Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume22 Chapter1.4

Part 4.

The Fukuzawa family dinner ended in an aura of calm.

Touko-chan laughed abundantly, talked profusely, and happily ate all the food on her place. As a guest, one could not get more hospitable or perfect.

Even though they told her not to, after she finished eating, Touko-chan picked up the tableware and placed it in the sink. Then she said, "Could I please use your phone?"

"Eh?" She said it so quickly, Yumi had to ask for clarification. "Why?"

"I don't want to impose. I bothered all of you so suddenly, and I'm very sorry."

"You'll go back? But to where?"

"Home. My mind feels a lot cooler. If I don't go back, then my parents would start shortening their lives in worry." Touko-chan was serious. Yumi understood that Touko-chan thought highly of her parents, and that Touko-chan's parents were raising her with a lot of care.

"Do you want to call home?" Since he was the closest to the phone receiver, Yuuki brought it over and asked.

"No. I left the house after a small argument, so I'd rather not talk to them on the phone and instead meet them in person, I think."

"Then who will you call?" Was Yuuki not going to give her the receiver until he found out who? Yuuki held on to the receiver, and was not letting it go.

"I thought I'd call a taxi. Even if my parents left to look for me, I'm pretty sure somebody would be at home." That was when Yumi remembered: Touko-chan had walked here. Rather than going to the bus station and taking a train, it would be faster to get into a car and go directly to the Matsudaira home. But she didn't have the money to return by train, so this was probably the real reason why she wanted to call a taxi.

"Why don't we take you. Where do you live?" Yumi's father put on his jacked, and took the keys for the car. "Yumi should come too. Her parents might be worried, so if you go together and say hello it would ease them."

"Ah, sure," Yumi answered and wondered, What does this situation remind me of? Now she remembered: When she was a child, Yumi had forgotten why but, her friend had been scolded by her parents. Yumi had let her friend come home with her, and later they had both gone to her parents and apologized. Her friend's parents held back from scolding her badly in front of a friend. Even after Yumi left though, her friend had gotten scared at least a second or a third time, but neither time was as bad as the scare she had gotten from the first time (that had prompted her to come home with Yumi).

Yet, it seemed that wasn't why Yumi's father wanted Yumi to come along. If they confirm that Touko-chan had been staying at her "school sempai's" house until such a late hour, then it would put Touko-chan's parents at ease.

"I won't let her come." Touko-chan held back. She didn't want to put the Fukuzawa family through any more trouble. Touko-chan also didn't want to ask for travel expenses.

"Don't worry about us Touko-chan. But if you get into a taxi alone to go home at this hour, then we'd be bound to worry."

There was no reason to doubt the Fukuzawa family, but Touko-chan, who had run away from home, had to decide whether or not she would go home by herself. Young maidens can, after all, suddenly change their mind halfway through a decision. Someone must keep an eye on these maidens, because they seem sensitive to smoke.

"I think I'll go home by myself," Touko-chan declined politely. Howevever, Yumi's father would not give up. And then...

"Um ... can I say something?"

"What, Yuuki?"

"You have to compromise. And I'm the one who'll decide this," Yuuki said, as he picked up the receiver and pressed one button. It seemed like he had forgotten to press the other numbers. Soon, sounds could be heard coming from the receiver. Someone was on the other line. "Ah, hello? Please take care of it," was all Yuuki said before he cut the line.

"Who did you call?" He hadn't called a taxi company, that was certain. He hadn't dropped any hints from names, but by saying "Please take care of it", it was obvious that a car was on its way.

"You'll find out soon."

"You'll find out soon." Right after Yuuki finished talking, within ten seconds, the Fukuzawa home's intercom rang. Yuuki opened the door without bothering to find out who it was. Wondering what was going on, Touko-chan tagged along with Yuuki and Yumi, and they met an unexpected person.

"I'm sorry for calling so late at night." The visitor came up from behind the kids, walked up to the parents, and bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry that Touko took so much of your time."

Hearing his apology and his deference, Touko-chan suddenly made a deflated face. "Suguru Onii-sama." That was how she called him, the man known as Kashiwagi Suguru-san. He finished talking with the Fukuzawa parents, and then came over gently to Touko-chan. "I came to pick you up. Let's go."

Touko-chan nodded slightly.