Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume10 Chapter9 3

Blue Umbrella, Red Umbrella. Part 3

Consequently, she decided not to go to the Rose Mansion, starting that Monday.

It hurt to look at Sachiko-sama's face, and since she'd firmed her resolve to stand down as her petit soeur, Yumi, as Rosa Chinensis en bouton, had no reason to involve herself in the Yamayurikai work. The timing was fortunate, since Noriko-chan had officially become Rosa Gigantea en bouton, she should be able to fill the hole Yumi left.

"What on earth's going on?"

Yoshino-san questioned her, when she hadn't been to the Rose Mansion at lunch or after school.

"Sachiko-sama's worried about you."

"As if."

Yumi snorted.

"It's true."

She was probably worried about her dignity as Rosa Chinensis. At this busy time, her petit soeur was the only one who wasn't showing up, impugning the honor of the grand soeur.

"Anyway, why don't we go there together right now?"

As Yumi was about to leave, Yoshino-san grabbed her by the arm and started walking.

"I'm not going."

Yumi shook herself free and turned towards the shoe locker room. Thereupon, Yoshino-san followed after her, saying:

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure it's Sachiko-sama's fault. So I'll protest alongside you. If you keep silent when you're angry, you'll never be able to make up."

"It's already gone beyond that point."

She rejected the unsightly clinging that would have resulted. And what reconciliation? Sachiko-sama had found a junior that she prioritized over her own petit soeur, there was no way to return things back to the way they were before.

"Thank-you for your concern. I'm sorry."

"Yumi-san…"

By now Yumi had changed shoes and Yoshino-san no longer tried to stop her leaving. At the same time that Yumi was exiting the shoe locker room, Yoshino was turning around and heading back.

Yumi realized it was raining as she was making her way to the main entrance. The door that was usually open before and after school was closed, and rain was falling heavily on the other side of the glass pane.

It was all becoming such a bother that she thought she'd rather just get wet on the way home, but that would be too conspicuous and someone would call out to her, so Yumi opened her bag and took out her red folding umbrella.

She stepped outside, irritated that it wasn't opening properly, and someone standing there looked her way.

"– Yumi."

"Onee-sama…"

Suddenly, she didn't know what to say. She had the rosary in her pocket, so that she could return it whenever they happened to meet. But now that the time had arrived, she couldn't jump into action. Her umbrella was in her right hand, her school bag in her left. There was no hand free to give back the rosary.

"I had a feeling we'd meet."

Sachiko-sama smiled. Although she was standing under the roof's overhang, she had her school bag and umbrella, so it was obvious she intended to go home. If Yumi had let Yoshino-san drag her along to the Rose Mansion, they probably wouldn't have met here.

"There's something I have to talk to you about."

Yumi stiffened where she stood, and Sachiko-sama took a step towards her. Yumi started to panic, and took a thoughtless step backwards.

In just that short amount of time, contradictory feelings had stirred within her heart.

Like, Sachiko-sama was waiting here just so she could talk to me.

The talk's going to be about returning the rosary.

No, she's going to confess that it's all been a trick played by the drama club member Touko-chan.

As if it's going to be such a convenient explanation.

"Yumi."

Sachiko-sama took another step forwards and gently straightened Yumi's collar. Hearing her name called like that, all the strength left Yumi's body and she melted.

Her beloved onee-sama. Yumi's feelings hadn't changed one bit.

"Onee-sama."

How many times had they called each other that? As she thought about this, they silently locked eyes.

Just then.

A student emerged from the main entrance and made her way to Yumi's side.

"Sachiko onee-sama. Sorry I kept you waiting."

It was Touko-chan.

Yumi watched Sachiko-sama and Touko-chan regard each other. However, there was no possible explanation other than that they had arranged to meet here.

"… So that's how it is, then?"

Yumi's melted heart froze in an instant. Sachiko-sama hadn't been waiting here for her. Yumi had just happened to come along while she had been waiting for Touko-chan.

Staying would be too miserable, so Yumi turned her back.

"Wait, Yumi-sama."

Surprisingly it was Touko-chan who called her to stop.

"You were still in the middle of your conversation, right? We're in a bit of a hurry, so we can't just stand around chatting though. Why don't you continue your conversation as we walk?"

"Huh?"

While Yumi was still surprised, Touko-chan turned to Sachiko-sama and almost pleaded.

"Please, Rosa Chinensis, why don't we do that?"

" – You're right. Yumi, why don't we walk home together?"

Sachiko-sama had made the offer, but Yumi rejected it.

"No."

How wretched, to have to intrude on this harmonious pair as they go home.

Yumi didn't know what the excessively composed girl was planning, and if it was just spite or not, but she hated Touko-chan's amiable expression and resented the way Sachiko-sama just went along with what she said.

"That's enough already."

Yumi dashed off, leaving things as they were.

"Ah, Yumi-sama!?"

Touko-chan's voice chased her from behind. And yet, Sachiko-sama's voice did not come.

The rain soaked her face. Soaked her hair. Soaked her uniform, steady and heavy.

Yumi ran on, thinking that she must have looked unsightly as she did so. The wounded heroine from a TV drama would look more dashing as she ran.

But when it came to her, what happened? Her school bag thumped against her side, and her umbrella turned inside out, like she was in a comedy.

Continuing to look unsightly, she recklessly raced past the library, flew past Maria-sama's garden, and thundered down the path lined with gingko trees until her legs finally stopped when she was within sight of the front gate.

Because there was someone she knew in the group of university students about ten metres in front of her.

Mixed among the many brightly colored umbrella was a black, men's umbrella.

Even from this distance and from behind Yumi knew. It was the back of someone she trusted, who had helped her out countless times.

"… Sei-sama."

Despite how weakly she called out, the black umbrella slowly turned around.

The pink floral umbrella, yellow polka-dot umbrella and navy blue checked umbrella that she was with continued on towards the main gate as though they didn't notice that the black umbrella had stopped.

"What's the matter, Yumi-chan!?"

Sei-sama called out. Most people would be surprised to see one of their juniors soaked to the bone despite holding an umbrella.

"Sei-samaaa."

Yumi threw down her umbrella and school bag, and leapt straight at Sei-sama's chest.

"What on earth happened?"

Yumi just kept sobbing, and while this had rattled Sei-sama, she wasn't in a position to calmly explain why she was crying. But earlier, Sei-sama had said that she should let it all out. Yumi's thoughts had grown so painful that she could no longer carry them by herself, and she wanted to tell them to someone.

"Ahh, there, there."

Sei-sama gently rubbed Yumi's back as she heaved with sobs. Letting her stay like that, without thinking. To surrender herself to a higher power and let her exhausted body rest.

Eventually Sei-sama's hand stopped moving, and she muttered.

"… Sachiko."

By that, Yumi knew that Sachiko-sama had made an appearance. But she didn't draw away from Sei-sama. She renewed her effort and clung to her. Conveying without words that she didn't want to face Sachiko-sama.

Sei-sama and Sachiko-sama were facing each other, but neither of them spoke, so Yumi couldn't tell what was going on around her. All she could hear were Sachiko-sama's footsteps slowly approaching.

"Yumi."

Softly, she called out her name. However, Yumi didn't respond. In Sei-sama's arms, she shook her head back and forth, not looking up.

Eventually, she heard the sound of Sachiko-sama sighing.

"Sorry for troubling you with her."

Those words seemed to be directed at Sei-sama. The head directly above Yumi's nodded slightly.

"Yumi-chan."

Sei-sama whispered, accompanied by the sound of receding footsteps.

"Is this okay? Sachiko's going, you know."

"It's fine."

Yumi quietly raised her head. – And saw that Sei-sama was holding another umbrella in addition to her open black one.

"What's this?"

"Sachiko-sama picked it up and gave it to me."

It was Yumi's red folding umbrella. On closer inspection, Sei-sama was holding her schoolbag too.

"… Sachiko-sama."

Yumi grabbed her closed red umbrella and held on to it tightly.

She thought, "This is me. A wretched umbrella fallen to the ground and dirtied by muddy water. Sachiko-sama picked it up and handed it off to Sei-sama."

She became so disheartened by the thought that she was no longer needed that she flew from the black umbrella.

Sachiko-sama was just beyond the school gates. She was seated alongside Touko-chan in the rear of a black car that had apparently come to pick her up, her face peeking out the window.

"Onee-sama!!"

Yumi tried yelling at the receding car, but her voice didn't carry. Sachiko-sama didn't even look her way once and the car kept picking up speed.

Surely it was because of the rain.

The strengthening rain masked both her voice and her appearance.

Eventually the car Sachiko-sama was in became blurred by the rain, and she lost sight of it.

The driving rain was pulling them apart.

"Onee-sama…"

Even when she cried out, the sound of the rain nullified it. Even when she chased, the rain obscured her, making her figure invisible.

The rain fell.

The rain fell.

Even though it wasn't supposed to be like this.

Yumi continued to cry together with the rain.

She had her umbrella, and she clung to it and got drenched as she cried out to her onee-sama, knowing her voice wouldn't carry.