Volume 2 Chapter 5 (2/2)
”What happens if Rei-sama loses?”
Because then they would both have tins and two losses and a draw
”The team with the most points wins”
Currently, Lillian inning by one point So, if Rei-sama were to lose by one point, they'd be tied And if that happens
”They both send out a representative for a one-point match”
”But If that happens, they'd both send their Taishou”
”Of course”
”Then, we'll lose…!!”
If she lost once, Rei-sama wouldn't be able to win the second one
”That doesn'tto lose”
”Well, true”
But, Sachiko-sama said it first That it was bad That the Oonaka Taishou was a san-dan and strong Ahh, but what happens then?
Yoshi+no-san, eagerly awaiting Rei-sama's victory?
Their relationshi+p?
Actually Yuone off on her own and believed that if Rei-saood results here, Yoshi+no-san would accept the rosary again
Rei-sama with a ery, they'd both be able to walk down a fresh, new road as sisters And everything would end happily Is what she thought
”It's beginning”
Sachiko-sama quietly announced
That's right Yumi had to watch Rei-sama for Yoshi+no-san
(If that were to happen, maybe she'd be okay with just that win before…)
When she glanced at the watch, it was four Hoas Yoshi+no-san's surgery?
Rei-sama did her best
Newbies couldn't tell the difference between skill But Rei-sa You could feel her determination to win Her voice was louder, too
But
Maybe it was the difference in skill ”What happens then” happened
When they were locked, with their shi+nai against each other, and Rei-sama tried to pull off, her opponent was a split-second faster and landed a torso hit
The gathering of black one-piece girls all lowered their shoulders, ”Darn” Of course, Yu them
The ht Both Taishou took off their ain
Right before she put her h she lost, Rei-sama looked mysteriously serene Yumi had no idea why that was the case
Her eyes were calle wave It was coiven up and wandered elsewhere No, she was just not quiet, it was like she had found her wick Like a polished, cleaned katana was gripped by her soul Anyways, she looked completely focused
(I wonder what happened?)
They were leading the match, but her loss put them all back at the start, so there must have been a tremendous amount of pressure The word victory was draped over her shoulders, and she had to win in order to vindicate the efforts of the other four, and she had to beat an opponent she'd just lost to Yu a heavy toll on her psyche
This was it
Even so, Rei-sama looked like she'd already won
The surgery had apparently been complete by the time the matches ended
When Yoshi+no-san's father showed up at the gymnasiu the surgery was a success and Yoshi+no-san was resting, her father flagged down a taxi and rushed off again
Unable to sit still, Yumi visited the hospital the next day, and was called by Yoshi+no-san's mother by the nurse station
”I'ht now fukuzawa-san, would you like to see her anyways?”
”Eh, but it's after surgery, shouldn't she been in an ICU…”
”She's already back in her room It's a bit hard to look at, because she has a few tubes still stuck to her…”
Well, without a doubt, Yoshi+no-san's surgery was siht everyone was just saying it was easy, for the patient's sake
Maybe she was affected by ” see her anyways?” or ainst it If she could see her this easily, it wasn't right to be ahead of Rei-sama
Right after surgery, Yoshi+no-san had awakened froht back to sleep
”So, hoas the match?”
Yoshi+no-san's ht, she smiled, ”No, I shouldn't ask”
”If I found out the results before Yoshi+no, it wouldn't be right”
What a knowing ht
Rei saw Yoshi+no on an evening, three days after the match
She actually wanted to run over as soon as possible, but she restrained herself until Yoshi+no said she wanted to , her aunt told her Yoshi+no wanted to see her, so she stopped by the hospital after her club finished Apparently, Yoshi+no didn't want to see people with tubes still stuck in her
”Long time no see”
Are people allowed to be this energetic just three days after heart surgery? she wanted to ask, because Yoshi+no was propped up on her bed and s as always
”You look fine”
”But I'm not The incision hurt so much when the anesthesia wore off, I'ave me some painkillers”
”… So it hurts?”
”Well I mean they cut the skin, ain”
Yoshi+no said, like she was reciting a si like that, she couldn't help but wonder, again, if it actually hurt, if she actually had surgery
”Yoshi+no-”
When they split up, she had a lot of things she wanted to say But noith Yoshi+no in front of her, she couldn't find any words to say
Yoshi+no was alive, and right there That was enough to satisfy her
”How many days?”
”About teeks”
”It's the first ti apart”
”Yeah”
Even during the class trips duringPlus, when they were on trips, they still phoned each other, so they never felt lonely The days where they could count do ic
”Rei-chan”
Yoshi+no said, with a meek face
”I'm sorry I wanted to hold hands and ith Rei-chan”
”Eh?”
”Not lending a shoulder, or carrying, or anything like that I wanted to ith s I wanted a relationshi+p like that Like Yuery I wanted a sturdy body, so I could ith Rei-chan And I wanted Rei-chan to be used to that”
Yoshi+no blurted everything out at once, like her words were going to vanish if she didn't
”Will you believeRei-chan”
”Yeah, I know”
When the Oonaka Girls' High Taishou took a point from her, she didn't find distress or pressure in her heart, but rather a pure, white, empty world That's when she understood what it meant to ”win” What she needed to strike doasn't the opponent in front of her, but none other than herself
Opponents, club members, audience, and the Yoshi+no she loved so much- When all of those weren't there with her, Rei found herself alone in that white world That's when she realized what Yoshi+no had thrown at her, she thought What Yoshi+no ,” what she really meant
”I love Rei-chan the most, in the whole world”
Yoshi+no murmured
”Me, too”
Rei felt Yoshi+no's hair More than father, more than mother She loved Yoshi+no most, in the whole world
That's why she could believe Yoshi+no's words, and she could tell Yoshi+no her feelings
When they were stuck together, they were so close that she'd never been able to look straight at Yoshi+no's face like this But now, even though they were a bit further apart, their souls felt closer She felt closer to Yoshi+no than ever before
”Oh The o?”
Yoshi+no asked, suddenly re
”We won”
Her eyes widened in disbelief at Rei's reply
”Really? But the Oonaka Taishou is that Tanaka-san, right?”
”We got pulled into a closing ot a point off me in the actual match, too”
”But your opponent was a third year san-dan! Wow!”
Which meant, of course, that Yoshi+no wasn't really ever expecting her to beat Oonaka's Taishou
Yoshi+no was excited, suddenly rao to cheer next year, that she would spend the next year practicing so she'd be able to make a handmade lunch
”But, , you're energetic Did you really have surgery?”
”I did Do you want to see the scar?”
”… Really?”
”I want Rei-chan to see”
Yoshi+no unbuttoned her paja an undershi+rt, but a big gauze rapped over her breast in its stead She didn't have any bandages
”When a bunch of things were stuck in h”
As she said that, she peeled off the paper tapes When she lifted the heavily piled gauze a bit, there was a roughly 10 centiht breast
One horizontal slice It was stitched together with a wiry thing, rather than thread The single line that ran through Yoshi+no's white body was beautiful, looking like a decoration
”When it heals, it'll hardly be noticeable”
”Ah”
Because it's a girl's body, it's a good thing the scar wouldn't remain, but Rei felt a bit disappointed the decoration were to vanish Yoshi+no laughed, too, ”I'd look like a girl pirate if it stayed”
After carefully returning the gauze to its place and buttoning her shi+rt, Yoshi+no spoke
”I think I want to start kendo”
”Eh!?”
”I'ht have some talent I said I'd cheer for you, but it seems more fun if I were to do it, myself, too Then, next year I'll take a point froeance for Rei-chan”
Yoshi+no's ego had bloated after surgery Rei smiled bitterly
”Then I guess I should make sure I don't lose my Taishou throne”
She seemed so ecstatic Rei didn't want to correct her
Third-years graduate, so next year Oonaka wouldn't have Tanaka-san
Maybe it's because they'd been together a lot lately Yoshi+no seemed a bit like Yumi-chan
Speaking of which
The professional nurse iauze
Do I even need to mention that Yoshi+no-san and Rei-sama were scolded afterward?