Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume3 Chapter2 2

The White Rose. Part 2.

The homeroom teacher was supposed to talk about rather important things like how to get in touch during vacation-time.

But most of the students were, while acting like they were listening, completely spaced out, so the teacher simply jotted down the important things on the blackboard and ended class.

Because she'd slacked off a bit for exam studies, Yumi was afraid of receiving her second semester report card. But leaving aside things that would happen a week later, she decided to revel in the week-long exam break, where she'd not have to worry about anything like homework.

After all, exams were over.

(But, before that.)

"Shimako-san, would you like to visit Rosa Gigantea before we head to the Rose Mansion?"

A French doll neatly packing her textbooks into her bag, -Yumi called out to Toudou Shimako-san.

"Why?"

Her soft, coiled hair bounced along with her deliberate, slow-tempo movements.

"You've heard the rumors, right? I was thinking of directly asking Rosa Gigantea about them."

At first, she thought about adopting Rei-sama's stance of acting like she never knew about it. But had she not known about it, it would be okay, but knowing as much as she did now, she knew it wasn't going to be possible for her to act like she knew nothing.

So she thought. How would she feel if she were Rosa Gigantea? Rather than people avoiding it like a bruised wound, she would feel much better if people simply asked her, outright. Of course, this was just Yumi's opinion, so she didn't know if Rosa Gigantea would feel the same. And if Rosa Gigantea felt displeasure in her asking, then she would apologize.

"I would ask at the Rose Mansion, but then it would drag the people who would prefer to stay out, like Rei-sama, into it."

"… so why are you inviting me?"

"Because Rosa Gigantea is Shimako-san's onee-sama, right?"

"Yes, of course."

After smiling, Shimako-san added, "But…"

"I think it is wrong that I would accompany Yumi-san for that reason alone."

"Wh- why?"

"Because I lean toward Rei-sama's side on this matter. Plus, if you're acting in regard to Rosa Gigantea, there is no need to bother with me, as I am simply her sister."

Yumi thought she'd heard similar words from Rosa Gigantea before. Something like Rosa Gigantea not minding if Shimako-san depended on someone else.

"But don't you want to know?"

"No."

An immediate answer.

Because that's the sort of siblings we are, Shimako-san's words seemed to say.

(That sort of sibling, that sort of sibling, that sort of sibling-)

Is weird, she thought.

Well, it is a human relationship, so they come in all sorts of shapes. But at least in Yumi's case, she'd not like it if a first-year were to be friendly with Sachiko-sama, and Yoshino-san was bothered by the student that offered cupcakes to Rei-sama.

Rosa Gigantea and Shimako-san were very cooled down. This was clearly not simply because they were two years apart. If that were the case, the problem would have to be their personalities. Rosa Gigantea said before that she and Shimako-san were similar, so they felt at ease with each other.

"Anyways, Yumi-san, shouldn't you go?"

"Eh?"

"She doesn't know Yumi-san is looking for her, so unless you hurry, Rosa Gigantea will already be at the Rose Mansion."

"That's right…!" Yumi grabbed her bag and hurried down the hallway.

"Later, Shimako-san."

What a blunder. It's her bad habit of being easily distracted.

They'd decided earlier to have a tea party after exams were over, so Rosa Gigantea might already have left her classroom.

The third-year classroom or the Rose Mansion. After pondering which to choose, Yumi chose the former, and after taking a step, the school broadcast streamed some pleasant music, and then…

"Third-year wisteria-class, Satou Sei-san. Please come to the Guidance Office immediately. I repeat-" (Eh?)

Faster than her thoughts could keep up, Yumi's body deftly changed directions. Satou Sei-san was Rosa Gigantea.

"Third-year wisteria-class, Satou Sei-san."

Her goal wasn't the classroom nor the Rose Mansion.

"Please come to the Guidance Office immediately." It was next door to the faculty room.

(But why…?)

After confirming the words on the plate hung out in front of the room, Yumi felt terrified.

For Rosa Gigantea, who's a role model for students, to be called out to the room where teachers "guide" students on how they "conduct" themselves. It was incomprehensible. Even Yumi felt mortified by this, and she wasn't even the one being called! She couldn't imagine how humiliated Rosa Gigantea must be feeling.

Even so.

"Oh? Yumi-chan got called on, too?"

That Rosa Gigantea showed up bright and sunny. She slowly lumbered over opposite the hallway Yumi had dashed. It seemed Yumi had arrived faster than the person who was called.

"Then, that would mean the reason I was called was for homosexual adultery!"

"What…!"

She didn't think it was the time to be joking around. That said, the sight of girls stalking a cackling Rosa Gigantea from a distance was rather disturbing. Most of them were freshmen, but the newspaper club captain was also among them. It was a group of students that had heard the broadcast and couldn't restrain themselves from finding out what was going on.

"Yumi-chan, would you happen to know why I've been possessed by these stalker-ghosts?"

"Happen to know… Well, roughly, I guess."

There's Rosa Gigantea for you, picking out some brilliant word choice. "Stalker-ghosts." -Not that she should be admiring that right now.

"W- would that mean… Rosa Gigantea, you didn't know about the uproar…"

"What happened?"

This time she had a serious look on her face. That's a big-shot for you, I guess. Even though she had no idea why she was called out to the guidance office, she was still as cheerful as ever.

"That's right. I was actually wanting to ask, too. Rosa Gigantea, did you write 'Forest of Thorns'?"

"Forest…?"

As Rosa Gigantea tilted her head to the side, the door behind her opened.

"Ahh, Satou-san. You've arrived. Come in."

The guidance sister poked her head out the door and urged Rosa Gigantea to enter.

"Yes. … Well, Yumi-chan, talk to you later."

In contrast to Rosa Gigantea, who was so full of composure she even winked before going through the door, Yumi felt her heart sink. As for why, she only caught a glimpse, but inside the guidance office was the academy principle, the middle-school and high-school principle, the third-year official, and the homeroom teacher for the third-year wisteria class. If that sort of line-up were to stare at her, Yumi thought she'd blurt out "I'm sorry!" even if she hadn't done anything.

"Yumi-san."

Yoshino-san split through the stalker-ghosts and rushed over to Yumi, hair swaying. With that as a trigger, the tense atmosphere loosened, and the mass of nervous girls broke up a bit. But no one felt like leaving, so they milled about in front of the faculty office and the guidance office. They all seem to intend to wait until Rosa Gigantea came out.

"What did Rosa Gigantea say?"

Yoshino-san, too, heard the broadcast and had rushed over.

"… She was as cheerful as always. Also, she didn't seem to know why she was called."

"She didn't know?"

But it was this big, so Yoshino-san was surprised. Even if it wasn't up to the first-years' scope, it must have reached the third-years by now.

Just then, a shadow crept forth, stooped low, like a scrambling mouse. That uniform-wearing mouse stopped in front of the guidance office, then leaned against the door. Like a ninja trying to blend into the wall.

"… You know, the guidance office uses sound-proof walls and doors."

Yoshino-san, watching, pointed out.

"Oh, dear, I'd become so engrossed. It's not like I was trying to listen in, or anything, ohohohohoho…"

Mouse, ninja, also known as the newspaper club captain, Tsukiyama Minako-sama cackled, hiding her embarrassment.

"Ohohohohohohoho."

Her hand held up to her mouth made the shape of a fox.

"I can't help but notice that here is the sœur of Rosa Foetida en bouton, Miss Shimazu Yoshino. And the sœur of Rosa Chinensis en bouton, Miss Fukuzawa Yumi. Gokigenyou."

"Go- Gokigenyou."

They couldn't just ignore a greeting from a senior, so Yumi and Yoshino-san answered back, then quickly turned to their right.

Yoshino-san probably accidentally spoke, because this Minako-sama was the type of person you really didn't want anything to do with. When you deal with the newspaper club, anything ends up becoming exaggerated a hundred or a thousand times over.

"My, you don't have to run, do you?"

Minako-sama placed a hand on each of their shoulders, then spun them around.

What happens when you turn around, then get turned around again? Yes, correct, you return to your former position. And that former position happened to be right in the face of Minako-sama.

"Running away means you have something to hide from me, because it would be a bother if I found out, right?"

Minako-san's eyes glittered.

"N- no."

"How absurd."

The two of them shook their heads. She wasn't quite as stubborn as Sachiko-sama, but talking to her was probably about the same. They open their mouth, and before you know it, you've been swallowed whole.

"Leaving that aside. You've showed up at a good time. Can you tell onee-san what you two feel about this 'White Rose Incident'?"

She suddenly switched her energetic voice to a purr, and sidled up to them. In a way, this was even scarier. And she already titled this the 'White Rose Incident'… It was a lot more easy-going than the 'Yellow Rose Revolution,' but that must mean she's having trouble finding out what's behind things this time.

"Don't say anything, Yumi-san."

Yoshino-san prodded Yumi with her elbow.

"I know."

She didn't need to be told, because she already intended to say nothing. She could imagine how much trouble she'd cause Rosa Gigantea if she said anything.

If the "Lillian Kawaraban" was to have "A conversation with insider source Fukuzawa Yumi-san," she'd have to pack her bags and go off on a journey, alone.

"How distrustful. I'll have you know, I've reconsidered since the last time, and so I'm restraining myself a bit."

"Last time…"

Would that be publishing Yoshino-san and Rei-san's surveys the wrong way. Or would that be when she wrote a tearful shoujo love story based on Yoshino-san's returning of her rosary to Rei-sama.

"Actually, I'm in a bind. With so much time taken up by exam studies, this Tsukiyama Minako had no idea about this uproar until this afternoon. See, if the newspaper club's behind the times, that's no good, right? And break starts tomorrow, so I'd like to have a big, concise wrap-up next week, you know? So could you lend me a hand?"

(… Wow.)

She hasn't reconsidered, at all.

"If you could lend me a hand, I could help out Rosa Gigantea on 'Lillian Kawaraban.'"

If you can't push, pull. Minako-sama dangled a beautiful meal, this time. But as much of a glutton as Yumi may be, she wasn't foolish enough to- enough to-

"Is it okay to watch your lovely Rosa Gigantea get expelled like this?"

"Ex- expelled!?"

Yumi leapt at the suspicious bait, the needles behind it in clear view.

"Yumi-san, calm down."

Yoshino-san grabbed Yumi's shoulders and pulled her back.

"But if Rosa Gigantea becomes expelled!"

"Calm down and think about it. The school wouldn't expel someone just for writing a novel."

"… Ah."

Yumi spat the bait out from her mouth.

Calm down, calm down. She was about to become food for the newspaper club.

"Are you sure? I wonder."

Minako-sama laughed.

"Our school forbids working, you know? If she wrote a novel and received stipends for it, that would clearly be against school rules."

"Working is just prohibited on a basic level, if you get permission, you can work."

Surprisingly, Yoshino-san re-thought or something, and began verbally firing back at Minako-sama. They were a rare, but there were students at Lillian who received permission to work, based on their reasons for needing the jobs. Aiding their household with money, or wanting to cultivate specific skills, for instance. Specific skills such as serving tea or flower arrangement or having an apprenticeship for dancing, some even act in troupes to improve their acting skills. Of course, no matter the case, the students are receiving money from outside, so the school requests a meeting with the student and a guardian and finally gives permission after discussions.

"Do you think Rosa Gigantea received permission? That's why she got called here, didn't she?"

"… Well."

But Yoshino-san, despite fighting bravely, couldn't continue. Well, it's futile, trying to fight with words against the newspaper club captain.

"Of course, you don't usually get expelled for a single breach of the school rules, but that's not to say it never happens."

She danced around the point so much that Yumi found herself struggling to keep up. In other words, she wanted to say that you could get expelled for breaking the rules a single time.

"According to my data, one student was working in a sex-service-related store a few years ago, and after being called to the guidance office, she was expelled that day."

Data. What data was she talking about?

"But sex service and novel writing are on different levels altogether."

Yoshino-san responded after gathering courage. But a cold smile came back. "Oh?"

"That just depends on the person. Selling your body or selling your mind, what's the difference?"

"… Umm."

They're clearly different, but it was hard to explain. If Tsutako-san were here, she'd probably be able to win this sort of argument.

The first-years who were in the distance ended up hearing the uncommon phrase "sex service" and had begun whispering among themselves.

Gosh. At this rate, rumors of Rosa Gigantea working a sex service job and getting called to the guidance office because of it could spread.

"I can use the 'Lillian Kawaraban' to call the attention of the faculty, if you'd like. Please don't expel Rosa Gigantea."

"But we really don't know anything."

"Oh, Yumi-san, but you were to speaking to Rosa Gigantea just now. So what is it? 'Forest of Thorns.' Did Rosa Gigantea write it? Or did she not?"

Yet, she'd already decided Rosa Gigantea had written it just moments earlier. Tsukiyama Minako-sama was investigating again.

(This is a different sort of scary from Sachiko-sama's close-up.)

Slow, deliberately approaching. She found herself being backed into the wall.

As expected of Minako-sama. Rather than attack the visually less imposing and more brittle-looking Yoshino-san, she chose to attack Yumi. She knew how to read people. Yoshino-san might look weak, but she was actually quite strong and level-headed.

"I really, really don't know anything."

When Yumi closed her eyes and shouted, the wall behind her fell.

"Yumi-san, behind, door, opening!"

Yoshino-san's advice was as fruitless as that of a foreigner just learning Japanese, and Yumi was sucked into the black hole that suddenly opened behind her.

"Hieeeh-"

Why did she go to the door, or, why didn't the door open outwards, or, why did the door have to open with such great timing. As she fell backwards, she lamented the string of bad luck that caused this situation.

(And I'll end up hitting the back of my head, and become even dumber!)

"Woah!"

Foomf.

(… foomf?)

Yumi was saved in the nick of time by something soft. Her head didn't hurt, and her body seemed to be leaning backward, but her indoor shoes were still on the floor.

"Yumi-chan, you're pretty heavy…"

"Eh."

She heard a familiar voice from behind her. What saved her by countering her weight was none other than Rosa Gigantea. Maybe it's the scent of her shampoo, when Yumi turned around, she was face-to-face with a smile that fit perfectly with the scent of mint drifting in the air.

"Rosa Gigantea, Rosa Gigantea, … I,"

"Sorry. I don't think I can hold you up any longer."

Rosa Gigantea heaved, and made Yumi stand on her own. She had to hold Yumi without any forewarning, so apparently she'd been using an awkward posture, so even Rosa Gigantea was a bit winded.

"Plus, if we crumbled to the ground hugging each other in the guidance office, it'd be a bit awkward."

Yumi's heart leapt when Rosa Gigantea whispered in her ear. On the other side of the opened door, the principles and the sisters were watching, mouths open.

"Sorry for the disturbance. Excuse us."

Rosa Gigantea politely bowed to the teachers inside, forced Yumi to bow with her, and then left the room.

"I've gotten the gist of the 'Forest of Thorns' Yumi-chan was talking about."

After smiling a bit bitterly, Rosa Gigantea raised her voice for the stalker-ghosts (although now they're just wandering ghosts).

"I'm sure you all are wondering about it, so I'll tell you now, sorry to disappoint, but I'm not the one that wrote 'Forest of Thorns.'"

Now that the scene was over, the girls began mumbling to each other, clearly disappointed. Gosh, what did they follow Rosa Gigantea for?

"Oh, Yoshino-chan, you worried for me and came, too?"

Rosa Gigantea smiled happily and called to Yoshino-san.

"Uh huh. And is that true?"

"True. True. I just found out about it, after all. … And so, we can't offer any stories to the 'Lillian Kawaraban.' Sorry, Tsukiyama Minako-san."

And she doesn't forget to throw the newspaper club gentle sarcasm along with a check. You won't hear the end of it if you try to turn this into an article. Even Minako-sama probably didn't have the courage to go against a senior, and a Rose on top of that. Especially because this wasn't even newsworthy.

"Now now, let's be off now."

Yumi in her right hand, Yoshino-san in her left hand, and drawing both shoulders to her, Rosa Gigantea happily began walking.

"To where?"

"The Rose Mansion? Didn't you two come to pick me up?"

"Oh yeah, the tea party!"

She'd completely forgotten, because of the broadcast.

What was everyone thinking as they waited at the Rose Mansion?

Rosa Chinensis, Rosa Foetida, Sachiko-sama, Rei-sama.

And Shimako-san-.

"It's hot."

Icy wind was blowing outside, but Rosa Gigantea said a very unseasonal thing, and smiled.

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