Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume8 Chapter1
will
Lost Items
Part 0
In this world, there are some things that no-one can do anything about it. One such example is time: no matter how much one might whine or plead, it was not possible to stop time from advancing. Even those born into rich families weren't exempt from this harsh reality.
Now that February was over, the third-years photographed in the yearbook were looking off into the distance, and that made her feel like crying. But it was different now to the earlier vague feeling of unease, with the realization that they were actually going to be gone causing the feeling of imminent loneliness to close in on her.
Even as she was dreading the thought of it, March eventually arrived. The events to send off the graduating seniors came one after the other, until at last the graduation countdown board in front of the office read "2 days to go."
"Are you alright?"
As they walked along the passage between the gymnasium and the school building, Shimako-san's hand gently touched Yumi's shoulder.
"Why do you ask?"
When Yumi raised her head to speak, right in front of her eyes was a neatly folded cloth being offered to her.
" … Umm."
It was unmistakeably a handkerchief. Since she was being offered a handkerchief, did that mean –
"Do you think I've been crying?"
"Oh, was I wrong? Your shoulders were shivering the entire time during class, Yumi-san."
"That was probably from the cold."
Working in the unheated gymnasium, setting up row after row of folding chairs, was tough.
"But I thought I saw you sobbing."
"I was just sniffling. You know how sounds echo in the gymnasium. I didn't want to disturb anyone by blowing my nose."
The first-years had worked in silence – even when they weren't listening to instruction from their teachers, no-one talked. The cold made it annoying to talk, and the preparations for the ceremony two days later gave things a somber mood.
"Ahh, I see. Then have one of these, Yumi-san."
Shimako-san put the handkerchief back in her pocket and instead pulled out a packet of tissues and offered them to Yumi.
"Ah … thanks."
Yumi expressed her gratitude then took a tissue and blew her nose as hard as she could.
Ah-pffft.
Her ears were ringing.
Yumi knew the reason her eyes were stinging in the cold air wasn't because of allergies, or dry eye, or anything like that.
Her temporarily wet eyes had become susceptible to the slightest stimulus.
But for now she wanted to appear strong.
Beside her, Shimako-san's eyes were also red.
"Only two days now."
"Don't say that. It's getting me down."
Yumi dabbed at her eye with the corner of the used tissue. If she left it alone, then the production of tears wouldn't stop, and she really would end up with dry eye.
"You're right."
Shimako-san agreed, and her sigh showed she was feeling it much more acutely than Yumi.
That was surely because her onee-sama was two years her senior. So the graduation ceremony meant her onee-sama was going away.
| Return to Main Page | Back to Novel Illustrations | Forward to Farewell Gift |
