Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 28 Chapter 13
"Oh, Tsutako-san isnt here?"
The next one to appear was Yamaguchi Mami-san, from the newspaper club.
"Wow, its just like Yumi-san said, Tsutako-san really is popular today."
Hearing Yoshino-sans remark, Mami-san looked on in amazement.
"So youre saying that there were people here before me?"
"Correct. Youre the third."
The third person to come to the Rose Mansion looking for Tsutako-san. In order, there was Katsura-san, Kanako-chan and now Mami-san. Shouko-chan wasnt counted in that number because she hadnt made an appearance yet, even though she was apparently loitering somewhere nearby. The reason Tsutako-san wasnt currently present was because shed gone to the gymnasium with her second visitor, Kanako-chan.
"By the way, who told you that Tsutako-san was here?"
"It was Naitou Shouko-chan, why?"
Oh, now shed made an appearance.
"Was she at the clubhouse?"
"Or in the courtyard?"
Yumi and Yoshino-san took turns asking the questions. Shimako-san merely listened silently in this kind of situation. It wasnt as though she was completely uninterested, instead her stance seemed to be that she was willing to leave it up to the other two since they got so excited. There had been times when theyd gone so fast that Shimako-san seemed to get fl.u.s.tered about whether or not to interject.
"In the hallway. Out in front of the staff room."
Mami-san answered.
"So, that means she was in the school building, then."
The three future Roses looked at each other and nodded. Naturally, Mami-san was puzzled by this behavior.
"Why, are you looking for Shouko-chan or something?"
"Not as such, no."
"Really? Because I think shed probably still be at the nurses station."
"The nurses station?"
"She skinned the palm of her hand. She said shed fallen down while she was cleaning, and shed put a band-aid on it herself, but the band-aid was too small and blood was seeping out around the edges. It looked kind of pathetic. So I told her that wed go see the nurse and then walked her over there. Right before I came here."
The trio looked at each other. So that would mean that Shouko-chan walked from the clubhouse to the courtyard, and then on to the corridor outside the staff room, all whilst bleeding from the palm of her hand. Given her reluctance to see the school nurse, what possible reason could she have for wandering all over the school grounds?
"So anyway, Tsutako-san isnt here &h.e.l.lip; "
Mami-san said, then let out a sigh.
"Its no big deal, I guess. Ill talk to her about it tomorrow in cla.s.s."
"Ah, dont be that way. Stay and have a cup of tea. Tsutako-sans only gone to the gymnasium, so Im sure shell be back soon."
Yumi said, standing up and taking a teacup down from the shelf beside the sink.
"Well, I suppose I could stay for one cup."
Mami-san had been heading towards the door, but now that the preparations for tea were under way she returned and sat down at the table. In the same seat that Tsutako-san had been sitting in while doing her club work.
When they were holding their Yamayurikai meetings or eating lunch in the Rose Mansion they each had their accustomed position at the table. But things became slightly more irregular when visitors were mixed in.
In this instance, Tsutako-san and Yumi had been the first to arrive, and had sat down facing each other. Then Yoshino-san had arrived, followed by Shimako-san and theyd each seated themselves around the table to maintain a sense of balance. So when Tsutako-san left, her chair was the one that youd naturally choose to sit in.
"Oh &h.e.l.lip; is that a photo?"
Mami-san picked up something from the seat beside her.
"Ah, she was sorting through her photographs, just before."
Tsutako-san had been in such a hurry to tidy up before going to the gymnasium that she probably hadnt noticed that shed dropped one of her photos.
"Well, look at that."
Mami-san waved the photograph, with an air of authority.
"Things are definitely more interesting when youre playing a leading role than when youre looking in from the outside."