Volume 27 Chapter 1 (2/2)
Seeing their s their words of thanks made Yumi want to throw the basket in the air and jump for joy Of course, it would be proble out of the basket, so she didn't do this
”Yu the card?”
One of theirl had a tense expression on her face, as though she'd been angry when she heard the result A first-year, apparently Yuirl seemed to have waited to approach her until after the crowd had thinned out, when she wouldn't be inconveniencing anyone
”What did I think?”
Yuly
”Well, Rosa Chinensis ht? And yet, it seems a bit unfortunate, you know”
”I see”
This girl was being serious - there was no trace of deception or an atte as on her mind
”You knohether it was Touko-san, or Rosa Chinensis, or even sos probably wouldn't change I'd just be happy that someone found it And that's how I am now”
After she'd said that, Yuer up to her mouth
”Although that's a bit rude to shi+mako-san, since no-one found her card Don't tell her I said that, okay?”
The first-year laughed at this, and the tension seemed to be released
”Whether the person who found the card was someone I kneell, or sos”
”So you'd still feel that way, even if I'd found the card, for example?”
”Of course I'd be delighted”
”I understand Sorry for asking such a strange question”
”Not at all Thanks for participating”
After taking a chocolate froirl quickly bowed her head and ran off Feeling refreshed, Yuo for a short while
”You done?”
Hearing that voice, Yumi turned around and saw that Yoshi+no-san hadher basket around
”Rei-chan said she wanted one, and there's soive it to her? A chocolate, that is”
”That should be fine … ah, wait”
Looking around the courtyard, a group of students reated around shi+h chocolates left in her basket to be able to handle that group?
”Don't worry about theirls already took a chocolate”
Yoshi+no-san said, yawning
”They've got a chocolate, but they still haven't gone home?”
”You should remember what happened last year, Yumi-san”
”Ah”
Where on earth had shi+mako-san hidden her white card? Those who just couldn't wait for the Lillian Kawaraban special edition to co to leave Probably intending to accompany the newspaper club members when they went to retrieve it
”Like I said, it'll be revealed in the Lillian Kawaraban special edition”
Even at this distance, they could hear Mami-san's troubled voice as she explained the situation But Yumi and Yoshi+no-san knew she really wasn't that troubled She was just sifting out the participants, until an appropriate nuroup stubbornly reo home
”Hold on a minute”
Ma students, then walked over to Yumi and Yoshi+no-san
”It doesn't look like I'll get the nuet the white card How about you, Yumi-san, Yoshi+no-san?”
Will you co asked, and Yumi and Yoshi+no-san looked at each other There were about fifteen or sixteen girls left in the group Add to that Tsutako-san and Ma lady shi+mako-san and her petit soeur Noriko-chan, and it was a pretty big bunch The more people there were the harder it would be to lead the place, so they decided to sit this one out
”We'll tidy up the Rose Mansion”
”Really? That'll be a great help I told the other newspaper club members they could leave after they'd collected the hints for shi+ late, so this looks like a good place to call it a day The review 's tomorrow at lunch See ya”
Without waiting for an acknowledgment from Yumi or Yoshi+no-san, Mami-san headed back to where shi+roup, they headed off towards the school building with shi+mako-san in the lead
Which led to an odd sensation The courtyard, which had earlier seemed to be absolutely buried beneath the mass of students suddenly seemed quite deserted, now that there were none there
After picking up washcloths that were hanging on the line between the Rose Mansion and the school building, the bouton pair entered the Rose Mansion
”That Touko-chan,”
Yoshi+no-san said, as they climbed the stairs
”Hmm?”
”She didn't go to you, did she, Yumi-san?”
For aabout, but then Yoshi+no-san swung around and held out her basket, and Yu out chocolates to the participants
”Ah, now that you mention it”
Yuet a chocolate
”It's not, ”Now that I mention it” She took a chocolate from my basket, then left What's up with you two?”
”What do you mean, what's up with us?”
Yumi hastily followed her friend who story and amazed look on her face
”Just before, there was that huge uproar when she asked to become your petit soeur in front of everyone Then after that, it's like, ohhh, nothing happened - but that's not true, right?”
When you put it that way
”This tiive her the rosary already, and stop all this constant flirting, and flirting, and flirting, and flirting”
Yoshi+no-san waited for Yu her arm over Yuht
”O”
Chocolates from their baskets scattered all over the floor
Yunal her surrender and eventually Yoshi+no-san relaxed her hold Then, rather than re around in front of Yumi and embraced her with both arms
” … I'lad, Yumi-san”
Yoshi+no-san whispered into Yumi's ear
”Yeah”
Their bodies separated and they smiled at each other The joy was doubled and the sadness halved Yumi was thankful to have that sort of a friend to care for her
”Alright Let's hurry up and clean this place, Rei-chan's waiting in the classrooo home”
With satisfaction e from every part of her body, Yoshi+no-san did as she said and hurried into the room
” … Oh geeze”
Left behind in the corridor, Yuathered the scattered chocolates in her basket, picked up the washcloth and headed for the biscuit door
”What's taking you so long?”
Yoshi+no-san's voice called out from inside
It was only after they'd gone out the main entrance that she realized they should have left the chocolate basket behind
”Onee-sama”
Noriko quickly closed the distance to shi+ in front, and clasped her hand over shi+ it to be passed to her It had been prepared with a slightly larger number of chocolates than the others, so there was still about twenty re
”Ah”
shi+ As Noriko expected, she too had apparently forgotten about the basket until just then
”Thank-you”
”Don't mention it”
shi+y source for Noriko to run on Yoshi+no-sahts of cooling her love for her onee-sama
So, when Mami-sama asked her, ”What will you do?” naturally she answered with, ”I'll go with you” She absolutely wanted to be there when the trick behind shi+mako-san's hidden white card was revealed to everyone
Of course, it would be a lie to say she wasn't interested in seeing Yumi-sama's response to Touko's confession, but that was no reason to be impatient Let nature take its course, and since they'd reached that point it would probably end peacefully Trying to rush things would just cause problems
After taking possession of the basket, Noriko stood still for a while, allowing the group of white-card-seekers to catch up and overtake her, before continuing again Having a petit soeur buzzing around the leading lady shi+mako-san would be an eyesore for the participants, and Noriko didn't want that
”Log skewered rabbit”
Noriko caught part of the conversation between the students walking ahead of her
(Log skewered rabbit?)
What the heck Just as she was thinking that, the i forced its way into her head
Log skewered rabbit Was that the signature dish of some famous chef?
But, sticking a spit thick enough to be called a log through a rabbit, seriously - She'd seen a TV show on this topic a while back, and the largest rabbits used for food were about the size of a
”Enjoyable rabbit circle”
That was the next sentence she heard
(Enjoyable rabbit circle?)
Or maybe it was, ”Enjoyable rabbit check” Either way, it painted a happy picture Rabbits dancing under a full moon
”shi+ne rabbit soup”
Back on the signature dishes, then Alend, 'The Hare of Inaba' -
After thinking that, Noriko had a iven up on trying to deduce the location of shi+mako-san's white card When the time limit was reached, it was obvious from Rosa Chinensis' testiht to the Rose Mansion, but now the girls who had been out running around and searching had linked up, they had the full set So they were shuffling the characters and picture around, trying to come up with the answer
Such a sha skewered rabbit” nor ”Enjoyable rabbit circle” were correct As for ”shi+ne rabbit soup,” that's not even a proper sentence But most of all, if that was the hint, where would you search? It's not as though there's a rabbit warren anywhere on campus
”That picture, should it really be rabbit? Or is there so it?”
Noriko silently agreed with that statement
(Exactly You'll never solve the riddle if you think that's just an ordinary rabbit Sorry that it's such a bad picture Actually, I was the one that drew it)
In truth, she had intended to spend so and draw a better one, but Yoshi+no-sama had said, ”You don't want to make it too easy to understand, because then people will find the card right away” So instead Noriko sub that she'd done solely from memory If the main reason that shi+mako-san's card had not been found was because of that drawing, then that was rettable
Taking the path leading past the library, they cao trees
Setting aside the ”drawing of a rabbit that can't be called a rabbit,” there were six characters
Ku, shi+, ta, no, ma, ru (in syllabic order)[1]
As expected, no one thought that the 'ma' was the 'ma' from Maria-sama's statue, so even as they drew close they all kept walking at pace
As they continued to walk, they slowly drew closer to the goal And as they walked and shuffled the cards, there was a certain synergy that led to a connection, with sporadic cries of, ”Ah,” and, ”Could it be,” filling the air
(Yes, that's correct)
Inside the school gates, just beside the security guard's post was the car park
The white-card-recovery-squad watched a blue car come out of the car park, then went in
”You were looking tosplash, huh shi+mako-san”
Mami-san muttered when they saw the car park
”… Indeed”
Following their gaze, the students all dashed off in search of the answer Noriko too sprinted away, flustered The basket was a bit of a nuisance, but Noriko ran with one hand over the top of it to keep the chocolates fro out
”Such high spirits”
shi+ave chase They both continued to walk calmly Of course, Noriko already knehere the card was hidden, so she hadn't had to wait until now to get the answer But she did want to find out what state it was in currently
At that moment, there were hardly any cars in the car park They continued further in, to the spaces near the wall that were reserved for the teaching staff
When they reached the destination, the students stood there, dumbstruck
(Victory to shi+mako-san)
In her mind, Noriko assumed a triumphant pose
In the parking area reserved for teachers, in a single parking space, a transparent plastic sleeve was stuck to the ground withit Inside was -
”The white card … ”
Someone said
”But, I had a look around this area earlier, and it wasn't like this”
Someone else said, dumbfounded
”The cars that were parked here during the treasure hunt have since left”
The girls turned around to look at the voice that called out from behind them, and there was Ma beside her
”Which should lead you to the answer”
” … Under the car”[2]
”That's about 80 right”
It wasn't clear what she was basing that grade on, but Maround and picked up the plastic sleeve containing the card
”As expected from a pro driver like Aota-sensei, there's no tyre tracks over it at all”
”Aota … ah, Miffy-chan!”[3]
”Yep Miffy-chan, so the correct ansas under Aota-sensei's car”
Mami-sama pointed at the concrete bumper, and everyone saw that it had ”Aota” written on it in white paint
Aota-sensei's nickname was Miffy-chan Aota-sensei was a middle-school teacher, and since Noriko only entered Lillian's Girls Acadeh-school, she didn't know the reason behind the nickname, or even what Aota-sensei looked like
They'd discussed this in an earlier e, the Lillian Kawaraban had printed an article about Aota-sensei as part of their ”Teach us! OO-sensei” series This article, in the second edition of the paper for the year, contained the nicknao
Incidentally, Aota-sensei was unaware of the plan While Ma the rules of the contest, a first-year from the newspaper club had run to the car park and stuck the card underneath the car At any rate, it was just as well they didn't go ho place, or it wouldn't be ”Under Aota-sensei's car,” but, ”On the ground where Aota-sensei's car is usually parked”
”Aota-sensei wouldn't go ho, tothe rules Only after it had been brought to a successful conclusion would they go”
Anticipating this, shi+ splash indeed Like the ebb and flow of the tides, the look of the hiding place changed over time
”Ah - ”
One of the students cried out, suddenly
”That blue car from before!”
”You're right! That was Miffy-chan driving it!”
A nu one of theirls that spoke out had a touch of pleasant surprise mixed in their voice
- I want fun
That had been shi+e success
(Now I understand)
The visage of Aota-sensei
”He really does look just like dick Bruna”[4]
While Noriko was reed man in the car that had left the car park just before, and adside her and gently took her hand
(Ah)
She didn't put it into words, but, ”Thanks for your co-operation,” cah loud and clear
shi+mako-san's hand arm and soft, and Noriko wanted to remain joined like that forever
(Oh no)
The chocolates inside the basket would all melt away
The car park was quite lively
Casting a sidelong glance, Rei-chan :
”shi+mako's card was underneath Aota-sensei's car”
&nb