Volume 14 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Lunchtime
As she was hurrying to Milk Hall to buy a pastry, Yumi spotted someone she knew from behind and instinctively called out to her
”Touko-cha~n”
With her characteristic hairstyle, two ringlets - one on the left and one on the right, there was noher for someone else As expected, when her name was called she slowed down and turned around
”… Yumi-sama”
”Are you by yourself?”
Yuh the crowd of people to stand beside her The sorade below her
”Is there so by myself? But since you mentioned it, Yumi-sama, you don't seem to have any companions with you either”
prickly Touko-chan
Yu with being alone, but … well, Touko-chan usually had a sharp tongue
Still, Yuainst it now, as opposed to when they'd first ht Touko-chan was cute, like akitten
”Well, today, ot to set the timer for the rice cooker and we didn't have any rice So I have to buy soot in my lunchbox is side dishes”
Yu the small plastic container
”I didn't really need to hear about that”
”Really? You s a lunchbox, so why's she going to Milk Hall?””
”How conceited The world doesn't revolve around you, Yumi-sama”
”Oh, really?”
”Yes, really Well then, goodbye”
Intending those as parting words, Touko-chan hurried off Yu more or less anticipated that reaction
This path led to various other places, like the school store and the chapel, but at this ti to Milk Hall too Yumi didn't really want to walk the rest of the way to their destination looking at Touko-chan's back
”Touko-chan's being so cold Makes Yumi so lone~ly”
Clinging on to Touko-chan
”Please stop”
Touko-chan took half a step sideways to put some space between the lost her earlier desire to shake off Yu aas pointless
”How come you haven't visited the Rose Mansion recently?”
Yumi asked as they walked side-by-side
”I've been busy with club activities Besides”
Touko-chan looked down
”It's filled with an evil presence”
”An evil presence?”
Yumi asked and Touko-chan raised her head, surprised
”Please ignore that last part It's my problem to deal with”
Ignore it or not, it was a cryptic remark Without clarification, Yumi had no idea what it meant
”Are things like evil presences popular at the moment?”
”What do you mean, popular?”
This ti for clarification
”There was so I heard from my brother”
”Your brother? - Ah”
”Oh, that's right, you've met my brother”
Boy uru-san's mansion Well, let's just set that aside for now
”The other day, one of ot this really bad feeling Like he was being haunted by so”
”In that case, couldn't he just pray or have an exorcism? That's a different sort of evil presence to mine”
”That's like what my brother's friend said”
”But just now you said it was like he was being haunted by so”
”That's what I said, but”
Yu but not by an actual ghost
”They have a strong sense for the supernatural so they kneasn't a spirit It was so”
Touko-chan listened silently then after a little whilethat seemed to indicate she understood
”More troublesome because it's a human … it really is like that”
Maybe so came to mind for her too
”You should come and visit us every so often Sachiko-saloomy, you can pick a time when I'm not there”
Touko-chan made no response to this comment
Arriving at Milk Hall, it was as packed full of h school students as she'd expected it to be
Touko-chan bought a strawberryby her side
”Aren't you ?”
Like the sounds the coins e slot, she spoke in a way that seeet this”
”Misunderstanding?”
”You're not the one I can't stand, Yumi-sama”
”Oh, then who?”
As she asked this, Yuht, ”Darn it”
She'd be better off not poking her nose into matters of ”Who likes who” or ”Who hates who” With those sorts of interpersonal problems, if she knew both of the people she'd be reminded of it every time she saw one of them
”Um, Touko-chan”
Yuht she should take back her earlier re to speak
However, Touko-chan immediately opened her mouth
”Hosokawa Kanako”
She spoke clearly, so there was no chance ofher As expected of the self-proclai the results of her daily vocal training
”I cannot bring myself to like her”
Touko-chan didn't just blurt out her na myself to like her,” to be doubly sure She'd heard them described as natural ene to hear this first-hand Since Yumi considered both Touko-chan and Kanako-chan to be cute juniors
”Still, I' her friend, nor will I criticize you for this, Yumi-sama It's just - ”
At this point, Touko-chan sed her words
”It's just?”
Yulanced at the pastry counter and smirked
”You should watch out, Yumi-sama If you don't hurry, they'll be sold out”
”Ahh”
People that had arrived after her had passed Yu around the counter There was already a pile of empty plastic containers behind the counter
”You should have put in an order hoever was on duty”
Judging by her leisurely smile, Touko-chan had only come to Milk Hall to buy a strawberry milk
”I co my lunch”
Apparently her ious
”See you later, Touko-chan”
Yumi threw herself into the crowd of students, in order to buy a bread roll
”Best of luck”
Touko-chan waved and smiled
The people swar around the bread counter were more fierce than she expected No, let's rephrase that as ”full of energy”
This was Lillian's Girls Acade ladies here
”Well, this looks tough”
There were a nu the pastries so even if they were to for like a line, it wouldn't just be one line, and the lines would just collapse when the person up front looked at as available on the table and made their decision, and on top of that the next person in line would just order while the head of the line wasup their mind, which would lead to a sense of, ”What's the point in having a line if no-one knohere the head is”
To makethrough the croas surprisingly difficult Yuressed forwards in quite some time
While she was in that situation:
Tap tap
In the confusing crush of people, someone casually strolled up behind Yumi and tapped her on the shoulder
Wondering who on earth it was, Yu at her
”… Kanako-chan”
”What's going on here? You always bring your lunch and eat it at the Rose Mansion, so why are you in this crowd of people buying food, Yuht I'd mistaken someone else for you”
”Well, we didn't have rice this ”
Like Touko-chan had said, no-one would be interested in the details surrounding the fukuzawa family's rice situation But since she'd asked, it was fine to answer
”My, that's quite a bother What sort of pastries do you like, Yumi-sama?”
”Well, anything really”
The pastries for sale at Milk Hall during lunch time hatever was left over after the orders for each class had been fulfilled Since she didn't knohat they'd have on offer, she'd coet And in ast this chaos it was i would do As long as she could get one, she'd be most satisfied
”Then I'll buy you so suitable”
After inforo-ahead, Kanako-chan turned to the right and entered the fray of people looking to buy pastries
”Ah, Kanako-chan”
”Just wait over to the side there, Yumi-sama”
With her height, she stood out a through the crowd as surging through it
”You don't have to overdo it Uht some side dishes so just one would be fine”
Yumi called out to Kanako-chan, unsure of whether or not she was heard
Kanako-chan seemed to overtake so Yu a bother to those around her She couldn't just dismiss it as so as a stand-in for herself
”Sorry for keeping you waiting”
Kanako-chan returned in no ti three pastries
”Ah, you bought three”
”Yes”
”Were you having any of these?”
”No, I brought my lunch”
It looked as though her earlier shout hadn't reached Kanako-chan's ears
”That was pretty quick … ”
”Yeah”
”You didn't cut in line or anything did you?”
”Well, I was just recovering the spot that you had at the start I don't think anyone has the right to complain about that”
Soht, but Yumi didn't think she'd be able to explain how in a way that Kanako-chan would understand
Yu patiently in line but that wouldn't have gone over well
”Anyhich one did you want? I couldn't narrow it down to just one, so I bought the three I was considering”
- So it looked as though she had heard after all Even so, Kanako-chan still bought three
”How much were they?”
Yumi opened her purse
”Um For this jam bun?”
”No, how much for all of them?”
”Huh?”
There was no way Yuht for her and it wasn't as though she could return the other two
”You weren't buying any for your own lunch, right Kanako-chan? So I'll pay for all of them”
”But”
”Don't worry about it, how much?”
”- No”
Kanako-chan said, looking down
”I bought these of my own accord You shouldn't have to pay because of that These are all a gift Please eat them with the rest of the Yamayurikai”
”Kanako-chan”
What should she do? Now she wasn't even accepting payment for one of them, let alone all three
”I can't let you do that”
Yumi quickly calculated the cost of the three pastries in the bag Then she took the exact amount from her purse and placed it in Kanako-chan's hand However
”I told you I won't take your money”
There was no way she was going to quietly accept the coins
”And I told you I can't let you do that”
It was turning into a scene fro over who should pay - ”I'll get it,” ”No, let ress at all In the end, those old ladies must settle it soht now There was no way they'd keep going until the store closed, so it seeround and settle it
”Stop”
Suddenly there was a flash of light
”Yumi-san, and you over there Why don't you calm down a bit and take a look around you?”
As expected, standing there was the self-proclairaphy club, and Yumi's friend, Takeshi+ma Tsutako-san She lowered her camera and calmly stepped towards them
”Around us … ?”
Yu this and saw there was a ring of people surrounding her and Kanako-chan
She didn't think they'd been talking that loudly, but sheit
Even thought it hadn't yet reached the level of an argureement
”Aha … ”
Yus over but it was a waste of effort
But, having taken Tsutako-san's advice to calain control over the disturbance she'd caused? Kanako-chan looked down but didn't move either
”First of all, Yumi-san will take the pastries Then, you'll take the ives you Okay?”
Tsutako-san briskly ordered the over fro stock still and at their wits end But still Kanako-chan stubbornly refused to accept the money
”You may not like it, but just quietly do as you're told Otherwise, the situation here won't be resolved”
”But”
”If she's willing to pay, you should let her If you turn it into a big deal, it's going to get out of control Or are you trying to s worse for Yumi-san?”
Tsutako-san quietly repriht fist to accept the coins
”Now that's done, I' to buy two of those pastries from Yumi-san And with that, the case is closed Sorry for the disturbance, everyone It was just an exchange of pastries Please continue to have a wonderful lunch break See you”
Tsutako-san put an arm around Yumi and Kanako-chan's shoulders and walked off They left Milk Hall like this, walking alongside each other Yumi wasn't really sure what this would look like to the spectators, but she wasn't too concerned about that She was still a bit surprised about the incident herself
The only thing Yumi did knoas that Tsutako-san had saved her Who could tell hoould have ended if things had kept on with neither of the down in front of that crowd of people? She shi+vered just thinking about it
After they'd walked a short distance from Milk Hall, Kanako-chan stopped and turned to Tsutako-san
”Thank-you for resolving the situation However, I bought all three of those pastries for Yumi-san”
”I know that So does Yuht?”
Yumi nodded at Tsutako-san's question Yeah, she knew that alright But there were things she could accept and things she couldn't accept
Kanako-chan quickly bowed then ran off in the direction of the school building
As they watched her leave, Tsutako-san muttered:
”I wonder what she was doing at Milk Hall in the first place”
”Ah, now that you mention it”
All she'd had on her was her purse, so she hadn't brought a lunchbox, but despite this she hadn't bought a pastry for herself either
”Maybe she was buying a drink or so”
Like Touko-chan earlier There were some students like that
”In that case, she wouldn't have gone to the pastry counter, right?”
”I guess”
The drink vending machines were concentrated around the entrance to Milk Hall while the pastry counter was a fair way inside
Well, people have all sorts of e it to reasons