Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume27 Chapter1 5

===<noinclude>Warrior Demands a Response.</noinclude> Part 5 ===

Yoshino-san said, "Leave the rest for tomorrow," then raced out.

Shimako-san, Mami-san and Noriko-chan had gone to retrieve the white card and not yet returned. The newspaper club members had gone to fetch the hints about Shimako-san's card that they had placed just as the event was starting.

The mass of washed cups were all lined up on the drainer tray, the drips of water falling into the sink. Peeking out from the garbage bin were the paper cups that they'd been forced to use when the number of guests overtook the number of tea cups they had.

Hanging over the side of the empty buckets were the washcloths that had been wrung dry, flattened out and neatly lined up.

Caught in the orange glow coming through the windows, a speck of dust slowly fell.

It was quiet, as though the commotion that had occurred just recently had all been a lie. Alone, Yumi surveyed the room and let out a sigh.

All that remains of the warriors dreams.<ref>This is the last two lines of a haiku by Matsuo Basho. The poem is #2 on http://www.haikupoetshut.com/basho1.html</ref>

The event's finally over, huh – After the festival, loneliness was her companion. The part of her that had been busy with preparations, the fun and excitement that she'd had, both left a lingering aftertaste that would remain forever.

"… I suppose I should go home."

Yumi wrote a note on the back of an unneeded printout.

"I've gone home. Leave the rest for tomorrow."

A message to let Shimako-san and the rest know that further cleanup was unnecessary, on the off chance that they returned.

Yumi latched the windows closed and drew the curtains.

She plucked a single chocolate from the basket of leftovers, unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth. This was Fukuzawa Yumi's reward for giving her all today.

She left the Rose Mansion and entered the school building. She took a slight detour to venture past the first-year camellia classroom and the second-year pine classroom before going to her shoe locker.

Maybe Touko-chan had been waiting for her. That's what she'd been thinking.

Yumi still hadn't replied to her question, "Won't you take me as your petit soeur?" So that's why she'd thought, just maybe.

However, Touko-chan was in neither location. Just to be sure, Yumi had a look inside Touko-chan's shoe box, and saw her indoor shoes neatly lined up.

(Well, I guess that's that.)

Since they hadn't made any arrangement to meet, there's no way she would have waited around that late.

(Still.)

Did that mean Touko-chan wasn't concerned about Yumi's reply? Since Yumi had asked first, did Touko-chan think that by asking that they had become soeurs?

(Or maybe even.)

Touko-chan was satisfied with just saying those words, and would ignore whatever response was given, say.

"Yumi."

When Yumi opened her eyes after praying at the statue of Maria-sama, Sachiko-sama was standing there.

"Onee-sama … "

"I thought I should hold back, in case you were with Touko-chan."

So by saying that, her onee-sama must have meant that she'd waited somewhere out of sight for Yumi to arrive.

"No, I'm all alone."

Sachiko-sama smiled and said, "Indeed." She must have instantly understood that Yumi hadn't yet had a chance to speak with Touko-chan. Because from that point on she made no further mention of Touko-chan, instead taking hold of Yumi's hand and saying, "You've worked hard today."

From the glimpses she could get between the trees, there didn't appear to be anyone left in the car park. They must have returned to the school building while Yumi had been climbing the stairs to the first and second-year classrooms, and just missed each other.

"Onee-sama."

Yumi called out.

"Wha~at?"

"Did you, perhaps, concede victory to Touko-chan for my sake, or something – "

That thought had popped into Yumi's head as she watched her onee-sama's gentle face in profile. Her onee-sama was always thinking of her first. Since Yumi hadn't given up on Touko-chan, and now that it looked like Touko-chan had met her halfway, perhaps she'd done this to set the stage for the two of them – although that may have been over-thinking it.

"Not at all."

However, Sachiko-sama flat out denied it.

"It's true that I was well on my way to victory. If Touko-chan hadn't burst into the room, I'm sure I would have been the one to be interviewed as the winner. But when I took a step back in the face of that intensity, the match was decided. Therefore, make no mistake that the winner was Touko-chan. I merely confirmed that."

"Is that right?"

"It is. Don't be so suspicious of my motives. Silly Yumi."

Her onee-sama picked up the pace slightly. Yumi eagerly followed so that their hands wouldn't part.

After reaching the bus stop, she let out a sigh.

"Really, silly Yumi."

"Onee-sama?"

"Because you said that, I had to remember my defeat, didn't I?"

"Ah."

Sachiko-sama lifted one leg off the ground and stamped down with all her might.

"… I remember too."

Sachiko-sama's personality was such that she hated to lose.