Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume5 Chapter1 1

Research. Part 1.

"Valentine's Day?"

Yoshino-san repeated after a blink.

"Aww, it's that season already?"

Yumi had brought up the topic as they walked through the hallway toward the Rose Mansion after school.

Because, she thought, now that the student council elections were over, it was time to turn her attention to Valentine's Day.

"Already? The department stores and supermarkets start fighting over Valentine's Day about a month before the day."

"Right, right. … Less than three weeks."

Yoshino-san, wearing gloves, bent her fingers and groaned. It was unusual, because Yoshino-san was always at least a step ahead of Yumi, so the fact that she'd forgotten about Valentine's Day… after all, she talks about "first-strike victory" being her motto, so she was the type who'd already have thought things out by now.

"I guess people are built to not think about things they don't like."

"What?"

Yumi asked.

She'd been placing her hands over her ears to warm them, after using the disposable hand warmers in her pockets, so she didn't hear it very well.

"Just as I said. Valentine's Day bums me out."

"Why? You don't give Rei-sama chocolate?"

"Of course I do. Every year. … Which means I have to give her chocolate this year, too."

Yoshino-san seemed extremely depressed. Heavyhearted, and her legs must have become heavy, too, because she stopped dead in her tracks.

They'd just popped out into the courtyard. The Lillian Girls' Academy student council staff headquarters, the Rose Mansion, stood in their sights.

"Well, it's not like you must, but it'd be odd if an annual thing were to stop this year of all years, right?"

"Right, because she'd be stunned if I didn't give her a Valentine's gift after the 'Yellow Rose Revolution.' Considering Rei-chan's personality, anyway."

"You don't want to give her chocolate, Yoshino-san?"

As they spoke, they arrived at the Rose Mansion, but she gave no signs of wanting to enter yet, so they leaned against the door and continued their conversation. Yumi was actually really cold, but she brought the topic up herself, and it'd be horrible if Rei-sama were to hear them, so she endured it. Rei-sama would become depressed by the smallest things if Yoshino-san was involved.

"It's not that I don't want to give her something."

But in Yoshino-san's case, it was what she would give that was the problem.

"Because it's Rei-chan, you know? Can you imagine the pressure I feel? What am I supposed to do, in exchange for the chocolate cake that grows every year?"

"Eh, what? Rei-sama gives you a present, too?"

"Yes."

Apparently they exchanged chocolate pastry every year. And then they'd exchange candy and cookie on White Day the next month.

"Chocolate cake that grows every year…"

For a moment, Yumi felt envious, but then when she imagined being on the receiving end, she realized how much pressure that would be.

Yoshino-san's onee-sama, Hasekura Rei-sama, was the type of person with very-short hair waving around a shinai, so she might seem one way, but in truth she was a girl that absolutely loved baking snacks, so she was almost like a professional when it came to cookies and cake.

"It was alright so far, I mean, I used to have a sickly body, right? I don't think she expected much, at all, so it was okay that I'd give her store-bought chocolate-"

But that wouldn't work anymore.

And on top of that, Yoshino-san had the added burden of having broken up earlier, and then reconciling. So it wouldn't look proper unless she opened the new chapter in their relationship with a flourish. Thus, Yoshino-san was feeling pressure from all sorts of angles. Maybe that's why her subconscious had deliberately sealed away any thoughts about Valentine's Day.

Of course, Rei-sama would probably be happy with any chocolate Yoshino-san would give her. So "not tolerating store-bought chocolate" was more Yoshino-san's own will. And she was just cornering herself like that.

(…)

But Yoshino-san knew that. That's why Yumi didn't say anything. Even if they both thought it was sad, everyone has things they seriously ponder and worry about.

"I wonder why we're stuck giving chocolate."

White breath poured out of Yoshino-san's mouth.

"I don't think that's the case? You could give something else. Like, something handmade."

"Handmade?"

A twitch. Yoshino-san's eyebrows furrowed.

"Ah…!"

Yumi thought, "Shoot!" the moment she said it, but it was too late. She'd wanted to lend her friend a hand, but instead she dunked her in a bog herself.

"Hand-knit sweaters? Or mufflers?"

Yoshino-san looked dejected as she spoke.

"… Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"No, it's not Yumi-san's fault."

The gloves that were warming Yoshino-san's hands were handmade by Rei-sama. Not just her gloves, but the lap blanket she used during class, her winter zabuton covers, they were all handmade by Rei-sama.

When it came to Rei-sama, she wasn't just about baking, her knitting was also very professional. So when faced with someone like that, just what kind of handmade thing could you give? Gosh, with different onee-sama, you end up with vastly different worries, Yumi thought.

"Sorry I'm not any help."

Lowering her shoulders, Yoshino-san reached for the doorknob.

"What?"

"This Valentine's Day. Yumi-san, you're giving Sachiko-sama chocolate, aren't you? And you wanted advice."

"Wow! You see through everything."

There's detective Yoshino for you. But when she praised her, she was given a bitter smile.

"Yumi-san's just too easy to guess."

She mumbled, exasperated. Rosa Gigantea always teases her about it, but what she thinks is actually always revealed in her face.

When they opened the door, her skin felt slightly warmer, and they could faintly hear the friendly chatter from upstairs.

"Ah."

They both heard their onee-sama's voices among the chatter, and with glittering eyes rushed to the stairs, vying to be first. Their cuffs of their skirts tossed so that if their onee-sama were to have seen them, they would have been scolded, "How naughty!"

Yumi's heart beat quickly at the thought of Valentine's Day.

Excitement and fascination mixed and made her feel restless.

And that happened around the end of January.

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