Volume 26 Chapter 5 (1/2)
Rewinding time a little bit
Rei walked down the ginkgo-tree-lined path with a spring in her step
Earlier, she'd taken the entrance exam for her first choice university The results wouldn't be known for some time, but her reaction had been positive -- she was certain she'd be studying at that university in spring
(Let's do this)
She caught glih-school students off to the left of the path Since they were holding what appeared to bein the treasure hunt (if they weren't, then it was a bit scary that they'd be loitering around on such a cold and gloomy day)
She'd counted seven or eight people so far, and if there were that many students all the way out here then there were bound to be a lot s It looked like the event was a huge success
(Excellent, excellent)
She checked her watch, despite having done this when she got off the bus 4:15 p about half over
Because she had taken unfaone all that s her later than she'd have liked If she'd made the earlier train, she would have arrived at M Station ten et on the earlier bus, and if that had happened then there was a chance she could have been in the courtyard for the 3:45 pestion somewhere, because she had to wait about twentyone
But even if she had made it in time for the start, Rei wasn't qualified to take part in the treasure hunt Since she hadn't knohether or not she'd be able to get here in time after her exam, she'd put an entry in the second-chance draw
So, in order for Rei to be saved, she'd have to go back in time to before she put her entry in the second-chance draw, convince herself that she'd be able to make it in time, study the train timetables carefully, and then pray to God for there to be no traffic congestion on the day of her exa about it now
4:15 pm 25 minutes until it was over
(Soht have already found Yoshi+no's card by now)
Thinking this, she wished she had the ability to freely manipulate ti able to fast-forould be good It would be easier to accept defeat if it was all over
The ideal situation for Rei would be for Yoshi+no's card to remain hidden until time ran out In that case, she'd suddenly be in with a chance
(Right, it's probably hidden over there)
Rei had coe victorious if the yellow card wasn't found in regular time and went to the second-chance draw She should understand Yoshi+no the best, so who else could possibly guess the location?
(Ah, but, be that as it may)
That couldn't come to pass while the treasure hunt was still live, so all she could do ait until the ti her in limbo for another twenty minutes
The spring in her step that she had when she entered through the school gates had left her
Rei put her hand into her right coat pocket Inside the pocket, her nu a muffled sound
(Yoshi+no)
Rei looked up to the heavens, in prayer She let out a sigh and then returned her gaze to normal
(-- Huh?)
When she li, so she took another look at that area The so-called ”second-look”
Then, what she saas:
”That's”
She muttered as she stared at the external wall of the school building
What she was seeing definitely looked like ”that” But would ”that” really be in such a location? She couldn't coht about by her desire to see Yoshi+no
She tried to test this theory by rubbing her eyes, but the scene remained the same This was an unprecedented situation
The yellow card
It was clinging to the wall of the school building
That wasn't quite right It wasn't clinging to the building -- it was stuck there It was at the saht as one of the s on the second-floor and affixed to the building withtape
(Is the tape directly on the card?)
No, they wouldn't have done so that silly Rei couldn't see it out from her position, but she assu similar Either way
Hiding it in a place like that
Although, since it was right out in the open, could it even be called hiding?
It was too audacious Was she a dummy?
First of all, had they even said that that spot was in-bounds?
Rei took her copy of theIt had come with the ”second-chance draw” entry form
She unfolded the piece of paper and checked Was the wall of the school building that she could see from her current position inside the dotted-lines, or not?
She soon had her answer
”I see”
If the inside of the school building was out-of-bounds, then that would make the outside in-bounds What was up with that? It was like a zen riddle
If it had been at ground level, then everyone would probably agree that it was in-bounds But seeing it in that unreachable position, she'd auto whether or not it was
But it was inside the allowed area, and was undoubtedly the yellow card
Rei felt a little bit dizzy
That was probably because she'd been staring upwards all this tie of that could also be due to the shock of seeing the yellow card
Ever since she'd heard that the treasure hunt was happening again this year, she'd spent her breaks fro about where Yoshi+no would hide her card And the location she'd finally decided on had been way off target
She hadn't even considered that Yoshi+no would hide it in this spot
That Yoshi+no would hide her card in a place that Rei hadn't even thought of came as quite a shock
And, to make matters worse, why on Earth did she have to discover it herself?
Sensing people approaching froaze and folded her map
Two girls, that looked to be first-years, chatted as they walked towards her Naturally, they were holding that item indispensable for participants -- a map
”Ah, Rosa Foetida Gokigenyou”
When they noticed Rei, the girls greeted her cheerfully
”Gokigenyou The treasure hunt see well”
”Yeah Although I've heard the yellow card hasn't been found yet We're heading over to the , to see if we can find it there”
”I see”
Those girls must be fans of Yoshi+no They didn't know that if they angled their faces upwards, they'd find the card they were searching for
”Good luck”
But Rei couldn't tell the it for themselves
She let the two first-years pass then resu oncein that spot She thought it'd be better if she headed to the Rose Mansion and announced to Yoshi+no and everyone else that she'd found the yellow card
(… Am I a masochist?)
Just then
”Rei-sama --”
The voice came from overhead
”Have you finished your exams for today?”
She looked up and saw a girl leaning out of a , cheerfully brandishi+ng a map rolled up into a bullhorn
”--”
It was her junior in the Kendo Club, Tanuma Chisato-chan
(Good heavens)
Theshe was leaning out of was right next to where the yellow card was stuck to the outside wall of the school building
If Chisato-chan turned to her right, she'd undoubtedly see the card Not just see it, she'd be able to reach out and take it
Rei waved weakly then walked off towards the entrance
All the while wishi+ng she could have siirls
On a related topic
The oft-called ”idiot” Rei-chan had, by this point, cootten that Tanuma Chisato had won last year's treasure hunt
Touko wondered just what it was that she was doing
Sitting alone at her desk, the first-year Caer than usual
Goaded into action by Sachiko-onee-sama, she'd entered the treasure hunt On her desk was thethe bounds of the event
But, right at thismore than a bit of scrap paper to Touko It had no practical use to someone that had secluded themselves in an out-of-bounds classroom
The sounds of happy voices reached her from the hallway, but it felt like they were on a different planet Maybe it was because the lights weren't on despite the gloo the classroom
She wasn't necessarily opposed to having the lights on in the room It would be a si her to flick the light switch But she had no idea what she should do after that, so she didn't move
Flicking the switch would turn on the lights and acco this reason for staying in the roo away from the switch would open up a world of possibilities
She could return to her seat Or, instead of turning the lights on, she could leave the classroom
Touko hadn't moved from her seat because once she stood up, she'd have to make that sort of decision
If she returned to her seat after turning on the lights, ould she do then? Continue to futilely waste time in the noell-lit classroom?
If she left the classroom, ould she do then? There's no way she'd be able to innocently enjoy the treasure hunt like the owners of those happy voices
What if shethe classroom?
Like the lockers in the back of the rooanize the contents Or she could take out her coat and start getting ready to go home
Indeed, she'd be better off heading ho about it all
However
(Are you running away?)
Sachiko-onee-sama's words stopped her If she went ho away She was participating in the treasure hunt because she didn't want to run aasn't she?
She had no idea what to do
Goaded on by Sachiko-onee-sama, she'd resolved to participate in the treasure hunt and had, initially, intended to search diligently But her resolve had quickly withered as she looked over the other participants in the courtyard
Listening to the their shrill cries when the future Roses appeared, Touko felt she was somehow different to them No, not ”different” It was just that it was out of character for her to be there
Right after the start, Touko noticed that a couple of girls were following her She s how Yumi-sama had also been followed a year earlier Apparently they still considered Touko to be ”someone close to Yumi-sama”
They obviously didn't know that Touko had refused Yumi-sama's rosary when she offered it at Christmas, or the abuse Touko had hurled at Yumi-sama when they had parted co with the misconception that Touko and Yumi-sama had a close relationshi+p
(Misconception?)
Touko clenched her hands together above the map
Right, that had been aabout Touko's familial situation So her rosary had not been offered out of pity
(So why?)