Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 24 Chapter 4

 

 

 

 

 

"There will be an information session regarding the student council elections starting at 3:45pm today. Would all first and second-year students who are considering running in the elections please come to the Electoral Committee's office, next to the staff room, at that time. Also, please understand that we will not be accepting nominations to run in the election today. I repeat, there will be - "

 

 

 

 

 

 

The same announcement was repeated a couple of times over the school PA system all throughout the time allotted for cleaning, immediately following homeroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were some students who were surprised by this sudden announcement, but there had been a notice about it in the b.u.mper end-of-year special edition of the student newspaper, the Lillian Kawaraban. Going back even further, the Electoral Committee had placed a notice on the committee bulletin board on the first of December, after the School Festival Committee had disbanded on the last day of November and relinquished their s.p.a.ce on the board, so it wasn't really all that sudden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even so, there were some students who heard the announcement and, thinking there were others who didn't yet know, had kindly gone looking for Yumi and the others to inform them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In truth, while they had left the school buildings to dispose of the rubbish, they could still faintly hear the announcement, and a copy of the notice on the bulletin board had been delivered to the Rose Mansion the previous year, and the editor-in-chief of the Lillian Kawarban was a cla.s.smate, so Yumi had been informed of this many times already, but still she gratefully accepted their kindness. Because the message they all wanted to convey was, "You're running, right? Give it your best."

 

 

 

 

 

 

When cleaning was over Yumi met up with Yos.h.i.+no-san and they visited the second-year wisteria cla.s.s to get s.h.i.+mako-san before heading towards the Electoral Committee's office. It was just after 3:30 so they were a bit early, but even if they went to the Rose Mansion they wouldn't be able to do anything in five minutes, and it was much better than being late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their meeting place, the Electoral Committee's office, was next to the staff room. In case someone had missed it during the announcement, or read the notice but completely forgot the location, there was a huge sign on the door saying "Electoral Committee," so anyone that walked past it was unlikely to forget.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a group of students in the hallway, gathered around the door. Initially, Yumi had been surprised by how many people were intending to run, but that wasn't the case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, Rosa Gigantea."

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the girls called out, noticing s.h.i.+mako-san. Then all the gathered students turned to face them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Rosa Foetida en bouton, Rosa Chinensis en bouton &h.e.l.lip; !"

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group of students left the door and surrounded the trio. Two, four, six &h.e.l.lip; almost twenty in all. The wave of humanity that surged past the staff room door would surely have surprised any teacher that opened it to head home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Good luck in the election, Rosa Gigantea and the two boutons. We're cheering for you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, thank-you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group of students had gathered to see the candidates who would attend the information session. They were all first and second-years. The third-years weren't allowed to vote, so even if they were interested they wouldn't be quite as worked up about it just now. Plus they had to think about what they would do after graduation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the crowd was a face she knew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Look this way please. Just once."

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photography club's ace, Takes.h.i.+ma Tsutako-san, called out, holding her camera. When they all instinctively turned in her direction, she clicked the shutter and got them good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beside her was Yamaguchi Mami-san, from the newspaper club. She was probably going to write an article about the student council elections for the Lillian Kawaraban. The image of a huge headline reading, "Rosa Gigantea and the Red and Yellow Boutons Attend Information Session Together" floated into Yumi's mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Noriko."

 

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san said softly. Yumi hadn't noticed and neither had Yos.h.i.+no-san from the looks of things. But Noriko-chan was indeed there, standing a short distance away from the throng of girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone noticed Noriko-chan and she stepped forward almost like she was pushed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Will you attend the information session?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi asked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't be absurd."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko-chan stepped back, waving both hands. But she was obstructed by the crowd, so there was nowhere for her to step back to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You don't have to run. You could attend as s.h.i.+mako-san's a.s.sistant."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"No. I just came to see her, because I was a bit nervous. So that's enough for me."

 

 

 

 

 

 

This time Yos.h.i.+no-san put her arm around s.h.i.+mako-san's shoulder and dragged her over to right in front of Noriko-chan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Then look to your heart's content. Come on, come on."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Squeals came from the onlookers, but not from Noriko-chan or s.h.i.+mako-san. The pair in question kept smiling and spoke to each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'll be waiting in the Rose Mansion."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Okay. I'll see you there."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Take care, onee-sama."

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was kind of incredible. Yumi thought that is she was in the same situation, she'd be blus.h.i.+ng and fidgeting and jumping around. Honestly, Yos.h.i.+no-san had probably been expecting that too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still, it was just like the White Rose soeurs to be that composed. The spectacle was so beautiful that Tsutako-san snapped some photos without asking for permission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"People who are attending the information session, please come inside."

 

 

 

 

 

 

A member of the Electoral Committee opened the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Okay."

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trio responded and went inside. No-one else followed them. They were free to come in and listen, but they were probably afraid of being mistaken for someone that was going to run. The second-years probably remembered the uproar that Kanina s.h.i.+zuka-sama's nomination had caused, while the first-years would have heard rumors about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside, on what would be the teacher's platform in a cla.s.sroom, there were five desks lined up, and in the students area there were five rows of three desks facing them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Those attending, please take a seat in this section, starting from the front."

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were pointed to the 5x3 block of seats and sat down alongside each other. n.o.body else had arrived to announce their candidacy just yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Really, we didn't need fifteen desks. But we sort of had to make it look good."

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the Electoral Committee members joked, taking her seat on the platform. Yumi recalled that this was Hanae-san. They'd been in the same cla.s.s once during primary school. Since she took the seat in the middle, that must make her the head of the Electoral Committee for this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Typically, there's three candidates. At most, there'd be five or six, don't you think?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't yet 3:45pm, so they were just chatting. It may have been out of consideration for the candidates, so they didn't get bored.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It looks like there'll be more committee members than candidates again at this year's information session."

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were five desks in front of them, and there were five students other than Yumi's group in the room, so it looked like there were five committee members attending the information session today. Incidentally, there were two Electoral Committee members from each first and second-year cla.s.s. A meeting with all the members wouldn't fit in here, so they probably held those in some other room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Usually it's &h.e.l.lip; laid out more like an office, I guess."

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the committee members said, noticing Yumi looking around the room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san looked at her watch. Yumi followed suit, looking at her own left wrist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was still about three minutes to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Ah.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

After checking the time, Yumi noticed there was a clock on the wall right in front of her. For Hanae-san, it was behind her back, so she'd probably decided against turning around to look at it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, her thoughts showed plainly on her face, and in front of her Hanae-san trembled with suppressed laughter. Seeing Hanae-san like this, Yos.h.i.+no-san and s.h.i.+mako-san looked confused.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, of course. In the middle of their conversation she'd looked at her watch and then suddenly started laughing, so they'd be wondering what was so funny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I suppose we should get started."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san announced, finally getting her laughter under control, and the four other members that had been standing and sorting doc.u.ments took their seats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The information session for the election of the next student council executive will now begin. I look forward to working with everyone here."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi wasn't sure whether it was proper protocol or not, but they started with everyone standing and bowing, which seemed to fit the mood in the room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"First, we'll distribute a print-out to everybody. This isn't just for attendees of this information session, anyone that comes to the Electoral Committee's office can ask for a copy. So if you're aware of anyone that intends to run in the election but was unable to attend today, please let them know. We'll be handing them out from today up until the deadline for nomination in the election."

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trio nodded, looking at the print-outs they'd been given.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We'll start by going over what's written there, as well as a couple of supplemental items, then we'll answer any questions you may have. Alright then."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san was about to start reading the first point when there was a sudden commotion outside the room. They stopped for a moment and everyone looked towards the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"That's a bit concerning."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san said, and the first-year on her left stood up and went to have a look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, Yumi had thought she'd heard voices talking outside since around the time they stood and bowed, but it was the hallway out there. Since it was after school, there was usually a fair amount of student traffic, so she'd accepted that a certain amount of conversation would carry into the information session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the volume had steadily increased, to the point where she could no longer say that it was just that. Basically, it was becoming a hindrance to the information session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to explain it? It felt like there was a heated argument going on, with a certain amount of belligerence. It may even have made it to the level of a quarrel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first-year committee member opened the door. With that, the volume grew louder then suddenly dropped. As expected, the fiery conversation was interrupted by someone emerging from the room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After questioning the ringleader in the disturbance, the first-year committee member returned and whispered into Hanae-san's ear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The information session is open to all. They can come in."

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the first thing Hanae-san said after hearing the report.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It sounded like someone had shown up late, tried to enter and then got into a dispute with the students waiting outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone could attend the information session. So was the reason for the dispute just because that student wanted to enter the room? At any rate, Hanae-san decided that understanding the circ.u.mstances was the highest priority, so she asked her junior about the details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"What the heck are they doing anyway? Why do they think they have the right to get in the way of another student?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Well, it looks like at first they thought she was just going to be an observer. And since everyone else was holding back, they thought it'd be unfair for one person to go in, that sort of thing."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"An observer&h.e.l.lip; ?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"And there's not enough s.p.a.ce in here for everyone that's out in the hallway."

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group of students outside straining to hear what was going on inside probably wouldn't allow a solitary student to pompously sit in on the information session. Although they probably would have allowed Noriko-chan, since she was s.h.i.+mako-san's pet.i.t soeur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I see. So then that girl said she wasn't just going to observe?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san asked the younger girl, and at this point Yumi and her friends who had been silently listening all exchanged glances. Hold on, time-out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She wanted to attend the information session and not just to observe. That meant that she had to be planning on running in the election.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which would fundamentally change the nature of the election. The nominations weren't closed yet, but if there were four or more people partic.i.p.ating then it would be an actual election. With three people, it was merely a vote of confidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"That's right, she said she was thinking about running. At which point they told her that it was too late already. Then they started arguing about whether she could go in or not."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I see. And once they started arguing, neither side wanted to back down. What a troublesome bunch."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san sighed in exasperation. Such a bother it had become.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, um."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi instinctively jumped into their conversation, even though a potential candidate that had come to listen to the information session may not have had standing to address this matter. Beside her, s.h.i.+mako-san and Yos.h.i.+no-san both looked at her with expressions that said, "What are you planning on saying, Yumi-san?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"What is it?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san allowed Yumi to voice her opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You have to let her in, right? Even if she is late, I heard voices out there arguing before the information session began, so if she hadn't been blocked by the other students she would have made it here just in time."

 

 

 

 

 

 

They could run in the election even if they didn't attend the information session. But if they were going to run, obviously it would be better for them if they could attend the information session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new candidate may be a rival, but she was also a compatriot, doing her best to achieve the same goal. She already had enough of a handicap going up against an inc.u.mbent and the pet.i.t soeurs of the two other inc.u.mbents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi thought it would be unfortunate if that girl were to get off to a late start because of this. It wasn't like Yumi was trying to be a goody-two-shoes, it's just that it felt wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course. No-one said anything about barring entry. The announcement, the notice on the committee bulletin board, the article in the Lillian Kawaraban, none of these mentioned preventing people from entering who showed up a minute late."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So then - "

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san nodded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Let her in. Ah, it's okay. I'll do it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san stood up. Indeed, it would be easier for the second-year head of the Electoral Committee to convince the girls to stop blocking the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanae-san left the room then returned not long after, and looked at Yumi with a conflicted expression. Then she said, "Come in," and motioned to the girl behind her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she saw who it was, Yumi was lost for words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not just Yumi. s.h.i.+mako-san, Yos.h.i.+no-san, and the other Electoral Committee members also had their mouths wide open in shock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Gokigenyou. Pardon the intrusion."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standing there was Touko-chan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grinning like a Ches.h.i.+re cat, her ringlets bouncing like electric drills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko was walking down the school hallway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was heading towards the location of the information session because she wanted to look at s.h.i.+mako-san's face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since she was only going for a look, it wouldn't take long. She thought she'd have plenty of time to return to the Rose Mansion, prepare some tea and wait idly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In truth, she hadn't been planning on going until a few minutes ago. After cla.s.sroom cleaning, she'd gone to the Rose Mansion and performed a basic tidy-up, boiled some water in the electric kettle and was wondering what she should do next when she looked at the clock and saw it was 3:35pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She knew when the information session would start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was ten minutes until 3:45pm. Would s.h.i.+mako-san have gone to the information session already? Noriko was alone on the second-floor of the Rose Mansion when she thought this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knowing s.h.i.+mako-san, she would get there with plenty of time to spare. But, if she had to take care of the cleaning journal, for instance, then there was a chance she would be doing that about now. The instant she thought this, Noriko stood up from her chair and started walking towards the school building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She wanted to meet s.h.i.+mako-san, just for a moment. No, even getting a glimpse of s.h.i.+mako-san going in to the information session would be enough. And if she'd already gone in, Noriko thought she'd just walk up to the door and then head back. Even that would be better than staying in the Rose Mansion and doing nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She could see s.h.i.+mako-san any time. They'd been together yesterday, and s.h.i.+mako-san had said that she'd come to the Rose Mansion after the information session today. So maybe she wasn't really going because she wanted to see s.h.i.+mako-san.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But it was hard to keep waiting and thinking about s.h.i.+mako-san in a place without her. Basically, she just couldn't sit still.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were plenty of people crowded around the staff room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attending the information session was a way of declaring one's intent to run in the elections for the student council executive. They'd all probably gathered here to see who the candidates for the next student council executive would be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the chatter flying around, she overheard that none of the three had arrived yet. The photography club's ace was there, as was the head of the newspaper club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before long, s.h.i.+mako-san, Yumi-sama and Yos.h.i.+no-sama arrived. From a distance, Noriko watched the trio get engulfed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san looked particularly at ease, smiling at the students that called out to her. Seeing this, Noriko's nerves were instantly soothed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was probably for this reason that she'd come. Noriko understood this about herself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After exchanging a few words with s.h.i.+mako-san, they parted and Noriko headed back to the Rose Mansion. She thought she'd have plenty of time to return to the Rose Mansion, prepare some tea and wait idly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was walking lightly down the corridor when she spotted Touko coming the other way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Touko &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko came to a stop. Touko smiled with sickening sweetness when she noticed her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wait."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko grabbed her by the arm, since it looked like Touko was going to just keep walking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We have to talk."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We do?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes, we do."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosa Chinensis had told her not to intervene in Yumi-sama's affairs, but Noriko couldn't just sit and watch in silence. Yumi-sama was one of her compatriots in the Rose Mansion, but Touko was her friend. Didn't she have a right to hear Touko's side of the story?

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Sorry, but can we do it tomorrow?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Touko said coldly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Tomorrow?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm a bit busy right now."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright. Tomorrow."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko released her arm. It didn't have to be now, and they were in the same cla.s.s so there would be plenty of opportunities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You're not going to have the day off tomorrow, are you?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'll be here. You're so untrusting, Noriko-san."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Touko smirked, then turned her back on Noriko.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she returned to the Rose Mansion, Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida were there on the second-floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Keep up the good work."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosa Foetida said, sipping on a cup of tea they'd prepared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It shouldn't be long until they return."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosa Chinensis offered Noriko a cup of tea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Thank-you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was only a minor thing, but for some reason the two third-years seemed far more mature than usual, and consequently far more distant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Touko-chan, why are you - "

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi managed to squeak out, watching as Touko-chan sat down in the chair the committee member indicated, next to her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Attending the information session will be useful for the election."

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other words, she wasn't here to be an observer, she was planning on running in the election.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"But you're a first-year."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh? But then, s.h.i.+mako-sama was a first-year last year. There's nothing unusual about it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that was because there was a two year gap between s.h.i.+mako-san and the previous Rosa Gigantea. As Rosa Gigantea en bouton, it was only natural that she'd follow in those footsteps and run as a first-year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(But.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking about it, wasn't the "tradition" at Lillian's, where the boutons became the next Roses, itself kind of strange?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, in a democracy, the question of whether that "tradition" was okay would be answered by an election. Nonetheless, the boutons were typically promoted to Roses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like last year, when the second-year Kanina s.h.i.+zuaka-sama, Rosa Canina, lost the election.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In s.h.i.+mako-san's case, she was very level-headed and generally held in high regard, so she may still have been elected even if she wasn't a bouton. But there must have been some that weren't cut out to be student council leaders (or didn't win their elections).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Given that, what about her own situation? Yumi pondered this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She had attended the information session because she'd been ordered to do so by her onee-sama. But was that enough for her to become one of the next Roses? She'd become close to everyone as a bouton, but wasn't that a measure of the greatness of her onee-sama, Ogasawara Sachiko?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi believed that she was the only one who could be Sachiko-sama's pet.i.t soeur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that was different to being a student council leader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She wouldn't say it was Touko-chan, but couldn't there be someone out there somewhere in high-school that was more fitting than her?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi remained silent as Touko-chan opened her pencil case, took out a mechanical pencil and thumbed down on the end of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click, click, click.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why was it that Touko-chan was running in the election?

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Well then, let's resume the information session. The print-outs - "

 

 

 

 

 

 

She could hear Hanae-san's voice from somewhere far away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The words the first-year committee member wrote on the blackboard seemed like cryptic codewords and didn't stick in her mind either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That said, she wasn't feeling sleepy. Her mind was surprisingly clear. But it wasn't turned outwards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why, why, why?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her thoughts were turned inwards, repeating this question over and over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She heard soft scratching as someone wrote a note on their print-out. Maybe the topic being discussed was something important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She heard s.h.i.+mako-san's voice clearly, her hand raised as she asked her question. But she couldn't understand what she said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone was standing up, so she stood up and bowed her head too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"What's the matter? Are you okay?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san shook Yumi's shoulder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan left the room first. The five committee members had started tidying up, wiping clean the blackboard and moving the desks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite attending the information session, nothing had made its way into her brain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Did your mind go blank because of Touko-chan?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san whispered. Indicating that she had been surprised too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh wow, Yumi-san really is blank."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san laughed, looking at Yumi's print-out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"No helping it now. You can copy ours later. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask. We're friends, so we've got to help you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah. Thanks."

 

 

 

 

 

 

She'd said they were friends, and Yumi really was thankful. From the bottom of her heart. But not really for allowing her to look at the notes she'd forgotten to take herself. Even if they hadn't been able to do anything for her, just that in itself was enough to be thankful for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so, as thankful as she was, she was just as apologetic towards someone. That sort of feeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wha &h.e.l.lip; !"

 

 

 

 

 

 

After arriving at the Rose Mansion, their respective soeurs' surprised voices rang out in unison upon hearing about Touko-chan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

n.o.body had expected anything like that to happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there, it was amazing how quickly Noriko-chan's surprise turned to anger. Apparently she'd run into Touko-chan just before the information session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So why didn't she say anything? She avoided it, saying she was in a hurry. She could have told me she was going to the information session. Ah, d.a.m.n it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

No-one cautioned her specifically about her coa.r.s.e words because they were due to her indignation towards Touko-chan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Noriko-chan, calm down. First of all, have a seat."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko-sama said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"How can I be calm? Not content with refusing Yumi-sama's offer, now she's running in the election? What is Touko thinking? She's - "

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Indeed. We should calmly consider what Touko-chan's thinking, don't you agree?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko-chan gradually cooled down under Sachiko-sama's icy glare. Perhaps realizing that this was the correct course of action, she nodded and sat down on the seat she'd shot out of earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san and Yos.h.i.+no-san followed suit, as did Yumi, sitting down next to Sachiko-sama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the table, steam rose from the cups of green tea that Noriko-chan had prepared. They'd been poured when Noriko-chan saw the second-years approaching through the second-floor window, in that peaceful time before she knew about Touko-chan's attendance at the information session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once everyone was seated, and had sipped their tea, Sachiko-sama began to speak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Noriko-chan, why do you think Touko-chan has decided to partic.i.p.ate in the student council election?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Uh."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko-chan faltered slightly, having been suddenly asked about the heart of the matter. While she had been shouting earlier, that was because she had taken offense at something and not because she'd made a detailed a.n.a.lysis of Touko-chan's actions and was angry about that. On top of that, there's no way she would know what Touko-chan was thinking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Any speculation is fine."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Speculation?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You're her friend, aren't you? I want to hear how things look from your point of view."

 

 

 

 

 

 

A year earlier, Kanina s.h.i.+zuka-sama had entered the student council election in order to make herself known to the previous Rosa Gigantea, Satou Sei-sama. But that reason probably didn't hold true for Touko-chan, since everyone was already more than well aware of her existence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, why? For what purpose?

 

 

 

 

 

 

They'd already decided it wasn't simply because she wanted to do student council work. n.o.body had said it, but everyone in the room was thinking along the same lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Anything at all would be useful."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko-sama said, looking for information. Hearing this, Noriko-chan looked down, as though in thought. Then Rei-sama asked a question.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Earlier you said something about her not being satisfied with just turning Yumi-chan down. Did you mean that this was some sort of hara.s.sment?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hara.s.sment? &h.e.l.lip; No, not quite. But out of spite, maybe &h.e.l.lip; although spite may be the wrong word. For some vague reason, I think she's cognizant of Yumi-sama."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yumi-chan, huh? I suppose, it stands to reason that Touko-chan wouldn't be running in the election if she had accepted Yumi-chan's offer of soeurs.h.i.+p."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rei-sama folded her arms and leaned back in her seat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Because I offered her my rosary &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

 

She'd roused Touko-chan's ire. That was probably what it was. The expression that Touko-chan had shown back then. To put it in a single word, it was "displeasure."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yumi-san, even if that's true, I don't think you were wrong to offer her your rosary. They're two separate matters."

 

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Additionally, I don't think Touko-chan running in the election means she doesn't like you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then Yos.h.i.+no-san interjected from the side:

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I don't know about that. In the unlikely event that Touko-chan wins the election, that means that one of us will lose. s.h.i.+mako-san, could you tolerate something like that?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"But we're not the arbiters of justice."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm not talking about justice or anything like that. I just don't want to be separated from my dear friends. Yeah, I know what you want to say. You're right, I'm just being selfish. And that's fine. But don't emotional outbursts often contain a lot of important truths? We can't all be like you, s.h.i.+mako-san, carefully taking into account everyone else's feelings in our remarks."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san slouched back in her chair, having turned on s.h.i.+mako-san half-way through. s.h.i.+mako-san stiffened a touch under this machine-gun a.s.sault. It would have left an ordinary girl scared and crying, but of course the mature s.h.i.+mako-san did no such thing. After pulling herself together and smiling, she'd point out the flaw in Yos.h.i.+no-san's reasoning &h.e.l.lip; or so they thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Yos.h.i.+no-san, I love that part of you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her words floated out gently, like a dandelion blossom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh!?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't just Yumi that was surprised. Everyone was stunned, except for s.h.i.+mako-san who had made the declaration. But out of all of them, Yos.h.i.+no-san was the most shocked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"s.h.i.+-s.h.i.+mako-san. Wh-what are you saying?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her face was turning bright red with anger. No, it may have looked like anger on the outside, but it was undoubtedly embarra.s.sment on the inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san herself had acknowledged that what she was saying was selfish, so naturally she'd been preparing for a reb.u.t.tal from s.h.i.+mako-san. She'd been ready and waiting to see what s.h.i.+mako-san lobbed back, but what she got was "love." Well, that would drain the fight from her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I hope you'll keep expressing your opinion clearly from here on."

 

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san clasped both her hands around one of Yos.h.i.+no-san's, and pumped it like a handshake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Uh, ah, okay."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san's momentum came to a cras.h.i.+ng halt, like she'd been completely swept away by s.h.i.+mako-san's presence. Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama exchanged a glance and stifled their laughter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"While I'm not Yos.h.i.+no-chan, if the three of you were split up, it would be lonely for whoever was left out and couldn't see the other two."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"That's true."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rei-sama agreed with Sachiko-sama's statement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"s.h.i.+mako and Yos.h.i.+no are stillness and motion, so they're a good match. The student council won't work if it moves too quickly, or not at all. And Yumi-chan's the cus.h.i.+oning. By all rights, you'll make a splendid Rose trio - "

 

 

 

 

 

 

But there's Touko-chan. Rei-sama left off this last part and once more turned to Noriko-chan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Sorry. The conversation got a bit sidetracked. Touko-chan's cognizant of Yumi-chan. Is there anything other than that?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm terribly sorry. There's nothing else especially &h.e.l.lip; ah."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko-chan gave a small cry. Like she'd just remembered something.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"What is it?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It was a long time ago, something I overheard one of my cla.s.smates saying."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"And?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"She said that Touko had always wanted to be a Rose."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A Rose &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It was just after the school year started, Touko was talking with some of our cla.s.smates who'd also come through Lillian's middle-school. The conversation didn't go into any specifics, like whose pet.i.t soeur they'd like to be, it was more of a vague, "some day" type thing &h.e.l.lip; like she'd always admired them. But I don't think Touko's the only one to have a dream like that."

 

 

 

 

 

 

So did that mean Touko-chan was making a move to turn that dream into a reality? In that case, someone would have to restrain Touko-chan's determination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, even if she had an impure motive, no-one had the right to prevent Touko-chan from running in the election. If anyone could, it would be Touko-chan's onee-sama. If she had an onee-sama, they could ask her why she so desperately wanted to be a Rose, and if she couldn't come up with a good answer they could say, "Reconsider your actions."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright, thank-you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rei-sama expressed her grat.i.tude, bringing to an end her conversation with Noriko-chan. She'd probably decided she wouldn't be able to get any more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I wonder if we should take a wait-and-see approach for a while."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"There's a chance the election will be over while we're still waiting."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Either way, all we can do is watch."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Exactly."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama exchanged a look and laughed. Even though they'd looked a bit concerned earlier, they were now acting like disinterested onlookers. Come to think of it, the previous Roses had acted the same way last year. They'd considered themselves comfortably retired, and watched on in amus.e.m.e.nt as their pet.i.t soeurs scurried hither and yon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A contest between actual opponents is more common than a vote of confidence anyway."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Given that they'd faced off against s.h.i.+zuka-sama last year, that comment couldn't just be rejected with a, "Like you'd know."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"If she wanted that, she shouldn't have rejected Yumi-san."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san muttered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yos.h.i.+no."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rei-sama warned her, but she continued on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Because, then she'd be the next in line to be Rosa Chinensis after Yumi-san. Why did she turn her down?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi was wondering that too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan didn't have an onee-sama. If her dream was to become close to the Roses, she could have just accepted Yumi's rosary, even if she wasn't interested in being soeurs. Previously, when she'd come to the Rose Mansion to help out, she'd done her work properly and got along with everyone there. If she'd stayed the course and become Yumi's pet.i.t soeur, she'd only have to live with that for a year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Because she so hated the idea of being my pet.i.t soeur that she wouldn't have been able to put up with it for a year &h.e.l.lip; or something."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi hadn't sensed that sort of loathing. Instead, she'd felt a sort of fondness, if only briefly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that might just have been Yumi projecting her own hopes, and in truth she really was disliked. It was possible that Touko-chan was always radiating hatred, but Yumi was too thickheaded to notice it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She loves me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She loves me not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She loves me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She loves me not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like using a flower for fortune telling, her mind switched back and forth between these two possibilities - although she didn't have a flower to pull the petals from.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Touko doesn't hate you, Yumi-sama."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi wanted to believe this, since it was Noriko-chan saying it and not just herself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I've got it. While it was regrettable that she rejected Yumi-sama's rosary, we can deduce that if she wins she'll name Yumi-sama as her onee-sama &h.e.l.lip; or not."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko-chan was trying her hardest to cheer her up, but even she was aware that her deduction was highly implausible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite their discussion, they probably wouldn't get an answer unless they captured Touko-chan and asked her, "Why?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Touko-chan probably has her own reasons."

 

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san said, and that was all they could think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the next morning, the story of Touko running in the student council election had spread throughout the high school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There had been a lot of people gathered around the electoral committee's office the previous evening and they'd all seen Touko force her way into the meeting. As a result, it had spread from there with amazing speed, and even some of the students that had gone home early were informed by evening phone calls from friends that were either being kind or meddlesome, so it had spread in the twinkling of an eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Gokigenyou. Have you heard? About Matsudaira Touko-san from the first-year camellia cla.s.s?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

That greeting was everywhere during the morning. By lunch, even the teachers had heard about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Touko was surrounded by her cla.s.smates during recess, but she kept silent, acting as though she didn't hear anything, and as a result they soon left her alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So their attention next turned to Noriko. s.h.i.+mako-san had also attended the information session, and was expected to run in the election, making Noriko the pet.i.t soeur of one of the people at the middle of the maelstrom. They all approached her nonchalantly, pretending to strike up a friendly chat, while trying to find out a bit about what was happening in the Rose Mansion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In truth, she wanted to ignore them. But they'd just got that treatment from Touko, so she couldn't really do the same thing. They were cla.s.smates, so there wasn't any ill will. But it was a bit sad feigning ignorance to them all one after the other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry. I don't really know anything either. I was in the Rose Mansion during the information session, and neither the Roses nor the second-years seem to have given much thought to it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, for now, she kept repeating this, and resolved to hide in the toilets as much as she could during breaks until the storm had blown over. That sort of running and hiding wasn't like her, but she was s.h.i.+mako-san's pet.i.t soeur, so she had to keep in mind that her words and actions reflected not just on herself. If she made some off-the-cuff remark that was misunderstood, it could cause problems for s.h.i.+mako-san.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She wanted to talk with Touko, but with so many people watching she wasn't able to act freely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

During lunch, she escaped to the Rose Mansion for a breather. The three second-years also seemed completely exhausted, probably in the same situation (or an even worse one). Neither Rosa Chinensis nor Rosa Foetida were present. The third-years weren't allowed to vote, so the peop