Volume 9 Chapter 6 (1/2)
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shi+ely
Yu after the new first-years had entered into high-school Three or four days after, perhaps
”Ooh”
She had no idea why shi+ cherry blossoic to them There was already one person like that, Yuasawara Sachiko-sah Besides, her symptoms were a little different
”Why are you yelping like a little dog?”
Appearing in front of Yumi's desk with her trademark twin ponytails was shi+ fro et in places
But Yu She was silent, like a shi+h tzu or
”Huh?”
Yu why Yoshi+no-san was there Noticing this, her sharp-eyed friend got a strange look on her face and grumbled
”… Yu so surprised every time you see me in the classroom”
”Oh, you noticed?”
Yu a smile to hide her ehtly fooled
”You're too easy to read Also, I've noticed you looking around for shi+mako-san”
”You've got me”
”Get it together, Rosa Chinensis en bouton”
”Hahaha I'm not used to that name either”
The nanificent about her, because she just couldn't get it together And because she herself are of this, all she could do was laugh feebly
Take yesterday as an exauilty of the roup classroo
”Hard to believe, hey”
Yoshi+no-sanShe was Rosa Foetida en bouton That alone gave her a certain presence, if seen frole
So that was it
When April arrived, the first-years naturally becahtly real to Yumi, and she alone had been warped backwards in time
This was the second-year pine class The roo in until recently
It was the first tiarten that Yoshi+no-san had been in the same class as her
shi+mako-san, who'd been in Yumi's class in first-year, was in second-year wisteria class Sadly, they were in different classes this time
Well, okay It left the door open tonew people
”Oh ho Rosa Chinensis en bouton is a springtime fool”
So in for who kno long
(- Why's she … ?)
”Gah, Mami-san”
Despite being taken aback, the lights soon went on for Yuirl's arm
”Don't put that in an article!”
shi+nity, but it would expose Yumi as a natural ditz Which would not be acceptable for the person known as Rosa Chinensis en bouton While Yumi knew she hadn't se, it would be too depressing to Sachiko-sama to have her petit soeur destroy all her past accomplishments
”I wonder what I should do”
”Please don't print it”
”You owe me one”
Ya
Did she part her hair on the side, held in place with a hair-clip, to highlight her lack of vulnerability? Her hair ept back behind her ears, leaving her news gathering antennae fully open Her onee-saht her to be ready, because she could run into neorthy material anytime, anywhere But, for some reason, Mami-san seemed even more resolute than Minako-sama
”Ahh”
Yu put in the same class as the future head of the newspaper club
On top of that
Click
”Thanks for that gloomy face”
While Yuraphy club's ace, and current vice-president, Takeshi+ma Tsutako-san was also in her class
”I'll call it, ”The Melancholy of Rosa Chinensis en Bouton” Will you let me show it at the school festival if it comes out well?”
”… Give me a break”
There was no such thing as privacy in the second-year pine class
”We'll talk later”
Yoshi+no-san whispered into Yumi's ear then walked away Tsutako-san hid her camera and quickly returned to her seat too
The teacher for their next subject had been spotted walking down the corridor She was also in charge of educational guidance, and an incredibly difficult teacher, so everyone reacted quickly
In this manner, with both annoyance and pleasure, fukuzawa Yuan
”shi+ed? In ay?”
Yoshi+no-san asked At the bathrooe
”Like she's dejected, or she's got no energy”
Yuular mirror above the basin That and empty the bathroom bin
”Dejected No energy And?”
Moving her hand, Yoshi+no-san urged her to continue There was no reason they had to hold this conversation here, but there was the pseudo-paparazzi in the classroom and they could only have it in the Rose Mansion when shi+mako-san herself wasn't there, and since they were in the saroup it just turned out this way
”During recess yesterday, I called out to shi+ out the hall, but she didn't notice me at all”
”Hmm”
”True story Whenever she has free ti alone to look at cherry blossoms Katsura-san from wisteria class told me today”
Squeak, squeak Wielding a wet cloth in one hand and a dry cloth in the other, Yumi polished the irls' school were under closer scrutiny than the classroom blackboards Cloudiness or traces of water were to be avoided as much as possible
”Cherry blossoms … I see”
Yoshi+no-san gave an exaggerated nod, showing her understanding
”What, what?”
Yumi frantically asked Was it comprehension or deduction? Either way, slow people had to desperately run to keep up with their perceptive friends
”The cherry blossoms played an important role in shi+”
Scrub, scrub Yoshi+no-san spoke the naraduated in spring
”Really?”
Polish, polish
”That's why they went back to the place from their memories, beneath the cherry tree, for the rosary ceremony Didn't you know?”
Scrub, scrub, scrub
”I see … ”
So that's why shi+mako-san was beneath the cherry tree … as Yu this, a question suddenly bubbled up
”But they becaht? Just before myself and Sachiko-sama”
Polish, polish, polish
”It's just the place fro or not wasn't the question”
”Their memories … ”
They both stopped working and looked up There was only the ceiling and fluorescent lights there, but for a moment they felt they could see the cherry blosso up at
”Even now, she may be immersed in her memories”
”Maybe you're right She could be trying to bury the loneliness caused by her onee-sama's absence”
shi+raduates, I'll have nothing tying me to the Yamayurikai”
”Because Rosa Giga … no, Satou Sei-sama's left”
Maybe she was spacing out because she'd lost sight of her reason for being in the Ya
”The cherry blossoms will fall soon I wonder ill happen then”
”Who knows At they very least, your onee-sama, Sachiko-sama, should cheer up”
”… I guess”
”When Sachiko-sa well, it see with her, right Yumi-san?”
”No way, it's always fun”
Because they hardly ever spent tiether Nowadays
There was barely tiraduation ceremony before they were assailed by waves of end-of-year exa spring break, but, as usual, there had been no such invitation forthco She'd even boldly called Sachiko-sama's house a couple of times, but unluckily they'd been out each ti trip, because there was no return phone call from Sachiko-sama either
That was how the short spring break ended, bringing them to the present
”Huh!? Y- ”
Yoshi+no-san raised her voice and Yumi hastily moved to cover her mouth - But just as she was about to do this, Yu cloths, so changed her tactic to holding both sides of Yoshi+no-san's face like tongs picking up bread The sound that had escaped fro her momentary indecision echoed oddly around the bathroom
”You did nothing for White Day?”
Yoshi+no-san's face, changed into a handball ball, groaned, ”Unbelievable” That word had been appearing an awful lot recently Yoshi+no-san's common sense and Yumi's coard to the way soeurs should be
”It's fine More or less We had our date for Valentine's Day”
”Valentine's Day is Valentine's Day, White Day is White Day Geeze, what is Sachiko-sa?”
”… Probably nothing”
At the very least, nothing about Yumi Her depression about the cherry blosso like hay-fever The syy, so there wasn't any specific medicine for it
It affected Sachiko-saic, irritable, and tired Exhausted of all physical strength So all Yumi could do as her petit soeur was pray that the cherry blossom season would end soon
In truth, Yumi would have been happy with this Sachiko-sa break, like on their first date, just being together She would have been happy with that
”Anyway, Yumi-san, let's just keep a watch on the situation until the cherry blossoms fall”
Yoshi+no-san used her own strength to escape froh of relief
”If shi+mako-san returns to her usual self when the cherry blossoood Otherwise, we'll have a talk with Rei-chan and Sachiko-sa she's recovered by then”
”… Alright”
Yuht that that was all they could do too
Sounds about right
Cherry blossoms
The first thing to do was get rid of the cherry blossoms
The face looking back at her in the polished mirror still looked a tad uneasy
As she was taking the trash bag to the rubbish collection area around the back of the school building, Yumi unexpectedly spotted shi+mako-san
”shi+ma … ”
She started to call out, but stopped
Just like Katsura-san had said, shi+mako-san seeered along beneath the cherry trees like a sleepwalker
Cherry blossoh shi+ them
shi+ her eyes fro her entire body in the petal snow For just a antea, Satou Sei-sa shi+mako-san's Yumi couldn't help but think that shi+ of her onee-sama
That hy she couldn't call out to her
Because shi+mako-san was sad, and still too beautiful Yumi couldn't intrude into her private world
The cherry blossoms would fall soon
What would happen to shi+mako-san then?
shi+h she was chasing cherry trees that hadn't yet lost most of their flowers
Yumi hurried over to the rubbish collection area, left the trash bag and quickly returned When she got back to the spot she was earlier, shi+mako-san was nowhere to be seen
Yuone, but she didn't intend to chase after her When she reached the front of the auditoriuht
On the far side of the hedge, the vivid colors of street clothes kept drawing her attention
”You know, Yumi-chan”
She spoke slowly, as though ad a three year old
”I know You told raduated”
” … So you seem to understand”
Letting out a sigh of amazement, she treated Yumi to a cafe au lait in a takeaway cup, as Yumi sat uncomfortably at a round table in the cafeteria
”My deepest apologies that canned sweet red-bean soup isn't available during this season”
Was she being serious or sarcastic when she said this? Probably the latter
”Ha Thank-you”
Despite her thirst, Yu
She'd blindly run around the university buildings but hadn't found the person she was looking for Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that university students didn't stay in the one classrooh to think, ”I'll find her straight away”
To begin with, starting a et's name and major was an exercise in futility She didn't have a car with a bull horn, so going around shouting out her nao into any of the classroo, Yumi wasn't even exactly clear on whether or not she would be on campus
But still they'd met like this because, luckily, Yuht her here If not for that, she probably wouldn't have found the forantea, Satou Sei-sa it up with her university friends, so it wasn't an emotional reunion
”And? If you kne I'd react, why did you come here Yumi-chan?”
”Will you help with a serious situation involving shi+mako-san?”
”A serious situation with shi+ school?”
”No, nothing like that”
Yumi antea still had it She'd added enough sugar to perfectly match Yumi's tastes
”You know, it's pretty coirls to stare at cherry blossoht Everyone does it”
”I'antea But she's fighting it”
”She's hardly doing much of that It's only been a month”