Volume 9 Chapter 3 (1/2)
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”The Maria Ceremony?”
”Right, the Maria Ceremony”
Touko-san nodded, her left and right ringlet curls bouncing like springs
”Noriko-san, you're not that well acquainted with the events at Lillian's Girls Academy, are you?”
”Not at all acquainted would be close to the truth”
Noriko looked up fro Then Touko-san said, ”That's for sure,” and cheekily sat down at the desk in front of her
It was recess The seat's owner had fortunately stepped outside
”I've made up my mind I'll help you out until you've become accustomed to this school, Noriko-san”
”Huh”
”So as my first task, I shall explain about the Maria ceremony that will take place teeks hence”
Before Noriko could turn her doith, ”It's alright, you don't have to,” Touko-san had snatched away her paperback, put the bookmark in place, then set it down in a corner of the desk Quite presumptuous of her
(Oh boy)
As someone who came into the school via the entrance exa her their assistance since the start of the school year She'd taken to reading as a counter to this, but it looked to be completely ineffective
Suspicious as she was, she thought that the offers were made with the best intentions On the other hand, if this hat passed for harassment here then she could handle it
”Alright Please explain it to me then”
With the shi+eld of her book taken froe in conversation She'd let a sigh slip in with her words, and Touko-san's cheeks puffed up
”Noriko-san, that troubled face is hurtful Especially since Touko's thinking about you”
”I didn't ask you to think about me so you can stop … huh!?”
Noriko recoiled Why was the girl in front of her pouting and getting teary eyed?
”H-hold on a minute”
In truth, she was incredibly flustered
Noriko had been tossed around in the stor her time at a co-ed public middle-school, but not once had she encountered a situation like this It was unthinkable that she would irl cry
”Crying at school, isn't that so that stops in elementary school?”
”Who ever decided that?”
Touko-sanher face with her hands
”If I want to cry, and I've done all I can to endure it, why shouldn't I cry?”
”Well, that's true but - ”
Crying in a place like this, she'd be publicly humiliated Noriko stood up, put her arm around Touko-san's shoulder and walked her out to the hallway
They went out the eency exit and Noriko spread out a handkerchief on the steel staircase and sat Touko-san down on it
”That's the only handkerchief I have”
Touko-san nodded at her words, then took a floral handkerchief out of her own pocket and dried her tears with it
”Why would so like that make you cry … ”
Even as she was amazed, Noriko was a little bit jealous It was proof that Touko-san could show her e about other people's opinions
She was probably a darling little girl That's what Noriko thought Now that she was thinking about it, Noriko couldn't remember the last time she cried
”I'm sorry I made you cry”
Noriko gently put her hand on the shoulder of the sniffling girl
”No, it's Touko's fault”
”You were going to tell me about the Maria Ceremony?”
At which point Touko-san's expression suddenly brightened This girl was a crow, huh Not just fro - that's the sort of person she was
”So about the Maria Ceremony”
According to Touko-san:
The Maria Ceremony was held in the middle of May and was peculiar to Lillian's, so it didn't seem to be a standard event for devout Catholics Touko-san, who had been at Lillian's since kindergarten, was of the opinion that the celebration of the Holy Mother was timed to coincide with Mother's Day
”Even though I called it a celebration, there's no stalls or anything like that”
”Aha”
”But we decorate the school's statues of Maria-sama with flowers And there's no classes, instead we have mass”
Touko-san happily counted on her fingers as she continued to explain How everyone tried to catch a glih-school building dressed up as angels Well, even sonorant of Catholicisht
”Plus there's soh-school students to look forward to after the mass The onee-samas of the student council hold a ceremony to welcome the first-years”
”A welco ceremony?”
”The Yaer sisters”
”… The Yamayurikai”
”Cootten that, Noriko-san It's the nah-school student council”
It felt like she may have heard that before, at the entrance ceremony or on the second day of school But since h Lillian's middle-school the explanation probably would have been covered quickly And since Noriko wasn't all that interested in school life even though she came from another school, she shared that view
Still, just the h, but then there was another event after it
”I'd rather have classes … ”
The words slipped out of her mouth
”Again you say soeous, Noriko-san Ah, if the rumors are true - ”
Touko-san leaned over the edge of the eaze to where a group of students alking through the courtyard towards the school building
”They're the Yamayurikai executive members From the front, it's Rosa Chinensis, Rosa Foetida and finally Rosa Gigantea”
”Rosa … ”
”Rosa Chinensis, Rosa Foetida, Rosa Gigantea”
Those tongue-twisters were apparently the traditional nah-school student council leaders Red paper roll, blue paper roll, yellow paper roll - there were soirls' schools
”They've been doing Ya the lunch break”
The girl with the ringlet curls seemed to be in such rapt adoration that she probably wouldn't have noticed Noriko's surprise
(That's … !)
Noriko's gaze was fixed on the student walking third in line
The person that Touko-san had called Rosa Gigantea was the Maria-sa beneath the cherry tree
Just before noon on the following Sunday, Noriko was aboard a train headed to District H
She closed her eyes, her body nestled in a gently swaying seat While there were soely deserted, so no-one had to stand
The sunlight streaently waran As Noriko sunk e wardrobe to choose from Consequently, her standard outfit of late was a red checkered dress that had been bought for her last year and a plain cardigan
Click, clack Click, clack
She had brought a book to read, but she didn't feel like keeping her eyes open Even if she forced herself to turn the pages, there was no way the words would penetrate her head It wouldn't be all that different to reading a book written in Spanish or Chinese
Click, clack Click, clack
Even with her eyes closed, she could tell she was getting closer to the countryside There was probably a mountain not that far away It could have been the s her this, or the air te at all to back it up Froh she'd passed through a number of woods
She got up from her seat when the train announcer indicated they were arriving at her destination
Noriko was definitely close to Shouguu Temple
”A cheeseburgertea for the drink”
Noriko stuffed her face with a haer at a fast food restaurant near the train station Looking at her watch, it was just past noon
She could see the bus terlass front of the store That here she'd catch a bus But since it would be rude to visit at lunch tier
Now that she had a chance to relax, she suddenly found herself getting excited
(I' to see a Yuukai Maitreya … !)
She'd found it hard to get to sleep last night, a bit like she was going to ed a couple of e day arrived Since his broken leg was nowhere near coe in his hobby of visiting te Noriko he seeht connection to Buddhist statues
Su that he fancied her, but it wasn't that kind of relationshi+p It was like being in one of those groups that were really into reenacting Edo period society They had similar tastes
(But)
His groundas usually good, and it looked as though his preparations were still fine despite the injury
Takuya-kun hadn't just worked out the route for her, he'd also contacted Shouguu Temple and received permission for her to view the Buddhist statue, all before Noriko had done a thing She really was co someone that shared her hobby
Since he'd done so much work for her, Yuukai's Maitreya must be absolutely incredible
(Oh no)
After a short reprieve, her exciteain
The feeling had risen to the point where it was now like ”finally arriving at the venue for the pop idol's concert”
(Calm down, calm down)
She told herself, placing a hand over her heart She'd lose everything if she got sick at this point She would just die if she collapsed on the way to viewing a Buddhist statue Even so out on the entrance exah at that
”Huh … ?”
Noriko raised her head, suddenly realizing she'd just seen someone she knealk past, on the other side of the fast food restaurant's glass storefront
”That was … ”
Noriko stood up and leaned forward, but she couldn't confirm what she'd seen
”No, it couldn't have been”
Noriko sipped her re a plain kimono when she saw them from behind
It ain
Running into her in a place like this That sort of coincidence just didn't happen
Despite its naantuan place[1]
At any rate, it was large and peruu Teuu Temple - Central”
”Number 7, number 7 … ah, here it is”
After checking the piece of paper with Takuya-kun's notes, she boarded the Nuuu Temple - Central”
The bus was surprisingly euu Temple certainly wasn't as famous as the temples of Kyoto or Nara, there didn't seeh it was Sunday
After fifteenat tranquil scenery the bus arrived at the tee plot of land situated in front of a ate, she could surmise that it was quite an old temple
As she passed through the gate, Noriko called out to a te him of her name He'd apparently been told to expect her, because he obediently ushered her in
Noriko was led to the h when she sat on the tatami mat floor
(Thank-you Takuya-kun!)
While you could have a look inside tourist te the entrance fee, it was usually quite difficult to get inside normal temples
The temple worker said the chief priest would see her, then left for about fiveti left alone in the splendid te
Finally, standing up, she walked over and stood in front of the principal ie of the temple
”Aata … ”
Froolden statue of Aht hand elevated froesture, the left hand ure was flanked on the left and right by Kannon and Seishi+, it appeared to be the Amitabha triumvirate
The gold-leaf was peeling off in places, but that just ee
”Incredible … ”
While she had been attracted here by Maitreya, Noriko found the principal i the pedestal, co
”Does it please you?”
Noriko turned when she heard the voice and saw aHe must be the temple's chief priest
”You are, I presume, Nijou Noriko-san?”
”Ah, yes”
Noriko straightened her back and answered Standing to attention She didn't even stand like this during gym class
Calm down, Noriko She repeated this co before her was a human, not Maitreya
”I see You're … ”
The chief priest tapped his sle, ”Ha”
”Oh, sorry shi+mura-san told me you were a lady, but I didn't think you'd be so young From your appearance, it doesn't look like you're one of his university friends”
”My apologies shi+mura-san and I share the same hobby”
shi+mura was Takuya-kun's surname
”Ah, that's right You came to see the Maitreya, didn't you? It's not in the temple, it's at the house Please, follow me”
The chief priest said, then turned and started walking Apparently he found it incredibly airl in her teens had the hobby of viewing Buddhist statues, because frohter, as though re this
”Um, did Yuukai really sculpt it?”
As they walked down the corridor, Noriko asked the question that had been bothering her The chief priest then stopped and turned to face her
”That's how it's been handed down, but that doesn't really ht?”
”Doesn't really matter?”
” … To people in general It reat deal to scholars and appraisers But you just caht?”
Regardless of who ood On the flip side, even a famous sculptor could create a Buddhist statue with no soul - That hat the chief priest was saying
”Do you understand?”
”Yes”
Noriko nodded
”You're saying that when viewing a statue, I shouldn't consider extraneous ht?”
”Exactly”
He s the black timber hallway
The chief priest's house was connected to the tee as she'd expected based on the outward appearance, and there see in both the temple and house