Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 13 Chapter 2
The following day.
Standing before a huge wooden gate that looked like it belonged on the residence of a shoguns personal retainer, or an Edo-period town magistrate, the f.u.kuzawa siblings sighed.
"Its bigger than I thought."
"&h.e.l.lip; Yeah."
"Still not quite as big as Sachiko-sans, but it sure beats any normal house."
"Right."
Of course, the lady of the house was originally a daughter of the powerful Ogasawara family, so it shouldnt have been hard to imagine that the family she married into would have a house like this. But, but, even taking that into account, the estate was incredibly large. Yumi was seriously considering calculating how many times the f.u.kuzawa house would fit inside the grounds.
In other words, this was the house where Kashiwagi-san lived.
In order to accomplish the task set for her by Rei-sama at the previous days secret Yamayurikai meeting, theyd caught a bus, followed by a train, then another bus, and lastly a ten minute walk before finally arriving at this previously unseen plot of land.
Naturally, Yuuki had accompanied her. Not only had he been the instigator of all of this when he came to talk to her, but as the junior of the recently graduated Hanadera student Kashiwagi-san, his position was easily understood.
"I want to go home."
"Me too."
It was hot.
Despite the parasol, her shoulders, arms, and other parts not covered by the summer dress were stinging.
2pm. The hottest part of the day.
They spent about five minutes looking up at the gates. Although theyd arranged to meet him, they didnt have to see Kashiwagi-san to know that their mission was over. Even without talking to him, just seeing this place was enough to make it obvious that theyd have to change their plans.
"Hey."
"Yeah."
They should find a public telephone and let him know they couldnt make it. Yuuki and Yumi looked at each other and with a silent understanding they turned around.
Just at that point.
"Thats not nice, f.u.kuzawa siblings."
A voice came from behind them.
"After coming all this way, youre going to go home without saying h.e.l.lo?"
They didnt have to turn around to know. That immediately soothing voice. With a bit of a hosts spice. Plus the occasional undercurrent of poison.
There was no doubting it was him, the ginkgo nut prince, Kashiwagi Suguru.
"If Im not mistaken, that box contains a Maple Parlor fruit jelly selection. Theyre my favorite, dont you know. As good as a nice gin and tonic. Ahh, I wish I had one. If only someone would drop by, bringing some with them."
Would anyone be able to run away after hearing all that? Like rewinding a video, the f.u.kuzawa siblings spun around, returning to their original position.
"Go-gokigenyou, Kashiwagi-san."
"Hey there, Kashiwagi-sempai. Sorry about coming to see you on such short notice."
The blameless Maple Parlor box was handed over with a forced smile. Kashiwagi-san looked eminently satisfied as he accepted it and said:
"Ah, such good children. Im glad youre so honest."
Then he suddenly patted them on the heads, but they didnt have the energy to fight back. Honestly, how long had he been waiting by the gate? Either way, it was a devastating defeat for the f.u.kuzawas, whose actions had been completely read by Kashiwagi-san.
"Come on, come inside you two."
Naturally, Kashiwagi-san wasnt going to dismiss them now that hed received the fruit jellies. He took Yuuki by the arm and, just like that, dragged him inside. It was really aggravating, the way he calculated that Yumis concern for her younger brothers body would pull her in too.
Once inside the gate, it felt a lot cooler than out on the road, due to the shade from the bamboo gra.s.s, pine trees and other plants.
The entrance was at the end of the stone path that went straight from the gate. The main door was huge, and the front step was high, so, in a word it looked like a ryokan, or maybe a traditional restaurant.
"Come on Yumi-chan, you too."
"Pardon the intrusion."
"Ah, you dont have to take off your shoes."
Even if he said that, it was a basic courtesy.
Yumi turned around to place her shoes off to the side. Just as she was bending over, a voice suddenly came from behind her.
"Welcome."
"Eek."
She barely managed to avoid hitting her head on the stone pavement. She turned around in surprise and saw that an older lady had arrived at some point.
"- !"
This time nothing came out as Yumis heart once again jumped in her chest. It was scary to theorize about the kneeling, white kimono-clad woman that had appeared in the dimly lit room.
"My junior from high-school, f.u.kuzawa-kun, and his older sister. Yumi-san is Sacchans junior."
They hastily bowed at Kashiwagi-sans eloquent introduction. Immediately, she put herself on guard, thinking "Is this Kashiwagi-sans mother!?" But she seemed a little bit old, and from listening to their conversation it looked as though that thought was incorrect.
"Leave us be, Tomi. Ill entertain them."
"Very well, as you wish."
So apparently she was neither a ghost, nor his mother, but a household maid. Although, at the moment, Yumi wasnt concerned about who that lady was.
(Argh, I said, "Eek." I said, "Eek." What do I do?)
Yumis spirits continued to fall as they walked through the hallway. And Kashiwagi-san was Kashiwagi-san. In her mind, she unjustly resented him. By introducing her as Sachiko-samas junior, hadnt he troubled Sachiko-sama? But that was typical of Kashiwagi-san.
"Whats the matter, Yumi-chan? Your face is all red, is it too hot?"
He called out to her. As though he hadnt heard her earlier squeal.
"No, its nice and cool."
Actually, the inside of the house was pleasantly cool. Despite the traditional architecture, it also looked somewhat new.
Just like the front gates, the interior was also as s.p.a.cious as a ryokan. To make matters worse, the corridor was long and had many twists and turns, making the grounds like a maze.
How would they be able to get out of there on their own when it came time to leave? Instinctively, Yumi grabbed hold of Yuukis shirt. He had a much better sense of direction.
"While I dont have a problem with my room, it is still a bedroom, so I thought it inappropriate to bring a young lady in there."
Kashiwagi-san said, leading them to a small, detached, traditional j.a.panese-style room.
"So it would be appropriate to take a young gentleman there?"
Yumi joked, unable to let his statement go without comment.
"Mm. Right. If Yuuki were here by himself, I suppose Id take him to my room."
Kashiwagi-san responded, smiling.
"I wouldnt come here alone."
Yuuki scowled.
"Dont say that, come any time. Ill show you the utmost hospitality."
Even though it was just idle chatter, it made her nervous. Because Kashiwagi-san hadnt taken the joke as a joke. Instead, he had taken her joke at face value.
"Is this a tearoom?"
Yumi asked, after taking a look around.
"Yeah. Ah, right. I could prepare tea, if youd like. But it probably wont go with the fruit jellies."
"No, thats alright."
Yumi and Yuuki simultaneously declined, but Kashiwagi-san had already started getting the tea ceremony utensils out.
"Its a pain, so Ill use the hot water from the pot. But dont copy what Im doing."
Dont copy. The f.u.kuzawa siblings looked at each other. Theyd never conducted a full-blown tea ceremony so far in their lives, and didnt intend to do so in the future either.
"Come on, dont just stand there, have a seat."
At Kashiwagi-sans urging, they sat down in the guests seats. Although they werent really sure which seats in the tearoom were the guests seats, and which were the hosts seats.
Whush, whush, whush, whush.
The sound of the tea whisk was soothing. As she was watching this, Yumi thought, "The tea ceremonys kind of nice." Then Kashiwagi-san stopped what he was doing, stood up and opened a small cupboard in the alcove.
Surprisingly, it was refrigerated inside and Kashiwagi-san took out ice and cold water before closing the door as though nothing had happened.
"Its inelegant when you see it, right? But it would be most inconvenient if it wasnt there."
So that meant that an air-conditioner was probably hidden somewhere out of sight too. It had been bugging her for a while now as to why the room was still so cool despite being all closed off.
Kashiwagi-san poured the tea hed just whisked into the gla.s.ses hed put ice in, then diluted it with water.
"Here, drink up."
The iced green-tea he offered them was surprisingly tasty, but Yumi honestly thought she could have done without seeing how it was made.
"Now then."
His hosting duties fulfilled, Kashiwagi-san spoke smoothly as he opened the box of jellies that theyd brought for him.
"What is it that you want me to do?"
As though he were asking, "Which would you prefer, peach or pineapple?"
(- Ahh, really.)
Hes a cunning boy, that Kashiwagi-san.
"Hmm. Is Sacchans man-hatred really that serious?"
Kashiwagi-san said, after listening to their summary of the situation. And after finishing off one of the grape jellies.
"Yeah."
Showing zero awareness of the cause of this malady. Such a problematic person.
"Then I suppose she wont be able to bear any children. What will the Ogasawara family do, I wonder."
"Huh."
The comeback, "Youre worried about that?" immediately came to mind. But more than that, why wasnt he concerned about Sachiko-samas mental health? Yumi was utterly shocked that he was completely unruffled by what she had said, proving that he really was "that kind of man."
"Sacchan and I are grandfather Ogasawaras only grandchildren. Well, he could have an illegitimate child that Im not aware of somewhere. In that case, its a different story. But, well, its a trifling matter &h.e.l.lip; "
Hey, hey, should you really be trying to suppress a laugh while discussing a topic that serious? Yuuki opened his mouth, losing his temper at that att.i.tude.
"Hey sempai, are you really going to marry Sachiko-san?"
"Oh, Yukichi. Feeling jealous?"
Kashiwagi-san grinned effeminately. Naturally, Yuuki just looked blatantly fed up with him.
"Its always a party in your mind, isnt it? I worry for Sachiko-san."
"For Sacchan?"
"You should cancel the engagement if you cant make her happy. Dont you feel sorry for her?"
Oh, well put, younger brother. Yumi mentally gave him a round of applause.
"Hmm. Thats quite a thing to say. So will you live up to your words and bring her happiness? It doesnt bother me, so if you bow your cute head and ask, I suppose Ill be forced to relinquish my precious Sacchan to you, Yukichi."
"H-how did you get that impression?"
Hed only been trying to protect Sachiko-sama, so Yuukis face went bright red in indignation at being forcibly paired with her. Naturally, Yumi couldnt agree with that idea either. She loved her onee-sama, and her younger brother was cute. But having the two become lovers was a bit hard to swallow. She couldnt really understand her own feelings right now. About all she could say was that something unpleasant was still something unpleasant, no matter how it was said.
"Well, you and I are the only young men that Sacchans okay with. Although shes surprisingly good with older men, and younger kids that havent started school yet."
Listening to this, Yumi thought that Kashiwagi-sans examples were all missing the mark. The men that Sachiko-sama was okay with were all completely out of the question, werent they?
To begin with, the reason she was fine around Yuuki was probably because of the sense of security provided by his biological older sister. In Kashiwagi-sans case, his excessive charm, or rather her current disillusionment with him, had led to Sachiko-sama downgrading him from someone she admired to just another relative. Of course, she wouldnt hate the elderly or infants because she wouldnt see them as "men."
"I would completely spoil Yukichi and Sacchans children. Ah, Yukichi. Dont worry, Id still take control of the Ogasawara Group. So all youd have to do is provide the kids, what do you say?"
There he goes again.
Kashiwagi-san could appear completely idiotic from time to time. Even though he must have been really smart, since he was given priority entry into Hanadera University. Theres a fine line between genius and insanity, or so the saying goes.
"So, that was it? All I have to do is take the members of the Hanadera Academy high school student council around to the Ogasawara estate?"
"&h.e.l.lip; Thats what wed thought, but theres no need now."
Kashiwagi-san seemed willing, but Yumi politely declined.
"Oh, why not?"
"Because, we needed you to have the n.o.ble goal of "providing your juniors with enough s.p.a.ce." But since you live in a house this big, theres no reason for you to use the Ogasawara estate."
Sachiko-sama would obviously know what sort of house her cousin lived in. Theyd be in trouble when she asked why he didnt just use his own house, because theyd have no good answer.
"Hmm. How boring."
Kashiwagi-san seemed monumentally bored as he crunched on the ice from his iced green tea. Following that, the sliding door silently opened.
"Pardon me."
"Uwah."
Yuukis voice was the first to rise in consternation. And with good reason. Even though the tearoom was separated from the main building, there had been no sound of footsteps along the path, no sign of another human, no indication that the door was about to be opened whatsoever.
"Welcome."
The politely bowing head slowly raised, and when Yumi saw who it was this time she let out an "Ah." Those ringlets like stiff springs belonged to -
"Touko-chan."
"Gokigenyou. I thought it was you, Yumi-sama. I came to offer my greetings because I heard that one of Sachiko onee-samas juniors was visiting, and I thought it may have been you."
Touko-chan slipped inside, closed the sliding door, then placed a tray in the center of the room. It held a jug of barley tea, as well as one, two, three, four gla.s.ses &h.e.l.lip; It looked as though Touko-chan had included herself in the numbers, as though it were the natural thing to do.
"Umm &h.e.l.lip; and this is?"
Touko-chan shifted her gaze to Yuuki.
"Ah, my younger brother Yuuki. A second-year at Hanadera Academys high school."
Introducing her younger brother felt embarra.s.sing, or at least a little strange. But, as a wind to cool that feeling that arose inside her, Touko-chan was in her "good girl" mode, and smiled sweetly at Yuuki.
"A pleasure to meet you. Im Matsudaira Touko, currently a first-year high school student at Lillians Girls Academy. Yumi-sama is always guiding me gently."
"Same here, thanks for looking after my sister."
Smooth. Too smooth. Boy meets girl. Like a scene from a teen movie.
"Touko-chan is Kashiwagi-sans cousin &h.e.l.lip; right?"
"Correct."
Touko-chan nodded. Yumi hadnt been sure, because shed never formally confirmed it, but thankfully it looked like she was correct. Nor was she completely clear on how Sachiko-sama was related to Touko-chan, but, basically, they were both Kashiwagi-sans cousins.
"My mothers from the Kashiwagi family, so we often come to visit."
So that was it. Well, it wasnt as though Yumi had thought that Touko-chan and Kashiwagi-san lived together.
"Touko. Why are you here? I told Tomi to leave us be."
Kashiwagi-san said. Apparently he hadnt been expecting Touko-chan to make an appearance either.
"Well, she told me to come and have a look. Telling her to leave you be just made her all the more interested."
"She was wondering what I was doing taking a young boy and girl to a secluded spot?"
"Exactly. Youre not trustworthy, onii-sama."
Touko-chan chortled. Then, while still laughing, she whispered:
"So, what are you three conspiring about?"
"C-conspiring?"
Yumi quickly shook her head and waved her hands, denying they were doing anything so disreputable.
"Oh, am I mistaken? But isnt it natural to a.s.sume that Yumi-sama had some reason for coming all the way here to visit Suguru onii-sama?"
"Touko-chan. Well, you see, my brother had some business with Kashiwagi-san, so &h.e.l.lip; um, Im here as a sort of chaperone."
Fl.u.s.tered. However, Touko-chan wasnt paying any attention to Yumis inarticulate explanation.
"In summary &h.e.l.lip; its about Sachiko onee-sama, I presume?"
"Touko-chan."
Suddenly hitting the bulls-eye. Ah, what to do? It would be curtains for sure if she told Sachiko-sama. Yumi was desperate, having been backed into a corner. Just then.
"Ah-hahahaha."
Kashiwagi-san laughed raucously.
"Haha, good, thats good Yumi-chan."
"What is?"
Glare. She was already on the edge, having been backed into a corner. Why was she being subjected to this roar of laughter?
"That face."
"My face?"
"That face of yours that shows what youre thinking as clear as day. Its the best."
Kashiwagi-san wiped away his tears. Wasnt it rude to laugh at someones face, especially a womans?
"Yukichis funny too, but youve got your own special flavor, Yumi-chan."
- so that was it. Having heard that, she lost all will to protest.
"Well, whatever."
Even Touko-chan shrugged in amazement at Kashiwagi-sans convulsive laughter.
"I dont have the spare time to engage in idle gossip, so I wont mention that I happened to meet you here, Yumi-sama. Rest a.s.sured."
"&h.e.l.lip; Thanks for that."
Yumi wasnt too sure how to take that, but she decided to accept it at face value for now.
"Come and visit again, Yukichi."
Kashiwagi-san grinned as he spoke, having faithfully led them back through the maze of hallways to the magnificent front gate.
"I dont think Ill be back here again."
Yuuki muttered, scowling. Well, yeah. Since Kashiwagi-san had said hed show him his bedroom next time, it was only natural that Yuuki would keep his distance, sensing the danger to his body.
"So harsh."
Not having learned from this, Kashiwagi-san turned to face Yumi as he spoke.
"But in that case, I wonder if Yumi-chan will come and visit me by herself."
If you want to hit the general, aim for his horse first, huh?
"I too shall refrain."
It was kind of depressing that she was the horse her younger brother was riding.
"Hmm. But you two will be back some day."
"What on earth makes you think that?"
"Nothing. Just a premonition."
"Youre sure its not a curse?"
"Hahaha. Yes, it may well be."
Apparently satisfied by offering this ominous prediction, Kashiwagi-san waved them goodbye, saying, "Take care."
Somehow, theyd spent close to three hours at Kashiwagi-sans house. The time really did fly.
In the end, Touko-chan had remained with them the entire time, so they hadnt been able to discuss the meeting between the Hanadera and Lillians school councils, dubbed the "Epic campaign to subjugate man-hatred," or, for short, "Operation OK (Tentative)."
It looked as though they wouldnt be able to use the idea of barging into Sachiko-samas house, although they hadnt needed to talk to Kashiwagi-san to establish that.
As for the interloper Touko-chan, shed silently disappeared while Yumi and Yuuki were preparing to leave. Just what on earth had she been hoping to achieve anyway?
Fatigue swiftly descended on Yumi as she walked side-by-side with Yuuki to the bus stop.
All that effort gone to waste.
Why on earth had they come to visit Kashiwagi-san? And how could they fix their plans now?
"It was her? That caused your fight with Sachiko-san?"
Yuuki asked as they walked.
"Is that what I told you?"
During the rainy season, Yumi and Sachiko-sama hadnt been able to connect with each other. But she couldnt really remember talking about it at home.
"You never actually said it, but that was the feeling I got when I saw you together."
"Well, you know, I had no idea about the sort of things you suffer through at school. You never let on about those."
Yumi bit back and Yuuki smiled bitterly.
"The things I suffer through? Thats horrible."
"But."
Im worried about you. She couldnt get the words out of her mouth, but Yuuki seemed to understand all the same, responding with, "Dont worry, Im fine."
When they arrived at the bus stop, Yuuki had a look at the schedule, then his watch, before informing her that theyd just missed a bus. Supporting that was the fact that they were the only two people in sight.
They idly watched the other cars driving past the bus stop.
The area around them was brightly lit, with just the air telling them it was twilight. All the people in the cars seemed so eager to get home that they were probably pushing the speed limit.
Yumi casually muttered:
"I wonder if Touko-chan really wont say something to Sachiko-sama."
In response to that, Yuuki said:
"She wont."
"How do you know?"
"Just a feeling. She said she wouldnt, so Ill trust her."
"I suppose, she did say that."
Yumi nodded. Rather than trusting in Touko-chan, she trusted in her brothers trust of Touko-chan.
And then.
"Shes kinda cute."
Yuuki said smoothly.
"Cute!?"
So that was his type? Yumi looked at her brother with surprise and a bit of recrimination.
"I dont mean the way she looks."
Yuuki calmly corrected himself. His response was completely different than when Kashiwagi-san had mocked him about Sachiko-sama.
"Then how?"
"Lets see."
Looking up and off to the side, Yuuki explained.
"When you see a kindergartener, you think, "How cute," right? Its something like that."
"What do you mean?"
"I dont know."
"So basically, youre just saying that shes younger than you?"
"I dont think thats all it is &h.e.l.lip; its alright, you dont have to understand. I dont think I could really explain it to anyone myself."
"Hmm."
She sort of understood, but didnt really. But that was fine. Since Yuuki had said she didnt have to understand.
"Hey, Yuuki, what is your type?"
Yumi asked impulsively, suddenly wanting to know.
"My type &h.e.l.lip; you mean my preference in girls?"
"Obviously."
Just for confirmation, for confirmation. To make sure he hadnt picked up any strange habits after going to an all-boys school for such a long time.
"Umm. Having your preferences heard and judged by your older sister is a bit embarra.s.sing, dont you think?"
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Her brother really did seem quite delicate, the way he shyly turned away, but Yumi continued to badger him with questions.
"Well, specifically, what kind of figure do you like?"
"Their appearance doesnt really matter to me. Their personalitys more important &h.e.l.lip; gentle girls are nice."
"Huh."
Then hes probably picturing someone a bit different to Yoshino-san or Touko-chan. Of the Yamayurikai members, Shimako-san was probably the closest.
"Someone whos lively and cheerful."
Lively ... lively? Then maybe hed prefer someone like Rei-sama. But Yuuki and Rei-sama didnt seem like they would match each other at all. No matter how she pictured it, she couldnt see anything happening between the two of them.
"What about you?"
This time Yuuki went on the counterattack.
"Me?"
d.a.m.n. Shed never given any serious thought to how her ideal man should be.
But since shed been the one to start this conversation, and shed already heard what her brother had to say, there was no way she could stay silent now. Yumi worked out her type at super-express speeds.
"Well. Someone whos good looking, smart, and their personality seems twisted at first glance but theyve actually got a kind heart, whos fastidious - "
Was where she got to when:
"Thats enough, Yumi."
Yuuki stopped her as she was counting these out on her fingers.
"Youre just describing Sachiko-san."
She really had been going to an all-girls school for a long time. - A sigh of exasperation escaped from her younger brother standing next to her.