Volume 7 Chapter 2 (1/2)

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If life continued like this, she'd become spoiled.

In the cafe opening onto the hotel lobby, Eriko sighed. The ice floating in her fresh juice s.h.i.+fted as it melted. Water condensed on the side of the gla.s.s and made a faint sound.

The person she was waiting for still hadn't arrived. She opened her diary and put a cross through yesterday's date. At any rate, all she could do was take it one day at a time.

The pink sweater and matching skirt brought to the hotel had been at the request of her partner for today's date. The fluffy collar was real rabbit fur. He liked that sort of thing.

Based on the time it had arrived at the hotel, he'd slipped out during his lunch break to buy it. The way it had been wrapped like a present was nice, but the receipt that had still been in the paper bag when it had been given to the front desk slipped out. While it had been purchased with a credit card, it was a startlingly expensive set of clothing.

But even so, just how much was their monthly salary? This evening's hotel bill, tickets to cla.s.sical ballet and dinner, all paid for by him, and to top it all off, these clothes as a gift.

One of them would splurge, which would kick off an endless cycle where they all tried to outspend the previous one.

How many days so far had she not returned home?

Her sole salvation was that they were all corporate employees, so during the day she could escape to school and have an afternoon nap.

”Eriko-chan.”

Seeing the man happily waving at her, Eriko fired herself up with a, ”Let's do this,” and smiled broadly at him.

”Thanks for the clothes. You like?”

Rising from the chair, she c.o.c.ked her head.

”Very cute. Like a little bunny rabbit.”

He nodded, satisfied.

”Shall we go?”

”Yeah.”

His right hand picked up the bill, while his left entwined itself with Eriko's arm. It was something necessary so that they could enjoy their time together. It was a lie, but he was under the impression it was ”fun.”

The following day Rosa Foetida, Torii Eriko-sama, showed up at school.

(Which means she came to school from her relative's house &h.e.l.lip; )

Like Yos.h.i.+no-san, Yumi had a ”that's suspicious” look on her face as she thought this.

That probably meant it wasn't something that she couldn't get out of. Seeing Rosa Foetida walking down the corridor towards her, it was hard to believe that she'd spent the night somewhere other than her house since she looked the same as usual.

Her schoolbag looked light, as though it didn't have any textbooks in it, let alone the standard overnight kit of toothbrush, towel and face cream.

”Yumi-chan.”

Rosa Foetida approached, waving innocently.

”Rosa Foetida, gokigenyou.”

”Gokigenyou. It's been a while. I've seen Yos.h.i.+no-chan flitting around every so often, but - ”

(Huh!?)

As Rosa Foetida ran her hand through her hair with a faraway look in her eyes, Yumi couldn't overlook what she'd spotted on her chest.

(Her tie - !)

Rosa Foetida's tie, famed for being the most beautiful sailor collar tie in the entire school, looked disheveled today.

”Huh? What?”

Seeing Yumi lost for words and instinctively pointing, Rosa Foetida laughed and said, ”Ah, this?”

”It got creased in a strange place when it was ironed. To hide that, I had to s.h.i.+ft the knot over.”

”Ahh, the crease - ”

After agreeing with this, the obvious follow-up question was, ”Who ironed it?”

”Rosa Foetida, where did you come from today?”

”Where did I come from?”

As she said this, Rosa Foetida made a pose like a karate pract.i.tioner taking a blow. It was probably surprise. An easily understandable reaction.

”Actually, yesterday, I called your house. They told me you were out &h.e.l.lip; ”

”Ahh - ”

Rosa Foetida nodded haltingly, comprehension dawning. Apparently she'd planned to remain silent if Yumi hadn't known she'd spent the night away from home.

”You stayed overnight at a relative's house, right?”

”A relative? Ah, a relative &h.e.l.lip; right, yeah, that's it.”

So inarticulate. It was like this was the first time she'd heard that the place she stayed last night was a ”relative's house,” and her response was seeking to confirm that.

”Yeah. There was some business that had to be attended to. I was helping out at a relative's house.”

Rosa Foetida offered as an explanation, as though to compensate for her earlier words.

”Did you have trouble sleeping? Your eyes look red.”

”I did. It's a tough life when you're working. At least I can escape to school during the day. If I go to the library, I'll probably doze off though.”

”Escape during the day? So you're going back tonight?”

”Pretty much &h.e.l.lip; Ah, right. You rang my house, didn't you Yumi-chan? What did you want to talk to me about?”

” - Nothing.”

Yumi shook her head.

”I just wanted to ask when you were going to be back at school.”

”Really? Well, my exams are finished, so I'll be here most days. Although I'll probably show up late and leave early.”

”Is that so?”

Yumi put her hand in her skirt pocket just to check, but in the end she couldn't hand those photographs over.

Rosa Foetida was obviously lying.

At the very least, she hadn't spent last night at a relative's house.

Yumi had merely caught a glimpse of it. The slip of paper attached to her collar was unquestionably from a cleaning service. Sadly, the 20-20 vision of which she was so proud had no problem resolving the symbols written there.

OO Hotel.

The logo of a famous hotel in the metropolitan area was proudly displayed.

Rosa Foetida was most definitely the enigmatic Rosa Foetida from the photographs.

What had Rosa Foetida been doing staying overnight at a hotel?

Based on her rabbit-like red eyes attributed to lack of sleep, it would appear as though the purpose of her stay hadn't been rest.

Rosa Foetida's mother had said that she was staying at a relative's house, and why would she lie? Would it somehow be bad if people from school found out about her staying away overnight?

And had Rosa Foetida spent the night at the hotel by herself?

- The more she thought about it, the less she knew.

If she had handed over the photographs, then that would have been the end of it. But Yumi couldn't simply pretend that she didn't know anything.

”It's an example, okay.”

Yos.h.i.+no-san placed her chin on her unopened lunch box, and spoke as though bored.

”Using examples is fine, but you're censoring too much Yumi-san. I can't make heads or tails of what you're saying.”

”Oh, really?”

Yumi c.o.c.ked her head at censoring.

”Yes really.”

Yos.h.i.+no-san snorted.

”Suppose there was a high-school student, and this person was at a certain place and happened to see a high-school senior with a guy. And then another student saw the same senior at a different place, and she was with a guy at that time too, but it was a different one to the one before &h.e.l.lip; that's what you said. And it just went on and on in that manner, so annoyingly vague.”

Yos.h.i.+no-san acted like she was tearing out her hair.

”Incredible. You remembered it all.”

”As much as it pained me to do so.”

Tap tap. This time, she was tapping her temples. So, even though she may not have understood what Yumi was asking, Yos.h.i.+no-san answered, speaking in broad terms.

”After much effort, I think I understand what you're trying to say Yumi-san, although this is my interpretation.”

”In what way?”

”To summarize, Girl A isn't returning home, instead going out night after night with different men. That's what you're saying, right? And all her partners are, without exception, rich and middle-aged.”

”That's pretty much it.”

Some of them were in their twenties, so calling them all middle-aged was a bit harsh, but what Yos.h.i.+no-san had said was mostly correct and she'd skillfully compressed it down. Yos.h.i.+no-san definitely had a knack for putting thoughts into words.

”Frankly, it's a.s.sisted dating. Maybe she's even run away from home.”

It was blunt, but Yos.h.i.+no-san's a.s.sertion was spoken clearly.

”a.s.si - ”

Yumi's shout was blocked by the palm of Yos.h.i.+no-san's hand.

They were in the Rose Mansion. Although it was just the two of them at the moment, they never knew when someone was about to come through the biscuit door. They had to take the utmost care with dangerous words that invited misinterpretation.

”a.s.sisted. Dating.”

Yumi wrote the words in large print on a scratch pad made from misprinted pages. Of course she'd heard the phrase, but it wasn't something she was personally familiar with.

Perhaps this was what Tsutako-san's colored gla.s.ses had indicated. If this was how she had viewed it all along, then her desire to withdraw from the matter was completely understandable.

”Looking at it objectively, it's the only comprehensive explanation.”

Yos.h.i.+no-san was still unaware that it was about Rosa Foetida. To that extent, she was speaking as though it was unrelated to her.

Problem: State the meaning of the following words: 1) a.s.sisted 2) Dating

Solution. 1) With help. Aid. 2) Going out. Socializing.

However, when those two words were put together, they had a particular nuance. Yumi sipped her tea. It wasn't a very pleasant phrase.

”You should leave it alone. She'll do whatever she wants anyway. That person herself will be the one who is hurt and regretful afterward.”

Yos.h.i.+no-san was telling her to give up.

”But.”

The ”person herself” was Rosa Foetida. There was no way she could just leave it alone.

Should she tell Yos.h.i.+no-san or not. As Yumi was pondering this, the three boutons came shuffling in to the room.

”Brr - it's cold outside.”

Rei-sama said, rubbing her hands together.

”One of the teachers called me about some committee matter, that's why I'm late.”

s.h.i.+mako-san explained for Yumi, since they would have left their morning cla.s.s at about the same time.

”Why do they make someone who never orders from the cafeteria pick up the cla.s.s lunch orders?”

Sachiko-sama grumbled.

They may not have had the bearing of the current Roses, but the three fresh Roses looked exquisite when lined up together.

”Onee-sama, would you like some tea?”

Yumi hurriedly stood up, completely forgetting that she'd left her memo pad open.

”a.s.sisted dating?”

Sachiko-sama muttered, as she placed her small, split-level lunch-box on the table.

”What an unpleasant phrase.”

”Ah, that.”

This was bad. Now that the fastidious Sachiko-sama had seen it, would she become obstinately accusatory, or lapse into hysterics &h.e.l.lip; either way, she wouldn't just let it go.

”I detest those words.”

Sachiko-sama said coldly.

”That phrase is probably intended to soften the meaning, but it's not something I can stomach. Although I don't know who would use such words.”

”Huh?”

She was primarily concerned about the misuse of words? Apparently her objection was about the phrase rather than the act itself.

But that was just a jab.

”a.s.sisted dating. Dress it up with whatever words you want, in the end it's nothing but prost.i.tution.”

Pr-pr-prost.i.tution. That such a word could come from Sachiko-sama's exquisite mouth. Yumi was in such shock that her mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

”Even affair and fling are used similarly nowadays.”

”Instead of adultery?”

Rei-sama asked.

”Yes. There's more gravity to the original. But using a lighter phrase doesn't lessen the act itself in any way.”

Unaccustomed to this sort of adult conversation, the first-years could only blink in surprise and listen.

(But.)

Right. Sachiko-sama's father had a number of mistresses.

She would certainly have a different impression of those words.

Adultery was serious. Compared to affair or fling. Someone who had been hurt by such behavior would not want it to be spoken about lightly.

But since the far more serious word ”prost.i.tution” had been used, there was no way she could broach the topic of Rosa Foetida.

”By the way, what were you doing with this?”

Sachiko-sama asked, holding the memo pad in front of Yumi's face.

”Nothing. I wrote it as a prank while we were chatting.”

It was a lame excuse, and Yumi thought as much, but it was all she could do. If asked, ”What were you chatting about?” then she'd be struck out.

But Sachiko-sama didn't inquire as to that.

”Really?”

”Yes. Never would I do that sort of thing.”

Her mind in chaos, jumbled words spilled out of her mouth.

”Obviously.”

Smiling wryly, Sachiko-sama gently flicked Yumi's forehead with her index finger.

As though to say, ”Who could possibly think that you would be involved in that?”

Yumi was overjoyed that her onee-sama had that much faith in her, but she also felt a sense of regret growing in her heart.

Was this something that she'd have to hide from her onee-sama too?

But perhaps that kind of conversation wasn't suited to Sachiko-sama after all. Particularly conversations that related to coupling. Sachiko-sama was fastidious to the core, and on top of that she hated men.

(At any rate, what to do?)

Yos.h.i.+no-san had told her to leave it alone. But if she left if alone, and the school newspaper ran a story about it, it would be a major incident. Right on the eve of graduation, everything surrounding Rosa Foetida would be thrown into turmoil.

But having said that, Yumi wasn't powerful enough to speak directly to the newspaper club. If she tried that, the newspaper club would undoubtedly devour her whole and make a funny article about it.

(Who could I talk it over with?)

Yumi glanced at the other chairs around the table.