Volume 11 Chapter 2 (1/2)
The followingwhen she woke up It felt like she'd just got out of the pool
Even her eyelids felt a bit swollen
She had a dull pain near her temples The after-effects of yesterday's tears
When she was , and she'd always feel like this the next day She wasn't really et intense Back then, since she couldn't put things into words that well, all she could do was resort to crying
Yued thatthat was different was that she didn't have a fever
”Get it together, Yumi”
She gave herself a pep-talk as she patted her cheeks She wasn't forcing herself to be cheerful She just didn't want to go to school with that miserable look on her face
Fro and changed into it The uniforht back to its usual condition by Katou-san, but some stains had appeared later on so it had been taken to a dry-cleaners yesterday evening
She tied her tie neatly and, since it was there, turned and smiled at the mirror A bit aard, but still okay If she didn't say anything, no-one would know about her swollen eyelids
She left the house with her red folding umbrella in hand
Today's weather report had predicted a 20 chance of rain
”Yu sharp”
Yule-eyed people everywhere, weren't there? It was Mami-san, from the newspaper club
Even so, checking out her classmates' attire on the way in to the classroo protocol, she should have started with ”Gokigenyou”
”Yeah A bit I got caught in the rain yesterday and - ”
Yumi mumbled a harht of a girl with braids some distance away and hurriedly stood up
”Sorry, I've got to go”
Leaving Ma into a number of chairs in the process, Yumi leapt over to Yoshi+no-san
”- Yoshi+no-san”
Yoshi+no-san, who had just entered the classrooarded Yumi with suspicion
”Sorry about yesterday You orried about me, and it sort of looked like I turned you away”
This was about yesterday's events Yoshi+no-san had tried to get her to go to the Rose Mansion, to meet Sachiko-sama, and Yumi had flatly rejected the offer
”Hmm”
Yoshi+no-san see on her desk and pointed her chin towards the hallway, indicating to Yuo outside
Indeed, the classroom wasn't the kind of environ just apologized, Yumi's mind was, for now, completely at ease, but it looked like the sa herself to listen to Yoshi+no-san's gripes, Yu behind her
As they walked through the hallway and down the stairs, Yumi's eyes were fixed on Yoshi+no-san's braids as they swayed across her back Occasionally they'd bounce a bit, and depending on how Yury or dancing with delight
Yoshi+no-san made her way to a courtyard in a different direction to the Rose Mansion, into the shade of a tall tree She checked to make sure the area was deserted, then stopped and turned to face Yumi
The pair were facing each other directly, and Yumi instantly tensed Yoshi+no-san see at her
What was going to happen to her? Suddenly Yu She didn't think she'd done anything bad enough that she'd get hit, but -
Just then
”Yumi … !”
Like she'd snapped under tension, Yoshi+no-san threw her arhtly
”Wh, what's the matter?”
”I'ht ere done for”
”Huh?”
Yoshi+no-san had said 'we' It h Yumi and Sachiko-sama's relationshi+p wasn't the only one in trouble
”But, we're okay right? When you said you were sorry, you ht?”
”Right … but why are you saying this?”
”Never mind Noas we stay friends, it's fine I won't keep badgering you to come to the Rose Mansion, so you don't have to ditchwith the Yamayurikai”
”Yoshi+no-san - ”
It see troubles of her own yesterday while Yuh her ordeal
But what should she do about her current situation? Since Yoshi+no-san was short, it was completely different to when Sei-sama embraced her, it felt so
”I'll still love you even if you're not a bouton”
Yoshi+no-san let go of Yumi's body, and took her hand
Way back when, they'd said, ”Let's be good friends forever,” and shook hands At the tiood relationshi+p, like the Roses had, with the expectation that one day they would become Roses themselves
But things were a bit different now
Yumi too had started to think that even if she wasn't in the Yamayurikai, she still wanted to keep her friendshi+p with Yoshi+no-san the way it was
”Yeah, I like you too Yoshi+no-san”
Their relationshi+p was changing Evolving even
Yu about how they hen they'd ood friends forever,” coht into existence just through words What it really took was realizing just how much you needed someone, and how much they needed you
”I'm sorry”
There were still sothem irreplaceable to each other
”I'm so sorry, Yoshi+no-san”
Yumi's mind had been full of Sachiko-sama so she'd never noticed, but Yoshi+no-san e her relationshi+p with Yoshi+no-san
”I was so worried But it's okay It was just ”
Yoshi+no-san took a couple of steps along the path before turning around again
”Anyway, you ht decision not to come to the Rose Mansion yesterday Sachiko-sama had left early”
”Yeah”
Yuh the branches of a Scotch Broom shrub
”What? How did you know? Did you meet her?”
”Yeah”
”And … it ell?”
Yoshi+no asked, quite shyly She'd obviously been concerned about it, since she said, ”No matter what happens between you and Sachiko-sama”
”Nope”
Yumi smiled
”Because I ran away”
Even though it was only the day after those painful events, she was able to speak s an outline of yesterday's TV drama
”Why did you run away?”
Yoshi+no-san frowned as she asked the question
”Because Touko-chan was there too”
When she heard Yumi's answer, Yoshi+no-san's hands clenched into fists and trembled
”Touko!? That little - as she doing there?”
”Don'tShe just brought things to a head”
”But still”
Yoshi+no-san didn't seem satisfied by this So Yumi explained further
”If I trusted Sachiko-sama, then I'd be unconcerned even if she ith Touko-chan”
”Uh-huh So it's a problem between you and Sachiko-sama I think I kind of understand”
Yoshi+no-san folded her arh she said she kind-of understood, she seeet it at a deep level
Fundamentally, hu that Sachiko-sa towards Touko-chan, then that was Sachiko-sama's decision and unrelated to Touko-chan
People's feelings can change It wasn't like Sachiko-sama was Yumi's property, she was her own person with her own personality
Therefore, it was unthinkable that their relationshi+p was being torn apart by Touko-chan
”So, what happens next, Yumi-san?”
”I'm not sure what I'll do”
In her o to the Rose Mansion, s But it was hard to face up to Sachiko-sama after her shameful behavior yesterday
”It's lonely in the Rose Mansion at lunchtime without you What do you do for lunch?”
”I eat in the classroom”
But that was a complicated matter too
Since the boutons were supposed to be busy, it would be odd for her to eat in the classroom day after day There were people that would notice that kind of thing too Yalancing in her direction Quite recently
”Maybe I should do what shi+mako-san did, and eat outside in an out-of-the-way place”
”During the rainy season?”
Yoshi+no -raindrops-on-the-palm-of-her-hand pose It hadn't rained so far today, but it wouldn't be unusual for it to start any time
”I could take my umbrella when it rains”
”Yumi-san, do you have a bread roll today?”
”Nope”
”That's quite a feat, to hold an umbrella with one hand and use your chopsticks with the other”
”I guess so”
Yumi ran a few simulations in her head, and it did look quite complicated
”Either way, you don't look too concerned by it”
And just how should she have looked? Yoshi+no-san had sounded dejected when she muttered this last comment
Lunchtime soon arrived
”Yumi-san In the Rose Mansion - ”
When their fourth period class finished, Yoshi+no-san approached Yumi, lunchbox in hand
”I guess you're not co, after all”
She'd derived the answer upon seeing Yumi's expression
”Sorry”
”No, I was just checking Still”
Yoshi+no-san didn't withdraw immediately, instead she whispered:
”Sachiko-sama's absent today, so she won't be at the Rose Mansion … okay?”
”Absent … Huh?”
Yumi hadn't known that
The likelihood of accidentally running into someone fro And for people in different grades, the probability was even lower still
”Rei-chan tolda break, she went to Sachiko-sama's classroom on an errand That's how”
How she came to know about Sachiko-sama's absence
”I wonder why”
”Rei-chan said she didn't know”
Recently, Sachiko-sao ho with her health No, when they'd met yesterday, she hadn't seemed to be in fantastic health, but she didn't look like she was ill either
”What will you do?”
Yoshi+no-san asked, once o to the Rose Mansion, or not?
”I decided not to go”
”That's true”
Yoshi+no-san nodded, keeping her proer Yumi to come to the Rose Mansion
Going to the Rose Mansion because Sachiko-sa that Yu herself to do It would be like she was an adulterous wife's lover, going to visit while the husband ay That sort of sneaking around was deplorable
If she was going to go to the Rose Mansion, it was better to do so when Sachiko-sama was there
If she couldn't walk in there with her head held high and her chest out, it was better not to go at all
After Yoshi+no-san had exited the classroo Yumi
”Yumi-san, if you'd like, why don't you accompany us to Milk Hall?”
”Huh?”
Hearing this sudden proposal, a jolt of tension ran through her
”Please, if you're not going to the Rose Mansion”
”We were just thinking we'd like to get to know you better, Yumi-san”
The co the three of theh-school was the first time they'd been in the same class as Yumi They'd been in the same class for about two months now, but Yumi hadn't really talked to them all that much
”What do you say? Let's go together Misa-san went ahead to reserve five seats for us”
Misa-san was the name of another classmate that Yumi had had very little contact with
”Well, since you've gone to all that trouble”
It would be a shame to waste those seats, so Yuirls who had invited her Milk Hall was a cafeteria and dining hall, so it could also be used by students who brought their lunch
As they walked through the halls, they talked about their iazine reports on natural coseted at teens, and who they liked from the latest pop bands
The Ya the true cause, the question ”Why aren't you going to the Rose Mansion?” never came up
”Did you see that new sunscreen lotion ad? I heard the e as us”
The topic of conversation soon changed It was bewildering, like flipping pages in a azine