Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume23 Chapter4 5

Full to Bursting at the New Year's Party. Part 5

"Oh my – Yumi-chan you're so cute."

Sachiko-sama could easily put on her own kimono but this was her first time dressing someone else, so despite her best efforts struggling with the giant dress-up doll it still took about twenty minutes until Yumi was dressed and her sash was tied.

It was a pretty, long-sleeved kimono, with round, white flowers – perhaps from apricot or peach trees – blossoming on a light pink background.

Sachiko-sama had opened the three folding paper-cases and asked Yumi, "Which one would you like?" The other two were also long-sleeved kimonos, one was golden yellow and the other was a vibrant olive color.

"It makes me so happy to see. Those were kimonos that I wore when I was young. But Sachiko, she won't wear any of the three."

"I've told you, it's because they're too small for me."

Sachiko-sama was a bit peevish now that she was the one under the microscope.

"Oh. But when you were that height you wouldn't wear them either, saying they didn't match your face or you hated the pattern."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"It's true. Ah Yumi-chan, you're so cute."

"Not at all, I should be thanking you for letting me borrow such a precious kimono … "

For all the joy she'd brought Sayako-oba-sama, her reward was a proportionately squished stomach.

"But still, using the drum bow with a long-sleeved kimono?"

That was the only thing that Sayako-oba-sama seemed to be disappointed by. The drum bow, like its name suggested, was a way of tying the sash such that it looked like she was carrying a rectangular box on her back. Depending on the length of the sash, it could be split into one or two drums. Incidentally, Yumi's was a two layer drum.

"It would have looked better with a puffed sparrow, or a standing arrow knot."

"I'm unable to tie such complicated knots by myself."

The sash Sachiko-sama was wearing today looked to be tied in something like a paperback knot. On that note, it sounded as though Sachiko-sama could only tie the drum knot or some of the more casual styles with a half-width sash. Which meant that Sayako-oba-sama must have tied her sash today.

"I'm sure the book would have had instructions for tying the sash in it."

"There's no time to waste on such frivolities during the game. Even the drum knot was troublesome."

Given that they'd taken so long, they were surprised when they looked at the sugoroku board and saw that neither of the other teams' pieces had moved. While they were walking back, they'd almost been expecting one of the other teams to have won already.

Just then, the White Rose team appeared.

"We're done. Two cleaning cloths."

Following them, the Yellow Rose team made their entrance too.

"The pancakes are ready."

Cleaning cloths and pancakes.

It looked as though all the teams had been given time-consuming tasks.

Knitting cleaning cloths and making pancakes.

She didn't know where the White Rose team had done their sewing, but the "Woodpecker Space" that the Yellow Rose team's piece occupied was undoubtedly the kitchen.

"Ah, Yumi-san, you look cute."

"What happened? Was this one of the tasks too?"

Everyone crowded around Yumi, despite still being in the middle of the game. After their first look, she was talked into twirling around and posing with her arms out. She felt kind of like a pin-up model.

With her little bit of new-found knowledge, Yumi could see that Shimako-san had her obi sash tied in a one layer drum bow. And when Sayako-oba-sama took off her haori coat, she saw that her sash was tied in a tsuno-dashi bow.

Since it looked as though Yumi was liable to forget about the game completely, Sachiko-sama stepped in front of her and handed her the die.

"Here. Roll. Let's hurry up and win."

Hurry up and win. Sachiko-sama was cocky.

"Okay. I'll roll a big number then."

The last spurt.

Yumi shook the die in her hand violently then flung it out with a, "Come on."

"Stop sitting with your legs apart while you're wearing a kimono."

Sachiko-sama sighed, with her hand on her forehead.

"Ah."

Yumi quickly drew her legs together, but it was too late. She was always going to slip up when she was wearing something unfamiliar.

Outside, the light was already fading.