Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume8 Chapter8 2

Spring Breeze. Part 2

I knew of her existence.

Well, I knew her name but not her face, that level of awareness.

Rosa Gigantea, Satou Sei-sama.

On the day of the entrance ceremony, I'd heard the gossip from my classmates that her "exquisite foreign features" and "melancholy expression" made her look "totally sexy."

We would have been in the same school building for a year during middle-school, but I couldn't recall her face.

The forging of an intimate bond between older and younger students was a tradition reserved solely for the high-school division of Lillian's Girls Academy. Before then, during compulsory education, it fell to the teachers and sisters, as well as fellow classmates, to provide spiritual and physical guidance. Even so, some precocious middle-school students who adored the soeur system but couldn't wait until they were in high-school would secretly meet with older students to share gossip.

Gossip such as, Rosa Foetida, Torii Eriko-sama, had silky hair and tied her ribbon beautifully, as well as being a superwoman who could effortlessly do anything. But she never looked triumphant. It took a connoisseur to appreciate her cool expression.

Or, Rosa Chinensis, Mizuno Youko, had a mature presence and was always ready to take action, making her the quintessential class representative. This was balanced against her flawless beauty, giving her a charm that no-one else could possibly imitate.

We sat in alphabetical order at the start of the year, and the girl who sat beside me was well acquainted with the seniors, so the air around me was filled with gossip.

"Shimako-san, which Rose is your type?"

The first time I was asked this I was taken aback and answered truthfully with, "I don't know."

"Yeah, they're all wonderful, aren't they?"

My classmates chose to interpret my response favorably. That was when I realized that most of the students had arranged themselves into social groups based around which one of the Roses was their favorite. This made someone like me, who didn't really know who the Roses were, a somewhat unusual creature.

All of the various cliques adored their chosen Rose. Treating them like local celebrities, in a manner of speaking. There was a certain distance because the Roses were two grades ahead of us, making their existence more of a rumor. Even the students who had already exchanged soeur vows joined in the commotion. Almost as though it was unthinkable that their onee-samas would get jealous, because they were talking about the Roses.

But I digress.

Eventually the day of the "New Students Welcoming Ceremony" arrived, with me still unaware of some of the finer details, such as Rosa Gigantea not yet having a petit soeur.

The reports from the girl who sat beside me were very accurate. I marveled at how the images I had of Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida matched up with the reality when I saw them among the Yamayurikai executive during the ceremony in the chapel.

All except for one. Rosa Gigantea was the sole exception.

Or, rather, I didn't have a concrete image of the person Satou Sei-sama. No, that's not right. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that because I had unknowingly met her before I formed an image of her, I imagined that she must look different to that, then got frustrated part way through imagining her.

The girl standing there with the calm expression was unmistakeably the same one that I had met beneath the cherry tree.

But, why was it, I wonder? The impression of the girl handing out medallions at the welcoming ceremony was different to back then. Despite the fact that she was smiling, she looked pitiful. Although there had definitely been a loneliness in her expression as she'd gazed off at something invisible, while her entire body was baptized by flower petals, there hadn't been this sensation of wanting to reach out to her in pity.

"Shimako-san."

I came back to earth when I was tapped on the shoulder from behind.

"There's a gap opening up."

My classmate whispered. I saw that a space large enough for two people had opened up in front of me.

"Ah, sorry."

I quickly closed in on the student ahead of me. It goes without saying that I was a new student, and was lined up to receive a medallion from one of the Roses.

What had I been thinking?

It was quite presumptuous of me to consider a senior as "pathetic" or "someone to pity," even if it had only been for a moment.

Plum class finished, and following them was my peach class. Standing in front of us was Rosa Chinensis. But my attention was focused on Rosa Gigantea, on the far side, with Rosa Foetida between us.

I wanted to know. Even though it was painful to look at her, why couldn't I look away?

The three Roses placed the medallions around the necks of the new students, one by one. Were the students assisting them their petit soeurs?

Eventually, my turn arrived.

"May the Virgin Mary bless you and watch over you."

Rosa Chinensis placed the medallion around my neck. It felt as though Rosa Gigantea glanced our way, but that may just have been my imagination.

Shimazu Yoshino, of the first-year chrysanthemum class, came to visit the peach class after school one day, about a week after the welcoming ceremony.

"Yes?"

"You see, I was wondering if you could come with me. You don't have any committee work or anything today, do you?"

Smiling, Yoshino-san started walking away.

I'd been in the same class as her only once during middle-school. She had a rare heart condition and the only impression I had of her was that she was often absent or had to leave early. But it wasn't just her, I didn't have many memories stuck in my head for any other classmates either. Since I'd joined Lillian's, it had been especially hard for me to make close friends.

So, since we weren't particularly friendly, I couldn't imagine what business Yoshino-san had with me.

"Where to?"

"The Rose Mansion."

"The Rose – "

I swallowed my words.

The Rose Mansion.

That was the name given to the building that served as the headquarters for the Lillian's Girls Academy High-school student council, or Yamayurikai. I knew, from the girl who sat next to me, that the Roses usually met there after school. But it was hard to approach, especially for first-years, so I hadn't heard any stories of anyone actually going there to visit.

The Rose Mansion was located in the courtyard between the high-school buildings. Despite its small size, the old, wooden, two-story western-style building had a majestic appearance.

"Is it alright for us to just walk in like this?"

I impulsively asked when Yoshino-san opened the front door.

"Huh? … Ah."

Yoshino-san reached down the front of her sailor collar, and pulled something out to show me, just for a second.

"I've been Hasekura Rei-sama's petit soeur since the day of the entrance ceremony."

It was a pretty, green rosary.

Hasekura Rei-sama was the second-year student known as Rosa Foetida en bouton, since she was Rosa Foetida's petit soeur. Yoshino-san apparently had access to the Rose Mansion due to that relationship. I really was stunningly ignorant of this news.

"There's someone waiting here who said she wanted to meet you, Shimako-san."

"Is that Rosa Gigantea … ?"

I asked. In the month since I'd started high-school, I'd had practically no contact with the student council. There was only one thing that came to mind. My accidental encounter with Satou Sei-sama in the blizzard of cherry blossom petals.

"No."

Yoshino-san said, as she entered the building, then started up the staircase that came immediately into view.

"Rosa Chinensis is one of the people waiting for you."

The interior of the building looked as well-worn as the exterior. When I put my foot onto the staircase, the wood creaked as though it were going to break at any moment.

"Why did Rosa Chinensis ask to see me?"

"Who knows."

It was obvious that Yoshino-san didn't know either. She walked ahead, looking puzzled.

"The only reason I went to get you was because I know what you look like."

"I see."

I gave up, and followed Yoshino-san. Thinking about it, it seemed unlikely that Rosa Gigantea would have asked someone else to fetch me. If she wanted it done, she probably would have done it herself. I had no reason to think that, it just somehow felt right.

Yoshino-san had said, "Rosa Chinensis is one of the people waiting." If there were a number of older students who didn't know me but wanted to talk to me, then it made sense for them to send Yoshino-san.

Yoshino-san finished climbing the staircase, then walked over to the large, brown door and knocked.

"I've brought Toudou Shimako-san."

"Well done, show her in."

The gentle reply came from inside the room.

"After you."

Yoshino-san prompted me, holding the door open, and I stepped inside.

"I'm Toudou Shimako."

I introduced myself and bowed. The two students inside rose from their chairs and ushered me in.

"Sorry for having to summon you like this."

"We just wanted to have a little chat."

They offered me a chair, pulling it out from the table and practically forcing me to sit down. In a spot that was directly opposite where they had been sitting. It looked as though the topic of this chat wasn't going to be something simple.

"I wonder if it's necessary for us to introduce ourselves as well."

"No, that's alright."

They were famous enough in the high-school that even someone as tenuously connected to other people as myself knew who they were – Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida.

"Well then, I'll excuse myself now."

After placing a cup of tea in front of me, Yoshino-san left the room.

"Thanks, Yoshino-chan."

"Good work today."

The two Roses showered Yoshino-san's back with these words of appreciation, then after she'd disappeared beyond the door, started to chat amongst themselves.

"Rei has club activities, doesn't she? Will she be alright going home by herself?"

"She told me she'd been feeling good recently. Apparently spring's easier on her."

It seemed as though they were concerned about Yoshino-san's physical condition.

"Ah, now that you mention it, she is looking healthier."

Rosa Chinensis seemed satisfied with this, but then she suddenly turned to me and said:

"Now then, do you have an onee-sama?"

"Huh!?"

Based on our positions, it was only natural that they would be asking me questions. But even though I knew that, it was such an astounding question that I couldn't avoid reacting.

"Do you have an onee-sama or not? It's a simple question, right?"

Rosa Foetida was all smiles as she pressed me, as though striking the final blow.

"I-I don't … but."

"Let me check something, just to be sure. We're not talking about a blood-related sister here."

"Right."

Either way, it was the same. An onee-sama from the soeur system, or an onee-sama born to the same parents. I had neither.

"I see."

"I'm relieved to hear you say that."

What on earth were they "relieved" by? Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida grinned as I was left in the lurch.

"Well then, Toudou Shimako-san. Shall we move on to the main event?"

"Okay."

I waited, somewhat nervously, for the next question.

"This is the reason we asked you here. Actually, it's a request we want to make of you."

"A request?"

Even though they said it was a request, I felt pressured to stay until I heard everything they were going to say. It felt like I was being let in on a secret, although that analogy is somewhat ill-suited to a high-school student.

However.

"We were wondering if you would take up a position as a Yamayurikai assistant."

"Huh!?"

After uttering this exclamation, I looked at the two Roses. Rosa Chinensis' "request" was too vague. There wasn't enough explanation to know whether I should accept or refuse.

"I see. An explanation is necessary."

Rosa Chinensis said, as though reading my mind.

"As you know, the Yamayurikai is the student council that's centered around three students, called Roses. But it's easy to see how three people wouldn't be enough to handle all that, right? Therefore, we use our own petit soeurs as assistants. You're aware of that?"

"The boutons."

Yoshino-san's onee-sama, Hasekura Rei-sama, held such a position. And I got the feeling that I'd heard it mentioned that Ogasawara Sachiko-sama was also a bouton.

"Wonderful."

"The conversation's proceeding quickly."

The two Roses looked at each other and smiled, apparently pleased.

"Both I and Rosa Foetida have reliable petit soeurs. But, regrettably, Rosa Gigantea is without a petit soeur."

"She doesn't have a petit soeur."

I repeated Rosa Chinensis' words, trying to understand. It sounded like something I may or may not have heard from my classmates. But, from memory, there had been a rumor about one of the Roses not having a petit soeur.

"Right, she doesn't have a petit soeur. The circumstances around this aren't directly related to the main topic however, so don't dwell on it too deeply. The main problem is that we are indeed short-handed. I suppose you participated in the new students' welcoming ceremony, right Shimako-san?"

"Yes."

In truth, Rosa Chinensis had placed the medallion around my neck, but there were so many first-years that it was only natural she wouldn't remember. Becoming intrigued by someone after meeting them for the first time rarely happened.

"Since Rosa Gigantea didn't have anyone to assist her for that, she reluctantly asked one of her classmates."

Then the Roses raised a number of concerns, like the student may have agreed to help out just for that event. Or Rosa Gigantea might find it hard to rely on her friends as the third-years would be busy preparing for their post-graduation futures.

"Yoshino-chan is also a member of our group now, but she's the petit soeur of Rosa Foetida en bouton, so she can't be Rosa Gigantea's assistant."

"Ah, the various Rose families do help each other out as a matter of course. But, well, Yoshino-chan has a weak body, so we don't want to overburden her."

The two-person conversation continued. At any rate, their expectation was probably that if they picked an unencumbered first-year, she'd be willing to help out with the student council work.

"I understand what you're saying. But, why me?"

"Congratulations, you were selected from a lottery containing all the eligible first-years."

Rosa Foetida said, spreading her arms wide.

"… Really?"

"Shimako-san, you really should watch out for sleazy salesmen."

Rosa Chinensis looked at me sympathetically.

"Oh? … Then."

"Of course that was a lie."

Rosa Foetida said, poking her tongue out. Right at that moment.

"What are you doing!?"

The brown door was flung open with such noise and force that it seemed unthinkable that it was the same door that Yoshino-san had silently closed.

Standing there looking incredibly upset was Rosa Gigantea, Satou Sei-sama.