Volume 24 Chapter 3 (2/2)
”Ah, sorry I'll help”
Yumi rolled up her sleeves and went over to assist, but all the preparations were done She was just waiting for the water in the electric kettle to boil
”Would you two please take a seat It's almost done”
Yumi whispered to shi+mako-san:
”Your petit soeur is as admirable as ever”
”Why thank-you”
Just as they were exchanging smiles, the water boiled
”Touko”
Noriko-chan said, abruptly
”Ca happened at the Christmas party”
It had see it at this point Standing by the sink as she poured the tea, froe point all she could see was her back
”Yeah That's how she appeared”
Noriko-chan turned around in surprise when Yureed with her
”You knew?”
”We ran into her a little while ago in the hallway … right?”
Yuht at shi+mako-san
”And … then what?”
”That's all We just exchanged greetings then went our separate ways”
”Is that so?”
Noriko-chan's expression showed a mixture of disappointment and relief Given the choice, she wouldn't want to be caught between her friend and her seniors But that was how it had to be, probably
”Well, let's end this conversation here Noriko-chan, the tea will go bitter”
”Ah, oh no”
It was only then that Noriko-chan finally remembered the tea There was currently only the three of them present, but Noriko-chan poured four cups and, perhaps worried about the taste after all, took a sip of hers before saying, ”Okay” With that, Sachiko-sama finally arrived
”Gokigenyou, onee-sama”
Yureet her onee-sama, who frowned and said:
”You're just as excitable this year too, aren't you?”
”Ah … I'm sorry”
It looked as though her onee-saood health this year too
”Where's Rei and Yoshi+no-chan? Haven't they arrived yet?”
”No Um, the kendo club's - ”
”I know that But I thought they would be here by now”
The way she said it made it sound like she'd come here to see Rei-sama and Yoshi+no-san
”Um, onee-sama?”
It did neither of theloomy like this, so Yumi boldly asked her about it Thereupon:
”That's right”
Sachiko-sama answered calmly
”I knew Rei and Yoshi+no-chan would be late, so I tookwon't start until we're all here It would be a waste of time to hurry here, just to drink tea and wait So I tidied so up”
”What did you tidy up?”
”I returned a book I borrowed over the winter vacation, why do you ask?”
”But the library isn't open today … ”
”That's why I put it in the book return slot”
”The book return … ”
It ht have been better if Yumi dropped the subject politely at this point, but she couldn't do that Because if she dropped it now, she'd have to accept that earlier ”waste of ti too many
”If you were just using the book return, couldn't you have stopped in on your way home?”
”Huh?”
It wasn't just Sachiko-sama that looked at Yumi with a startled expression - shi+mako-san and Noriko-chan did so too But since she'd started, she couldn't stop now
”Waste of tih it may be, I'd be happy just to drink tea and chat with ree, onee-sama?”
”That's not what I said, though?”
Sachiko-saht, apparently not a criticized
”Why are you trying to start an argument today?”
Even if she was asked this
”I don't know myself”
The White Rose soeurs had tried to intervene a couple of tih to declare, ”Don't worry about us”
”Come with me”
Sachiko-sama took Yumi by the hand and left the room In the hallway, she closed the door and asked once more:
”What's the matter?”
This time in a soft voice
”I don't know”
Why was she acting rebellious towards her onee-sama? What had started it, was there a problem with her state of mind? Even if she had been able to think about it cal-out for it to ell
”You should know that there's days like this”
Suddenly, a voice came from the stairway Rei-sama had just climbed up to the second floor
”Way back when, Sachiko would get hysterical and lash out at Youko-sama When your ehtest thing Right, Yumi-chan?”
”Is that it, Yumi?”
Yuhtly
”It's cold, isn't it? Let's go inside”
Rei-sama smiled and put her arm around Yumi's shoulder
”I suppose”
Behind Sachiko-sa the staircase
”Ooh, it's cold Geez, you just kept getting further ahead of me Rei-chan … hey, why are we stopped here?”
”I just ran into Sachiko doting on Yumi-chan Had to butt in”
”Oh”
”I told them to continue it when it was just the two of theo inside already”
She was unstable, got set off, and was doted on Rei-saht track What had started it was a trivial matter
But if her state of mind was such that a trivial matter could affect her like this, wasn't there a bit of a problem? She felt like she shouldn't just dismiss it as ”there's days like this”
When they opened the door, the White Rose soeurs greeted them with relieved expressions
The Ya of the new year was a sie of, ”Let's ood one,” followed by a review of their schedule for the first three months of the year
All six asawara's woed their personal new year's greetings, but that was that and this was this The student council leaders and their petit soeurs all gathered in the Rose Mansion on the first school day of the new year and officially exchanged new year's greetings
”On to the plans for the next fewJanuary, the election for the next student council leaders will be held”
shi+ at the schedule
”Traditionally, the elections are held on the last Saturday of January with the candidate speeches taking place three days earlier on Wednesday, and I think it should follow that for an information session tomorrow after school where they will announce the details”
”The second-years should attend this ardless of whether or not they intend to run in the election”
Sachiko-sa around the room from person to person
The second-years should attend whether or not they were going to run - It echoed in Yumi's heart more than if she'd been told she had to become one of the next Roses
A year ago, she'd seen the previous Rosa Gigantea, Satou Sei-sama, say to shi+mako-san, ”This is your decision,” after she'd chosen to run in the election, so she thought she understood the departing senior's position But still, it echoed in her heart
In the next school year, if the day did come when she was called a Rose, she wouldn't have her onee-sama with her then Yumi wouldn't be able to rely on her or pass responsibility onto her, so for the sake of her future self, she knew she had to build her own independence
Even so, it was hard because it felt like she was letting go of the hand that joined her to her onee-sama Maybe she really was unstable today
”Ah, you can attend too, Noriko-chan You don't have to nominate just because you're there”
Sachiko-sa that it was only an information session They could decide whether or not they'd no the details And they could nominate even if they missed the information session
”Ah, no”
Noriko-chan declined immediately
”Oh, are first-years allowed to nominate?”
”Absolutely Like shi+mako-san last year”
As neither candidates nor voters, the third-years were quite relaxed
”Are we going to have a White Rose soeur battle? That would be kind of incredible”
Yoshi+no-san was also engaging in this frivolous chatter, even though she should have been in the same spot as Yumi
”Well then, Yoshi+no-san, Yumi-san and I shall meet tomorrow after school at the Electoral Committee's office, next to the staff room”
Since the off-topic chatter see, shi+mako-san softly cleared her throat and concluded the discussion
”Onto February … last year there was the treasure hunt on the 14th to coincide with Valentine's Day This year - ”
”Ah, the newspaper club were sounding me out about that”
Sachiko-sama said
”They were … sounding you out?”
”Yes It was at the second-ter ceremony, no, maybe it was on the last day of exauchi Maain this year I'ot to inform you because of the holidays”
”So how did you answer her, onee-sama?”
Yumi asked
”I told her I'd respond after discussing it with the boutons in the Rose Mansion”
Discussing it with the boutons She'd already pro role But even as she was saying they'd discuss it, her face showed she agreed with the plan
And that Mami-san They were in the same class, so there would have been plenty of opportunities for her to discuss it with Yu the same ploy as last year, when the previous head of the newspaper club, Tsukiyama Minako-sama, had won over the previous Roses in order to make the event happen
”Let's leave this discussion until after the election Depending on the outcome, there's a chance the newspaper club may cancel their plans”
Was that remark ht fail to be elected?
Indeed, while they were called boutons now, if they didn't becoo back to being nor on contending the election, in the one-in-a-million chance that shi+mako-san lost the election, she wouldn't be called a bouton
”Well then, we'll put the Valentine's Day event on hold for now In March, the Ya the ”Third-Years' Farewell Party””
When it came to this topic, Sachiko-sa to say When all was said and done, they were part of the group being farewelled
Noit
Yue contained in their silence
”Ah Since I' entrance exas from here on, so take care everyone”
Rei-sa, felt like a death blow
On the way home
Sachiko-sama was the same as ever
When Yu the cups, when she'd been idly chatting with Rei-sa through the school corridor, when they tee their shoes and then when they reunited at the entrance, when they all walked together along the tree lined path, she neither forced herself to be near Yu she was able to chat about the weather and interject into the second-years' conversation
Usually, after a souring of someone's relationshi+p with their petit soeur, they'd be conscious of it and unable to act normally, wouldn't they?
At the very least, that's what Yu to Yoshi+no-san's chattering, she occasionally glanced over at Sachiko-sama
What was her onee-sa
But Sachiko-sa like that at all So their eyes didn'ther, so she looked at Yumi a couple of times and their eyes met then When that happened, Sachiko-sama smiled at her with an expression that said, ”H specific for her, so Yumi was the first to look away and Sachiko-sa more
Sachiko-salance at the book return slot when they passed the library, so perhaps she'd already forgotten that incident
Her onee-sama was an adult, ouldn't be disturbed by that sort of thing
In front of the statue of Maria-sama, at the fork in the road, Yumi prayed
(That I er)
That sheperson who could stand tall and walk on even when her onee-sama wasn't with her
But, in direct opposition to her prayer, she didn't really want to become the sort of person as totally fine without her onee-sama
She had to grow stronger
But she felt it would be nice to re beside her onee-sama