Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume22 Chapter5.1

Section 1

Her house is just as huge as ever, Rei thought as she looked up to the tall gate.

Not just huge, but totally huge.

To use the proper Japanese she learned in Lillian, the house would not just be large, but very large. But "totally huge" just had some connotation in it that "very large" didn't. At least when applied to the Ogasawara Premises.

Rei felt very special to be considered a friend of the princess that lived in this sort of a place as she seared for the intercom. And to think that a visitor to such a majestic mansion came in a lady's bike was simply absurd.

The tall gate seemed more appropriate to welcome the cars of high officials or the best of domestic cars. The design hadn't even considered bicycles, so, sadly, her ride probably scored her a Double-Zero on the scoring chart for these things.

(Ah, got it, got it.)

Rei pushed the intercom button.

"What business do you have at the Ogasawara Residence?"

The female voice that called out through the intercom wasn't Sachiko's or Sayako Obaa-sama's. Probably a helper.

"I'm Hasekura."

Maybe she had been too curt, but Sachiko-sama piped in.

"Ah, it's Rei. She's already here huh."

Sachiko said to her helper. Then she began speaking to Rei.

"Rei, the gate will open now. Come in."

Rei waited in front of the intercom for the gate to open, and suddenly it began opening automatically.

"I apologize for intruding." (TL Sukoshi: A Japanese ritual phrase.)

Rei said as she biked into the premises.

(It's a forest, as always.)

There was still quite a ways until she hit the first building. Once she left the gate safely out of sight, she leaned forward into the bike and began pedaling faster.

(It's a park, like it always is. And wait, here comes the castle.)

Since this was all custom-made, they probably had to pay enormous taxes on it. What kind of thoughts for someone to have riding into such a place on such a bike.

She drove her beloved car into the parking structure to the right, stuffed the key into her jeans pocket, and left. Then she took out the plastic bag from her bike's carry basket and placed it on top of the bike seat. Rei began walking toward the house.

Rei walked up to the front of the house. Before Rei could ring the doorbell, Sachiko came out.

"Welcome."

The smiling princess enters the stage. The princess wears a crimson colored sweater with a long white-red checked skirt. On top of her shoulders, the princess sported a lovely gray-brown shawl.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Rei asked because Sachiko was acting more perky than usual.

"Ah, I'm fine now. I just that it would be great to see you outside. The day before you called Rei, I was really busy and I had collapsed, so I was told for the rest of the vacation I couldn't leave the house. I've been really bored, so I'm happy you came to see me."

"Your parents won't let you go outside?"

"My parents were fine. My grandfather's the problem."

"Sachiko, you really are overprotected."

"Way too much."

Sachiko opened the door and beckoned Rei inside. Rei called out "I'm sorry for intruding", and put her feet inside.

(TL Sukoshi: "I'm sorry or intruding" or O-jamashimasu is a common Japanese greeting when entering someone else's house.)

"You should call Yumi-chan over if you're bored."

Rei entered the house and began to sweat, so she took her jacket off. Perhaps she had biked too quickly while coming here.

"I can't call her. I collapsed while I was out with her at the amusement park."

"She's worried, huh."

Sachiko was with Yumi-chan when she started feeling bad, then something happened and they weren't letting Sachiko go outside. It wasn't Yumi-chan's fault obviously, but she felt guilty about it.

"That's why I'm keeping this a secret."

"I see."

After Rei finished taking her sneakers off and putting on her indoor slippers, Sachiko's mother, Sayako Obaa-sama, met them.

"Rei-san, so nice to see you. It's been a while."

"It has, auntie."

Maybe Rei shouldn't be surprised at Sayako Obaa-sama either. She too was like a princess, young-looking, beautiful, and seemed to be the beauty who looked over and guided Sachiko. It may be rude to think this, but Rei didn't think Sayako Obaa-sama looked as if she had a high-school going daughter at all.

"You've heard that Sachiko has been bored right? Please, stay as long as you'd like."

"Sure. Thanks for the offer."

"How about lunch?"

"I just had some."

Soon it would be three o'clock. If she had said "Sure" then some amazing lunch would find itself in front of Rei. And it wouldn't be some normal amount of food either. Earlier when she had eaten some food here, she had been dumbfounded by the sheer amount of food she was given. After that day, Rei decided to never come here during a mealtime.

"Rei-san, how'd you come here?"

Unlike other mothers who were fine with just greeting their daughter's children and leaving, Sayako Obaa-sama had to engage her daughter's guests in conversation.

"I came by bike. It's not very far from my house. If I took a bus or the train, then I'd just spend time going in circles or going past all the stops, and get late."

She had marked out the shortest path on the map, but along the way she accidentally took a turn onto the hilly road and wasn't sure where to go. But today was a beautiful day, and Rei had a great time finding her way from some unknown back road on such a nice day.

"Rei-chan must look stunning on a bike!"

"... It's a ladies bike..."

"Ladies bike?"

"It's not one of those sporty ones. It's one of those that all mothers use bring back groceries from the store. The ones with the carry baskets in the front and the place in the back to keep stuff."

"Even that much look great!"

Sayako Obaa-sama's sense of fun was a bit off. She seemed to love everything that normal people did.

"No more mom. Rei, come to my room."

"Ah, wait. It's not much but, I baked a bit this morning."

Rei handed a paper bag to Sayako Obaa-sama. Then suddenly the two Ogasawara women looked at each other and exchanged odd glances.

"Um?"

Rei asked, worried that she had said something rude. Sachiko answered questioningly.

"That's not ... Mille Feuille ... is it?"

Mille Feuille? Why would they think it's Mille Feuille?

"No, it's a pound cake made of dried fruits...."

"Oh thank god. Thanks a lot. Rei-san go along with Sachiko. I'll bring the tea and cake later."

Sayako Obaa-sama seemed to jog off to the kitchen with the pound cake in hand.

Rei wasn't sure what had just happened so she asked Sachiko as they were going up the stairs.

"If anyone hears the words 'Mille Feuille' in my house, their stomach wretches."