Volume 28 Chapter 15 (1/2)
”I'm back”
When she returned, Tsutako-san was not alone
”Pardon me”
Shouko-chan hesitantly entered into the rooh she'd heard the gossip that had been said about her just before
”I ran into her not long ago, so I dragged her along Ah, Mami-san”
Tsutako-san noticed her classreeting in kind, Mahtly to her As though to say, ”Sorry about before”
However Shouko-chan didn't notice this at all, instead she fidgeted with her fingers as her gaze darted around the room Just like Mami-san had said, there were brand new, oversized band-aids visible on the palms of her hands
”What's wrong? Are you feeling out of place, surrounded by second-years?”
shi+mako-san asked as she pulled an e it to Shouko-chan, who seemed a bit taken aback
”Ah, no Sorry I' here in the Rose Mansion”
”Wha - ?”
Yumi called out instinctively Because it was so contrary to her expectations After all, this wasn't Shouko-chan's first time in this room, and she'd kept her cool remarkably well for a first-year the last time she'd been there
Shouko-chan had definitely changed since last time
”Here, have some tea”
”Ah, thank-you Oh, it's hot”
She then placed her finger through the handle of the cup as though she were about to lift it to drink, stared idly at a spot on the table, and repeated a question again and again as though she wasn't following the conversation when sole word as 'absent-mindedness'
It seerazes on her hands when she had dealt with Katsura-san in a brisk, secretary-like fashi+on (since she had already been injured at that point) Well, Tsutako-san couldn't just leave her alone, so had to bring her along - that was understandable
”Ah, that's right”
Yumi took the roll of film out of her pocket and handed it to Tsutako-san
”What should we do with this?”
”What's that?”
Ma the story
”Earlier today I was given this by an unknown first-year Because it's got Takeshi+ma Tsutako written on it, see But Tsutako-san says it's not hers”
”Well, that's interesting A bit of a mystery I can tell by their faces that Yoshi+no-san and shi+mako-san have taken an interest in it too”
”Right?”
Just as she was saying this, a voice unexpectedly called out froroup of boisterous second-years
”Umm, you should take it to lost property”
That was a surprise It was Shouko-chan A little while ago, she hadn't been participating in the conversation at all, but now she seemed to have lost her absent-mindedness She'd spoken quite loudly too
”Well, that was the plan”
Tsutako-san said, and Yuree her head
”But if the lost property office finds the owner, we'll probably never find out who it was”
It was Yoshi+no-san
”Well, that would only be if the person in question asked theht?”
It's not like the lost property office would refuse to give the iteossip Probably
”Hmph So we'd never know the truth? Isn't that awful? Even though ent to all the effort of picking it up”
Literally speaking, Yoshi+no-san, it was the group of three unnamed first-years that had picked it up, not you Furthermore, you weren't even the person they entrusted it to - Things would have taken a turn for the worse if Yu like that, so she kept silent Everyone else was undoubtedly thinking a similar retort too The silence of ”…” was proof of that
”At the very least, Tsutako-san has a right to know, doesn't she? See, they're defrauding her by using her name”
So transparent, Yoshi+no-san Your real intention was to secretly listen in if they did happen to tell Tsutako-san
”A name alone doesn't make it fraud”
Was Tsutako-san's opinion Well that was true They didn't have any proof that there were no other students with the same name at school
”Then, what? You're still clinging to the theory that someone else has the same first and last name as you?”
Yoshi+no-san laughed loudly, highlighting the fact that Takeshi+ma Tsutako was hardly a common name
”There are other possibilities”