Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter5 3

White Parasol. Part 3

The Lillian's Girl's University premises contained a western-style garden park.

There was a water fountain front-and-center in the garden, and the small splashes of water from it sparkled brightly, brilliantly reflecting the flowers and grass that surrounded it.

"So pretty."

Yumi instinctively rushed over to it. For now the area around the fountain was very quiet, but that was probably simply due to the time, and normally it was probably bustling with university students.

"Hold on, Yumi-sama."

Touko-chan had a shocked expression on her face, like a mother chasing after a mischievous child. They had swapped position at some point. The chaser and the chased.

"Ah."

Yumi muttered, then came to an abrupt halt. Touko-chan, who had been tailgating her, couldn't hit the brakes in time and crashed at full speed into her rear.

" … Oww. What the heck are you doing!?"

"Sorry."

Yumi's attention had been drawn to a figure walking from the gate towards them.

That person was someone that Yumi knew.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the figure holding the white parasol grew larger. Loosely tied gray hair and an elegant sky-blue kimono.

"Yumiko-san?"

She changed the angle of her white parasol to reveal her face and there was no mistake, it was Katou Kei-san's landlady, Ikegami Yumiko-san.

"My, it's Yumi-san. What an unexpected meeting, gokigenyou."

"Gokigenyou, what brings you here today?"

Yumi walked Yumiko-san over to a bench near the fountain and offered her a seat. Yumiko-san produced a white handkerchief from behind her, spread it out over the bench, then sat down and smiled. She looked radiant in light makeup, and while this was only the third time Yumi had met her, she looked the prettiest she had ever looked.

"I came to see Katou-san, is she here, I wonder?"

"Umm, that's a bit hard for me to say – "

"Ah, yes, you're in high-school, Yumi-san. Then I might just wait here a while and see if she comes by."

Since they lived on the same property, if she waited at home then they would probably see each other in the evening. Perhaps Yumiko-san had some kind of pressing business.

"It's been decades since I came here, but the ginkgo tree path hasn't changed at all."

Yumiko-san turned and looked wistfully at the path she had just walked along. Yumi turned to look too, and saw a self-proclaimed actress keeping out of the spotlight. Breathing quietly, awaiting her turn.

"Are you one of Yumi-san's friends, perhaps?"

"No, I'm one year her junior. Yumi-sama is always gently guiding me."

Yumi had expected Touko-chan to sulk about being completely forgotten, but instead she smiled and greeted Yumiko-san with "Gokigenyou."

"Oh Yumi-san, and you told me you weren't popular with the younger students."

"Why, that's absurd. Yumi-sama is an adored onee-sama to all the first-years."

"… Touko-chan."

Who is she an "adored onee-sama" to, who? The main cause of her unpopularity amongst the younger students should not be saying such a tooth-achingly sweet line.

But, looking at it from a different point of view, Touko-chan had read the situation and was acting the role of the obedient junior. In that case, Yumi should also refrain from saying what she wanted to, and play the part of the good senior. They didn't have to show their antagonism in front of Yumiko-san, who was visiting her alma mater for the first time in ages.

"May I inquire as to where you're returning home from?"

Touko-chan asked Yumiko-san, being so sociable that it was hard to believe this was their first meeting.

"Actually, it's the opposite. I recently learned the whereabouts of an old friend, so I thought I should pay her a visit. Today's the lucky day, I suppose you could say."

"A friend?"

"A long time ago, we had a falling out over something trivial. I'm going to make things right."

Now that she mentioned it, Yumi remembered Yumiko-san saying something about missing somebody the other day. Perhaps she had been talking about the friend she was going to see today.

Yumiko-san half-closed her eyes, like she was about to doze off. The setting sun's rays shone through the gaps in the lace of her retro white parasol, forming a polka-dot pattern on her white forehead and blushing cheeks.

"It's quite an old umbrella, isn't it?"

Yumiko-san smiled, noticing Yumi's gaze. Yumi thought, "Ahh, that's not why I was looking," but she knew that Yumiko-san wasn't bothered by old things, so she didn't refute her strongly.

Indeed, it was quite an old umbrella. But there weren't any negative connotations to that. Recently, it had become quite popular to reissue old designs, but this wasn't that sort of thing, it oozed personality.

Looking at it, it was quite beautiful. And since it was Yumiko-san holding it, it was all the more lovely.

"I was holding this umbrella the last time I saw her. I never could bring myself to throw it away."

Yumiko-san spun the parasol, like a merry-go-round.

"I'm going to say, "I'm sorry" – the words I couldn't say on that day. I wonder what she'll say to that."

"She'll forgive you."

At that time, along with the voice, a can of juice was held out from behind her.

"Sei-sama!"

"I was looking out the classroom window, and you looked like you were having a good time, so I escaped from my boring class. Here, have one."

Oolong tea, milk tea, apple juice and black coffee. Sei-sama let Yumiko-san choose first, then Touko-chan, then from the remaining two took the black coffee for herself, handing Yumi the apple juice.

"Thank-you."

Yumiko-san said, "I was getting a bit thirsty," and seemed to enjoy her milk tea.

"Thanks."

Touko-chan looked blankly at Sei-sama for a couple of seconds, then expressed her gratitude and opened the can of oolong tea.

"Should I call Kei-san over? We're in the same class."

Sei-sama's can of coffee was a bit smaller than the rest, and she drank it all in one go before asking Yumiko-san.

"It's alright. But if you could take a message for her, please. Tell her that I'll be away for a few days, so she shouldn't worry. If there's anything she needs to do in the main house, she should feel free to use the spare key and go inside."

" … Umm, is it a long way to your destination?"

Sei-sama asked, hearing "a couple of days." Yumi was slightly concerned too. But Yumiko-san's bag did look to be closer in size to a small traveling bag than a handbag.

"It's a fair distance."

"Would you like me to accompany you?"

Sei-sama asked.

"Thank-you, but I'll be fine. My destination's a hospital. Even if something does happen on the way, I should still be able to get there."

Yumiko-san laughed, as though it was a joke, but Yumi didn't smile.

Because she knew it meant that Yumiko-san's friend had been admitted to a hospital. And that was probably why Yumiko-san was hurrying to meet her.

The three teenagers sunk into silence again.

Since Yumiko-san had said, "a long time ago," it may have been decades. What happened back then, why had they never met since, and why was she going to meet her now?

Those answers were Yumiko-san's alone. So Yumi didn't ask. Even though the hidden lid of the music box had been opened, she wanted what was inside to remain precious.

"I suppose I should be going soon. If I go straight to the bus, I should be able to catch an earlier locomotive than I had planned."

Even her use of the word locomotive was indicative of an earlier era.

"Alright then, to the train station. Is M station okay?"

Sei-sama deftly lifted Yumiko-san's bag. It looked like this was how they would part.

"What about your classes?"

Yumi blurted out.

"I told you before, right? It was a boring class. Besides, I'd rather accompany Yumiko-san."

"You delinquent."

Yumiko-san laughed.

"I'm just honest."

Sei-sama answered quickly.

"Well then, I suppose I should accept your offer."

Yumiko-san took hold of Sei-sama's offered arm, and smiled like a schoolgirl.

At the very least, Sei-sama was acting the part of the escort as well as any leading actress from the Takarazuka troupe.

From high-school students to old ladies, Satou Sei was kind to all women. – So cool that Yumi instinctively came up with a catchphrase for her.

"Have a safe trip."

As she watched Yumiko-san and Sei-sama shrink into the distance, Yumi thought:

"A reclusive misanthrope" – that was how Katou-san had described Yumiko-san – but surely that wasn't right. She'd closed the curtain during their first meeting simply because the rain depressed her. In truth, she was a friendly, cute granny. That was the only way that Yumi could picture her.

But Touko-chan muttered something entirely unexpected.

"She seems to be in good spirits today."

"Do you know Yumiko-san?"

Yumi turned around in surprise.

"No, this is the first time I've met her. But I chanced upon something that may go beyond your understanding of Yumiko-san."

" … There's a rumor she's a misanthrope."

"Ah, that might actually be true. She looks to be a difficult person."

Touko-chan said, as she tidied up the empty cans.

"What makes you think that!?"

"She has deep wrinkles here."

As she said this, Touko-chan pointed to the area between her eyebrows.

"In contrast, she had no wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, or around her mouth."

"Come to think of it, you're right."

Now that she'd mentioned it.

"It's proof that she hasn't smiled in a long time. All she's been doing is scowling."

Apparently the drama club had been doing research into how to make wrinkles with stage makeup.

"People's faces show their lives."

"But I only know that Yumiko-san."

That. Pointing towards the path lined with gingko trees. But the duo were no longer visible.

"Then perhaps something happened recently that changed her disposition. Strangely enough, it may be because of you, Yumi-sama."

"Me?"

"Touched by your optimism."

"Ooh, don't say that."

It was annoying that she couldn't refute this. Yumi wanted to argue about it for a little while, but it looked like it would be pretty hard to beat Touko-chan in a debate. – While Yumi braced herself, it looked like Touko-chan had been thinking about something completely different.

"A hospital, hey … "

"Huh?"

"Speaking of hospitals, my grandfather has a hospital at the foot of a mountain in one of Tokyo's neighboring prefectures."

While Yumiko-san had mentioned that she was going to a hospital, Touko-chan's segue was quite abrupt.

"It's in the countryside, some distance from the train station, so it can be quite difficult to get to without a car. But it's quiet, there's plenty of nature and fresh air, so it's got a good reputation with its patients. It has the feeling of a traditional hospital … "

As she listened, Yumi wondered why Touko-chan was talking about this now. The hospital that Yumiko-san was going to probably wasn't Touko-chan's grandfather's hospital.

Something deep within her heart whispered, "What if."

What if.

"Is Sachiko-sama a patient there?"

Yumi asked timidly, and Touko-chan laughed, bringing the palm of her hand up to her mouth and going, "Ho ho ho."

"As simple as ever. Don't you know that Sachiko onee-sama isn't absent due to illness?"

"So that was just idle chatter?"

Yumi asked huffily, but Touko-chan didn't answer the question.

"See, I've been thinking various things. Like, you're not telling me about Sachiko-sama because you've been forbidden from saying anything."

"If I've been forbidden from saying anything, why would I be chatting about it?"

"You could be kindly giving me a hint."

"… How fortunate for you."

"I hear that from Yoshino-san a lot too."

Touko-chan snorted, to say, "I'll bet." She really was such an impolite junior.

"That was just a teaser."

"A tazer?"

"A story teaser, geeze."

It seemed to be something like the lead-in to a joke. Wasn't that what the comedians called it when they were setting up a joke?

But how on earth did the story about the old-fashioned hospital relate to anything? As expected, Yumi had no idea whatsoever.

Seeing that, what did Touko-chan do?

"Stop, stop."

She suddenly cried out.

"Even if I do nothing, sooner or later somebody will make a move."

"Huh? Wha?"

"That's all. Complain to them, I'm all worn out."

Touko-chan muttered, her shoulders drooping. When she finished her soliloquy, she turned to Yumi and said:

"Let's go back to the Rose Mansion. Right, while we're out, we should stop by the clubhouse and pick up the forms from the clubs that haven't submitted them yet. Do you remember which clubs haven't submitted their schedules yet?"

" … Manga club."

"Got it. Alright then, shall we go?"

It was bewildering, the speed of this exchange.

While Yumi's head was still spinning, Touko-chan had started walking down the path that would lead back to the high-school area. Naturally, it was a different route to the one they had taken earlier. Touko-chan hadn't lost her bearings.

"Made it to a good place in the end, though."

Once again, Touko-chan's words were incomprehensible.

"As a reward, I'll give you a piece of advice, Yumi-sama. If you can avoid it, you're better off not riding in a car driven by Suguru onii-sama."

"What?"

Even if she heeded the advice, Yumi didn't think it would be helpful. Even if she wasn't bothered by riding in his car, when would she ever have the opportunity? Beyond that, she didn't understand what this 'reward' was for either.

"It's dizzying if you're not used to it. Especially on unpaved roads."

At that time, Yumi completely missed the hint that was hidden in Touko-chan's innocent words.