Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume24 Chapter1 3

Riding a Bicycle. Part 3

The following day, we went to a fairly spacious public park near our house so I could practice riding a bike.

We walked there together, Rei-chan pushing her bike. In my usual green-light-go-go-go manner, I'd actually wanted to do this yesterday after making my declaration but Rei-chan put a stop to that and I reluctantly gave up.

Rei-chan's two conditions for helping me were that I get permission from both my parents and that I practice in a wide-open space in the middle of the day, when it's sunny.

Since I didn't have the slightest idea how long I'd need to practice riding, it was better to start in the morning, plus I wouldn't be able to get permission from my parents until dad got home. As a result, it was pushed back to today. It was annoying, but I had to admit that I wouldn't be able to do this without Rei-chan's help.

The houses I saw from the street were all in interesting states. Some looked to be in the middle of a big cleanup, with all the furniture in the entry of one, and the father cleaning the glass windows detached from all over the house in the garden of another. There were some houses that looked like they'd finished their cleaning, with bright green New Year's decorations hanging from their entrance ways, and others where I could still see a Christmas tree through their windows, apparently forgotten during the cleanup.

I wonder how long that festival-stall-sized hut that's selling New Year's decorations has been there? I suppose it'll be dismantled on New Year's day. No, it'll probably stay there until January 7, selling the herb set for the Festival of Seven Herbs.

A girl that looked to be in about grade two rode past us on a bike and stopped at the postbox up ahead. She took a bundle of New Year's postcards from her bike's front basket. Her parents had probably asked her to do this. There were too many for just one child – about a hundred, judging by the thickness.

After mailing the postcards, the girl spun her bike around and took off again. She picked up speed and drew close to us. Slicing through the air, it was like I could already hear the "whoosh."

In no time at all, she was past us. She took no notice of us. To her, we were probably just another obstacle, like a telephone pole. It was surprisingly refreshing.

"Rei-chan."

Without thinking, I called our Rei-chan's name.

"Mm?"

Still holding the bike's handle, Rei-chan turned to look at me. Calling her name was fine, but I didn't really know what I wanted to tell her.

"Nothing."

Was all I said.

"Really?"

Rei-chan didn't pepper me with questions. Instead, she said:

"You'll be able to ride like that too, Yoshino."

"… Huh?"

"Carefree."

Just for a moment, I must have had a pretty stupid look on my face. Because Rei-chan's comment was too accurate.

That's right, Rei-chan. If only I could ride a bike like that forever.

Because whenever Rei-chan would go out without me, and I'd watch her put her feet on those bike pedals and zip off like a flowing stream, I'd always get annoyed.

Because Rei-chan was always so beautiful.

Because of my congenital heart defect, I'd given up on ever being able to ride a bicycle without training wheels. It was a lot more dangerous if I had an attack while riding a bike, compared to walking, and even before that there was all the practice I'd need – that sort of thing was unimaginable to my pre-surgery self.

So I was envious of Rei-chan for so easily doing something that I couldn't.

It annoyed me that I'd never be able to do what Rei-chan did, no matter how much I tried.

And because I loved Rei-chan so much, it made it all the more annoying.

It was pathetic that Rei-chan had to come down to my level and walk, or catch the bus, when we went out together.

I wanted to go on long bike rides with Rei-chan.

I wonder why it was that I'd forgotten about this. After my surgery, right up until now, I'd never made a start towards riding a bike.

There'd never been any impetus, that was true. Since I'd never got in the habit of riding a bike over to the next suburb, or a bit further to the train station, I'd just sort of kept on catching the bus.

My surgery was done, I'd fully recovered, and every day since had been spent in a hectic blur, so I must have been subconsciously putting it off. At any rate, certain preparations were necessary before I went riding. I was well aware that riding a bike wasn't so easy that I'd be able to do it the moment I wanted to. I could still remember Rei-chan going out with her father, over ten years ago, and coming back with numerous scrapes and cuts on her knees and the palms of her hand. I heard later that she'd been learning to ride without training wheels. Even Rei-chan had repeatedly fallen off. There's no way I'd breeze through it.

But still. I thought going to Sachiko-sama's would be a good incentive. In general, having a time limit serves as a good motivator for people.

I wasn't going to let that get away. I would ride. And show them my victory over the bicycle.

Looking at Rei-chan's face in profile, with the bike interposed between us as we walked side by side, I made this strong declaration in my heart.