Volume 9 Chapter 8 (2/2)
”Silly Yumi Moved to tears?”
”Because”
Now that she are of the tears, she wanted to cry even more
”Go ahead”
Sachiko-sa her closer
Yuht of shi+ainst her onee-sama's chest
shi+er had an onee-sama to show her this sort of kindness She had no-one to silently quell the tears that fell for reasons she didn't understand
How lonely would she be? How anxious would she be?
It may be a loneliness that even friends couldn't fill
If shi+mako-san wanted someone to warm her heart, then who could blame her for that?
Even if it meant that Nijou Noriko became shi+mako-san's savior
”Onee-sama, I - ”
Just when the mood was so nice
Thud!
”Sachiko onee-sa news!”
The third-wheel appeared, alood scene Naturally, it ithout any advance warning
”What's the matter, Touko-chan?”
Sachiko-sa her body from Yumi's Because it was such a rapid assault, she couldn't process it all immediately, so didn't have the presence of mind to issue a caution about ”Sachiko onee-sama” See, because Touko-chan could cli a sound
”At lunchti”
Touko-chan forgot to close the door as she rushed over to Sachiko-sama
”So I've heard”
”You've heard … ? Who from?”
As she spoke, Touko-chan slowly shi+fted her gaze to Sachiko-sahbor
”Ah, Yumi-sama It was you?”
Like she'd just noticed While she was still pulling herself together, Yuenyou Thanks for earlier” Touko-chan showed she was still a new student by her response of, ”Now's not the ti”
”I know that shi+mako and this first-year Noriko ether”
Sachiko-sama pulled out a chair and sat down
”That's all that Yumi-sama saw”
Touko-chan shrugged Yu news happened after I left then”
”shi+ to Noriko-san”
”What was it?”
”It was a cloth pouch I couldn't tell as inside, so I gathered e and when Noriko-san was out of the classroo and looked inside”
”Touko-chan, that was going a bit - ”
Too far, Yumi tried to caution her from the sidelines
”She's my friend”
Touko-chan cut her off, decisively A mind that never doubted the correctness of its actions could easily suppress any feelings of guilt
Sachiko-saument about this wouldn't advance the main topic, so she pressed onwards
”And? What was inside?”
”A juzu Sachiko onee-sama”
”A juzu!?”
”Yes, a juzu U of beads they use at Buddhist ceremonies, like funerals”
The string of beads they used at Buddhist funeral cererand when she prayed before her household shrine Touko-chan held her hands together in front of her chest, in a praying pose
”shi+ht a juzu to school … ”
Sachiko-saers in front of her mouth
”We should use it as a prop, don't you think?”
Touko-chan looked triu found the pawn, Nijou Noriko, and the juzu prop
”Yes … well, we'll see”
”And, during class, I orking on a side-project”
Touko-chan took a notebook fro and handed it over to Sachiko-sama, who had a conflicted expression on her face
””Great Detective Touko's Casebook The Mystery of the Missing Juzu?” What is this?”
”I' and producing So this … ”
Tee hee She shrugged, laying on the cute act so thick she was practically shouting it
”I thought I'd try writing the script”
”Huh!?”
Rosa Chinensis and her petit soeur both exclaimed simultaneously
She thought she'd try writing the script That was indeed what Touko-chan had said
Even so, ”Great Detective Touko” Pretty conceited of her to make herself the lead
”Um, Touko-chan … ?”
hello?
”Have no fear Each of the Rose onee-saht”
”Um”
”Of course, the auditorium scene is the climax”
It was useless Touko's mind was already completely occupied with her own play
”What are you prattling on about?”
A hand came from behind and took hold of the notebook / script It was Rei-sa there
”Touko-chan, are you there? There's so that has to be said clearly, so I'll say it You're not a roup Thank-you for your inforhable”
Ah, Rei-saht to the chase, saying what Yumi wanted to say but couldn't Rosa Foetida was as reliable as ever
”But”
”But nothing”
Even as she was issuing this stinging rebuke, Rei-sah the notebook
”Alright, alright I've picked out most of the important points from your scenario, Touko-chan Now step back and be quiet Okay?”
She rolled the notebook into a cylinder and gently tapped Touko-chan on the head with it
”Okay”
Touko-chan answered, in good-little-girl mode
”shi+mako-san will be here soon”
Yoshi+no-san entered the roo for this time Not just for the people in on the secret
”Bye then Touko's off to her club activities”
Touko-chan skipped past Yoshi+no-san on her way out Her ringlets bouncing jauntily as she did so
”… Incredible”
Without thinking, Yuroaned
”What?”
Rei-sa about her
”Touko-chan's behavior”
”Oh right Well, I say that, but I'm used to it”
Rei-saled her chin towards Yoshi+no-san
Oh right
”I see”
The way Touko-chan carried on It could definitely give Yoshi+no-san a run for her money
shi+ the musical score for ”Ave Maria” on the piano
”I've been given peran”
She certainly didn't seem to think she was on a fool's errand Yumi's chest burned
(She's my friend!)
She recited Touko-chan's words in her hts There was no way to knoas right without seeing the results So they all believed their only option was to see this through to the end
Now then
shi+an at this year's first-year welco ceremony That's what they'd decided
There was no way they could tell shi+ to use to entrap her, so this was their decoy And a plan that created work for shi+mako-san was convenient in s when shi+mako-san wasn't there
”Hoas it? The organ”
Rei-sama nonchalantly probed shi+mako-san
”Let me think Like Sachiko-saht to a piano, so there's some parts that are tricky to play”
Then shi+, ”But once I'e so
”If you're not confident we can always switch Back to that other - ”
Sachiko-saer around in a small circle
”No please!!”
The two boutons screamed out almost simultaneously
”I think I'll be sick that day if we change back”
”Yeah, I' up with enthusias on”
”… So it looks like we all agree it would be better if I played the organ”
shi+ently
”Really? I thought it ell received”
”Oh it was The Bouton's Great Talent Show”
Traditional japanese dancing to ”Maria-sama's Soul”
A ic act backed by ”El Bimbo” on pianica
The ara essa ssa of the Loach Scopping dance
No-one had ever heard of the older students doing so ceremony
”You've done it before”
”That was … ”
They'd been willing to sacrifice life and li Roses Plus, because it was in the family, so to speak, they could cut loose a bit It wasn't soe audience, especially not of first-years
”You're no fun”
Sachiko-sa the flames, but if their petit soeurs really did put on such a show then it would obviously be incredibly erande soeurs too
”At any rate, that idea's rejected Rejected”
In solidarity with Yoshi+no-san, she rejected the idea Even if it was a joke, even if it was to trick shi+ with their duestion had to be killed off as quickly as possible Adding her hand to their two fists, shi+an better than perfor a traditional japanese dance too
”shi+mako”
Sachiko-sama suddenly spoke with a serious expression
”Yes”
”Give it your best”
”Huh? … Okay”
shi+e atmosphere
The Maria Ceremony was only three days away