Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume5 Chapter5 7

St. Valentine's prank. Part 7.

Not that it was surprising, but…

Some students stayed in the courtyard after receiving their chocolate because they wanted to know where Sachiko-sama had hidden her card.

Roughly ten people. Some of them had chased Yumi around. Fans of Sachiko-sama, stubborn, disliking defeat, well, et cetera.

Even though Minako-sama told them three times the result would be published in the "Lillian Kawaraban," they stood firm, and so there they were.

"I guess even with the people involved, there aren't more than twenty… it's doable."

Minako-sama mumbled to herself, and then turned to the ten.

"Fine. We shall head out to retrieve Rosa Chinensis en bouton's card now. However on the condition that everyone becomes a witness to the location of the card. Understood?"

Of course, they nodded. "Becomes" and "witness" were mesmerizing words, even to Yumi.

In retrospect, everyone might have fallen into Minako-sama's trap. After all, if only those involved retrieved the card, people might wonder if it was actually hidden in the first place. So the third-party witness was desirable.

Minako-sama may have actually wanted everyone. But that'd be too many people, and it'd make travel difficult. So she whittled the number down to Sachiko-sama's fans. She announced the answer would be published in the "Lillian Kawaraban," so everyone who gave up more easily would simply go home.

"Yumi-san, you'll come as well, won't you?"

Invited, Yumi happily answered, "Yes," and joined the crowd of remaining students. The other boutons and sisters didn't. They were probably only interested enough that they'd be satisfied reading the answer later. If the roles were switched around, Yumi felt she'd make the same decision.

"Well, let's go then."

None of them were holding any flags or banners, but it was almost like a tour group. Minako-sama was enthusiastically rounding everyone up. And Sachiko-sama was behind her. Yumi opted to give way to others, staying near the back.

Where did Sachiko-sama hide it?

Yumi excitedly pondered as she walked.

"Sachiko-sama, when did you hide it?"

One of the first-years in front asked Sachiko-sama. Yumi listened carefully, not willing to miss the answer.

"Early this morning. If I went during the break periods, someone might see me."

Sachiko-sama had apparently come earlier than normal to hide her card. Of course, she'd already told the newspaper club where she'd be hiding it.

"But I'm a bit stunned no one found my card."

She began asking her fans where they looked. As they answered, they rounded the corner to the back of the school grounds.

(Huh…?)

Something was wrong. Because this was the way Yumi had walked back to the courtyard. And the half-abandoned greenhouse was in front.

The excitement turned into her heart pounding. They were just walking slowly, but her heart raced.

(That can't be. … But… what?)

That, that! She felt like someone excitedly pointing toward something. And amidst her impatience, they arrived at the greenhouse.

"I hid it here."

Sachiko-sama turned around and announced.

"The greenhouse…!"

Half of the students in front of Yumi opened the maps. They probably were wondering if the greenhouse was listed. But it was, neatly in the corner, even if it wasn't especially noticeable. It was well within the boundary line.

"Shall we go in?"

Sachiko-sama held the door open and waited for everyone to enter. She was probably going to direct everyone after everyone was in.

"Um… onee-sama."

And Yumi, being last, hesitantly raised her voice as she passed by.

"What's wrong? You look ill."

Other people might have just assumed Yumi was sick.

"I-I came here. Today. But I couldn't find it…" "Where did you look?" "In the soil by the Rosa Chinensis."

And this time Sachiko-sama's complexion changed.

"What-"

Sachiko-sama grabbed Yumi's wrist and dashed past Minako-sama and the fans, bringing Yumi to where the Rosa Chinensis was planted. Everyone looked on in surprise.

"You looked here?"

"Y-yes."

The place Yumi had dug through had the tell-tale sign of blackened, lightly-packed soil.

"What happened?"

Minako-sama caught up, and Sachiko-sama whispered to her what'd transpired.

"Yumi-san, really?"

But Yumi didn't hear what was said, so she couldn't really answer that.

Did you really dig through here? And Yumi nodded.

"But there was nothing here."

"That can't be right, because I hid it here."

Sachiko-sama was about to shriek in hysteria.

"Yumi, did you not dig deep enough?"

"I dug about this deep, but it wasn't there."

Yumi showed "this deep" by spreading her hands out about twenty centimeters.

"You probably just missed."

Clank.

"If I did miss it, I think onee-sama is also at fault for digging it so deep."

"What are you saying? Hiding is for the purpose of being found. I'm not foolish enough to hide it that deeply. I only went this far."

And this time Sachiko-sama showed with her hands about half of Yumi's distance.

"Then, how come I couldn't find a card that shallow?"

At some point, Yumi'd also become defensive. Because she was being honest, but Sachiko-sama didn't believe her.

And then someone poked her in the back and she snapped out of her mood.

"May I request you leave the sister spat for later?"

Minako-sama forced a smile. Sachiko-sama's fans were staring at the two of them with their mouths agape. Well, they did start shouting at each other without any prior warning, so that wasn't too surprising. Plus, they were on hand to see Sachiko-sama's "other side," and Yumi herself was quite stunned when she experienced it the first time.

"Why don't we just dig, then we can be sure."

Minako-sama made a splendid suggestion. Sachiko-sama and Yumi were both so angry at each other they'd forgotten that obvious thing.

Yumi took the shovel she'd just used and handed it to Minako-sama. To ensure fairness, the third party was to dig.

"Dig… here?"

"What? Really?"

When Minako-sama began scooping, the students began murmuring.

"I thought I heard digging, did she actually put her card underground?" Sachiko-sama's fans finally began understanding what was happening.

"But, why there? … Oh!"

The girl with thick eyebrows lightly shouted. People with good intuition are everywhere.

"Is this tree Rosa Chinensis-"

"Yes."

When Sachiko-sama smiled like a flower, Minako-sama said, "Found it."

Yumi and Sachiko-sama, and the people around Sachiko-sama, leaned over to look.

"- But…"

Yumi was the one who mumbled.

She couldn't believe it. A vinyl bag was visible alongside the shovel. And the red card was visible through the clear bag.

"But, it was definitely-"

She knew she just sounded like a sore loser, but she couldn't stop herself.

She couldn't accept that her own memory wasn't correct.

"Pity, Yumi-san."

Minako-sama's eyes were filled with sympathy. Ugh. That was worse, she'd have preferred to be laughed at than be looked at like that.

"I'm not lying. There was another person with me, actually." "Another person?"

"I think she's a first-year, she was a bit short, had her hair tied in two like me, and she had some scattered hair over her cheeks… she was with me."

"That's a bit lacking…"

The students not in Yumi's class also pondered. She should have asked for her name, but it was too late now.

"Was there really someone with you?" "Yumi-san, were you dreaming?"

Now she was becoming insecure. Who was she? Was she real?

But her hand remembered. The cold soil. That wasn't a dream nor an image.

"Really. Believe me."

She was on the verge of shouting, like a pouting child, when a hand was placed over her shoulder from behind.

"I believe you."

She slowly turned around. Not that she needed to. Because she knew the feel of that hand and the voice of that person.

"Onee-sama…"

"Because you're being that persistent. It must have truly not been there earlier."

And along with her kind expression, Sachiko-sama nodded. Yumi lost any will to argue further.

She only wanted one person to believe her. So as long as Sachiko-sama believed her, nothing else mattered.

"Kya!"

Suddenly a flash illuminated the darkening greenhouse.

"Sorry. It looks like I surprised everyone."

Tsutako-sama was standing among the crowd – when did she come in?

"But it was a great scene."

And then with an, "Excuse me please," she stepped forward, shooed Minako-sama away, and walked to the hole.

"I'll be taking photographic evidence."

Snap snap, she was taking pictures from different angles. And then, satisfied, she turned around and took pictures of the audience. Minako-sama was hoping there would be some good pictures for the newspaper, so she let the photography ace do as she pleased.

"Hmm?"

Tsutako-san was about to walk away when she froze, then pondered.

"Yumi-san, can I borrow your student notebook?"

"What?" "Come come, quickly, I need two."

Tsutako-san took her own and Yumi's and walked back to the hole.

"What're you doing?"

This time Minako-sama piped in.

"The student notebook is about ten centimeters on its long end. So when I'm taking photos of small things, I put my notebook next to it for comparison."

Like what professionals often do with cigarette boxes.

"Anyways, my point was the depth of the hole."

Tsutako-san put her notebook on the bottom of the hole. Her notebook was far from reaching the top.

"And one more."

This time, she put Yumi's notebook on top of hers. A bit of Yumi's notebook poked out.

"Seventeen centimeters, maybe eighteen. This refutes Sachiko-sama. And I assume you won't change your statement."

"I will not. Because I don't recall digging that deeply."

Sachiko-sama smiled. Ah, rather than stubbornly refute it, she smiled.

"Then what's going on?"

The card Sachiko-sama buried. When Yumi dug through, it wasn't there. And when it re-appeared, it was much deeper than where Sachiko-sama had buried it.

Like the card had moved around to prevent itself from being found. A mysterious happening.

"Who knows?"

Sachiko-sama laughed.

"Saint Valentine's prank-"

Sachiko-sama raised the vinyl bag out of the ground and handed it to Minako-sama.

"Rather than trying to find the truth, shall we just leave it at that?"

Everyone became silent at those words, like God had just come down from the skies.

That was best.

Yumi thought. Because today was the lovely Valentine's Day.

There shouldn't be anything wrong with a miracle happening.

When she glanced outside, thinking it was becoming cold, she noticed white fluff was falling from the heavens.

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