Maria Sama Ga Miteru:Volume12 Chapter3

Midsummer Greetings with a Pressed Leaf (押し葉の暑中見舞い)

Status: Incomplete

28% completed (estimated)

   

1

We'll be arriving shortly. Hearing Sachiko-sama's voice, Yumi looked around, and found the scene outside the window had changed completely since some time ago. She had been asleep again, she realized.

The watch read almost 10am. If everything goes well, it's said to not take two hours, but with the summer season and the break included, a bit under four hours could be considered okay.

Slender and tall trees with unknown names proliferated on both sides of the road, blocking the mid-summer sun. The trees were not very dense. Shadows from branches and leaves form a natural ceiling, and lace-like shadows dropped on the road.

Stone steps surrounded by trees. Old stone fences covered by moss. The scenes were exact copies of scenic photos on a travel guidebook.

A group of young ladies were taking one another's pictures in the lush green. Couples were taking a stroll holding hands. Here and there tourist-like groups could be found.

"This area has been a summer resort since way in the past."

Sachiko-sama squinted her eyes in pride. From that expression, it was a Sachiko that had taken quite a liking to the surroundings. Well, Sachiko-sama is extremely picky, and Yumi had heard that she visits this place every year, so she must be considerably fond of this place. How lucky I am to be invited to such a place! Yumi delightfully thought.

This here is Onee-sama's favorite world.

During the one week stay, even if only by one thing more, Yumi desired to connect with the things that Onee-sama fancies. They are things related to knowing about Onee-sama, after all.

Having likely rested without any reservations due to Yumi having already fallen asleep, after yawning a bit, Sachiko-sama folded up the lap blanket.

"You can be sound asleep even without the car-sickness medicine. I didn't need to worry at all."

"Ha"

Sachiko-sama had given a somewhat awkward expression when Yumi refused her car-sickness pills. She seemed to feel guilty that she would go to sleep herself and leave Yumi by herself. However, suffering from lack of sleep, Yumi caught a healthy nap without use of medicine in the end. It didn't turn out as Sachiko-sama had worried over, so it probably meant a happy conclusion for everyone.

The car entered a narrow track and climbed a little up a gentle slope. At the end of the track a building appeared.

The car smoothly came to a stop.

"This is it."

"...Wow!"

This was just like Alice in Wonderland.

In the woodland stood a house with white walls and tea-brown triangular roofs. The name "Summhouse under possession of the Ogasawara's" made Yumi brace herself a little, but this house looked okay, Yumi thought. It was not that big, and resembled a small resort inn.

"Is it shockingly old and small?"

"No, not at all!"

The design might be old, but it was far from worn. No cracks ran on the walls, and the entrance door panels showed signs of being repaired. All were proof that the house was properly maintained and carefully used. Ivy vines crawled on part of the walls. Moss covered the stone pavement to the entrance like velvet. The whole house exuded the aura of an antique.

And the house is small only compared to the home residence of the Ogasawaras. Compared to the Fukazawa residence, the building is comparable in size... no, even a little bigger.

Gentle breezes could be felt when they got out of the car.

Probably because there was so much green, or because the altitude was higher, the temperature here was definitely lower than that in Tokyo. It is actually cool here. This definitely marks this land as a summer resort. Not only the image of it, but this place is definitely a refuge from the hot summer.

"There isn't a gate or anything like that, is there?"

Yumi looked around the surroundings.

"That's right. The stones stacked around this place in abundance can be the sign of private land, I guess. Grandpa and Dad hope to live as close to nature as possible, so there are no high walls encircling this place. This place is not well known as our summer resort, and those who know are old friends who live in this vicinity, so we do not worry at all. Even if a burglar is to break in, there is nothing like valuables or cash for him to steal here."

Sachiko-sama laughed in delight. Probably she also longed for a worry-free life without tight security.

The driver honked the car horn, and a middle-aged couple came out of the house.

"Welcome back, madam."

"It must have been a long journey for you."

The couple surrounded Sachiko-sama and each exchanged greetings. They had not met their dear madam for over a year. Of course, neither of them took notice of Yumi.

"Both of you, Kiyo and Gensuke, seem well. I'm glad."

"Thank you very much. Come, come, you're probably tired. Please come inside and enjoy."

After nodding ascent, Sachiko-sama looked back at Yumi and brought her forward.

"My younger sister Yumi. She'll be staying for one week's time, please treat her well."

Having been suddenly introduced, Yumi hurriedly lowered her head.

"I'm Fukuzawa Yumi. I'll be in your care."

Continuing on, Sachiko-sama held out her upward facing palm in front of the older couple and said:

"Managing the property for us, the Sawamura couple."

"Welcome Yumi-sama. I am Kiyo. Please be at ease and think of this house as your home."

"Please call me Gensuke. If not accustomed to the life-style here, or should there are any inconveniences, whatever it is, please ask us."

"T-Thank you very much."

Somehow, they were very friendly people, and she was relieved. Kiyo-san and Gensuke-san. Kiyo-san and Gensuke-san. She'll be in their care, so she must input diligently. Anyway, what's with the extent to which their old-fashioned names match the building...

"Well, with that, I'll leave things here."

Chauffeur-san, who had carried the luggage which was in the trunk to the foyer, said sounding formal.

"Oh, isn't Matsui-san good! Now, since I've made tea, if you can come in for a drink...?"

Kiyo-san offered.

"I can't. In the evening I have the duty to give the master a ride, so I'll be returning. With that being the case, please excuse me, Mi'lady. Yumi-sama, thank you for the lunch. It was delicious."

It's seems that, while he was on break at the rest stop, Matsui-san, the chauffeur, had gratefully eaten the lunch that Yumi had brought. Kiyo-san received the cooler-case that Matsui-san held out and said, "I'll take care of washing it afterwards."

"I will pick you up after one week's time."

With such words lingering, the black car returned back down the road they had come and disappeared into the woods. Though for some reason, Yumi thought, wasn't the chauffeur-san with them the whole time?

After the car disappeared, the premises suddenly felt somewhat lonely, like a small stream that was flowing through a rustic bridge.

To start with, they went out from the first floor atrium onto a wide terrace, and were treated to black tea. Scones that Kiyo-san had baked, were accompanied by homemade strawberry jam that was said to have been given out by an acquaintance. It seems that these things had been prepared because they had heard that Sachiko-sama would be coming.

"Is everything all right with the master and the young master?"

While pouring a second serving of tea, Kiyo-san began the conversation

"Thanks. Grandfather and father are both doing fine."

Gensuke-san wasn't there, and was likely working outside.

"For Lady Sayako-sama, it's unfortunate about her mother. Surely, she must have been feeling really down."

"It's alright now. Since it had been a lengthy struggle with illness, it seems that she had prepared herself."

Kiyo-san has probably been working for the Ogasawaras since ancient times. Here Sachiko-sama's grandfather was referred to as "Master" and her father as "the young master". So that would be why the mother, Sayako-sama, was referred to in the same manner as Sachiko-sama, "My lady" … complicated.

"Ah, that's right. An express delivery addressed to Lady Sachiko-sama arrived from Yumi-sama's house."

"Oh, I wonder what it could be?"

"Just a moment."

Kiyo-san withdrew into a room for a moment and with a "heave-ho" returned holding a smallish box, slightly smaller than a box for mandarin oranges. What is it, what is it? Such a heavy looking package...

"Seems like it's rice."

Kiyo-san said while looking at the product name field on the express delivery's form.

"Eh?"

Sachiko-sama asked in return. Even Yumi, who hadn't heard even a single word about such a thing from her mother, was surprised and sought confirmation.

"I-It's rice?"

"Yep, rice. Shall we open it and take a look?"

After obtaining Sachiko-sama's consent, Kiyo-san peeled off the craft-tape sealing the box with a "schwah" sound. And then, it jumped into their eyes:

"Uonuma produced Koshihikari"

It was written in large characters on a 5 kilogram vinyl pack. It indicated beyond any doubt that contents were indeed white rice.

Drip. Although Yumi maintained a composed expression, sweat trickled down her back. Mother, it's inconceivable how you came to enthusiastically send a Japanese person's staple food.

"Kuh"

Kuh?

"Kuhkuhkuhkuhkuh"

Kuhkuhkuhkuhkuh? She sought out the source of the sound that she couldn't quite comprehend, and for some reason it was Sachiko-sama's voice squeezing out. Sachiko-sama's body literally folded over on the next "kuh", and she grabbed her stomach laughing.

"Yumi's home, isn't it wonderful? Growing into children like Yumi and Yuuki-san is because of being born and raised in such a household."

"U-um"

She wasn't sure whether she was being praised or laughed at. But, onee-sama appeared to be enjoying it considerably.

"Kiyo. During our stay, when you cook the rice, by all means please make it for me with this. The onigiri that Yumi's mother-sama made were very delicious."

"Certainly, mi'lady."

Kiyo-san promptly carried the box that the rice was in to the kitchen.

After tea, Sachiko-sama played the piano in the atrium for Yumi.

There wasn't a sofa in the almost twenty tatami mat atrium, instead there was a large dining table with six chairs, and along a wall there was a fireplace and an upright piano.

"Is there a tune you want to hear?"

After starting off at the top of the keyboard with a rising and falling Hanon piece to warm up her fingers and make sure the piano was tuned, Sachiko-sama flipped through a bundle of piano pieces with her thumb.

"Gounod's Ave Maria"

Yumi said seemingly without thinking about it.

"Ave Maria, is it?"

As Sachiko-sama narrowed her eyes and nodded agreement, she sat on the chair and proceeded to play the piano piece in it's entirety. Yumi wondered how Sachiko-sama was able to play the piece so well from memory.

This piece of music was a very special piece of music for Yumi.

In the spring of last year, Sachiko-sama, who was Rosa Chinensis en Buton at the time, had played the organ in the chapel sanctuary for Yumi and the other first year students. The song played was Gounod's Ave Maria.

It was in that moment that Yumi was completely captivated. By an onee-sama one year above, named Ogasawara Sachiko-sama.

Whenever she reminisces, it's still so.

Though Sachiko-sama might not remember, there was that time in the music room a bit before becoming Soeurs, where they played the piano together and even though it was only a short passage of the piece, it was also this piece of music. Calling it a four handed performance would be ridiculous. However, to the melody that Yumi uselessly played, Sachiko-sama added only the left hand. But, to Yumi it was a treasured memory. And so, of the numerous versions of Ave Maria, Gounod's piece was her favorite.

Sachiko-sama's fingers moved without faltering, and looked as though it was an elegant dance on top of the keyboard. The piece praising Maria-sama was perfect for her beautiful onee-sama.

By the time the piece finished, though she had no idea when they hade been lured to come there, both Kiyo-san and Gensuke-san had come to the atrium and the three of them gave her onee-sama a big applause.

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Translator's Notes

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