Volume 7 Chapter 1 (1/2)

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The girls had gathered after school in their room of the clubhouse building.

”So, both Rosa Foetida and Rosa Chinensis scored high in their exams.”

Tsukiyama Minako, head of the newspaper club, put tick marks against some notes in her notebook then raised her head. She was talking softly, but she wasn't doing anything wrong.

It was simply a habit of hers. Call it an occupational hazard.

It goes without saying, but the newspaper club produced the school newspaper.

Stories leaking before they were published was a life-and-death matter. Newspapers dealt with the ”new.” If all they served up was stale old gossip, it couldn't be called a newspaper. It would be brand-new day-old news. Call it an oldspaper - and who wants that.

At any rate, for Tsukiyama Minako (17 years old) who lived and died by the scoop, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the only time she spoke loudly in the clubroom was when the printer was running at full bore. Comparatively, the number of times she actually had a scoop were quite low. But that was something that was better not discussed.

”I imagine it was only a one-in-a-million shot that they'd fail, but I regret to inform you that they pa.s.sed the entrance exams for the universities they applied to.”

Minako's soeur, Yamaguchi Mami, said briskly. What was with her deadpan tone? She'd been getting excited about their conversation, but just like that, her spirits had dropped.

”All three of them turned down the priority placement system, electing to sit exams. I suppose it shows their determination and sense of purpose ... Although that's probably related to their likelihood of success.”

As she'd expected from the results, there didn't seem to be much of interest there. Minako partic.i.p.ated in the conversation in a half-hearted manner, as she sorted through her ”Lillian Kawaraban” file. In terms of popularity, the Valentines special edition was right at the top.

”So then, which universities are they going to?”

One of the other first-years asked, intensely curious. Yes, that was the right response. A demand for information.

”Don't know yet.”

Minako answered, shaking her head.

”I've been trying all my sources, but with no success. Either they're not talking, or they really don't know.”

”Ah, your sources ... ”

The non-Mami first-years (there were three of them, so call them Club Member A, B and C for convenience. Naturally, Minako knew the name of her club members, but it's not relevant to the main story) had knowing and dubious expressions as they repeated this back.

Her sources.

Speaking plainly, it was everyone close to the Rose Mansion. While she would have liked to charge straight at the Roses themselves, pretty much all of the third-year cla.s.ses were just self-study at this point and the cla.s.srooms were practically deserted during breaks, so her chances of meeting the people she wanted to was low.

So she'd changed her sights to the Roses' pet.i.t soeurs, and their pet.i.t soeurs, but that was proving equally tough.

Even if the boutons were keeping quiet, it looked like their pet.i.t soeurs really didn't know.

Rosa Foetida en bouton's pet.i.t soeur, s.h.i.+mazu Yos.h.i.+no, was more devious than her looks suggested, but she wasn't as interested in her Rosa Foetida as she was in ”Rei-chan,” so she ended their conversation by saying, ”I don't know.”

Rosa Chinensis en bouton's pet.i.t soeur, f.u.kuzawa Yumi, was the type of person whose face showed when they were lying. Based on her reaction, she definitely didn't know.

”But anyway.”

Club Member A let out a sigh.

”Why do you think the Roses sat entrance exams?”

Club Members B and C both agreed with her, saying, ”Right, right.”

Students who had boarded the Lillian's escalator very rarely went down.

The environment was good and the campus was s.p.a.cious.

Due to its history there was a well stocked library, as well as the latest equipment. Studying wasn't done for an exam, but for the pure pursuit of knowledge. Those immersed in this pressure-free school lifestyle rarely wanted to rush out into the outside world.

On the flip side, it didn't instill the att.i.tude needed for exams. And without that att.i.tude, very few students sat entrance exams for other schools. A chicken-and-egg situation.

”Maybe it's simply that Lillian's University doesn't offer the courses they want to do.”

Minako voiced her deduction.

Right.

Those who where aiming high would strive for their goals, regardless of something like a test-taking att.i.tude.

”Or perhaps they'd like to further their studies alongside boys.”

Kyaa. Club Members A, B and C's shoulders all jumped up and down in excitement.

First-years were so simple-minded. - Except for one.

”That line of thinking wouldn't apply to Rosa Gigantea, though.”

Murmured the one non-cute first-year, Mami.

”Why's that?”

”It's just that, it was getting towards the end of the year when she suddenly started thinking about continuing her education.”

”Mmm.”

Maybe she had heard something like that somewhere. Minako wordlessly agreed. That Mami, had she been digging up dirt on her own?

”And by that time, it seems like all the priority placement slots were filled - so, in a rush, she joined the examination group.”

Why the change of heart? Still, it was quite impressive that Rosa Gigantea was sitting entrance exams after studying for only one or two months. She didn't look like the honors student type, but she could perform when she had to.

”Rosa Chinensis doesn't seem to be the kind of person to leave for that sort of reason either.”

That sort of reason.

Going to a co-ed university because she wanted to get closer to boys. Umm, the exquisite Rosa Chinensis is. - Indeed, that wasn't the case. Minako agreed with this.

”But Rosa Foetida, on the other hand. She has an urge to go wherever it looks like she'll experience something interesting.”

How did she know that? Minako felt a little bit envious that Mami could talk so dispa.s.sionately about a subject that Minako was so fascinated by. She should have been happy to see her cute junior maturing, but Minako was a human and not a saint, so she couldn't just accept it.

(When I was a first-year, I was a more obedient, innocent child.)

Hey now, hey now. That was getting off the point at hand.

While she may be in a bit of a slump at the moment, Tsukiyama Minako, head of the newspaper club, could still land a huge scoop unattainable to the likes of Mami, if she felt like it.

Right. The soeur relations.h.i.+p was akin to master and apprentice. Eternal compet.i.tors.

”Rosa Foetida &h.e.l.lip; ”

Club Member A muttered, just as Minako was burning with compet.i.tiveness.

”What?”

Minako bit into the tempting morsel, setting aside the matter of her pet.i.t soeur for now. While Rosa Foetida herself tended to pursue whatever she found interesting, Minako's favorite food was the interesting things that other people did.

”Nothing. It's just, I saw her the other day &h.e.l.lip; that's all.”

”Where?”

”At the amus.e.m.e.nt park. Last Sat.u.r.day evening.”

”The amus.e.m.e.nt park?”

The truth was Club Member A was considered something of an amus.e.m.e.nt park fanatic by those in the know. On a related note, the way she had her hair in buns on either side of her head resembled a certain amus.e.m.e.nt park mouse.

”Who was she with?”

Thinking that perhaps it was the whole Yellow Rose family, Minako rued her missed opportunity. Lots of soeurs would go places together before graduation, to make some memories. If she had known, she would have been compelled to give it in-depth coverage.

”Onee-sama. Please think things through further.”

Mami interjected, amazed.

”I haven't said anything yet.”

”Even though you haven't said anything, I can tell what you're thinking.”

Mami was probably on the money, so Minako fell silent. From time to time she'd s.h.i.+ver from the way it seemed like Mami could read her mind completely. In reality, Mami wasn't psychic, but Minako hadn't realized how incredibly straightforward and easy to grasp her own personality was.

”Since she went to that amus.e.m.e.nt park in the afternoon, it's natural to a.s.sume she stayed overnight.”

”Well, I guess.”

A day trip wasn't impossible, but the amus.e.m.e.nt park was outside the capital. If she wanted to return the same day, the typical thing to do would be to choose a day when she could go in the morning.

”But the following Sunday was which day?”

”The following Sunday? Sunday, Sunday, &h.e.l.lip; ahh, the day of the Valentine's gifts.”

Minako stood, intentionally using ambiguous words, just in case some unknown person was listening.

”Correct. Please sit down.”

Mami coldly ordered. Was she a game-show host?

”More accurately, it was the day of the half-day dates that were prizes for the winners of the Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt event.”

”&h.e.l.lip; Pedant.”

”Thank-you.”

Her parted forelocks were secured tightly with a hair-clip, so simply moving her head didn't dishevel her hairdo. The underlying concept behind Mami's hairstyle may well have been ”rock-solid.”

”I don't think Rei-sama would be going away on an overnight trip when her half-day date was the following day.”

Just like that, the Yellow Rose family memory-making connection was cut. While Club Member A had returned the following morning and gone to work for the newspaper club (covering the dates), it was unthinkable that the leading lady, Hasekura Rei-sama, would walk such a tightrope. Plus her pet.i.t soeur, s.h.i.+mazu Yos.h.i.+no, had shown up at the K station bookstore as though she'd just gone out shopping.

”Umm &h.e.l.lip; ”

Now that the soeur dialogue had ended, Club Member A resumed her interrupted story.

”Rosa Foetida was with a guy, though.”

”A guy!?”

Everyone, apart from Club Member A, including Minako and the usually cool Mami, bit at the word ”guy.” There had never even been a hint of a man around the three Roses. If, prior to graduation, a boyfriend came to light then it would be an unprecedented scandal. No doubt, it would be quite the scoop.

”A twenty &h.e.l.lip; no, twenty-five or six year old gentleman was walking with her, arm-in-arm, so when I first saw them I thought I might have been mistaken.”

”Arm-in-arm!”

As expected, this was much more interesting than her choice of university. While they attended a school for young ladies, the students were all flesh-and-blood teenage girls. They probably wouldn't mind a love story. It would probably be very well received, in fact.

”We have to print this.”

At that moment, Minako was wondering if it was alright to b.u.mp the commemorative graduation edition they were planning to publish in two weeks time. If necessary, they could always print a special edition.

However.

”This man, was he tall and lanky with silver gla.s.ses?”

Club Member B asked Club Member A an unusual question.

”No? He was well built, like an athlete.”

”Oh my. Was he tall, and kind of high strung?”

Even Club Member C. Listing quite specific traits, like she knew something.

”What is this?”

Minako and Mami both asked at about the same time. They were partners in being left behind by the conversation, well, that's soeurs for you. They looked at each other grumpily.

”I saw her too. Friday last week, from memory. Holding hands in an art gallery.”

That was Club Member B. Similarly for Club Member C:

”A restaurant. Sunday evening. His arm around her shoulder as they left - ”

Silence descended upon the newspaper club's clubroom.

Rosa Foetida went out every day, from Friday through Sat.u.r.day.

Well, that sort of thing happened. - For the time being, they tried to come up with an innocent explanation for it.

But, going out with a different man each time, and acting intimately with each of them? Since three of the five people present had witnessed such an event, if they went out and gathered more information, perhaps they'd find out about a lot more such occurrences.

”We've never even heard about Rosa Foetida and a guy until now &h.e.l.lip; ”

But no matter how much feelings strayed, there were some things that weren't possible.

Using just this information, it was asking too much of any newspaper club member to arrive at a truth that their readers would accept.

Testimony of Club Member A (Alias)

This happened Sat.u.r.day last week. I'd gone to the amus.e.m.e.nt park.

Well, obviously it wasn't a school holiday, so I went in the afternoon. I was coming back the next morning, so I changed my clothes before leaving. Our house is almost exactly halfway between Lillian's and the amus.e.m.e.nt park, so that was no big deal.

Ah, I went by train. Just like I always do. I left an overnight bag at my cousin's house, then went straight to the amus.e.m.e.nt park. One of my older cousins, an amus.e.m.e.nt park buddy. I've got an annual pa.s.s, so I go whenever I've got the time. It took pretty much all my New Year's gift money. Well, I enjoy it, so what can you do.

Right, right, about Rosa Foetida.

I was about to enter the amus.e.m.e.nt park when a couple came walking over from the carpark. Very lovey-dovey. Arms joined. Bodies close together.

It's rude to stare, so I turned away from temptation and went to the entrance, but that girl's voice wafted past from behind, and I felt like I'd heard it somewhere, so I instinctively turned around. At that point, I knew it was Rosa Foetida.

Boy was I surprised.

It seemed like a completely different person to the usually cool Rosa Foetida.

Are you sure it really wasn't a different person, you say. Perhaps. It was quite dark.

But I don't think I'm wrong.

Because it stuck in mind, although there wasn't anything I could do about it, but then I spotted the couple in the crowd watching a parade while I was lined up for one of the rides.

When I saw them I thought, ”Ah, that's Rosa Foetida.” The couple were in their own private world, completely oblivious to me.

The man's appearance &h.e.l.lip; Let's see, his height was about 170cm. Mid to late twenties &h.e.l.lip; I don't think he would have been thirty. I'm not sure. Depending on the location, his impression seemed to change &h.e.l.lip; if it was dark, or he was beside the light, or he was in a shop in the arcade, that sort of thing.

Oh, my cousin's house? It's about ten minutes walk from the train station near the amus.e.m.e.nt park &h.e.l.lip; no, more like fifteen minutes.

It's really lucky. You can't fully enjoy yourself if you're always worrying about the time. It's not like I'd be able to stay overnight at a hotel or anything.

Come to think of it, I wonder what Rosa Foetida did.

It seems like they stayed there quite late. I wonder if her companion drove her home. Ahh, I wish I was going out with a guy with a car too.

(Sigh)

Testimony of Club Member B (Alias (Obviously))

Last Friday.

I saw Rosa Foetida at an art gallery in the city. Lithographs, I think they're called. An exhibition of woodblock prints. I'm not all that interested in it, but one of my dad's work clients has some connection to the gallery, so I went with my mom using the free tickets we got.

I tell you, my dad's even more clueless about art than me. So he makes us go, listens to our opinions, then acts like he went and saw it. Sneaky, right? Because of that, we don't have a single art book that hasn't got his notes scrawled all over it. Such a pain.

Ah, you got me. That's the reason I missed club activities on Friday.

It closed at 7, so going there after club activities wouldn't have been possible. I could have gone straight there, but I stopped at home for a little while, then went out still wearing my school uniform. All this just so my parents could show off, it's a tough life.

Rosa Foetida was wearing plain clothes.

At this time of year, third-years come and go from school as they please. For exams and the like. Rosa Foetida may not have even been to school that day. Or maybe she was there in the morning, then left sometime in the afternoon.

Her partner was lanky, with silver-rimmed gla.s.ses &h.e.l.lip; How can I put this, he had a sort of less fas.h.i.+onable look about him. Ah, his hair was parted to the side too.

If I had to say, he seemed a bit old-fas.h.i.+oned or stiff. But he wasn't old as such. About 30. Like a civil servant, or a bank worker, or a researcher &h.e.l.lip; that sort of type.

Ahh, dowdy. That sounds about right.

He was holding hands. With Rosa Foetida.

Holding hands with a high-school girl, I'd call that pretty flashy. But a date at an art gallery is kind of dowdy. Anyway, they seemed to be enjoying it. Both of them.

Me?

It was tough.

Rosa Foetida was a little bit ahead of us, so I had to go slowly, staring at the boring display items and restraining my mom so that I wouldn't be spotted.

Because it'd be a pain, right? It'd be awkward for Rosa Foetida if she saw me wearing the Lillian's uniform, and if my mom knew that the girl in that couple was Rosa Foetida, she'd make a scene -

Right?

Testimony of Club Member C (Alias (This is getting annoying))

Indeed, he was tall, which did give his body a sort of lean impression overall. But I wouldn't say he was lanky.

His hairdo? Let's see, it had been lightened and flowed in a loose manner.

He was smartly dressed. He didn't have silver-rimmed gla.s.ses either. In his black, brand-name long coat, he looked like a model.

Yes. I saw them at a restaurant. A French restaurant, a short walk from the station, that turns down TV and magazine coverage, relying on word of mouth. Some time back, one of my relatives was married at the church behind it and the reception was held there, with all the families eating together. The atmosphere and the food was so good that we all wanted to go there again.

Last Sunday was my parents' wedding anniversary, so they made reservations, and our family of four went together. Ah, no. That was the day of Rosa Foetida en bouton and Rosa Gigantea en bouton's half-day date, and we were on a stakeout around K station well into the evening, so I'd arranged to meet them there.

No way, I wasn't scoping out the restaurant. It was just a complete coincidence that I saw Rosa Foetida. I noticed her when she left her seat during dinner, and when she came back I confirmed it was her. She was seated at a table about 5 metres from ours.

Right, just her and the gentleman.

I only saw them as they were going past, but it looked like they ordered the most expensive dishes. From the outset, my parents said some dishes were off limits, and it seemed like these expensive dishes were carried past me over and over again.

Huh? If they were in a restaurant, why was he wearing a coat? Ahh, well obviously he left his coat in the cloakroom when he came in to the restaurant.

They finished eating before us, so I saw him put it on as they were leaving. He put his arm gently around Rosa Foetida's shoulder.

Come to think of it, Rosa Foetida had the women's version of that coat &h.e.l.lip; if they were a couple, I wonder if it was a present from him.

He was young, but he must have been pretty rich.

”They must know that the walls have ears, but still they were careless.”

The widely acknowledged ace of the Lillian's Girls Academy high-school photography club, Takes.h.i.+ma Tsutako-san, laughed.

It was after school.

The students with club activities had scattered to the various club rooms, ovals and gymnasiums, while those not in a club had mostly gone home, but f.u.kuzawa Yumi remained in the cla.s.sroom. She had been about to head towards the high-school student council building, the ”Rose Mansion,” when she was forcibly detained by Tsutako-san.

”Tsutako-san, you weren't just asked to join the debate club, you were also asked to join the drama club, weren't you?”

Yumi asked, stunned, and Tsutako-san responded suggestively with a suppressed laugh. From that response, it seemed so. But on that front, perhaps she had a ways to go yet.

Tsutako-san had just finished relaying the evidence provided by the three first-year newspaper club members, even imitating their voices.

Apparently the newspaper club members were unaware that Tsutako-san was in the room next door, and had forgotten that the printer wasn't running, so in their excitement their voices had become quite loud.

”Lacking a natural immunity, girls raised at an all-girls school tend to get excited talking about boys. It's such a shame that they couldn't control themselves.”

Ignoring the fact that she'd been raised at an all-girls school too, Tsutako-san gazed sympathetically in the direction of the clubhouse. As far as Yumi was aware, Tsutako-san had never gone out with anyone either.

” - and this is photographic proof.”

Photographic proof. The words echoed in Yumi's mind.

”This - ”

”You should be able to tell just by looking. Who that is.”

”Well, of course I know that.”

It was undoubtedly Rosa Foetida in the photographs that had been spread out across the desk. But what Yumi didn't know was why Tsutako-san had taken these photographs.