Volume 4 Chapter 6 (2/2)
Giving up, I started saying, ”father, father, mother, Yuuki,” in my head
(Huh…?)
But when she split a card to Yuuki, she felt like the name on the card was familiar And it stuck her h-school cards were from classmates or club-mates, but it wasn't a name she'd heard from Yuuki's mouth-
(Who was it?)
But she couldn't double-check, because Yuuki stacked more cards on top of it
She could have asked Yuuki, can I see who that was? But it would have been wasted effort if she'd been wrong, so she forgot about it There're plenty of people with similar names, after all And if Yuuki asked her about a card sent to her, she wouldn't feel too comfortable, either Privacy is important
Of course, almost half of the cards sent to our household were to father And if you counted the cards sent to his office, howBecause, if you're receiving cards, it also ht? Beco an adult is dreadful Even our mother, a housewife, received far more than we did
Having finished splitting the cards, Yuuki and I took our shares, split up a bit, and sat down on the sofa It wasn't like ”whoever has more cards is more popular,” but it did put a bit of pressure on the other person Luckily, ere about the sa from the thickness of our stacks I was happy that the nu with h-schooler Even though I wasn't a part of any club
Instead of reading theasawara Sachiko
The person I love the most at school
Silently apologizing to Yoshi+no-san and Tsutako-san, I skipped past their cards, and as I began to worry, ”Maybe she didn't send me one?” I found it
”B, brushwork…”
Would it be called India-ink painting? It was a relatively si faint hues, and on top of it, with black India ink, ”Happy New Year's,” and ”Best regards for the year,” and then the year, and then ”New Year's Day” The little stamp pressed to the side was Sachiko-sama's ”Sachiko,” in a brilliant scarlet accent
”How refined…”
When I remembered the card I'd sent out, h that I hurriedly wrote it because I'd forgotten about it until the second-se cereed father to let me print off of his computer was rather scrambled and noisy I should have just used a template that ca a bunch of things, and in retrospect that was a bad idea The letters were extremely fancy, and I used way too many colors
Your personality showed in your New Year's cards I carved that into my brain
The first phone call we received for the new year ca me about my Yamanashi+ decision
”It's frorandmother”
Wait right there, she scolded, before she picked up the receiver
”Happy New Years It's fukuzawa” Her voice was an octave high Oh, mother, her voice was in New Year's mode, too
”Ah, yes No, not at all Thank you for looking after her all the ti you much?”
Wait right there, I'd been told, so I couldn't return tothe thank you cards, and had stuo to the bathroom, so the air conditioner in my room was still on
(I hope it's not a long phone call)
I tried to reason out who the calleron the receiver Frorand after” someone other than mother
”I see Please guide her in the future, too … Please wait a second I'll switch to her”
Still holding onto the receiver, mother bowed toward the phone, pressed the hold button, and turned to me, ”Yumi-chan”
”Me?”
She wouldn't say ”please guide in the future” to a friend of -
(C, could it be…)
”It's Rosa Gigantea”
”Eh?”
”Rosa Gigantea, right? Satou-san My, the Roses are so polite have such a proper way of speaking”
I forgot to raduate of Lillian Girls' acadeular student who never dealt with the Roses, but her admiration of the Yamayurikai staff was extraordinary She would probably be shocked beyond belief if she were to see how the real Rosa Gigantea acted, so I didn't deny it, si, ”Yes, she's so wonderful”
”hello, it's me”
”Ah, Yumi-chan? Did you hope for a moment it was Sachiko?”
”… No Happy New Year's”
”Happy New Year! Kingashi+nnen! Bonne année! Boy, how joyous, how auspicious!”
Even in the new year, Rosa Gigantea's old-fashi+oned ood health
”Did so happen?”
”I wanted to hear Yumi-chan's voice”
”Huh?”
”- Is a lie hohoho-”
”Did you call me to be the first to tease me?”
Rosa Gigantea ht do it, seriously
”Of course not Getting right to the point, do you have any plans tomorrow and the day after?”
”What do you want?”
”I'o on a date?”
”Date?”
”Other people call it a hatsumoude”
”I'll go!”
I immediately OK'd it This invitation was my wish A hatsumoude with the Yamayurikai members
And maybe I'd be able to see Sachiko-sama in a kimono
”So, will it be the second or the third?”
”Are you open on both? Because it's a one-night two-day lodging course?”
”Lodging?”
”- Though by lodging I mean at a friend's house, so it's free But, it's a sleep-over, so make sure you have your parents permission”
”Friend's house?”
”It's a big house, but their fa to barge in and help out with house-keeping, kind of You know, if the young people are happily partying the night away, it'll ward robbers away”
”W, wait a second”
An unexpected development
And it was far, farto Yamanashi+
”Mother”
I turned tonot two meters away
”Can I go to the Ya?”
”Lodging, on New Year's?”
Mother looked dubious, at first, but I ih that she finally reluctantly allowed o
She'd allowed her son to go, so she probably felt guilty if she didn't let her daughter go, too After all, our household is based on the fundairls are equal”
Plus, Rosa Gigantea seemed like such a lady, that adults adore her And so with a senpai like that, she doesn't have to worry as antea really is, maybe she would worry
Finally, the kicker was that I was already hesitant on going to Yamanashi+ She was probably worried about the prospect of leaving me at home alone anyways, on a level totally different fro to a friend's house put her at ease Either way, I'o anyways, even if they were to tell o,” so I'm sure that just added to her worries
”Rosa Gigantea, she's given me permission I'll participate”
I ju
”Roger See you, then, we'reat M Station tomorrow at two In front of the convenience store before the ticket gates, you knohat I mean?”
”Roger-”
She quickly took a mental note
”Givecare of her tomorrow, like that”
”Yes Then, tomorrow”
After hanging up, I re It seemed like I was definitely excited I felt a bit inconsiderate, as she ht have wanted me to call the other people and spread the word
(I hope onee-sama's with us)
Ahh, and as I thought such a thing, my heart really went into Happy New Year mode
My brain was so filled with rapture that, even though Yuuki and I usually did rock-scissors-paper to see who put the thank you cards in the mailbox, this time I went ahead and did it on my own accord
I felt bad for grand back from Narita