Volume 7 Chapter 1 (2/2)
”It backs up what the newspaper club was saying I thought I'd see what I could find, and - ”
”This … is like the work of a detective or private investigator”
All the photos looked like they'd been taken secretly To Yu on criminal
”It's both during the week and on weekends Their ages cover a broad range from twenties to fifties, and they're all different types About the only common feature was that all the men spent money freely”
”How do you know?”
”For one thing, they were all wearing expensive clothes Plus where they went on their dates I don't know about the earlier ones, but the ones I saere all quite pricey”
High-class restaurant High-class hotel pool A present of a high-class brand suit, plus
”In-incredible”
High-class, high-class, high-class
A sh-class
It was a phrase that Yumi wasn't well acquainted with in her life About the only thing she had was her high-class onee-sama
”Yeah, it makes you envious, doesn't it? Say, Yumi-san, in the world we live in, do you think it's possible to get so?”
”There's always a hidden side to sos acquired with such apparent ease would still involve some form of compensation”
”And that's … what?”
”Indeed”
”Indeed?”
So either Tsutako-san really didn't know, or she meant, ”Think about it on your own,” or she simply didn't want to say Either way, itto explain further
”What about these?”
Yules in various locations, showing Rosa Foetida together with different gentlemen
”They're yours, Yumi-san”
”Mine?”
”If it's too much of a burden, tear them to shreds and throw them in your bin at home It's no bother”
Since Tsutako-san would still have the negatives It see stuck her nose into so to draw other people in
”It's just a feeling I've got I don't want the newspaper club stirring things up, like during the Yellow Rose Revolution So I followed her, pretending to be a detective I've got a bad feeling about ould happen if they turned this into a newspaper article”
”A bad feeling … ”
”These glasses of s into focus, but they don't add color, so to speak”
”Mmm”
”But this, this steadily changed thelasses”
”Huh?”
”So with this, I pass the baton to you with your 20-20 vision Best of luck”
”Best of luck, huh”
Such a dileraphs spread out across the desk and stuffed them into Yumi's hand
”When Rei-sama discusses it, you can use these as proof”
”You want me to talk to Rei-sama?”
Student 30 on the second-year chrysanthemum class roll, Hasekura Rei-sama was Rosa Foetida's petit soeur
”No, that's not what I said”
Tsutako-san responded, as she rose from the chair While it wasn't what she said, it was still an option
”Tsutako-san”
”I' to the Rose Mansion soon?”
Tsutako-san picked up Yu at the clock, they'd been talking for fifteen minutes already
”Gokigenyou”
Yu, and hastily turned towards the exit
”Ah, Yumi-san”
”Yes?”
When she turned around, Tsutako-sanSorry” Apparently it wasn't all that important
”I just thought, because it's you Yuet an answer from her”
Tsutako-san said, then waved good-bye Although what she meant by that, Yumi had no idea
The photographs were put into a pocket of her school uniform The internal pocket between the pleats of her skirt A place that couldn't be seen from outside
Where Rosa Foetida was going and what she was doing wasn't so that Yumi wanted to meddle in
What should she do about this unearthing of Rosa Foetida's private life?
Perhaps that sort of thinking hy Tsutako-san had withdrawn froraphs over to someone else would be problematic Just what should she do about them?
She couldn't just put a photograph of somebody in the bin Much less tear it to shreds It would be disrespectful
Creak, creak, creak, creak
The worn-out staircase in the Rose Mansion groaned as she climbed to the second floor
If the staircase gave way, and she went tuhts would occasionally pass through Yu
Like when she left for school in thedeter the lunch break If so were to happen, then her teacher would find out that she hadn't finished the report, so she mustn't die
Or when she left ho apart, but she didn't have PE that day, and didn't have tiency room, then they'd see her petticoat, so she mustn't suffer a serious injury
If she really was in a life-threatening situation or suffered a serious injury, then she wouldn't have time to worry about reports or underwear, but as a student of Lillian's, and a pubescent girl, such were her concerns
Creak, creak, creak, creak
Right now, if the stairway collapsed and she landed badly, she -toraphs of Rosa Foetida crawled out of her corpse's pocket? - Therefore, she mustn't die
Heeding the warnings about her potential funeral, Yu the stairs
The wooden staircase had been creaking for a few years now, but it wasn't about to collapse Everyone said that if soive way, there would be early warning signs Rosa Gigantea joked about it, saying, ”It'll be fine at least until your petit soeur graduates, Yumi-chan”
Setting aside theto do was to give the photographs to Rosa Foetida
But having said that
Yumi didn't knohen the third-years would come to school, and to carry them around continuously would be a bit of a chore She'd constantly have to watch out for traffic accidents, and so on
”Sorry I'm late … huh”
Yuh the biscuit door,
”Hi”
and was immediately deflated by what she saw in the room
Sitting alone at the large table was first-year chrysanthemum class meht hand to wave a greeting
”Where is everyone?”
Yu and coat on her usual seat While it was norn of either of the second-years, Yoshi+no-san's onee-sama, Hasekura Rei-sama, and Yumi's onee-sama, Sachiko-sama, or Yumi's classmate Toudou shi+mako-san
”Not here yet”
Yoshi+no answered acting bored, no, she probably was actually bored, as she poured Yumi a cup of tea
”Oh, all three of them?”
”Well, I's to do They're beco Roses”
” … I see”
The student council elections were over, and in truth the boutons had largely taken over the job of the Roses
”Even us, we're going to have to do our best from here on”
”That's true”
As they faced each other sipping their tea, the pair let out sighs to rival the stea from their teacups After the school entrance ceremony in April, they would attain the position of bouton The duties of a bouton were to provide proper support for their onee-samas, officially called ”Roses”
But in the current situation, without their onee-sa the little sisters could do Tih probably not as bad as it had been for Yoshi+no-san earlier There were ho, but Yumi wasn't in the mood for that just now She couldn't divert her attention to otherfor the people she expected to arrive
In this situation, chatting was probably the proper way to kill the time
(But even so … )
Since theynew to talk about
Even without a topic of conversation, their relationshi+p was such that they could pass the ti aard, so there was no need to force herself to find so her co with her braids, Yu to offer
(At this point, Koe is old news … )
With no-one looking on, Yuht While she couldn't co to talk about, there was soht into
”Yoshi+no-san”
”What?”
Yoshi+no-san raised her head listlessly
”There isn't an easy way to get hold of the third-years, is there?”
”What do you mean?”
Twitch Her eyebrows raised
Was that concern in there?
”I want to see Rosa Foetida, but I don't knohen she'll be at school”
”Why don't you call her and find out directly?”
Her curtly uttered ansas simple and direct
” … Ah, right”
Until then, Yu the third-years That was Yoshi+no-san for you
”Why do you want to see Rosa Foetida?”
”A class”
”Hmm”
With that, Yoshi+no-san quickly withdrew If it had been related to Rei-sa who it was that asked her, and what they wanted to give her
”I guess I should give her a call”
Yoshi+no-san said, ”Yeah,” and stood up
”Huh, now?”
”Strike while the iron is hot Coet, Yumi-san”
”Uh, strike?”
”Stop splitting hairs”
Yoshi+no-san tugged hard on her arm Was this a trait common to all Yellow Rose fanet whenever so
”But our onee-samas ”
”We'll be straight back, so it should be okay It's not like there's a ”
That was indeed true But the reason Yu for her onee-sa to wait, she'd probably be better off going home In Yoshi+no-san's case, her onee-sahbor Rei-chan,” so she was more at leisure
In the end, Yoshi+no-san dragged Yumi to the front of the office It was the location of the only phone the students were allowed access to, a pay telephone
Yoshi+no-san picked up the receiver, slid Yureen body and quickly punched in a phone number Apparently she'd memorized it
Ring-ring, ring-ring As the tone rang out, she passed the receiver to Yumi
”Huh, you're not going to talk to her?”
”So naïve”
I that if she hadn't done that, Yumi would have dithered in front of the telephone Apparently she knew her well
While this was going on, the call was connected
”hello, Torii residence”
A lady's voice ca away now
”Ah, I'h-school student fukuzawa Yumi Is Rosa Foe … ah, is Eriko-sama available to talk?”
Yoshi+no-san silently clapped
”Well, thank-you for always taking care of Eriko”
It was probably Rosa Foetida's entle voice
”No, not at all, she's always gently guiding me … ”
Mu to an adult Especially over the phone, where she couldn't see their face
”Eriko's … ”
The mother's voice suddenly turned hazy Then, after a short pause, she continued
”Not home just yet”
”Do you knohen she will return?”
”Uhh”
”I don't know”
She didn't know That seeirl would say what tiht? But each fa curfews and the like, so Yuy and asked:
”I'ain later tonight?”
If Yu up, then it would have been a waste of her phone credit
”Tonight?”
She heard a bewildered voice co from the other end of the phone-line
”Yes, what tiood?”
Apparently covering Yumi's question, Rosa Foetida's mother answered:
”About that”
”Yes?”
”She ht not be back today … ”
”Huh!?”
That answer had not been what Yu A sleepover So no ht, Rosa Foetida would not be there
”Ah, no, she's staying at a relative's house”
Yumi didn't knohat the ”Ah, no,” was about, since Rosa Foetida's
”A relative's house”
”I'm not sure when she'll be back”
”Alright When you do get in contact with her, please tell her that fukuzawa called”
”fukuzawa-san Got it”
”Thank-you”
”Goodbye”
With her head bowed, Yumi counted, ”One, two, three,” in her inal position
Beep beep, beep beep Her telephone card was spat out
”She said she's staying overnight at a relative's house”
Yoshi+no-san's arms were folded, a doubtful look on her face
”Suspicious”
”What is?”
Yumi asked, as she put the telephone card back into her purse
”What? I can't quite putsuspicious”
Her sixth-sense, perhaps? Yu to be sneezed at She had a touch of ESP
”How long has she been at her relative's place?”
Yoshi+no-san asked, as they walked down the corridor
”I didn't ask that much Two, three days perhaps?”
Yumi looked into space The ansasn't written there, however
”Two, three days? That makes it even more suspicious”
That look in Yoshi+no-san's eyes It closely resembled the president of the newspaper club's
”But why?”
”Because I saw her yesterday and today”
”Where, who?”
”At school, Rosa Foetida”
Even without any explanation, you should understand Yoshi+no-san didn't actually say that, but it was obviously implied
”She's staying at her relative's house and still co to school?”
They both looked out theand said, ”Hmm”
There was stillto appear on the trees Compared to humans and the like, the trees were far more in tune with the seasons Yumi spotted the school's resident stray cat, Lunch, scah the courtyard
”Her relatives could live in the city”
Yuht hard, and this was the conclusion she'd deduced