Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 27 Chapter 3

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san let out a sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

"What's the matter? Weren't you able to meet with something-something Ami-san?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi asked, when she saw the figure enter the Rose Mansion and slump down on a chair in exhaustion.

 

 

 

 

 

By the time they'd opened the box of absentee's chance entries and determined who the winner of the white card was, there hadn't been much time left in the lunch break. So they decided that s.h.i.+mako-san would pay a visit to the winner after school. That much, Yumi knew. s.h.i.+mako-san had departed holding the application form of the successful candidate, with her cheeks slightly flushed. Almost like the bride-to-be after an arranged marriage interview.

 

 

 

 

 

It had been about two and a half hours since then. s.h.i.+mako-san's actions suggested something had happened.

 

 

 

 

 

Since s.h.i.+mako-san arrived at the Rose Mansion so much later than usual, Yumi had conjectured that her conversation with the other girl must have been going really well. But judging from her appearance, that seemed unlikely.

 

 

 

 

 

"It's Igawa Ami-san. And I was able to meet her, however."

 

 

 

 

 

"However?"

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; it was a lot more trouble than I had expected."

 

 

 

 

 

"Trouble?"

 

 

 

 

 

As she parroted this word, Yumi thought, "In what way?" Was there some problem with Igawa Ami-san herself? Was there some kind of peripheral inconvenience, although nothing sprang to mind there. Or was there some incompatibility between her and s.h.i.+mako-san?

 

 

 

 

 

"But I can't really explain what I mean all that well."

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san let out another sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

"Gah, you're taking so long. Just say it already."

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san thumped the table a number of times, albeit softly.

 

 

 

 

 

"Just what did she do that's rubbed you the wrong way, s.h.i.+mako-san?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I wouldn't say that she rubbed me the wrong way."

 

 

 

 

 

Right on cue, s.h.i.+mako-san corrected Yos.h.i.+no-san on this point. Beside her, Noriko-chan nodded in agreement. If s.h.i.+mako-san hadn't said anything, she probably would have.

 

 

 

 

 

"So you were able to meet with this Igawa Ami-san then, s.h.i.+mako-san?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi asked, seeking confirmation, and s.h.i.+mako-san answered with, "Yeah."

 

 

 

 

 

"And the white card? Did you hand it over?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I did. She showed me her student notebook."

 

 

 

 

 

Just as they'd planned. Yumi didn't see how there could be any problem with things up to this point.

 

 

 

 

 

"Then I was going to talk to her about the schedule of things to come."

 

 

 

 

 

"You were going to?"

 

 

 

 

 

"She asked me not to come around to her cla.s.sroom any more."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh!?"

 

 

 

 

 

n.o.body could believe their ears.

 

 

 

 

 

"Not to come around to her cla.s.sroom? Then, what did she want? Is she going to see you in your cla.s.sroom?"

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san shook her head.

 

 

 

 

 

"She proposed that we meet in a specific location at fixed intervals. Say, in front of a specific set of shelves in the library after school."

 

 

 

 

 

"What's up with that?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san frowned. Yumi herself undoubtedly had a similar expression on her face.

 

 

 

 

 

"At any rate, it looks like she wants to avoid the public gaze. At least when she's with me."

 

 

 

 

 

However, since they had to plan the half-day date together, they had to meet. So the library, then. People at the library were generally caught up in their own affairs, so they probably wouldn't pay attention to everyone around them.

 

 

 

 

 

"In that case, couldn't she come to the Rose Mansion?"

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san's response was mumbled, as though she found it hard to get the words out.

 

 

 

 

 

"She said she didn't even want to come to tomorrow's explanatory meeting in the Rose Mansion."

 

 

 

 

 

"Wha!?"

 

 

 

 

 

Who did this first-year think she was? Anger was the appropriate response to such an arrogant att.i.tude. But if she was supposed to be angry, why was s.h.i.+mako-san so lethargic?

 

 

 

 

 

"Now I get it."

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

"I see why s.h.i.+mako-san's so exhausted."

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

It was truly terrifying, the Igawa Ami-san virus. Compared to this, the contagion rate of influenza was no big deal. In the twinkling of an eye, it had spread to 100% of the population of the Rose Mansion. The symptoms were lethargy, sighing, and fatigue.

 

 

 

 

 

"Gokigenyou. Oh? What's wrong, everyone? You don't look well. Has the exhaustion from yesterday finally caught up with you?"

 

 

 

 

 

Mami-san cheerfully called out, after arriving a bit late, and seeing the lack of energy surrounding her in the Rose Mansion. But her enthusiasm was sure to be short lived. After hearing the story of Igawa Ami-san, Mami-san would surely display the same symptoms. The infection rate was 100%, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

However.

 

 

 

 

 

"I see. Not much we can do about that, then."

 

 

 

 

 

Even after hearing the tale, Mami-san retained her energetic state.

 

 

 

 

 

"We haven't printed anything about the explanatory meeting in the Lillian Kawaraban, and even though she has refused to attend, we're not going to disqualify her just for that. At a minimum, all we require is a report on the date. That's the only non-negotiable requirement."

 

 

 

 

 

Just what you'd expect from the head of the newspaper club. Her experience arguing with teachers and various other students probably led her to the conclusion, "It takes all sorts to make a world," and she remained unperturbed.

 

 

 

 

 

"So, what to do?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry to bother you with this s.h.i.+mako-san. But, for now, can you go along with Igawa Ami-sans's requests? If she doesn't want to stand out, we shouldn't push her into the limelight. She may well become accustomed to it, to the point where she'll be seen with you around school."

 

 

 

 

 

"Understood."

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

"As for the explanatory meeting &h.e.l.lip; I'll write up the details and you can give that to her. I'll make a copy for Tanuma Chisato-san and Matsudaira Touko-san too. Then we can change tomorrow's explanatory meeting to a purely optional one."

 

 

 

 

 

"Is that okay?"

 

 

 

 

 

"It's neither good nor bad. But it's about all we can do. If we try to be difficult, it'll just create more problems."

 

 

 

 

 

Compromise required both sides to give a little, and if this was what was required to get things done, then so be it. Everyone was busy, and there was no point sweating the small stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

"Which brings me to the schedule for the dates. Have the three of you come to a decision?"

 

 

 

 

 

"On that matter."

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san raised her hand.

 

 

 

 

 

"If possible, can we have all three on the same day?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi exchanged glances with s.h.i.+mako-san.

 

 

 

 

 

"That should be fine, but."

 

 

 

 

 

"Why?"

 

 

 

 

 

In Yumi's case, she hadn't even considered the possibility that they would be on different days. Why so? Because last year, Rei-sama and s.h.i.+mako-san had had their dates on the same day, which just happened to coincide with the day that Yumi and Sachiko-sama went on a date unrelated to the treasure hunt. Consequently, she thought it only natural that they should all happen on the same day.

 

 

 

 

 

"Why, you ask? Isn't it obvious - to diffuse the efforts of the newspaper club in following us."

 

 

 

 

 

They heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, just towards the end of that statement. Turning to look, Mami-san was glaring at Yos.h.i.+no-san with a frown on her face.

 

 

 

 

 

"This strategy meeting. Are you sure it wouldn't be better if I wasn't here?"

 

 

 

 

 

Indeed. As the current editor-in-chief of the Lillian Kawaraban, Mami-san could hold the t.i.tle of Miss Newspaper Club.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah. It doesn't matter if you hear it. Besides, it'd be more annoying if you found out about it later and there was some kind of mix-up. Watching the reaction, attempting to explain things, it would all be such a waste of time that I thought we'd just cut all of that out."

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing timid about Yos.h.i.+no-san.

 

 

 

 

 

"I see."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami-san relented. It seemed it was hard for her to protest to the plan so boldly laid out in front of her. Last year's dates had all taken place near K Station, and the head of the newspaper club, Tsukiyama Minako-sama, had disguised herself and lurked in that area. Yos.h.i.+no-san was silently saying that such behavior was not acceptable, and trying to stop it.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well then, how about we settle on Sunday week."

 

 

 

 

 

The coming Sunday would be too soon, not giving them enough time to work on the plan for the date. Just like that, the trio (s.h.i.+mako-san, Yos.h.i.+no-san and Yumi) decided on the day. Of course, they acknowledged that if this didn't suit their partners, then they'd have to change it.

 

 

 

 

 

"Mami-san, is that okay with you?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san asked, and the response was an affirmative, "As you wish." Apparently, Mami-san could handle defiance as well.

 

 

 

 

 

"At any rate, what kind of person is this Igawa Ami?"

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko-chan asked, now that the conversation had reached a natural break, as she flicked the application form of the winner of the absentee's chance draw.

 

 

 

 

 

They were both first-years, but since they weren't in the same cla.s.s or clubs, they had no point of contact. Was Noriko-chan's bad mood caused by indignation about how her beloved onee-sama was being manipulated, or because she found it hard to stomach the idea of her beloved onee-sama going on a date with someone else? It looked as though she'd been silently thinking about Igawa Ami-san during the entire time Yumi, Yos.h.i.+no-san and s.h.i.+mako-san had been deciding on the day of the dates.

 

 

 

 

 

"I wonder."

 

 

 

 

 

There was only one entry in the absentee's chance draw that said either, "In the car park," or, "Under a car," making Ami-san the closest entrant, by far. Despite that, she didn't want to be seen together with s.h.i.+mako-san. She didn't even want to come to the Rose Mansion, because it would draw too much attention to her.

 

 

 

 

 

"Maybe she's a fan of Yumi-san or Yos.h.i.+no-san &h.e.l.lip; ?"

 

 

 

 

 

Mami-san offered.

 

 

 

 

 

"I considered that too, however."

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san continued with, "I don't think it's that," and Mami-san quickly took back her words.

 

 

 

 

 

"Right. Regardless of whose card she was initially aiming for, it's unlikely to be the cause of her obstinate desire to stay out of the limelight."

 

 

 

 

 

Suppose, purely for argument's sake, that this girl admired Yumi or Yos.h.i.+no-san, and she wasn't happy with s.h.i.+mako-san, then surely she would have been better off waiving her right when s.h.i.+mako-san first came around and informed her of it. If she thought that going on a date with s.h.i.+mako-san would bring her closer to the other Rose families, then surely she wouldn't have pa.s.sed up the opportunity to come to the Rose Mansion.

 

 

 

 

 

"Even if she wants to stay out of the limelight, as soon as that report hits the Lillian Kawaraban, she's going to be outed."

 

 

 

 

 

Just what were these current first-years thinking? Mami-san, perhaps on account of being in the same second-year pine cla.s.s as Yumi and Yos.h.i.+no-san, also found herself grumbling about kids these days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the end, not even a single prize winner chose to attend the explanatory meeting about the half-day date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no stopped in at the second-year chrysanthemum cla.s.s on her way to school that day, to touch base with Tanuma Chisato-san.

 

 

 

 

 

"About the explanatory meeting scheduled for today, we've made some changes for the partic.i.p.ants."

 

 

 

 

 

Chisato-san asked what was meant by that, but then dismissed it saying, "Ah, don't bother."

 

 

 

 

 

"It's after school, right? Voluntary attendance? You'll give me a doc.u.ment with the main points later? No major changes from last year? In that case, I don't really think I need to attend."

 

 

 

 

 

That's probably the benefit of being last year's victor. Of course she didn't have to go, but what's up with that - that tone she used.

 

 

 

 

 

"Even though you don't have to go, won't you come along anyway?"

 

 

 

 

 

Quickly recovering from the slight, Yos.h.i.+no tried one more push. Thereupon, the boss nonchalantly said:

 

 

 

 

 

"That's not going to happen. Because of my obligations, I'd never considered attending."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

"You see, I've got club activities today."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah."

 

 

 

 

 

With that, realization dawned on Yos.h.i.+no.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't 'Ah,' me. It's been a long time since you've attended. And the event's over now, so it's about time you came back to the kendo club."

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; I suppose."

 

 

 

 

 

"Even though you've got a dojo right next door, you're just going home and not even touching your s.h.i.+nai, aren't you?"

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Talk about kicking over the hornet's nest. Yos.h.i.+no had been skipping out on club activities, using the election and the event as an excuse. Because Rei-chan wouldn't be there, and it was cold.

 

 

 

 

 

It'd been so long since she'd been, that the day they had club practice had slipped her mind.

 

 

 

 

 

(I see.)

 

 

 

 

 

Because it had been planned without any regard to the schedules of whoever may have found the cards, the explanatory meeting was bound to be canceled. If they hold the event again next year, they'd be better off waiting until the winners were known before setting a date and time for the meeting, or else being a bit more forceful about the requirement to attend. Yos.h.i.+no made a mental note to tell Mami-san about this later.

 

 

 

 

 

"The third-years hardly ever stop by, so there's plenty of s.p.a.ce, and now's not the time for you to be missing practice. If things stay like they are, spring will come, new first-years will join, and you'll still be the worst in the club."

 

 

 

 

 

That's speaking quite frankly. Yos.h.i.+no endured the parts she couldn't refute. Like the frozen dojo floor first thing on a winter's morning.

 

 

 

 

 

"Pardon my intrusion, I'll be leaving now."

 

 

 

 

 

If she rattled the bushes any more, the only thing that would come out would be more trouble. Yos.h.i.+no decided to beat a hasty retreat.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, Yos.h.i.+no-san."

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no thought, "What now?" as she stopped, and Chisato-san said:

 

 

 

 

 

"About the plans for the date - since it's a prize for the winner, we can go wherever I want, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"That's correct."

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no looked behind her. It was a bit rude, but she didn't really have any great expectations for the date with Chisato-san. Her feelings were that if there was somewhere Chisato-san wanted to go, then by all means, go ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

"Then leave it to me. I'll come up with a brilliant plan and show it to you later."

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright, thanks."

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no bowed to Chisato-san, then started walking away once more.

 

 

 

 

 

(Just what would be brilliant with you and me&h.e.l.lip; )

 

 

 

 

 

As Yos.h.i.+no walked down the corridor, each and every student she pa.s.sed seemed to be in a better mood than her.

 

 

 

 

 

That was the morning's conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch time. Noriko-chan appeared in the Rose Mansion and apologetically said:

 

 

 

 

 

"It seems Touko won't be attending the explanatory meeting. She said she'd be fine with just the print out explaining it. For some reason, outside of cla.s.s, she's hard to get hold of &h.e.l.lip; Please forgive me."

 

 

 

 

 

Watching this from the side, Yos.h.i.+no thought, "You're only cla.s.smates, there's no need to feel so responsible." The heartfelt apology made the circ.u.mstances surrounding it look quite tawdry.

 

 

 

 

 

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi-san soothed.

 

 

 

 

 

"None of them are coming. It's better this way. Instead, I feel bad about using you as a messenger, Noriko-chan."

 

 

 

 

 

For doing something that the person herself was supposed to do, in other words.

 

 

 

 

 

"That's fine. If you'd come to our cla.s.sroom, Yumi-sama, it would have just been a wild goose chase."

 

 

 

 

 

"Because she's hard to get hold of? Is she running away from her cla.s.smates?"

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan was the girl of the moment. Perhaps Igawa Ami-san was exercising such extreme caution because she didn't want to end up like that.

 

 

 

 

 

"I don't really know. She's there during cla.s.s, but when there's a break she just seems to go missing."

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi-san listened to Noriko-chan's explanation, then folded her arms and looked at the ceiling before muttering, "Is that so."

 

 

 

 

 

That was the lunch conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which brings us to the after-school conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

(None of the card holders will attend the explanatory meeting. I guess that's how it goes.)

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no shook her head as she walked down the corridor. No-one shows up to such a boring meeting if it's not compulsory, usually.

 

 

 

 

 

Since the planned explanatory meeting had been canceled, they'd also canceled their after-school get together.

 

 

 

 

 

(Ah, I'm bored.)

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san had gone to her previously scheduled periodic meeting with Igawa Ami-san.

 

 

 

 

 

Judging by their earlier conversation, Yumi-san had gone searching for Touko-chan.

 

 

 

 

 

What would Noriko-chan be doing? Since the meeting had been canceled, perhaps she'd gone home early for a change.

 

 

 

 

 

Even if there wasn't a meeting, and even if she was by herself, she could go to the Rose Mansion, take it easy and drink some tea. But she'd feel a bit guilty about that, so Yos.h.i.+no didn't think that was an option.

 

 

 

 

 

(Club activities? I could go to that.)

 

 

 

 

 

It had been so long since she'd been that, in truth, it was a bit tough. It was unavoidable while she'd still been busy, but after that excuse had run out she'd just been avoiding it because it was bothersome, which made the barrier grow much higher.

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't just because of what Chisato-san said, but Yos.h.i.+no didn't want to appear pathetic to the new club members in spring. Having a third-year student who was so hopeless would be a hard sell. Even though she'd only started practicing kendo in second-year, who would know that when they first met her? She'd be better off making a note that said that and pinning it to her chest.

 

 

 

 

 

(New students &h.e.l.lip; )

 

 

 

 

 

As she was thinking that she should head to the martial arts building, Yos.h.i.+no realized that she had arrived at the middle-school building. Her legs must have automatically headed in this direction while she'd been thinking about the new club members.

 

 

 

 

 

Quickly, she headed towards the middle-school third-year cla.s.srooms. Without being summoned, Nana appeared in the hallway.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, gokigenyou."

 

 

 

 

 

When she noticed Yos.h.i.+no, she said a few words to the students she'd been talking to then rushed over. Was that merely innocence? Or a misunderstanding of her feelings.

 

 

 

 

 

"Was there something you wanted from me?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Do you have a minute?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes, of course."

 

 

 

 

 

Since Yos.h.i.+no had come all the way here to see her, Nana-chan was clever enough to realize that she obviously wanted to talk to her about something.

 

 

 

 

 

"Good job on the Valentine's Day event."

 

 

 

 

 

"Thanks."

 

 

 

 

 

Good job indeed. Yos.h.i.+no was trying to prolong it so much that it even brought her all the way out here. Although a girl two years her junior was hardly going to complain about that.

 

 

 

 

 

"And the yellow card was found."

 

 

 

 

 

"Pretty much."

 

 

 

 

 

"That's great, isn't it?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Great!?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no couldn't believe her ears when she heard what Nana said.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well, the card was hidden so that it could be found, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

Nana said, looking puzzled.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well, that's true, but even so."

 

 

 

 

 

Because it had been found on the day, the absentees wouldn't get their chance in the draw. And since the middle-school students were only allowed to enter the absentee's chance draw, they wouldn't have a shot at the card or the half-day date.

 

 

 

 

 

Was she really okay with that? Yos.h.i.+no was going to ask, but swallowed the words. After all, how did Nana view her existence? Thinking about that, everything became clear. Nana didn't mind whether she won or lost.

 

 

 

 

 

"I put in an entry too. But I was completely wrong, I didn't even think about the outside wall of the staff room."

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; I see."

 

 

 

 

 

Tentatively, she then gave the answer to be checked. Perhaps hoping to bring it to a close. The disappointment was because she'd had such high hopes.

 

 

 

 

 

"I wrote down the martial arts building."

 

 

 

 

 

Nana said.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmm, really?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no responded, not showing much enthusiasm. Actually, Yos.h.i.+no knew that without having to ask. Yesterday at lunch, when they'd been sorting through the absentee's entries, Yumi-san had spotted Nana's entry form and handed it to her.

 

 

 

 

 

"That was way off."

 

 

 

 

 

In other words, Yos.h.i.+no was a member of the kendo club, so the martial arts building. It was too simple, and would have been found annoyingly fast. Give it a little more thought. And the martial arts building - at least write down where in the building you thought it would be.

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, it was a bad guess. But it seemed the obvious choice, so I had to go with it."

 

 

 

 

 

Even in that case, you should have at least narrowed it down, Nana-chan. Just on principle, Yos.h.i.+no was mortified once more.

 

 

 

 

 

"But I was completely wrong. I'm glad Yos.h.i.+no-sama chose a far more interesting place than I had imagined. And I'm thankful that you allowed us middle-school students the chance to partic.i.p.ate."

 

 

 

 

 

Nana said, her eyes s.h.i.+ning with grat.i.tude. Based on that expression, Yos.h.i.+no knew Nana wasn't just saying it to be polite, it was what she truly believed.

 

 

 

 

 

Had she been thinking that she wouldn't be able to partic.i.p.ate, even though Yos.h.i.+no had informed her about it? Surely some amount of expectation was good?

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm not sure I really understand. You're saying that overall you were happy with the event, including the outcome?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course."

 

 

 

 

 

Nana smiled, as though to say, "You still don't get it?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Even though you only partic.i.p.ated, that's okay?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no omitted to say whether the other option was overall victory or a reward.

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, you see."

 

 

 

 

 

The next moment, Nana said something completely unexpected.

 

 

 

 

 

"I can go on a date with Yos.h.i.+no-sama any time."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah."

 

 

 

 

 

- It goes without saying that, after that, Yos.h.i.+no gleefully threw herself into her club activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"s.h.i.+mako-sama."

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako was standing in front of the shelf of dictionaries in the library when a voice called to her from behind. She was about to turn around until she heard a whispered, "Stay like that."

 

 

 

 

 

"Won't you take a seat at that table?"

 

 

 

 

 

The location she was pointed to was a simple table divided into three sections, each with its own light and chair. It was more suited to solitary study than a group discussion. At present, the right-hand section was being used by another student, but the middle and left-hand sections were free.

 

 

 

 

 

"Very well."

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako nodded, and walked over to the table. She debated for a while about which chair to take, before deciding on the middle one.

 

 

 

 

 

"Pardon me."

 

 

 

 

 

She excused herself to the student already seated at the table, then took her chair. When she did, the girl on the right's shoulders seemed to flinch. Perhaps it was because she'd done something unexpected, like sitting across two seats on a train that was going to get crowded.

 

 

 

 

 

Even though s.h.i.+mako had taken her seat, there was no indication that the left seat would be filled. After about a minute, as s.h.i.+mako was starting to look around, wondering what happened, Igawa Ami-san sat down beside her. If another student hadn't come around looking for a free seat, perhaps she would have been made to wait another two or three minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

"Gokigenyou."

 

 

 

 

 

Although s.h.i.+mako thought it unlikely that people would connect them even without the delay between taking their seats, Ami-san undoubtedly considered it a necessary precaution.

 

 

 

 

 

"I apologize for the trouble I'm putting you through."

 

 

 

 

 

The same blunt manner as always. The difference was she was being more polite.

 

 

 

 

 

"Here. This is from the head of the newspaper club - it's the doc.u.mentation regarding our date."

 

 

 

 

 

Underneath the table, s.h.i.+mako held out the printout so that her neighbor could take it.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah. It's 4,000 yen this year."

 

 

 

 

 

Ami-san muttered, quickly scanning the paper.

 

 

 

 

 

"You know about last year?"

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako asked.

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah. I looked it up, for reference. It was in one of the back issues of the Lillian Kawaraban."

 

 

 

 

 

"I see."

 

 

 

 

 

They were whispering, but since they were right next to each other their voices carried far enough. Because of the separation, from a distance it would look like they were each working on different things. Ami-san had a book open and was pretending to read, such was the extent she was going to.

 

 

 

 

 

"Most things are about the same as last year. That's good."

 

 

 

 

 

"It is?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, actually."

 

 

 

 

 

This time Ami-san pa.s.sed a piece of paper to s.h.i.+mako under the table, apparently she'd already worked out a plan. It was written in pencil on a piece of lined paper.

 

 

 

 

 

"This is &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

When s.h.i.+mako saw the densely packed schedule that covered every place and time, from their meeting to their parting, she was lost for words. s.h.i.+mako didn't know much about this girl, so she hadn't really been expecting anything, and this was definitely 'nothing.'

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, you know, Ami-san."

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes?"

 

 

 

 

 

"The date is a reward for the winner, so we can go wherever you would like to go. That's what we were meeting here to discuss, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako said, still unsure of how best to convey this. Had Ami-san come up with this plan, thinking it was for the best?

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah. Of course I know that."

 

 

 

 

 

The response seemed to say, "Why are you saying this now?"

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; So you see."

 

 

 

 

 

It looked like she'd studied last year's Lillian Kawaraban in quite some detail. How to approach this, so that her feelings weren't hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

"If you're using last year as a guide, the winner, Kanina s.h.i.+zuka-sama, let her cla.s.smates plan out their date, and I just went along with it."

 

 

 

 

 

Not everything that happened during last year's date was included in the Lillian Kawaraban article. And, of course, the events that happened after s.h.i.+zuka-sama had gone home (including the appearance of Satou Sei-sama) were not recorded either. Despite that, when reading the article it probably looked as though that date had been planned for s.h.i.+mako. Although what Ami-san hoped to achieve by taking her on a date she'd already experienced, s.h.i.+mako didn't really know.

 

 

 

 

 

"Is that right?"

 

 

 

 

 

Ami-san murmured. Then, while it seemed that she understood, she followed that up immediately with, "Might as well make the most of it." It looked like she had no intention of withdrawing the piece of paper that s.h.i.+mako held in her hand.

 

 

 

 

 

"I think the location's fine. Or do you dislike it? Would it make you uncomfortable?"

 

 

 

 

 

She wasn't willing to give an inch, as though it were her last line of defense. It may just have been Ami-san's natural voice, but the way she spoke now seemed to be more pressing.

 

 

 

 

 

"Not at all. If that's what you want Ami-san, then I have no objection."

 

 

 

 

 

"That's good. Then I'll go home and rework this, expect something even better."

 

 

 

 

 

Their conversation had barely concluded and Ami-san was already standing up.

 

 

 

 

 

"But, why here?"

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako asked, as she held the piece of paper out for Ami-san.

 

 

 

 

 

"Because,"

 

 

 

 

 

The next moment, Ami-san said something completely unexpected.

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm a fan of Rosa Gigantea."

 

 

 

 

 

Once more, s.h.i.+mako was left worrying incessantly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi found Touko-chan in front of the clubhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

"We finally meet."

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

When Touko-chan appeared she'd been jogging, as though in a hurry, but when she saw Yumi she stopped, as though resigned.

 

 

 

 

 

"Gokigenyou."

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing her natural, unforced smile, Yumi's chest swelled. There was no doubting that she was seeing Touko-chan's true face.

 

 

 

 

 

"What brings you here?"

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan asked, leaning against the clubhouse wall.

 

 

 

 

 

"When I went to peek on the drama club's activities in the gymnasium, they said that you were probably here."

 

 

 

 

 

"Is that so?"

 

 

 

 

 

"You're practicing a play for the third-years' send-off, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah. We decided to split into three groups and do three short scenes. Since I'm doing a two-person play, it doesn't matter if we don't have a lot of room, so we decided to come here."

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan said, looking up at the building.

 

 

 

 

 

"I knew it. I didn't think you'd be running away."

 

 

 

 

 

Hearing Yumi's words, Touko-chan smiled bitterly.

 

 

 

 

 

"It's unavoidable that people would think that, since I'm not in the cla.s.sroom. Some of my cla.s.smates know about this, but there's a certain credibility to me running away to avoid the inquisitive eyes and barrage of questions. The truth of me having to leave for club activities is a bit of a let down."

 

 

 

 

 

"It seems Noriko-chan doesn't know either."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, my mistake, I forgot to tell her. Plus she looks like she's been busy with things at the Rose Mansion, so I've just missed her a couple of times."

 

 

 

 

 

"She's worried about you. You should find a chance to explain things."

 

 

 

 

 

"Understood. I'll do that."

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan replied meekly. Her docility was a bit anticlimactic. In truth, Yumi was perplexed.

 

 

 

 

 

"Did you come to talk about the date?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah &h.e.l.lip; More or less."

 

 

 

 

 

There was something else they had to discuss too. But it would get chaotic if matters weren't handled one at a time, so Yumi decided to go with this talk first.

 

 

 

 

 

"As for the day, how does Sunday week, so not this Sunday but the next, work for you?"

 

 

 

 

 

"That day is fine."

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan responded immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

"Is there somewhere you'd like to go?"

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi asked as she watched Touko-chan take out her school notebook and jot down a reminder for the date. Touko-chan thought for a while, then raised her head.

 

 

 

 

 

"Is it okay if we go somewhere I want to?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course. It can still only be a day trip, and it has to fit within the budget though."

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi held out the printout that Mami-san had prepared which explained the conditions.

 

 

 

 

 

"I see. 4000 yen, so that's 2000 per person. If it all goes on travel, that's only 1000 yen each way. You can't get very far on that. And even if you do, there's nothing left over for food &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan mumbled as she skimmed over the conditions.

 

 

 

 

 

"But if we go somewhere using our commuter pa.s.s, that's 2000 yen each for lunch, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, that's true."

 

 

 

 

 

They both laughed. They had such wildly different ideas about how to use the 4000 yen for the date, and whether it was a modest or extravagant sum.

 

 

 

 

 

This time around, the three groups were all going on dates under the same conditions, but the shape of those dates was likely to be completely different.

 

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+mako-san was going with a first-year that, until now, she knew absolutely nothing about. Yos.h.i.+no-san was going with someone that she had previously looked upon as a rival, but was now a fellow second-year club member. And then.

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi looked at Touko-chan. The person that she might soon call her pet.i.t soeur.

 

 

 

 

 

They had to talk about that properly. Yumi had caught Touko-chan today, but she didn't know when they'd have a chance to talk next.

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; To-"

 

 

 

 

 

Just as Yumi started to say her name, someone above her called out, "Touko-chan?"

 

 

 

 

 

They both looked up at the same time. The window on the second-floor of the clubhouse opened, and a student stuck her head out and looked down at them.

 

 

 

 

 

They were in the same grade, so Yumi knew the girl's face &h.e.l.lip; Right, she was the president of the drama club.

 

 

 

 

 

"I was getting worried since you were taking so long to come back."

 

 

 

 

 

Then she saw Yumi standing next to Touko-chan and said, "Ah."

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry. You're in the middle of something. It's cold, right? Why don't you both come inside?"

 

 

 

 

 

"That's okay."

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi turned to look at her, then called back. It was certainly cold, but if they went into the clubhouse, she wouldn't be able to say what she wanted to.

 

 

 

 

 

She wanted to say those words to Touko-chan alone. They weren't something to be said in front of other people.

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry I interrupted your club activities. We'll be done soon."

 

 

 

 

 

"Really? Don't worry about that. It's just the two of us anyway."

 

 

 

 

 

Take your time, she said as she closed the window.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well then."

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan folded the printout and put it in her pocket.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, yeah."

 

 

 

 

 

Even though they hadn't been hurried on, perhaps she was worried about keeping the club president waiting.

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-chan bowed, then turned away.

 

 

 

 

 

(Ah.)

 

 

 

 

 

To make her stop, a single word was needed.

 

 

 

 

 

To make her stop, a single word. Then just hand over the rosary. It would take less than a minute.

 

 

 

 

 

(Wait.)

 

 

 

 

 

Yumi's right hand reached out to Touko-chan.

 

 

 

 

 

Whether she felt something or not, before Yumi could say a single word, Touko-chan looked back over her shoulder.

 

 

 

 

 

"Umm, Yumi-sama."

 

 

 

 

 

The next moment, Touko-chan said something completely unexpected.

 

 

 

 

 

"I'd like to wait until after our date to hear your reply."

 

 

 

 

 

The reply she referred to could only be one thing.

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

Even though it would take less than a minute.

 

 

 

 

 

In the end, Yumi had to wait at least another week.