Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume3 Chapter4 3

===<noinclude>If I could meet Eve. </noinclude>Part 3.===

"What is this?"

After one step into the Rose Mansion, Yumi became wide-eyed at the scene in front of her.

"What?  It's a Christmas party."

Rosa Foetida said, with a "what are you talking about?" face.

"Christmas, party?"

"Oh, Yumi-chan's still a child, so you might not know about these things.    You know, since ancient times in Japan, there's been a tradition of holding a party on the day before Jesus' birthday.  But the only rule is, you're not supposed to ask why.  Because that's just how it is."

Whispered Rosa Gigantea into Yumi's ear, having entered after her.  –Gosh, they're completely toying with her.  No one asked what Christmas party meant, and the explanation was absurd, too.

Absurd, could also work for this room.

She could understand why they'd want to decorate the room for a party.  But the room was filled with little trinkets to the point where you wouldn't see this even at a kindergarten party.

(It's like the July 7th festival instead of Christmas.)

Links made out of cut origami, cookie-shaped stars made out of rolled-up paper tape, among other things.  Rosa Chinensis even happily pasted aluminum foil on drawing paper to create and wear a king's crown, then made flowers out of tissue paper.

(I guess this is called going full circle?)

When you become so used to being amazed, this sort of thing, in turn, becomes surprising and fresh, too.

They were marvelous people, so she did everything she could to try not to be surprised by everything.  But she still felt like they surprised her on a daily basis.

"Yumi-chan was out of it while we were talking about party preparations."

Rei-sama painted a roll of castella with cocoa-colored whipped cream to make instant cake.

"Bûche de Noël!"

"Pretty extravagant for being made out of marketplace goods, right?"

Rei-sama laughed, proud, and let Yumi lick the cream off of the fork.  The sweet, but slightly bitter taste melted in her mouth.

"Shall I help out somewhere?"

Yoshino-san and Shimako-san had conquered the sink, and taking joy away from Rosa Chinensis, who was still joyfully making decorations like a kindergarten girl, would make her feel guilty, and she certainly couldn't assist in making cake, and if she tried to help out with setting the table, Rosa Foetida might lash out at her.

Sachiko-sama went to retrieve something she forgot at Mass, and wasn't back yet.

"Do you want a job?"

She'd completely forgotten, but Rosa Gigantea was still right behind her, and so she asked, wrapping her arms around Yumi's neck.

"I've got a good job fer ye righty ho, let's be making our way yarr."

"…"

Who was she supposed to be?

"Umm, what do you want-"

"Oh just come on, follow big sis to a nice place, okay?"

"A nice place!?"

Not allowing any complaints, Rosa Gigantea began dragging Yumi off, arms still wrapped around her.  The other members, seeing this happening, simply waved their hands instead of stopping it, saying, "Have fun, just make sure to not be late."  This was why Rosa Gigantea could do whatever she pleased.

(Shimako-san~ keep a leash on your onee-sama~)

But Shimako-san didn't hear Yumi's silent plea, instead laughing heartily with Yoshino-san at the sink.

When they left the Rose Mansion, Rosa Gigantea finally let her go.

"First, the shoebox."

"Huh?"

"Your mission is to quickly find camera-chan."

(Ca… camera-chan!?)

She felt her strength drain out of her.  If she was drinking milk, she definitely would have coughed it up.

"… Camera-chan. Do you mean Takeshima Tsutako-san?"

She hesitantly asked for confirmation: it was right.

"In her case, I think camera-chan fits better than Tsutako-chan, don't you think?"

"Uhh-"

But Yumi didn't have the courage to ever call her camera-chan.

"What do you want to do, after finding Tsutako-san?"

"There's only one reason to ever look for camera-chan."

"… to ask her to be a cameraman for the party."

"What a rude way of putting it.  We're just going to invite her to the party, right?  And she can bring her camera with her.  She'll be so happy she'd be in tears."

But they had to find her quickly or she'd go home, Rosa Gigantea insisted. But well, it would be nice to be able to contribute to Tsutako-san's hobby, anyways, so she decided to listen to Rosa Gigantea this time and look for Tsutako-san.

Tsutako-san's outdoor shoes were still in the small shoe locker.  Which meant she was still around, taking pictures of girls before winter vacation.

"I wonder if she's in front of Maria-sama."

Rosa Gigantea said.

"Summer vacation and winter vacation, it's popular to do sisterly vows right before those breaks."

And today was Christmas Eve.  It was the perfect situation for presenting rosaries.

Of course, in Tsutako-san's case, the problem lie in the fact that she wasn't the one participating in the ceremonies, instead being the one taking secret photos.

"What should we do?"

They could try finding her by the statue, but there was a possibility of walking past each other, and she might still be at the sanctuary instead, too.

"Let's take a walk."

They stepped back out of the entrance, and Rosa Gigantea licked her index finger and put it up in the air.  It's not like she could find Tsutako-san based on wind direction, though…

"Hmm, hmm, someone is coming from that direction!"

Rosa Gigantea's sharp ears spoke true, as a person appeared from the around the library.  Unfortunately, it wasn't Tsutako-san, but it was someone Yumi knew.

"Kasuga-san!?"

When she ran closer, the person, wearing an ivory coat and a dark, brown hat smiled nostalgically.

"My, I wondered who it was.  … Fukuzawa Yumi-san?"

"Yes.  Thank you for your assistance then."

"Yumi-chan, do you know her?"

Rosa Gigantea slowly caught up and was in full "elder statesman" mode, greeting her politely with a "Welcome."

"Gokigenyou."

Kasuga-san responded, uttering words that she most likely used many years ago with her friends every day.

"Umm.  She's Kasuga-san, and she's a Lillian graduate, and-"

She wondered how much she should explain, but Rosa Gigantea, rather than inquire, simply bowed her head, "Thank you for looking after my kouhai."

"My name is Satou Sei."

Kasuga-san looked surprised for a moment after Rosa Gigantea introduced herself, and then smiled, "So it's you."

"Oh, yes, would you like to come to the Rose Mansion?  We're about to have a Christmas party."

Rosa Gigantea kindly invited the grandmother she'd met for the first time.  Even though she didn't know who she was.

"Thank you.  But I need to see someone."

Kasuga-san turned down the offer, and asked if they could guide her, so she wouldn't get lost.

"Of course, if you wish.  Right, Yumi-chan?"

"Ah, yes."

Maybe Kasuga-san wanted to speak to Rosa Gigantea a bit more.

So Yumi accompanied them to the visitor's entrance, then left Kasuga-san to Rosa Gigantea and went to search for Tsutako-san on her own.
"Where are you headed?"

"To the principal's office, please."

After watching them leave, for whatever reason, Yumi became excited.  Kasuga-san and Rosa Gigantea were walking through the school together.

The invisible time machine was right there.

It was fascinating.

If the Rosa Gigantea being Suga Sei rumors hadn't been spread, Saori-san may have never read "Forest of Thorns."

And if she hadn't read "Forest of Thorns," she would have never called Kyuuteisha, so they would both have lived out their lives not knowing the other had been alive.

(Huh…?)

While walking down the hallway inside the school building, she froze.

(Principal's office?)

Kasuga-san said she had business at the principal's office.

The principal's office, of course, was where the principal could be found.  So she was going to see the principal.

(Wait, Kasuga-san said she was going to see Saori-san during Christmas Eve…  And the principal's name, was-)

Sister Uemura.  Uemura Saori.

Yumi spun around and looked down the hallway from the visitor's entrance.

She couldn't see Kasuga-san anymore.  –Like she was an illusion.

Yumi stood there, dumbfounded.

"Yumi?"

When she turned around after someone tapped her shoulder, she saw Sachiko-sama.

"Ah!?  Eh, onee-sama!"

"Oh, brilliant, shall we go to the Rose Mansion together?"

"Eh, umm, but…"

When she explained, Sachiko-sama said it was no problem.

"Takeshima Tsutako-san just skipped her way to the Rose Mansion."

Where did Tsutako-san sniff this one out?  How fearsome.  As expected of "camera-chan."

"Oh, yes, before I forget."

Sachiko-sama held out a small, wrapped box.  "Here."

"A present for you."

"… A souvenir from France?"

Sachiko-sama smiled bitterly at Yumi's absurd question and corrected her.

"A Christmas present, of course."

"Eh!?"

Her mind went blank, like she hit the reset button.

Because she didn't even think about trading presents here and now.  She'd only received gifts from her parents for the sixteen years she'd lived.

"Go ahead, open it."

She hesitantly opened the wrapping, and a white handkerchief appeared from the box.  It was fringed by gorgeous lacing, and the letter S was embroidered with white thread in one corner.

"The same one onee-sama always uses…?"

Probably one of many that Sachiko-sama ordered in bulk.

"Will you use it?"

"Th-thank you very much.  … But, I-"

"No worry.  I wanted to give you a gift.  … I know."

Sachiko-sama reached past Yumi's cheeks and loosened the black ribbon tying Yumi's hair.

"If you are bothered, may I receive this?"

Sachiko-sama gathered her own black hair and tied it with Yumi's ribbon.  That spectacle was so natural, and so beautiful, that Yumi felt her heart about to burst.

"Merry Christmas."

Sachiko-sama held both of Yumi's hands and whispered.

-So that the world's people could greet this day with good fortune.

"… Merry Christmas."

As they walked back, holding hands, she felt like crying.

If only it would snow, she pleaded to the heavens.

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