Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume10 Chapter9

Blue Umbrella, Red Umbrella

Part 1

On Saturday, she didn't see Sachiko-sama.

This was because Sachiko-sama was absent from school. Given the way they parted, Yumi thought she hadn't wanted to see Sachiko-sama anyway, but it was lonely knowing that her onee-sama wasn't on campus.

"Sachiko-sama isn't here either. Rei-chan said to go home and not stay back today."

Yoshino-san had made up with Rei-chan at some point. Even Shimako-san looked uncharacteristically happy when Yumi ran into her in the shoe-locker room that morning, probably because of Noriko-chan. Yellow and white were in a good mood.

During recess, Yumi saw Touko-chan's figure in the first-year camellia group classroom. She returned to class, relieved that Touko-chan wasn't absent too, but on the other hand she felt disappointed in herself for being so suspicious, and resentful of Sachiko-sama for making her act that way.

She was still feeling depressed when she got home, so she decided to go for a stroll to relax. It looked like it was going to rain, so she got her umbrella from the umbrella stand, and that was when her mother asked her to pick up some things from the shop.

A tub of butter from the convenience store. – Then, the umbrella was gone.

She returned home soaking wet and crying, and broke down sobbing in the entrance.

"Yumi-chan!?"

Hearing her sobs, Yumi's mother, father and Yuuki all gathered from where they were around the house. Using the loss of her umbrella as a defense, she didn't hide her tears from her family.

"Don't just take something that doesn't belong to you."

Crouched down on the concrete floor in the entry, Yumi pounded her fist on the wooden door frame over and over.

"Don't take my precious things away from me!"

To Yumi, her missing umbrella was just like Sachiko-sama.

Part 2

Sunday evening.

Yumi made a telephone call to the Ogasawara residence.

There wasn't the same sense of anticipation that she used to have.

Maybe she shouldn't have. Sachiko-sama was sure to be out somewhere with Touko-chan. – Feeling like she was checking out an alibi, Yumi dialed the number.

Cold water was flowing somewhere deep within her heart.

Supposing, then.

She thought that it would be okay if she called to apologize for Friday. Yumi didn't think she was completely in the wrong, but she did acknowledge that she went too far.

If she found out that Sachiko-sama wasn't out with Touko-chan, she'd be able to meekly apologize to her heart's content. And when they met tomorrow, if some of the awkwardness between them had dissipated, then the telephone call would have served its purpose.

"Ogasawara residence."

A middle-aged lady's voice came from the telephone receiver. It wasn't Sayako-obasama, so Yumi thought it was probably a maid.

Yumi gave her name and asked if Sachiko-sama was available. The maid seemed to think for a while, before saying, "Please wait one moment," and putting her on hold.

"… So onee-sama's there then."

If she wasn't, the maid probably would have said so and hung up the phone. As she listened to the sounds in the background, Yumi felt her heart fluttering, just a little. However.

"Hello, Yumi-chan?"

The call had been picked up by a young man.

"Huh?"

"It's Kashiwagi. It's been a while, hey."

Her head was spinning. She'd definitely called the Ogasawara residence, so why had Kashiwagi-san answered? The crucial piece of information that she was missing was that Kashiwagi-san and Sachiko-sama were cousins.

"Umm … ?"

"Sacchan's at home, but she can't come to the phone right now."

The thought that she was in the bath floated into Yumi's mind, but that wasn't something they'd go to all the trouble of getting Kashiwagi-san as a substitute to avoid saying. Oddly, Kashiwagi-san apparently read too much into her silence and quickly followed up with:

"She's resting after getting a bit under the weather in the car."

"In the car – "

"Let me be clear, so you don't misunderstand. It wasn't just me and Sacchan going for a drive together. Touko was with us too, so you can relax."

"Touko-chan was there?"

Kashiwagi-san obviously had no idea that Yumi was more worried about Touko-chan being there.

"Yeah, even now Touko's looking after her. She's more level-headed than she looks, so you shouldn't be too worried. They're not even allowing me in the room."

Kashiwagi-san's clear laugh came through the receiver.

"… Is that so?"

Despite the nonchalant response, Yumi's heart was anything but calm.

Touko would be happy just to go on a drive, on a drive, on a drive. – The words that Touko-chan had spoken echoed through her mind.

"Why were you calling? I could take a message for you. Ah, would you prefer I got Touko?"

"No need. It's not urgent. I'll tell her when we meet at school."

"Really? Sorry about this."

Although Kashiwagi-san had offered to take a message, Yumi thought it was better to refuse that offer. It would have been okay if Sachiko-sama had been by herself, but knowing Touko-chan was by her side soured things.

After hanging up the phone, all her strength suddenly left her.

While saying that she couldn't promise another time for their date, Sachiko-sama was faithfully going out with Touko-chan.

It wasn't a date between the two of them. Kashiwagi-san was there too. However, while that may have been true, it was small comfort indeed.

When they parted on Friday, Yumi had questioned whether Sachiko-sama was choosing Touko-chan over her. She knew that, now, that answer had been found.

Sachiko-sama had chosen Touko-chan, that's how it was. If she accepted that, there was nothing else to do. Although it was incredibly painful, it happened because peoples' hearts change.

Yumi took off the rosary that hung around her neck.

Even when she wasn't wearing her school uniform, she'd instinctively put on the rosary that she received nearly eight months ago from Sachiko-sama, as though it were an extension of her body.

(Alright, that's enough.)

If she took off the rosary and was no longer Sachiko-sama's petit soeur, then the feelings of her onee-sama that she had witnessed could no longer wear away at her either.

Yumi was already so tired.

From living her life doubting the person she loved.

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