Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume28 Chapter8 6

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Taking place in the middle of May, the Yamayurikai organized Freshman Welcoming Ceremony played an important role in integrating the first-years with the rest of the student body.

The three Roses – Red, White and Yellow – placed a small medallion engraved with the image of Maria-sama around the neck of each and every first-year.

"May the Virgin Mary bless you and watch over you."

Eriko and her fellow boutons (the petit soeurs of the Roses) stood beside their onee-samas, acting as assistants. Even Sei, who usually skipped their meetings, was fulfilling her duty as a bouton today.

Eriko learned which class Hasekura was in when she saw her standing in the middle of the line of students from the first-year chrysanthemum class.

Even though she wasn't usually religious, Eriko felt as though Maria-sama were tapping her on the shoulder and saying that it was almost time.

After the conclusion of the Freshmen Welcoming Ceremony, Eriko made her way towards the first-year chrysanthemum class.

Since she didn't yet have a petit soeur, she was still the lowest ranked member of the Yellow Rose family, despite being a second-year. Therefore, she would normally take the initiative and offer to help clean up, but on this occasion she was given a reprieve.

"It's okay Eriko, I'll do your part."

Her onee-sama smiled. She seemed to have a fair idea of what was going to happen next.

"Youko, you can go too."

Rosa Chinensis announced. Youko bowed, then headed towards the chapel exit while the others were still tidying up.

"Well then, me too."

Since the other two second-years were leaving, Sei tried to escape too, but Rosa Gigantea grabbed her by the sailor collar and said, "Not you."

"Why am I the only one that has to stay?"

Walking alongside Youko, Eriko heard Sei's protest. Eriko had been so absorbed in her own situation that she hadn't had time to think about anyone else, but it looked like Youko was in the same position as herself.

The profile of her friend's face was dignified and beautiful.

The first-year chrysanthemum classroom was buzzing with students preparing to head home.

"Can you call Hasekura-san over?"

Eriko seized upon the class member closest to the door and before long Hasekura-san appeared at the doorway, looking puzzled. It looked like she had absolutely no idea why she had been called over.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Rosa Foetida en bouton … "

It looks like Hasekura had remembered Eriko's face from the ceremony just before, when she'd been standing beside Rosa Foetida.

"But this isn't the first time you've seen me, is it?"

Eriko had taken a few steps out into the corridor and turned around. Hasekura, who had been following her, nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I'm not sure when it was, but I saw you at one of the kendo club practices."

"I see. I'm glad you remembered me."

"Mmm."

At this point, Hasekura was probably thinking that Eriko hadn't come here just so she could listen to some fawning yes-man.

"I'll be blunt. Will you be my petit soeur?"

"Huh?"

Hasekura's reaction to this sudden proposal was one of complete shock. Eriko was eminently satisfied with this.

There was no need to choose a special place for the soeur ceremony. After all, the value was in the act itself.

Therefore, performing the ceremony in a commonplace location like the corner of a hallway held a certain appeal to Eriko. That was probably one of the main reasons why she had decided to spring this on Hasekura without giving her a chance to prepare herself. And if Eriko had asked her to meet in front of the statue of Maria-sama, then even the most thick-headed first-year would start to wonder about the possibilities.

"What's the matter?"

When pressed for an answer, Hasekura voiced her confusion.

"Umm … I think there's been some kind of mistake."

"Oh? Are there two first-year members of the kendo club called Hasekura? Or do you already have an onee-sama?"

"No."

Hasekura shook her head, refuting both those suggestions. Eriko nodded at this.

If Hasekura were already someone else's petit soeur, then Eriko would have been forced to back off. But she believed that any other obstacle could be surmounted.

"If I became the petit soeur of Rosa Foetida en bouton then I'd have to work for the Yamayurikai, right?"

Hasekura cautiously sought confirmation.

"Pretty much. It'd be great if you could help out."

"But I've got my club activities."

"I know. Whatever you can manage will be fine."

"That's not all."

"Middle-school?"

Eriko took a stab in the dark.

"… You know about that?"

"No. I don't know. Which is why I want you to tell me what the problem is."

Hasekura nodded at this. Apparently she'd decided that Eriko deserved to know.

"I have a cousin in the third-year of middle-school who has a frail body. Whenever I hear that she's unwell, I rush over to her."

"I see. Even if you're in the middle of club practice."

"Huh?"

"Oh, just talking to myself. Anything else?"

Eriko gestured for her to continue.

"Umm. So, you see, I don't really have a lot of spare time to help out with – "

"I told you, whatever you can manage will be fine."

"And I've already decided to make my cousin my petit soeur. There's no way she'd be able to do student council work."

"I'm not asking you, let alone your petit soeur, just so I have cheap labor."

Eriko said flatly.

She wasn't concerned about what might happen in a year's time. What interested her more were the feelings of the person right in front of her.

Are you interested in being a petit soeur or not? One or the other.

"But, why me?"

Hasekura muttered, appearing to be on the verge of tears.

"Why choose you? Let's see. There's still a lot I don't know about you, but from what I can see I think we'd have fun together."

"Fun?"

Hasekura repeated, as though she'd just heard some unfathomable word.

"That's right."

Eriko laughed.

"Well, what do you think? Want to try imagining what your school life would be like with me?"

Setting everything about club activities and cousins aside for now.

All of that was just noise. For two people to become onee-sama and petit soeur, all that was needed was for them to have an affinity with each other. Nothing else mattered.

"… It does sound like that would be fun."

Eventually, Hasekura smiled.

She looked as though she was expecting a flood of doubts to come rushing into her head at any moment. But she'd resolutely taken a step forward into this new world and was determined to take it all in. That was what her expression conveyed.

"So I'll take that as a yes then?"

Eriko asked in confirmation, and got back a clear, "Yes."

As proof of their vow, Eriko removed the rosary that hung around her neck and placed it around the neck of the first-year.

"So, what am I supposed to do as a petit soeur … ?"

The young girl, having just become a petit soeur, looked down awkwardly.

"Let's see …, well, I suppose there's something you should tell me from the outset."

Eriko asked, having just become an onee-sama.

"What's your first name?"

"Uh."

Eriko's petit soeur, formerly known as Hasekura, was momentarily rendered speechless but then laughed as she traced a figure in the air with the index finger of her right hand.

"Rei."

A shining thread of yellow extended from her fingertip as she wrote her name in the air. Eriko held out her own finger, gently winding in that yellow thread.

It was probably a trick of the light, caused by the setting sun shining through the window.