Volume 24 Chapter 6 (1/2)
Wednesday
For better or worse, the day of the candidates' speeches had arrived
There were no classes in the afternoon The first- and second-year students gathered in the auditoriuive their speeches
”At any rate, I' to withdraw your candidacy, Yumi-san It looks like I shouldn't have been concerned at all”
shi+ her lunch first, and was refilling Yumi's cup with japanese tea as she said this
”Actually, I was thinking about it for a lo~ng time”
Yumi answered as she ate her lunch Whether it was better to finish eating quickly and get some estion, that was the question
”Oh, you were really considering it?”
shi+mako-san asked, surprised Sachiko-sama was also in the roo one eyebrow
”Yeah”
”May I ask why you decided not to?”
shi+ the teapot, so Yumi nodded and started to tell her story
”A few days ago I had the chance to talk to the mother of a student at school”
”Go on”
”She toldfor us So you see”
Yumi closed her lunch box lid
”Even though I'et about all the other students who are supporting us Since I've already noh If I did that, I'd be letting everyone down If Touko-chan was the best person for the student council, then she'd win even without any tricks froardless of how I felt, if I withdrew then Touko-chan would probably feel hu at that conclusion, I've prepared to face today End of story”
Clap, clap, clap
Applause was co the teapot, so she couldn't be the one clapping her hands That left -
… Clap
Surprisingly, the sound of applause was co from Sachiko-sama's hands
”You should give your speech just like that Your expression, your , it was all wonderful”
”Onee-sama”
Sachiko-sama hadn't offered any advice up until now, even when she'd been shown the draft scripts or listened to Yumi rehearse To hear her suddenly talk like that, it made Yumi feel like she was about to cry
shi+ave it a soft shake Co
”Is Rei-chan here!?”
Just then, Yoshi+no-san burst into the room
”… Not yet”
”I went to the third-year chrysanthemum classrooht she ht here - ”
So that was it Yoshi+no-san had taken a detour over there which hy she was so late in getting to the Rose Mansion
”I told her she had to be at school before lunch It's such a critical time when her cute little petit soeur's about to take on the speecharound like some hobo … ”
Letting her anger run its course, Yoshi+no-san's words got a bit confused
”No You'll feel better if you eat your lunch You're probably irritated due to low blood sugar”
”Uh - ”
”Come on, have a seat”
Yoshi+no-san was motioned to sit down and poured a cup of tea Yumi knew the truth Yoshi+no-san's irritation wasn't due to ”Rei-chan” or low blood sugar, it was due to nerves about the speech assembly that was just around the corner But because Yoshi+no-san didn't want to admit that, she put the blame on ”Rei-chan”
”You ry … I think”
Just when Yoshi+no-san had regained a little of her composure, Noriko-chan finally arrived
”Sorry I'm late”
”What happened?”
shi+mako-san asked
Noriko-chan typically caht here at lunch and after school The question was about whether so had come up that she had to do, or if her fourth-period class had been in one of the specialist classrooms It wasn't a cross-examination, more of a conversation opener
”Lunch in the classroom”
”I see And?”
”Mustard and taramasalata sandwich”
There was silence for a little while Who did what?
”Ah”
Noriko-chan put her hand to her mouth and shi+mako-san smiled
”It's okay You ith Touko-chan, right?”
”Yeah I was kind of worried about her”
She was a bit worried about Touko-chan, so she didn't want to leave the classroom, so she ate her lunch there But froh they ate their lunch together, she just watched Touko-chan from within the same classroom
”So, tell us, how did she look?”
Yoshi+no-san asked, waving around the wiener she was holding in her chopsticks Looking like a superior officer receiving a report fro
”She was calive a speech in less than an hour”
”Hmm”
Yoshi+no-sanbored She probably wouldn't have been satisfied unless she heard Touko-chan was shaking in her boots
But a shaking Touko-chan would have felt fake She was calm That sounded a lot more realistic
”How about that”
Yumi absent-mindedly muttered as she adjusted her candidate's sash
”A mustard and taramasalata sandwich”
That was a bit unexpected
Before long, the group of five headed to the auditorium
There was still fifteen minutes until it started, but even so there were quite a few students heading to the auditorium already
Come to think of it, it had been like that last year too Soone their lunch break and headed to the auditorium as soon as fourth period was over to reserve some seats The disinterested students probably arrived at the last minute, while those ere only somewhat interested arrived in dribs and drabs after they'd finished eating
Rei-sae area
”Rei-chan!”
The moment she saw Rei-sama, Yoshi+no-san cried out and rushed over to her
”I didn't think you were co!”
Puffing up her cheeks like a blowfish
”Huh, but I pro a bit late so I thought I'd change plans and co to pieces because your Rei-chan wasn't here?”
Rei-sama the hobo poked her cute little petit soeur's puffed up cheeks
”You idiot”
Yoshi+no-san laughed and theher head on Rei-sama's shoulder, she said, ”You idiot,” once more
The strange thing was, that ”You idiot” sounded like ”Thank-you”
A short distance away, Noriko-chan was holding shi+ a spell
”Do your best, onee-sa to be fine I believe in you”
The words of encouragement that she hadn't received fro down on shi+mako-san from her petit soeur a year later
”Also … uht!”
It was like she was trying to h Noriko-chan wouldn't have known about that
”Noriko”
shi+mako-san looked really happy
Even if Sei-sama's words about, ”If you're elected, you have to see it through to the end,” had been the ultiement to shi+mako-san, there was no way Noriko-chan would have been able to reproduce that
Their position as onee-sama and petit soeur were different, as was shi+mako-san's relationshi+p with each of them, as well as their personalities But more than that, shi+o
As a result, Noriko-chan telling her to fight was probably the ultie her on like that, how could she not?
As Yumi fondly watched the Yellow and White Rose soeurs, Sachiko-sama took her by the hand and said, ”Come here”
”You're shaking I was like that too”
Her onee-sahtly, like Yumi had done last year
”Alright? It's only natural that you're nervous You shouldn't worry about whether you can step up or not You've already stepped up nificently”
”Really?”
Yumi asked, a little bit surprised
”Yes There's absolutely no need for you to show anything other than your self But don't you think it would be a sha what it is you already possess? That's why I want you go out there and let those students in the auditoriuood look at the real you If you can do that, you'll be a huge hit”
Sachiko-saht in the eyes and said, ”I believe in you”
”Onee-sama”
”Wha~t?”
”Please”
”Yes?”
”Please hug me”
Then, without any hesitation, Yumi was softly enveloped
”Like this?”
”Like that”
The onee-sama embraces and protects That phrase echoed in her mind
”Sorry Just a little bit longer”
Even though it should have been enough, she wanted just a little bit h her appetite for her onee-sama's affection was insatiable
Looking over Sachiko-sama's shoulder, Yumi saw that Touko-chan had finally arrived
The petit soeur supports
Regardless of what Touko-chan's feelings were, there was a stone weight in Yumi's heart called Touko-chan
Her onee-sama's presence arm
Touko-chan's nomination and their coed Yumi's attitude towards her one bit
At one o'clock, the head of the electoral co
After the welco address from Hanae-san, the co the sashes with their names on them
”Matsudaira Touko-san, Toudou shi+mako-san, shi+o out in that order”