Volume 29 Chapter 3 (2/2)
”Who knows?”
Yu that ritten on the forram was 'The Drama Club's March Performance' Perhaps because they hadn't decided on what they were to perform, or perhaps because they wanted to keep it a secret until the curtain was raised
Either way
”That girl with the hair rolls, she's your petit soeur, right, Yumi-san? Is she okay?”
”Probably”
It looked like that rumor had already spread far and wide, even without the help of the Lillian Kawaraban
As Yu the clubhouse, she saw a familiar face
”If you're after Touko-chan, she's not here”
The dra her school coat and carrying her bag She'd probably left so behind in the clubroo on secluding herself in the clubroo
”Oh, really?”
Yumi hadn't actually come here to see Touko, but there was no need to say that When they passed each other, Yumi smiled and nodded, while the drama club's president spoke
”Because she wanted to go to the Rose Mansion today”
Thinking that the club president was calling her to stop, Yu her They had swapped positions but, as before, they were still facing off against each other
Yumi had no unfinished business here, but it looked like her opponent did Yuirl's naht of her as the 'draoing to use that when talking to her
”It h on Touko-chan Especially at this time of the year, now that she's the petit soeur of one of next year's Roses”
”Tsukasa-san”
The answer popped out of Yuht Tsukasa-san The girl's nai Tsukasa-san
Yu Tsukasa-san's consent to their beco soeurs
”I suppose you could call it selfless devotion How she figured out a way to have ti during lunch break”
Not knowing how to respond, Yumi kept silent Tsukasa-san said, ”Looks like you already knew about that,” then shed
”Then how about the cuts and bruises on her ars?”
”Yeah”
Yumi nodded She hadn't seen them for herself, but had heard about it from Noriko-chan
”Yeah, you say Can you really claim to be Touko-chan's onee-sama?”
Tsukasa-san seemed shocked as she spat that out
”Huh?”
”Or is it that you think nothing of her because you didn't have to put in any effort to make her your petit soeur? So you don't care about what's happening to her when you can't see her”
It took Yumi a while to comprehend this quick-fire streaed to deny the final stateered in her ears
”It's not that I don't care about her”
”In the first place, how do you feel about her?”
No matter how you look at it, those words were meant to be an attack on Yuesting that she was the one being attacked Of course, this was different fro?” that her classmates would ask innocently
”Hey, you About Touko - ”
Normally Yumi could be quite thick-headed, but for soh she had snapped back, Tsukasa-san's conduct was still considerablyas though with anger
”I like her That's why I asked her 'Please be my petit soeur' But don't worry, she turned ht away”
It would probably be inappropriate to say 'sorry' at this point Even so, Yu appropriate to say, and silently watched Tsukasa-san
”I've been thinking about it for a long time I knew that Touko-chan liked you, but I've been wondering what you thought of her It's obvious you don't hate her, since you gave her your rosary So, then, how much do you like her? About half as much as I do? If only there were some scale on which you could measure love, I'd like to see that”
There was no way to answer the question, 'How much do you like her?' Should she hold her hands wide apart and say, 'This much,' or perhaps use the expression 'Taller than Mt Fuji,' or, even, 'Bigger than a galaxy'
Feelings of love dithin a person's heart and they're i them They're not restricted to the span of soalaxy
”Didn't you only beco the Valentine's Day event?”
Tsukasa-san's gaze skewered Yumi
”Answer me”
Yuht about how to answer that question, and firmed her resolve
Yue' There were only two characters in this play At soe from which she couldn't escape
I' to use that as an excuse to run away To be rude to this person who thinks so highly of Touko would also be to betray Touko
”It's entirely possible that I became aware of my love for Touko some time after you did It's also possible that if there were some way to measure the scale of our affection, that I would lose out to you But s towards Touko are most definitely not superficial”
Words can be used to say anything It doesn't make it true That's what Tsukasa-san's eyes were saying
”We became soeurs after she asked to bethat However, prior to that, I had already been turned down by her once”
”When?”
Tsukasa-san's eyes ide
”On the day of the second se ceremony It was an honorable defeat”
”You lie”
”I would never lie about this”
It was Yumi's ound But despite this, now that they were soeurs she became able to face that event At the tie that she didn't knohat she should do In refusing the offer, Touko had probably been hurt le most painful memory
War wounds aren't soenerally show to other people, much less use as a cover for a lie
”I don't understand Why would she turn you down?”
Yu, since it was a question of Touko's feelings
”So, you see, I was the one who asked her And on Valentine's Day, Touko responded to s That's how I interpreted it”
However, Tsukasa-san wasn't about to accept that explanation
”Even if you have liked Touko-chan for so long, why didn't you say anything? Instead of silently watching You didn't consider that Iher?”
Now that the question had been asked, Yumi paused to consider it And then she found the answer that most closely reflected what she felt in her heart
”Because I trust Touko”
Probably If anything happened, Touko would tell her about it
She would seek assistance
That Touko hadn't told Yu she couldn't tell her about, but that it was so that there was no need to tell her about
”But, from now on, I think I'll be able to trust you as well”
Yu closely at her hands, she had fresh scratches on her as well
”Yumi-san … ”
Tsukasa-san stood frozen in shock as she whispered this Then, gradually, like ice an to slacken The mask fell, just for a moment, and her true face was visible beneath it
”I was so annoyed whenever I saw you I knew Imiserable if I opened my mouth, but I couldn't stop myself Finally, I said it”
Looking up at the sky, cursing her mistake
”But, still I kneas going to say soit I was convinced I was right So, I thought, why not have a go But after actually saying it, I feel even worse I'm such an idiot”
Tsukasa-san s this Instead, she had been sho deep the bonds were between Yumi and Touko Then she turned to Yumi
Her proth behind her eyes, her short hair and those proud cheekbones - she had the appearance of afor a photo
”But I' to lose either”
Her mask firmly back in place, Tsukasa-san spoke in a loud, resonant voice
”I don't think the match is over just yet”
”Huh?”
”Oh, don't make that face I' isn't inthat you'll never be able to do”
Before Yumi even had a chance to ask, 'What?'
”I'll show Touko-chan how to sparkle on stage”
That was definitely so that Yumi wouldn't be able to do Not just Yumi It's possible that no-one she had met would be able to match it with Touko in that arena
For Touko's sake For the sake of e The only person ould be able to do that was, probably, this here Takagi Tsukasa
(Geeze)
Yuht, 'Which one of them was supposed to be selflessly devoted?'
Then, in her mind, Yumi said 'I'll leave it to you,' and bowed her head Because if she said it out loud, the response would probably be, 'I' this for you'
”Sorry for detaining you”
Tsukasa-san said, then turned her back oncetowards the clubhouse she took a few steps forwards She didn't lose her focus, even as she alking away She was still an actress
When Yu towards the Rose Mansion, a voice called out to her fro in the clubhouse's entrance, looking at her
”I've changed ”
”Yeah?”
”I'lad there's no scale that can measure affection”
Shtly, Tsukasa-san disappeared into the clubhouse
”Geeze, where have you been?”
When Yumi opened the 'biscuit-door' on the second floor of the Rose Mansion, Yoshi+no-san aiting there, looking inti
”What do you a club”
Hadn't she told the lunch? Yumi waved the recently retrieved questionnaire form in the air There was no need to tell Yoshi+no-san and the others about her run-in with Tsukasa-san, as that didn't relate to them directly Touko was there, just like Tsukasa-san had said, but Yumi didn't plan to tell her about their conversation either
Yumi handed the co over to the drawer to return the blank paper she had taken at lunch when she heard a frosty voice calling from behind
”You were late, so she went home”
”Who did?”
Looking around, all the usual members were present shi+mako-san, Yoshi+no-san, Noriko-chan and Touko It was Touko who spoke next
”Rosa Chinensis, onee-sama”
”What?!”
”She waited for about ten minutes, but then she left”
Noriko-chan said, as she cleaned one of the tea cups It was probably the one that Yumi's onee-sama had sipped tea from as she waited for Yumi to return
”How long ago was this?”
”About fifteenbecause she had so to do at home”
shi+mako-san said, her eyebroered in commiseration
”She's gone home then”
”How unlucky is that,” Yuht It was only at times like these, when her onee-sama came all the way to the Rose Mansion just to see her, that she wasn't there
”I wonder what she's going to do at home Study?”
Yoshi+no-san asked, folding her arms
”Who knows You didn't ask her?”
”You said you were going to ask her, Yuh anted to”
That's true
”Sorry I haven't asked her yet”
”Hu-”
Yoshi+no-san's overreaction
”That's why I said 'sorry'”
Yoshi+no-san expressed her disbelief at Yu to shi+ a sensible conversation, and asking:
”Did she say why she came here?”
”She didn't give a specific reason Perhaps she just wanted to see your face, Yumi-san?”
”Like she gets unsettled if she doesn't see your face at least once a day, that kind of thing?”
Yoshi+no-san teased from the sidelines Yumi would have been overjoyed if that theory was true, but it probably wasn't
”We saw each other today, but just for a moment We walked past each other in the hallway”
”So why didn't you ask her about the rumor then?”
Yoshi+no-san see away at her
”Because erebetween classes All of our classmates were around, and I didn't want to ask her about it in front of everyone”
”Ah, back then, huh”
Yoshi+no-san was in the sa to visualize the circumstances, so she let the matter drop
Seeing that Yoshi+no-san had fallen silent, the usually quiet shi+mako-san spoke
”Touko-chan, do you have that - ”
”Yes”
Touko held out so her what 'that' was
”What's this?”
”It's a letter fro after it for you”
A folded, white piece of paper was being held out to her It looked like report paper, or siaave it a completely different visual i class
Sachiko-sa, when Yumi hadn't returned
”Sachiko-sama left that behind?”
So Yoshi+no-san hadn't known Despite looking so self-important when she chided Yuh Yoshi+no-san hadn't actually been there when Sachiko-sama came to visit either
”What could I do? I had to go to a kendo club ”
”I' you”
”You didn't have to Your expression said it all, Yumi-san”
Good point No nified or well-spoken Yumi tried to be, that fact still remained She had a face that reflected whatever she was thinking, with stunning clarity
(Oh brother)
Yumi took the letter from Touko and opened it immediately Yoshi+no-san came over to have a look, but Yumi decided that she would read it by herself first since she didn't knohat the contents of the letter would be
Rudely turning her back on everyone, Yuaze fall on the words written there Then
”What's this?”
She said, without thinking Drawn in by Yuathered around and read the contents of the letter They too were at a loss for words
There were a
Yuymnasium Sachiko
- Was her onee-saht?