Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter6 1

Visitor. Part 1

"Sooner or later" came surprisingly quickly, and it brought someone unexpected to her.

Saturday.

They'd completed the first stage of cleaning the classroom and Yumi had ventured away from the school building to dispose of the rubbish. The school's PA system echoed through the cloudy sky.

"High-school second-year pine class Fukuzawa Yumi-san. Please report to the staff room immediately."

Yumi thought, "Hey, the person they're calling has a name just like mine," as she set the garbage bag down in the collection area, but then she realized.

"Huh?"

"I repeat – "

The PA system called for Fukuzawa Yumi-san once more.

"Uh, uh, uh."

Fukuzawa Yumi from the second-year pine class. The only person that could be was herself.

This was the first time her name had ever been called over the school PA system, and a light panic set in. She picked up the garbage bag she'd just set down, turned around and took three steps forward before realizing what she'd done and putting the garbage back. Thankfully, she was on her own, so no-one saw this.

"What to do?"

Yumi stopped to think for a moment.

Wait, it wasn't only students that had done something wrong that were called for over the PA system. But recalling those close to her that had been summoned, like Satou Sei-sama during the "Forest of Thorns" strife, or Torii Eriko-sama during the "Yellow Rose" paranoia, they had all been surrounded by the pungent scent of scandal.

"Maybe this has something to do with Touko-chan … ?"

But the bad rumors had stopped completely when she brought Touko-chan in to the Rose Mansion. It didn't seem likely that the teachers would only have found out about this now either.

On top of that, she was being told to go to the staff room. Not the educational guidance room or the school principal's office, but somehow more befitting of Yumi's lowly stature.

"They said 'immediately,' so I guess I have to go."

Even after thinking about it, she saw no alternative. She wasn't brave enough to go home and pretend she hadn't heard. Yumi started walking back towards the school building and saw Shimako-san's classmate Katsura-san running towards her, brandishing her schoolbag.

"Wah, it's Yumi-san!"

Yumi didn't know why, but Katsura-san seemed shocked to see her, like she'd just seen a ghost.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't really know what's happening, so I came running back because I really wanted to tell you about it most of all, and then I saw you."

Katsura-san took hold of Yumi's hand and squeezed tightly.

"What did you want to tell me? Is it about the announcement?"

"What announcement?"

"Over the PA system … right?"

Apparently they were both talking about different things.

"I told you, I've just run all the way back from the school gate. There's no way I could have heard any announcement."

Katsura-san said, puffing her chest out with pride.

"The school gate?"

Yumi asked. What possible reason could Katsura-san have to run all the way back here from the main gate?

"Right, the gate, the gate. I was so surprised, I had to come back. Pretty impressive, hey."

"What are you talking about?"

"The prince. Weren't you listening?"

Wasn't she listening? That was the first time Katsura-san had mentioned the word 'prince'.

"The prince came to the school gates in a bright-red pumpkin sports-car. I wonder who he's here for. Wearing a suit and all, he looks so much more dashing than before."

A bright-red pumpkin sports-car. Totally incoherent. However.

"The prince … "

Yumi could only think of one person who could be a bright-red pumpkin sports-car driving prince.

The prince of the ginkgo nut country, Kashiwagi Suguru. Sachiko-sama's cousin, and provisional fiancé. Until Touko-chan's appearance, he had been Yumi's number one rival.

Last year, he had been recruited from the neighboring boys school to play the role of the prince in 'Cinderella' for the Yamayurikai executive's school festival production.

"The first-years were asking, "Who's that?" The second and third-years were all telling them, "It's the prince, the prince." There was a huge group of people looking on, like some boy-band photo-shoot."

Then Katsura-san got excited and wanted to tell someone all about it, and before she knew it she'd run all the way here. Kashiwagi-san had obvious good looks, the type that were incredibly well-received at an all-girls school.

"Was Kashiwagi-san by himself?"

"When I saw him, he seemed to be waiting by the car alone. That's the impression I got."

Katsura-san leaned against the wall of the school building and crossed her legs. Then she flicked her bangs.

"Oowah."

Yumi could picture it in her imagination. He would have been fine just waiting in the car, but no, he was the type of person who just had to get out of the car and grab everyone's attention. Since he was a narcissist who knew just how good he looked, he'd unashamedly adopt that sort of pretentious pose. Basically, the prince character. And the fairy-tale prince was most definitely never shy.

"So, what do you think, Yumi-san?"

"What do I think? Cinderella's absent."

If Kashiwagi-san was the prince, then Cinderella was Sachiko-sama. That was the play's cast, there was no way to shift the roles around. Incidentally, Yumi had played Older Sister B, one of Cinderella's tormentors.

"Don't you think he could be here for you? After all, you were last year's Miss Cinderella."

" … And this is the prize, huh?"

Miss Cinderella was an earlier award. But recognition as a heroine was the only prize she'd received for having the good fortune of going from unknown first-year student to Sachiko-sama's petit soeur.

"The prince probably just came to pick up Touko-chan."

They were both Sachiko-sama's relatives. They referred to each other as "Gentle brother" and "Touko," so it wasn't strange that he'd come to pick her up.

"Maybe you're right. That's kinda boring though."

Katsura-san joked, but she seemed refreshed now that she'd said what she wanted to say. Completely the opposite of when she'd come running up, Katsura-san said a polite farewell of, "Well then, gokigenyou."

"Ah."

Katsura-san had started walking back towards the school gate when she suddenly stopped, spun around and said to Yumi:

"So, what was the announcement that you were talking about, Yumi-san?"

"Ah – !"

Yumi cried out.

"Sorry, Katsura-san, I've got to go. I'll tell you all about it next time."

She quickly wiped the soles of her indoor shoes on the mat, then flew into the school building. Thanks to Kashiwagi-san, she'd completely forgotten about it.

Ah, but even so.

Since the announcement had said 'immediately,' just how much tardiness would they accept?