Volume 33 Chapter 7 (1/2)
I am a honey bee.
Actually, I'm a human, but I can transform myself into the shape of a bee with a little known spell. Pretty cool, right?
”Oh, you're a magician? I've been alive for nineteen years now, and this is the first time I've ever met one.”
In truth, I came to Lillian's today to join in the congratulation of my juniors Sachiko and Rei at their graduation ceremony. But my cruel friend said that I wasn't allowed to enter the gymnasium. So I turned myself into a tiny little bee and flew off to take a look at the graduation ceremony.
”And so, how were things going inside the gymnasium?”
Let's see. It was all very exciting. But, as I was so engrossed in what was happening, I blundered and was spotted by Atsumi-sensei, who chased me outside. Ahhh, such a shame that I couldn't stay for just a little bit longer, until it was all over.
”It's not a shame at all.”
Unable to take any more, Youko turned to her two dear friends.
”Can you please stop joking around? And you too, Eriko. As amusing as you may find it, can you stop indulging Sei?”
Knowing that a reaction would only spur them onwards, Youko had resolved to ignore the idiotic story that was unfolding behind her back but she had reached her limit. A bee? And magic? And an evil friend - just what kind of story was she telling?
”It doesn't bother me.”
Sei laughed as she stretched her arms.
”My, someone's grumpy today. Youko.”
Eriko peered into Youko's face. What Eriko had said was true, Youko was acting grumpy today and she looked away, feeling awkward.
”I'm just distracted.”
In front of her eyes, a bee was flying about cheerfully.
The bee's yellow and black body shone in the blue sky.
This bee was the one that had been chased out of the gymnasium.
Youko knew this because a short while ago, Atsumi-sensei had emerged from the gymnasium and slowly unfolded some white paper object. At that point, some insect-like creature had flown out of the paper - and that insect was this bee.
Really, it was quite impressive that Sei could come up with her story about using magic to turn into a bee in order to watch the graduation ceremony based solely on those ingredients. Although half of that could be shock.
For whatever reason, the three graduates were now quite close to the gymnasium.
Eriko, who had arrived late, had cheerfully announced there would be hardly anyone keeping an eye on the back of the gymnasium, so they had decided to come here. She even said she knew a round-about way that would get them there without being seen.
After hearing that, Sei's temporarily dampened desire to sticky-beak had flared up again. All thanks to the fuel that Eriko had been pouring around.
”But, ya, know - it's strange how the person who said we couldn't go to the gymnasium is the one who's straining the hardest to hear what's being said inside.”
Sei pointed her finger at Youko, who was sitting closest to the outer wall.
”That's not it. I just wanted to know where they were up to in the ceremony. Oh, they're up to the graduation song.[1] We should get going soon.”
”Get going?”
”You promised me we would when we decided to come here. Or, should I say, when the two of you dragged me down here.”
Only a little bit. Despite saying this, Youko had had a wonderful time here. And since there were no doors in this wall, they hadn't been spotted by either the student receptionists or Atsumi-sensei when she had temporarily left the gymnasium. But if they waited until the ceremony was over and students were exiting, then even this place would be risky.
Youko couldn't hear exactly what was being said inside, but could sense the excitement rising, and that was enough.
”Come on, hurry up.”
She grabbed Sei and Eriko by their collars.
Well then, what was next?
That's right, Yos.h.i.+no-chan was going to show them something interesting.
The sun's rays were warm.
Sachiko instinctively squinted the instant she stepped through the doorway.
”Yumi.”
In amongst the light was her pet.i.t soeur.
”Have you been waiting for me?”
Yumi came running up to her as she walked forwards.
”Yes... Here.”
Yumi was holding out the black ribbon that Sachiko had left in her keeping.
Their charm. An item that would bind them together even when they were apart.
Sachiko nodded, and picked up one end of the neatly folded ribbon. Pulling at it, the ribbon stood up in Yumi's palm like a folding fan.
And then it stretched between the two of them, like a finis.h.i.+ng line. There was no trace of where it had been tied that morning.
Just as it was about to leave her palm, Yumi pinned the free end down with her index finger. And like that, the two of them tugged playfully on the ribbon.
Once, twice, three times.
And then it was free of Yumi's hands. The two of them smiled. No words were exchanged, but they had clearly conveyed what they wanted to say.
Sachiko folded the ribbon once more, this time in her palm, and put it into her pocket. Then she reached her now empty hand into purse.
”Here, this is from me.”
After saying this, Sachiko offered her tissue case to Yumi.
”Ahh.”
Yumi was a bit fl.u.s.tered. Probably thinking that Sachiko was taking offense at her red nose.
”You'll feel better after you've blown your nose.”
”Umm, this isn't&h.e.l.lip;”
Yumi was probably going to say that it wasn't from crying. Sachiko used her hand holding the tissue case to gently lower the hand Yumi had pointed at her own nose.
”It's good for anything, right?”
From dry-eye to hay-fever. That was something that Yumi had said. Although Sachiko was unsure whether Yumi would remember it.
”Right. Gochisou-sama.”[2]
Yumi took the tissue that was poking out from the case. She had spoken quite naturally, but something sounded amiss.
”Gochi...?”
”Ahh, no, that's wrong. Itadakimasu[3], I guess.”
Both of these phrases made it sound like Yumi was responding to an offering of food.
”You're not a goat, you know.”
As Sachiko smiled at this, the sound of Yumi blowing her nose rang out.
The sun's rays were warm.
Rei instinctively squinted the instant she stepped through the doorway and into the flood of sunlight.
Grand weather for a grand occasion.
As for the graduation ceremony itself, the middle part had been a bit nerve-wracking but there was a finality to the way it had ended.
It had been a good ceremony. All of it. Yep.
Even the final homeroom for the third year chrysanthemum cla.s.s hadn't been a gloomy affair, perhaps aided by the writings on the blackboard. It had ended without any tears whatsoever.
They were given their diplomas and their final report cards, which were put into purses or indoor shoes.
It was simply good manners to tidy up after yourself. Like the sky overhead, Rei's soul was clear.
The sound of someone blowing their nose.
Her free-flying spirit was pulled back to reality by the noise, and Rei turned around.
And there were Sachiko and Yumi-chan.
Yumi-chan clung to a recently used tissue, obviously the one used just before when Rei had heard that noise. But despite the ordinariness of the setting, the pair were looking at each other with expressions more at home on someone stopping to admire a flower garden. While other students rushed back and forth around them, they looked as though they had been transplanted there from some other location.
”Oh, Rei.”
Rei was just thinking about leaving quietly when she was spotted by Sachiko.
”Where are you off to? We're supposed to be meeting at the statue of Maria-sama, right?”
”Ahh, yeah.”
”Yos.h.i.+no-san said she'd be a bit late, so how about we head over there now.”
Yumi-chan ran up to Rei. Despite Yumi-chan's best efforts to make it seem like she wasn't interrupting, Rei knew she was being a third-wheel.
”Good work today, Yumi-chan. You too, Sachiko.”
Pulling herself together, the first thing to do was to congratulate them on the farewell address and formal reply.
”Thank-you. But it was turned into a bit of a slapstick comedy by the accident in the middle.”
From beside Yumi, Sachiko cut into their conversation.
”I was much more worried about Rei than your group, Yumi. When Yos.h.i.+no-chan cried out, I thought Rei was going to leap out of her seat and jump up on stage.”
”Shouting 'Yos.h.i.+noooo'?”
”Right, 'Yos.h.i.+noooo'”
The Red Rose sisters giggled, right in front of the person in question.
”Was never gonna happen.”
Rei spat the words out. Of course, it was just an act. Truthfully, she had half risen to her feet when it happened.
”Before the graduation ceremony, Sachiko cast a spell on me. Even if I wanted to move, I wouldn't have been able to.”
”Ohh? What kind of spell was it?”
Yumi-chan asked, fascinated. Sachiko replied before Rei had a chance to.
” 'From the time the ceremony starts until the time it ends, you can't leave your seat.' ”
”But in that case, wouldn't Rei-sama have been unable to accept her graduation certificate?”
”Right? That's what I said too. So Sachiko amended her spell to say that it was okay for me to leave my seat to receive my certificate. And then I asked if she should also add that it's okay for me to stand when we sing - and how do you think she responded? She said, 'I shouldn't have to add that, it's just common sense.' Hardly fair, don't you think?”
”...Sounds like it turned into quite the complicated spell.”
Yumi-chan let out a sigh of admiration.
”Guess so.”
But, because of that, Rei had made it though the ceremony without jumping out of her seat like last year.
During the farewell address. - And also, the formal reply.
”I think it's better not to delve too deeply into the spell. Since the graduation ceremony is already over.”
Sachiko said, as she started walking.
”Yep.”
Since it's already over. All that was left was the commemorative photo with her friends.
”Ahh.”
Just before the fork in the path in front of the statue of Maria-sama, Rei broke into a run when she spotted one of the students ahead of her.
”Rei?”
”Give me a minute. I'll be right back.”
Rei answered Sachiko without turning around, and picked up her pace.
”Rosa Foetida?”
She flew past their meeting place, and Noriko-chan and Touko-chan who were already waiting there, and sprinted down the path lined with ginkgo trees.
”Chisato-chan!”
Rei shouted when her voice was within range.
”R-Rei-sama?”
Chisato-chan turned around, surprised at hearing her name called out.
”So...rry. I &h.e.l.lip; just &h.e.l.lip; remembered.”
”Huh?”
Having sprinted to catch up to Chisato-chan, Rei was out of breath. Since continuing the conversation wasn't feasible as is, she stopped to catch her breath.
”Chisato-chan. You had your hair done up with curlers.”
Rei had been thinking about it during the graduation ceremony, until it finally dawned on her. Chisato-chan was the girl who had won last year's Valentine's Day treasure hunt, and gone on a half-day date with her.
”Oh, am I wrong?”
She had been so sure of it. Then Chisato-chan shook her head.
”You're not wrong.”
Rei let out a sigh of relief. If she had been wrong, she would have been a complete idiot.
”So will you take back what you said this morning about me being an idiot?”
Rei was caught up in the moment as she said this. Chisato-chan responded by looking downwards.
”&h.e.l.lip; You are.”
”Huh?”
”Rei-sama, like I thought, you are an idiot. You don't have to pay attention to every little thing someone like me says.”
”Huh?”
The tears fell from Chisato-chan's downcast eyes in large drops onto the tree lined path. What brought this on?
”I'm sorry.”
Rei had chased after her seeking to apologize, but all she'd done was make Chisato-chan cry.
Feeling like she really was an idiot, Rei apologized to Chisato-chan once more and then embraced her.
”Oh? Yumi-sama, weren't you wearing black ribbons today?”
Noriko-chan asked her.
”Yep.”
When Yumi and Sachiko-sama arrived at the statue of Maria-sama, the two first-years and s.h.i.+mako-san were already there, which meant they were only waiting for the Yellow Rose sisters.
Tsutako-san, their photographer, was scouting out locations for the shoot and taking photos of students who requested her services. Naturally, Shouko-chan was following her around.
”Very eagle-eyed of you.”
Yumi said to Noriko-chan.
She had been wearing the black ribbons only for the graduation ceremony. Since Yumi hadn't seen Noriko-chan before or after the ceremony, she must have spotted them while Yumi was giving the farewell address. But it was a long way from the stage where Yumi had delivered the address to the seats where the first years sat.
”But my onee-sama was wearing those ribbons this morning.”
Touko said to Noriko-chan, referring to the red ribbons Yumi was currently wearing. Correct. However.
”Oh, I don't remember seeing you this morning, Touko.”
Yumi shook her head. Yumi had no memory of meeting Touko, starting from the time she left her house this morning until just now when they had all gathered together. And speaking of ribbons, this was the first time she had ever seen the ones that Touko wore (red lace ribbons with a black stripe down the center that looked as though they were recently purchased).
”I only caught a glimpse of you as you were walking down the corridor.”
It seems s.h.i.+mako-san's pet.i.t soeur wasn't the only eagle-eyed one, her own was as well. Yumi smiled without saying anything.
”So it seems as though Yumi-sama was wearing them only during the ceremony, perhaps as some kind of symbol.”
”Those black ribbons.... It's the one we found yesterday in the room on the first floor of the Rose Mansion, right?”
That was also correct. It's not just their eyes that were sharp, the pet.i.t soeurs of the boutons also had sharp minds.
”That's right. It's a charm. Rosa Chinensis lent it to me.”
When Yumi had finished, Noriko-chan started to speak and only got as far as, 'But that was,' before she seemed to recall something. After that, no more questions came. Touko merely said, 'Is that so?' and smiled. They think quickly too.
Being supported by these two reliable pet.i.t soeurs, next year's Yamayurikai should be a breeze - although that's something you'd expect the graduating seniors to say, not the people themselves.
Hey, onee-sama... As she was thinking this, Yumi turned to where Sachiko-sama and s.h.i.+mako-san were standing a short distance away, when they both simultaneously called out.
”Onee-sama!”
(Huh? Onee-sama?)
The two of them were Yumi's and Noriko-chan's onee-samas. So Yumi thought she must have misheard them. But when she followed their gaze to where they were looking, their onee-samas were indeed standing there.
The former Rosa Chinensis, Mizuno Youko-sama.
The former Rosa Gigantea, Satou Sei-sama.