Volume 33 Chapter 2 (2/2)
”Well, of course It's only natural that I would think about letting my dear friend have the opportunity to pin the flower on her onee-sama”
When it caames of chance, Yoshi+no-san didn't see to win
”Thank-you”
At any rate, Yuratitude towards her friend
”Wouldn't you agree that Yoshi+no-san just loves an occasion?”
Itsue-san said as they flen the corridor together, watching their classmates ahead of them
”Loves an occasion?”
”Don't you think she gets worked up whenever there's an event? She was in fine form for the athletics festival and the school festival”
H Prior to the autuh school, Yoshi+no-san had been forced to abstain from a lot of activities due to her heart condition Now that her body was healthy due to the surgery, her excitement made her reluctant to step aside whenever there was an event
In this way, the spectacle of the graduation ceremony made her rush to accept the opportunity that was offered to her That was the explanation tentatively put forth
(However)
What that all it was? Yu Yoshi+no-san short
Was Yoshi+no-san in such an excited state solely because of the spectacle of the graduation ceremony?
Well, it was only reasonable that Yoshi+no-san should be excited because herBut she'd known about Rei-sa tier bothered by it
More than just excite to explode at anyaround, as a way of concealing this
They'd had countless rehearsals for the graduation cere about that now (although there's a difference in tension for a rehearsal and for the real thing, of course)
On the other hand, the evening get-togethers of the Hasekura and shi+raduation cereet excited until now
(Hmmmmm)
There was probably so in that Come to think of it, Yoshi+no-san was all aflutter about so yesterday afternoon
”What is it?”
In front of the staff room, Yoshi+no-san turned around and looked at Yumi
”Uhh, nothing?”
”You look as though you want to say so”
”No way!”
Misa-san and Itsue-san shook their heads No-one in their class wanted tooff the Yoshi+no-bomb They had learned that from past experience
”Really?”
Then that was settled, and Yoshi+no-san put her hand on the doorknob
”Excuse me, we've come to pick up the flowers Oh?”
As the door rattled open, they saw that some other visitors had arrived before them
”Oh my”
shi+mako-san and Katsura-san were there Which means they must be the second year wisteria class Apart from those two, there was another person with them - so three people in total
”Yoshi+no-san, are you and the other girls going to pin the flowers to your seniors?”
shi+ meekly
”Wellyeah”
In contrast, Yoshi+no-san had been visibly knocked off balance
The general reasons for that could be easily guessed
Firstly, they weren't the first class to arrive at the staff room (and they hadn't even been aware that the wisteria class was already there)
Secondly, the white corsages for each class were contained within three boxes, so there was no need for all six of theh that they needed two people to carry theht)
And those were both things that Yoshi+no-san had taken the initiative and decided upon (that they would wait until everyone was there, and then go to the staff room to collect the flowers)
Yoshi+no-san realized all of this in an instant So she was beside herself with remorse
”Well then, we'll be off now”
Yoshi+no-san clenched her fists tightly as she saw the girls froroup file out sirls all thought, 'That kind of thing really doesn't h to say it
The three boxes marked 'third year pine class' were picked up by three of the girls and they were on their way out of the staff room when this time they ran into students from the second year chrysanthemum class There were five of them from that class - so it didn't look like there was any reason to worry about the numbers
”Yoshi+no-san, are you and the other girls going to pin the flowers to your seniors?”
The exact sao, albeit from a different person
”Wellyeah”
And the exact sa and confiscated the box she had been holding Yoshi+no-san sees had continued, she looked like she would crush the box and all the corsages within it
Let's see, ere the ones who arrived at the staff roo difference between five and six people
So Yu what the proble only at one person in particular In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say she was scowling at someone
(Ah)
That's it That person over there was Tanuma Chisato-san
Chisato-san, whether she intended to or not, was extre way They were both in the kendo club, and had been a couple for the Valentine's Day dates Yuether on several occasions, but they never really seemed compatible -
”… so thatout the flowers then, Chisato-san”
Yoshi+no-san was visibly displeased as she said this
”That's right”
A grinning Chisato-san answered Incredible As though she hadn't noticed Yoshi+no-san's glare
”Oh, okay”
Glare-glare-glare-glaaaare
The second year chrysantheroup Chisato-san was responsible for Rei-sama's class It was clear that this was the cause of Yoshi+no-san's displeasure There was nothing you could do to influence which class you were put in, but even so, Yoshi+no-san was undoubtedly asking herself why she couldn't have been in the chrysantheroup
Rei-sama's onee-sama, Torii Eriko-saroup And Rei-saroup at that tiside each other in the sa the athletics festival and, on the day of the graduation ceremony, the petit soeur was able to pin the flower to the chest of her onee-sama
”Do you want to stand in for me?”
Oncethat could never happen Whether or not she
”I'o, Yumi-san”
As Yuet rabbed her ared her out into the hallway
On the way out, Yoshi+no-san stopped and turned around, perhaps having changed her mind
”I' to the third year chrysantheroup as a representative of all the students enrolled at this school In other words, you're already acting as a stand in for me”
It was said with such force and finality that it didn't allow for any comeback Even so, Yumi was moved by those words
A representative of all the students enrolled at this school, huh?
Such a nice thing to say, dear friend
They returned to their classroom, opened the boxes and counted out the number of flowers
The corsages looked like roses, with littered and sparkled with such brilliance it was almost painful to look at them
After confir the cerethat they could have arranged toAnyway, it was good that they weren't rushed
Theprayers weren't broadcast over the PA syste homeroom today The roll call was quickly dispensed with and the six of the for the third year classrooms
”A while ago Minato-san told me that the art club's president's class … is it peach? or ca incredible”
Itsue-san said as they walked down the hallway
”Incredible how?”
The other five asked for specifics They alking double-file, so they were all bunched together
”The classroom decorations Minato-san and the others orried about theirs, so they had a look at what the other classes had done Only one of the on a different level”
”You say it was on a different level, but there's a liht?”
Because there were established traditions about how the decorations of the third year classroo to outdo each other The front and rear blackboards, the s and the surface of the walls could all be decorated The allowed materials were imitation japanese vellum, paper streamers, tissue paper (a limited amount) and the chalk that was in the classrooic markers they had in their own classroom
”There were pictures drawn on the blackboards in chalk that looked like ink and wash paintings And they on out of the imitation vellum”
”A dragon?”
A revitalized Yoshi+no-san mumbled, while Yumi just shook her head
”A flying dragon”
This was all hearsay, so so, but it see up a waterfall and the dragon (sculpture?) was above the blackboard The cheerful sketch showing carp turning into dragons was probably intended to represent the seniors graduating from school As you would expect from the head of the arts club Her interest piqued by the conversation, Yumi wanted to have a look at this later, if possible
The group arrived at the third year classroo an update froroup's classrooht, and they could hear the teacher's voice coh they were still in the middle of homeroom
While they aiting outside, the hoet them
”Thank-you for your effort”
Looking at Yuave them the okay to enter
”Excuse us”
Ma foot inside the classroom Yoshi+no-san, who until recently had been exultant, handed over her lead position right before entering the classroom
This was a sole seniors They couldn't afford to le carelesson this, she seemed to be frozen to the spot
On that point, Ma flawlessly She wasn't even slightly perturbed about suddenly being asked to go in first Her comment to a worried Yoshi+no-san of, 'I' comes afterwards,' was said with irony
The reirls filed in after Mami-san Yumi located her onee-sama instantly, but she repeated, 'I'm here as a representative of everyone,' to herself and tried earnestly to restrain her face, hands and feet fro of their own accord
The inside of the classroo the Lillian's uniforraduation' were drawn on the blackboard The illustrated figures were holding a bouquet of flowers made out of tissue paper The floeren't just ordinary folded flowers either, the center of the floere all different colors, and the variously colored petals were intricately woven together And on the s, they had created constellations of stars out of paper streamers -
Minato-sanwhat Ayane-san's class had done, but Yuht it turned out wonderfully If Minato-san were here, Yu, 'That's what you'd expect froa club,' but unfortunately she wasn't there
”Congratulations on today”
Mareeted the third years
”We will now pin the flowers to your chests We will try our best to do this properly, but if we make a mistake please don't hesitate to tell us”
The line of six girls all bowed as one, then stood as three pairs beside the three boxes they had brought The pairs were Satoe-san and Misa-san, Itsue-san and Mami-san, and, finally, Yumi and Yoshi+no-san
”Yumi-san and Yoshi+no-san, please take the center”
Hearing Mami-san's instructions, Yunificance The second year students would be walking around to the graduating students desks to pin the flowers to them, and towards the back of the center area was the desk of none other than her onee-saasawara Sachiko-sama
(So then - )
That wasn't just coincidence, nor would it be arrogant to say that everyone see her to pin the flower to the chest of her onee-saesture of kindness from her friends
Could that be it? Surely it iven this position just so she could watch her onee-sama If she were to refuse now, it would be an insult to Michiyo-san, who gave her this position Therefore, Yumi obediently stood in the center
At any rate, her onee-sama's seat was still a way off Yumi resolved to do her best for all the students she would pin a flower to
”Congratulations”
Yues fro, unfastened the safety-pin and attached it to the chest area of the girl's school uniform
”Thank-you”
There were students ould just say that, and others ould talk more
”Congratulations”
Tall or short, long-haired or short-haired, buxoe was always put on in the same way, but there were times when it went quickly and easily, and other tier
And in the middle of that
”Congratulations”
”Thank-you”
Normally, this here Yumi would say, 'Excuse irl's chest, but for soirl's previous ?
Yue, and had another look at the person in front of her
She was the short and cute type Yu she had seen her somewhere before, but couldn't remember who she was Yu for her onee-saent for her Could this girl be one of them?
Yumi couldn't remember who this was, but she did knohy her hand had faltered The girl was looking at Yu And Yumi had noticed that What could it be?
”Umm”
It would be strange to ask 'who are you?' but Yu either of the contest until her ood Yoshi+no-san, as standing beside her holding the box, was probably starting to wonder as going on Perhaps seeing the coh, smiled, and then moved both her hands behind her neck
(Huh?)
Thather hairstyle She took her hair that reached just below her shoulders, split it between her two hands and pulled one bundle alongside each ear before looking at Yumi
”Ah”
Yumi had definitely seen soh, at the tih to tie in two And she had said so to Yumi It was… this:
Yumi-san, have you come here to look for the card?
”Valentine!”
It was on Valentines Day During last year's Valentines Day treasure hunt, she and Yureenhouse Yuround beside the Rosa Chinensis plant, but found nothing She was the only one who had seen the entire event, the sole witness
When Yuirl had initially looked surprised, but then seemed to remember and smiled as she let her hair down
”I'd been worried about it ever since That I'd done so by you, Yumi-san But now that we've reached the end, perhaps it's Maria-sa that you're the one to pin the flower to my chest”
”Huh?”
”Should I tell Sachiko-san about what happened on that day … that's what I was thinking”
She didn't turn around as she spoke of Valentines Day, but there was no doubt that Sachiko-sa ts behind her, was on her mind
Yu about it
On that day, if Yureenhouse, would she have found the crimson card herself?
On that day, if 'that person' hadn't stayed alone in the greenhouse, would the cri, and the event finished without anyone knoho had found the card and spirited it away?
On that day, why hadn't the person that found the crimson card come forth as the winner of the treasure hunt?
Why had the cri place?
Yuht about it, she could never come up with a plausible theory
Not without solving the riddle of who 'that person' was
Not without talking to 'that person'
And now, 'that person' was here in front of her And ondering if she should talk about the events of that day
”It's okay as is”
Yumi answered
After all, her onee-sama had believed what Yumi had said back then and they had been able to reconcile after the previous day's quarrel And even though Yumi hadn't been able to find the crio on a date
To go over the things that had happened back then wouldn't change a thing There was nothing that had to be regained
”But, well… you”
She was about to say so about Valentines Day, but Yuht That hy Yumi chose to quote the words that Sachiko-sama had said back then
”That was Saint Valentine's prank”
And with that, Yumi caused a white flower to bloom in Valentine's chest
But even so, that person had been a senior No wonder Yumi hadn't found her when she searched her classmates It would be i that she wouldn't seest the first years
Yoshi+no-san looked at her and said 'as?' but Yumi didn't really have time to explain now, so she let it drop Yoshi+no-san seenal with her eyes that said, 'I'll ask you about this later'
After three more people, it was Sachiko-sama's turn
”Congratulations”
She may be her onee-sama, but it would be odd if Yumi were