Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 5 Chapter 3
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"So, howd it go?"
Tsutako-san leaned in, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with curiosity.
It was lunch break a few days after the "special meeting." Yumi was eating lunch with Katsura-sans group, but her hand that was holding her chopsticks was frozen.
"Howd it go? Im sure you can tell just by looking at me."
Because shed been eating lunch in the cla.s.sroom for three straight days.
"My, my, Yumi-san, whose most notable feature is her vigor, is sighing. Which means the little sisters arent particularly amused by all this."
"Pretty much."
It wasnt like they were expelled from the Rose Mansion, but it didnt feel comfortable sitting there. Because even if they were eating lunch together, the boutons would gather and discuss things amongst themselves. And when that happened, the "outsiders" would feel obliged to remain "outsiders" and scoot themselves to a corner, so they wouldnt hear.
Then, it would be better if they werent there to begin with. So after discussing it with Yoshino-san, they decided not to frequent the Rose Mansion for the time being. If something were to happen, Shimako-san would notify them, anyways.
The boutons were all in different cla.s.ses, and Rei-sama had club activities after school, to Yumi understood they didnt have much time to discuss things together. So when they did manage to gather in one place at once, it would be better to let them be.
"Tsutako-san, would you like to sit here?"
Katsura-san said as she stood, and offered her seat.
"Oh, dont worry about me, Im fine."
"No, no. We finished eating, and were going, now."
The five had pushed their tables together for lunch, and other than Yumi, everyone had stood up. Her four cla.s.smates neatly packed up their lunches and placed them in their bags.
"Everyone?"
Tsutako-san put a finger to the bridge of her frameless gla.s.ses and raised them.
"Yes. We invited Yumi-san, but she doesnt seem interested. But it would probably be lonesome eating lunch alone, so please, Tsutako-san."
Katsura-san quickly explained, before she hurried to catch up to the cla.s.smates whom were waiting by the door, and then they all skipped along to their destination.
"&h.e.l.lip; What was that?"
Now that only Yumi could hear her, Tsutako-san let her guard down and muttered.
"Theyre going to the library to look up chocolate recipes."
Apparently one of them had found a wonderful recipe book at a bookstore, but it was extraordinarily expensive, so she couldnt afford it with her allowance. Well, she could, but then shed be short on ingredients for the chocolate itself, or something. Anyways, someone else pointed out that she thinks she saw that book in the library, so they all decided, "lets look for that wonderful book!" and that was that.
And on a side note, the speed at which they ate lunch after deciding to go was incredible. Katsura-san had taught Yumi that it was better for ones health if one deliberately chewed and ate their food, but that same Katsura-san was swallowing down food after four or five bites.
"I see. A wonderful chocolate book. That would be fascinating, indeed. Why didnt you go with them, Yumi-san?"
Tsutako-san stretched back to her seat and grabbed her milk box, then sat down on Katsura-sans seat, which had been warmed like a zabuton.
"Sachiko-sama seems to hate chocolate."
Yumi meekly replied. She didnt want to talk about this.
"You jest. Sachiko-sama was eating Rosa Foetida en boutons handmade Bûche de Noël on Christmas."
That was delicious, said Tsutako-san as she stared off into s.p.a.ce. It wasnt really handmade, as shed simply touched up a marketplace good, but Tsutako-san didnt really see it being made, so she didnt know about that.
"&h.e.l.lip; Thats right."
The Bûche de Noël is in fact filled with chocolate cream. Yumi saw Sachiko-sama eating it, too, and it was not like she was eating something she disliked out of courtesy.
Sachiko-sama was extremely picky with food. Theyd only known each other for four months, but Yumi had completely grasped Sachiko-samas expression when she found something she disliked. Someone who would look that disgusted by something wouldnt be able to completely hide that fact.
"Then I wonder if shes just against the act of giving chocolate on Valentines Day? Its all the same to me, though."
"You lost the joy of giving chocolate on your antic.i.p.ated Valentines Day, is it?"
Even though you went through such lengths to do research, remarked Tsutako-san. Her milk box made a hissing sound as she drained the rest of it. She might have been being compa.s.sionate, but that spontaneous noise was intrusive, and so if she was being cordial, it ruined the feeling.
"Well thats indeed harsh. Youve basically been kicked out of the Rose Mansion, but the cla.s.sroom is filled with Valentines Day talk."
Tsutako-san glanced around the lunch-time first-year peach-cla.s.s.
Exactly.
It wasnt just Katsura-san and others. Two-third, maybe even three-quarters, whatever the number, the majority of the students were thinking almost entirely of Valentines Day, so outside of cla.s.s, conversations naturally drifted in that direction.
How to give the chocolate, which chocolate stores are good, I saw a chocolate recipe on TV, that sort of thing. The ones that were truly excited to the point of intending to present handmade knitting were even knitting at every non-cla.s.s opportunity.
For the teachers that put up with us every day, for that senpai we admire, for that boy from another school that we have a one-sided love for, everyone had different people they wanted to gift, but everyone was thinking along the same lines.
It was just a week until Valentines Day.
"So, what are you going to do?"
What is she going to do? She was gloomy because she didnt know what she was going to do.
"If this is how itd be, I should have stayed an insider. Even if I become an outsider, its not like Im confident I can find Sachiko-samas card."
Hearing Yumis complaint, Tsutako-san mischievously prodded back.
"Mmm. So you dont care if someone else dates Sachiko-sama." "Of course not."
Absolutely positively not.
"Then theres nothing else you can do. I mean, you stepped out knowing it would be a long shot to begin with. What an ungallant way of thinking."
She knew that almost as much as she knew it would be a long shot.
Thats why Yoshino-san was gallant. Because she knew it would be a long shot, but she stepped on that plane without any hesitation, and on top of that, she was proactively trying to figure out where Rei-sama would hide it. She only has one body, after all, so she was already planning out where shed start looking, and so even though she wasnt with Rei-sama, her days were always busy. Plus, Yoshino-san still had the joy of giving Valentines Day chocolate, on a completely different note from the date.
"I wanted to give Sachiko-sama chocolate, too."
Said Yumi, as she somberly looked up at the dreary sky.
"Then, why dont you make it and forcibly give it to her?"
Gosh, Tsutako-san, she even clapped her hands, as if shed come up with a stroke of genius. Furthermore, Yumi could do it like how Yoshino-san returned Rei-samas rosary, but calling Sachiko-sama to the Maria-sama statue. Tsutako-san was definitely aiming to grab a photo.
"Do you think I could do it? Me?"
After all, her onee-sama was her onee-sama. Yumi didnt think she could even call Sachiko-sama out anywhere.
"Thats true, it might be impossible for Yumi-san. More befitting might be an image of you holding back tears while despondently making chocolate, and those tears drip into the mix, knowing that this chocolate would never be eaten. And the chocolate that should be sweet ends up being a bit salty."
Tsutako-san acted out a melancholic face and balled her hands, but all Yumi could do was sigh.
"&h.e.l.lip; Thats just enka."
Plus, how do held-back tears drip? She wished Tsutako-san wouldnt make fun of it just because it was someone elses problem.
"But Yumi-san, thinking is free. If you want to give her chocolate, think of it from the perspective of giving, okay? If on the fourteenth of February Sachiko-sama suddenly wants chocolate, how would you feel if you werent prepared? You would regret it forever. So you should start off by making chocolate, and if she wouldnt accept it after all, then you can call me and we can eat it together in the cla.s.sroom."
Ill even treat you to canned coffee then, she concluded. Because after all, friends exist to be there for you. And Yumi began to feel better.
Tsutako-san then finished things off by adding that, if possible, shed like to be present (if hidden) during the chocolate presentation, but Yumi graciously declined. It wasnt a doc.u.mentary, and she wouldnt be able to speak with seriousness to Sachiko-sama when knowing there was a camera somewhere. If she wanted a perfect shot that badly, Tsutako-san could try to track them down. Her very own treasure hunt.
"Well then, good luck!"
While they were conversing, the early bell for the afternoon cla.s.ses rang. After seeing Tsutako-san back to her seat, Yumi wrapped her empty lunchbox with a bandana.
Katsura-san and friends came back from the library filled with excitement. And the knitting students seemed to intend to keep knitting until the late bell.
-Which is when Tsutako-san came back, apparently remembering something.
"I forgot to tell you. This treasure hunt, actually the photography club is going to get a bite of the pie, too. But were more like a.s.sistants rather than cooperatives, so we wont be told who hid what where, but the photography club is in charge of the photographs for the Lillian Kawaraban."
Thats all, said Tsutako-san as she walked back in good humor.
And from that, Yumi guessed Tsutako-san didnt intend to give anyone chocolate this Valentines Day. The camera and photo-loving photography club ace was going to chase young ladies this year, without any holidays, again.
"Ah, Yumi-chan?"
After school.
Would you call it habit? After finishing cleaning duties, Yumi realized her legs had absent-mindedly carried her to the Rose Mansion.
"Are you alone?"
Rei-sama seemed to have come straight from cla.s.s, as she grinned in her school coat while holding her bag.
"Long time no see. Speaking of which, I have something I wanted to give you. &h.e.l.lip; Hold on, -hmm."
She tried to sort through her bag, but she seemed to have decided that scouring through her bag while standing was difficult, so she said, "Well, lets go in for a bit," took Yumis hand and went inside.
"Uh, umm."
It was bad enough that Yumi had come by the Rose Mansion, wasnt it really bad if she actually went in?
But Rei-sama bounced up the stairs without any care, and breaking free and escaping wasnt an option. So Yumi resigned herself to following Rei-sama upstairs. As long as Sachiko-sama isnt here, she thought.
"Ooh, first!"
When they entered the room, Rei-sama turned on the lights after that gleeful exclamation.
"Ill prepare the teakettle."
Out of habit, Yumi dashed to the electric pot.
"Dont worry about it."
"Okay."
She tossed the old water from the pot, rinsed it, and filled it with new water. Then when she plugged the cord into the electric socket, it began making a dull, "Im boiling the water now" sound. After that, she rinsed the dish rag, drained it, and wiped the table. She wanted to mop the floor, too, but she was afraid of the dust rising and decided against it.
"Well, Ill be going now, then."
When her cleaning habit came to an halt, she suddenly realized, "Why am I here?" and wanted to get away.
"Hold on. Thanks for doing all these ch.o.r.es, but that doesnt mean you have to go as soon as youre done, you know?"
"Umm, but, arent you all going to have a meeting now?"
Because Rei-sama has club activities today. But she came straight to the Rose Mansion, so there must be something planned today.
"Well, we are."
Rei-sama laughed as she pulled out the seat next to her and beckoned for Yumi to sit.
"But I said I had something I wanted to give Yumi-chan, didnt I?"
"Oh."
Shed completely forgotten. Thats right, thats why she came to the Rose Mansion.
"Here."
Rei-sama took something out of her bag and placed it in front of Yumi. It was a book, like a thin magazine.
"This&h.e.l.lip;?"
"I was thinking of handing it to you when I ran into you, so it was in my bag the whole time. A cookbook for pastries. Therere a lot of recipes for handmade chocolate, and the directions are really clear, so it should come in handy. The recipe for Rei-sans specialty chocolate truffles is pasted somewhere inside, too."
"But, Rei-sama, wont you need this, too?"
"Dont worry. The important bits&h.e.l.lip; well mostly just the ingredients, I jotted them down. And I have a bunch of other books like this, anyways. Or do you not need it anymore?"
"Nonsense."
"OK. Then, lets keep it a secret from Sachiko and surprise her. How about this?"
Rei-sama was lively, because it was her field of expertise. Her handsome looks got in the way of this image, but she was always caring to begin with. After all, shed been able to get along with that Yoshino-san for this long.
While they were leafing through the chocolate pastries book, filled with color photos, the door suddenly opened behind them.
"Sa-Sachiko-sama&h.e.l.lip;"
Theyd been so absorbed they didnt notice the footsteps on the stairs, so the two of them hurriedly stood up and quickly hid the book under their bags.
"- Why are you so surprised?"
"No, nothing. At all."
Since shed gotten up anyways, and the electric pot had finished boiling the water, Yumi poured tea for the two second-years.
"Yumi, how about yours?"
Sachiko-sama coldly asked.
"Ah, Im about to leave."
"Do you have something to do?"
"&h.e.l.lip; Yes, kind of."
Because she couldnt answer "well its uncomfortable staying here." Truth be told, she didnt mind if she stayed until Minako-sama or Shimako-san arrived, but Sachiko-sama seemed to be in ill spirits today. If she milled about and displeased her any further, it would be horrible, she thought. When Sachiko-sama was this stressed, you had to exercise extreme caution. You wouldnt guess it from how she usually conducts herself, but she did have a tendency to enter full hysteria.
"Then quit milling about and go."
Ouch, pretty harsh.
"Sachiko, stop acting like that. I pulled Yumi-chan in here."
"Rei?"
Sachiko-sama raised her head a bit, looked Yumi and Rei-sama, then said, "I see," and sipped her tea.
What do you have to do, or why did Rei-sama pull Yumi in, she didnt ask anything. It would be troublesome if she had persistently asked her, too, but it was just as awkward when she didnt ask anything at all.
"Well, excuse me."
When she headed toward the door after a quick bow, Rei-sama said, "Wait, Yumi-chan," and stopped her.
"Sorry, could you stop by the chrysanthemum cla.s.s and hand this to Yoshino?"
"Yes?"
She was handed that book. The t.i.tle was hidden because it was flipped, but it was still an audacious way to have gone about things. To Yoshino, she said, as she winked out of Sachiko-samas view.
(&h.e.l.lip; Which means shes letting me borrow it.)
Instead of "thank you very much," Yumi answered, "Alright," and left the room. Sachiko-sama wasnt interested at all by what Rei-sama would give Yoshino-san, and just sat still, elegantly sipping her tea.
Right as Yumi went down the stairs and went to open the door, it was opened from the other side, and she b.u.mped into Shimako-san, whod stormed into the building.
"Sorry."
Luckily, the only damage caused was that what they were holding fell to the ground.
"I was trying to come here as soon as I could after cleaning duty, but a number of things delayed me-"
While she was explaining why she was in such a hurry, Shimako-san began picking up the scattered doc.u.ments. Yumi also helped.
"Oh, this-"
Noticing an unfamiliar book among the scattered doc.u.ments, Shimako-san said, "Oh."
"Yumi-sans? So youre making chocolate for Valentines Day after all?"
"&h.e.l.lip; Mm. I dont know. Well, I borrowed it from Rei-sama, in any case, but Im just looking through it, for now." "I see."
Placing the doc.u.ments under her arm, Shimako-san flipped through it.
"Come to think of it, I do recall everyone talking about this in the cla.s.sroom."
After a quick smile, Shimako-san closed the book and held it out. As she received it, Yumi thought, shes probably not going to give Rosa Gigantea chocolate.
"If I knew Yumi-san would be here, I wouldnt have had to hurry so much, after all."
Farewell, said Shimako-san as she went up the stairs.
(Oh, thats right.)
When she left the Rose Mansion and entered the courtyard, Yumi finally realized.
The two "outsider" first-years had not gone to the Rose Mansion in quite some time. Which made Shimako-san in charge of most of the ch.o.r.es. Not that the uppercla.s.smen were forcing the job onto her, but she must have felt it awkward to have the uppercla.s.smen clean the room and pour her tea. So Shimako-san, despite being enc.u.mbered as it was with cla.s.s and committee obligations, was doing her best.
When onee-sama and sister end up being separated for one reason or another, other people are hit by unexpected repercussions, Yumi thought.
She couldnt just become absorbed in her own problems.
She tried to reflect on her actions.
The newspaper club announced the Valentines Day event through a small leaflet.
The "Lillian Kawaraban" was normally a weekly newspaper, so they printed a smaller version as an extra issue, or a supplemental issue, depending on how you look at it, and distributed it every day.
They t.i.tled it the "Lillian Kawaraban pet.i.te-sized Valentines project countdown special." Even the broadcasting DJ might twist their tongue on that one. After all, that t.i.tle alone took up most of the small issue, but it did grab peoples attention, so it was hard to criticize it.
As a daily paper, it gradually let the students know about the Valentines project that the newspaper club had brought forth to the Yamayurikai. No one knew what was going on at first, but the slow, daily leaking of bits and pieces of news captivated the curiosity of the girls. Especially the second issue, where the involvement of the boutons was printed, that definitely was big. After all, it hadnt been long since the student council election, so the popularity of the future Roses was still peaking.
"And so like, all the students think the sisters of the boutons must know something, so theyve been cornering me all day."
Yumi shrugged her shoulders as she finishing cleaning duty and was shutting the windows to the music room.
"So, Yumi-san, you do know something?"
Shizuka-sama slowly lifted her hand from the piano cover and turned to Yumi. Her neat, short hair settled down in an outline for her face.
"I wish."
Yumi emphatically shook her head. The scraggly hair shed tied in two sliced through the air.
In regard to the project, all she knew was that it was a game to find the treasures the boutons were going to hide. And since she hadnt been partic.i.p.ating in meetings, she didnt even know if the decision had made as to whether that treasure was going to be a card, chocolate, nor whether the extra prize had been decided upon to be the date. Since the treasure hunt was announced to the school, the sisters of the boutons basically only knew as much as the other students.
"And how is Shimako-san?"
"Well, at the very least, they seem to realize asking the person herself would be out of bounds, so our cla.s.smates are restraining themselves. Plus, Shimako-san has that aura around her, so that helps her, too."
Holding the cleaning diary to her chest, Yumi sighed. The cla.s.smates that had been cleaning the music room with her had already returned to the cla.s.sroom, and so for the short time until the chorus club members arrived, the music room was left to the two of them.
Yumi had gotten here late, so she penalized herself by appointing herself in charge of the diary.
"Thats true, shes not really the type to get bothered by people. But, Im a bit envious."
"Right?"
"Of Yumi-san."
"What?"
Dont worry about it, Shizuka-sama said, and she didnt speak any further on that subject.
"Then, Yumi-san, are you still being hounded by your cla.s.smates?"
"Thankfully not, Yoshino-san and I went to the newspaper club captain about it, and she printed the day that the sisters were partic.i.p.ating as regular students, and so we werent told anything. That settled things."
"Ahh, thats good, then."
Shizuka-sama was about to study overseas, so maybe she just wasnt interested to begin with, because she was acting rather indifferent to the Valentines Day project. Of course, if this involved fighting for Rosa Giganteas chocolate, things might be very different.
"Nowadays were bothered more by where do you think they would hide it? sort of questions. I mean, Im the one wanting to ask that!"
Its a big school, and shed never done a treasure hunt before, so she had no idea where good hiding places are. Plus, the boutons were smart, so they wouldnt choose someplace easy."
"Good question&h.e.l.lip; I think Id start by thinking where Id hide it if I were them."
"If I were them."
Yumid never thought about where she would hide things. So she started off by imagining where the person in front of her might hide things.
"Shizuka-sama might hide something in the grand piano, for instance?"
She asked, patting the piano lightly.
"Wouldnt that be too easy? Plus, if someone were to play it that day, theyd notice it right away."
"Hmm."
So somewhere anyone would think of would be out. Hiding treasure is difficult.
"But, piano aside, the music room is a nice starting point. Either here&h.e.l.lip; or the library."
"Library?"
"I wouldnt be bothered by who finds the treasure, but if possible, Id prefer it to be found by someone who can at least understand a bit of how I think, you know?"
Shizuka-sama was a librarian.
"Thats true."
She thought as she nodded. Where would Sachiko-sama hide it? What kind of person did she want it to be found by?
If she could find Sachiko-samas treasure first, it would solidify Yumis understanding of Sachiko-sama as her little sister. And that might entice Sachiko-sama to accept her chocolate. And Sachiko-sama accepting her even just a bit more would be the ultimate present for her.
"By the way, Yumi-san, are you giving Sachiko-san chocolate?" "Eh?"
The conversation skipped such a great distance that Yumi emitted something of a squeal, in surprise. Although in retrospect it made sense, because the treasure hunt takes place on Valentines Day, which is when you give chocolate.
"My, was it a secret? Should I not have asked?"
"No, thats not it."
She intended to make chocolate, but she didnt know if she could present it- wow, it could turn out to be a long story.
Actually, shed already picked out what chocolate shed make. She thought like 40 percent of the joy of making something was the act of planning it out. And then another 40 percent would be the antic.i.p.ation of it coming out the way you imagine it. And the remaining 20 percent, well that was just a mish-mash of shopping for ingredients and actually making it. Well, she hadnt really gone into the "making" phase of things yet, but she could imagine it. At least&h.e.l.lip; at least with imagining, the chocolate would always come out perfectly, and you could re-do it as many times as you want.
"How about Shizuka-sama?"
Right after she asked, Yumi thought, "oh, shoot," but Shizuka-sama didnt seem at all bothered, and giggled.
"Yumi-san, you just tried to be sympathetic, didnt you? Stop it, you dont have to."
"&h.e.l.lip; Im sorry."
"I look up to Rosa Gigantea a great deal, but its not like an unrequited love or anything. I just didnt get to become her sister, then suffered a crushing defeat at the election, and on top of it all, Im about to head to Italy in a bit."
But doesnt that all add up to a harsh experience? Is what Yumi thought, but for Shizuka-sama, it might be that all of that overwhelmed any grief she might feel from her broken heart.
"So, Im giving her chocolate. Of course."
"What!?"
"Rosa Gigantea asked me, I dont think Shimako will give me some, so can you give me some? Of course, I was never going to defer to Shimako-san to begin with."
(&h.e.l.lip; Shizuka-sama.)
Was a different type of person, but she seemed to be as tough as Yoshino-san. In a way, they both used difficult circ.u.mstances as a springboard for greatness. And so they both were rather powerful.
"When did you two become so close-"
"Rosa Gigantea and I? Its normal, just like you and I, Yumi-san."
"Even so."
Does Rosa Gigantea even have time to be worrying over chocolate like that? She showed up so rarely Yumi didnt even know if she was coming to school.
"Rosa Gigantea is kind, so she always accepts everyones chocolate. So in that sense, its actually quite pleasant to give her chocolate."
"Ah."
Yumi didnt know if "kind" would be the word to describe Rosa Gigantea here. Because, you know, its her.
"Oh, but Im not saying Sachiko-san is unkind, just so you know."
"Sachiko-sama?"
A name she couldnt just let slip without noticing. Plus, it came with the adjective "unkind." Well, it was actually "not unkind," but that wasnt the point.
"What about Sachiko-sama? If shes been mentioned in contrast to Rosa Gigantea, does that mean she does indeed reject chocolate?"
"What? Yumi-san, isnt that why youre in distress?"
"Yes&h.e.l.lip; but still."
But Shizuka-sama seemed to be speaking like an eye witness, so Yumi thought itd be normal to ask. Especially because shed never mentioned to Shizuka-sama that she was agonizing over Sachiko-samas apparent dislike of chocolate. And she hadnt been asking around to the point where itd become a rumor.
"Because Im of the same year as Sachiko-san. Why would it be odd that I know what happened last year?"
"Ah."
"I mean, shes beautiful, and has quite the presence. She was just a first-year, but she was receiving chocolate from first-years and uppercla.s.smen."
"First-years?"
"Middle school is strict about this, so even during Valentines Day it wasnt permissible to bring in chocolate, right? That might be why that happened."
The moment they became high school students, the rules were loosened, in order to "emphasize the students autonomy." Well, thats why everyone patiently waited during compulsory education, because that loosening of rules awaited in the future. But anyways, "enjoying Valentines Day" jumped near the top of everyones list of how to enjoy high school life. And for students who otherwise had no real plans for giving and receiving chocolate, presenting it to a student they admired was the next alternative. And thats why the Yamayurikai staff tended to be swamped with chocolate.
"And basically, Sachiko-san became exasperated by the mountain of chocolate being offered to her, and began turning everyone away."
"Eek&h.e.l.lip;" "But thats one type of kindness."
"How is turning everyone away kindness?"
Yumi earnestly asked, but Shizuka-sama simply smiled.
"Youll know soon enough."
She was side-stepped again. -Was she being teased?
The chorus club members finally began appearing, so Yumi bid her farewell and left the music room.
"Yumi-san."
Shizuka-sama hurried to the door and stopped Yumi.
"You know, you only experience it three times. Enjoy Valentines Day, including the days leading up to it, to the fullest. All of your worrying and perplexing will simply pave the way to a better future, both next year and the year after."
"Shizuka-sama&h.e.l.lip;"
"I was just an observer last year. So Ill definitely make it memorable, before I go to Italy. Yumi-san, you should-"
Yumi couldnt make out the end, but she could guess what Shizuka-sama wanted to say.
She only had a little over a year left with Sachiko-sama. If that would be the case, she should make the most of it. Laugh without restraint and worry with all seriousness, so that she wouldnt regret it later. Thats probably what Shizuka-sama wanted to say.
"I will."
Yumi energetically responded, bowed her head again, and began walking to the staff room.