Volume 6 Chapter 4 (2/2)
”That's something else that I can't stand.”
”What now?”
Even though Yos.h.i.+no thought she was offering up a truce, Chisato-san showed no indication of letting up her attack. Yos.h.i.+no was troubled. Not wanting to brag, but she didn't really have a lot of patience.
”How you're monopolizing gentle Rei-sama's affection. After flaunting it during the Yellow Rose Revolution, you simply got back together with her.”
”Hold up”
”And how you call Rei-sama, 'Rei-chan.'”
”Chisato-san. You're - ”
”I've always hated that, but, just for today, I didn't think there would be anything for me to hate.”
Chisato-san paused momentarily, then continued in a barely audible voice.
”Rei-sama wasn't aware of it, but she called me 'Yos.h.i.+no' five times today.”
”Huh...?”
”No matter what we talked about, it wasn't long before Yos.h.i.+no-san popped up. 'How Yos.h.i.+no did this' or 'when I came here with Yos.h.i.+no.' &h.e.l.lip; So I was jealous of you. But I couldn't say anything to Rei-sama. When I got home, my anger wouldn't go away, so I &h.e.l.lip;”
” - Chisato-san.”
”I know it's not fair to complain to you about it.”
Chisato-san started to sob uncontrollably.
She was hurting. It was only natural that she would be crying. It wasn't just her anger that had driven her to do this.
Chisato-san was pitiable.
You couldn't help but feel for her.
”I'm sorry.”
Yos.h.i.+no embraced Chisato-san.
It was Rei-chan's fault.
It was all Rei-chan's fault.
”I'm sorry my older sister is so insensitive.”
In the cramped entry, the two of them embraced and continued to weep, until the end.
Like fools, until the end.
Like friends.
Until the end.
”h.e.l.lo, is this the Ogasawara-san residence? My name is f.u.kuzawa Yumi and I am a student in the first year peach cla.s.s in the high school section of Lillian's Girls Academy. I apologize for calling so late in the evening, but may I please speak to Sachiko-sama?”
Yumi spoke in a whisper.
She was sitting on top of her bed, with her legs folded back underneath her. Her hand was clenched around the telephone handset.
”Is it strange to use 'san' with Ogasawara, but 'sama' with Sachiko? Then perhaps Ogasawara-sama?.... I'll try it one more time. h.e.l.lo - ”
The phone was switched off. This was a dry run.
”Okay, that's perfect.”
This was the fifth time she had practiced it, making amendments along the way. Finally it had taken shape. However.
”That's what I'll say if one of the household staff answers the phone. Next is what to say if Aunt Sayako answers the phone.”
”And then? Are you going to run through what to say if her father or grandfather answer the phone? Give it a rest.”
An unexpected voice called out from behind her and she spun around to see her younger brother standing at the door, his body jutting half-way into her room.
”&h.e.l.lip;. You scared me. What is it, Yuuki. You can't just come in here as you please.”
”I knocked first.”
It seems she had been so wrapped up in her practice that she hadn't heard him.
”I thought I heard some Buddhist chanting coming from the room next door, and it gave me the creeps.”
”Buddhist chanting !?”
A Lillian's student doing Buddhist chanting? You moron.
”If you keep rehearsing like this, it'll be too late to make the call. It's already after 9 o'clock. Don't you think you should call soon? Take your chances with who answers the phone. Who knows, Sachiko-san herself might pick up.”
Yuuki strolled into the room and shut the door as he was talking. It stopped the heat from escaping, so she didn't mind.
”Sachiko-sama”
”Picky, picky. Correcting me over such a minor matter.”
For some strange reason, Yuuki had good intuition so he had probably foreseen that Yumi would want to call Sachiko-sama to thank her for today, but would have trouble going through with it.
”If you like, I could call her.”
He deftly s.n.a.t.c.hed the phone.
”Stop - right - there.”
Yumi grabbed it back, fl.u.s.tered.
At least spare her from that. Nothing could be more embarra.s.sing than her younger brother phoning and saying 'thank you for taking care of my sister.' First of all, what would Sachiko-sama think?
You aren't even able to make a single phone call yourself?
Just thinking about it made her want to run away. It would be better to not make the call and be a discourteous disgrace than that.
Come to think of it, she also had that option of leaving things as they were and not making the call.
”Ahh, you were just thinking about not calling her, weren't you?”
Yuuki whispered.
”How did you know?”
”It's written all over your face.”
”Oooh.”
It was a shock to be told that by a relative. Although they had matching racc.o.o.n-like faces, Yumi could never guess what Yuuki was thinking.
”So, if you don't call her?”
”It'll be okay, I think.”
”So either way is fine then.”
”Yep.”
”But didn't you originally think you should call her?”
”I guess.”
”So all your practice was pointless then.”
”It's just a thought, but Sachiko-san won't be expecting you to be able to speak flawlessly when you call her. Even if you make a mess of it, there's still value in receiving the call. Especially for her.”
”So you're telling me to call her after all, aren't you.”
”I'm not telling you.”
”You are.”
But what Yuuki was saying was definitely correct. Despite being her younger brother, he was usually pretty reliable for this sort of thing.
Yumi wiped her sweaty palms on the bed cover then turned her attention back to the phone.
”Can you stay until I've dialed the number?”
She wanted Yuuki to watch, to make sure she didn't try and get out of it.
”Yeah, that's fine.”
”But you have to leave the room while it's ringing. It would be embarra.s.sing if you heard our conversation.”
”Such complicated orders.”
Nonetheless, Yuuki went on stand-by with his hand on the door k.n.o.b.
Everything was ready.
Yuuki gave the 'go' sign, and Yumi's finger reached for the call b.u.t.ton on the receiver.
And at the same time as this.
The muted sound of the phone ringing on the first floor was heard, followed a split-second later by the louder ringing of the handset in her hand.
”Aaah”
Her heart was pounding, and she instinctively let go of the receiver, but not before her finger had reached out and pressed the call b.u.t.ton.
(d.a.m.n it)
Now she had no choice but to answer the phone. Yumi hurriedly retrieved the handset, put on her best telephone voice, and spoke.
”Ahh, h.e.l.lo. f.u.kuzawa residence.”
And then.
”I apologize for calling so late at night. My name is Ogasawara Sachiko and I am a second year student at Lillian's Girls Academy - ”
”Onee-sama!?”
”Ahh, I'm so glad that's you, Yumi.”
There was no mistaking it. What she was hearing from the receiver was her beloved onee-sama's voice.
”Just now, right this second, I was going to call you, onee-sama.”
”It seems so. I could tell because you answered on the first ring.”
Laughter was coming from Sachiko-sama's side of the phone.
”Umm, thank you very much for today, onee-sama.”
Yumi was sitting with her legs tucked under her, facing the wall with her head bowed down. She knew she couldn't be seen, but that type of behavior was ingrained in her.
She could sense that, behind her, Yuuki had left the room. She was a bit annoyed by his snort of laughter, regardless of whether it was from relief or from shock.
”To tell you the truth, I was a bit nervous”
”About what?”
”About calling your house. I was wondering if I would be able to properly greet your mother or father if they answered the phone.”
What Yumi heard was so unexpected that she was doubting her ears. It was hard to believe that Sachiko-sama, who was always so majestic and fearless would be nervous about greeting her parents.
”h.e.l.lo, Yumi? Are you there?”
”&h.e.l.lip; Yeah. Umm, onee-sama, is that really true?”
”Of course it is. Apart from Yuuki, I haven't met any of your family. I don't know what type of things you've been telling them about me.”
”What type of things? Naturally, I've been telling them that you're a wonderful onee-sama.”
”Really? You haven't been telling them that I'm a selfish and hysterical onee-sama?”
”&h.e.l.lip; Just a little.”
”Hey”
They both burst into laughter simultaneously.
Despite the distance between their houses, they were able to laugh together. She could picture Sachiko-sama's smiling face in her mind.
Telephones are fantastic.
They're like a telepathy machine, she thought.
”I had fun today, Yumi. We should do this again.”
”Yes”
Yumi put all her effort into sending an 'okay' sign. The electro-magnetic wave flew from her handset to the base unit, and from there down a thin copper line to Sachiko-sama's house. All to deliver her cheery voice.
”Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Yumi.”
”Yeah. Good night.”
”Good night.”
Yumi pressed the b.u.t.ton to hang up after Sachiko-sama had ended the call from her side.
”Ooooh.”
Yumi laid back against her bed.
Thump. Thump.
”Onee-sama called me.”
A couple of minutes later, she still hadn't calmed down.
It was hard to explain, but it was a joy that she wasn't even able to imagine a few minutes earlier. That a single telephone call could bring her so much happiness.
Yumi went to bed earlier than usual that night.
Today had been such a fun day, but tomorrow would probably be a wonderful day as well, she thought.
Good night.
See you tomorrow.
The sooner tomorrow comes, the better.
Because her beloved onee-sama was waiting for her tomorrow.
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