Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 33 Chapter 4

 

 

 

 

The graduation ceremony was proceeding solemnly inside the gymnasium, just as Youko had hoped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Take your seats."

 

 

 

 

 

The voice of the vice-princ.i.p.al, who was leading the ceremony, was carried through the microphone and resounded throughout the auditorium.

 

 

 

 

 

With the singing of the j.a.panese national anthem just completed, everyone sat down in their seats as directed. Other than the rustling of clothes, there was also the sound of paper rubbing together, or being used as a fan but no hint of whispering. Print-outs that contained the words of the hymns to be sung during the middle section of proceedings had been placed on the guests seats prior to the commencement of the ceremony.

 

 

 

 

 

They were called hymns, but they weren't particularly difficult. They had chosen famous songs that even those not well versed in Christianity would have heard before. So when they heard the introduction, they would remember the melody and be able to sing along by looking at the lyrics.

 

 

 

 

 

In amongst that rustling were her parents, Rei thought as she sat down.

 

 

 

 

 

Not just her parents, but Yos.h.i.+no's parents too. Rei's uncle had taken a day of paid vacation just so he could watch his niece's graduation ceremony. - Ahh, why would you do that?

 

 

 

 

 

(Normally it's just your parents that come, right?)

 

 

 

 

 

However, the Hasekura and s.h.i.+mazu families were like one family living under two roofs, so what general society considered 'normal' didn't really apply to them.

 

 

 

 

 

(Four seats for the relatives of one graduating student.)

 

 

 

 

 

But then again, she had heard that last year her onee-sama, Torii Eriko-sama, had six people from her family there (and one person was detained outside the gymnasium and gave up on the idea of going inside) so she wasn't as bad as that.

 

 

 

 

 

(And that's not considering Mr and Mrs Torii, who came to see Yos.h.i.+no.)

 

 

 

 

 

So this was okay. Rei set aside the issue of her aunt and uncle.

 

 

 

 

 

(More importantly.)

 

 

 

 

 

Rei moved on to thinking about what had happened with Chisato-chan. The usually meek and sunny Chisato-chan had suddenly sprouted fangs. How could that be explained?

 

 

 

 

 

(She said 'Rei-chan you idiot?' - Ahh)

 

 

 

 

 

It was certainly devastating to be called an idiot by someone other than Yos.h.i.+no. Back then Chisato-chan had nonchalantly followed that up with, 'Excuse me' and had been smiling as she quickly departed, leaving behind Rei who was still frozen from the shock. Even now, Rei was still dumbfounded by it. And so, even though some time had pa.s.sed, she kept coming back to it.

 

 

 

 

 

(Just what kind of an idiot am I?)

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, it had been impossible for the 'idiot Rei-chan' to ask why she had been called an 'idiot.'

 

 

 

 

 

And immediately before that, Chisato-chan had pinned the flower to her chest. The mood had started out gentle enough, with Chisato-chan expressing her grat.i.tude.

 

 

 

 

 

(Then...)

 

 

 

 

 

Rei had absolutely no idea what had happened in the following one or two minutes. She thought Chisato-chan had said something about Yos.h.i.+no, but - .

 

 

 

 

 

(It's no good.)

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, Rei couldn't remember anything more due to the shock of being called an idiot.

 

 

 

 

 

(Ahhh.)

 

 

 

 

 

Was this okay for the graduation ceremony?

 

 

 

 

 

Despite having a leading role, she just couldn't concentrate.

 

 

 

 

 

Then again.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe it was okay for there to be one student like this, from the graduating cla.s.s of about 230 people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were starting to hand out the diplomas.

 

 

 

 

 

To use a food a.n.a.logy, the main dish had arrived. Which would make the national anthem they had just sung the soup. The scripture reading was the hors d'œuvre, and the opening speech was the apéritif. Although since over half of the people in this a.s.sembly were under the legal drinking age, this would have to be a non-alcoholic drink.

 

 

 

 

 

(&h.e.l.lip; Why am I thinking about this?)

 

 

 

 

 

I'm surprisingly blasé about my own graduation ceremony, Sachiko thought as she sat in the area at the front of the gymnasium reserved for graduating students.

 

 

 

 

 

One by one the names of students from her grade were called, at which point they would walk on stage to receive their graduation certificate before returning to their chair. It felt a bit like watching television, everything seemed distant.

 

 

 

 

 

There were probably some graduating students who were overcome with emotion and broke down in tears, but Sachiko couldn't see anyone like that around her.

 

 

 

 

 

If they were to start crying now, they probably wouldn't have the energy or strength to last until the end of the graduation ceremony. It's never explicitly stated, but the traditional time when an announcer could say, 'Okay, you can cry now,' would be towards the end of the Lillian Girl's Academy high school graduation ceremony, when the school song was about to be sung.

 

 

 

 

 

- In other words, crying during the farewell address was starting quite early.

 

 

 

 

 

(That's fine. I wasn't graduating last year.)

 

 

 

 

 

Even as she told herself this, Sachiko realized her mistake. Because now there was absolutely no way that she could cry prior to the farewell address.

 

 

 

 

 

(Oh no.)

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko smiled bitterly. The cla.s.smate sitting beside her noticed this, and the edge of her lips turned fractionally upwards.

 

 

 

 

 

(Don't be silly. There's no way I'm going to cry.)

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, Sachiko had made a vow to Yumi. There was absolutely no way she was going to cry during the ceremony. Today's graduation ceremony was Sachiko's only chance to make amends for her failure last year. She'd be fine. Yumi was wearing that ribbon for her. And Sachiko could relax, knowing that Yumi was looking after a piece of her heart.

 

 

 

 

 

And yet, despite it being her own graduation ceremony, Sachiko couldn't concentrate on the ceremony. Come to think of it, her onee-sama had also said something like that. That in the middle of the graduation ceremony, she found herself remembering things from long ago.

 

 

 

 

 

"Third year chrysanthemum group."

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko heard the vice-princ.i.p.al's voice coming through the microphone. She raised her head. This was Rei's cla.s.s. It also meant that they had already finished handing out the graduation certificates to two cla.s.ses.

 

 

 

 

 

Rei's family name was Hasekura, so it would be a little while before it was her turn. Family names probably don't have the same distribution amongst the alphabet as ordinary words, but starting with 'Ha' put it about two-thirds of the way through the alphabet.

 

 

 

 

 

Hasekura Rei. It's a good name, Sachiko thought.

 

 

 

 

 

They'd both attended Lillian's since kindergarten, so it was inevitable that they would meet. And before Sachiko was aware of it, she knew Rei's face and name, and could converse with her if necessary. All the while the years kept pa.s.sing by. They had probably been in the same cla.s.s numerous times, although she couldn't remember when. Sachiko hadn't paid much attention to who her cla.s.smates were, so events from years past hadn't really stuck in her memory.

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko wondered when she first became aware of Rei's existence.

 

 

 

 

 

(&h.e.l.lip; Oh.)

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking back on it, Sachiko felt as though they hadn't had much contact until they both became a bouton's pet.i.t soeur.

 

 

 

 

 

(But.)

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko had a good impression of Rei when she saw her. She couldn't find a suitable word to describe it, but something close to 'admiration' was mixed in there.

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps a simile would be good. Right, a sapling that grows upwards, directly towards the sun. Rei was that kind of radiant being.

 

 

 

 

 

Rei's presence was gentle and fresh, never cliquey or two-faced. It always felt like she was surrounded by clear air, or pure water.

 

 

 

 

 

That was how Rei always was, both in appearance and on the inside.

 

 

 

 

 

Years ago, Sachiko had been momentarily captivated by the beauty of one of the girls in her grade as they performed the long jump. Revisiting the memory, there was no doubting that girl was Rei.

 

 

 

 

 

Each individual scene was brief but s.h.i.+ning, and Sachiko's memories of Rei could be strung together like the beads in a rosary to produce something eternally sparkling.

 

 

 

 

 

(I'd never say this to Yumi, but I probably have a weakness for the honest and straightforward type.)

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Yumi, there was that question she had asked some time ago.

 

 

 

 

 

"Onee-sama, when did you and Rei-sama start calling each other by just your given name?"

 

 

 

 

 

It was probably still on Yumi's mind, as to this day she was still using the '-san' honorific when addressing Yos.h.i.+no-chan and s.h.i.+mako.

 

 

 

 

 

"Let's see.... At some point, it just felt like the natural thing to do."

 

 

 

 

 

That had been her answer at the time, although truthfully Sachiko remembered it precisely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

"Ah, Sachiko..."

 

 

 

 

 

Rei said, blus.h.i.+ng.

 

 

 

 

 

It was coming into June or July, the first semester of their first year, and not long after they had both been made the pet.i.t soeur of a bouton. The location was the second floor of the Rose Mansion. It was after school, and the two first years were preparing tea or doing something similar. They hadn't really been chatting until Rei suddenly opened her mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ye-s?"

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko was surprised that the '-san' honorific had been omitted, although her external appearance remained unchanged.

 

 

 

 

 

"Umm, ahh, what was it?"

 

 

 

 

 

Rei was flailing. It was obvious that it had taken all of Rei's nerve for her to be able to call out 'Sachiko' and she had completely forgotten what she had planned to talk about.

 

 

 

 

 

So the important thing wasn't what followed Rei's initial statement, but the use of 'Sachiko' itself.

 

 

 

 

 

The specifics weren't clear, but Sachiko could tell that Rei would crumble if she were to be teased about her use of 'Sachiko.' Removing the honorific '-san' from a name is akin to removing the training wheels from a bicycle, so there's an understandable sense of insecurity that accompanies it.

 

 

 

 

 

"I..."

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko said, referencing the start of their conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

"Wonder what would go well with black-tea cookies or teacakes."

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko hadn't intended it as a life-preserver. However, she couldn't stand to see Rei so fl.u.s.tered and silent.

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

Rei seemed to have every single hole in her face wide open as she looked at Sachiko.

 

 

 

 

 

"Having coffee with them might be a bit questionable. Green tea is a definite no."

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko looked away, and silently started to make some tea. Black tea was normally served in the Rose Mansion, unless a special request had been made. Anyway, it was not like they had any sweets prepared for today. So the black-tea cookies were merely a hypothetical. And if they did have black-tea cookies, there was absolutely no way they would be openly discussing it like this. That would likely earn them a scolding from their seniors, who themselves had been responsible for preparing the tea in previous years.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well, what do you think would go well with them?"

 

 

 

 

 

Even though she asked this of Rei, Sachiko answered her own question after thinking about it for a short while.

 

 

 

 

 

"Warm milk."

 

 

 

 

 

"Warm milk? Ahh."

 

 

 

 

 

Rei nodded, as though brought back to life.

 

 

 

 

 

"What do you think, Rei?"

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko thought it was proper that she should refer to Rei without an honorific. If she were to address her as 'Rei-san' now, or to continue using that in the future, Rei would start to doubt herself. She would then probably return to using 'Sachiko-san,' making the initial 'Sachiko' pointless. Even though Sachiko had made up her mind, saying it still made her blush.

 

 

 

 

 

It was too perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

Even though it was couched in terms of a conversation about black-tea and cookies, it could only be interpreted as a conversation about personal preference.

 

 

 

 

 

"Is it okay if I agree with your opinion, Sachiko?"

 

 

 

 

 

Rei said. This time around, there wasn't even the slightest shake when she said 'Sachiko.'

 

 

 

 

 

"You're okay with warm milk?"

 

 

 

 

 

"For now. Although, I don't think I'd be able to find anything better."

 

 

 

 

 

"Then it's settled."

 

 

 

 

 

Having heard the back-and-forth, their onee-samas chucked, and asked, 'What are you talking about that's so interesting?'

 

 

 

 

 

It was strange that she could still remember that Satou Sei-sama, who was usually moody and rarely visited the Rose Mansion, had been there, and the burst of laughter from her when she realized the significance of their conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

(Even so.)

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko pondered, as she idly watched the graduation certificates being awarded. What made Rei think of changing the way she addressed her back then? Up until that point, Rei had always followed the convention at Lillian's by addressing Sachiko, who was in the same year as her, with the honorific '-san.'

 

 

 

 

 

And although Sachiko didn't object to being called without an honorific, no-one else had adopted Rei's way of addressing her.

 

 

 

 

 

(Oh well, maybe I should ask her about that.)

 

 

 

 

 

It's not like Rei was going to return to awkwardly addressing her as 'Sachiko-san' after all this time.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hasekura Rei."

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko's dear friend took a step forward onto the stage to receive her graduation certificate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having received her graduation certificate and resumed her seat amongst the third year chrysanthemum cla.s.s, Rei thought:

 

 

 

 

 

That was fast.

 

 

 

 

 

The graduation certificates they were given on stage were collected again as they stepped off the stage, leaving her hands currently empty. It was reminiscent of the hollow feeling she had.

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, her onee-sama had said a similar thing about her own graduation ceremony. That she had felt hollow, couldn't concentrate, worried about other things and remembered all kinds of events during the ceremony - as though the actual graduation was happening to someone else.

 

 

 

 

 

It was exactly like she had said. And so, for those graduating students who had received their diploma and had no further role to play in the ceremony, 95% of them looked at peace.

 

 

 

 

 

"Third year pine group."

 

 

 

 

 

It was Sachiko's cla.s.s's turn.

 

 

 

 

 

Because Ogasawara started with an 'O', Sachiko would be called fairly early.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ogasawara Sachiko."

 

 

 

 

 

Well, there you go. It was her turn already.

 

 

 

 

 

There were a lot of things that were done in alphabetical order at school, and Rei usually thought it must be tough getting called early as you wouldn't have time to prepare yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

In that regard, 'Hasekura' was closer to the end than the middle, so she was called earlier when they did things in reverse alphabetical order, but she was in the fortunate position of always being able to watch what the front-runners did and copy them. Although it did mean she usually had to wait a while, which could get boring.

 

 

 

 

 

As Sachiko strode onto the stage, scattered sighs of admiration could be heard throughout the gymnasium.

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko was beautiful even without the rose-tinted gla.s.ses that accompanied their close friends.h.i.+p. Her natural figure shone with the light of the proud and intelligent soul it housed. Recently, this had been joined by a kindness and tenderness that polished her beauty even further. This was probably Yumi-chan's influence. No matter who's eyes you were watching it through, Sachiko was the epitome of an onee-sama at Lillian's Girls Academy.

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko received her graduation certificate and stepped down from the stage. Once more, the sighs rang out. As though show-time was over. It was a bit unfortunate for the next student.

 

 

 

 

 

They had both been at Lillian's since kindergarten, but Rei had no recollection of talking privately with Sachiko prior to high school. Ever since kindergarten, Sachiko had an aura about her that was different to the other students - it was as though she was already a lady. Back then, Rei hadn't known what it meant to be a lady and instead thought of Sachiko as the school's sole princess. The polar opposite of herself, who had brandished the s.h.i.+nai ever since she became aware of it. Sachiko moved with an elegant grace that was attributed to her ballet lessons.

 

 

 

 

 

An incredibly pretty little girl.

 

 

 

 

 

Rei was intrigued by Sachiko, but didn't know how to go about becoming friends with her. The other kindergarteners probably felt the same way too - turned away by the atmosphere surrounding Sachiko that made her hard to know, they either kept their distance and merely watched, or spread malicious rumors about her because they didn't know how else to cope. As a result, Sachiko was often alone. The current Rei would have called out to Sachiko and played with her, but the Rei back then hadn't been as mature and had revered the solitary Sachiko as an 'independent woman.' Of course, Rei only learned this phrase much later.

 

 

 

 

 

During elementary school and middle school they had been in the same cla.s.s numerous times, but Sachiko still remained a 'pretty princess' to Rei. Eventually, Rei learned that Sachiko was the daughter of the president of a huge corporation, and realized that Sachiko really was a princess.

 

 

 

 

 

And a princess doesn't laugh out loud, or a.s.semble cliques. It wasn't because Sachiko was being disagreeable, but because this was what she was earnestly striving for.

 

 

 

 

 

(Which reminds me.)

 

 

 

 

 

There was something that Yos.h.i.+no had asked her a while ago. 'When did you start addressing Sachiko-sama without an honorific? She's a princess, so she wouldn't think of addressing you like that, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

Certainly, it had taken a lot of courage to first call her 'Sachiko.' After all, you were talking to a 'princess.'

 

 

 

 

 

"That's harsh. I started because that's how she was addressing me. When we were both bouton's pet.i.t soeurs I was still calling her Sachiko-san."

 

 

 

 

 

That was how she had answered, but it wasn't the truth. Well, she was the first to be addressed without an honorific, but it wasn't really said to her face.

 

 

 

 

 

- In other words, it was&h.e.l.lip; one of those things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Rei could clearly remember the day she went from watching Sachiko from a distance to being much closer to her.

 

 

 

 

 

It was May and the welcoming ceremony organized by the Yamayurikai had just finished. Rei was in her cla.s.sroom, that of the first year chrysanthemum group, when her onee-sama-to-be, Torii Eriko-sama, approached her out of the blue, and said:

 

 

 

 

 

"Will you be my pet.i.t soeur?"

 

 

 

 

 

Since she was being asked by Rosa Foetida en bouton, Rei probably would have refused if she was allowed to sleep on it. Instead, she was pressed for an immediate answer and responded in the affirmative. Over-thinking tended to dull her animal instincts. Rei's intuition told her that it would be fun to be with Eriko-sama, and on this account it wasn't wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

Rei was dragged out of the cla.s.sroom and told that she was going to be introduced to Eriko-sama's companions before the presentation of the rosary. As they walked through the corridors holding hands, Rei became hesitant when she realized who Eriko-sama's companions were, and where she was being taken.

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko-sama's onee-sama, Rosa Foetida, would be waiting. Not only her, but Rosa Gigantea and Rosa Chinensis would probably be there as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Until then, Rei had only looked up at the Roses as they stood atop the summit of the high school student council and aspired to be like them. She hadn't yet had time to prepare herself. Even her feelings about becoming Rosa Foetida en bouton's pet.i.t soeur seemed to have been left behind in the corridor outside her cla.s.sroom and replaced with antic.i.p.ation.

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh."

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko-sama came to a halt. They were in front of the Rose Mansion.

 

 

 

 

 

"What's this, I wonder."

 

 

 

 

 

That came from Rosa Chinensis en bouton, Mizuno Youko-sama.

 

 

 

 

 

There was nothing out of the ordinary about Rosa Chinensis en bouton being near the Rose Mansion. The same could be said for Eriko-sama, since she was Rosa Foetida en bouton. So the reason the two boutons were looking at each other with expressions of surprise was due to the inclusion of some additional factor. Rei got it. Youko-sama was surprised because she was looking at Rei, standing beside Eriko-sama. And Eriko-sama was -

 

 

 

 

 

She recognized the first year student that was standing behind Youko-sama. It was Ogasawara Sachiko.

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko-sama was looking at Sachiko, who was staring back at her. Sachiko's gaze then s.h.i.+fted to Rei, who was still holding hands with Eriko-sama.

 

 

 

 

 

Their eyes met.

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh."

 

 

 

 

 

The small sound came out of Sachiko's mouth for an instant. Then she started to smile, like a flower blossoming.

 

 

 

 

 

When she thought about it, Rei supposed that it was probably a forced smile, but even so it had impressed her greatly at the time. That was because Rei could only stand there with her mouth agape, lacking the composure to smile. But you'd expect that behavior from a princess.

 

 

 

 

 

At any rate, they both became the pet.i.t soeur of a bouton at roughly the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

The introduction to Eriko-sama's companions wasn't as nerve wracking as Rei had expected. Because there were two of them, the amount of attention they each received was halved. It wasn't as though her teeth were chattering together. But with Sachiko beside her, Rei was able to stand tall.

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't that Rei was concerned about a comparison between the two of them. Instead, she felt a joy at being able to stand next to Sachiko, rather than just watching her from afar. Standing next to Sachiko, it was as though they both wanted to see themselves reflected in each others eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

That was probably a premonition.

 

 

 

 

 

Rei seemed to sense, with something other than the five usual senses, a vision of their future selves, and their invaluable friends.h.i.+p.

 

 

 

 

 

On that day, the five existing inhabitants of the Rose Mansion welcomed the two new arrivals with a toast of strawberry milk. From memory, Rosa Gigantea en bouton, Satou Sei-sama, had grumbled about being made to go and buy the milk. Why was she, as a second year student, being penalized with these menial tasks now that they had some first year students.

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking back on it, that was probably the penalty that Sei had earned by coming last in the race to find a pet.i.t soeur.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that was how Rei's life as the pet.i.t soeur of a bouton started, but it didn't mean that she became close friends with Sachiko straight away.

 

 

 

 

 

At first Sachiko naturally used the honorific '-san' when addressing her, saying things like, 'Rei-san, can you pa.s.s me that,' or 'Rei-san, this happened while you were at your club.' Sachiko may have been a princess, but she went to great efforts to be a good pet.i.t soeur for Rosa Chinensis en bouton. Completing her ch.o.r.es without complaining. Never unwilling to partic.i.p.ate in cleaning. Instead, she would actively partic.i.p.ate. And the quality of her work was outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

Compared to Rei, who would occasionally skip going to the Rose Mansion due to club activities, Sachiko worked harder. And silently, as though she were in serious training.

 

 

 

 

 

Then one day, Rei's kendo practice ended early because the martial arts building that they usually used for training was unavailable due to repair work. So she cheerfully headed off to the Rose Mansion. Today she'd be able to do all of the ch.o.r.es she usually missed. And appearing on a day when she normally had club activities would probably make her onee-sama happy too.

 

 

 

 

 

Opening the 'biscuit door' to the second floor clubroom, Rei saw Sachiko, Eriko-sama and Rosa Gigantea. The three of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Rei. She should have walked in and greeted them all with a 'Gokigenyou.' In fact, she started to do just that. But she was stopped when she heard the words that Sachiko spoke next:

 

 

 

 

 

"I don't think Rei's doing anything wrong."

 

 

 

 

 

(I'm doing something wrong?)

 

 

 

 

 

No, that wasn't it. Sachiko had stood up for her, denying that she was doing anything wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

"Then what could the problem be? Our pigheadedness?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I wouldn't say that. Certainly, there's a slight problem with Rei, but it's such a trivial matter. That's what I was saying."

 

 

 

 

 

(Problem? Am I failing in my duties as a bouton's pet.i.t soeur because of my club activities? But my onee-sama said it was fine if I just did what I could for the Yamayurikai - )

 

 

 

 

 

That was certainly playing on Rei's mind, but there was another matter that had captured her attention.

 

 

 

 

 

(Did she just call me 'Rei,' without an honorific?)

 

 

 

 

 

"You're not going in?"

 

 

 

 

 

Right at that moment, someone called out to her from behind.

 

 

 

 

 

"Uwaah."

 

 

 

 

 

"What a strange greeting, from the giant pipsqueak."

 

 

 

 

 

Rei turned around, and standing there was Satou Sei-sama. But what kind of a name was 'giant pipsqueak?'

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh, Rei. You're here?"

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko-sama turned around. She was quite composed given that the person they had just been gossiping about had suddenly appeared. In comparison, Rei was considerably more fl.u.s.tered.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, yeah."

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko and Rosa Gigantea were much the same as Eriko-sama.

 

 

 

 

 

"Gokigenyou, Rei-san."

 

 

 

 

 

"...Gokigenyou."

 

 

 

 

 

"Come inside, Rei-chan. And while you're at it, bring the person behind you in too..... Heheh, I see you've finally made it here, Sei."

 

 

 

 

 

"You'd sue me for breach of contract if I didn't show my face around here from time to time."

 

 

 

 

 

Sei-sama grinned as she made her way past Rei, who was still holding the door k.n.o.b, to Rosa Gigantea's side. The usually grumpy person seemed to be in a good mood today.

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko was clearing some doc.u.ments off the table so Rei put her bags down and went to prepare the tea. The electric kettle was making that swis.h.i.+ng sound that indicated it was ready.

 

 

 

 

 

As Rei was adding the tea leaves to the tea pot, she was thinking back to what Sachiko had just said.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe she had misheard it.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey, Rei-chan."

 

 

 

 

 

"Uwaah."

 

 

 

 

 

When she turned around, Satou Sei-sama was there once more.

 

 

 

 

 

"The greeting doesn't change, huh."

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry."

 

 

 

 

 

The junior wondered what they were apologizing for as they offered up the words of excuse. Please forgive me, excuse me, I'm sorry, pardon me, etc. etc.

 

 

 

 

 

"You noticed it, just before, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"What do you mean?"

 

 

 

 

 

Rei tried to temporize, but it was probably futile. Sei-sama had been right behind her at the biscuit door. It wasn't that she had heard anything Rei hadn't, but that she had seen how Rei had been too shocked to enter the room.

 

 

 

 

 

"The lack of honorifics."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

"That were used. By prinny[1]-pipsqueak."

 

 

 

 

 

Sei-sama turned around. Sachiko was standing with her back to them, talking to Rosa Chinensis, who had just arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

"Are you talking about Sachiko-san?"

 

 

 

 

 

Sei-sama was just making up names, like giant pipsqueak and prinny pipsqueak, so it was hard to follow what she was saying. The convention at Lillian's Girls Academy was to append '-sama' to the name of girls in higher grades and '-san' to the name of girls in the same grade. Girls in a lower grade were usually addressed with '-san' or '-chan,' although if you were especially close you could use no honorific.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ohhh? The giant pipsqueak is sticking with 'Sachiko-san'."

 

 

 

 

 

"Can you please stop calling me 'giant pipsqueak.'"

 

 

 

 

 

"In that case, I think I'll call you 'Rei' without an honorific. If it's good enough for prinny-pipsqueak, it's good enough for me, don't you think?"

 

 

 

 

 

"...Do as you please."

 

 

 

 

 

When she was in a bad mood, Satou Sei-sama was eerily scary. Although Rei didn't want to get much closer to her now that she was in a good mood either. Rei thought the 'stay away glare' that the foul tempered Sei-sama menaced people with was actually a form of kindness.

 

 

 

 

 

"But, ya know, there's a bit of a disparity."

 

 

 

 

 

Rei was in the middle of pouring a cup of tea when Sei-sama said this. It seemed their conversation wasn't over just yet.

 

 

 

 

 

"You're both in the same year and both pet.i.t soeurs of a bouton. Yet one of you uses an honorific and the other doesn't. You'd just want to make sure it doesn't have an impact on your standing, and who has the power in the relations.h.i.+p."

 

 

 

 

 

Rei was reeling slightly from that suggestion. The Yamayurikai was about the three colored Roses joining together to lead the students, so there shouldn't be any power struggles, right?

 

 

 

 

 

"Pardon me. Rei-san, I'll help out."

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko called out and made her way over to them.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ahh, it's okay. You usually have to do everything, Sachiko-san, so while I'm here I should do this. Although it probably won't taste as good as yours."

 

 

 

 

 

After Rei turned to face Sachiko and replied, Sei-sama chimed in from beside her.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't worry, I'm supervising so it'll turn out okay."

 

 

 

 

 

"I wasn't worried at all."

 

 

 

 

 

Sachiko turned her back, apparently offended.

 

 

 

 

 

"She used '-san'."

 

 

 

 

 

While Rei resumed pouring the tea into the cups, Sei waggled the index finger of her left hand back and forth and said, 'No no no.'

 

 

 

 

 

"That's because it's hard to say it to someone's face. But don't you think she really wants you two to address each other in that way?"

 

 

 

 

 

"She wants to?"

 

 

 

 

 

"See Rei, about Sachiko. Even though she wants to, her pride keeps her from saying it. You get it?"

 

 

 

 

 

Is that so?

 

 

 

 

 

Rei looked at Sachiko's back once more. Sachiko didn't notice, she was talking to Youko-sama now.

 

 

 

 

 

In that case.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe Rei should try calling her 'Sachiko' from now on.

 

 

 

 

 

It wouldn't be possible today, so tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

It was a fairly high hurdle, but if she could clear it then maybe they could have a relations.h.i.+p more like their onee-samas.

 

 

 

 

 

'Youko' 'Eriko' 'Sei'.

 

 

 

 

 

It was wonderful how they called each other by just their given name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Sei."

 

 

 

 

 

The 'big-headed' girl waved to the 'American' girl as she approached the statue of Maria-sama, which was located at the fork in the path lined with ginkgo trees.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ahh, Eriko."

 

 

 

 

 

Youko, who had noticed her first, waved back. Sei took a quick glance in her direction, then her shoulders started to shake as she frantically tried to keep herself from laughing, leaving her unable to return the greeting.

 

 

 

 

 

"What's this about?"

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko asked, pointing at the strange figure that was hunched over and gently oscillating. Youko shrugged, seemingly uninterested.

 

 

 

 

 

"Who knows?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh? You were with her, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko asked, after first praying at the statue of Maria-sama. She had nothing to pray for, it was purely for form's sake.

 

 

 

 

 

"I was with her. But then she suddenly started smiling. I have no idea why."

 

 

 

 

 

Youko looked at Sei coldly.

 

 

 

 

 

"Just out of the blue? Well that's strange."

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko glanced at Sei, who was making a spluttering sound as though her throat had gone into convulsions. Finally, she burst into laugher, clutching her stomach and with tears streaming down her face.

 

 

 

 

 

"Before I arrived, she didn't happen to eat some mushrooms from the side of the road? Some magic mushrooms?"

 

 

 

 

 

"It's scary to think what she'd be like if she did."

 

 

 

 

 

The two friends folded their arms and said, 'Hmmm.' Why on earth did the younger girls think this was a 'good student' back when they were still at school. It was a mystery.

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, Sei's waves of laughter subsided and she called out to Eriko and Youko, who were still standing back and watching her from a distance.

 

 

 

 

 

"Come, come, gather around fair maidens."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

"And I'll regale you with a comedic tale."

 

 

 

 

 

A comedic tale? What's she blathering on about, oblivious to the performance she just put on.

 

 

 

 

 

"Like I was saying before, you're being quite strange. What was so funny?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Sorry, sorry. I was just laughing at something I remembered."

 

 

 

 

 

In that case it must have been something incredibly hilarious. Normally you'd just snicker at a memory. Eriko looked doubtfully at Sei, who managed to suppress her laughter as she looked back this time.

 

 

 

 

 

"So what was it?"

 

 

 

 

 

Sei was really starting to grate on Eriko's nerves. Well, they had quarreled with each other from the start. Mainly that was because they both wanted different things.

 

 

 

 

 

"Your pet.i.t soeur."

 

 

 

 

 

Sei said.

 

 

 

 

 

"Rei? What happened to her?"

 

 

 

 

 

"The misunderstanding that led to her addressing Sachiko without an honorific&h.e.l.lip; heheheh."

 

 

 

 

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko grabbed Sei by the collar and said, 'Speak clearly.' Sei was smiling as she continued.

 

 

 

 

 

"I dunno when it was, but you and Sachiko and someone else, well, anyway, do you remember chatting in the Rose Mansion about something."

 

 

 

 

 

"How am I supposed to remember anything based on such a vague description?"

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko was still gritting her teeth, but the corners of her lips turned upwards as she spoke.

 

 

 

 

 

She couldn't remember when, couldn't remember who and to top it all off they were at the Rose Mansion, chatting. That left nothing to search on. There were probably a few hundred separate occasions that matched those criteria.

 

 

 

 

 

"It wasn't long after Rei and Sachiko started coming to the Rose Mansion. Right, right, you were trying to solve some problem. I think it came from a magazine - they were a bit of a fad within our grade - solve the puzzle and you'd win a prize."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ahh."

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko let go of Sei's collar as she remembered that something of that sort had happened. Although she was talking about something that happened a long time ago.

 

 

 

 

 

"So what does that have to do with our pet.i.t soeurs?"

 

 

 

 

 

This time it was Youko asking, somewhat forcibly. That was to be expected. It was different when it was just Rei, but now that Sachiko's name had been mentioned there was no way she would stay quiet. Sei continued, after giving a knowing smile.

 

 

 

 

 

"I wasn't there at the start, so I don't know all the details, but it looked like you were getting Sachiko to do one of those problems. Because the magazine was open on the table. And then Sachiko got all agitated about it, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Sachiko was agitated&h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

Eriko could feel the memory creeping back, bit by bit. She definitely remembered that the seemingly quiet Sachiko had been saying exactly what she had been thinking for the puzzle, so she had been deliberately saying the opposite in order to provoke a reaction from Sachiko. Although, unfortunately, Eriko couldn't recall how it had ended.

 

 

 

 

 

"And there was some argument about how to solve it."

 

 

 

 

 

"There probably was. Although I can't remember it."

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe if it was something said during a meeting, but Eriko didn't keep minutes or a record of everything that was said when she was just chatting.

 

 

 

 

 

"And Rei heard Sachiko talking about this, and thought she was talking about her."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

"She misheard something like, 'The way you're doing this is wrong,' for 'Rei's doing something wrong.'[2] It was brilliant. See, she was under the impression that Sachiko was calling her just by her name. So she should do the same."

 

 

 

 

 

"Say what?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Sachiko must have been surprised. That Rei was suddenly calling her without an honorific. Although she recovered pretty quickly, and they've been like that ever since. Pretty funny, don't you think?"

 

 

 

 

 

Sei laughed, and it appeared as though she would succ.u.mb to the waves of hysteria once more. As for the onee-samas of the two people involved, they looked at each other with expressions of disbelief.

 

 

 

 

 

"And you didn't think to inform Rei of this when you realized it?"

 

 

 

 

 

Youko asked.

 

 

 

 

 

"What would I tell her? The funny story?"

 

 

 

 

 

Sei responded, poker-faced.

 

 

 

 

 

"I see. You egged Rei on, didn't you. Telling her to call Sachiko, 'Sachiko.'"

 

 

 

 

 

"Would I do that?"

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at Sei's smiling face, Eriko started to doubt her own beliefs. About what type of senior Sei had been. Although it was too shocking to put into words.

 

 

 

 

 

No, it was Youko that spoke next.

 

 

 

 

 

"...Yes. That's exactly what you'd do."

 

 

 

 

 

She said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is supposed to be a nonsense word derived from princess. The p.r.o.nunciation for the two sentences is identical in j.a.panese.