Volume 26 Chapter 1 (1/2)
She knew she could be a bit forgetful
But the fourteenth of February, the day of the newspaper club's ”Future Roses' Treasure Hunt,” was also the nationwide celebration, Valentine's Day
So even though she went to school a fair bit earlier than usual, the bus and the school grounds were surprisingly full of students, causing Yuroan
She'd been expecting it, but not this much
It was particularly busy at the fork in the path by the Maria-sa for breaks in the flow of students saying their roup at a tie chocolates
With that many students around the school, there was no way she'd be able to hide her card in theand let it rest until after school The swift rejection of this idea at their earlier planninghad been correct
Even so, Yuasawara Sachiko-sama, had done just that last year How early did she have to arrive at school?
Opening the door of her locker, Yuht-brown bundle with a red ribbon around it, and a cute pink floral paper bag quietly sitting there
Her initial reaction was that she'd mistakenly opened someone else's shoe locker, so she hurriedly closed the door But for the last tento this same spot day after day, so she should have been able to find her own locker without checking the na for confirmation So how had this happened today?
For the ti her head Luckily, there weren't thather embarrassment wasn't actually necessary
Setting that aside, she read the na on the shoe locker door
”Huh? It says 'fukuzawa'”
And there was only one fukuzawa-san in the second-year Pine class
”So that means…”
Naturally, she made the very fukuzawa Yue and paper bag in there had made a mistake, and wondered what she should do with this lost property
But then
”Oh my, you're so popular, Yumi-san”
Yumi turned around when she heard this and found Katsura-san fro as she peeked into Yumi's shoe locker
”Huh!?”
”Why are you so surprised? Today's Valentine's Day, right?”
Katsura-san pulled a box about the size of two stacked CD cases out of her bag and said, ”right?” Presuive to her onee-sama in the tennis club
”So you're saying…?”
That they were both equivalent
”They're chocolates, for you, Yumi-san”
Yumi hesitated, so Katsura-san reached past her and took the parcel and paper bag out of Yu, ”See”
Indeed Whether it was because they understood the personality of that shoe-locker's owner or not, both gifts were clearly labeled with the recipient's name: ”fukuzawa Yumi-sama”
She'd been beaten Yumi cooled her feverish broith the back of her hand
” I never i could happen”
Even though she gave out chocolates on Valentine's Day, she never expected to receive any And, apologies to the senders, but Yuh she'd seen their names
”Ah, you're still the same natural airhead, Yumi-san”
Katsura-san murmured in astonishment
”Well, I mean, I don't have a petite sœur”
”What are youchocolates to your sœur You saw that last year, right?”
”Ah, yeah”
She had indeed seen it The oversized paper bag full of chocolates, given to Rei-sama by way of her petite sœur Yoshi+no-san, and Sachiko-sama's refusal of chocolates from everyone except Yuraduate who had pestered people other than her petite sœur for ”Chocolates, please”
But, to think that it could happen to her
”Anyell, good luck”
After patting Yumi on the shoulder, Katsura-san disappeared towards the classrooed into her indoor shoes
As for Yumi, who'd been left behindshe took off her outdoor shoes, put the (presued into her indoor shoes, and closed her locker door
As she walked down the hallway, she thought about what to do with the chocolates
”Good luck, huh”
If she was going to follow in the footsteps of her beloved onee-sa said that, she didn't think she had the courage or conviction to send them back
Naturally, she was happy to receive chocolates as an expression of soratefully accept those feelings
Although, by accepting theift on White Day And while it was obviously a pointless concern, ould she do in the incredibly unlikely event that she ended up with a haul like Rei-sa with joy, another part of her was applying the brakes
”I see So that's soood luck' for”
Even though there were already so s she had to do today
The nu concerns she had just increased by one
The second-year Pine classroom was filled with a sweet smell
That wasn't a metaphor; it really was the smell of chocolate
There were chocolates, both still-to-be-given and already-received, in the desks, in the bags, and in the lockers Of course, that's not to ignore those girls secretly snacking on chocolates they'd , or just happened to make too much
Students entering their regular old classroo the fact that, ”Ahh, it's Valentine's Day” But that was only at the beginning Soon enough, they became accustomed to it and didn't notice the smell
Yu in the classroo After a little bit of indecision, she decided to leave the chocolates from her shoe locker in her class locker
After that she headed towards her onee-saive her chocolates It would have been a es with her Yuotten last year's debacle
There were a couple of students standing outside the third-year Pine classroo for someone
(What if they're all here to give chocolates to my onee-sama?)
Knohat happened last year and the year before, only masochistic second and third-years would be so reckless as to think of giving Sachiko-sama chocolates But the first-years wouldn't know
It wasn't as though Yumi was jealous, but she didn't want to witness any other students giving Sachiko-sama chocolates Since not only would they be turned down, they probably wouldn't want her petite sœur to see that either
But those worries were unfounded Watching froive their chocolates to other third-years, one by one, and then leave
”Oh, it's fukuzawa Yumi-chan”
One of the third-years called out to her, after receiving their chocolates
”Sachiko-san's already here”
”Oh, is that so?”
”Should I get her for you?”
”Please”
”Oka~y”
The girl grinned as she went back into the classroom
Yu outside her onee-sa of February 14 It was pretty obvious why she was there
”Yumi”
Before long, Sachiko-sama appeared in the hallway
”Gokigenyou, onee-sama”
She was as beautiful as ever The dry winter air was having no effect on her at all Her skin was smooth and her hair was silky
”Gokigenyou”
”Um”
Yu when Sachiko-sama stopped her with a ”Wait”
”Let's go some place else”
”Huh?”
”Don't worry”
Sachiko-sa Yuht she'd just hand over the chocolates and then quickly leave, but now she was thinking that perhaps she should have chosen a more suitable location
”You may not have noticed, but some of my classmates had come out of the classroom in order to satisfy their curiosity”
”Ah”
”Plus, there were so many people around, I couldn't relax”
But it ithout saying that today was Valentine's Day There would already be people at any of the places Yumi could think of
”It feels like it's overcapacity everywhere we go”
Of course, in co rush hour, it was quite empty Even so, it was hard to ensure there was an adequate separation from other people It would be inexcusable to have their arrival intrude upon other people that were exchanging chocolates too
The Rose Mansion came in handy at ti it, perhaps because it was being used as the treasure hunt's headquarters It wasn't as though outsiders were forbidden fro since she'd found it hard to step inside during last year's event too
In the end, Sachiko-sa when they were around the back of the Rose Mansion
”Why were your class on you, onee-sama?”
Yu for the entire ti Since there shouldn't be anything that unusual about the Red Rose sœurs being together at this point
”Last year, I rejected everyone's chocolates except yours, right? They wanted to see my expression --”
”Your expression when you accepted my chocolates? Please show that only to me”
Yu and held it out to her onee-sama
”… Is that a demand?”
Sachiko-sama smiled shyly
”Not at all”
Yumi shook her head, and Sachiko-sama accepted the chocolates with a ”Thank you” Then she boldly unfastened the silver ribbon and opened the package
”Oh my”
What she saere ten home-made chocolate truffles, each about the size of a pickled plum
”Are these … surprise chocolates?”
Sachiko-sa a memory That was the name Yumi had hastily made up last year, partly out of desperation and partly to cover her embarrassment at the accident But this year
”Version two”
”Version two?”
”You'll be surprised how much love is mixed in”
”Hehehe”
Sachiko-sama took one of the chocolates and put it in her mouth
”It's true”
”Right?”
They looked into each other's eyes and laughed Such bliss
”Well then, this is from me”
It was only now that Yu, as a sic
”Wait, are you telling me those are chocolates?”
The package rapped in green wrapping paper with dark brown lines and tied with a yellow ribbon
”Wouldn't that be the ift on a day like today?”
”I suppose … but I wasn't really expecting this either”
”Either?”
”Ah, never mind that”
Back on topic, while she gave her onee-sama chocolates, she never expected to receive any either Of course, she knew that different sœurs had different approaches - like Rei-sama and Yoshi+no-san's tradition She knew that, but she still couldn't i chocolates
”Last year, I was so happy when you gave ht I'd do the same this year”
Then she added, ”I wanted to convey s”
”Onee-sama…”
This was probably why she had wanted to escape the gaze of her classiven to her, so for her to give chocolates in return would undoubtedly cause an uproar
”Thank-you very much”
Accepting both the chocolates and Sachiko-sas, Yumi clasped them to her chest
”Although I'ht chocolates I wasn't confident I could ood”
Apparently these chocolates had her onee-sama's seal of approval
”I've got an emotional attachment to those chocolates”
Sachiko-sa
”When I was in kindergarten, I received a box of these chocolates frootten that girl's naot the taste of those chocolates As a result, every so often I findthem out”
It was unusual for Sachiko-sa about her barely rearten This episode with her classe impression on her
”I even looked after the wrapping paper it ca it out”
”Is this it?”
Yureen and dark-brown lined paper
”No”
The current wrapping paper was Valentine's Day specific, so wouldn't typically be used for an everyday gift But even if it were just a nored somewhat over the decade between then and now
”But the taste should be the same Try one of them”
At Sachiko-sa, Yumi carefully undid the paper so as not to tear it, opened the box, and ate one of the chocolates
”It's good”
The taste of Sachiko-sama's memories They offered each other one of the chocolates they'd received, and also put one of the chocolates they'd brought from home into their mouths Then they both smiled si, filling their mouths
As Sachiko-sama took her second chocolate from the box, and third in total, she quietly asked Yumi:
”Did you make these just for me?”
”Huh?”
”Last year, you gave some to Sei-sama too, didn't you?”
”Ah --”
It see whether Yumi had made chocolates for anyone else
”They're just for you That's why they're so full of love”
”A surprising amount”
”Yeah”
Yumi understood that her onee-sama wasn't jealous, she just wanted confirmation While Yumi hadn't been consciously aware of it at first, now that she'd been asked and had to put it into words, her feelings crystallized
”I thought I'd keep so”
”I see”
”There seeive Touko-chan some time to compose herself, because it will just deteriorate even further if she's not willing to listen to what I have to say”
”That sounds about right”
After agreeing, Sachiko-sama ate another chocolate truffle
”It really is a shame, there's so much love in these”
She said
After that they parted company, and Yumi went into the Rose Mansion by herself
Yumi had explained that it wouldn't matter if she came inside, but Sachiko-sa a needlesstoo close to the headquarters when she was a participant in the treasure hunt
There were already benefits to being the sœur of a host Even though they wouldn't be leaked all the details, Yuhttheir personality and preferences probably made it easier to reason where they would hide their card
Yumi considered this as she opened the door
It was probably for this reason that Sachiko-sae of chocolates
The other participants wouldn't begrudge sœurs exchanging chocolates on Valentine's Day, no matter the circumstances This brief interlude did not require them to be in the Rose Mansion; neither Sachiko-sama nor Rei-sama