Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume5 Chapter3 3

Outsider. Part 3.

The newspaper club announced the Valentine's Day event through a small leaflet.

The "Lillian Kawaraban" was normally a weekly newspaper, so they printed a smaller version as an extra issue, or a supplemental issue, depending on how you look at it, and distributed it every day.

They titled it the "Lillian Kawaraban petite-sized Valentine's project countdown special." Even the broadcasting DJ might twist their tongue on that one. After all, that title alone took up most of the small issue, but it did grab peoples' attention, so it was hard to criticize it.

As a daily paper, it gradually let the students know about the Valentine's project that the newspaper club had brought forth to the Yamayurikai. No one knew what was going on at first, but the slow, daily leaking of bits and pieces of news captivated the curiosity of the girls. Especially the second issue, where the involvement of the boutons was printed, that definitely was big. After all, it hadn't been long since the student council election, so the popularity of the future Roses was still peaking.

"And so like, all the students think the sisters of the boutons must know something, so they've been cornering me all day."

Yumi shrugged her shoulders as she finishing cleaning duty and was shutting the windows to the music room.

"So, Yumi-san, you do know something?"

Shizuka-sama slowly lifted her hand from the piano cover and turned to Yumi. Her neat, short hair settled down in an outline for her face.

"I wish."

Yumi emphatically shook her head. The scraggly hair she'd tied in two sliced through the air.

In regard to the project, all she knew was that it was a game to find the treasures the boutons were going to hide. And since she hadn't been participating in meetings, she didn't even know if the decision had made as to whether that treasure was going to be a card, chocolate, nor whether the extra prize had been decided upon to be the date. Since the treasure hunt was announced to the school, the sisters of the boutons basically only knew as much as the other students.

"And how is Shimako-san?"

"Well, at the very least, they seem to realize asking the person herself would be out of bounds, so our classmates are restraining themselves. Plus, Shimako-san has that aura around her, so that helps her, too."

Holding the cleaning diary to her chest, Yumi sighed. The classmates that had been cleaning the music room with her had already returned to the classroom, and so for the short time until the chorus club members arrived, the music room was left to the two of them.

Yumi had gotten here late, so she penalized herself by appointing herself in charge of the diary.

"That's true, she's not really the type to get bothered by people. But, I'm a bit envious."

"Right?"

"Of Yumi-san."

"What?"

Don't worry about it, Shizuka-sama said, and she didn't speak any further on that subject.

"Then, Yumi-san, are you still being hounded by your classmates?"

"Thankfully not, Yoshino-san and I went to the newspaper club captain about it, and she printed the day that the sisters were participating as regular students, and so we weren't told anything. That settled things."

"Ahh, that's good, then."

Shizuka-sama was about to study overseas, so maybe she just wasn't interested to begin with, because she was acting rather indifferent to the Valentine's Day project. Of course, if this involved fighting for Rosa Gigantea's chocolate, things might be very different.

"Nowadays we're bothered more by 'where do you think they would hide it?' sort of questions. I mean, I'm the one wanting to ask that!"

It's a big school, and she'd never done a treasure hunt before, so she had no idea where good hiding places are. Plus, the boutons were smart, so they wouldn't choose someplace easy."

"Good question… I think I'd start by thinking where I'd hide it if I were them."

"If I were them."

Yumi'd never thought about where she would hide things. So she started off by imagining where the person in front of her might hide things.

"Shizuka-sama might hide something in the grand piano, for instance?"

She asked, patting the piano lightly.

"Wouldn't that be too easy? Plus, if someone were to play it that day, they'd notice it right away."

"Hmm."

So somewhere anyone would think of would be out. Hiding treasure is difficult.

"But, piano aside, the music room is a nice starting point. Either here… or the library."

"Library?"

"I wouldn't be bothered by who finds the treasure, but if possible, I'd prefer it to be found by someone who can at least understand a bit of how I think, you know?"

Shizuka-sama was a librarian.

"That's true."

She thought as she nodded. Where would Sachiko-sama hide it? What kind of person did she want it to be found by?

If she could find Sachiko-sama's treasure first, it would solidify Yumi's understanding of Sachiko-sama as her little sister. And that might entice Sachiko-sama to accept her chocolate. And Sachiko-sama accepting her even just a bit more would be the ultimate present for her.

"By the way, Yumi-san, are you giving Sachiko-san chocolate?" "Eh?"

The conversation skipped such a great distance that Yumi emitted something of a squeal, in surprise. Although in retrospect it made sense, because the treasure hunt takes place on Valentine's Day, which is when you give chocolate.

"My, was it a secret? Should I not have asked?"

"No, that's not it."

She intended to make chocolate, but she didn't know if she could present it- wow, it could turn out to be a long story.

Actually, she'd already picked out what chocolate she'd make. She thought like 40 percent of the joy of making something was the act of planning it out. And then another 40 percent would be the anticipation of it coming out the way you imagine it. And the remaining 20 percent, well that was just a mish-mash of shopping for ingredients and actually making it. Well, she hadn't really gone into the "making" phase of things yet, but she could imagine it. At least… at least with imagining, the chocolate would always come out perfectly, and you could re-do it as many times as you want.

"How about Shizuka-sama?"

Right after she asked, Yumi thought, "oh, shoot," but Shizuka-sama didn't seem at all bothered, and giggled.

"Yumi-san, you just tried to be sympathetic, didn't you? Stop it, you don't have to."

"… I'm sorry."

"I look up to Rosa Gigantea a great deal, but it's not like an unrequited love or anything. I just didn't get to become her sister, then suffered a crushing defeat at the election, and on top of it all, I'm about to head to Italy in a bit."

But doesn't that all add up to a harsh experience? Is what Yumi thought, but for Shizuka-sama, it might be that all of that overwhelmed any grief she might feel from her broken heart.

"So, I'm giving her chocolate. Of course."

"What!?"

"Rosa Gigantea asked me, 'I don't think Shimako will give me some, so can you give me some?' Of course, I was never going to defer to Shimako-san to begin with."

(… Shizuka-sama.)

Was a different type of person, but she seemed to be as tough as Yoshino-san. In a way, they both used difficult circumstances as a springboard for greatness. And so they both were rather powerful.

"When did you two become so close-"

"Rosa Gigantea and I? It's normal, just like you and I, Yumi-san."

"Even so."

Does Rosa Gigantea even have time to be worrying over chocolate like that? She showed up so rarely Yumi didn't even know if she was coming to school.

"Rosa Gigantea is kind, so she always accepts everyone's chocolate. So in that sense, it's actually quite pleasant to give her chocolate."

"Ah."

Yumi didn't know if "kind" would be the word to describe Rosa Gigantea here. Because, you know, it's her.

"Oh, but I'm not saying Sachiko-san is unkind, just so you know."

"Sachiko-sama?"

A name she couldn't just let slip without noticing. Plus, it came with the adjective "unkind." Well, it was actually "not unkind," but that wasn't the point.

"What about Sachiko-sama? If she's been mentioned in contrast to Rosa Gigantea, does that mean she does indeed reject chocolate?"

"What? Yumi-san, isn't that why you're in distress?"

"Yes… but still."

But Shizuka-sama seemed to be speaking like an eye witness, so Yumi thought it'd be normal to ask. Especially because she'd never mentioned to Shizuka-sama that she was agonizing over Sachiko-sama's apparent dislike of chocolate. And she hadn't been asking around to the point where it'd become a rumor.

"Because I'm of the same year as Sachiko-san. Why would it be odd that I know what happened last year?"

"Ah."

"I mean, she's beautiful, and has quite the presence. She was just a first-year, but she was receiving chocolate from first-years and upperclassmen."

"First-years?"

"Middle school is strict about this, so even during Valentine's Day it wasn't permissible to bring in chocolate, right? That might be why that happened."

The moment they became high school students, the rules were loosened, in order to "emphasize the students' autonomy." Well, that's why everyone patiently waited during compulsory education, because that loosening of rules awaited in the future. But anyways, "enjoying Valentine's Day" jumped near the top of everyone's list of how to enjoy high school life. And for students who otherwise had no real plans for giving and receiving chocolate, presenting it to a student they admired was the next alternative. And that's why the Yamayurikai staff tended to be swamped with chocolate.

"And basically, Sachiko-san became exasperated by the mountain of chocolate being offered to her, and began turning everyone away."

"Eek…" "But that's one type of kindness."

"How is turning everyone away kindness?"

Yumi earnestly asked, but Shizuka-sama simply smiled.

"You'll know soon enough."

She was side-stepped again. –Was she being teased?

The chorus club members finally began appearing, so Yumi bid her farewell and left the music room.

"Yumi-san."

Shizuka-sama hurried to the door and stopped Yumi.

"You know, you only experience it three times. Enjoy Valentine's Day, including the days leading up to it, to the fullest. All of your worrying and perplexing will simply pave the way to a better future, both next year and the year after."

"Shizuka-sama…"

"I was just an observer last year. So I'll definitely make it memorable, before I go to Italy. Yumi-san, you should-"

Yumi couldn't make out the end, but she could guess what Shizuka-sama wanted to say.

She only had a little over a year left with Sachiko-sama. If that would be the case, she should make the most of it. Laugh without restraint and worry with all seriousness, so that she wouldn't regret it later. That's probably what Shizuka-sama wanted to say.

"I will."

Yumi energetically responded, bowed her head again, and began walking to the staff room.

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