Volume 7 Chapter 4 (1/2)
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The newspaper club did it again
What, you ask?
The latest edition of the old reliable ”Lillian Kawaraban” was completely filled with a short story by Tsukiyaed slightly, but it was obviously based on Rosa Foetida
The title was ”The Golden Rose,” and that's just a Yellow Rose by any other name
It was absurd enough toShakespeare
And it was about ”Tory Eniko” Anyone just glancing at the article would read it as Torii Eriko The disclaimer that it was a ”short story” and ”fiction”, probably a defense against libel claims, was very inconspicuous nobody would ever notice it unless it was brought to their attention
Yu the Yellow Rose Revolution
- Tsukiya a novelist than an editor
That may indeed be true It wasn't clear how much she knew, but since it had the ”short story” disclaimer, there had to be so to Tsutako-san, the newspaper club hadn't received any additional reports Naturally, they hadn't been given any photos either
”What's with this artist's iraph?”
For the first tier directly
”It's probably meant to imitate the scene recreations they do on talk shows It's fine, sit down Sachiko”
Rosa Chinensis quietly ordered as she sipped her tea
”Like how they'll show a fake replay strea on juvenile crime”
That was Rosa Gigantea Chis crossed
”They do it when broadcasting pictures of the perpetrator or their school is inappropriate So instead they'll show official documents, or an artist's impression, or the silhouette of an actor unrelated to the matter Shot from behind or otherwise blurred”
Yoshi+no-san, an avid watcher of talk shohen she was in hospital, joined in to explain the artist's impression concept Rei-sa, ”I see” That left Sachiko-sama on her own
”That's not what I'd call this”
She thumped the table as she spoke On it were the copies of the latest edition of the ”Lillian Kawaraban” that each of the seven in total
”Look, the photo's taken from behind, but no matter how you look at it, it's Minako-san You can see her bangs pushed up by the hairband It all seee mistake if she thinks it will fool any of the readers into thinking that that's Rosa Foetida”
Yuly, not only hadn't she realized that it was Minako-saht that it was Rosa Foetida So, of the people that had the current edition of the ”Lillian Kawaraban,” about half of them would probably fall for the optical illusion After all, even Yuh it
At any rate, for the first time in a while, the third-years had joined the a copy of the ”Lillian Kawaraban,” they had spontaneously assembled after school
The focal point, Rosa Foetida, was absent
Yumi had peeked inside her shoe box a little earlier and determined that, at they very least, Rosa Foetida wasn't in the school building
”It was thoughtless of me”
Rosa Chinensis
”I never iined the newspaper club would move like this”
At this, Sachiko-sama raised her eyes once more and said:
”Onee-sama, you knew of this!?”
”So out on dates with different ht”
A scratching, scrunching sound ca their teeth, but it turned out to be Sachiko-sa her handkerchief
(This is bad … )
Coer under control
(Now then, this is a pickle)
That it was the build up to an explosion made it all the more scary
”If you knew about this, why didn't you do so?”
Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch
”I thought I'd wait and see what happened I didn't want to cause a disturbance If I'd flown off the handle, like you just did Sachiko, it would have complicated the situation”
Had she noticed the scraping or not? Rosa Chinensis see words that would provoke Sachiko-sama
”Yeah, good point”
Fanning the flareed
Scrunch, scrunch
”Pardon me, I too … uh”
Unable to endure a er, Yu tiht in front of her that Yumi couldn't defuse, and she couldn't just sit there and wait for it to go off In that case, she ht as well move the hand of the clock forward herself
”Even you - ”
The focus of her anger had shi+fted Sachiko-sama's face looked demonic, like a Hannya mask
”I' it with you, but you're … ”
”I'm what?”
”How can I put this, it felt like it would be an unpleasant topic with you, ”
Scrunch, scrunch … rip
”Unpleasant? Unpleasant you say?”
Sachiko-saiven way, and she hurled it down onto the table
”Why can't you see that finding out about it afterward like this is hundreds of times more unpleasant!”
”Hyaa”
Finally, the explosion Yumi was at her wits' end, but the two third-years were oes”
”So, what? Because I can't stand men, you hid this from me?”
Sachiko-sa it again Yu she could say clearly That handkerchief had done nothing wrong
”All of you, you'reme - ”
Yumi was about to say that it wasn't like that when shi+mako-san raised her hand and said:
”I didn't know anything about this, though”
Then Yoshi+no-san jumped in with, ”Me neither”
”So Yu, that was about Rosa Foetida?”
”assisted dating? Stop already”
Rei-sa
”Well, just fro ”The Golden Rose,” those sort of suspicions are inevitable”
Rosa Gigantea seeh it was hard to tell whether those were her true feelings or a facade
”Hmm”
In the end, Sachiko-sae had only spread to those in the Red Rose fa the only one not to knoould have been an unforgivable affront to her pride
”Setting that aside, if this story really is modeled after my onee-sama - ”
Rei-sa like she was about to cry With that, the reatest for Rosa Foetida's petit soeur, Rei-sama
”Don't worry, it's labeled fiction, so most of it's pure speculation”
Rosa Chinensis reached across the table and patted Rei-sama on the shoulder
”But you don't know that for sure”
Like she was praying to the statue of Maria-sa on to Rosa Chinensis
”Of course I do I can point out the many mistakes in ”The Golden Rose””
Her chest puffed out with pride, Rosa Chinensis was always reliable
With that, everyone's gaze turned back to the pages of the ”Lillian Kawarban”
Synopsis of ”The Golden Rose”
Approaching her graduation froh-school, the ”Golden Rose,” Tory Eniko, felt a hole in her heart To supplement her study of society, she took a part-time job at a Date Club All her partners were adults, and they introduced Eniko to a world she'd never known
Baseball player A took her on an all-night road trip Surgeon B took her to an art gallery, while Model C took her to an exclusive, hidden restaurant
But as she changed ed clothes, Eniko started to feel hollow
Then who should appear but a new teacher at Eniko's school, who had only recently graduated fro the streets at night, and gently ad his words, Eniko's eyes were opened and she returned to her for for was Teacher D all along
Eniko decided to propose to Teacher D on the day of her graduation …
” - Well, that's the short version anyway It's a pretty weak story But if you read it thinking it's modeled on someone you know, you can't put it down”
Rosa Chinensis laughed sarcastically
”So which part of it's wrong then? Don't stop there, please tell us”
Sachiko-saed Rosa Chinensis to continue
”Oh, cals from before in your pocket?”
”Ah”
Things from before that were still in her pocket? Well, of course there was her handkerchief … but obviously that's not what she meant
”Hand them over”
” … Here”
Yus froraphs Rosa Chinensis took them and spread them out over the table
”These photos were all taken by one of Yumi-chan's classmates, Takeshi+ma Tsutako-san”
”Way to go, Camera-chan”
Rosa Gigantea whistled
”Sei, quit fooling around”
” … Sorry, continue”
Rosa Chinensis joined her hands together in a display of forbearance and continued
”There's five ht? Based on their appearance, if ere to name them - ”
Rosa Chinensis lined up the photos A, B and C Interestingly, they matched the description of the characters from ”The Golden Rose” exactly
”So, Teacher D is?”
What was left over was a balding, overweight, ed man and the bear-man
”At the very least, neither of them are teachers at our school Nor do they look like they've recently graduated froe”
Everyone agreed, ”That's true”
”So, what that means is … ”
”The second half's completely made up”
”Then the first half is true?”
Once more, Rei-sama looked like she was about to cry
”No, it's antea”
Rosa Chinensis set the photo with the bear-
”Have a look at these four photos, do you notice anything?”
”These four … ah”
”Right?”
”I see”
Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Gigantea's eyes met and they nodded And then
”Third-year chrysanthemuuidance room immediately”
Could be heard coh the school PA system, after the cheery intro music
”I repeat, third-year chrysanthemum - ”
Was this a repeat of the ”Forest of Thorns?” This tiuidance room
”No way Don't tell uidance teacher took this story for the truth?”
”That can't be”
Hahaha
Nervous laughter echoed around the Rose Mansion
But nobody there thought it was completely unrelated
”What should we do?”
”We have to ht?”
The seven young girls, none of ere called Torii Eriko, stood up simultaneously Just like the seven samurai
”Yuraphs”
Sachiko-saave her a thumbs-up
Reading you loud and clear
Outside the educational guidance room, Tsukiyama Minako had turned into a ninja
”President About the current situation”
A voice called to her from behind
”It's brilliant No, it's even better than that”
She answered without turning around, her ear against the wall even though she couldn't hear anything inside There was always a shortcut to finding out anything With that into work Of course, she knew that the room was soundproof
”Even better?”
”Four men involved in the matter have shown up I wonder if they were called as witnesses”
Minako explained, stillher ninja persona
She'd first caught sight of the ruroup of men when they adjourned frouidance roolimpse of them, Minako instinctively raised her fist to the heavens They were all there, like they'd just stepped out of the pages of her short story - It was perfect
”Four ht?”
”Probably not D”
Right The sole flaas that there was one man who hadn't been described in the story But he could always make an appearance as another customer of Eriko's, or rather Eniko's, in the sequel to ”The Golden Rose”
”Why wouldn't D be there?”
The voice asked, right beside her ear
”You know”
That was as far as Minako got in her explanation before she felt a chill run down her spine Unnoticed, she had been surrounded by an uncomfortable atmosphere
”That's … ”
Timidly, she turned around
”That's because D's soht Minako-san?”
”Ulp”
It was enough to ht next to her, was Rosa Chinensis Minako's extreme focus had backfired, as she hadn't been able to tell that the voice didn't belong to a club member
”How do you intend to make amends for this disturbance?”
”Make ary, Rosa Chinensis I simply - ”
As she made her excuses, Minako searched for a way out, but she'd already been co more she could do
”You si to say? Surely you can't believe that that's the end of it?”
”That's all there is”
”In your story, ”The Golden Rose,” the protagonist has a part-tiht?”
”Ah, … yeah”
”Although I suppose it is of minimal concern to your so-called school newspaper, I applaud your decision not to depict it as an 18+ venture”
”Ah, I thought self-restraint arranted for the ti”
In truth, that was how Minako had initially written it, but she hadn't wanted to open up another avenue for Rosa Foetida to complain, so she'd abandoned it The way she wrote a short story with all those restrictions, it was like she was a professional writer It had been a bit exciting
”But”
Rosa Chinensis caught her eye before continuing
”You may think that all you've done is provide your readers with a humorous story, but you should realize that the end result of your rave insult to the honor of a certain individual”
”Uh”
Thump
”The date club clearly had sexual overtones Nor can you claim to be unaware that students have dropped out of school iuidance room”
The quickening thump of Minako's heartbeat wasn't because Rosa Chinensis had grabbed her shoulder It was because she was only now realizing how scandalous an act she had committed
Certainly, she'd written the humorous story to enliven the ”Lillian Kawaraban” But that didn't mean that Rosa Foetida wouldn't resent it Especially if it caused her to drop out of school