Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume8 Chapter6 3

Towards the Light. Part 3

The sunlight was warm.

Sei instinctively squinted into the light shining through the branches of the trees lining the path.

They had decided to take the photographs at the fork in the path, in front of the statue of Maria-sama.

Sei hadn't really cared where they took the photos, but both Youko and Eriko had wanted it done there. It must have been tough saying goodbye to the statue of Maria-sama that had watched over them for so long, now that they were leaving the school.

The eight members of the Rose families plus Camera-chan moved together in small groups. Trailing them, ostensibly just watching, was the president of the newspaper club and her petit soeur, so they must have looked like an odd gathering from the outside.

It wasn't long after the graduation ceremony, so there were still some students and parents lingering around the school campus, reluctant to leave. There were also plenty of groups like Sei's, that had gathered to take commemorative photos.

"So did Yamanobe-san come? Or not?"

Sei asked Eriko, walking alongside her. Youko looked like she knew something, because she suppressed a laugh and walked ahead, joining up with Sachiko's group.

"He did and he didn't."

Eriko seemed bored as she explained what had happened.

"Ho ho. I see."

Sei smiled as she listened politely to a recap of that episode.

She could just picture the scene, right at the end, where Eriko breaks out of line to go and remonstrate with Yamanobe-san by the side of the gymnasium.

"Even though he could have just pretended to be one of your brothers."

"He's not really a cunning person. But that's fine."

Oh boy, she really was fond of him after all. Love truly was terrifying if it could change the big head Eriko this much.

"Hey."

Eriko suddenly stopped, with a faraway look on her face.

"We got into a fight once, eons ago, right?"

"Ahh, that we did. Ten years is ages, so fourteen would indeed be eons ago."

Sei walked slowly. As though savoring the last vestiges of a blissful time.

"What was it that caused it, do you remember?"

Eriko walked alongside her. Like they were an elderly couple.

"No way, you don't remember?"

"I get the feeling we both said something that rubbed the other the wrong way."

It wasn't a joke, Eriko really didn't seem to remember.

"You called me an American, then I called you a big head … but."

"Oh my."

"… It's easily forgotten."

Indeed, if it had stuck in her mind, Eriko probably wouldn't have kept her hairstyle with the fringe pulled back, exposing her full forehead, for all this time.

"My grandmother used to tell me that my forehead had a lovely shape. Ah, I see. That must have been why it hurt to be called "big head.""

Eriko spoke as though she were analyzing someone else. Human memories were fuzzy things. Even Sei couldn't really say how much of her recollection was the truth.

"At any rate, it was wrong of me to call you an American when we'd just met."

Eriko apologized for her verbal slip from fourteen years ago. However, Sei shook her head, and said, "No."

"I only found out about it much later, but one of my ancestors on my father's side was Caucasian."

"And you inherited their features?"

"Seems that way. So what you said wasn't necessarily incorrect. So you don't have to apologize."

"Same here. It's true that I have a prominent forehead."

Eriko held out her right hand and Sei grasped it firmly with her own. This time they didn't look away. Finally, after fourteen years, they had both agreed to reconciliation.

"That's weird."

They both started laughing, it was too funny. They didn't harbor any ill-will for each other at this stage, so the point of reconciling seemed fairly blurry. Even so, she wanted to face the adults from their time in kindergarten and tell them, "Serves you right."

"By the way, your ancestor, were they American?"

Eriko looked just like the Eriko of fourteen years ago as she bit into the topic. – Or, rather, it was a topic she'd been forced to postpone talking about for fourteen years.

"I don't know their nationality. But I'm told they themselves had mixed blood from a number of countries."

"So that's it."

Eriko stretched. A fair gap had opened up between them and Rei's leading group. Rei smiled and waved at them, apparently misunderstanding something.

"At times it looked like you were going far, far away, but that was just a trick by the genes of your wandering ancestor."

Eriko's theory was preposterous.

She'd thought that the area around the statue of Maria-sama would be busy, but when they got there it was deserted.

"What sort of photos should we start with?"

Tsutako-chan suggested a couple of different styles. The newspaper club members said nothing, since they were only there to watch. Their eyes were sparkling, ready for action, as they waited a short distance away for the photo shoot to begin.

"Over here, Shimako."

Sei called out to her petit soeur, then placed a hand on each of her shoulders. Sei couldn't recall ever having her photo taken with Shimako, and she'd rather leave the group photo with everyone for the end.

"Ah."

But, just as Tsutako-chan was about to take the shot, something caught Shimako's eye and she suddenly dashed off.

"Shizuka-sama!"

"… Huh?"

Shimako rushed over to Miss Kanina Shizuka. She obviously hadn't noticed them as she was going home and seemed quite surprised when she saw Shimako sprinting over to her. – Or, rather, it was Shimako's eyesight that was surprisingly good.

"Congratulations on your graduation."

Shizuka was practically dragged over to the group by Shimako, and started out by offering her congratulations to the graduating trio.

"We're just having some photos taken now. You can join us, if you'd like, Shizuka-sama."

Shimako said. Being unusually proactive.

Shizuka was also leaving Lillian's at the end of March, although not as a graduate. Shimako probably thought that she'd want to share these memories too.

However.

"Thanks. But I'll have to give it a pass this time."

Shizuka declined the offer with a smile.

"But."

"Shimako. Don't try and force her."

Sei grabbed Shimako's arm and pulled her back.

If Shizuka had wanted to be included in their commemorative photos, then there would have been no problems with it. But it didn't look as though her heart wanted that. So there was no need to do anything more.

"I'm happy you were thinking of me, Shimako-san. But I want my normal, everyday life to continue unchanged, today, tomorrow and into the future."

That way she could welcome the closing ceremony like a regular student, and maintain her desire to go to Italy. Sei felt like this wasn't a fake sentiment from Shizuka.

Shizuka turned to face Sei.

"I won't say goodbye. Since I intend for us to meet again."

"Indeed. See you later."

Shizuka then said, "Gokigenyou," and started walking towards the school gate. She certainly didn't look back. Tsutako-chan trained her camera on the retreating figure.

Her head held high.

A photographer wouldn't have hesitated to capture that image.

But the sound of the shutter clicking didn't ring out.

"Now then, how about we resume the photo shoot?"

Tsutako-san turned around and asked cheerfully, once Shizuka had disappeared completely from view.

It can't be explained in words all that well, but that figure looked like it possessed far too much good will.