Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume4 Chapter8 3

With the archenemy. Part 3.

So, without really figuring out what was going on, we began playing a poem card game, and I was swept along with the momentums, so without realizing it, I actually began playing around with Sachiko-sama's mortal enemy, Kashiwagi-san.

We'd moved places to the Japanese-style room, which is where we ended up playing. The scent of the freshly-laid tatami tickled my nostrils, and the room was decorated with a lavish India-ink hanging scroll and a shouchikubai flower arrangement. This room was designed so that if you removed the sliding doors, it could become twice or even three times as spacious.

The results of the match were, of course, the complete defeat of the Fukuzawa siblings, who weren't used to playing such a refined game. In contrast, the Ogasawara relatives had years of experience, so there was simply too much of a difference in skill. That said, even though it was obvious how things would turn out, losing was vexing.

"Okay, how about diving up into teams and playing cards?"

Kashiwagi-san suggested.

Rosa Gigantea, who'd lost to Kashiwagi-san by one point, agreed vigorously. She seemed to be looking at it as a chance to take revenge.

"Sure, but how should we split teams?"

"If we do the Fukuzawa siblings, then the Ogasawara family, that would leave Rosa Gigantea and I-"

"What-!?"

Yuuki and I, as well as Rosa Gigantea all raised a complaining voice. Of course. Turning it into a team match was theoretically supposed to be to even things up, so sticking the inexperienced Fukuzawa siblings together was absurd.

That said, Rosa Gigantea was complaining for a different reason. They had bad blood between them, so the two of them teaming up wouldn't end too well.

"If half object, I guess that idea's been rejected."

He probably said it just to say it. Because he backed down quickly.

I glanced at Sachiko-sama, who was putting away the poem card game. She looked like she didn't really care who she was paired with. Aunt Sayako, to her right, looked the same. They're so mature.

I mean, I'm not saying it aloud, but I wouldn't like it if Sachiko-sama and Kashiwagi-san were paired. And like Rosa Gigantea, I would prefer if I wasn't paired with him, either. But if everyone said something that selfish, we wouldn't get anywhere.

"Auntie and I, Sachiko and Yumi-chan, and the two men?"

-Suggested Rosa Gigantea. Kashiwagi-san seemed to be pleased by the suggestion, too.

"What a wonderful arrangement. Yukichi, come here."

Kashiwagi-san slid to the side, opening the space next to him. He seemed to be in very good humor.

(…?)

I knew Kashiwagi-san was a homosexual, but was he really that fond of placing the raccoon-faced Yuuki next to him? I mean, I'm not a male homosexual, so I can't really say much about it. Speaking of which, Yuuki was the one being rather indecisive.

"Onee-sama, shall I come over?"

"Please."

I settled down where Yuuki used to be. Rosa Gigantea slid over, and with that, every pair was able to sit next to each other.

"What first?"

Rosa Gigantea shuffled the plastic cards with blinding speed.

"Shall we start with babanuki[1]?"

Aunt Sayako giggled.

"Yumi, you're in charge of taking the card from the neighbor."

"Ah."

"Okay? Be insentient as you do it, and then hand it to me. I'll manage our cards."

Sachiko-sama whispered in my ear, at the start.

"Oh, battle plans? How friendly."

Rosa Gigantea laughed, teasing, but I didn't understand that "battle plan." Because babanuki was luck-based, wasn't it? It's a simple game where you discard pairs while taking and giving cards?

But I realized it wasn't so simple. It was usually an individual game, so that left one person on each team free to perform a task. Thus, the game hinged on how that free person was used.

(What… what?)

Right after everyone spread out their cards in a fan, Kashiwagi-san just stared at me. We were going clockwise, so sitting to our left, they would take cards from Sachiko-sama.

Wondering why he was doing that, I took a card from aunt Sayako's fan.

(Insentient, insentient.)

However. I glanced at the card as I handed it to Sachiko-sama, and I reflexively went, "Erk!"

(J, Joker…)

The Joker is the "baba." How unfortunate to draw the Joker in the first turn. Then, Kashiwagi-san's eyes glimmered.

"Yumi-chan, you just drew 'baba' didn't you.'

"Ah."

When I shouted, Yuuki and Rosa Gigantea, whom were supposed to be enemies, both said, "Idiot." And Sachiko-sama, to my side, sighed.

Of course, my reaction at drawing the joker was bad enough, but then my reaction to his question was even worse. It was like saying, "Yes, we have the Joker."

"So that's what you meant by insentient."

Sachiko-sama said, "Don't worry, we just started," and placed a reassuring hand on my depressed shoulders.

I learnt a lesson. You couldn't underestimate "babanuki." It's a poker-like adult's game.

Afterward, I pulled cards while singing "Maria-sama's soul" in my mind. As a result of it, the game continued without a hitch, and we were able to finish first. Maria-sama may have lent her strength to us.

But when it came to intellectual games like shichinarabe[2] and doubt, Kashiwagi-san and Rosa Gigantea showed immense skill.

"Yumi-chan, keep this in mind. Men that are good at shichinarabe are men you want to avoid at all costs."

"If I may interject, ladies that are great at doubt are like they're admitting they're great liars, are they not?"

And so they argued. Rosa Gigantea and Kashiwagi-san were like archenemies. They were similar, and yet very contradictory.

"Shall we take a break?"

Aunt Sayako said, and their circle crumbled. They looked like they were relaxed, but everyone was pretty focused.

After the poetry card game, babanuki, shichinarabe, doubt, scum, rummy, concentration, page one, and then ladders, so it was already past eight. Time flies when you're having fun. I looked at the score we kept on a notepad and was surprised we'd played so much.

"Where could I wash my hands?"

I stood up.

"Oh, I'll lead you."

Rosa Gigantea went with me. She knew her way around another person's house. She took my hand and lead me down the halls.

"Rosa Gigantea, have you been here before?"

She seemed to know Sachiko-sama's mother, too.

"Indeed. This year, no, I guess it's more like last summer, I came over. Rosa Chinensis was with me, of course."

"Mmm."

"Jealous?"

Rosa Gigantea stopped and pinched my cheeks. I'm not being sullen!

"It was before I became her sister."

It would be illogical to be jealous, I thought. I mean, of course. That said, I also felt it was natural that I'd be a bit envious when listening to stories about onee-sama before I came to know her. So in the end, I probably was being sullen.

"Righto, youths with bright futures shouldn't be bothered by the past."

Rosa Gigantea opened the brown door in front of her. That seemed to be the washroom. It seemed like it wasn't designed just for one person, so Rosa Gigantea came in, too.

A rich person's house seemed to be on a different scale from a regular house in every way. It was like a miniature version of the washroom at the high-class hotel I went to, when my cousin married last month. The floor used a fluffy carpet material, there were powder room corners separate from the washing counter, and hand towels were neatly folded in a cute basket, imploring you to use them. The lighting utensils were shaped like flowers, and it was just lovely.

There were three individual rooms. And each bathroom was around twice as large as the western-style toilets. Apparently this was the visitors' restroom, and there were other, employee-use restrooms and family-use restrooms fitted around the house. Sachiko-sama's room came with a bathroom and toilet, so this house was definitely like a hotel.

"After we graduate, you should just come over to visit every now and then."

When I was washing my hands, Rosa Gigantea began speaking to my reflection on the mirror.

"What?"

"Probably when her uncles and father aren't home, like today."

"I don't follow?"

When I asked, she said, "Wait a second," washed her hands, and dried her hands using the dry parts of the hand towel I used, before turning to me.

"Today, the Ogasawara men are with their other women."

"Eh!?"

"I told you about this before, didn't I? The men in this household are unique, they have other houses. On New Year's Day they have an exquisite party with their main household, right? And then on the second and third, they call it a vacation and let their housekeepers go home. And then the men go to the number twos. Actually maybe it's the other way around. Because the men aren't home, the housekeepers can take a break. Not that it matters."

"Then, the third is with their number threes, and the fourth is…"

I wasn't really trying to joke, but Rosa Gigantea laughed, anyways.

"I don't think I hear the term 'number three' used much. Anyways, I'm sure the men of this household have that many. Actually I hear they have a meal party with the executives from their company on the fourth, so they come home by then."

"You're pretty knowledgeable."

"Jealous?"

"… A bit."

When I grumbled, Rosa Gigantea grinned.

"People have their roles. She can't really show her weaknesses to you, because you're her little sister, you know? Likewise, I don't show any weaknesses to Sachiko, either."

"Then, why?"

"Sachiko's onee-sama is my friend."

"Rosa Chinensis…!"

Of course, Sachiko-sama was like Rosa Gigantea's little sister. Then she would talk to Rosa Gigantea whenever she was in a bind-

"Right, she told me. And Sachiko knows about that, so it's alright."

"Ah."

"In the end, it just means Rosa Chinensis trusts me. And by doing so, she's able to use me. And as a result, I'm just doing as she wants me to do."

"Umm."

Now she was losing me.

"In other words, the goal was to bring Yumi-chan and brighten the place. It's lonesome to sit here alone with her mother, while the men are off with other women. So we come in, brighten the place, and make everyone happy."

"Ah… oh, I get it."

So I don't need to wonder about any ulterior motives for buying temple food, eating them here, sipping tea, and playing card games all day.

"There was an unexpected person, but hey, everything's worked out, so who cares."

"I'm sorry."

Yuuki was probably the unexpected person. Of course, Kashiwagi-san was the one who brought him, but as his elder sister, I ended up feeling a bit responsible.

"No, Kashiwagi probably thought the same thing when he brought him."

"Brightening the day?"

"Yup. And Yumi-chan's brother is just like you, fitting in well and all. As expected of cousins, I guess? He knew what kind of person Sachiko-sama might be comfortable with."

"Ah."

I got a slightly better opinion of him, but I think I'll never able to like Kashiwagi-san. Rosa Gigantea opened the door to the hallway and crinkled her nose as she grinned.

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