Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume28 Chapter10 3

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The next morning, I walked over to the university and bought a rosary.

There were many possible ways to procure a rosary. But the quickest and easiest was to buy one from the university store.

Compared to buying one as a souvenir from a large church overseas, or over the internet, it may not be as individual or rare, but that didn't matter. The rosary was just a prop for the ceremony. A packaging, used to deliver my feelings for Mickey.

I was nervous all throughout the day. During class, I was constantly conscious of the rosary in the pocket of my school uniform. I barely tasted the lunch that I ate with my classmates.

When at last the annoyingly long school day was over, I went to visit the second-year pine classroom immediately after finishing cleaning.

"Tsutako-san, do you have a moment?"

My timing was spot-on and I caught her just as she was leaving the classroom. She took one glance at me and said, unprompted:

"Oh? Are you by chance about to give someone your rosary?"

"How did you know?"

"You mean I got it right? It was just a guess."

With that, Tsutako-san decided to change her plans and accompany me, rather than continue on to the photography club's clubroom.

"It's called club activities, but photography is a solitary pursuit. We show up whenever we want, do our own individual activities and then leave whenever we want."

Tsutako-san smiled, leaning against the corridor wall. Moreover, if she were to refuse my request then she'd probably regret it, since she'd miss out on a good photo opportunity.

"So, what kind of photograph do you want?"

I asked what she meant, and Tsutako-san explained that she could have us pose for a photo, or she could hide and take the shot from a distance, or a range of other options. I smiled and shook my head.

"When the ceremony's over, I'll call out to you. I want a photo of the two of us in front of the statue of Maria-sama."

"Okay. I'll head off then."

"Ah, wait. She's walking this way."

"Walking this way? Weren't you going to get her?"

"Yeah.... But, well."

There was no doubting that Mickey was walking towards us down the corridor. But she wasn't alone, another student was walking beside her. So I thought this might just be a coincidence, and that she wasn't specifically coming to see me.

But when they noticed me standing in the corridor chatting to Tsutako-san, they stopped and bowed.

"What's the matter? I said I was going to come and get you."

"My deepest apologies. I imposed because I had something I wanted to say to you, Hiromi-sama."

The girl standing beside Mickey said.

"You? To me?"

From memory, this was Masami-san. The classmate that Mickey said always had a fierce expression.

"If it's alright with you, we should go somewhere quieter … How about the courtyard?"

" – Okay."

I looked at Mickey. But she looked down, unable to meet me eyes.

"… Just what do you want to say?"

"That's for in the courtyard."

And with that, Masami-san walked off. Mickey followed her. Left with no other choice, I followed too. At that point:

"Stop. Do you mind if I follow along too?"

Tsutako-san said. The three of us turned around simultaneously.

"After all, there's the two of you right? So it shouldn't matter that there's two of us then?"

By her phrasing Tsutako-san drew a clear distinction between 'us' (herself and I) and 'them' (Mickey and Masami-san).

"But."

"I can see by your face you think I'm trying to meddle in something that's none of my business. Don't worry, I won't interfere. It's simply to even up the numbers. Or would you prefer a one-on-one?"

Masami-san folded in the face of Tsutako-san's persistence.

"No. That's fine."

"Thanks."

As we walked, I tugged at Tsutako-san's sleeve.

"Geeze, Tsutako-san."

"It's okay. They understand. If everything goes well, I'll take a commemorative photo there."

Even though I was planning on getting her as soon as it was over, it still felt somewhat reassuring to have her coming along with us.

"Hiromi-sama, shall we start with your topic of conversation?"

Masami-san said, once we had arrived at the courtyard.

"It's okay, it can wait until after whatever you wanted to say, Masami-san."

The rosary was in my pocket and it wouldn't be long until I would hang that around Mickey's neck. But I didn't want to do that in front of some third-party.

Besides, no matter what Masami-san was about to say, it wouldn't cause me to reconsider asking Mickey to be my petit soeur.

"Okay, I'll start then."

Masami-san got straight to the point.

"A simple request. Can you please stop following Sayuri-san around."

"Huh?"

I said, my voice sounding fairly moronic. I hadn't tried to anticipate what the conversation would be about, but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that she would say that.

"You may think that nothing's changed since elementary school, but the Sayuri-san now isn't the same as the Sayuri-san from back then."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in the past you may have protected Sayuri-san from bullies, and she feels a debt of gratitude for that. However."

"Hold on a minute. What are you talking about, with this gratitude stuff. No, more importantly – why are you the one that's saying this? Isn't that something for Mickey to say, not you. Do you really think anyone would accept such things coming from a stranger?"

I was so blissfully ignorant that, even at this point, I still didn't think there was a problem. I thought that Masami-san was trying to tear apart my friendship with Mickey, although I couldn't understand why.

"Mickey. What about you? Is what this girl's saying really how you feel?"

I turned and asked Mickey, who seemed to be hiding behind Masami-san, looking at the ground.

Say it's not true. At the very least, shake your head. That was what I prayed for.

Instead, Mickey took a step forwards, raised her head and said:

"It is."

"… Mickey."

"Don't call me Mickey. I'm not a mouse."

Mickey said, her voice stronger than I had ever heard it before.

"I hated that name even when I was young. When I entered Lillian's, a place where no-one knew the old me, I thought that finally I'd be able to lead a peaceful life. That I'd finally be able to forget. But despite this, why did you … "

"It was."

To protect my adorable Mickey. But I swallowed those words.

Watching Mickey crumble to her knees and burst into tears, I knew that nothing I could say would help.

"You ambush me at the gate. You talk about the past at every opportunity. You drag me out to the courtyard at lunch and then eat my food. And yesterday, you took my favorite ribbon, the one my uncle brought back as a gift from his trip to France. I just can't take it any more."

" – "

Ahh, right. That's how it was. Looking at it from Mickey's point-of-view, all I'd been doing was harassing her.

"Alright."

I said, trying to sound as positive as possible.

"But we do go to the same school, so you may see me around from time to time. Unpleasant as that may be."

"That's unavoidable. I wouldn't ask you to leave the school over this. Just, please, leave me alone."

"And I ate the wiener so I can't give that back, but I'll return your ribbon to you. Ahh, I don't have it on me at the moment. What should I do about that?"

Even as I said it, I was mocking myself about that wiener comment.

Mickey said it was fine to leave it in her shoe-box, and I agreed.

Our strictly business conversation finished with the first-years saying, "Well then," and turning away. They didn't ask about what I had initially intended to say to Mickey. Since they wanted nothing further to do with me, it probably didn't matter to them what I had wanted to say. As she hugged Mickey's shoulders, Masami-san's face looked kind and completely nonthreatening.

"Miike Sayuri-san."

I wanted to put on a show of courage, to call her out at the end.

"You wouldn't have been able to say this without your friend lending you her strength."

Mickey turned to look back once and laughed coldly, then dropped her head and didn't turn back a second time.

" … Tsutako-san, did you know this was going to happen?"

I asked, once Mickey and Masami-san had disappeared back into the school building.

"No way. But I did get the sense that it wasn't going to be a particularly nice conversation."

"Really? I guess that makes sense."

Mickey had shown up, accompanied by a friend. It probably hadn't looked like being a normal, friendly chat.

"Tsutako-san. Take a photo."

"Okay, … "

I knew what Tsutako-san wanted to say. While I was asking her to take the photo, my face had suddenly crumpled.

"I don't want to forget what happened today. So I want a record of this to remain."

"Like Tokugawa Ieyasu."

Tsutako-san said, taking her camera out of its case.

"Ieyasu?"

"He had his portrait painted after he lost a battle. I think it was the battle of Mikatagahara. You didn't know?"

"No."

Then after that he went on to rule over all Japan. Even though it currently felt like I'd been beaten down so badly that I couldn't tell what was going to happen, the future didn't have to be completely bleak.

"I thought I was being an ally of justice. But to Mickey, I was just an invading bully."

Tsutako-san had her camera out and I stood tall and looked straight at it. One after another, the tears ran down my cheeks, but I didn't wipe them away.

"One day she'll understand that."

I refuted those words of consolation from my friend.

"Better that she doesn't. If some day she does understand the tears that I shed today, then the pain of the bullies will stay with her for the rest of her life."

"… Geeze, you really are awkward."

After Tsutako-san voiced her amazement, the soothing sound of the shutter rang out.

"But you're not a bad person."