Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume4 Chapter2 2

Rosa Canina? Part 2.

"Did something happen with Sachiko-sama?"

She stood, holding the broom and staring into space, when Tsutako-san leaned in and peered into her face.

"Why?"

Yumi remembered to sweep the floor. Then, Tsutako-san went and brought a dustpan and placed it just beyond the pile of dust. They weren't in the same cleaning group, but she stood there anyways, like it was natural. Her cleaning group already finished, apparently.

It was cleaning time, after school.

"Yumi-san, you're in an unusually gloomy state. When that happens, the reason must be Sachiko-sama. Plus, you were almost late to the morning prayers today, too."

"Tsutako-san, I appreciate you helping with cleaning, but…"

"I know, I know, it's because of Rosa Canina, right?"

"How did you-"

"I read your mind. Who do you think I am?"

The photography club ace, Takeshima Tsutako-san.

"I heard the details from the newspaper club captain."

"… You were just eavesdropping."

Yumi interjected as she swept the dust onto the dustpan. The students in her cleaning group had begun running a moistened mop across the wooden floors, where she'd finishing sweeping.

"Oh don't be like that. Anyways, it sounds like Sachiko-sama's in a pinch."

"True."

She took the dustpan from Tsutako-san and bee-lined for the garbage bin. But the photography club's ace hounded her. Usually, she would just be getting in the way of cleaning, like this, but she was helping, so Yumi couldn't complain.

In the end, Yumi would have her uneasiness pried out of the shadows by Tsutako-san.

"So basically, Yumi-san is pondering over her raison d'etre."

"Raison d'etre?" That's right, she would spontaneously pull out difficult words or phrases and make the conversation difficult. That's what Takeshima Tsutako-san did.

"Raison d'etre, or in other words, your personal charm point that no one else can hope to match. You are 'Fukuzawa Yumi' because of this, for instance. Of course, most people never figure out what makes them attractive."

"Attractive? My charming, baby raccoon face? Or being a natural airhead?"

When Yumi put away the broom and dustpan into the cleaning locker, looking exasperated, Tsutako-san looked extremely serious and said, "Not that kind of superficial thing."

"For example, Yumi-san is here. And with that, some people's lives have changed."

"Even if I don't do anything?"

"Of course."

Even if the pitcher throws the same ball, if the angle of the bat changes just a bit, it could end in either a home run or a foul, she said. Yumi didn't watch baseball much, but she still got the idea.

Even if it began from the same spot and went the same distance, with just a small turn, the landing spot would change completely. Is what she was trying to say. Even the smallest of incidents could affect a person and change their life.

"Isn't that dreadful?"

"It is dreadful, life. But, that's what makes it fun. Perhaps Sachiko-sama thought, in a good way, that her life would change by choosing Yumi-san to be her sister?"

"Hmm."

"It's a good thing, is what I mean. Sachiko-sama didn't want a sister like herself. You hear it a lot, that people seek people who have what they don't, you know?"

It sounded like she was generalizing quite a bit. She was no match for Tsutako-san when it came to a verbal discussion.

When they finished cleaning the rear-half, and then the front-half, they brought the desks back to their original positions. When Yumi dragged a desk to the right place, Tsutako-san took the chair that was placed upside-down on the desk, lowered it to the floor, and turned it around. The students that finished wiping the blackboard would then rinse their dust cloths and wipe the desks. And, when you finished all of that, cleaning would be finished. The painstaking waxing was done once every two weeks, so they didn't do that today.

"I… What should I do?"

"You have to think of that yourself."

Even though Yumi cordially listened to her, Tsutako-san simply left her alone when it came to a crucial topic.

"You're cold."

"Yup. Human relationships are different, person to person, you know? Sachiko-sama's sister is Yumi-san. I'm just Yumi-san's friend. So all I can do is divert the newspaper club's information to illegal channels."

Then, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her student notebook.

"Kanina Shizuka (蟹名静). Second-year wisteria class, attendance number ten. She's part of the chorus."

"What?"

"Rosa Canina's identity. You hadn't found that out yet, right?"

She'd taken a photo, too, but she hadn't developed it yet, so she'd bring it tomorrow. Said Tsutako-san, extremely proud of herself.

"Thank you, Tsutako-san!"

It's good to have friends. Plus, for all her cockiness, she did her share of work.

"How do you write Kanina?"

"Kani, from hair crab, and na, from name."

"What an unusual name."

"Well there's an Ebina (海老名 – Ebi = shrimp), so Kanina isn't that far off."

"Mmm."

Yumi took out her own student notebook and jotted it down. She would ask Yoshino-san later if she knew anything about "Kanina Shizuka-sama."

"Mmm, that's all?"

Tsutako-san looked let-down.

"Is that bad?"

"Come on, Yumi-san. Kanina becomes Rosa Canina. What are your thoughts, on such an embarrassingly straight nickname?"

"Oh, right, I didn't notice."

She found out this morning that Rosa Canina was a real rose, and that it was a black rose, so she ended up being satisfied. So her real name was more like simple memorization. All she really cared about was that it was a name she hadn't heard before. After all, no matter what that person's name was, she was still Sachiko-sama's opponent.

"Get a grip. How're you going to weather the storm like that?"

That hurt. That really hurt. Because she didn't need to be told it.

"However. Onee-sama's Yamayurikai staff election episode is quite a burden, but then you think about going through that, and living through your onee-sama's exam as well as her graduation, like Shimako-san, and now you've got problems, don't you think?"

"Oh, Rosa Gigantea is taking exams?"

How unbelievable, Yumi thought. Because she never looked like she was. And to start with, were people taking exams allowed to wander around in that manner?

"Maybe, apparently. At the very least, no one's heard her talk about a priority entry into Lillian's university or junior college. Right, Shimako-san?"

Seeing Shimako-san step into the room by chance, Tsutako-san forcibly dragged her over.

"Eh? What? Onee-sama's course?"

Shimako-san tilted her head.

For a moment, Yumi thought, "No way," but then she rejected the notion. After all, even with how "their" relationship was, even Shimako-san had to have heard about what Rosa Gigantea planned to do after graduating. After all, it was already in the countdown stages, being after New Year's.

But.

As Yumi and Tsutako-san held their breaths and watched, Shimako-san looked extremely serious and said.

"I wonder…?"

As expected of the my-pace Shimako-san. "Come to think of it, what does she plan to do?" said Shimako-san, as if she'd just now thought of it.

"… Hello, Shimako-san. Why don't you ask something that important directly?"

It was dead winter, but Tsutako-san still had a sweat drop.

"Indeed. But, it wasn't that I couldn't ask, but rather that I forgot to ask. But I understand, I'll try to remember asking the next time I see her."

Smiling like an angel, Shimako-san went to her seat and took out note-taking equipment from her bag. The water vapor on the glass windows reflected the sunlight and illuminated Shimako-san.

Shimako-san looked so white that it wouldn't have been a surprise if angelic wings sprouted behind her. Not so much the color of her skin, but her existence, as a whole. If Yumi could see people's auras, Shimako-san would no doubt be white. As expected of the white rose family.

When Yumi pointed that out, Tsutako-san snickered.

"Then Yumi-san is always blushing, so you're part of the crimson rose family."

One zabuton[1] for Tsutako-san!

The pitiful part was that Yumi couldn't make a retort.

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