Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume15 Chapter2 2

Everything Prepared? Part 2

She went to check on the first-year camellia class as soon as she arrived at school, but Kanako-chan was nowhere to be seen.

"Her bag's here, so it looks like she's at school today."

Noriko-chan said, surveying the inside of the classroom.

"Her uniform's neatly folded, so she's changed into her PE clothes … she might be practicing the relay somewhere."

"… Morning practice?"

It looked like she was putting a lot of effort into this. Yumi thought she might be able to find out the details of her punishment before the athletics festival started, but it looked like that wouldn't be possible.

"I could tell Kanako-san to go to your classroom when she returns. Or if there's a message you'd like me to deliver – "

"Ah, no, it's okay. It's nothing urgent, and when the athletics festival starts I'll probably be able to meet up with her out on the oval."

Yumi waved her hands as she refused the offer, and stepped back. She wasn't flustered, but if she kept talking to Noriko-chan then she might accidentally let something slip, so instead she said, "See you," and turned to leave.

"Ah, Yumi-sama?"

Noriko-chan said mysteriously, but she didn't follow after her. Instead, it was someone else that came flying out of the classroom.

"Yumi-sama."

Her arm was grabbed at the same moment that her name was called, so Yumi looked back over her shoulder. What she saw was a young lady standing there, already changed into her PE uniform.

"… Touko-chan?"

Touko-chan was looking at Yumi with an exceptionally serious expression as she said, "We need to talk."

"Have you made some sort of promise to Hosokawa Kanako?"

Touko-chan said, after they'd relocated to the empty emergency staircase.

"Noriko-chan explained it to our class as just a rivalry with the green team, but … "

After pausing for a little while, she continued.

"But I think there's more to it than that."

Yumi could hear the sounds of some class counting out, "One, two, three, four," as they hurriedly prepared something in the courtyard. She placed both hands on the railing and leaned out. From here, she could see the Rose Mansion.

"That sort of thing wouldn't be enough to motivate her."

Touko-chan continued, after waiting for, "Five, six, seven, eight."

"And it seems unlikely that you would have called her out just to say, "Let's both do our best.""

"… You've given this a lot of thought."

It was at that point that Yumi finally opened her mouth. It looked like the topic of Touko-chan's talk was, as suspected, Kanako-chan.

"What are you plotting here, Yumi-sama?"

"Plotting?"

Yumi questioned this, but the word felt so incredibly appropriate that the corners of her mouth turned up a little.

"I don't know what you're plotting, but that girl has been very lively and happy recently."

In contrast, Touko-chan did not seem very happy as she said this. Her nostrils were flaring.

"But that's good, isn't it?"

Yumi said.

"G-good!?"

Touko-chan's trademark ringlets jolted abruptly, at the same time her eyebrows raised like a seagull spreading its wings.

"Huh, an I wrong? It's led to an atmosphere of everyone working together in your class, right? That's of benefit to you, isn't it, Touko-chan?"

Kanako-chan's refusal to co-operate had unmistakably angered Touko-chan.

"Well, I don't know about that. Something that seems beneficial at first glance may turn out to be detrimental in the long run. Got that, Yumi-sama? I wouldn't be complaining if this feeling was something that spontaneously arose within Hosokawa Kanako. But, if this is her side of some sort of bargain with you, Yumi-sama, then – "

Then you'd complain, right Touko-chan? At the very least, it was wonderful deductive work.

"This is no laughing matter."

"Ah, sorry."

For Yumi, the way this young girl in front of her was protesting so earnestly was kind of sweet and innocent, that she accidentally let slip something that she hadn't even confided in her onee-sama.

"Kanako-chan and I have made a deal that the loser of the team battle will do one thing the other asks."

"Huh!?"

"So I think that's got her all fired up."

"–"

Hit by this surprise attack, Touko-chan was lost for words. Since she'd already said this much, Yumi decided to reveal all the details.

"If Kanako-chan loses, she's going to help out with the Yamayurikai play."

"And … if you lose?"

"She hasn't told me yet."

"Are you stupid?"

Even to a senior, her words were as sharp as ever.

"What are you going to do if she asks to be soeurs?"

"I don't think she will."

The newspaper club had previously asked Kanako-chan what she'd do if Yumi asked to be her soeur, and she'd said she would decline. And that had even been before their fight. With their relationship now strained, it seemed obvious that ship had sailed.

"But you have no guarantee of that."

"Well, that's true."

"People's feelings change, you know."

"That's for sure."

But even so, Yumi thought it was completely impossible that Kanako-chan would make that sort of demand of her.

But what if she did ask, "Make me your soeur" –

At that time, she'd think about it after she'd been asked. Until she was asked, worrying about each and every possibility would be a waste of time. If she had that sort of free time, she would be better off using it to stretch her legs so she didn't disgrace herself during the scavenger hunt race.

"Why are you so tolerant of Hosokawa Kanako, Yumi-sama?"

Touko-chan said with a sigh.

"Tolerant?"

"Well, Hosokawa Kanako did something horrible to you, didn't she?"

"How did you … "

The only people that had been there were Yumi and Kanako-chan, and then Sachiko-sama. It seemed unlikely that either of those two would have leaked anything.

"That isn't something I've heard from anyone. It's just a feeling I have."

"Is that so?"

By watching very carefully, she may have intuitively picked up on it. Especially since Touko-chan regarded Kanako-chan as a natural enemy, she was probably always conscious of what Kanako-chan was doing.

If this were a test, it wasn't like math, or physics, or chemistry, where anyone could derive the answer given the variables and the equation, it was like a language test where the answer sheet could be filled with answers that felt vaguely correct.

"She's just a spoiled brat. She pities herself, blaming the circumstances around her. Even though there's a lot of people in this world in a similar situation, and many more that are truly worse off than her. I get so annoyed watching her sulk about being the only one ever to experience hardship."

Touko-chan said, like she was spitting it out. As though she were the spokesperson for the "people in this world in a similar situation," and the "many more that are truly worse off."

"Everyone experiences things their own way. Even if they suffer the same injury, the damage they take will be different."

"But there are objective distinctions. A scratch, or a bone fracture. Of the two, which one hurts less?"

Well, in general it would be the scratch. But whether Kanako-chan's injury was a scratch or not wasn't something that could be decided by anyone but her.

"I see. So then you must know Kanako-chan's circumstances."

"Yes. This is just something I've heard though. Should I give you a general run-down? Her father – "

"Enough, Touko-chan."

Yumi stopped her.

"I don't want to hear."

"… Yumi-sama."

Touko-chan looked into Yumi's face as though she was a bit surprised. It looked like this was something that she thought Yumi would want to hear unconditionally.

"If Kanako-chan were to tell me directly, I'd listen. But it isn't something that I need to hear from you right now."

As she spoke to Touko-chan, Yumi felt her thoughts gradually settle.

"Whatever may have happened to Kanako-chan has no bearing on our bet. You may be worried about what damage I'll receive if I lose, but to me, what matters isn't who wins or loses today."

"What ever are you talking about?"

Touko-chan furrowed her brows. It was almost as though this was her first time hearing those words spoken.

"It's that I'm able to have a competition with Kanako-chan. I think there's value in that, in and of itself."

"I don't really follow what you're saying."

Touko-chan seemed to have given up, as though it would take a lot of effort to understand the meaning behind Yumi's words.

As a result, Yumi made a special effort to inform just Touko-chan.

"I just want to have some relationship with Kanako-chan. While this contest, or bet, is going on, she'll be willing to talk to me. That's my goal."

No sooner had she heard this then Touko-chan's head dropped, as though it were shackled, and she muttered:

"So naive."

"Huh?"

"Honestly, your way of thinking is far too naive, Yumi-sama."

Touko-chan's head jerked up, and she looked at Yumi as though she were issuing a challenge.

"How can you not understand that if you do that, Hosokawa Kanako will only become more impudent. I hate that naive, soft side of yours, Yumi-sama. Do you really think that's befitting of Rosa Chinensis en bouton?"

"Uh."

Touko-chan hurriedly turned her back on Yumi, probably thinking that it would be futile to discuss this any further, and reached out for the emergency exit's doorknob.

But, just as she was about to open the door:

"Ah, right."

She looked back over her shoulder, as though she'd forgotten something she wanted to say.

"There's one thing I'd like to correct. You seem to have misunderstood something, Yumi-sama, because I'm not worried about you at all."

"Ah … is that so?"

"It is. Well then, goodbye. You shouldn't loiter here too long either, Yumi-sama. You should hurry back to your classroom. Unless you want to participate in the athletics festival in your school uniform, that is."

Leaving her with a fearless smile, the ringlets disappeared inside the school building.

"I'm … loitering here?"

And just who was it that had stopped her on her way back to her classroom and dragged her out here? But even if she wanted to air this grievance, her companion was no longer here.

"That Touko-chan."

Even as she grumbled, Yumi was aware that she was smiling.

"She hates that soft side of me, huh."

Yumi said, then hurried off towards the second-year pine classroom.