Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 5 Chapter 6 Part1
Torii Eriko, also known as Rosa Foetida, was in her own room, in her own house, troubled.
In front of her was a paper box, the ones you saw in Western confectionary stores, the ones where when you folded it up, itd present to you a handle. It was around half the size of the box shed been given last Christmas, when shed been given low-heel shoes. But it was half as wide, not half as long, resulting in a very thin, long rectangular solid.
"So its probably not truffles&h.e.l.lip;"
That opinion wouldnt change whether you look at it from outside or inside. Well, no, the moment you opened it, youd know its contents. But she wanted to try to figure it out without going that far. No deep reason.
It was handed to her just ten minutes ago by her sœur, Hasekura Rei, as a Valentines Day gift. Shed ridden her bicycle here even though it was snowing outside.
Rei might have been feeling guilty about not being able to hand it to her during school. Not that Eriko minded.
After all, shed been missing school of late for exam studies. Rei probably didnt know if she would show up. It was better to leave a delicate food like chocolate at home, in the refrigerator, than to carry it about. Plus, Reis home was just a few minutes walk from school.
Of course, shed be lying if she said when Rei showed no hints of handing her chocolate because of the treasure hunt she didnt worry. But Rei had chased her to the main gates and whispered to her asking if she could "visit her house later that night," so shed stopped worrying then.
She wanted to invite Rei into the house for tea, but she seemed in a hurry to leave, so she decided against forcing her to stay. Rei said she was going to Shimazu Yoshinos house afterwards.
Yoshino-chans house was next to Reis. She could have gone to the closer person first, but maybe shed wanted to prioritize the senior. How very like Rei, with her athletics-based discipline and conscientiousness. And that was not a bad thing at all.
"But, this-"
Rei had brought it, so it was doubtlessly a present from Rei. And it was handmade. There was no problem there. The problem-.
"Is this really for me?"
Eriko had mumbled that nine times in the last ten minutes. So this was the commemorative tenth time. Shed probably not noticed it herself, but she was mumbling it once every minute.
"What if she made a mistake."
She knew Rei changed the contents of her present based on the person she was gifting. Because she made things based on their tastes. So the chocolate truffles last year was delicious. The sweetness was a bit suppressed by bitterness, giving it a distinctly mature taste. She was so astonished at how good it was - shed never eaten something that good before - that she expressed great admiration to Rei on the spot&h.e.l.lip; and Rei replied happily, "If youre that pleased with it, Ill happily make it again next year." Or maybe she suggested making it again next year. She didnt remember exactly how it was, but it didnt matter, there wasnt too much of a difference. Eriko believed without a doubt shed get truffles again this year.
"So this looks more like Yoshino-chans dominion."
But she wasnt sure. If there was at least a message card&h.e.l.lip;
She heard Rei made Yoshino-chan a cake filled with chocolate cream last year. Quant.i.ty over quality for children. Well, considering Rei was making it, thered be no drop-off in quality.
"But, you wouldnt usually mix it up, considering how different the box sizes are."
But it was Rei. She seemed reliable, but she had a tendency to miss things. Usually she was so dependable, but at certain times shed become completely useless. She was the headlong charge type, so if one thing occupied her attention, everything else ended up being pushed out of her mind. Though, as her big sister, Eriko found that part of Rei cute.
"But, hmm."
Maybe Reid made a large quant.i.ty of truffles, because Erikod been so pleased by them, and there were so many shed ended up needing this sort of box. And then shed accidentally put Yoshino-chans one into hers. How was that? Good reasoning, perhaps?
She looked at the clock.
Five minutes before seven.
Rei had come at six forty, so itd been fifteen minutes since then. In five minutes, Rei would arrive home. And if she were to notice, itd be after that, before she went to deliver the present to the Shimazu household. Even if Rei herself didnt notice, Yoshino-chan would notice, pointing it out when she opened her box. -Right, if the contents of that box were truffles.
"Mmm."
She found herself with nothing immediate to do. Well, it wasnt like she was going to start studying now, so it wasnt really something she needed to mind.
She wanted to phone Rei to make sure, but she would be perplexed if Rei were to ask her why she thought there might have been a mistake. Because frankly its because she was expecting truffles. And then itd sound like she was a narrow-minded person whod accept nothing other than truffles.
That wasnt true. Anything Rei made was lovely. But if Rei had indeed mixed things up, she needed to tell her, right?
h.e.l.lo, did you hand me the right chocolate? -No, no. There must be a smarter way to do it.
"Eriko-chan, its dinner time."
Her mothers voice came through the interphone.
"Okay. Coming." Well, no sense pondering it now. She left the present, and her thoughts, in her room and stepped out. Rei might come calling at some point.
She could smell demi-glace sauce wafting up from the kitchen. Beef stew tonight.
"Oh, right."
Eriko stopped descending the stairs and hurried back to her room.
"Chocolate, chocolate."
She dug out the paper bags hidden in her closet. For her beloved, sly father and her strange brothers.
The men of the Torii household had come home early tonight in eager antic.i.p.ation of chocolate from the only daughter.