Volume 7 Chapter 1 (1/2)
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The girls had gathered after school in their roo
”So, both Rosa Foetida and Rosa Chinensis scored high in their exams”
Tsukiyaainst so softly, but she wasn't doing anything wrong
It was simply a habit of hers Call it an occupational hazard
It goes without saying, but the newspaper club produced the school newspaper
Stories leaking before they were published was a life-and-death matter Newspapers dealt with the ”new” If all they served up was stale old gossip, it couldn't be called a newspaper It would be brand-new day-old news Call it an oldspaper - and ants that
At any rate, for Tsukiyama Minako (17 years old) who lived and died by the scoop, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the only time she spoke loudly in the clubroo at full bore Comparatively, the number of times she actually had a scoop were quite low But that was so that was better not discussed
”I iine it was only a one-in-a-ret to inform you that they passed the entrance exams for the universities they applied to”
Minako's soeur, Yauchi Mami, said briskly What ith her deadpan tone? She'd been getting excited about their conversation, but just like that, her spirits had dropped
”All three of the to sit exams I suppose it shows their deterh that's probably related to their likelihood of success”
As she'd expected from the results, there didn't seem to be much of interest there Minako participated in the conversation in a half-hearted h her ”Lillian Kawaraban” file In terht at the top
”So then, which universities are they going to?”
One of the other first-years asked, intensely curious Yes, that was the right response A demand for information
”Don't know yet”
Minako answered, shaking her head
”I've been trying all my sources, but with no success Either they're not talking, or they really don't know”
”Ah, your sources”
The non-Mami first-years (there were three of them, so call them Club Member A, B and C for convenience Naturally, Minako knew the name of her club members, but it's not relevant to theand dubious expressions as they repeated this back
Her sources
Speaking plainly, it was everyone close to the Rose Mansion While she would have liked to charge straight at the Roses themselves, pretty much all of the third-year classes were just self-study at this point and the classroo breaks, so her chances ofthe people she wanted to was low
So she'd changed her sights to the Roses' petit soeurs, and their petit soeurs, but that was proving equally tough
Even if the boutons were keeping quiet, it looked like their petit soeurs really didn't know
Rosa Foetida en bouton's petit soeur, shi+ested, but she wasn't as interested in her Rosa Foetida as she was in ”Rei-chan,” so she ended their conversation by saying, ”I don't know”
Rosa Chinensis en bouton's petit soeur, fukuzawa Yumi, was the type of person whose face shohen they were lying Based on her reaction, she definitely didn't know
”But anyway”
Club Meh
”Why do you think the Roses sat entrance exams?”
Club Meht”
Students who had boarded the Lillian's escalator very rarely went down
The environood and the campus was spacious
Due to its history there was a well stocked library, as well as the latest equip wasn't done for an exae Those immersed in this pressure-free school lifestyle rarely wanted to rush out into the outside world
On the flip side, it didn't instill the attitude needed for exams And without that attitude, very few students sat entrance exa situation
”Maybe it's simply that Lillian's University doesn't offer the courses they want to do”
Minako voiced her deduction
Right
Those here aiardless of so attitude
”Or perhaps they'd like to further their studies alongside boys”
Kyaa Club Members A, B and C's shoulders all jumped up and down in excitement
First-years were so simple-minded - Except for one
”That line of thinking wouldn't apply to Rosa Gigantea, though”
Murmured the one non-cute first-year, Mami
”Why's that?”
”It's just that, it was getting towards the end of the year when she suddenly started thinking about continuing her education”
”Mmm”
Maybe she had heard soreed That Ma up dirt on her own?
”And by that time, it seems like all the priority placement slots were filled - so, in a rush, she joined the exaroup”
Why the change of heart? Still, it was quite i entrance exa for only one or two months She didn't look like the honors student type, but she could perform when she had to
”Rosa Chinensis doesn't seem to be the kind of person to leave for that sort of reason either”
That sort of reason
Going to a co-ed university because she wanted to get closer to boys Umm, the exquisite Rosa Chinensis is - Indeed, that wasn't the case Minako agreed with this
”But Rosa Foetida, on the other hand She has an urge to go wherever it looks like she'll experience so”
How did she know that? Minako felt a little bit envious that Mami could talk so dispassionately about a subject that Minako was so fascinated by She should have been happy to see her cute junior , but Minako was a human and not a saint, so she couldn't just accept it
(When I was a first-year, I was a more obedient, innocent child)
Hey now, hey now That was getting off the point at hand
While she may be in a bit of a slump at the moment, Tsukiyae scoop unattainable to the likes of Mami, if she felt like it
Right The soeur relationshi+p was akin to master and apprentice Eternal competitors
”Rosa Foetida … ”
Club Me with competitiveness
”What?”
Minako bit into the te aside the matter of her petit soeur for now While Rosa Foetida herself tended to pursue whatever she found interesting, Minako's favorite food was the interesting things that other people did
”Nothing It's just, I saw her the other day … that's all”
”Where?”
”At the a”
”The amusement park?”
The truth was Club Me of an amusement park fanatic by those in the know On a related note, the way she had her hair in buns on either side of her head resembled a certain amusement park mouse
”Who was she with?”
Thinking that perhaps it was the whole Yellow Rose family, Minako rued her ether before graduation, to make some ive it in-depth coverage
”Onee-sah further”
Mami interjected, amazed
”I haven't said anything yet”
”Even though you haven't said anything, I can tell what you're thinking”
Mami was probably on the money, so Minako fell silent From time to time she'd shi+ver from the way it seemed like Mami could read her mind completely In reality, Mami wasn't psychic, but Minako hadn't realized how incredibly straightforward and easy to grasp her own personality was
”Since she went to that amusement park in the afternoon, it's natural to assuht”
”Well, I guess”
A day trip wasn't impossible, but the amusement park was outside the capital If she wanted to return the sa to do would be to choose a day when she could go in the
”But the following Sunday hich day?”
”The following Sunday? Sunday, Sunday, … ahh, the day of the Valentine's gifts”
Minako stood, intentionally using a
”Correct Please sit down”
Maame-show host?
”More accurately, it was the day of the half-day dates that were prizes for the winners of the Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt event”
”… Pedant”
”Thank-you”
Her parted forelocks were secured tightly with a hair-clip, so si her head didn't dishevel her hairdo The underlying concept behind Mami's hairstyle may well have been ”rock-solid”
”I don't think Rei-saht trip when her half-day date was the following day”
Just like that, the Yellow Rose fa connection was cut While Club Meone to work for the newspaper club (covering the dates), it was unthinkable that the leading lady, Hasekura Rei-sahtrope Plus her petit soeur, shi+mazu Yoshi+no, had shown up at the K station bookstore as though she'd just gone out shopping
”Umm … ”
Now that the soeur dialogue had ended, Club Member A resumed her interrupted story
”Rosa Foetida ith a guy, though”
”A guy!?”
Everyone, apart fro Minako and the usually cool Mauy” There had never even been a hint of a raduation, a boyfriend caht then it would be an unprecedented scandal No doubt, it would be quite the scoop
”A twenty … no, twenty-five or six year old gentle with her, arht have been mistaken”
”Arm-in-arm!”
As expected, this wasthan her choice of university While they attended a school for young ladies, the students were all flesh-and-blood teenage girls They probably wouldn't mind a love story It would probably be very well received, in fact
”We have to print this”
At that ht to bu to publish in teeks time If necessary, they could always print a special edition
However
”This lasses?”
Club Member B asked Club Member A an unusual question
”No? He ell built, like an athlete”
”Oh ?”
Even Club Me
”What is this?”
Minako and Mami both asked at about the sa left behind by the conversation, well, that's soeurs for you They looked at each other grumpily
”I saw her too Friday last week, froallery”
That was Club Member B Similarly for Club Member C:
”A restaurant Sunday evening His arm around her shoulder as they left - ”
Silence descended upon the newspaper club's clubroom
Rosa Foetida went out every day, froh Saturday
Well, that sort of thing happened - For the ti, they tried to come up with an innocent explanation for it
But, going out with a differentintimately with each of them? Since three of the five people present had witnessed such an event, if they went out and gathered more information, perhaps they'd find out about a lot more such occurrences
”We've never even heard about Rosa Foetida and a guy until now … ”
But no s that weren't possible
Using just this infor too much of any newspaper club member to arrive at a truth that their readers would accept
Testimony of Club Member A (Alias)
This happened Saturday last week I'd gone to the amusement park
Well, obviously it wasn't a school holiday, so I went in the afternoon I was coedOur house is almost exactly halfway between Lillian's and the a deal
Ah, I went by train Just like I always do I left an overnight bag at ht to the amusement park One of ot an annual pass, so I go whenever I've got the tiift money Well, I enjoy it, so what can you do
Right, right, about Rosa Foetida
I was about to enter the a over froether
It's rude to stare, so I turned away froirl's voice wafted past from behind, and I felt like I'd heard it somewhere, so I instinctively turned around At that point, I kneas Rosa Foetida
Boy was I surprised
It seemed like a completely different person to the usually cool Rosa Foetida
Are you sure it really wasn't a different person, you say Perhaps It was quite dark
But I don't think I'
Because it stuck inI could do about it, but then I spotted the couple in the croatching a parade while I was lined up for one of the rides
When I saw theht, ”Ah, that's Rosa Foetida” The couple were in their own private world, completely oblivious to me
The ht was about 170cm Mid to late twenties … I don't think he would have been thirty I' on the location, his ie … if it was dark, or he was beside the light, or he was in a shop in the arcade, that sort of thing
Oh, my cousin's house? It's about ten minutes walk from the train station near the amusement park … no, more like fifteen minutes
It's really lucky You can't fully enjoy yourself if you're alorrying about the tiht at a hotel or anything
Come to think of it, I wonder what Rosa Foetida did
It seems like they stayed there quite late I wonder if her couy with a car too
(Sigh)
Testimony of Club Member B (Alias (Obviously))
Last Friday
I saw Rosa Foetida at an art gallery in the city Lithographs, I think they're called An exhibition of woodblock prints I'm not all that interested in it, but one of allery, so I ith ot
I tell you, my dad's even o, listens to our opinions, then acts like he went and saw it Sneaky, right? Because of that, we don't have a single art book that hasn't got his notes scrawled all over it Such a pain
Ah, you got me That's the reason I missed club activities on Friday
It closed at 7, so going there after club activities wouldn't have been possible I could have gone straight there, but I stopped at ho my school uniforh life
Rosa Foetida earing plain clothes
At this tio from school as they please For exams and the like Rosa Foetida may not have even been to school that day Or , then left sometime in the afternoon
Her partner was lanky, with silver-rilasses … How can I put this, he had a sort of less fashi+onable look about him Ah, his hair was parted to the side too
If I had to say, he seemed a bit old-fashi+oned or stiff But he wasn't old as such About 30 Like a civil servant, or a bank worker, or a researcher … that sort of type
Ahh, dowdy That sounds about right
He was holding hands With Rosa Foetida
Holding hands with a high-school girl, I'd call that pretty flashy But a date at an art gallery is kind of dowdy Anyway, they see it Both of them
Me?
It was tough
Rosa Foetida was a little bit ahead of us, so I had to go slowly, staring at the boring display ite my mom so that I wouldn't be spotted
Because it'd be a pain, right? It'd be aard for Rosa Foetida if she saearing the Lillian's uniforirl in that couple was Rosa Foetida, she'd make a scene -
Right?
Testi))
Indeed, he was tall, which did give his body a sort of lean impression overall But I wouldn't say he was lanky
His hairdo? Let's see, it had been lightened and flowed in a loose manner
He was slasses either In his black, brand-na coat, he looked like a model
Yes I saw them at a restaurant A French restaurant, a short walk froe, relying on word of mouth Some time back, one of my relatives was married at the church behind it and the reception was held there, with all the faood that we all wanted to go there again
Last Sunday wasanniversary, so they ether Ah, no That was the day of Rosa Foetida en bouton and Rosa Gigantea en bouton's half-day date, and ere on a stakeout around K station well into the evening, so I'd arranged to meet them there
No way, I wasn't scoping out the restaurant It was just a complete coincidence that I saw Rosa Foetida I noticed her when she left her seat during dinner, and when she came back I confirmed it was her She was seated at a table about 5 metres from ours
Right, just her and the gentleman
I only saw the past, but it looked like they ordered the most expensive dishes From the outset, my parents said some dishes were off limits, and it seemed like these expensive dishes were carried past ain
Huh? If they were in a restaurant, as he wearing a coat? Ahh, well obviously he left his coat in the cloakroom when he came in to the restaurant
They finished eating before us, so I saw hiently around Rosa Foetida's shoulder
Come to think of it, Rosa Foetida had the women's version of that coat … if they were a couple, I wonder if it was a present from him
He was young, but he must have been pretty rich
”They must know that the walls have ears, but still they were careless”
The widely acknowledged ace of the Lillian's Girls Acaderaphy club, Takeshi+hed
It was after school
The students with club activities had scattered to the various club rooyone home, but fukuzawa Yumi remained in the classrooh-school student council building, the ”Rose Mansion,” when she was forcibly detained by Tsutako-san
”Tsutako-san, you weren't just asked to join the debate club, you were also asked to join the drama club, weren't you?”
Yuestively with a suppressed laugh From that response, it seeo yet
Tsutako-san had just finished relaying the evidence provided by the three first-year newspaper clubtheir voices
Apparently the newspaper club members were unaware that Tsutako-san was in the roootten that the printer wasn't running, so in their excitement their voices had become quite loud
”Lacking a natural iet excited talking about boys It's such a shame that they couldn't control themselves”
Ignoring the fact that she'd been raised at an all-girls school too, Tsutako-san gazed sympathetically in the direction of the clubhouse As far as Yuone out with anyone either
” - and this is photographic proof”
Photographic proof The words echoed in Yumi's mind
”This - ”
”You should be able to tell just by looking Who that is”
”Well, of course I know that”
It was undoubtedly Rosa Foetida in the photographs that had been spread out across the desk But what Yuraphs