Volume 11 Chapter 3 (2/2)
Perhaps this was how she would have spent her days if she hadn't becoht floated into Yumi's mind as she listened to the conversation With that assuh
”Then Miitan started sulking, and it turned into such a drama”
”Ah, Miitan is Satoe-san's cat”
”She's a Persian-japanese o, and she's sooo cute”
This was probably a regular topic of conversation, so the explanation wasn't necessary between the friends Her kind classmates had provided this commentary for her sake This considerationshe felt she had to apologize for
Because she'd caused the conversation to pause momentarily
As a guest, she'd feel ressed at its usual break-neck pace But she couldn't say that There was the question of whether it would be interpreted correctly
Therefore she obediently chimed-in to the conversation
”Next ti one, could you show me a picture of Mii-chan too?”
”Yumi-san It's not Mii-chan, it's Miitan”
”Ah, oh no My apologies”
Yumi smiled as she walked down the corridor It see
She didn't knoas so a
But the silly chatterin her heart, it was only on the surface of her face
Because that was more comfortable
Perhaps it would stick, and bring comfort to her heart
After they'd left the school building, when Milk Hall ca along the path in the opposite direction
The girl was headed her way, chatting to what looked like a couple of her classmates Trademark vertical curls on both sides of her head Probably heading back to her classroo from Milk Hall A strawberry milk carton held in her hand
As they reached point-blank range, Yuulfed in a stor and responding to her classmates' conversation appropriately
This was to convey that Yumi was unconcerned That when she looked at Touko-chan's face, she could do so serenely
It was, ultimately, a display
This matter didn't concern Touko-chan, it was between herself and Sachiko-sah Yumi accepted this, that wasn't all there was to it Because when the person who started it all was right in front of her, she couldn't help but think bad thoughts about her
”Despicable”
As they crossed paths, Touko-chan said this loud enough that Yuroup could hear
Even though she should have ignored it, Yumi turned around To question why she felt that she had to say this The rebuttal she wanted to say was, ”You're the one stealing my onee-sama”
When she turned around, Touko-chan was standing right there, waiting for her
”I ed you, Yumi-sama”
Yuth of her gaze ed to hold on, just If she looked away, she'd have lost She wasn't exactly sure what contest they were having, but, at the very least, she recognized the scornful words that had been directed at her
”You have no right to say so like that”
Yu Consequently, those were the only words that she could squeeze out
”Even if I don't have the right, I'll say what I want to say”
One of Touko-chan's corabbed her arm and started to pull Touko-chan away A first-year student was picking a fight with one of her seniors, so the correct course of action for her friends was to put a stop to it
”Let's go, Yumi-san”
After there was some distance between the her away, Yumi's classmates decided it was best to take her to Milk Hall It was like they were two dogs, growling at each other, and being separated by their owners
”If you've got some objection, it's better to speak out If there's soo ahead and say it”
Touko-chan was still barking
”How can you look away froh like a ditz?”
”D … ditz?”
Hearing these unexpected words sapped Yu to stir up trouble, saying 'ditz' was being too cruel
”Just as I thought, Yumi-sama's not suitable for Sachiko-sama”
In the end, Touko-chan's mouth was muzzled by her class
”The nerve of that kid”
It looked like even Yumi's classmates had been affected by Touko-chan's bile
”Yumi-san, are you okay?”
”Yeah … I'm fine”
Despite what she said, the truth was that she wasn't fine
Ditz though she may be, Touko-chan's words had pierced her heart and re her lunch
”So is the Red Rose Revolution happening, or not?”
”What's that?”
After school, as Yuuchi Ma, ”Five minutes, please” There were still a lot of their classmates around as Yumi was taken to the back of the classroom, and made to sit down in a seat near the
”The word is, you and Miss Matsudaira Touko came to blows today at lunchtime”
”That's a bit of an exaggeration”
Yu to see ould believe this rumor? Mami-san was the petit soeur of the newspaper club's president, and the current chief editor of the Lillian Kawaraban, the school's newspaper
Spinning a ertips, Mami-san smiled
”Yeah I heard the other side of the story from a couple of our class more than words However - ”
”However?”
”The ru fast It took about two hours to reach me, and by that time it had been embellished to the point where Rosa Chinensis en bouton received an open-handed slap froer student”
So it took two hours for Mami-san to catch hold of the ruone directly to the newspaper club to spill the gossip
The path to Milk Hall was at peak capacity during lunch break, so it
Those watching at a distancetheir own speculation, and after two hours it had reached a 'truth' unknown to the people actually involved
”There was a note going around in class that said the sa, so it looks like the embellishment has stuck”
”Is that so?”
Which would account for the speed hich the ruiven that it had really only been a short tiossip
But even so, a slap What an incredible rumor
”Another piece of gossip I heard from a different source said that Matsudaira Touko had stolen Yumi-san's rosary”
”Uhh… ”
Yuht there may have been a bit of truth to that rumor Last year's ”Lillian Kawaraban” had printed articles solely like those fro, so there was a bit of an immunity But how much of these rumors would everyone believe?
”On top of that … right, right I've heard others like Sachiko-sa”
”Huh”
Hearing the phrase 'two-ti, these were si to the extremely perceptive Mami-san The newspaper club's star reporter She had to make sure she wasn't tricked by the casual tone of their conversation into letting so slip out of her mouth
Whether Mami-san noticed that tremor or not, she peered intently at Yumi's face
”You'd better be careful The general public is scary”
”S … scary?”
Yu this for draood exaood at telling ghost stories
”Would you like me to lend a hand?”
This was the real question, and while she didn't say it, Mahtly
”A hand?”
”An exclusive intervieith fukuzawa Yumi, printed in the Lillian Kawaraban”
”So that's what this is about?”
”That's what this is about”
If the person involved told the full story, all the useless embellishments would probably disappear, once and for all
Gossip spread because of people's desire to knohat happened, so if the truth was exposed in broad daylight, then the desire would be satisfied and it would recede fro tide
”Thank-you, but I'll pass”
Yumi definitively rejected the offer to ”lend a hand” Mami-san responded with a cocked eyebrow and a question:
”You don't have faith in what I'd write?”
”That's not it This time around, I want to handle it myself, one way or the other”
”Will you be able to, one way or the other?”
”Even if I can't, it's okay People will lose interest in the rumor sooner or later You knohat they say, ”Gossip only lasts one season””
”And suht?”
”Exactly”
Yumi smiled too She didn't know if she'd be able to handle this herself, but she felt it was so she had to do
Her re classenyou,” as they went
Yoshi+no-san had left for club activities a long tio
Inadvertently, she thought of the Rose Mansion At that moment, it was probably just shi+e table on the second floor, silently doing paperwork
The thought, ”I want to go and help,” floated through her mind, and Yumi shook her head violently, to throw it off She'd alreadyon to this lingering affection
”If people only know a part of the story, they'll just fill in the part they don't know themselves”
Mami-san remained seated, and stretched upwards with both hands Five o ho
”For instance, take a look at Yumi-san from my point of view”
Returning her gaze, Ma in her report pad
”A fight with Matsudaira Touko Recently, for so the Rose Mansion And yesterday, in front of the school gate, she was absolutely drenched”
As expected, she'd caught wind of yesterday's events And since she'd stated it so confidently, itit as a ruot her hands on some firm evidence
”That's only three data points But on the other hand, those three are plenty sti”
'Quarrel,' 'Rose Mansion,' 'Drenched' Ma a rounded triangle
”The point is, the subject of all three is the saether In truth, it could be a wavy line, or it could be a dotted line Or perhaps they're completely unrelated”
”Unrelated?”
”There's no connection between thehly the same time Well, normally you'd call that a coincidence”
”Yeah, right”
Yumi snorted
The argu to the Rose Mansion, and getting drenched in front of the school gate despite having an umbrella - as if they would all be just a coincidence Was that really so Mami-san would think?
”But, see, I don't know the truth about this The only one that does know is you, Yumi-san”
Ahh, was that it? There may have been but one truth, but only the person involved could discern it People had to rely on their i part
”Then on top of that, add in Rosa Chiensis' absence”
Indeed While Yuht that it was completely unrelated to her, the fact of Rosa Chinensis' absence had been added in like it was all one scene of a movie
”Why is she absent?”
Mami-san asked
”I don't know”
Yu away
”You're her petit soeur, right?”
”There's things even petit soeurs don't know You said it yourself, just before, right? For me, the reason for my onee-sama's absence is one of those 'parts I don't know'”
”Hht then, a personal question What happened to your rosary, Yumi-san?”
”My rosary?”
”When ere getting changed, it wasn't hanging around your neck”
Sharp eye Which ing rooms
”No comment”
Yu away from the question Mami-san remained seated, looked up at Yumi and smiled
”Smart move Better to stay silent than to open yourpoorly”
”You're going to make that into an article?”
”I can't just yet But when I do, I'll let you see the final draft before it's printed”
”Okay”
That was the type of person that Mami-san was Which hy Yumi could chat with her like this She wouldn't just print their conversation in the Lillian Kawaraban But having said that, Mami-san could be quite persuasive, so it was better not to blurt out so carelessly
After returning to her own desk and picking up her school bag, Yu to herself
”It's just so on with Yumi-san this time around?”
”You can tell that so on?”
Yumi turned around and asked
”I can But I don't knohat”
Marams on her report pad All this was focused on the unknown parts, Yued
However
During her conversation with Mami-san, there had definitely beeninto view, and then going back into hiding