Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume33 Chapter5

Parting Gift Trio

Part 1.

"The farewell address."

The vice-principal announced.

"The students' representative, second year wisteria class, Toudou Shimako."

Shimako acknowledged her name with a 'Here' and rose from her chair.

Sitting in front of her, Katsura-san turned around and whispered, 'Good luck.' Her fellow classmates smiled at her as she walked by, and Shimako nodded to them as she made her way to the aisle that split the neat rows of chairs.

The gymnasium's stage was straight in front of her.

It was Shimako's duty to take that stage and to deliver a speech that would send forth the graduating seniors.

Her heartbeat gradually picked up pace.

Shimako took a deep breath, then slowly started to walk forwards. There was no turning back now. When she next walked down this path, it would be after she had completed her important duty. Then she would be going in the opposite direction, returning to her seat.

When she reached the aisle that signalled the boundary between the graduating seniors and the remaining students, Shimako once more came to a halt.

With approximately 450 current students at her back, Shimako looked out over the graduating class.

Maria-sama, please look after them.

Keep them from harm.

Unusually, Shimako made a direct request of Maria-sama. Probably because of the pressure associated with this task. – The pressure on Shimako, that is.

* * *

"Ahh, Toudou-san."

It was the middle of February, and afternoon homeroom had just finished. Her homeroom teacher had been on the verge of leaving the classroom when she called out to Shimako, asking, 'Do you have a moment?'

"Yes."

Her teacher was waiting with one foot in the classroom and one foot in the hallway. If the door were to remain open too long her classmates that were still in the classroom would get cold, so Shimako hurried over. Although that situation would be unavoidable. It was almost time for cleaning, and all the windows in the classroom would be thrown open.

"When you've finished cleaning, please go and see Yamamura-sensei."

"Hmm?"

"She'll be waiting for you in the staff room."

"Okay."

"Do you have any questions?"

"No."

"Okay then, I'll leave you to it."

Having concisely delivered the message, her homeroom teacher walked briskly down the hallway. Shimako bowed at the departing figure, when a voice that came from right beside her ear suddenly inquired:

"What did our teacher want?"

"Augh."

Shimako's heart leapt in her chest, but her body didn't follow so she had managed to partially suppress her surprise. Even so, how long has she been there? Shimako looked to her side, and her classmate Katsura-san was waiting for her response.

"She told me to go to the staff room when I had finished cleaning. That Yamamura-sensei would be waiting there."

There was nothing particularly secret about what Shimako had been told, so she responded openly. Her homeroom teacher had probably thought it better not to announce it in front of the whole class. If it was something secret, Shimako's teacher probably would have taken her somewhere else to tell her. But there was really no need for secrecy when the message was simply that Yamamura-sensei had asked for her to come to the staff room.

"Why?"

Katsura-san shook her head.

"Who knows…"

Shimako shook her head in the same manner.

"You didn't ask?"

"Because it's Yamamura-sensei that wanted to see me, right?"

What would she ask her homeroom teacher? Her homeroom teacher had asked that she go to the staff room and meet Yamamura-sensei, but she wouldn't know why.

"But, you know. Normally a teacher would ask why another teacher wanted to see one of their students, right? 'What business do you have with my Toudou?' That sort of thing. She'd definitely ask. She'd know."

Katsura-san's voice was like that of a child coaxing a reluctant toy.

"You may be right... Ahh."

"What?"

"You just reminded me. Our teacher asked, 'Do you have any questions?'"

"Well there you go. The correct response would have been, 'Why does Yamamura-sensei want to see me?'"

Katsura-san made a tut-tut noise, showing her exasperation with Shimako. But then Katsura-san smiled wanly, as though she thought better of it.

"Then again, the conversation wasn't a complete loss."

"Why so?"

"Well, you wouldn't want a hint if it was something unpleasant. So when our teacher asked you, 'Do you have any questions?' it was probably because she wanted to tell you. Right?"

Indeed, that's one way of looking at it.

"Katsura-san, you're so smart."

"...Why does it feel strange when you're saying that to me, Shimako-san."

Katsura-san had an inscrutable look on her face as she said this. Shimako thought it would be nice if she could understand her more easily.

"Why is it so strange? … Ah."

After Shimako asked this, Katsura-san slumped, as though a support that had been holding up her body had been removed. Shimako would occasionally see people doing this, but she wasn't sure what it was they were trying to convey.

"What is it now?"

Ahh, right, she didn't have time to waste thinking about this at the moment.

"Cleaning. First we have to do the cleaning."

Shimako clapped her hands together, then went back into the classroom. Then after the cleaning was finished, she was expected to go to the staff room.

Shimako had finished cleaning the classroom and made her way to the high school's staff room. It was Yamamura-sensei who first noticed her, and beckoned her over, saying 'Come here, come here.'

"Just wait for a while. Until two more people get here."

Yamamura-sensei looked as though she was taking a momentary break from tidying up some materials for class, or organizing some lost-and-found items. The teacher who sat beside Yamamura-sensei wasn't there currently, so Yamamura-sensei pulled out the chair and said, 'Have a seat' to Shimako.

"Two more people?"

Shimako asked as she politely gestured her refusal of the offered chair. She hadn't heard that anyone else had been invited.

"That's right. You're the first to arrive."

"Ahh."

At this point, Katsura-san would have definitely asked some questions. 'What's your business with me?' or 'Who else have you asked to come here?' But as she looked at the teacher who had resumed shuffling around, Shimako felt as though she shouldn't interrupt her. Instead, she reflected on whether she had arrived too early.

At any rate, what could she want from me?

Yamamura-sensei.

She was one of Shimako's teachers, so it wasn't as though they had no interaction whatsoever. But Shimako couldn't remember having done anything noteworthy during class lately. And even if she had, and it had been a problem, then her teacher probably would have corrected her on the spot.

"…"

When she arrived, Yamamura-sensei hadn't said that she'd mistakenly called for her when she meant someone else. But the conversation would start when those two unknown people arrived, so all Shimako could do was wait.

Just knowing that two other people had been called here could make it easier to guess at why they were called.

If Yoshino-san were here, it would be obvious. Yamamura-sensei was the faculty advisor for the kendo club, and Yoshino-san was a member of that club.

(But I'm not involved with kendo at all.)

So there was no way she was being scouted for the club.

Shimako looked down and sighed then pulled herself together and looked up. For some strange reason, Yoshino-san's face was right in front of her.

"….!"

Shimako was too shocked to say anything. She had just been thinking about Yoshino-san, and then Yoshino-san appeared. Instantly. Like magic, or a vision.

"I knew it'd be you, Shimako-san."

But Yoshino-san was real. After tapping Shimako gently on the shoulder, she turned towards the staff room entrance and called out, loudly:

"He-y, Yumi-san. Shimako-san's here too."

"Ah, umm."

"Just wait. Yumi-san's returning the cleaning log right now."

"Ahh, why are you here?"

Shimako asked, unable to comprehend what was going on.

"Huh? We were called here."

"I didn't call you here."

It was true she had been thinking of Yoshino-san, but she had never possessed the ability to summon someone to her side before now, nor had anyone even informed her that she had this power.

"I know. It was Yamamura-sensei who called us here."

"Oh, I see.... Huh, Yamamura-sensei!?"

So, did that mean that the two people they were waiting for were Yoshino-san and Yumi-san? Shimako wanted to confirm this, but Yamamura-sensei was nowhere to be seen. She had been walking back and forth around here a while ago.

"Ahh, you're right, Shimako-san's here."

Upon reflection, Shimako realized that she hadn't been thinking about Yumi-san, so their appearance probably wasn't her doing. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yumi-san, you're also here to see Yamamura-sensei?"

"'Also'? So that means you're here to see her too?"

Yumi clasped her hands together in a show of surprise, then came over. Based on her reaction, it appeared that Yumi had no idea why they had been called here either. She even asked, 'I wonder how many more people are coming?'

"Do you know why the three of us were called here?"

"Don't you think it's because we're the next Roses?"

"…It could be."

That would probably be the first thing that came to mind when asked what they had in common. The student council election that was held at the end of January had confirmed that they were the next three to be Roses. That thought must have been going through all of their minds.

"Could it have something to do with the plans for the Valentines Day dates?"

To sternly warn them against causing any disturbances.

"In that case, Mami-san would have been called here too, right?"

Or, rather, Mami-san would have called them together. Since it was the newspaper club that had organized the Valentines Day treasure hunt and the prize of a date with one of the future Roses.

Then, what? They all looked at each other. What had they been brought here to be told?

At the very least, Shimako was convinced that it was unrelated to kendo due to Yumi-san's appearance.

"Ahh, Shimazu-san and Fukuzawa-san have arrived too. Splendid. I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

Yamamura-sensei's voice was light and breezy, to blow away the shadow that her arrival had cast over their faces.

"Since you're all here, shall we go now?"

"Okay?"

Despite not knowing what was going on, the trio could only nod in agreement and follow after Yamamura-sensei.

"Umm, where are we going?"

Shimako asked.

"It's impossible to have a calm conversation in the staff room because everyone's always rattling around, so I thought we'd go someplace else."

At this time of day there were a lot of people coming and going – it wasn't just students here to see a teacher, but also those who were returning the cleaning logs and club members who had come to get the key to their clubrooms.

Yamamura-sensei took a key from the pocket of the jersey that she wore over her sweater instead of a cardigan and wound the strap around her fingers.

"And this way, I thought we could have a full and frank discussion."

The words 'Educational Guidance Room' were written on the strap.

Part 2.

"The farewell address."

The vice-principal announced.

"The students' representative, second year wisteria class, Toudou Shimako."

Seated some distance away, Yumi heard Shimako respond to her name being called with a 'Here.'

It's finally starting.

"Second year pine group, Shimazu Yoshino."

"Here."

Unlike the previous answer, this 'Here' came from a much closer location. At this point, some murmuring could be heard from the seats reserved for the PTA and guests. Two people giving the farewell address? That was undoubtedly what they were muttering about.

The vice principal paused for a moment, to allow the speculative murmuring some time to die down, before continuing.

"Second year pine group, Fukuzawa Yumi."

When the third name was called out, a hush fell over the audience. During this silence, Yumi's response of, 'Here,' rang out.

Yumi hadn't meant to call out so loudly, but her throat had been agitated by a recent bout of coughing. Judging by the chuckles that were coming from the general vicinity of the earlier murmuring, Yumi's appearance was quite amusing. Or perhaps their cheeks were just relaxing after the shock of first two and then three names being called to deliver the farewell address, when they only expected one.

Either way, it didn't matter. Yumi put it from her mind.

The truth was, the gymnasium was never going to be devoid of sound – be it muttering, or chuckling, or something like her earlier coughing. Or take the sound of the human heartbeat. You wouldn't be able to live if you were bothered by each and every one.

Yumi walked to the aisle, slipping through the gap between the chair in front and the knees of her classmates. Shimako-san and Yoshino-san, whose names had been called before hers, were waiting there for her.

The gymnasium's stage was in front of Yumi.

To take that stage and deliver the farewell address to the graduating seniors was the duty that had been given to her.

It's okay. Don't cry.

At this very moment, Yumi was a representative of all the students enrolled at this school.

So the only time it would be acceptable for her to cry was when all the first and second year students were also crying.

Not just a third, but all of them.

Having told herself this, Yumi took the stage.

Onee-sama.

This farewell address is for all the third years.

But there's also a message in there that won't be apparent to anyone other than you.

Please understand this.

* * *

"Frankly, it's about the farewell address."

Yamamura-sensei said, after they had entered the Educational Guidance room.

"Cleaning…"

Since it was that time of the day, Yumi had initially thought that Yamamura-sensei had said, 'It's about the cleaning.' Shimako-san and Yoshino-san seemed to hear it the same way too.

"Well, we don't have to talk about this while we're standing, have a seat."

"Okay."

Despite her answer, Yumi was a student who hadn't needed any Guidance with her Education, so wasn't too familiar with this particular room. She honestly couldn't determine which seat it would be appropriate for her to sit in. In the center was a sofa, like something from a lounge suite, but was that the position of power, or not?

"Anywhere's fine. Look, I'll sit here, so you three can sit over that side."

Yoshino-san, Shimako-san and Yumi all followed Yamamura-sensei's brisk instructions and sat down. Yumi wondered if Shimako's place in the center was due to her being the sole current Rose, or a manifestation of the lack of confidence from the two members of pine class. One way or the other, it felt like they were relying on Shimako-san.

"Don't be so stiff. I don't have any quibbles with your behavior at school."

Their teacher smiled, but the three students couldn't see where this conversation was going and so weren't able to smile back.

The Educational Guidance room seemed quite spacious when it was just the four of them holding a secret meeting. But Yumi knew. When you cram fourteen or fifteen people in here, it gets quite tight indeed.

This was the room that Torii Eriko-sama had been summoned to regarding the 'Yellow Rose Turmoil' incident, the room where all her concerned relatives had congregated.

"Earlier, you said this was about the cleaning."

Shimako-san cut to the chase.

"Which cleaning are you talking about?"

"Which one? Well, for the graduation ceremony, of course."

"So, the gymnasium then."

"Naturally."

At this point, none of the four people in the room had yet realized that they were speaking about different things.

"What are you asking us to do?"

Shimako-san asked matter-of-factly, still under the impression that they were talking about cleaning the gymnasium. Every year, the first years were responsible for cleaning the gymnasium and setting out the chairs prior to the graduation ceremony. If that tradition continued, why were they called here to discuss this?

"Basically, I'd like the three of you to perform the farewell address."

"The three of us?"

The previously silent Yoshino-san shot back, half jokingly.

"I know it's a break with tradition, but won't you take this on?"

No kidding it's a break with tradition. Unexpectedly, all three of them simultaneously shouted out:

"It's impossible for three people."

At this point, their teacher seemed pained as she looked from face to face.

"So, you'd all prefer to do it individually?"

"...What?"

"Huh?"

Finally, they all realized. That there was something not quite right about their conversation.

"Farewell address and cleaning, huh."

There was a thawing as they took this in. A farewell address, then. That makes sense.

(Wait, farewell address?)

"So, you're asking the three of us to deliver the farewell address?"

It wasn't until now that the impact registered, as though the first time around had been a feint.

"Ehh!?"

It was a huge shock.

Yumi was more surprised than when she had heard that the three of them would have to clean the gymnasium by themselves.

"I'm sure you'll choose an appropriate tone and style for your speech."

Yamamura-sensei said.

"You're all smart, so I think you can infer what the core of your speech should be, underneath all the decorative and sugary phrases."

"In other words, there has to be some substance to it."

Yoshino-san looked at their teacher with searching eyes.

"That's correct."

So this was a frank discussion, huh. It was kind of incredible. The three of them looked at each other, as if to ask, 'Are you okay with this?'

"Usually it's only one person who reads the farewell address. As you know, last year's farewell address was started by one person but finished by two. Well, we'll call that an accident, since the second person joining in was probably unplanned."

Obviously, it wasn't significant enough that the teachers had bothered to confirm whether this was the truth or not. The two people who had delivered the farewell address last year were the onee-samas of the currently present Yoshino-san and Yumi.

"So, this year's graduation ceremony. We knew we couldn't ask for volunteers or hold a lottery to determine who should be the student's representative."

"Hmm."

Yumi vaguely felt that it should go to someone with outstanding grades.

"For the new student's representative at the school entrance ceremony, it's primarily based on grades. But that's because they haven't yet entered the school, so we don't have a lot of other data to use. By the time the graduation ceremony comes around, we've more or less gathered enough information to make a decision. And what do you think we pay attention to when choosing someone to be the student's representative? Naturally, we look to someone who the students can all support to represent them."

It seems like quite a difficult decision. So they don't just choose the first name on the list of students ordered by their grades.

"It would be problematic if we chose someone who excelled academically, but had a poor attitude towards school. Similarly, choosing someone who was popular but had poor grades would be inviting rebellion. So in recent years we've often chosen someone from the student council executive. Since they're elected, they've already won the trust of the student body and, as they have to lead the student council, there's generally no problems with their attitude. Their grades usually aren't too bad either, perhaps being named as the petit soeur of a Rose provides some incentive."

As she listened to this, Yumi slowly shrank inwards. She wasn't proud of it, but her grades had remained stubbornly average, making her supremely unqualified to deliver the farewell address. While she had been chosen as one of the next Roses in the election, she considered this more an endorsement of her friendly, down-to-earth nature.

"Then, there's no doubt about Shimako-san."

Yoshino-san said.

"That's right."

Yumi clapped her hands together. Shimako-san's grades were excellent, her attitude towards school was exemplary, she had the trust of the entire student body and was widely adored.

"Please, hold on. Yamamura-sensei just said that the three of us were to do it."

Shimako-san hastily interjected. Probably fearful that they would transfer the job to her if she were to remain silent.

"Toudou-san. I don't disagree with a word they've said."

Yamamura-sensei sank back into the sofa and folded her arms.

"But would you let me continue."

"Okay."

Yumi didn't need Yoshino-san to point out that if the conversation were to end here with unanimous agreement for Shimako-san then there was no point in bringing them all here and suggesting the three of them should give the speech together.

"That thing last year. Earlier I said it was an accident, but it was very well received."

"That thing?"

She said, 'that thing'. She called Rei-sama leaping out from the student's seating area to help Sachiko-sama, who had broken down in tears as she was reading the farewell address, a 'thing.'

"The farewell speech is really all about the outpouring of emotion that students have towards their graduating onee-samas."

"Huh?"

"And Toudou-san's onee-sama graduated last year."

This time it was Yumi and Yoshino-san's turn to say, 'Wait, hold on.'

"Not having an onee-sama seems like a minor detail compared to the other conditions you mentioned."

Yumi said. Then Yoshino-san continued:

"Shimako-san doesn't currently have an onee-sama, but she's like a petit soeur to all the third years."

"Right, right."

To be honest, the two of them didn't want to do it. Or, more accurately, they didn't think they could do it and were tag-teaming Shimako-san, who seemed much more capable.

"I've got it. Yumi-san and I will find an onee-sama for Shimako-san before the graduation ceremony."

"Yeah, leave it to us.... Wait, what?"

Even without Yumi's response it was plain to see that this talk about finding an onee-sama was just Yoshino-san's joke. Well, maybe she was only half joking. Shimako-san smiled wryly.

"So you would prefer a student with an onee-sama in the graduating class. Does that mean you've chosen who will give the formal reply?"

Shimako-san continued to smile as she asked this question, while Yoshino-san and Yumi's eyes widened in shock.

How quickly the situation had changed. In last year's graduation ceremony, Sachiko-sama had delivered the farewell address and Mizuno Youko-sama had delivered the formal reply. It goes without saying that those two were soeurs. And they were talking about how last year's farewell address had been received –

"Do you want me to tell you?"

"No thanks!!"

Yumi and Yoshino-san vehemently declined. They both knew they would be in quite the predicament if their soeurs were named.

Yamamura-sensei chuckled at how frantic they were.

"There's no reason not to, right?"

"Huh?"

"Or should I say, even if I told you, it still hasn't been settled. Of course, there are some obvious contenders."

Yamamura-sensei grinned as she watched the second year peach class duo. There was no doubt that Ogasawara Sachiko-sama and Hasekura Rei-sama were two of those contenders.

"Well, there's no reason that the farewell address and the formal reply have to be given by soeurs. Although it certainly makes it more interesting when they are."

Yumi wanted to jump in with, 'Just whose side are you on?' But as a teacher, she wasn't on any of their sides.

"And so, there was a run-off ballot amongst the high school faculty."

"...A run-off ballot."

This must be what she meant when she had said they were to have a frank discussion.

"Who should it be out of Toudou Shimako, Shimazu Yoshino and Fukuzawa Yumi."

"And?"

The sound of gulping was clearly audible. Yumi couldn't predict whether she would be named, or someone else would be, so she concentrated on what was about to be said next.

"It was inconclusive."

"Inconclusive?"

"I don't remember the exact vote count, but there was no clear winner. There was something like one or two votes separating all of you, so it was hard to make a decision."

"So the three of us..."

"Exactly. It's up to you."

Yamamura-sensei had put the ball squarely in their court. So, what next? Yumi looked into Yoshino-san and Shimako-san's eyes. They couldn't huddle together because they were sitting along the sofa, but Yumi felt they should have a strategy meeting to reach a consensus.

However.

"We'll do it."

A single person answered.

"Yoshino-san!?"

"We're all in this together. Right? Shimako-san, Yumi-san?"

She was just saying whatever she wanted. Surely if the three of them were all in this together, then they would agree to it first and then announce it, right? Naturally, Shimako-san's eyes were wide open too.

"Anyone that doesn't want to do this together can do it themselves."

"That's absurd."

What could possibly be her reasoning behind that?

"So then, is there anyone that doesn't want to do this?"

Well, in Yumi's case it wasn't so much 'doesn't want to,' as 'won't be able to.'

"In that case, there's no alternative but for us to accept this responsibility. Right?"

Wait. Let's slow down and think about this some more. There's no way that the three of them would be given the honor of delivering the farewell address – . Yoshino-san was either reading her mind, or her facial expressions, when she smirked and said:

"What purpose do you think Yamamura-sensei had in mind when she booked the Education Guidance room and brought us here to have a frank discussion?"

"Huh?"

Why? Yumi shook her head. The reason for their secret talk. Hmm –

"Ah."

No way.

"Gee, you girls are smart. It went just like I thought it would."

There was no point tiptoeing around now that it was out in the open. This seemed like the sort of thing an organization of super villains on TV would do.

"I understand."

Shimako-san opened her eyes and spoke. Which means they must have been closed until now. She had probably closed her eyes in order to concentrate while Yoshino-san and Yumi had been noisily arguing back and forth.

"I shall agree to do this."

"Shimako-san!?"

"After much consideration I have decided that I should accept."

Shimako-san continued.

"But this is my opinion. So it's okay if you don't agree, Yumi-san. I won't force you."

Shimako-san asked for confirmation that this was acceptable. Yamamura-sensei nodded and said, 'Of course.' So, between the two of them, they should be able to get someone to give the farewell address.

"And if I don't accept?"

Yoshino-san shot Shimako-san a light glare at this. However.

"I believe Yoshino-san has already stipulated what she intends to do in that case."

The boom was lowered and she was shut out.

"Well...I guess that's true."

Yoshino-san had been the first one to say, 'I'll do it,' so she would probably regret it if Yumi were to end up delivering the farewell address by herself.

"Okay. I'll do it."

Yumi agreed.

She felt that the decisive blow had been Shimako-san's decision. Yumi thought that if, after much thought, Shimako-san had reached the conclusion that it was better to do this, then it probably was. Really, Yumi thought it would have been better if she were to think things through for herself, but that would likely take too long. So she had decided to put her faith in Shimako-san's decision.

And so, the farewell address in this year's graduation ceremony would be jointly delivered by the three future Roses.

Yamamura-sensei seemed eminently satisfied with how the conversation had gone.

However, as they were on the way out of the Educational Guidance Room, Yamamura-sensei said, 'Oh, right,' and gave them one final guideline:

"The three of you will form up prior to the start of the address and take the stage together."

That thing last year may have been well received, but they wouldn't be allowed to join in one-by-one as the speech progressed.

Part 3.

"The farewell address."

The vice-principal announced.

"The students' representative, second year wisteria class, Toudou Shimako."

Seated some distance away, Yoshino heard Shimako-san respond to her name being called with a 'Here.' Yoshino's heart beat a bit faster. But that only lasted for about five or ten seconds.

Since Shimako-san's name had been called, her own name would be next. Now that it was about to start, she didn't have time to be nervous. Like a nose-diving roller-coaster, by the time you were aware of it, you were already starting to level out. That's usually how things turned out.

"Second year pine group, Shimazu Yoshino."

"Here."

At the second name, there was some murmuring coming from the visitors and PTA seating area.

Oh geeze. There's no need to comment on it, all they're saying is multiple people are giving the farewell address – Yoshino thought as she stood up from her chair and walked forwards. Of course, she was conveniently ignoring the considerable surprise she had felt when she first learnt of this.

Then in that case, they're sure to flip out when the third name is read aloud. As Yoshino silently greeted the waiting Shimako-san, the aforementioned third name was read out.

"Third year pine group, Fukuzawa Yumi."

The 'Here' that came from the bottom of Yumi-san's diaphragm roared through the gymnasium that had momentarily fallen silent, as though taking a breath.

Yoshino briefly thought that was pretty cool of Yumi-san. That was until she followed it up with a violent coughing fit, which chased that idea away.

Well, that's her done for.

But Yumi-san wasn't even slightly discouraged, and was smiling when she arrived at the spot where Shimako-san and Yoshino were waiting.

Now that all three were assembled, Shimako-san led them forwards.

The gymnasium's stage was right in front of them.

The task that had been given to Yoshino was to take that stage and deliver a speech that would send off the graduating seniors.

Well, I'll be back in a bit.

By all rights, Yoshino should have been incredibly nervous, but she wasn't. Because Shimako-san and Yumi-san were by her side.

(More importantly)

Yoshino was more concerned with what was going to happen afterward.

What awaited Yoshino after the large stage of the graduation ceremony may have been small, but it was an important event, and it was all up to her as to whether it succeeded or failed.

Yoshino climbed up a few stairs as she watched Shimako-san's footsteps.

The wooden table that seemed to conceal the audience was awaiting the arrival of the students' representatives. It was a bit tight, but somehow they all squeezed behind it.

When Yoshino lifted her head, the auditorium that she looked down upon seemed like a vast ocean.

It was completely different to the rehearsals. Sure, the red and white curtains, the PTA and the visitors had all been added in, but more than that it seemed like the whole atmosphere had changed.

(Ahh, that's it)

The white corsages that bloomed from the chest of the graduating seniors looked like a wave of flowers.

Yumi-san spread open the scroll the speech was written on and adjusted the angle of the microphone.

"Onee-samas who are about to leave the nest of Lillian's Girls Academy …"

With the brisk voice of their lead batter, this unusual three-person farewell address had begun.

* * *

"Exactly. It's up to you."

Yoshino was the first to answer Yamamura-sensei's question with, 'We'll do it.'

Naturally, this could be because she was unable to contain herself given how much she wanted to do this – but that wasn't the case at all. It was because Yoshino felt that if they were to keep going back and forth on this issue, things would get worse for her.

Yoshino had been caught completely off guard when the phrase 'formal reply' had leapt forth from Shimako-san's mouth. The startling news-flash about the farewell address had caused her to completely forget about the formal reply.

Still, you had to hand it to Shimako-san. Even though she had initially been surprised, she was still able to coolly sum up the situation. The farewell address and the formal reply, the two of them formed a single set.

The intention of the teachers was to have the farewell address delivered by someone whose onee-sama was graduating. And why would they want that? She had said that they weren't particularly concerned about having soeurs deliver the farewell address and formal reply, but the petit soeur of the person giving the formal reply would have to be the frontrunner.

Based on that, Yoshino appraised Rei-chan's chances of delivering the formal reply.

Sachiko-sama delivered the farewell address last year. And they were both Roses, so this year it would be Rei-chan's turn. Rei-chan's grades were excellent and she had the profound respect of her fellow students. There wasn't a single aspect in which she trailed Sachiko-sama. Even if you were really grasping at straws, about all you could say was that she lost out in terms of hair length.

And while Yoshino didn't really want to say it, Sachiko-sama had blown it last year. It had been Rei-chan that had covered for her. Certainly, the parents and relatives may have interpreted that thing last year as a performance, but surely the wise choice would be to avoid someone who might repeat the same faux pas. So it would probably be entrusted to Rei-chan this year. Since Sachiko-sama would be seen as something of a crybaby.

And if Rei-chan was delivering the formal reply, that meant Yoshino was more likely to be chosen to deliver the farewell address. To let things continue on like this would be dangerous. If they rejected the proposal that their teacher had spent so long trying to persuade them of, that the three of them deliver the farewell address, then it looked as though Yoshino would have to deliver it herself.

She had to compromise here, before it got to that point. So.

"We'll do it."

It came out without her thinking about it. Yumi-san and Shimako-san had been incredibly surprised. But you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Sorry, but there was no way Yoshino was doing this on her own.

It turned out that they had to write their own speech for the farewell address.

Naturally, they could consult their teachers for guidance. But primarily it was left up to those delivering the farewell address. After all, what would be the point in reading out a speech that someone else had written for the graduating seniors? None, really.

They had started by reviewing written copies of the speeches from years gone by, injecting their own personality, and repeatedly revising. By the time the final version was complete, there was barely a week left before the graduation ceremony.

But it wasn't as though they'd been working flat out on it all that time. At first they were very laid back about it, thinking 'We have plenty of time before we have to start.' That then turned into, 'We should start thinking about this soon,' which finally grew into an urgent, 'What should we do? It's almost upon us.'

During that time they'd been extremely busy with the Valentines Day dates, a trip to the amusement park, making return gifts for White Day and other such things. Yumi-san had even nabbed herself a petit soeur and gone to visit the shrine to Inari.

When they had finally finished writing the speech, the conversation turned to how they would present it. As usual, they had been in the room on the second floor of the Rose Mansion at the time.

"We're not all going to read it together?"

Yumi-san naively asked. Yoshino was just about to interject and say how hard it would be for them to stay in sync for such a long speech when Shimako-san spoke up.

"I think it would be good if we could do that."

Huh.

"Because the three of us are taking on the role that's usually performed by one person, I think it would be wonderful if we could all read it with one voice."

You've got to be kidding me. Shimako-san's agreeing that we all read this together? Yoshino's mouth was silently opening and closing as she thought this, but then Shimako-san continued.

"However, I think that will be quite difficult to do."

"Difficult?"

"Yes. Well, rather than trying to explain … why don't we stand up and try it."

Assuming that had been intended only for Yumi-san, Yoshino watched them stand shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the table when Shimako-san prompted her with, 'You too, Yoshino-san.'

"Huhhh."

"It's okay, just for a little while."

Shimako-san then organized them so that Yoshino was in the middle with Yumi-san and Shimako-san either side of her.

"I think the table that will be on-stage for the ceremony is about this wide."

Shimako-san placed a pencil and a ruler on the table in front of them to show the approximate width.

"And then, on top of this table, we'll unroll the scroll with the speech. Oh, there's a microphone as well. Let's say this pencil case is the microphone."

Various other items were arranged to mimic things that would be on the stage.

"Okay, let's read out the farewell address."

Shimako-san counted them in with a, 'One, two, three, go,' and then they simultaneously read aloud the first section of the farewell address.

"Onee-samas who are about to leave the nest of Lillian's Girls Academy, congratulations on your graduation. We are deeply honored to be delivering these congratulations as representatives of all the students in this academy."

Shimako-san cut them off there, and asked Yumi-san:

"Well?"

"It's hard to read. Or, rather, it's hard to make out what's written over on your side of the scroll."

Currently, facing the manuscript, they were lined up from right-to-left as Shimako-san, Yoshino and then Yumi-san. With the scroll spread out in the center, the first line of vertical writing was quite some distance from the person on the left.

"Still, you were able to read it correctly."

Yoshino said to Yumi-san. Yoshino couldn't quite say why, but she thought it had sounded quite pleasant when they all read the speech together.

"Well, that's because I've got the first part memorized."

Indeed. Yoshino changed places with Yumi-san to see for herself, and it really was hard to make out the characters written on the right-hand side when you were standing on the left. It wasn't solely due to the distance, but also partly due to shadows cast by the other two people and their shoulders partially blocking line-of-sight.

"Even if we were to write another copy using larger lettering, the viewing angle or the light in the auditorium may be worse."

"That's true. So it would be difficult for the three of us to read this together."

Yumi-san clasped her hands together in agreement. Yoshino was impressed. Yumi-san agreed to that much more readily than she would have if she had simply been told, 'It's too hard.'

"So my onee-sama and Rei-sama were able to read their speech simultaneously because it was just the two of them?"

Shimako-san nodded at Yumi-san's comment.

"That's right. And there wouldn't be enough room on the desk for us all to have our own copy. Although if we all memorized the entire speech, so we didn't have to look at it, we would be alright with just one copy."

Memorize the entire speech?

"That's impossible!"

Yumi-san and Yoshino shouted out simultaneously. Memorizing the entire speech would be preposterous. Yumi-san immediately ruled out the idea of reading the speech as one.

"Well then, shall we decide on the order of speaking?"

Shimako-san smiled.

They tried reading alternating sentences, but couldn't get that to work and decided that they would each read a single section.

"Normally you'd just split it into thirds, but the text doesn't really lend itself neatly to that."

Yoshino watched spellbound as Shimako-san briskly made annotations to the script. Normally she seemed very passive, but now she was being quite proactive.

"There, that's it. First up is Yumi-san. Next is Yoshino-san. Then I'm last."

"Huh? You've already decided the order?"

"Yeah."

Shimako-san looked tense, but her voice was steady.

"Can I ask why?"

Yumi-san looked into Shimako-san's eyes with intense curiosity.

"Why? … Ahh I wonder why. Somehow it just feels right to me."

The regular, gentle, Shimako-san had returned and shook her head. It was as though she had just been possessed by something.

"So why don't we just leave it like this."

Even if the possessing spirit had departed, it wasn't going to relinquish the speaking order.

"Well, I guess it's okay."

Yoshino strongly suspected that Shimako-san had a reason for suggesting that order, but couldn't guess what it could be. Consequently, Yoshino thought that she shouldn't oppose Shimako-san.

Because Shimako-san wasn't the kind of person who was only looking out for herself.

Yoshino was willing to place her faith in Shimako-san's instincts.

Part 4.

"And though we have now reached the end, it gives me great honor to be able to pray for your health and future success in this farewell address."

Shimako-san read the final sentence of the speech.

"Students' representative, Toudou Shimako."

Followed by:

"Shimazu Yoshino."

And finally:

"Fukuzawa Yumi."

And so the farewell address ended, with each of them signing off.

The wording of the first and last sentences was identical to last year's, as an homage to Ogasawara Sachiko-sama. – Not only that, but it would serve as a template that future years could borrow from.

At any rate, it had ended peacefully.

(Huh? Peacefully?)

Is 'peacefully' really the appropriate term to use here?

It was true that nothing had happened while Yumi was reading her part of the speech. And while her nervousness about actually being up on stage meant that her performance wasn't as good as some of her many practices, Yumi still awarded herself a passing mark. It certainly wasn't a perfect 100, but it was about a 90, and that was good enough.

Even the hand off to Yoshino-san had gone smoothly. Yoshino-san started off slowly, but she sounded just like an announcer from the broadcasting club, picking up speed as her excitement grew.

That was when the incident happened. Or if incident is too strong a word, accident might do.

Whatever you want to call it. A bug came flying from somewhere, and started circling around above the stage.

It was incredible to think that, out of the whole gymnasium, the bug would choose to fly towards the stage right when they were in the middle of the farewell address. Sure, it was almost time for the hibernating insects to awaken, but it was still cold in Tokyo. If only the bug had been just a little bit later (even an hour or so), or a little bit more considerate.

Yoshino-san didn't notice the insect at first, and kept reading from the manuscript. Neither did Yumi or Shimako-san, who were both standing right next to her. However it seemed that some eagle-eyed people in the audience did notice the bug flying around them, even though it was only about 1cm long.

So while they were in the middle of the farewell address, those students who had seen the insect whispered to their neighbors, saying something like, 'Hey, do you see that?' The people who heard this whisper would then be on alert, and spot the bug the next time it flew around. Which would lead to another round of whispering.

It was because of these slight murmurings that the three of them realized that something strange was happening in the gymnasium. And so, every so often, they'd see one of the students pointing in their direction.

Yumi didn't think they were doing anything unusual. So while Yoshino-san continued to read from the script, she and Shimako-san were looking around.

And then Yumi barely stopped herself from squealing by clasping both hands over her mouth, which was a brilliant move, if she did say so herself. Although the microphone was currently angled towards Yoshino-san, it was still in point-blank range and there was no doubt that it would have made an incredible racket if she had cried out.

That bug was a bee. It may have been a horsefly, or just a regular fly, but in Yumi's eyes it was a bee.

Although Yumi didn't shout out, Yoshino-san still noticed her overreaction and immediately stopped reading the speech.

And right then.

The bug glided in to land right on top of the script, as though it had been aiming for it.

Just as Yumi had suspected, it was a honey-bee.

Yumi and Shimako-san had spotted it earlier, so they'd had some time to prepare themselves. For Yoshino-san, however, it was completely unexpected.

Humans, when they're startled, seem to have a standard procedure they all go through.

First, something had fallen on the manuscript. Yoshino-san's eyes and ears swiveled around, she breathed in, her shoulders raised and lowered slightly. At this point, she still hadn't determined what the object was.

Finally, her brain put the pieces together and concluded that it was a bee. Then the report that 'bee = bee sting' was retrieved from her memory, which resulted in:

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaah –!"

People instinctively covered their ears with their hands. The damage must have been worse for the people sitting near the speakers, as the microphone was pointed straight at Yoshino-san's mouth.

As for the bee itself, it took off when Yoshino-san flung the script in the air, and resumed flying around in circles. Panic had now set in for Yoshino-san, and she hid, clinging to Yumi's back.

There was a brief uproar, but the gymnasium soon fell silent. Everyone had suddenly become aware that they were still in the middle of the farewell address.

So, how best to deal with this?

Shimako-san was the only person who moved in the deathly silent gymnasium. Yumi watched her, wondering what she was doing, as Shimako-san slowly picked up the script from where it had landed after Yoshino-san flung it into the air. She then returned it to its former position, adjusted the microphone and started speaking.

"As for us first and second year students,"

Incredible, Shimako-san. She had continued reading the farewell address from right where Yoshino-san had left off. As though the accident with the bee had never happened.

Exactly. That's the proper way to act.

Yumi gently peeled the insect off her back and made her stand in front of the table, then returned to normal. The bee continued to buzz around, but as long as it didn't attack they should be alright. It wasn't large enough to be a hornet or a wasp, so after all was said and done it was only a honey bee.

Eventually, Yoshino-san regained her composure. But her part in this campaign was already over.

It turned out to be a good thing that Shimako-san was delivering the final part of the speech. But it's not like Shimako-san had ESP, so there was no way she could have foreseen such a situation when she was deciding the order of speaking. However, Yumi thought that if the order had been changed, there was no way that herself or Yoshino-san would have been able to deal with the situation.

But maybe Shimako-san has some sixth sense that she's unaware of – Yumi took another look at the face of the person standing beside her.

"And though we have now reached the end, it gives me great honor to pray for your health and future success in this farewell address."

Shimako-san read the final sentence of the farewell address.

A huge round of applause echoed around them.

It was in no way inferior to the previous year's, but it was of a completely different nature.

The round of applause last year was akin to that given after watching a deeply moving film, full of love and sadness, while this year's was akin to that given after seeing the latest slapstick comedy.

– Plus, there was probably an element of 'Nice save Shimako-san' or 'Good job' in there too, don't you think?

Translator's Notes

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