Volume 25 Chapter 2 Part2 (1/2)
In the end, Yu their entire journey together to M Station - Sachiko thought this to herself as she walked
Immediately after the results were revealed, Yu must have been Touko-chan, mustn't it?
Sachiko had been worried But she hadn't said anything Yumi would have surely factored the possibility that she would return hurt in to her resolve That hy Sachiko thought she should stay silent and then welcome her back
But Yuht up to Touko-chan, had a conversation, and then come back
She ith shi+mako and Noriko-chan
What on earth had gone on in that brief period while she ay from the bulletin board? When Yumi returned, her expression was h the crowd to get out
Then she never oncetheir ti the tree lined path on their way home, or in the bus
(What on earth could have happened …)
Sachiko once again asked herself the question that had occupied her mind since she disembarked from the train and bid farewell to shi+mako She still hadn't found an answer, despite repeatedly posing the question
What on earth could have happened? Still wrapped up in this question, she arrived at the front gate to her home
(And what's going on with me?)
She had nothe train station But, when she checked, her commuter pass was safely in her pocket Therefore, she ate
She see banners for new chocolates at the confectionery store in front of the station But then again, that could have been yesterday She couldn't say for certain
Sachiko let out a sigh, then entered her PIN on the intercoates opened
The lights in the garden and on the gateposts were already switched on She hadn't even noticed it was getting dark
She was still thinking about Yu the path to her house
She couldn't help it She probably wouldn't be so focused on this one thing if there was so one foot in front of the other she didn't have to concentrate that hard, which allowed her to easily slip into deep thought Even so, it would have been strange to focus herthat deeply
(Maybe I should sing so)
Sachiko raised her gaze fronized in the corner of her eye That gaudy color stood out, even in the dark, and it could only belong to one person
Sachiko stopped singing
Upon returning ho room sofa
”Welcome home, Sacchan”
”And to you too, welcome back”
She thought it uru-san because of the red car in the car park and, sure enough, it was him
”I heard”
Sachiko placed her bag on the sofa opposite hiot home from school, she'd call out, ”I'ht to her rooe out of her school uniform into nor alone in the living room, she couldn't just leave him there
Her ? Probably preparing tea somewhere inside
”That I sprained ?”
”More or less”
Suguru-san raised his left leg slightly and laughed That was probably the ankle he sprained She wouldn't have been able to tell if he hadn't said so No, she wasn't able to tell even though he had said so - it didn't look swollen at all Although it was probably only because it had healed so well that he was able to drive himself here
”Even though you warned et hurt So stupid of me”
”It's unlike you to injure yourself”
He'd been athletic enough to join alh-school And he would have gone to one ski slope or another every year since he was a child
”I suppose that's just aability”
”Anyone can make a mistake?”
”Hahaha, you're too kind, Sacchan Anyway, let's set that aside for now”
At any rate, it had taken quite a long ti
”Although if I hadn't been injured, I would have had to return hoht on schedule”
”Really?”
When she had heard he hadn't returned in ti bad ht have broken a bone, not just sprained an ankle
”So you're saying you didn't want to couru-san?”
Sachiko'sa tea tray
”Welcome home, Sachiko-san”
”I've just arrived home, mother So, why didn't you want to come home?”
”You took a liking to the owner of the bed and breakfast, didn't you?”
Herit was an overly large teacup, Sachiko realized it was a reen tea inside Her mother had probably heard Sachiko's voice and realized her daughter had returned ho the tea, as there were three tea cups One for Sachiko too
”The bed and breakfast? Weren't you staying at a hotel?”
”At first I was staying at a hotel, but I went to a bed and breakfast after the injury”
”Ah, you er”
But that didn't fit with his earlier stateinally planned, he wouldn't have taken a liking to the owner of the bed and breakfast He onlyto stay for longer
”No doubt you injured yourself saving some woman you didn't knoho turned out to own a bed and breakfast She was then so impressed by your manliness that she offered to let you stay until you were healed”
”It's like you were there, oba-sama”
Suguru-san rested his chin on his interlaced fingers and sossip about somebody else
”Your mother told me all about it Of course, she told ht back too Now then, shall we try them?”
Sachiko'sa small box that was the epitome of a ”Hotel Souvenir” on the side of the table Thathad a picture of people skiing, as well as the name of the resort followed by ”Manjuu” It could be called ”si kind, or ”cliched” if not
”She told you?”
”She said they ith matcha tea”
As she said this, Sachiko's mother opened the box and placed one of the individually wrapped manjuu buns in front of Sachiko
”Wait I have to visit the restroom”
Sachiko stood up Re, but she wouldn't feel right eating or drinking anything without washi+ng her hands and rinsing her mouth
”I'll go too”
She walked off and Suguru-san followed
”They're both such good children”
Sachiko heard hersoarteners
After Sachiko had washed her hands with soap and rinsed her uru-san addressed her quietly from behind
”Did anything happen while I ay?”
”Anything? It was only a sprain, so surely you were able to read the newspaper by yourself?”
After wiping her hands and uru-san was standing there with a forced smile
”Do you think I'd be asking you about local news?”
”Then what?”
”Now you're teasing me I want to hear about Yumi-chan and Touko”
”Yumi and Touko-chan?”
Sachiko hadn't meant to tease hi about But now she was more surprised by the fact that she hadn't been all that surprised when those two names had been mentioned So suspicion
”Why are you interested in those two, Suguru-san?”
Perhaps Touko-chan had told him about what transpired between them at last year's Christ about that pair he was interested in, and this was his chance to find out There was also the possibility that it was just a passing interest
Suguru-san opened up surprisingly easily
”Last Deceht with her parents and ran away froone for half a day, so it was no big deal”
”… That's news to me”
Sachiko reed, ”So it seems”
”They didn't want it to turn into a major drama, so I did my best to keep it under wraps”
”So why are you telling me now?”
They didn't want it to be ait quiet That was all fine and well The Ogasawaras and the Matsudairas, Touko-chan's family, were relatives but they weren't directly blood related Sachiko understood that there were things they would keep frouru-san should have kept his silence forever
”Well, it's more than a month old, and it seems like Touko's calmed down since then There's a fair few people that know about it already, so I'hout the fa to keep it a secret would be pointless But that doesn'tit publicly It's just that you asked me why I was interested”
”I see”
Sachiko poured a small amount ofthis to Suguru-san, she asked:
”So how is Touko-chan running away from home related to Yumi?”
Sachiko had asked hi that by just telling her about Touko-chan running away from home seemed somewhat insufficient
”Well”
Suguru-san took the cup, rinsed his mouth rather perfunctorily and continued
”Touko was found at Yumi-chan's house”
”At Yumi's house?”
That was also news to her Of course, if she was just hearing about Touko-chan running away from home for the first time, then obviously she shouldn't re said that, it was harder to accept since it involved her own petit soeur, Yumi
”It wasn't like she ran away to Yuh their neighborhood and ran into Yumi-chan's brother, Yuuki”
Even so, the fact that Touko-chan was in Yuhborhood surelyher trust in Yumi
”When did this happen?”
Making up her mind, Sachiko asked
”I told you, it was in December … ”
”I know that What I want to knohether it was before or after Christmas”
”In that case, it was before”
Suguru-san answered clearly
”Fro the post-exam break”
”… I see”
Which meant it was before Yumi offered Touko-chan her rosary, and was rejected
At the time, when she heard Yumi hadlike this had already occurred between them then Yumi's actions were probably just the natural flow of events and not abrupt at all
Even as late as the post-exaht she could rely on Yumi In that case, why had she rejected the soeur proposal?
”Yumi-chan seemed to be worried about Touko”
Sachiko's thoughts were disrupted by her cousin's voice Even as she was thinking, ”Wait athis,” she made the content-free response, ”I see”
”Given your fixation with the ti happened between Touko and Yumi-chan at Christmas And Touko didn't attend your women-only New Year's party either”
”But that was for Yamayurikai members - ”
”I know you sent her an invitation And that Touko spent that entire day at ho, so there would have been no obligation for her to attend But, it is a bit concerning”
”That's true”
Sachiko agreed with him
”You're her cousin, Suguru-san It's only natural you'd be worried about your family”
”So like that”
”Well, anyway”
To think that so like that had happened between Yumi and Touko-chan, and she hadn't been aware of it It wasn't so much of a shock as a complete surprise
”Don't blame Yumi-chan”
”I don't”
The reason Yumi hadn't told her was probably because she'd decided it wasn't the right time to discuss it She may have had been concerned about Touko-chan's privacy, since it involved her running away fros with Touko-chan without relying on anyone else
This was undoubtedly a ”soeur” probleh Sachiko honestly wasn't sure as to whether or not they'd actually becoh she was Yumi's onee-sama, this was territory that she couldn't venture into
In that regard, her cousin was in the same spot
”I still haven't answered your initial question”
Therefore, she thought it was okay to tell Suguru-san
”My initial question?”
”You askedhappened while you were away, didn't you?”
”Ah”
Suguru-san said, ”That's right,” as though he'd only just reh Sachiko didn't know if that was the truth He et
”Touko-chan ran in the student council election, and lost”
”Huh”
”I don't knohy she did that”
Sachiko said, anticipating the question There had to be a reason behind such a reckless action But she had absolutely no idea what it was
”Unbelievable”
Suguru-san looked down, using his hand to stifle a groan A muted, ”To treat Yuers
”Suguru-san Do you like Yumi?”
This thought had suddenly crossed her uru-san's face froze for a moment before he smiled at Sachiko
”What a strange thing to say I - ”
”I suppose so Forgive me”