Volume 20 Chapter 5 (2/2)
”The Vanguard won the uard lost The Center won, the Second-in-Command won and the Captain wonSo, we passed the prelims,” Tanuma Chisato told me and she see move, it's not possible to call each of these a victory or defeat I'ed by Rei-sama”
”Thank you, I'm indebted to you” A victory, a defeat, a victory, a victory and a victory All right, I can remember that
The place where Rei-chan decided to put her ht she'd seen it Since after the match she really couldn't remember, it was painful When she didn't take the ti to feel really aard The results were, for the most part, what she expected: Lillian Girl's School and Ohnaka Girl's High won and were able to advance (You bet your ass they did!)
The second and third daughters of the three Tanaka sisters of Ohnaka Since the second daughter appeared to be the captain, she was arranged to strike at Rei-chan (baring the fangs of their fighting spirit)
Last year it was decided that Rei-chan had defeated her real older sister in the last seconds So, doesn't this seee? Even the three Centers were burning up in revenge Yoshi+no also felt burned up and wanted to return the favor The Tanaka sisters also weren't players in this: it seemed the bottom ranks didn't count It hadn't been quite possible notice-somehow she'd been seriously stricken When the s up and run away from this place, Yoshi+no decided
After running away, she had only to think things through Could she play hide-and-seek froave up and went home? On the way out, could she persuade a first year Lillian student to pretend to be her little sister? She decided to cross that bridge when she ca tentatively decided this, from then on it seemed she was somehow able to watch the rest of the match
The final h School and Lillian Girl's Acade Rei-chan's triumphant win, she must properly burn it into her memory
Which orse: the loser being in the victorious school, or the victor being in the losing school? No way can the final game of a tournament come to this resolution Yoshi+no couldn't find the words to describe the participants But, she couldn't have iined that Lillian would be defeated In a novel or television draard failures or accidents, and in the end, obtain victory no matter what Therefore, it's not that Lillian was defeated Somewhere in her heart, she believed this
However, the heroines in this story were the Ohnaka Kendo Club : in the prelih School were defeated The way you see the world varies greatly depending on where you stand
Rei-chan won, but Lillian had lost The as decided at the point when her comrade, the Second in Couard, the Second Guard and the Second in Command It had already been decided that Ohnaka had the overall victory before their match
”Rei-chan looked so cool”
”Yeah I did”
Rei-chan was unexpectedly relieved Defeated players had rooer for tomorrow It made her want to cry
Speaking of being made to cry, the overall victory went to Ohnaka's captain, Tanaka-san (the second daughter) She was red-faced and puffy-cheeked and cried out loud Even though she was favored, she wasn't crying for joy You could see that she was mortified to have been defeated by Rei-chan As she was leaving, her tea teacher surrounded the girl
Because of this and that, Yoshi+no was late in leaving In theory, right after the match finished, she had planned to vanish into thin air She panicked: until a little while ago Yoshi+no had seen Eriko-sa ladies had been lined up: in between Sei-sama and Youko-sama there was now a vacant seat
(crap!) What should she do? Should she carry out her previous plan, or so, her eyes ran across the entire audience Eriko-sama's disappearance had stalled her Because it was i the end of thetoward the exit She wasn't able to get through
”I' on ahead” Yoshi+no thrust the club's luggage to Tanuma Chisato She then took off in a dash If she cut across the sparing area, she'd be able to reach an exit before Eriko-sama
”Hey, wait Yoshi+no!” she heard co frory voice Yoshi+no began to run That person had already spotted her
”Excuse h” Yoshi+no separated the sta crowd in the vicinity of the exit with those words Soht? Or Left?) The right fork leads to a staircase On the left was a lobby, with the foyer and doors for exiting the building If I was forced to describe my chances, I'd say the left was more crowded, but not by a tremendous amount
”All right, I've decided” Yoshi+no chose to go right Because traffic on the upper levels was prohibited, they were roped off She could only go down But, certainly there should be a washroo could she remain there? Eriko-sama wasn't likely to kick the door in
”Yoshi+no-chan!” When she went down the stairs, there ca her to stop It was not necessary to turn around to the speaker That had been Eriko-sa to have escaped that ive up just yet Although it was true she had run away, the matter of her little sister was still uncertain
”Eriko-sama” Yoshi+no turned around slowly ”Good day”
”Where were you going in such a rush?” Basically, she had run away, but she couldn't say such an unkind thing to Eriko-sama so directly
”Umm”
”Oh, the bathroom?”
”Yes, That's right To the bathroom”
”I see It couldn't be that you were running away froet a little sister There's no way Yoshi+no-chan could do such a thing, right?” When provoked by Eriko-sama, she slipped into a defensive posture every time
”Oh, is Eriko-sa me?” With this, Yoshi+no's path of retreat was completely severed It would now be iy
”So, you weren't able to get a little sister?”
”Oof course I was” In reality, she wasn't However, she was no longer at the level of apology Yoshi+no was quickly being chased down a dead-end street
”By the as the rosary bought during your field trip?”
”Huh No”
”Ah, so you gave your little sister the one given to you by Rei?”
”Yeah” If she stopped to give itthe field trip, there were various places she could have acquired it But, being in a desperate situation, Yoshi+no didn't catch on to the idea Because she had not bought it in Italy, it followed that she would have given her little sister the rosary Rei-chan had given her This was drea up a fanciful story However
”Well that's odd Isn't that a rosary there?” Eriko-sa the dash through the crowd, the rosary seems to have come out
”Yes It's a rosary” Yoshi+no showed her as if there was roootiate She purposefully unfastened it froht hand to her left hand and back again
”You're asking about this because you think we've had the cere so random came out of her mouth so smoothly
”Well, I'lad about it So, she's ”fundaht Except there wasn't anyone known as her little sister, fundamentally or otherwise
”My little sister is” Yoshi+no looked away from Eriko-sama Just over there was a poster with the characters for ”washrooonal arrow ”in the washroo up with a response based on what she had seen was decidedly lacking in skill Yet, when you have your back to the wall you have to use everything at your disposal
”In the washroom?”
”I was quickly coreet you It's not that I was going to the washroom for myself, it was actually forher tio take a peek” Yoshi+no ran down the stairs Though, she didn't check to see if Eriko-sa
”Wait, I'll come with you”
”No, that's not necessary”
”No need to be so tactful”
”Sure there is” They single- to the wall to squeeze past two people co the way to the washroo left
(Left!) As she turned the corner she aieas empty as they came to the end She could twist around at once and throw her off And then Yoshi+no turned
In that ht have said their paths collided But, that person as suddenly there dodged very easily Only Yoshi+no, who suddenly threw on the eency breaks, overbalanced and fell over
”O”
”Are you all right?” the person said as I looked up into her face It was a girl wearing a pink sweatshi+rt with se hair
”What a pretty rosary” When had she picked that up? She picked up the rosary Yoshi+no must have dropped in the ht and ht it was beautiful Rei-chan had gotten it specifically for Yoshi+no It ell chosen as it suited the color of her skin The jungle green colored stone set in the chain was said to be lucky While absent-irl roll the rosary around in her palirl, why do I feel like I know her from somewhere?” Just where was it? It wasn't at all clear The memory was obscured but it wasn't that she had cootten However, this may have been the first time she had directly spoken with this person
”Oh, I'lance Because she panicked and presented the rosary, Yoshi+no reached for her hand and was lifting the rosary Just then, Eriko-sama appeared from around the corner It coincided with the
”Yoshi+no-cha” Eriko-sa the form of these two people, came to stand still as if her battery went dead But Yoshi+no had also forgotten that she was supposed to have been running away
”Is it possible, this girl” At that moment, it finally dawned on Yoshi+no: Eriko-sairl who happened to be here by chance for Yoshi+no's little sister She had gone to the washrooirl who faced opposite her had come from there Additionally, the two people both held the rosary in their hands
”Yes, well” Yoshi+no nodded She nodded and lowered her eyes in that irl who stood next to Yoshi+no, all her eyes had told her was that she earing a pink sweatshi+rt But actually, now it see a Lillian uniforirl she said, ”Followshe spoke to Eriko-sama
”I'll introduce you She this girl is who I'd like to have become my little sister”
”I see” Because the girl introduced herself before being asked for her name, Yoshi+no was honestly saved
”I' you” A-ri-ma Na-na This was a naetables Repeat Syllable” If I write out her naht she ination
”I see Nana-chan, is it I'll remember” Well, with that, she tried to take Nana and leave that place As expected, Eriko-sama did not permit it
”Won't you perform the ceremony in my presence?”
”Um, that's for a future date Today was for introductions” Perfor the ceremony in Eriko-sa like that But, she hadn't said that should be today This was a stopgap perfor away the rosary that she'd been given by Rei-chan, she didn't want to put it around the neck of this unrelated girl
”Why? Here's an opportunity to have one, you shouldn't let it drag on” Does she doubt me? Or, is she just interested? Eriko-sama is considerably insistent
”That's there are various circumstances”
”Circumstances?” This time Eriko-sama didn't look at Yoshi+no, but rather at Arima Nana With this, Nana spoke
”I'm sorry The circumstances are mine: I can't receive her rosary just now”
”Those circumstances are somewhat bothersome”
”It's a bit of this and that”
”A bit of this and that, huh” Eriko-sama, in order to evaluate her, looked at Nana from head to toe ”I understand,” she said and nodded ”There are various reasons so we'll consent to put it off” Am I in the clear? Yoshi+no excitedly watched the outcome of events But, Nana replied more calmly and more unexpectedly Eriko-sama was finally made to shut up
”Incidentally, Yoshi+no-chan As I was saying at the sports festival: what happened to those anxious first-years?”
”Huh?” Because of that, this Arima Nana doesn't fit? (It's all a sham but) What is it that Eriko-sama misunderstands?
”Well, that's fine Since this person has turned out to be rather interesting” What is it that she had decided by herself? Eriko-sa and she turned away
”Well then I guess I should be going At this point, Youko and Sei ought to be tired of waiting in the lobby” Was it true that she had somehow ridden the tides of fate safely? Instinctively she would have given three cheers, but checked herself
”Good day, Yoshi+no-chan It was a treat to be introduced to your little sister I'll leave it alone for a while”
”No need for such re with a sht, ”Do not coht about sticking out her tongue to the retreating figure, Eriko-sama suddenly turned back
”Oh, that's right Nana-chan, was it?”
”Yes”
”Your personal appearance is very neat Please fix what's under your sweatshi+rt” Leaving with that inal course At the point where she disappeared up the stairs, Yoshi+no thought ”you're safe now” and turned to thank Nana
”Thank you You've saved me” However, Nana responded
”But, I didn't, I don't think That person certainly saw through us”
”What?”
”I'm unqualified”
”Unqualified?” What's this? In this case it must mean she doesn't have the qualifications to beco just now, in exchanging only a feords, hoould she be able to judge whether or not the qualifications existed?
”Because the Lillian unifors But I screwed up My ribbon came loose before I could notice” Nana flipped up her sweatshi+rt so Yoshi+no could see At that tireeted Yoshi+no's eyes…
”Oh, you're” Although most of the uniform was the same as the one she wore, the chest was definitely different ”You're a er and shouted From the line of her sailor-collar a thin black ribbon was tied That was the mark of Lillian's Middle School
”Yes, I'm a third year”
”Oh” Because she hadn't irl her little sister, she was not likely to care if she was in h school She someho at once her exhaustion That fact that Eriko-sas worse
”Well then, I should also be going” Nana raised her hand to the high school girl who see her out of the washroom
”Hasekura Rei-sa herself, Nana called with a serious look ”Your little sister, will she receive that rosary?”
”Wha?” Nana left without waiting for an answer, appearing satisfied If there had been enough tiive an anshat could I have said? Yoshi+no's heart throbbed Even though nothing was done, this was the first time since her operation she was made to feel this way Because she had been in such a state, even if she had been wearing an Ohnaka Girl's uniform, she would take Nana There was neither a ”why?” nor any room for doubt
”Yoshi+no-san” When her shoulder was tapped, she came to her senses Yumi-san stood there
”What are you doing here?”
”I was told you were greeting Eriko-sama in front of the washroo out Even though I walked up to you from the front, you didn't see me at all”
”Yeah” It was as if she had been in a dream When asked about her whereabouts, it seemed that Eriko-sama had chased her to somewhere around here
Yet, if Eriko-sa that happened had been real By only chasing her, it wasn't that Eriko-sairl na
”So, how did it go?” Yu soize?” There was nothing like an apology
”I properly introduced her”
”WHAT?! Who on earth would that be?” Had one of the little sister candidates come to the assembly hall? Since she was asked, she replied that neither had come At which point, Yumi-san was considerably surprised That was natural, considering this outcome surprised Yoshi+no most of all
”Arima Nana”
”Huh?”
”A girl named Arima Nana”
”When did youI, never heard any of this” Yumi-san protested At any rate, Eriko-sama had been introduced, and even if the inforrettably there still wouldn't have been any punishment Well, as her best friend she naturally would have insisted but
”I couldn't have told you about her, because I just o”
”” To this, as one would expect, she was speechless
”After today I'll investigate what kind of a girl she is”
”Yoshi+no-san what on earth have you done?”
She presented Yumi-san with an anxiety-ridden face and answered only, ”I'm not really sure” What had really happened? She didn't understand it very well Nor did she really knoould happen in the future ”I can tell you one thing, however: I want Yuet a little sister as soon as possible”
”Huh, what's that mean?”
”If and when there's an eency… Perhaps there ht be an alternative At thatabout Sei-sama