Volume 2 Chapter 4 (1/2)
Yumi suddenly had a phone call from Yoshi+no-san, who'd been absent from school for almost a week Well, phone calls are almost always quite sudden, but as Yoshi+no-san had never called her before she was a bit, no, she was quite surprised
It was a bit after eight in the evening
”Yumi- Phone call”
Her brother yelled - a rare occurrence - from downstairs
”Hurry up I think it's a public telephone”
”Public telephone?”
She tilted her head to the side in confusion, and when she picked up the telephone, she heard Yoshi+no-san's voice
”Your brother?”
”Oh, yes, he's being cheeky again”
”He seemed like a reliable person”
”If you say so”
As her brotherfro of people underneath Yoshi+no-san's voice, an indication that she probably wasn't at home
”You're so blessed I's so much”
But Rei-sa, so she probably couldn't have been that lonely Is what Yuht, but Yoshi+no-san didn't mention Rei-sama, at all
Incidentally, Yoshi+no-san see since the ”Yellow Rose Revolution,” so Yumi orried about her, but she didn't seem to be that ill, at least at the moment Rosa Foetida and Rei-sama seemed more like the ill people in question
On that note, did Yoshi+no-san kno disastrous things have become at school? And how people perceive what she did?
”What have you been doing, while you've been away?”
Of course she was probably resting at home, but she seemed so healthy Yumi bluntly asked Plus, it seemed difficult to ask directly about Rei-sama
”M exams taken at the hospital, and such”
”Exams?”
”Yes Like blood sarams”
”You're sick…?”
”No, I' exams because I'm sick-”
Yoshi+no-san froze
”It's a bit hard, to talk about it by telephone Actually, I called because I wanted to see Yumi-san”
”Me?”
Whichto school just yet ”I'm sorry to call you over like this,” Yoshi+no-san said, and then she designated the time and place for Yumi
”Eh?”
Yu down on a memo book She'd said she wanted Yu to Yoshi+no-san's house, but…
”Yoshi+no-san you weren't receiving treatment at your home…?”
And right as she asked, she heard the unique announcement from the receiver
-- Doctor OO, please come to the nurse station immediately
Yoshi+no-san was actually in a hospital
”Excuse me”
When she double-checked the name-plate on the door, then opened the door, she found Yoshi+no-san reading a paperback on her bed
”Ah, Yumi-san”
Yoshi+no-san i flower
It was an independent roo to her Probably to kill time, there was a stack of paperbacks on the small table by her bed
”Here…”
Yuht as an expression of concern At first she thought about bringing cake or fruits, but her mother had told her she should refrain from that if she hadn't asked Yoshi+no-san if she could eat, so she decided on flowers instead
”Thank you! They're pretty”
They were a variety of types, but the three species of yellow roses were all cute For some reason, Yumi felt they suited Yoshi+no-san
”I'd never paid someone a bed-side visit before, so I had the florist pick the flowers for s to keep in ”
The florist had also recoed bouquet so there wouldn't be a need for a flower vase So the floere placed in a basket, like a flipped straw-hat, and it was conveniently designed so you could simply pour water into it, so all you needed to do was set it down on a table
”I didn't know you weren't supposed to bring potted plants”
”Oh, yes, because it ih”
Apparently that's because of ”根つく” (to beco to Yoshi+no-san, hospitals paid deep care to oly, many hospitals refused to use 4 (shi+) and 9 (ku) (死, shi+, death, 苦, ku, agony) Of course it's ht be bothered, rather than the hospital itself
”I' up your Sunday”
Yoshi+no-san placed the book she was reading on her stack of books and turned herself around to face Yumi
”Oh no, don't worry about it”
Yumi shook her head as she sat herself down on the chair Yoshi+no-san offered Her happiness at being told by Yoshi+no-san, ”I want to see you,” tru her Sunday
”It feels a bit off-kilter, doesn't it”
Because they'd never own draped over her cardigan, and Yuan, so they both giggled
”How do things look?”
Yoshi+no-san didn't specify who, or what, she was asking about in her question, but even with her average language skills, Yu about
”She was dazed for a while But I think she's recovering”
”I see”
The question was about Rei-sama
”Then, she's not dazed anymore?”
”Mo, though”
As she spoke, Yumi wondered Was Yoshi+no-san happy that Rei-sama was dazed, or the opposite?
”Next Saturday, Rei-chan, she has an inter-school match For kendo”
”Yes”
”I really want her to win”
So I wanted to ain, Yoshi+no-san said while s action in the first place? But Yu, so Yu -Because Yoshi+no-san didn't see
”Yumi-san, did you read the special edition 'Lillian Kawaraban' about Rei-chan and I?”
The subject abruptly changed
”Y, … yes, I read it, why?”
Actually, Yu edition, with her in her handbag She wasn't trying to be proactive, but if Yoshi+no-san wanted to read it, she wanted to make sure she had it on hand
”Did you feel anything was odd, while reading it?”
”What?”
”Would it be a mistake? Or would it be better called a e mistake”
”Eh!?”
Yu and pulled out the ”Lillian Kawaraban” She was in a hurry, so the second and third leaflets were pulled out of the bag at the same time and floated onto the bed, where Yoshi+no-san quickly snapped them up
”- Oh Things have become quite dreadful, it seems”
Yoshi+no-san laughed while ski over the article
(I don't think it's soh about-)
One sheet was the break-up announcement And the new issue this as a special about the others that had juan breaking up their own relationshi+ps On the front page alone was a list of ten pairs, for a total of twenty names Aside from Oyamada Miyuki-san, Katsura-san was also one of Yumi's classmates on the list, so Yumi was in complete shock when the issue was printed Just how far was the newspaper club going to take this?
But this was just a list of pairs the newspaper club had actually found out about, so there was a possibility that the true list was at least double the size What was going to happen?
”- Oh In any case, where's the misprint?”
Yumi held out the ”Lillian Kawaraban” and approached Yoshi+no-san She'd glanced over it again, but she didn't find anything wrong
”Of course Anyone else would find that article more believable”
”So, it's not a kanji conversionlike that?”
”It's the content”
Yuain with that pointer, but she still didn't knoas wrong ”I give up,” she said, and handed the ”Lillian Kawaraban” to Yoshi+no-san, and she then said, ”All of this,” and pointed to ale
”All?”
”The questionnaire for Rei-chan and I There were two sheets, but the second sheet got swapped”
”Eh…? Ehh-!?”
It wasn't the data you could pull from a physical examination record, like birth date and blood type Rather, it was the part introducing their personal tastes
”You're kidding”
Rei-sama read shoujo novels, and Yoshi+no-san read novels about sae
Then Yoshi+no-san picked up one of her books and showed the cover to Yumi, as proof
”… Ikenami Shoutarou'
She felt herself being sapped of power
”These are all by him”
Like a finishi+ng blow, Yoshi+no-san pointed to her tower of books She probably would be better off reading textbooks to keep up with the classes shefor school, so she was re-reading her favorite fencer books, instead
”Then, then, Yoshi+no-san's hobby-”
”Maybe it's because I can't do it I love watching sports shows”
Sumo, baseball, soccer, Olympics, she loved thee of Yoshi+no-san was being shattered
But, that
”Do you remember the lap blanket I used in the classroom? Rei-chan made that”
Being stunned speechless, would best describe Yumi
The cool Rei-saripped a knitting needle and balls of wool at ho?
It didn't suit her She illing to bet that without actually pointing it out, no one would notice the misprint She didn't want to defend the newspaper club, but she could understand why the misprint happened
”I think Rei-chan's overdoing things”
”Overdoing?”
”She's always tried to beof her as a boy”
But she was such a girl, inside A girl's girl, as Yuo
”Yoshi+no-san, uirlish, and that she's pushi+ng herself, but…”
Yuoing
”Rei-chan falls apart when I'm around”
Yoshi+no-san said seriously
”So you returned the rosary?”
But that would be just like the newspaper club iined To pull herself away for Rei-sama's future was like a story out of modern japanese drama
But Yoshi+no-san glanced at the article and said it was completely different
”I'allant person Plus I can't just turn my back on her”
”Eh?”
”I just thought this relationshi+p couldn't continue the way it was So I wanted to return things to a blank sheet”
”What do you mean?”
”Becoone? In truth, Rei-chan's a strong, dependable person, but she's just usingstrong And she has to realize that”
Rather than Rei-sa Yoshi+no-san as a crutch
Yoshi+no-san had realized that earlier, and had thought deeply about what to do about it And she decided that they needed to be apart for a while But they go to the sahbors Then the only way to do this was to break their sisterly bonds And just as she ondering about when to put things into motion, that day came
Yoshi+no-san, incensed by Rei-sama's excessive care, returned the rosary out of momentum
”I want Rei-chan to becoer”
With a fir of the phrase ”First strike, certain victory,” Yoshi+no-san laughed
”In turn, I' to becoer, too”
”Becoer-?”
Yu, just froer?
But Yoshi+no-san wasn't talking about that aspect of strength Yumi hadn't coht-processes yet
”I've decided to undergo surgery”
She was a girl with th
”- And so Yoshi+no-san's e is, 'I can't come to cheer for you, but I'll pray for your success at your match' That's all”
Rei-sae
”Yoshi+no is hospitalized? And she's having surgery-”
”This Saturday The day of Rei-sama's match”
It was lunch-break on Friday
Rei-sa to be busy after school, so Yue
”Aunt and uncle did seem a bit fretful lately…”
Rei-saonized It ainst a hemp palm…
(If this were Rosa Gigantea, she'd probably cling to someone without any hesitation)
Then Rei-sama raised her head and suddenly leaned in to Yumi
”Which hospital? The usual place?”
Rei-sama's close-up She'd been Yumi's dance partner at the school festival, so she was a bit used to it, but it was still inti Maybe it was because of her hairstyle Even when she wore the school unifor man
”Yumi-chan!”
”… Apparently it was the sa to”
She spun around as soon as she heard the answer, so Yurabbed Rei-sama's arm Hey, what tiht in herto take drastic measures
”What do you hope to acco?”
”What, uhh-”
”Rei-sama, you don't understand at all why Yoshi+no-san deliberately chose to have surgery during your match”
The arrabbed suddenly became powerless
”I don't know There's no way I'd know”
They'd walked together all the time Then, their relationshi+p was torn apart without any explanation, so Rei-sas, and why she decided to have surgery during the match
Yule
Yoshi+no-san occupied this ht to co, because they shared blood But if Yumi had decided to break their relationshi+p, would Sachiko-saonize as much as Rei-sama? Would she contort her face in distress like it was the end of the world?
”And even if it's surgery, she said it wasn't anything big The success rate was close to 100 percent…”
”Close!? It's her heart! Can you be absolute about it!?”
Rei-sarabbed Yumi by her shoulders and shook her wildly
”Re, Rei-sama”
She wasn't a doctor, so she couldn't answer that Yuer, so she was completely clueless about that sort of medical stuff And maybe Rei-sama realized that fundao and apologized
”Yoshi+no always refused surgery”
”Yes”
Yoshi+no-san's heart was always a bit off from normal people She didn't know the specifics, but she had a hole in a wall inside her heart So soo to the wrong place,her have palpitations or run out of breath
Yoshi+no-san's illness was a bit subtle, in that if you were careful, you could live norery when you're an infant, but the illness was diagnosed after ele steadfastly refused it Yoshi+no-san had told Yumi all of this yesterday
Even if it were alright now, it was the type of illness that could have repercussions later in life, so it was better to have surgery Medical practices were always i much of a mark, and so she decided noas the time, said Yoshi+no-san
But she must have been a bit scared Yoshi+no-san never said it, but because of her incident with Rei-saht for the first time
Basically, a return She would becoer for Rei-sama
When you think about it, the accepted principle for living is to live for your own sake, but Yureatly influenced by the need to live for someone else, or to not depart before another, or other such like powers
”Please, do well during your match That's Yoshi+no-san's wish”
Yuently re they'd have to deal with on their own, so Yumi couldn't do much more to help them
But, she honestly hoped, fros would work out well for both of them
Rei-sama's match
Yoshi+no-san's surgery