Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume5 Chapter2 3

A gift from a rare visitor. Part 3.

"We shall go through the details of your project again."

After waiting for Minako-sama to be seated, Sachiko-sama took a copy of the project scheme that Minako-sama had left the day before in her hand and spoke. She'd apparently decided that it would be a farce to explain why they'd suddenly changed their minds. Obviously Minako-sama knew exactly why, and she, too, didn't seem bothered by the lack of explanation. After all, for the newspaper club captain, the important thing was simply that the boutons were willing to help.

As Yumi and Yoshino-san began pouring tea for everyone gathered, the project meeting went forward.

"In terms of the Valentine's card format, I'd like to hear your opinions. Color, size, any opinions are welcome. However, they will basically be traded in for dating tickets, so the newspaper club would like to reserve a bit of space. On the back, out of sight, is what I'm thinking."

"If the cards are the tickets, they would have to be collected, is that alright?"

Rei-sama asked, as she mindlessly folded the corner of her project plan.

"Oh, good point, how careless of me. It's a precious hand-written card, so how about we think about making something else to be a dating ticket?"

Minako-sama scribbled on her own planning sheet. The cooperating party was the boutons, so the Roses and the sisters of the boutons kept quiet. They kept quiet, but they still paid careful intention. The former out of amusement, the latter out of jealousy.

"Um, are we picking the hiding locations?"

Shimako-san was the one who asked.

"Of course. After all, the fun for the participants is wondering where the boutons would hide them, right? If a third-party were to spontaneously hide them, it wouldn't be as fun. Of course, the newspaper club would need to be notified of the locations beforehand, but otherwise, you may hide it wherever you please."

The prior notification would be so that it wouldn't be hidden out-of-bounds or in a place too easy, because then it wouldn't be much of a game, Minako-sama explained.

Well of course. If it were hidden in the drawer of the principal's desk, only the principal would be able to find it. Of course, it'd probably be impossible to hide it there, anyways.

"I think we should keep things within the confines of the high school facilities and part of the courtyard. We're planning to publish a special edition of the 'Lillian Kawaraban' on Valentine's Day explaining the rules, along with a map of the campus listing where you can and can't go. We can't really be bothering the teachers and the non-participating student body, after all."

"Staff room, reception office, principal's office, guidance office… Well, there're plenty of places we shouldn't intrude on. So we'd have an upper limit of where students can frequent on a daily basis."

"Courtyard, hallways, library… what about classrooms and club rooms?"

"Classrooms and club rooms are out of the question, I think, because people who usually reside in them would have an advantage, and personal belongings are stored there, too. It would also intrude upon students who don't wish to take part."

"Right. How about the athletics related buildings?"

"Well we exclude the buildings that are used for club activities on that day, to begin with. I suppose we can ask for teacher permission with the buildings that aren't being used, and mark them down as 'fair game' on a case by case basis?"

"The locker rooms are out, but the gymnasium bathrooms and the basement passages are in. The gymnasium storehouses that are usually locked are also out of the question."

They'd reluctantly agreed to the plan, but the boutons participated with utmost seriousness in the discussions anyways. Since they were going to participate, they wouldn't stand for halfway measures, they seemed to be saying.

"May I?"

Rosa Chinensis raised her hand, speaking for the first time.

"Yes?"

"How about here?"

"Here?"

Here, would be the table Rosa Chinensis was pointing to. –No.

"Here… onee-sama, do you mean the Rose Mansion?"

Sachiko-sama quietly asked.

"Yes. If possible, I'd like the Rose Mansion to be part of the treasure hunt, too."

"I don't mind, but why?"

"I have just one regret before I graduate."

"And this is it?"

"Yes. The Rose Mansion."

According to Rosa Chinensis, they'd been able to do almost everything they'd wanted to do in their three years of high school life, except for this one thing: opening the Rose Mansion to the student populace.

So that the Rose Mansion wasn't just a meeting ground for one group of students, so that any student could stop by at any time to raise concerns. The Rose Mansion was the student council room, after all, so what could they do to make it a more relaxed, approachable place? -That's what they'd been pondering for so long.

But the Roses were deified more and more as the years went by, and along with the fact that the Rose Mansion was like a separate entity from the school facilities, it'd gradually actually become even more difficult for the students to approach it. And it was too difficult to remove years and years of branding in one generation, so here they were, on the eve of their graduation, without much progress.

"So, just once, before I graduate, I'd like to see the Rose Mansion filled with students. So, I truthfully don't mind how you erect the Yamayurikai in your generation. But I'd like to request this one thing, as a parting gift. Because this is my dream."

Students who'd stepped in once would find it less difficult to step in a second time. Rosa Chinensis must have envisioned that, too.

"Understood."

Minako-sama nodded.

"If that's the case, I'll gladly add it to the list of treasure hunt locations. Truth be told I was hoping to use the Rose Mansion as a headquarters-"

"Headquarter?"

"For the newspaper club and the boutons."

If a student finds a card, there needed to be a place where they could go and report their finding. And the boutons, well if the boutons were found wandering about the facility during the treasure hunt, it would simply spread confusion, so there needed to be a place for them to stay, too.

"You can use it as a headquarters, too."

Rosa Foetida pointed out, stifling a yawn.

"The boutons and the newspaper club won't be too busy once the treasure hunt starts, right? Then, pour yourselves some tea during the event and watch the proceedings. Tea is readily available for self-service for students, too. You can even go ahead and mingle with the students, too?"

"If that many people gathered, it would be hysteria…"

"That's fine. That's Rosa Chinensis' ideal, anyways, isn't it?"

From the way Rosa Foetida sounded, it was clear she was going to come to school on the fourteenth of February no matter what. If something sounded amusing, as long as her body was able, she was absolutely not going to miss out.

"By the way, may I make a request, too?"

Rosa Gigantea stretched out as she spoke.

"This event, can we just say the Yamayurikai boutons are participating in the project?"

"Huh?"

"So, once this is settled, we'll leave the room. Yumi-chan and Yoshino-chan, too." "Ehh!?"

"What do you mean ehh, what's the point in outsiders participating?"

"If the overseer goes away, can you imagine what this could turn into?"

"Yoshino-chan, do you not trust your onee-sama, at all?"

"---" "Pity, I thought it'd be better for Yoshino-chan, too. Oh well, go ahead and get abused like a participant. Minako-san, do you get what I mean?"

"Completely."

With Minako-san's response, the Roses stood up. They giggled. What was so fun?

"Yumi-chan, how about you?"

"What?"

"Would you like to bet on a one-in-a-hundred chance to win a date with Sachiko?" Well, of course-.

"I do!"

Answered Yoshino-san. And as she answered, she leapt out of her chair and dashed to the Roses. Woah, hey, what happened? Rosa Gigantea said "Sachiko," not "Rei."

"Yumi-san, you should come to this side, too."

Yoshino-san, whose mind clearly worked faster than Yumi, had a body that traveled at lightning speed, too.

"… What do you mean?"

"Outsiders can participate in the game, too. Isn't that right, Rosa Gigantea?"

"Yup, right, captain?"

"Yes."

The verbal game of hot-potatoes finally landed at Minako-sama.

"If the sisters of the boutons are also participating, it becomes even more attractive, so I welcome it with open arms. The newspaper club should be sufficient staffing. As long as the boutons are willing?"

"I don't mind." Shimako-san said.

"If that's what it takes to settle Yoshino down."

Rei-sama simply seemed to want Yoshino-san's mood to brighten. A displeased Yoshino-san was an absolute terror, after all. Even the sturdy Rei-sama wouldn't be able to withstand a flurry of "objection!" until the end of Valentine's Day.

As for Sachiko-sama.

"Even though this is where sisters are most needed."

She muttered, but she didn't really have much of a reason to oppose it, so she consented. If she was going to consent anyways, she didn't need to complain. But, you know, Sachiko-sama hates losing, and she's a contrarian, so…

"Then it's decided."

So the meeting ended. The "outsiders" didn't even need to wait outside, because it was already dark, so the students were forced to go home, anyways.

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