Volume 23 Chapter 4 (2/2)
Even though he had a wonderful wife like Sayako-oba-sama From what she knew of Tooru-oji-sama, he seehts that Yumi idly pondered
”Here”
Yuht back to her senses when a card was plucked froht in front of her
”Uwah”
The card with, ”That rose on Mount Mikasa,” that should have been by her right knee was gone
”It's because you were spacing out”
She'd been found out Sachiko-sa the correct card in her hand
She wouldn't win like this Yumi decided to roll up her sleeves and play for real
However
”Eight-fold cherry flowers - ”
”Here”
”An autumn eve - ”
”Here”
Sachiko-sama and shi+mako-san scooped them up one after the other while she looked on in shock
Rei-sae reach and et it with lightning speed Noriko-chan kept plugging away steadily Yoshi+no-san see at the five cards around her
Her hasty study was never going to be enough to catch up to them
Even if she strained to reht-fold cherry flowers,” was ”In our nine-fold palace court,” by the ti out for the card If she didn't want to be hopeless, it looked like she'd have to practice until her bodyto analyze the words she heard
In the end, the ga the scraps that Sachiko-sama and shi+mako-san didn't pick up
When it was over, she was a bit disappointed but Sachiko-saently patted her on the shoulder
”But you did better than last year, right?”
Thanks to her efforts, she'd ihtly over the previous year It nized this, so she perked up
Sachiko-sama said, ”Let's see,” and spread Yuet?
”Just as past tiht … And crushed upon the shore, re what has been … but now it isyears endure … quite a lot of poe people That's troublesome”
That's troublesome, she said
”A 100 Poe?”
It's not like the cards they picked up shoas going on in their heart
”I wonder”
But even if she said that, wouldn't it mean that Sachiko-sama and shi+mako-san, who had lots of cards, had all their emotions mixed up inside their head in a massive cacaphony?
”You wonder, onee-sama”
Yuiven back There really did see people
If I should live long
Then perhaps the present days
May be dear to me,
Just as past tirief
Coht
(If I live a long life, will I look back and reminisce on the present?
And yearn for these days, even though they seeh?)
Like a driven wave,
Dashed by fierce winds on a rock,
So am I: alone
And crushed upon the shore,
Re what has been
(Like a wave that sainst a rock,
I spend these days fretting about that person)
For your precious sake,
Once er life itself
Was not dear to me
But now it is my heart's desire
Ityears endure
(Even though I thought I'd riskyou,
noish that today would stretch on forever)
Indeed, there was plenty to think about Yu the rest of her cards
During the card games, Sayako-oba-saht that perhaps she was a bit tired, but she returned before too long and said to everyone:
”Now then, next up is huoroku”
”Huoroku?”
”Right Let's have teao with the Rose colors?”
Everyone agreed, even though they didn't understand Even her daughter, Sachiko-sama, looked confused
”You'll ame pieces”
Sayako-oba-sa out in front of everyone Drawn on it was a sugoroku board, like was traditionally found in the New Year's edition of children's azines The board contained a path that wound around from ”Start” to ”End” However, the squares didn't contain instructions like ”Miss a turn” or ”When you roll 2, move forward 2 squares” Instead, they had cryptic names like ”Hippopotamus space” and ”Jellyfish space”
”These are … ”
”They're all rooo to that room and follow the directions The names are all written on the door”
”Uhh”
”But don't go into any roon”
In other words, she was using the entire house for sugoroku That see The rooms they were forbidden to enter were private spaces, like Sachiko-sarandfather's room, or the live-in-staff's quarters
”There's a prize for the winning team~”
There was a general reaction of, ”Oooh” It had been like this at the Christht of winning the prize
”This could be good”
Yoshi+no-san htly The Yellow Rose soeurs hadn't done that well at 100 Poe a cooroku
Noriko-chan stayed silent, but her eyes sparkled
”But the ”Hippopotaive them names like that”
Sachiko-sama muttered peevishly
”But if I labeled them as ”Second Floor Traditional japanese Rooe” you'd have a definite advantage because you live here, Sachiko-san That's why”
Sayako-oba-sama responded to Sachiko-sama
” … I understand”
She agreed without enthusiash Sachiko-sarounds that they could have been nas like ”Chinese Bellflower space” or ”Maple space” But then she'd decided there was no point in continuing that conversation, since hersense in the slightest
Still, at the very least it asawara Residence was incredible, as expected
”Alright, let's start with the first tea the die”
The Yellow Rose teaer They rolled a three and advanced to the ”Water Flea space”
”It goes without saying, but the square number has no relation to its proximity to this room”
Sayako-oba-sama said Okay, so just because it was square three didn't mean it was three rooms away
The next tea for the departed team to return There was no ”Miss a Turn,” but the teaame until they'd cleared the task in their room Which meant that even after they found the roo then there was the possibility that by the time they returned some other team had made their way to the end
With that, the second-running White Rose team rolled a five and landed on the ”Hippopotamus space” Yuon space” It says ”headed for,” but none of the teao so all they could do ander around the house
”It doesn't seem wise to wander around at rando from here This e can memorize the location of the other rooms too”
”Okay~”
Yuon space” wasn't that easy to find On their way they spotted the ”Water Flea space” but it seemed like the Yellow Rose team hadn't found it yet Behind them, they could hear Yoshi+no-san's cry of, ”It's not here~”
The White Rose team soon found the ”Hippopotamus space” but when they came out they didn't head back to the roo, instead they set out in search of so to do with the instructions in the ”Hippopotamus space”
During all this hustle and bustle they found the ”Koon space” It was a stall in the second-floor restroom A bathroom stall was indeed a room, but -
”What's this?”
Sachiko-sama screeched Atop the closed lid of the western-style toilet was a pencil and a nues were crossword puzzles Thus, the instructions:
”Solve a puzzle and bring it back”
The crosswords were in a 7x7 grid, so they wouldn't take that long to solve Sachiko-saes and picked the one that she judged easiest
”Since there's only one pencil, it looks like we're supposed to solve it here”
Using the tank as a desk, the pencilif there was some way she could help, but since she was no e she rehts
”Yumi”
Suddenly, the sound of the pencil stopped
”Y-yes”
”A recently popular four roup, six characters, the first character's 'shi+' and the second last character's 'mo' … do you know it?”
Yumi was a bit excited, now that her time to shi+ne had (maybe) arrived
”U-”
She ers
”Ah, it's ”shi+-ma-n-mo-zu””
It was a strange group, uy that was around the sauy in his forties She'd seen them in commercials fairly often of late Oh, so Sachiko-sama hadn't known that
”Thanks, we're done”
Sachiko-sama put the pencil down
”Let's hurry back”
The pair rushed down the stairs and into the traditional japanese room
”Ohin order so you'll have to wait a little while”
Sayako-oba-sahter, as out of breath and holding out the co some of the manjuu that shi+mako-san's brother had made
Next to the as they perfor
(Th-this is … )
”That's right, the ”Water Flea space” was the home cinema”
Sachiko-sama muttered
”They raphy video and been instructed to master it”
”Ahh … ”
Even though she felt sorry for them, it was funny to watch Still, the fact that they were able to memorize the dance steps in such a short time showed an incredible power of concentration Or maybe those two had done that dance previously
”Well done That was perfect”
Their dance finished, Sayako-oba-sama applauded the pair heartily
”I'm ashamed to admit it, but my dad's also a fan so we have the same video at home”
Speaking of Yoshi+no-san's father, he was the man whose eyes were all red when he came to the kendo tournament to inforery Yuroup …” - but while he was an olderwhen they were popular
The Yellow Rose teah the White Rose team had been back to the roo the puzzle, as their piece had moved forwards
”The crossword is correct Yumi-chan, do the honors”
Yu that it didn't co them in the ”Water Flea space”
”Six”
The six landed them on the ”Polka-dot Ribbonfish space”
”The polka-dot ribbonfish is a type of fish, right?”
”Yes It's a beautiful, sparkling fish that lives in the deep sea”
Sachiko-sae
”My h an encyclopedia and picked the naht her eye There's no sense of cohesion whatsoever”
”An encyclopedia … ”
That was sort of how it felt
On that note, they hadn't yet set eyes on a door with ”Polka-dot Ribbonfish Room” written on it And with that, the pair decided to attack the areas they hadn't visited yet
The Ogasawara house had several staircases (apparently) They went up a different staircase to the one earlier, chasing the ”Polka-dot Ribbonfish”
At last they arrived in front of a traditional japanese style room The room at the end of the corridor seeround floor, but here the door was a horizontal slider Stuck to the sliding door was a poster labeling this the ”Polka-dot Ribbonfish space”
”There isn't usually anything in this room”
Sachiko-sama put her hand on the door At any rate, without a video player, they could assu and dance
”There isn't usually anything in there?”
”Well, there's some traditional clothes in the closet, and we use the roo, but - ”
Sachiko-sama slid the door open as she answered Whereupon
” … There's so”
On the left-hand side of the six tatami mat sized rooht-hand side were three folded ki all sorts of s on a kimono
”What are we supposed to do with this - ”
Yumi found this unbelievable and didn't want to make a move since they hadn't seen any instructions, but Sachiko-sama said:
”Yumi Take your clothes off”
”Wha!?”