Volume 28 Chapter 15 (1/2)

”I'm back.”

When she returned, Tsutako-san was not alone.

”Pardon me.”

Shouko-chan hesitantly entered into the room on the second floor of the Rose Mansion. Almost as though she'd heard the gossip that had been said about her just before.

”I ran into her not long ago, so I dragged her along. Ah, Mami-san.”

Tsutako-san noticed her cla.s.smate and said, ”Gokigenyou,” to her. After responding to the greeting in kind, Mami-san looked at Shouko-chan and nodded slightly to her. As though to say, ”Sorry about before.”

However Shouko-chan didn't notice this at all, instead she fidgeted with her fingers as her gaze darted around the room. Just like Mami-san had said, there were brand new, oversized band-aids visible on the palms of her hands.

”What's wrong? Are you feeling out of place, surrounded by second-years?”

s.h.i.+mako-san asked as she pulled an empty chair out from the table, offering it to Shouko-chan, who seemed a bit taken aback.

”Ah, no. Sorry. I'm just a bit nervous being here in the Rose Mansion.”

”Wha - ?”

Yumi called out instinctively. Because it was so contrary to her expectations. After all, this wasn't Shouko-chan's first time in this room, and she'd kept her cool remarkably well for a first-year the last time she'd been there.

Shouko-chan had definitely changed since last time.

”Here, have some tea.”

”Ah, thank-you... Oh, it's hot.”

She then placed her finger through the handle of the cup as though she were about to lift it to drink, stared idly at a spot on the table, and repeated a question again and again as though she wasn't following the conversation when someone talked to her. It could be summed up in a single word as 'absent-mindedness.'

It seemed unlikely that she had been unaware of the pain from the grazes on her hands when she had dealt with Katsura-san in a brisk, secretary-like fas.h.i.+on (since she had already been injured at that point). Well, Tsutako-san couldn't just leave her alone, so had to bring her along - that was understandable.

”Ah, that's right.”

Yumi took the roll of film out of her pocket and handed it to Tsutako-san.

”What should we do with this?”

”What's that?”

Mami-san asked with a great deal of interest, not knowing the story.

”Earlier today I was given this by an unknown first-year. Because it's got Takes.h.i.+ma Tsutako written on it, see. But Tsutako-san says it's not hers.”

”Well, that's interesting. A bit of a mystery. I can tell by their faces that Yos.h.i.+no-san and s.h.i.+mako-san have taken an interest in it too.”

”Right?”

Just as she was saying this, a voice unexpectedly called out from outside the group of boisterous second-years.

”Umm, you should take it to lost property.”

That was a surprise. It was Shouko-chan. A little while ago, she hadn't been partic.i.p.ating in the conversation at all, but now she seemed to have lost her absent-mindedness. She'd spoken quite loudly too.

”Well, that was the plan.”

Tsutako-san said, and Yumi, s.h.i.+mako-san and Mami-san all nodded in agreement. There was only one second-year who was shaking her head.

”But if the lost property office finds the owner, we'll probably never find out who it was.”

It was Yos.h.i.+no-san.

”Well, that would only be if the person in question asked them not to say anything, right?”

It's not like the lost property office would refuse to give the item back if the owner didn't open themselves up to public gossip. Probably.

”Hmph. So we'd never know the truth? Isn't that awful? Even though we went to all the effort of picking it up.”

Literally speaking, Yos.h.i.+no-san, it was the group of three unnamed first-years that had picked it up, not you. Furthermore, you weren't even the person they entrusted it to. - Things would have taken a turn for the worse if Yumi were to poke at Yos.h.i.+no-san by saying something like that, so she kept silent. Everyone else was undoubtedly thinking a similar retort too. The silence of ”&h.e.l.lip;” was proof of that.

”At the very least, Tsutako-san has a right to know, doesn't she? See, they're defrauding her by using her name.”

So transparent, Yos.h.i.+no-san. Your real intention was to secretly listen in if they did happen to tell Tsutako-san.

”A name alone doesn't make it fraud.”

Was Tsutako-san's opinion. Well that was true. They didn't have any proof that there were no other students with the same name at school.

”Then, what? You're still clinging to the theory that someone else has the same first and last name as you?”

Yos.h.i.+no-san laughed loudly, highlighting the fact that Takes.h.i.+ma Tsutako was hardly a common name.

”There are other possibilities.”

Tsutako-san said, a.s.serting that it was better to leave it to the proper authorities.