Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume13 Chapter4 2

Gathering Material with Dustpan and Broom. Part 2.

Noriko relayed the entire story as she poured a glass of the barley tea that had been prepared yesterday.

"I think asking for the website's address may just have been a pretext for her questions about the events of two days ago."

She put the carton of oolong tea which had been forced onto her into the refrigerator when she took the pitcher of barley tea out. It was already body-temperature by the time she arrived at the Rose Mansion, so she had no desire to drink it like that.

"The events of two days ago."

Noriko's onee-sama, Toudou Shimako-san, looked puzzled.

"If that was the case, wouldn't she have asked me about it? I arrived here ten minutes before you. If she had been waiting there long enough for the oolong tea to go warm, she should have seen me pass by."

"That's true."

The usual route from the main gate to the school buildings was along the path lined with ginkgo trees, which inevitably passed in front of the statue of Maria-sama. Because Maria-sama was standing at the first fork in that road.

"The reason that she called out to you… if she did want to ask about Buddhist statues, you would be the obvious choice."

They were currently the only two people in the Rose Mansion's second-floor room. From the sample size of two it wasn't possible to say whether Noriko had been targeted specifically, or if others had also been chosen. But they should be able to determine that by asking the other members as they arrived.

"But why do you think she would know about the events of two days ago?"

"That girl … um, I'm fairly sure she was Tsukiyama Minako-sama."

She may have thought she was disguising herself but it was pretty obvious. If wearing sunglasses and having a different hairstyle was enough to make her look like someone else, then the weekly gossip mags wouldn't be full of photos of actors cutting loose when traveling incognito. As someone on the side of the people doing the unmasking, surely she would have known this.

"She's been fairly quiet recently, so it's a bit unexpected. Although she is still a member of the newspaper club."

Shimako sighed, troubled. Noriko's onee-sama never criticized anyone, so even saying that much showed how much of a problem-child that Tsukiyama Minako-sama was.

"But are you that familiar with Minako-sama's face, Noriko?"

"Yeah."

Noriko shrugged.

"It's one of the many things Touko taught me when I first entered this school, even though I never asked her to."

But, like her onee-sama said, Minako-sama had been quiet recently and hadn't done anything to draw attention to herself since Noriko entered Lillian's in April. So why was she acting so suspiciously now, as though she was digging for something?

"The events of the day before yesterday."

"Naturally, I told her nothing."

Noriko declared, holding up her right hand.

There had been no touching or indecent exposure during their first meeting with the high school boys, just a simple greeting, but the almost instantaneous fainting had drawn things to a close with a complete loss of face for the Roses.

The boys from Hanadera were getting ready for another round so there would undoubtedly be another meeting soon, but if news of this event got out then Rosa Chinensis' "man-hatred" would become public knowledge.

"My sincerest thanks. It's not something Sachiko-sama's proud of, even at the best of times. If everyone read about it in the "Lillian Kawaraban," then I'm sure she'd feel even worse."

"That's for sure."

Their shoulders slumped as they imagined it.

Ogasawara Sachiko-sama used a lot of energy on her negative emotions, be it anger or despair. They wanted Rosa Chinensis' heart to be as calm as possible, even if just for the sake of the peace of the Yamayurikai.

"Ah, right."

In order to brighten the mood, Noriko led the conversation in a different direction.

"I've printed out Takuya-kun's homepage, the one I told you about earlier."

"Where?"

Noriko placed the printout on the table so Shimako-san could see.

"Ah, you're right. It's our Amitabha Tathagata. That's a nice photo of it."

The three golden, glittering Amitabha statues were featured in the "Takuya-kun's Favorites" section. The statues were from the main building of her onee-sama's family's temple, Shouguu Temple.

"I'm really glad Takuya-kun was given permission to show the main sculpture on his homepage. See, here he's written that it was all thanks to the chief priest."

"I'm sure my father agreed because it was Shimura-san. His knowledge of Buddhist statues exceeds my father's, and he's trustworthy. I've heard they're making arrangements for him to come and stay with one of the main families that supports our temple for a while."

Noriko thought, "That Takuya-kun is as shrewd as ever." Incidentally, Shimura-san was Takuya-kun's surname.

"Ah, right. As requested, the name and address of the temple weren't printed, so you shouldn't be inundated with a flood of inquiries. But if anything does happen, let me know. I think he's already said this to the chief priest, but the sames applies if you notice anything, onee-sama."

Noriko said as she read through the email printout.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

Noriko's onee-sama gave a small, slow nod of her head. As always, every single action she took was elegant and beautiful. A divinity reminiscent of Maria-sama. Noriko had felt that way even when they first met.

"But it's a lot of trouble for you too, Noriko."

"Huh?"

Noriko asked, aware of the somewhat stupid look on her face since she had absolutely no idea what the trouble was.

"Because you'll be relaying messages between Shimura-san and I, like a carrier pigeon."

"But I already email Takuya-kun almost every day, so it's no bother at all."

"Teehee. You two must be close. Enviably so."

Her onee-sama had probably meant it only as flattery, but even though she knew this, Noriko was so pleased she made a bold suggestion:

"Then why don't you come along with us next time, onee-sama?"

"Oh?"

"I know it's sudden, but if you're free tomorrow, would you like to come to an exhibition of Buddhist statues at an art museum? I was planning on meeting Takuya-kun there. It'd be great if you could come along."

"Tomorrow!?"

Shimako-san blinked. Surprised by the sudden request. But since the conversation had come this far, it was too late to back out now.

"But won't I just be in the way?"

"Not at all. I think Takuya-kun's intrigued by Lillian's soeur system, because I'm always writing about "onee-sama this" or "onee-sama that" in my emails. In fact, the other day he impudently sent me an email saying he'd like to have a leisurely chat with you over tea."

Noriko made exaggerated hand gestures as she explained about Takuya-kun, and her onee-sama laughed softly.

"Alright then, I'll join you."

"Really? Ooh, that makes me so happy! Ah, right, the rumor is that they're going to be displaying a Maria Kanon, a statue of Maria-sama done up as a Buddha to avoid religious persecution, so I'm sure it'll be interesting to you too, onee-sama."

While she was still rejoicing, the biscuit-door suddenly opened.

"What is it? What's so amusing?"

The face of Rosa Foetida, Hasekura Rei-sama, appeared.

"Well, um, we were talking about going to a Buddhist statue exhibition tomorrow."

Apparently Noriko's excited voice had carried out of the room.

"Oh my, you two are getting along so well, I'm jealous."

Quipped Shimazu Yoshino-sama, who had arrived with Rei-sama.

"… Would you like to come too?"

She asked, just to be polite.

"No, it's alright."

"We don't want to bother you."

The Yellow Rose sisters declined simultaneously. Apparently neither of them had an interest in Buddhist statues.

While Noriko poured them each a glass of barley tea, her onee-sama turned to Rei-sama and said:

"That reminds me, did you encounter anyone between the school gate and here?"

"Do you mean, "Did I approach anyone?" or "Did anyone approach me?""

The way she phrased it meant that either interpretation was possible. Japanese is tough.

"The latter."

"Someone did, why do you ask?"

"I thought so."

Noriko exchanged glances with her onee-sama.

When she tried to confirm the situation by asking who and where it was, Rei-sama looked slightly dubious.

"It was Yumi-chan, in front of the Rose Mansion. She told me she'd be a bit late for the meeting, and I shouldn't worry. Sachiko had forgotten her slippers and was going to the visitor's entrance to borrow a pair."

"It was Yumi-sama, huh."

Noriko put the glass pitcher back in the refrigerator, then walked over to the window and looked out. She caught a glimpse of what was unmistakeably Rosa Chinensis en bouton, Fukuzawa Yumi-sama, in the area between the school building and the Rose Mansion.

"But why would Yumi-san be waiting outside? Surely she would be better off either waiting inside the Rose Mansion, or accompanying Sachiko-sama, to get out of the heat."

After downing her glass of barley tea in one gulp, Yoshino-sama answered Shimako-san's question.

"She said that Sachiko-sama had borrowed her slippers and gone inside the school building. And she couldn't go into the Rose Mansion or the school building in her outdoor shoes, right?"

"Ah, so that's it."

To think that someone as methodical as Sachiko-sama had forgotten her slippers. She must still be suffering from the events of the day before yesterday.

"So then Minako-sama didn't call out to you."

Noriko felt a bit disappointed. If Minako-sama had made contact with anybody else, it would have provided a clue as to what she was searching for.

However.

"We did see Minako-san though."

Rosa Foetida said.

"Huh?"

"We passed her at the school gate on our way in. But she didn't seem to notice us at all, because she was running for the bus. Right, Yoshino?"

"Yeah … at any rate, she had one heck of an outfit on."

That dispelled any doubts that it was her.

Tsukiyama Minako-sama. It looks like your disguise was completely blown.

Noriko felt completely exhausted as the biscuit-door opened and the Red Rose sisters walked in.

"Gokigenyou. Are you all feeling well?"

On the contrary, it was the bright and cheerful Rosa Chinensis that looked worst off.

– Again with the blue visitor's slippers.