Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume2 Chapter2 1

The Returned Rosary. Part 1.

Her prediction came true faster than she expected.

"The Rosa Foetida en bouton sisters broke up."

Yumi heard this for the first time during cleaning, which, being after classes, was like the conclusion to a day.

Katsura-san, who was in charge of cleaning elsewhere, rushed back into the room and began whispering to other students. Yumi, who was washing the blackboard with a wet rag, heard it then.

"Is that true!?"

Jumping down from the platform in an outrageous, unladylike, and certainly not very flattering pose, Yumi leapt at Katsura-san.

"W, wait,Yumi-san. Calm down."

But how could she? Yumi grabbed Katsura-san's arm with both hands, dragged her to the side of the classroom, and repeated her question.

"W, well, to start with, could you at least spare my uniform the rag?"

Katsura-san appealed with a near-shrieking tone. Yumi finally noticed that the dark green cloth of her uniform was stained even darker around her arm.

"Ah, sorry."

Yumi quickly pulled her hand away. She was so surprised that she never let go of the rag.

"Well it's alright, it'll dry on its own, anyways."

But more important, she seemed to want to say, Katsura-san began speaking about what she had just found out. As always, she heard news quickly.

"It happened just after the sixth period class, so it just happened."

According to her.

Yoshino-san, on her second day of returning to class, skipped out on home room to go home, so that she could go to the hospital. She had a note from her doctor, and her home room teacher was more than willing to let her return home quickly, so as to not push a person who'd just recovered from an illness.

"For the Chrysanthemum class students, it probably was like touching a swollen area, you know? They probably felt more comfortable if she just went home, rather than force herself to clean duty."

"Why?"

"Because Yoshino-san-. Wait, Yumi-san, you've never been in the same class as Yoshino-san?"

"No."

When Yumi nodded, Katsura-san was surprised, "You've both attended this school since Kindergarten, and there's a class change every two years, so that's incredible," but carried on, knowing there was no choice but to explain in more detail.

"Because you've never been in the same class, you might not know what's wrong with her, then?"

"She has a weak body, I thought?"

"Well, that's true, too, but here."

Katsura-san pointed at Yumi's breast with her index finger.

"Scarf?"

"Idiot. Her heart."

She wasn't actually joking, but nonetheless, Katsura-san quickly smacked Yumi's head.

"Anyone who's been in the same class as her would have seen it at least once."

"What?"

"Her, fit, I guess you would call it. I think it's even worse for the people who watch it, because the heart's so directly linked to living."

"Well, yes."

Apparently, every now and then, Yoshino-san runs out of breath and has to sit down and hold her breast down. The earlier reference to touching a swollen area was a reference to that kind of body.

"That's why she sits out of marathons, doesn't go to camping trips, and sits out during physical education. Plus, she misses a lot of school, so she's kind of an enigma."

"I see."

That's why she had trouble making friends. Possibly because of that, her cousin, Rei-sama, ends up needing to take care of her even more than you might expect. And then because of that, it becomes even harder for classmates to get close to her, so she never ends up making friends.

"So?"

Yumi spurred her on.

"Oh, where did I get to? I went on a digression, so I forget where I was."

Katsura-san was pondering deeply with the facial expression of a grandmother, so Yumi lent a hand, without any hesitation.

"Yoshino-san left early, for a doctor's appointment."

"Ah, that's right."

Katsura-san clapped the bottom of her fist with her palm.

"Apparently Rei-sama came along when Yoshino-san left early. Obviously that means Rei-sama also skipped out on homeroom, right? So Yoshino-san refused to let her escort her. A taxi was coming to the main gate, and she was feeling fine, so she said she could go alone."

"Yes."

"At that point it was just a light conversation. So it was just a trading of 'I'll go with you,' 'Don't come.' Anyways, the taxi was coming, so they walked to the main gate together."

"… But Yoshino-san finally snapped?"

"Exactly."

"What was the direct reason?"

"Rei-sama received permission from her homeroom teacher to leave early. That angered Yoshino-san enough to give her rosary back. With the audacity of doing it in front of Maria-sama!"

"---"

Wow, Yoshino-san, you really are something. She was wondering what Yoshino-san would do, but to give the rosary back-.

"So, what happens when you give the rosary back?"

"It's a catastrophe. What have you been listening to?"

Katsura-san sighed with an exasperated look.

"Rosa Foetida en bouton having her rosary returned by her little sister, this is an unprecedented major incident!"

"Catastrophe… like, a break-up?"

When Yumi asked, Katsura-san lifted her index finger and waved it side to side; tsk tsk tsk.

"More like a divorce."

"… Eeek."

The second wave of astonishment was coming. For the elder sister to have her rosary returned by a little sister she took entirely for granted was like having your obedient wife suddenly bring out divorce papers. No, maybe it's even worse. Because it's unprecedented.

"But why does Katsura-san know so much?"

"I heard from Rei-sama."

"Eh?"

"She's been wandering around the school like a ghost, so when I asked her what was wrong, she mumbled all of this to me."

Katsura-san had concluded all of this by piecing things together.

"Then, Rei-sama?"

"I thought about helping her back to her classroom, but it was like she was sleepwalking. I've never seen Rei-sama like that before."

"Say that sooner!"

Yumi pushed the rag she still held into Katsura-san's hands and flew out the classroom with an unheard of travelling posture. Katsura-san said she saw Rei-sama on campus, so she hurried down the stairs and jumped out through the nearest door.

"Which way?"

Although she got outside, the Lillian facility was huge. She should have asked Katsura-san for more details, she thought, but it was too late for that.

"Whatever, I'll just guess."

She spoke those lines, which she'd heard before in a drama, and ran northward. Piecing the story together, she decided Rei-sama had to have been in a deep shock. When people are stunned, they either want to be alone, or they want to talk to someone. For whatever reason, she felt it was the former. In that case, she might be in an isolated place.

When she peeked inside the greenhouse, where she and Sachiko-sama had escaped the day before the school festival, she did indeed see Rei-sama. Rei-sama was so lifeless that for a moment she almost thought she was looking at the wrong person.

One boy, or rather, one girl, was standing immobile in the middle of the greenhouse, not even bothering to sit down on one of the benches. It was plausible that she didn't even realize where she was.

"Rei-sama."

She called out to that handsome face, but she could offer no more words. She'd just realized she didn't know why she tracked down Rei-sama.

Hearing about Rei-sama wandering about the school, she jumped out, not able to restrain herself. But what could, or should she do, now that she found her? There wasn't much she could do for Rei-sama.

Maybe she was just a nuisance? Rei-sama might have chosen this place to be alone.

"Ahh, Yumi-chan."

When Rei-sama looked at Yumi, she laughed weakly. That smile was painful to see. Her left hand gripped the rosary with the dark green jewel. That was probably the rosary Yoshino-san returned.

"Why."

Why, did Yoshino-san return the rosary. Like she wanted someone to explain to her. But, as expected, it was more like she was mumbling to herself, and she sighed.

"Yumi-chan, do you ever want to return Sachiko's rosary?"

"Eh? Ah? … No, not yet."

To be honest, that hadn't even remotely crossed her mind. But that was probably true for Rei-sama too. For sisters who'd exchanged vows, it was a mind-boggling proposition.

"Sorry. You've only been together for a week, it's impossible."

"Ah."

Even if it were to be possible, it was difficult to imagine herself in Rei-sama's place. Plus, in the case of Yumi, even if Sachiko-sama were to propose a divorce at some point, Yumi herself would never even think about returning the rosary.

"Ahh, I feel like I'm dying."

With that sudden exclamation, Rei-sama sank to the floor, covering her head with her hands. Saying "I feel like I'm dying" rather than "I want to die" seemed oddly fitting for Rei-sama. –Just as Yumi thought that.

"Hey, please do not go spontaneously dying."

An icy voice sounded from behind her.

"Sachiko-sama!"

When she turned around, she saw Ogasawara Sachiko herself, standing in the doorway.

"Stand up, Rei."

Sachiko-sama walked past Yumi, stood over Rei-sama, and, first, roared.

(Wow…)

She nailed her line with such masterful precision it was vexing. This commanding tone probably could be imitated by no one else.

"Rosa Foetida en bouton easily dying like this is unacceptable. Now, stand up!"

As Yumi thought, "Ah, how wonderful onee-sama is," and stared transfixed, Sachiko-sama grabbed the lifeless Rei-sama's wrist and began walking.

"Ah, where to?"

When she asked, Sachiko-sama responded, to the Rose Mansion.

"Her milling around like this is a bother to us, too."

(Kuuuh.)

This was it. There was no replacing it. She yelled at Rei-sama, then forcefully pulled her away to her group of friends. Sachiko-sama quickly executed the answer Yumi was looking for. And to think that she had come out here worried about Rei-sama, but rather than showing it, she would fire venom, saying it was a "bother."

Truth be told, leading Rei-sama to the Rose Mansion was a good answer. At this time, Rei-sama's older sister, Rosa Foetida, might be there, too. And even if Rosa Foetida were not present, one of the third-years might do something about it.

Maybe the Roses would intercede and force reconciliation. At the very least, they'd have to breathe some semblance of life into Rei-sama.

As she thought that and left the greenhouse with Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama, she noticed a familiar figure wobbling to the back gate.

"That's…"

The reason why she wasn't able to believe it completely was because that person seemed to be projecting someone else's aura. Or rather, she didn't seem like her usual self.

(Maybe it's someone else?)

Because they were all girls wearing the same uniform, it wasn't very difficult to mistake people.

"What are you doing, Yumi, hurry up."

Sachiko-sama called out to Yumi, having noticed her lagging.

"Ah, yes."

"Please don't be trouble, I'm fine dealing with one person, but two is beyond me."

Given no choice by those words, but at the same time ecstatic that Sachiko-sama was fretting over her, Yumi ran to Sachiko-sama's side. She would know if the person she saw was indeed who she thought it was when she got to the Rose Mansion.

"You don't need to run."

But, she wanted to be with onee-sama as much as possible. Onee-sama was such a presence that Yumi felt satisfaction just being in the same space.

In that sense, how could Yoshino-san return her rosary?

Rei-sama was always so sharp and kind, but now she was an absolute mess from the shock. Their relationship was supposed to be that close, so why-.

Understanding the actions of other people was extremely difficult. Yumi, finally, at the age of sixteen, found that out.

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