Maria-sama Ga Miteru:Volume18 Chapter 1 3

Shock² Part 3

When another person heard about the reality of the leading role, they said "no way" just like Yumi did.

"No way."

Said Yuuki, just as Yumi herself had said a few hours ago. She gazed at his dumbfounded face.

"What? You're in the same position as me, and not a lot of room to escape." Yuuki, seeing no way to escape, looked at Yumi with an accusatory expression. So, that's how he sees it.

"When I first heard about it, I had the same reaction as Yuuki."

Arriving home, she had a little distance from the shock, so she was composed, even if only a little bit. Surprise isn't something that lasts forever. But after that comes defiance, then acceptance.

However, Yumi thought it was bad to skip over this part of the story. Like a grandma's stomach medicine, half an hour after a meal. She wished she could have had just a bit more time to reflect. Unfortunately, due to shock, they had all but forgotten Yuuki's digestion of tonight's side dish of Japanese-style hamburger.

But, after helping clean up after the meal and going upstairs, Yuuki would get ready for the bath. Then after he got out, mom would say "Yumi go ahead, it's your turn next." Then some show that Yuuki wants to watch will start. Then Yumi's weekly variety show. They could not easily talk during all that. She had to catch him now, she'd have no other chance to talk with him today.

She had been appointed her onee-sama to talk with Yuuki before the day was over. Because the Lillian second-years started their school trip this Friday, the idea was to get the script to the Hanadera side where they could look it over for that week.

The announcement was probably delayed until now so that the two leads (the Fukuzawa siblings) would not have a chance to complain. With Yumi in Italy, she wouldn't make an international phone call just to protest, and Yuuki wouldn't do anything without Yumi there as support. That's what Yumi thought.

"This is Sachiko-san's doing."

While slapping the script that was handed to him, Yuuki said, "there's nobody other than Yumi and me that could do this." He put things on his bed like a towel and pajamas, and sat in his desk chair. He made a single turn in his chair.

"Hmm. That means Yuuki knows the contents of 'Torikaebaya Monogatari.'"

Yumi picked up a cushion that had been thrown on Yuuki's bed and laid it out on the floor as a substitute seating cushion.

"I haven't read it. But even if one hasn't read all of 'Tales of Genji,' they know the general story. To a degree."

Bringing up 'Tale of Genji' again. Is it easy to use that case as an example, or that it has the same feeling as 'Torikaebaya Monogatari'? No, it's just that Yoshino-san and Yuuki both think alike.

"I'm the only one who thinks of 'Tale of Genji' as a playboy's biography. In classical literature, it was just called 'Young Murasaki.'" She only remembered the part about Inuki escaping the sparrow chick. Specifically, the teacher's emphasis that "Inuki is a person's name, not a dog."

"Biography? Isn't it something different? Because of Kaoru."

"Kaoru?"

Now that he mentioned "biography", Yoshino-san also recited this dissenting opinion.

"The last person that Tale of Genji centers around is Kaoru. Haven't you heard of the Uji chapters?"

Uji chapters. She might have heard something like that. Or not.

"So who is this Kaoru?"

"Hikaru Genji's son. No. ...from cheating on his wife, ... well, lots of things."

Yuuki faltered, hesitant to say. As if he did not wish to continue such a graphic talk between siblings. Yumi did not particularly want to take up the initiative here, either.

"I haven't read all of it, so I don't know all the details."

"Ah, so."

While still sitting in his chair, Yuuki stretched and looked at the ceiling. Returning to his original posture, he smiled as if remembering something.

"Probably, that's it. It's Kashiwagi-sempai's fault."

"Kashiwagi-san?"

"There's a chapter about Kashiwagi in 'The Tale of Genji.'" As a student, he was sometimes called "Master of Light (Hikari no kimi)". Students caught up in Genji mania were in the student council, too. That's surely why 'The Tale of Genji' is so familiar."

"...even then, 'Master of Light'?"

It was embarrassing just to say it, such a grand name. But the image is perfect. Kashiwagi-san is handsome, sociable, smart, and a young master. Ah, that's right. But then wouldn't it be better to exchange the parts of fondness for "woman" to "man"?

"Oh."

Yuuki let out a big sigh.

"Whatever we're made to do, it'll be fun compared to last year's Kashiwagi-sempai."

"Last year, huh."

Each year, it was customary for the Hanadera and Lillian high school student councils to help each other out for their school festivals. Last year, Hanadera student council president played the role of the prince in the Lillian school festival's play, Cinderella.

"The time on stage is not small, so that much wasn't so bad?"

"That's because it was Kashiwagi-sempai. Around this time last year, we heard what he had to do, we all shuddered."

"Why?"

"Can we ballroom dance?"

"Oh. I see."

In reality, it's pointless without lessons. But lessons certainly exist. More than that, it was being exposed in public, on a girl's school gym stage that appeared to be unbearable. That's why Kashiwagi-san, who cleared this task easily, was regarded as a respectable man in this aspect. It appears Yuuki did not wish to follow another's example. ...whether he knew it or not.

"Yuuki said that the role this time isn't as easy as Cinderella's prince, right?"

"Because there are double lead roles. Isn't this a bit too much work for an assistant from the neighboring school?"

"Well, yeah. But, for Yuuki, won't memorizing the lines be easier than dancing?"

"Depends on the amount. Sachiko-san must know that I am not a very good actor."

Yes, yes. Earlier, Yuuki was too flustered to say even his single line of "Hey, Sachiko-san," seeing Sachiko-sama at point-blank range.

"You were chosen for your face, so it can't be helped, no?"

"When I was born, I should have chosen mother's face."

The Fukuzawa siblings, both of them, took after their father's Tanuki face.

"If I could choose one I liked, I think I too, would choose mother's face."

"Well, in the end, we can't."

Even though the shape of their faces now is different from then, in the end, that's why they were chosen for the lead roles for 'Torikaebaya Monogatari.'"

"So let's resign ourselves to memorizing the lines?"

"Yeah."

Their faces said it was fruitless.

Yuuki said, "Anyway, I'm going to take a bath. It feels like defeat, so I'm going."

Lightly slapping both his cheeks, Yuuki got up from his chair.

"...Itterashai. It was bad, asking you to take on such a bit role. But you really helped."

Yumi put her hand on her own room's doorknob after watching Yuuki from the stairs. On the way, about three steps down, Yuuki stopped and looked back.

"Yumi is a girl so you might not know this."

"Hm?"

"It's not just the lead role or the number of lines that has me so bummed."

What? What? It was a mood of a young boy about to make a serious confession. Yumi pulled her hand off the doorknob.

"Torikaeba, it is... I'm going to have to wear a dress."

"What?"

"That's rather painful."

After saying that, Yuuki waved his hands bye-bye behind his back. The air around him filled with gloom as he went down to the first floor.

"Is that what it is?" Yumi, left behind, said softly.

Ballroom dancing on a stage or cross-dressing on a stage? For a man, which was more embarrassing?

Yuuki Fukuzawa, 16 years old.

The balance scales in his heart tilted which way? The swaying could not be easily settled.