she'd taken a step.

"I'm going to ask Touko herself."

If she ran, she should be able to catch up to her soon enough.

"You could come too, if you want."

When Noriko said this, a look of unease passed across Yumi-sama's face.

"… Um."

Until just a little while ago, it felt like Yumi-sama's expression had been a reflection of her own. But now it was different. While Noriko was all fired up, Yumi-sama was smiling quietly and shaking her head.

"I won't go."

"Why not?"

"Why not? I'm not sure, but for now it's fine."

"It's fine?"

What was fine? Noriko didn't understand. She'd said it was fine for now. If she didn't ask now, then just when would she ask Touko?

"But if you want to, you can chase after her, Noriko-chan. I'm just saying that I won't."

"Don't you want to know Touko's real motive, Yumi-sama?"

"How can I put this? It's like, that doesn't really matter anymore – "

Against her better judgment, Noriko was angered by this remark.

"Are you planning on abandoning Touko?"

At times like these, she would rebel without caring that it was against a senior. Noriko herself recognized this was a bad habit, but it was hard for her to restrain herself.

"Is that how it looks?"

"Yes."

Yumi-sama smiled at Noriko's answer and said, "You're honest."

"But actually it's the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"That's right."

Yumi-sama nodded. Just as Noriko was about to ask her what she meant, a single person emerged from the video reel of surrounding students and spoke.

"Sorry for interrupting your conversation."

It was Shimako-san.

"Yumi-san, do you have a minute? Tsutako-san was saying that she wanted to take a photo of all three of us lined up with the bulletin board in the background."

"Ah, okay, I'll be there."

Yumi-sama turned to face Shimako-san and responded cheerfully.

"Also, Mami-san wanted a comment to print in the Lillian Kawaraban."

"Huh? Wasn't the interview with the Lillian Kawaraban supposed to be after school next Tuesday or Wednesday?"

"This is separate to that. She said it was supposed to be an initial reaction, while the excitement was still high."

"Alright. – So you see, Noriko-chan, we'll have to pick this conversation up again some time later."

"… Okay."

It was none other than Noriko's onee-sama, Shimako-san, that was calling her away. There was no way Noriko could stop her.

"You can come too, Noriko."

When Shimako-san called out to her, Noriko instinctively looked at the path lined with ginkgo trees, along which Touko had disappeared.

"Um."

Until just recently, she'd been planning on catching up to Touko.

"I'm – "

But now she was hesitating. Should she chase Touko, or not? Yumi-sama's declaration that she didn't want to chase after Touko had most definitely reined in Noriko's enthusiasm.

"You can go if there's something you have to do, Noriko-chan. We're going back to the Rose Mansion once this is over, so we can meet up there."

"No."

Yumi-sama had probably made this offer so that Noriko could chase after Touko, but Noriko shook her head and accompanied them.

Noriko's gloomy mood lingered. But.

She wasn't abandoning Touko. Yumi-sama had said that, so, for now, that was enough.

In that case, perhaps Touko could be saved.

Rather than letting the blood go to her head and running around recklessly, she wanted to avoid throwing the situation into chaos. Noriko had cooled down enough that she could make that sort of decision.