Volume 1 Chapter 3 (1/2)
”What is going on, Yumi-san?”
On Wednesday , Katsura-san leapt at her as she stepped into the classroom
”Wh, what?”
Before she could walk into the classrooainst the locker As if she were going to discuss so evil, Katsura-san lowered her voice and asked
”There're ru to be a part of the Yamayurikai-sponsored play”
”I' to dance in the corner”
Yumi answered truthfully
”But, your partner is Rosa Foetida en bouton?”
”Umm… well, yes”
”Really!?”
Katsura-san's voice abruptly changed from pianissimo to fortissimo The volume of the voice hurt her ears, and their secretiveness went to waste Even the classmates who had not yet noticed Yumi took notice
”Yuenyou”
”Gokigenyou, Yumi-san”
The faces that sather en roup
If a group of chicks, or human babies were to come close, it'd be the same sort of freakiness
”We were just talking about Yumi-san”
”Y, yes”
Of course, if the incident at the Rose Mansion two days ago could spread all over school before lunch the next day, it was obvious yesterday's gymnasium incident would spread even faster After all, there were at least three times the witnesses, and there was even one student from her class
”U now?”
”Did you really reject Sachiko-sama's proposal?”
”But then why are you two doing things together?”
”What sort of position do you have in the Yamayurikai?”
”Which onee-sama do you like most?”
They had held it all in up to that point, but the class questions like a water dam had been broken
”Umm…”
Yu wave of classmates
Even though the hters of rich estates, they were still girls They loved gossip and rumors of 'who liked who' If this were a case of, for exarabbed a school facility for their own, people wouldn't be so desperate for answers
”What happened, Yumi-san? Please, do feel free to explain”
No , it was impossible First of all, there were so otten the first ones Plus, if she answered questions one by one, there would be no end in sight Further still, it seemed like everyone had already made up answers in their minds, no matter how Yumi were to answer
(What was I supposed to do in a case like this?)
She thought of Sachiko-sama
(Umm, Sachiko-sama would)
Smile, without any hurry or panic
”Everyone, I apologize for kicking up a fuss”
Elegantly, ell, impossible, but Yurade herself
”Because of a variety of reasons, I've ended up helping the Yamayurikai with their sponsored play The reason why the staff calls on me every so often is because of that”
When Yumi explained herself clearly, everyone backed off
After all, she had been doing nothing troubleso kind to her, Rei-sa her partner, all of it was because they were kind, not because it was Yumi
”Then, how about Sachiko-sama?”
One person asked from the crowd
”Sachiko-sama?”
”Did Sachiko-sama really ask for you to be her sœur? Rumor has it Yumi-san rejected her”
Everyone nodded, hearing that question
”Sachiko-sama,”
Her voice became stuck as she tried to answer
”Sachiko-sama,”
Huh? What was it? What would Sachiko-sama do?
Umm, Sachiko-sama, would probably sination
But Yuination, means, take it whichever way you want However, as she did not feel that way, she could not use such a reckless response
”There's no way Sachiko-sama would choose me as her sœur”
Ah, that was it As she spoke, she began crying
”Yumi-san!?”
Her classmates became worried by her sudden tears
”Oh, dear We're sorry We weren't asking to make you cry It's okay, if you wish not to answer, let it be”
Yu
Yumi loved Sachiko-sama
She loved her still And because she loved her, her last bit of pride rejected Sachiko-sama
It was too sad, if she were chosen because she happened to be there Why could Sachiko-sama not understand?
How happy she was, being able to simply watch from afar If Sachiko-sama had not known Yufully offered her rosary And if that hadn't happened, she wouldn't have had to act contrary to her heart
”We're sorry Here, stop crying, please?”
Her classmates held out a handkerchief and e else in the world, for that embrace to have come from Sachiko-sama
”Here”
She was handed a booklet It was bound quite sily word processed
”Lillian Girls' Academy Yamayuri-version Cinderella…”
Yumi read the cover ornamentation aloud It seemed to be a script-book for Cinderella
”Right I used pink and blue to highlight for you”
”So?”
”Of course, you are to remember them?”
Sachiko-sahed, exasperated
”Remember,-”
Flipping through the pages, she noticed it was almost all pink There was hardly any blue
”Okay? Please do not make me repeat myself two or three ti the school festival, memorize the pink and blue, no matter what”
”Y, yes”
As she answered, her heart sank The pink was all Cinderella's lines The blue was Sister B Apparently they were short on people, to the point where some people had to take on two roles at once At soiven the Sister B role
Well, if she was going to be in Cinderella, she would gladly do one of the sister roles
”That aside, why are you eating lunch out… here?”
As she became curious, she bluntly questioned the three first-year peach-class girls As she had co for Yumi, and found that she was not in her classroouided to Yumi by Tsutako-san
Yumi and shi+mako-san had, as they did yesterday, come behind the auditorium to escape from the newspaper club
”Well, Sachiko-sama”
Tsutako-san ripped open the vinyl packing for the bread she had taken with her
”There is a both deep and superficial reason”
There was no need for Tsutako-san to also escape frouilty conscience for letting Yu in detail, Sachiko-sama sounded an indifferent ”ah”
”While I can understand your wish to escape from our school's persistent newspaper club, what do you plan to do when it rains?”
”We would be in trouble”
Tsutako-san, however, could escape into her photography room, so she didn't see Yu outside
”It seems bound to rain tomorrow”
”Eh!?”
Yu at the clear and sunny sky was a futile effort at seeing the next day's forecast
”Accept ladly be interviewed in your stead”
”You jest”
”Oh? Well, ask me anytime you want”
Sachiko-sahed and turned away
”Ah, Sachiko-sama Would you like to have lunch with us?”
Tsutako-san tried to stop her, but she was refused, ”Thank you for the invitation, but I will pass” That ansas quite expected, as she would have had to make the trip back to her classrooroup
”I wanted to bring up the photo, but she escaped”
”There is no helping it Sachiko-sako”
”Cherry blossoko?”
Yu to school, itself, would be a painful ordeal
”Yes It's a seasonal thing Exactly the opposite of me”
The season when cherry blossoko nuts fall Sachiko-sama becomes blue
”Allergies?”
”No, she just simply dislikes them”
That sounded oddly fa, she simply did not want to hold hands
”I heard it was so like, they did not taste well”
”You eat cherry blossoms?”
”Yu ceremony, have you?”
Tsutako-san chortled Apparently, in certain seats, Sakurayu is presented Yu experience for cousins and other such relatives generally took place in churches, so such customs were not observed
”Sometimes they are placed on red-bean buns”
Even the ireatly froht
shi+ko, loved cooked beans, loved lily bulbs
Sachiko-sako, hated sympathy, hated men
”That is why”
shi+mako-san smiled and said
”I a to come here to find Yumi-san”
Even though it would have been fine waiting until after school, she wanted to hand the booklet to Yumi as soon as possible- When she looked at the back of the script, Ogasawara Sachiko ritten in pretty handwriting
Sachiko-saht her own script book
Plus, she painstakingly used a highlighter to mark out the Sister B lines
”It was so unlike her”
Yumi looked at the blue sky, like Maria-sama's soul There were almost no clouds, and she wondered how could you forecast weather in such a day
shi+ko, loved cooked beans, loved lily bulbs
Sachiko-sako, hated sympathy, hated men
Tsutako-san loved photography, loved photos of girls, and was not too fond of the newspaper club
And, herself
She liked cherry blossoko
And
She thought Sachiko-sas, was all the more attractive because of it
Rosa Gigantea, as sitting by the sill and looking outside, noticed Yumi and looked up
”How admirable We didn't have to come pick you up?”
She's treating uardian
”Now that I've been tabbed for the Sister B part, it wouldn't be right to not show”
”Oh irl”
Rosa Gigantea juhed weakly, and rubbed Yumi's head
”It looks like I arrived too early?”
There was no one else on the second floor of the Rose Mansion
”Oh, don't mind that Help yourself to whatever drink you'd like”
There was a teacup on the baysill that was still steaantea had been in the , herself
”What's that?”
”Just pure instant coffee with hot water If you want to drink this, go ahead and find soar”
”Ah”
Then, without any further ado, she found an overturned teacup, put instant coffee in it, and poured hot water The pot was properly seething, and with the help of sugar and powdered h
”Yu?”
”Ah The chorus club took over the music room today, and they said they would clean up as they left”
Yu spoon in the sink
”The school festival is getting close, everyone's desperate”
Rosa Gigantea's murmur sounded like it was all someone else's problem
Even the Cinderella play should be in the stages where everyone's running around on fire Yu around leisurely like this After all, there was less than 10 days left, and they were stillroles
”How about you, Rosa Gigantea, did you finish cleaning duty?”
It was the ti, which is why Yumi had left her classmate shi+mako-san and arrived at the Rose Mansion first
”When you becos”
”So you skipped out?”
”Idiot- How could a Yamayurikai executive skip out? You'd never hear the end of it No, we split the cleaning groups in two, and work two groups' worth per day Well, it's possible because third-years have to clean less places, of course”
Of course, that er It's a system to have less people do more concentrated work, rather than have more people meander around
”Ehh, I ere like that”
Her speech accidentally turned casual For soantea, her pace cruantea somehow didn't feel like her senior by two years
”Don't you- But, ere first-years, we diligently cleaned, too”
”Rosa Gigantea, a first-year…”
”Oh, what's with that look”
As a response to Yuned an insulted face
”I just thought, how unbelievable”
She had the presence of an eternal third-year
”I hope that's a compliment?”
”Yes, of course”
When Yuhed, ”hahahahahah,” sat back on top of thesill and looked outside
When you think about it
Even for these confident third-years, they did have first-year and second-year lives at Lillian Even Rosa Gigantea was an underclass a rosary Yu that, as the cereantea h a phase of doubt and worries
”Umm”
”Hmm?”
”May I ask a question?”
”I don't like tough questions, though”
Because her previous class was antea's brain was tired, she clairade forbetween mathematical formulae and the demon of sleep
”Why did you make shi+mako-san your sœur?”
”It's not a tough question, but it is an unusual one No one usually asks forshi+mako”
”That's because she seems destined to have been chosen”
”Right”
Because everyone was so accepting of her overall talents, everyone probably agreed with the choice So like, ahh, of course
”The complete opposite of me”
Yumi felt a bit depressed think about it
”You're pretty timid?”
”Because I'm just a rice stalk”
”Rice stalk? What's that?”
As Rosa Gigantea seeotten the conversation froantea then, re in tears, ”Oh, yeah” Well, the people who are told these things tend to res best (or carry these words with them)
”Rice stalk, that's fine, though”
Rosa Gigantea said, as she wiped away her tears with her palm
”What are you talking about?”
”The part where Sachiko's still clutching tightly, maybe”
Rosa Gigantea drained her cup of instant black coffee and placed the empty cup back on thesill
”Ah”
Really, speaking to someone smart always opens up unexpected doors in conversations Whether they're speaking fro the development and turn parts of the introduction, development, turn and conclusion poetry structure I don't know
”Don't you think so in the Yamayurikai?”
”But that's not your answer to that question”
”If I'antea, that's my answer But personally, I have other reasons Those, however, are secret”
Rosa Gigantea covered the center of her breast with both hands She seems to want to say, those will be locked in her heart
”shi+s in partners”
”M We're a bit similar, in that we kno to keep our distance froether”
Rosa Gigantea didn't choose a petite sœur until she had h school career There were plenty of wonderful people in the current crop of second-years Yet, she decided they weren't right for her, but that shi+mako-san was
Alht Sachiko-saantea Huht, whether they seemed simple or complicated
”Froht be a bit envious of Yumi-chan, I think?”
”Again, why do you keep ju topics so much?”
Because the statement was so abrupt, the cooled coffee almost went into her trachea
”That,”
Just when she thought Rosa Gigantea was about to speak, she suddenly hugged Yuhtly
”Is because I want to see Yumi-chan's cute life phases”
”Hey… Rosa Gigantea!!”
The coffee was about to spill
Or, ht process of Rosa Gigantea, if so would become even more complicated
Yet, at that exactdid happen
As she struggled to free herself while taking care to keep the teacup level, her body suddenly felt hter
”The millionaire has arrived, so playtime's over”
”Millionaire?”
Sachiko-sa at the biscuit-like door
”You two looked to be having quite so sound, yet you tere so busy frolicking that you did not notice ”
Sachiko-sa on a chair Yuantea, as the situation was somewhat aard
”Oh co, that's why I did some service”
Rosa Gigantea said, without any hint of evil
”Service?”
Sachiko-sama's forehead quivered
”If I were going to seriously attack her, I'd do it where no one would see us”