Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume4 Chapter8 2

With the archenemy. Part 2.

"Oh, welcome, Rosa Gigantea, Yumi."

About ten seconds after Kashiwagi-san's appearance, Sachiko-sama showed up at the foyer in a kimono.

"Happy New Year's, onee-sama. Thank you for inviting me today."

I hurriedly took off my coat and gave my New Year's greeting. But the paper bag with candy, the vinyl bag with okonimiyaki and stuff, and my shoulder bag got in the way, so it was very imperfect.

"Happy New Year's."

For the first time this year, Sachiko-sama gave me a flowery smile.

A like, peach-colored kimono with small, yellow flower embroidery (they're called fine patterns, I found out later). And on top of that, a grape-tea colored haori with butterfly patterns. It was even more brilliant than the clothing she wore for the Japanese paintings exhibit some time ago, but she wore it like it was her every-day clothing, and that made it look even better. She'd gathered her straight, black hair with one ornamental hairpin, ending up with a relatively casual hairstyle. She didn't have any make-up, but she still looked absolutely captivating.

Sachiko-sama said, "Please," and led us down the hallway.

Oh, how I wanted to brag, to anyone, really.

Look at how lovely my onee-sama looks. I wanted to run around bragging. –But this wasn't the time to be thinking things like that.

"Why're you here?"

I grabbed Yuuki's sleeve, as we walked, and asked. As his elder sister, and as Sachiko-sama's little sister, I had to ask him.

"What do you mean, why?"

Yuuki asked back.

"Why is this Yuuki's 'friend's house'?"

"I don't know, either. It just ended up like this. I mean, I really intended to sleep over at Kobayashi's house, but Kashiwagi-senpai kidnapped me in the middle."

Apparently, Kobayashi-kun and Kashiwagi-san had played a game at the arcade over Yuuki, and Kobayashi-kun lost. But why did they have to bet Yuuki?"

"Really?"

And how's he related to Kashiwagi-san, Yumi thought, as she looked at Kashiwagi-san standing naturally next to Yuuki, but then they met eyes, and he smiled.

"Fukuzawa is a pretty common name, so I had no idea, that Yumi-chan was Yukichi's big sis."

"I wish you wouldn't call her 'Yumi-chan' in such an intimate way, Kashiwagi-san."

Rosa Gigantea cautioned Kashiwagi-san.

"Oh, Rosa Gigantea, I'm not sure you can talk. Because she's Sacchan's sister, isn't she? Sacchan's sister is like my sister."

"I don't like that 'Sacchan' either."

"I can't help it. I've called her Sacchan ever since she was born."

Rosa Gigantea, and her previously mentioned "same species" person, blasted invisible fireworks at each other as they walked down the hallway. And to the side of that, I kept interrogating Yuuki.

"You're called 'Yukichi' at school?"

"… Please don't ask."

It sounded like my brother had his own set of troubles at school.

"Welcome. I'm glad we have more visitors."

At first glance, the lady looked like she might be Sachiko-sama's mother, as she stood up from the living-room seat and greeted us.

"Happy New Year's. Long time no see, aunt Sayako."

"Oh my, Sei-san, have you been well?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Rosa Gigantea had switched completely into "speaking to adults" mode. But this didn't feel like she was putting on a good face, as she definitely seemed to think well of Sachiko-sama's mother.

"Mother, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Fukuzawa Yumi."

"P, pleasure to make your acquaintance, thank you for inviting me today…"

"Oh, how cute. Sachiko-san, you have a good eye."

On top of the nightingale-colored, floral fine pattern, she wore a deep crimson haori, and this was brilliant to look at, too. But it was definitely not flamboyant, instead looking extremely refined, and maybe it was because of something that ran in their family's blood.

"Do call me Sayako, and I shall call you Yumi-chan, okay?"

"Yes."

And of course, Rosa Gigantea didn't raise a complaint this time. Come to think of it, I didn't really like Kashiwagi-san called me "-chan" either. But Sachiko-sama's mother was perfectly okay.

"Okay, Yumi-chan. The second is a vacation day for the Ogasawara household, every year. None of our housekeepers are here, so there's not a whole lot we can do for you, but in turn, most of the worrisome men are not home, either, so make yourself home."

"How cruel, aunt. You make it sound like I'm a bother. I worried everyone may be feeling lonesome, so I even brought a kouhai to help be the bodyguards."

Kashiwagi-san said, as he brought tea.

"Oh, I'm sorry. But Suguru-san is a different story. Men that will pour tea for us are perfectly welcome."

"I am grateful."

Laughing, satisfied, Kashiwagi-san placed tea cups filled with Japanese tea before each person. Sachiko-sama placed the pastry that Yuuki and I had brought, although at different timings, on a pastry tray and placed it before us, saying, "Thank you very much."

I was Rosa Gigantea's assistant, microwaving the takoyaki and okonomiyaki and toumorokoshi and everything else we'd bought at the temple. The kitchen in Sachiko-sama's house was extremely big, and there was even a big oven range for heavy-duty use, but no one knew how to operate it, so we just used the family-use electric microwave to heat everything bit by bit.

"What a rare occasion."

Aunt Sayako said, as she happily ate the temple food. For the wife of the Ogasawara household, this sort of food wasn't something she could see very often. Maybe Rosa Gigantea bought all of this knowing that fact. If so, she was definitely formidable.

(But, what is this?)

Am I the only one finding it odd that this lineup of people ate temple food together while sipping tea?

The clock had just passed four in the afternoon.

Return to Main Page

Back to Part 1

Forward to Part 3