Volume 3 Chapter 2 (1/2)
What is this feeling? I asked myself
No one answered It wasn't a relatively cool relationshi+p that you could just call ”friends,” but because they were the saender, it probably couldn't be called ”love,” either
This na swelled day by day, and it asserted itself to the point where my little body couldn't suppress it anymore
Please, get me out of here
I need to tell Kahori how I feel
In the spring of her second year of high school, Sei found herself in the same class as Kahori
In the beginning, she could re a bit of repulsion over how opposite to herself Kahori was, but gradually it transfor the areas she lacked, and so she becaer part of her life
I want to be with her forever, Sei wished But after graduating high school, Kahori was to enter a convent
The adults worried about the growing intiirls and pushed ahead the convent discussions in secret Despaired by their future, and losing faith in adults, they took each other's hand on Christmas and left on an aimless journey
Stepping out of the terminal station, Sei and Kahori walked into the forest and decided they couldn't be separated in heaven, and so they took sleeping pills
But they weren't able to die together
By the time Sei woke up, Kahori's hand, which she was supposed to have gripped firer there As she stared up at the white hospital ceiling, Sei la far more important than herself
- that would be a concise summary of ”Forest of Thorns”
”What, what a depressing story!”
Yumi, rolled up on her bed, reached out to her box of tissues placed by her pillow First, she wiped away the tears that had flooded down her face, then blew her nose
The i from the snow, remained in her soul
Forbidden love You could summarize it like that and that would be the end of it, but on top of that, it cleverly used psychological descriptions of the characters, so it invited the reader to place theht into the story Yumi found a little bit of the story overlapped with her relationshi+p with Sachiko-sama, so while she cheered for Sei, she also couldn't shake the feeling that a ”bad” ending was in store while reading
About two hours, it was the first tiun as soon as she came home, and it was already somewhat dark outside
”Yuuumi, can I come in?”
Right after knocking, her brother, Yuuki, walked in
”Woah, why don't you have any lights on?”
And with that, he turned on the lights without waiting for a response When he saw her older sister's face, still plainly showing signs of fresh tears, he became speechless
”You're supposed to wait for a 'yes, you may,' before you walk in”
Yumi said, as she sniffled into her tissue She didn't kno her brother saw her, but she still tried to act like a lady
”What… what happened, if I may ask?”
Yuuki asked, probably after e he could Well, he was a boy, after all If it ca to try to help her out
”A novel, I was reading Sad story”
”Ohh, whatever, then”
She felt a bit conflicted watching him look visibly relieved, then take a deep breath Maybe she should have scared him a little more
”What is it?”
”Could you lend me your archaic dictionary? You have a different one from mine”
Mine doesn't see around his own dictionary Do these things differ that much with different publishers?
”Fine with me”
Yumi took her dictionary fro it out of its case and then flipping through soes, Yuuki nodded, satisfied
”Can you let me borrow it until tomorrow?”
”No”
She wasn't actually teasing her brother or anything But Yuuki pouted, anyways
”Why?”
”I have my archaic test tomorrow”
After hearing Yuing his expression
”You have an exa?”
Well, it was the truth, so she couldn't give a retort Yes, brother, you're right But big sis isn't strong enough to not read a novel that's lying around her room
”Well, I don't say anything other than, let's study We haven't been granted special genes that let us naturally score 100s”
Pat pat Yuuki patted Yu to a child ten years his junior Hey, itof a difference, but I was born earlier than you, Yu of being protected, so she let herself feel like a little sister
Ahh, if only this were Sachiko-saht
”Sounds like you're having fun at school, too”
”Why?”
”It sounds like you have soets 100s”
”You too, big sis”
Indeed there is And plus, hers is an exquisite beauty and even has an incredible house, take that! -but she knew if she said that out loud, she'd be the one who'd be ”taking” it, so she kept quiet
”Well, everyone has their own traits”
Yuukito cheer up his sister before she felt down
”So what's ours?”
”… Being born with faces that remind you of a baby raccoon, and natural-born ditzes”
”What's that?”
”My senior told me that”
”What part of Yuuki is a natural-born ditz?”
”Yumi's even more of a ditz than I, so you just don't notice”
”But the baby raccoon part suits you more”
”Let's stop, the childish argument is even sadder”
”Ti”
”Yup”
”You can take the dictionary, I'll use Yuuki's”
And so she acted out the ”good big sister” part Siblings licking each other's wounds It feels a bit aard Like an old drah re-runs
”Sorry”
Yuuki left the roo shut, the war was dried faster than an air conditioner at work
”It's dinner, you two”
At their ry children joyfully answered, ”Okay-,” leapt out their doors and bounced down the stairs in a me-first way
Raccoon face and natural-born ditz Maybe we should add ”gluttonous” to the list of traits, Yuht
It was about half-past-nine in the evening when Yoshi+no-san called
”I'ht, I just wanted to hear someone's opinion”
”What happened?”
Though, as she asked, she iantea If that was the case, it meant Yoshi+no-san read ”Forest of Thorns” instead of studying for exams, too
”It's about Rei-chan”
”What?”
For aBut Yoshi+no-san wouldn't call Rosa Gigantea ”Sei-chan,” plus it would be weird calling a novel character by -chan, so it couldn't have been Sei from ”Forest of Thorns”
”What about Rei-sama”
”… She said she's not going to involve herself with the matter anymore”
I wonder why, see a bit
”Why… I don't know That would be my question to you, Yoshi+no-san”
”Alright… then it's not just ht noorried I was being insensitive or so”
”Caloing to involve herself? Do you'Forest of Thorns' until after the exams?”
”She already read the novel”
”She read it?”
Rei-sas
”But, she said she'll act like she never read it And she won't have anything to do with the rumors anymore”
”I don't get it -Oh”
While scratching her head, Yumi suddenly remembered
”What, Yumi-san?”
”Sachiko-saht the book, she ondering whether to actually read it or not”
”Sachiko-sama, too?”
”… Yes”
I wonder why? The two of the the receivers
Even if Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama both became passive for the same reason, there was no hint as to why they'd suddenly changed their attitudes
”By the way”
Yoshi+no-san gathered herself again and asked
”Yumi-san, did you already read it?”
It, would definitely mean ”Forest of Thorns”
”I read it Yoshi+no-san?”
”Same What did you think?”
What did you think was posed by Yoshi+no-san ht have written it rather than what Yuht about the novel, itself Like a sort of tacit understanding, where you have a feel for someone even if you don't actually have them in front of you
No clues could be found in the author's column for ”Forest of Thorns” Actually it was basically a blank page Of course, it's not aof her identity
”I don't know I think the protagonist Sei is a bit different froantea”
But rather than an ”autobiography” it was an ”autobiographical novel,” so even if the fraht be dramatized
”Personally, when I was reading it, I reantea was a bit more like that, rather than her current, loose self”
Yoshi+no-san is Rei-sama's cousin, so they talked about school a lot Especially last year, when they were split up between high school and middle school, Rei-sama had a bucket-full of stories about the Yamayurikai and the Roses, so she told Yoshi+no-san even more stories So, obviously, Yoshi+no-san would find out a lot about the Roses-
These things tend to burn an ie more on the listener than the speaker because the person who doesn't know reality ination
”Yes?”
”Rosa Gigantea- well, she was Rosa Gigantea en bouton back then, but I thought she was a scary person So this April, when I actually saw her in person, I thought it was a totally different person”
That squiggly, cackling person being scary? Froree that it sounded like a different person
”But their names were identical Satou Sei”
Maybe Yoshi+no-san thinks Suga Sei is Rosa Gigantea because Rosa Gigantea froo seemed similar to the main character of ”Forest of Thorns”
But, that would antea atte the sole survivor of that It was hard to believe that would have happened to Rosa Gigantea just last year
”At the very least, Rei-chan and Sachiko-saantea was the main character, and so they decided to stay back”
”… Maybe”
Even if they didn't know everything, as high school freshht have known a bit about what happened last year And because they hadof what happened, as their little sisters, it felt right that they, too, should drop it
She felt like she ithering away
”What are we going to do?”
The deter the day had vanished
”Let's do our best for the last exam”
”… Yeah”
Yoshi+no-san's voice also sounded a bit let down
After putting the receiver down, Yu to understand
No antea Rosa Gigantea's past, her feelings now, nothing
So she thought she began to understand, after reading the novel
There was no way you could coantea of now
The homeroos like how to get in touch during vacation-time
Butlike they were listening, completely spaced out, so the teacher sis on the blackboard and ended class
Because she'd slacked off a bit for exa her second ses that would happen a week later, she decided to revel in the week-long exa like homework
After all, exams were over
(But, before that)
”shi+antea before we head to the Rose Mansion?”
A French doll neatly packing her textbooks into her bag, -Yumi called out to Toudou shi+mako-san
”Why?”
Her soft, coiled hair bounced along with her deliberate, slow-tempo movements
”You've heard the ruantea about them”
At first, she thought about adopting Rei-sa like she never knew about it But had she not known about it, it would be okay, but knowing asto be possible for her to act like she knew nothing
So she thought Hoould she feel if she were Rosa Gigantea? Rather than people avoiding it like a bruised wound, she would feel ht Of course, this was just Yuantea would feel the sa, then she would apologize
”I would ask at the Rose Mansion, but then it would drag the people ould prefer to stay out, like Rei-sama, into it”
”… so why are you inviting me?”
”Because Rosa Gigantea is shi+ht?”
”Yes, of course”
After s, shi+mako-san added, ”But…”
”I think it is wrong that I would accompany Yumi-san for that reason alone”
”Wh, why?”
”Because I lean toward Rei-sa in regard to Rosa Gigantea, there is no need to bother with me, as I am simply her sister”
Yuantea before So if shi+mako-san depended on someone else
”But, don't you want to know?”
”No”
An immediate answer
Because that's the sort of siblings we are, shi+mako-san's words seemed to say
(That sort of sibling, that sort of sibling, that sort of sibling-)
Is weird, she thought
Well, it is a human relationshi+p, so they come in all sorts of shapes But at least in Yumi's case, she'd not like it if a first-year were to be friendly with Sachiko-sama, and Yoshi+no-san was bothered by the student that offered cupcakes to Rei-sama
Rosa Gigantea and shi+mako-san were very cooled down This was clearly not simply because they were two years apart If that were the case, the probleantea said before that she and shi+mako-san were similar, so they felt at ease with each other
”Anyways, Yuo?”
”Eh?”
”She doesn't know Yuantea will already be at the Rose Mansion”
”That's right…!” Yu and hurried down the hallway
”Later, shi+mako-san”
What a blunder It's her bad habit of being easily distracted
They'd decided earlier to have a tea party after exaht already have left her classroom
The third-year classroo which to choose, Yu a step, the school broadcast streamed some pleasant music, and then…
”Third-year wisteria-class, Satou Sei-san Please come to the Guidance Office immediately I repeat-” (Eh?)
Faster than her thoughts could keep up, Yued directions Satou Sei-san was Rosa Gigantea
”Third-year wisteria-class, Satou Sei-san”
Her goal wasn't the classroom nor the Rose Mansion
”Please come to the Guidance Office immediately” It was next door to the faculty room
(But, why…?)
After confir out in front of the room, Yumi felt terrified
For Rosa Gigantea, who's a role model for students, to be called out to the roouide” students on how they ”conduct” themselves It was incomprehensible Even Yumi feltcalled! She couldn't i
Even so
”Oh? Yuot called on, too?”
That Rosa Gigantea showed up bright and sunny She slowly lumbered over opposite the hallway Yumi had dashed It seemed Yumi had arrived faster than the person as called
”Then, that would mean the reason I was called was for homosexual adultery!”
”What…!”
She didn't think it was the ti a cackling Rosa Gigantea fro Most of the theroup of students that had heard the broadcast and couldn't restrain the on
”Yumi-chan, would you happen to knohy I've been possessed by these stalker-ghosts?”
”Happen to know… Well, roughly, I guess”
There's Rosa Gigantea for you, picking out sohosts” -Not that she should be adht now
”W, would that antea, you didn't know about the uproar…”
”What happened?”
This ti-shot for you, I guess Even though she had no idea why she was called out to the guidance office, she was still as cheerful as ever
”That's right I was actually wanting to ask, too Rosa Gigantea, did you write 'Forest of Thorns'?”
”Forest…?”
As Rosa Gigantea tilted her head to the side, the door behind her opened
”Ahh, Satou-san You've arrived Come in”
The guidance sister poked her head out the door and urged Rosa Gigantea to enter
”Yes … Well, Yumi-chan, talk to you later”
In contrast to Rosa Gigantea, as so full of coh the door, Yuliuidance office was the acadeh-school principle, the third-year official, and the homeroom teacher for the third-year wisteria class If that sort of line-up were to stare at her, Yuht she'd blurt out ”I'
”Yumi-san”
Yoshi+no-san split through the stalker-ghosts and rushed over to Yuer, the tense atirls broke up a bit But no one felt like leaving, so they uidance office They all seeantea came out
”What did Rosa Gigantea say?”
Yoshi+no-san, too, heard the broadcast and had rushed over
”… She was as cheerful as always Also, she didn't seem to knohy she was called”
”She didn't know?”
But it was this big, Yoshi+no-san was surprised Even if it wasn't up to the first-years' scope, it must have reached the third-years by now
Just then, a shadow crept forth, stooped low, like a scra ainst the door Like a ninja trying to blend into the wall
”… You know, the guidance office uses sound-proof walls and doors”
Yoshi+no-san, watching, pointed out
”Oh, dear, I'd beco to listen in, or anything, ohohohohoho…”
Mouse, ninja, also known as the newspaper club captain, Tsukiya her embarrassment
”Ohohohohohohoho”
Her hand held up to her mouth made the shape of a fox
”I can't help but notice, that here is the sœur of Rosa Foetida en bouton, Miss shi+mazu Yoshi+no And the sœur of Rosa Chinensis en bouton, Miss fukuzawa Yuenyou”
”Go, Gokigenyou”
They couldn't just ignore a greeting from a senior, so Yumi and Yoshi+no-san answered back, then quickly turned to their right
Yoshi+no-san probably accidentally spoke, because this Minako-sa to do with When you deal with the newspaper club, anything ends up becoerated a hundred or a thousand times over
”My, you don't have to run, do you?”
Minako-sama placed a hand on each of their shoulders, then spun them around
What happens when you turn around, then get turned around again? Yes, correct, you return to your forht in the face of Minako-sama
”Running awayto hide froht?”
Minako-san's eyes glittered
”N, no”
”How absurd”
The two of them shook their heads She wasn't quite as stubborn as Sachiko-sa to her was probably about the same They open their mouth, and before you know it, you've been shole
”Leaving that aside You've showed up at a good time Can you tell onee-san what you two feel about this 'White Rose Incident'?”
She suddenly switched her energetic voice to a purr, and sidled up to them In a way, this was even scarier And she already titled this the 'White Rose Incident'… It was a lotthan the 'Yellow Rose Revolution,' but thatout what's behind things this time
”Don't say anything, Yumi-san”
Yoshi+no-san prodded Yumi with her elbow
”I know”
She didn't need to be told, because she already intended to say nothing She could iantea if she said anything
If the ”Lillian Kawaraban” was to have ”A conversation with insider source fukuzawa Yuo off on a journey, alone
”How distrustful I'll have you know, I've reconsidered since the last ti myself a bit”
”Last time…”
Would that be publishi+ng Yoshi+no-san and Rei-san's surveys the wrong way Or would that be when she wrote a tearful shoujo love story based on Yoshi+no-san's returning of her rosary to Rei-sama
”Actually, I'm in a bind With so much time taken up by exam studies, this Tsukiyama Minako had no idea about this uproar until this afternoon See, if the newspaper club's behind the tiht? And break starts to, concise wrap-up next week, you know? So could you lend me a hand?”
(… Wow)
She hasn't reconsidered, at all
”If you could lend antea on 'Lillian Kawaraban'”
If you can't push, pull Minako-salutton as Yuh to-
”Is it okay to watch your lovely Rosa Gigantea get expelled like this?”
”Ex, expelled!?”
Yumi leapt at the suspicious bait, the needles behind it in clear view
”Yumi-san, calm down”
Yoshi+no-san grabbed Yumi's shoulders and pulled her back
”But, if Rosa Gigantea becomes expelled!”
”Calm down and think about it The school wouldn't expel so a novel”
”… Ah”
Yumi spat the bait out from her mouth
Calm down, calm down She was about to become food for the newspaper club
”Are you sure? I wonder”
Minako-sahed
”Our school forbids working, you know? If she wrote a novel and received stipends for it, that would clearly be against school rules”
”Working is just prohibited on a basic level, if you get permission, you can work”
Surprisingly, Yoshi+no-san re-thought or so back at Minako-sama They were a rare, but there were students at Lillian who received per the jobs Aiding their household withto cultivate specific skills, for instance Specific skills such as serving tea or flower arrange, so skills Of course, nowith the student and a guardian and finally gives permission after discussions
”Do you think Rosa Gigantea received perot called here, didn't she?”
”… Well”
But Yoshi+no-san, despite fighting bravely, couldn't continue Well it's futile, trying to fight ords against the newspaper club captain
”Of course, you don't usually get expelled for a single breach of the school rules, but that's not to say it never happens”
She danced around the point soto keep up In other words, she wanted to say that you could get expelled for breaking the rules a single time
”According toin a sex-service-related store a few years ago, and after being called to the guidance office, she was expelled that day”
Data, what data was she talking about?
”But, sex service and novel writing are on different levels altogether”
Yoshi+no-san responded after gathering courage But a cold smile came back ”Oh?”
”That just depends on the person Selling your body or selling your mind, what's the difference?”
”… Umm”
They're clearly different, but it was hard to explain If Tsutako-san were here, she'd probably be able to win this sort of argument
The first-years ere in the distance ended up hearing the unco themselves
Gosh At this rate, ru called to the guidance office because of it could spread
”I can use the 'Lillian Kawaraban' to call the attention of the faculty, if you'd like Please don't expel Rosa Gigantea”
”But, we really don't know anything”
”Oh, Yuantea just now So what is it? 'Forest of Thorns' Did Rosa Gigantea write it? Or did she not?”
Yet, she'd already decided Rosa Gigantea had written it just ain
(This is a different sort of scary from Sachiko-sama's close-up)
Slow, deliberately approaching She found herself being backed into the wall
As expected of Minako-sa andYoshi+no-san, she chose to attack Yuht look weak, but she was actually quite strong and level-headed
”I really, really don't know anything”
When Yumi closed her eyes and shouted, the wall behind her fell
”Yu!”
Yoshi+no-san's advice was as fruitless as that of a foreigner just learning japanese, and Yumi was sucked into the black hole that suddenly opened behind her
”Hieeeh-”
Why did she go to the door, or, why didn't the door open outwards, or, why did the door have to open with such great ti of bad luck that caused this situation
(And I'll end up hitting the back of my head, and become even dumber!)
”Woah!”
Foomf
(… foomf?)
Yu soft Her head didn't hurt, and her body see backward, but her indoor shoes were still on the floor
”Yumi-chan, you're pretty heavy…”
”Eh”
She heard a fa her weight was none other than Rosa Gigantea Maybe it's the scent of her shampoo, when Yumi turned around, she was face-to-face with a s in the air
”Rosa Gigantea, Rosa Gigantea, … I,”
”Sorry I don't think I can hold you up any longer”
Rosa Gigantea heaved, and made Yumi stand on her own She had to hold Yu an aard posture, so even Rosa Gigantea was a bit winded
”Plus, if we cruuidance office, it'd be a bit aard”
Yuantea whispered in her ear On the other side of the opened door, the principles and the sisters atching, mouths open
”Sorry for the disturbance Excuse us”
Rosa Gigantea politely bowed to the teachers inside, forced Yumi to boith her, and then left the room
”I've gotten the gist of the 'Forest of Thorns' Yu about”
After santea raised her voice for the stalker-ghosts (although now they're just wandering ghosts)
”I' about it, so I'll tell you now, sorry to disappoint, but I'm not the one that wrote 'Forest of Thorns'”