Volume 22 Chapter 2 (1/2)
The closing cere held this year on the last day of school It was to be Christmas Eve
Yuotten that last year, so she had not had a present ready for her Onee-sama This year was different As soon as the School Festival had finished, she had started thinking about what to do She had splurged on theexam week had hurriedly prepared it
Ta-da! This year's present was the world's one and only hand-knitting! She had spent last night perfectly wrapping the gift, and had even added a card She'd overlooked nothing As soon as she had finished, she wanted nothing h it was just a weird fancy) Visiting Onee-sa on her door, and handing over the present It would be far fro experience
Visiting her during the school day when there would be a large group of people around wouldn't work That's why, this year, she would disguise the present as a package for her Onee-sama and deliver it If Onee-sao to her and say, ”Wait a second, let ,” and leave her smartly
”What?!”
It was 8am Rose Mansion Second Floor
Everyone was busy preparing for the party that was to be held after the school closing cereave a sudden outburst to one of Yoshi+no's passing statements
”Shh You're too loud”
Yoshi+no grier in front of Yumi-san's mouth Luckily, they were a bit far from shi+mako-san and Noriko-chan, and they were absorbed in their own conversation So Yumi's surprise was not heard
The third-years had not come
The party preparations worked in an order As soon as mass would finish, everyone would come to the Rose Mansion They would busily decorate it, then bake the place full of pastries and cakes, and finally prepare tea So this was the most basic step in the ladder of party preparation
They had to clean a room that had been left alone for al a whole bunch of food and place it in the fridge, and they had to bring up chairs from the first floor up to the second to make up for the chairs that they did not have This kept them occupied
Yumi toned down her volume, and asked Yoshi+no-san
”Well, I called Tanaka, no Arima Nana ”
Yoshi+no-san said, a bit louder than she should have
Why? Last week, on the last day of exa about this
But even had she suspected so for the amusement park date with Sachiko-sa
Yoshi+no-san continued talking
”That's why I' you to help me”
”Help me?”
Arima Nana, whose name Yumi had only recently heard off, whose very mention sounded like soly off Yoshi+no-san's lips
Yoshi+no had previously introduced Nana as her ”soon to be soeur” to Torii Eriko-sama [1]
Yoshi+no wanted to make Nana her soeur if she could not find anyone by her third year
But this time, Yoshi+no wanted to invite her to a casual party It felt like a hop, a step, or maybe even a jump up
”Well anyway”
Yoshi+no-san said
”Yumi-san, you had said that you had wanted to invite Touko-chan and Kanako-chan for the Christmas party, didn't you?”
”I didn't”
Of course, Yumi-san knew that she wouldn't explicitly say that she wanted to invite them She wouldn't say she didn't want them invited either
”Hey, listen to everything I'ht I could call ht that they should come”
” What?”
Yoshi+no-san was just pushi+ng words into Yumi's mouth
Well, whatever She didn't understand this thing at all Arima Nana-san was a middle school student, and had never even seen the Yamayurikai once before To offer a direct, personal invitation to such a person took real guts She wanted to invite people who everyone knew very well so that Nana-san wouldn't stick out [2]
”Plus won't the turnout feel a little lonely this year? Last year we had eight Yamayurikai members? Plus Tsutako-san But this year there are six members And then with Tsutako-san, it'll be seven? Sachiko-sama said we should invite more people, when Rei-chan had asked”
So Yoshi+no-san heard Rei-sa about the party, and so she comes to ”hey Yumi-san” her?
”So if we add three, e crowd echoing in the room They said we could even invite first or second years”
”Ugh”
Now Yuo to Touko-chan and Kanako-chan, invite them, and try to surreptitiously hint to them that she would like it if they ca at Yumi to do
”When the new year stars, the third years will get busy, and we'll have the Student Council Elections, and then everyone will stop cos So”
So this was a good opportunity to call a lot of people, Yoshi+no-san was i Of course, Nana-san should also be one of these people
BBut wait Yu
”U Did you promise Ari?”
”Not yet”
”But you're still bringing her here?”
Isn't she being a bit overeager?
”Yeah I wanted to introduce her to Rei-chan”
”Wow that's impulsive”
When Yoshi+no-san said that she wanted to introduce Nana-san to her Onee-sama, to a normal person, it would sound like she wanted to introduce her boyfriend Sort of like ”I want to meet his parents”
”Not very I just want to quickly introduce her et to know Rei-chan”
Yoshi+no-san said, slightly distastefully Kind of like, continuing with the previous analogy, the boyfriend's father not finding her up to snuff
”Wellare you sure?”
”For now at least”
Yoshi+no-san seemed to feel as if she were outnu As her close friend, ould be the best thing to do now?
”Alright, I see Then let's get it all organized”
Yuether, and called out to the White Rose Sisters
”shi+uys done?”
They had sos to talk about
It was about ten o back to class, so for now, the four sat down
”It's about the Christ a bit lonely, so we decided to invite a fe people Yoshi+no-san seems to have one person in uys have anyone you'd like to call?”
”How about Tsutako-san”
shi+raphy Club's Ace had been invited to the party last year, and at the end of it had said ”Next year for sure!” shi+mako-san seemed to remember this
”Ah, she was in the list of na with the Onee-samas”
We had thanked her tre so ed to attend again this year
”Then I can't think of anyone else How about you, Noriko?”
”Even I can't really”
Noriko-chan fell silent She looked as if she were holding so back But she also looked as if she wasn't really troubling herself much about it
”Then how about Touko-chan and Kanako-chan?”
Yumi blurted out, and Yoshi+no-san exclaireat!” Then she softened her tone, and asked Noriko-chan ”Right?”
” Yeah”
Noriko-chan seehts Yumi asked her a question
”Could you please invite them?”
Part of it was that today was a holiday, but more importantly, she had not seen Touko-chan's face since the day when she had unexpectedly appeared at the fukuzawa residence
Yui-san had told her, and was still a bit afraid of ht it best if Noriko-chan, a girl froo and invite her
But being scared to talk to Touko-chan, and not wanting to s Actually, she wanted to look upon a Touko-chan laughing along with her classmates in happiness
But
”I cannot”
Noriko-chan replied
”Huh?”
Responses other than ”Sure” or ”I'll do it” were responses Yumi could not even fathom
”Nohy”
”I said that I can't do it”
Noriko-chan cut Yumi off clearly So then, she hadn't mistook a ”sure” [3] with a ”I cannot” [4] She had been clearly turned down
”Noriko-chan! How dare you talk to your Sempai like that?”
Yoshi+no-san exclaiht up
But Yuh Yumi was her sempai, Noriko had still been able to clearly say what she had wanted to say
Yoshi+no, who still seeer diatribe to fulfill, let the o -- at least, she sat down and let Yumi take over
She had been deeply shaken by Noriko-chan's reaction But Yumi wanted to knohy Noriko had denied, and so had let herself embrace stillness
”Why? Have Touko-chan and Kanako-chan fought again?”
”No”
Noriko-chan shook her head
”Then why don't you want to call her to the party?”
”I' that I don't want them called to the party If Touko or Kanako-san come to the party, it doesn't matter much to me”
” Huh?”
They hadn't fought She didn't mind if the tould come to the party Then why?
”I cannot invite the them, was it not? Then shouldn't it be Yumi-sama's duty to invite them?”
”Duty”
Yuht of that
”Well”
Yuht that, because Noriko-chan was in the same class as the two, she could easily be able to invite them But in Noriko-chan's world, it seeation that Yued
”Basically, I can't do what you're asking me to”
When Yumi saw the determination on Noriko-chan's face, she knew that no e her mind Then
”Understood”
Someone who seemed to also have understood this, suddenly rose from her seat It was shi+mako-san, who had been quiet until now
”I'll be the one to do it”
”Huh?”
”The bell will soon ring So if ant to invite theht?”
”shi+mako-sa Onee-sama!”
Noriko-chan hurriedly chased after shi+
”Onee-sao! Yumi-sama and I were just !”
”It doesn't matter who invites them”
shi+mako-san turned, and smiled
”But!”
”Noriko When you refused, it was your whim That doesn't mean that you can control what I do NoYuh Isn't that another tenet of the 'duty' that you follow?
Noriko-chan didn't speak She then looked at shi+mako-san with a sad, painful look on her face, and teared up a little
She seemed a lot like the crybaby in Yumi She didn't know about shi+mako-san, but Yumi had never seen Noriko-chan like this
Noriko-chan had always been one to stand up against anything and face it She was a kid who, even though she may cry, seemed as if the passion of justice would burn in her heart But now, Noriko seemed completely weak She had no retort to shi+mako-san's remark, and simply stood there
”I'o”
Yu, spoke
”Then, shall we go together?”
shi+mako-san smiled as she always did
She was s so even when she had turned to Noriko-chan shi+mako-san's words had warmth That's why they ords that echoed inside one's heart, rather than words shouted in hysteria [5]
After giving the two so the rear
This way, the first year Camellia class Noriko-chan, had no choice but to return back to her classroom, even if she didn't want to
Or maybe Yoshi+no-san had come simply to see what the fuss had been all about
”But, why did you want to be the one to go, shi+mako-san?”
Yu the school's corridors
”Why not?”
”Well, andin this but, it doesn't seem like it's very important to shi+mako-san whether Touko-chan or Kanako-chan are called to the party Even if ere to call soreet theht? Even if we only end up bringing along Yoshi+no-san's friend and Tsutako-san, the party wouldn't be affected, right?
”I see”
shi+mako-san nodded, then spoke
”But, no , it wouldn't be right Tsutako-san would be fully occupied by taking pictures, rather than actually socializing at the party, right? Truth is, I'd feel a bit aard if ere having only one guest”
”But then”
Instead of going against Noriko-chan's wishes and calling Touko-chan or Kanako-chan, we could've called any old underclassman shi+mako-san clarified
”I followed my heart”
”Huh?”
”Somehow, I felt that it would be best to invite Touko-chan”
”Somehow?”
Yumi asked, and shi+ to herself
It see very important was hidden within that 'somehow'
Why had this even happened?
Noriko thought to herself, as she plodded along the hallways
Noriko herself had been the cause, she realized
But she just couldn't get herself to accept that
Archetypically bad things were si shi+ empty words to Touko
So she should have accepted the outcome as it was
She understood this, but still could not so simply dispel the doubt from her heart
In spite of turning Yu whisked into a more funda shi+mako-san into action
shi+ about one classroo their heads once
Did Noriko really want shi+mako-san to turn around and look at her, or was she better off if shi+
bum-bum-bum-bum [6]
Noriko had tried to present her just argument to shi+mako, but had teared up (Noriko felt depressed)
Those tears weren't the tears of being talked into defeat, or tears of disappoint scolded Rather, rather they were tears that came out from self-pity
Had shi+mako-san understood, maybe she wouldn't have been so harsh in her rejection of Noriko's reasoning nobody had really understood, and so she had lost against Yumi-sama
shi+mako-san had reacted the way she did to punish Noriko Ither head down in defeat
The plodding sound her footsteps made down the corridor seemed to perfect words to describe herself now
bum-bum-bum-bum
”I'm sorry”
The words being whispered within her heart seemed to be echoed in the air
Noriko did not react, plodded one step forward, then stopped
”Sorry?”
She realized that she had forgotten as going on around her Next to her, shi+mazu Yoshi+no-sama stood with a serious expression on her face
”That thisumhappened between Noriko-chan and shi+ ize or so”