Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume37 Prologue

Prologue

"Gokigenyou."

"Gokigenyou."

The clear morning greeting travels through the serene, blue sky.

Today, once again, the maidens that gather in the Virgin Mary's garden smile purely to one another as they pass under the tall gateway.

Wrapping their innocent bodies and souls is a deep-colored school uniform.

Walking slowly so as to not disturb the pleats in their skirts, so as to not toss their white sailor scarves into disarray . . . such is the standard of modesty here. Running here because one is in danger of missing class, for instance, is too undignified a sight for students to wish upon themselves.

Lillian Girls' Academy.

Founded in Meiji 34, this academy was originally intended for the young women of nobility, and is now a Catholic academy of prestigious tradition. Placed in downtown Tokyo, where you can still see traces of Musashi Field's greenery, it is protected by God, a garden where maidens can receive tutelage from pre-school to university.

Time passes, and even now, in Heisei, three era-names past Meiji, it is a valuable academy, where nurtured ladies raised in greenhouses are shipped out in carefully packaged boxes after 18 years of schooling—an arrangement that continues to survive.

Thank you for the memories.

Thanks for your gentle smiles.

If we consider our life to be a place of learning, then our meeting there, and you, who shared that all too brief time with me, are an irreplaceable teacher.

After this, we may be separated for a short while, but it is by no means a final parting.

Because if our hearts are nestled together, then someday in the future we will be able to reunite, like a continuation of yesterday.

This bouquet of flowers is to express my gratitude to you, as you embark on your journey.

Please do take care.

Wishing you all the best.

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