Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume10 Chapter4 1

Signs of Rain. Part 1

On the Tuesday that Yoshino had unilaterally chosen for reconciliation, Rei-chan was absent from school.

According to Rei-chan's mother, she had a temperature late Monday night and while fever medicine had temporarily cooled her down, her condition worsened in the morning so she was having the day off.

On the trip home yesterday Rei-chan had been silent, like on the way to school, but she hadn't really looked sick. Maybe she'd spent so long in the bath thinking about things that she came down with a cold. How pathetic.

"Ah, maybe it's my fault … "

The student murmured, gathering her shoulder-length hair in her hands as she stood in front of her classroom.

Before school started, Yoshino made her way to the third-year plum classroom, having been asked by her aunt to tell them that Rei-chan would be having a two or three day break from the kendo club. And, having heard the details, it was club president Nojima's voice that said, "my fault."

"Umm, why would it be your fault?"

Yoshino asked, not understanding. As background, the club president's house was a long way away from Yoshino's, and in the conversation with her aunty neither the words 'club president' nor the name 'Nojima' were mentioned. How she could be connected to Rei-chan's illness was a complete unknown.

"Well, I called Rei-san last night."

As she said this, club president Nojima had a pained expression on her face.

"Ahh."

But even supposing they had talked for a long time, she wouldn't be responsible for the health of the person on the other end of the phone, right? As a high-school student, surely Rei-chan should be responsible for making sure she was wearing enough clothes that she didn't catch a cold.

"At first I was telling her about what happened during yesterday's club activities."

"Mmm."

Rei-chan had skipped out on those yesterday so that she could welcome Noriko-chan to the Rose Mansion.

"Then the conversation turned to you, Yoshino-chan."

"Huh!?"

"Rei-san knew that you wanted to join the club, but apparently she hadn't heard that you'd handed in an application form. So – "

You put your foot in it, club president.

"I'm sorry. I guess I messed up, right?"

Club president Nojima looked depressed, at a loss for what to do.

"… No."

They hadn't agreed to keep it secret, so Yoshino had no right to get mad at her. It was just unlucky, she thought. Yoshino had planned to come clean with Rei-chan this morning.

"Rei-san seemed to be quite shocked by it."

In that case, it was more like it was Yoshino's fault then the club president's – but, what? Rei-chan came down with a temperature because of shock? How pathetic.

The fire that had been extinguished within Yoshino's heart was once again starting to flare up.

What are you playing at, Rei-chan? – Yoshino balled her hand into a fist and glared in the direction of her house.

"Umm … Yoshino-chan?"

"Club president."

Yoshino spun around abruptly and faced the club president.

"Yes?"

The club president put herself on guard, as though unsure of what was about to happen. It was the inevitable response from someone who had been watching Yoshino for a while.

"Right or wrong, I'm going to join the kendo club."

"Okay?"

"So, I look forward to working with you."

Yoshino bowed extremely deeply then walked away from the third-year plum classroom, satisfied. With that decided, she had other arrangements she had to make elsewhere.

Left behind, the club president's exhausted muttering echoed down the corridor.

"… What just happened?"

The young lady with pigtails skipped away, then quickly turned a corner in the corridor.