Editing Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume9 Chapter5 2

===<noinclude>The Maria Ceremony Inquisition. </noinclude>Part 2.===

The morning was taken up with a mass for all high-school students, led by a priest from outside the school.

However, neither his sermon about gratitude nor the lovely voices of the choir entered into Noriko's consciousness. She couldn't stop thinking about the missing juzu.

(Just who would … )

She didn't want to think about that. However, when she left home, it was definitely in her school bag. Then she'd found the bag left there lying open – . 

The only thing she could think was that someone had taken it.

(Just another prank? No, this is different.)

If it were just another prank, then the juzu would have been returned to her by now.

(But who? And why? Did they know it was a juzu?)

She couldn't look her fellow classmates straight in the eye. But it seemed unlikely that someone from another class would tamper with her bag, since they'd stick out like a sore thumb. Even if her classmates didn't know it was Noriko's bag, it obviously belonged to someone in first-year camellia class.

The culprit was among them.

A chill ran along Noriko's spine as she guessed at their motive.



When the mass finished, Noriko went looking for Shimako-san.

(What should I do? I have to tell Shimako-san about the juzu … )

She spent her lunch time scouring the school grounds, but in the end couldn't find the busy Rosa Gigantea.

Then, with Noriko completely exhausted and her shoulders slumping, the afternoon's event, the Yamayurikai organized new students' welcoming ceremony, began.