Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume15 Chapter2 3

Everything Prepared? Part 3

They held a brief homeroom after the regular morning prayers.

"At any rate, be enthusiastic, but don't be reckless. In the past, some girls had to miss the school trip because they suffered a serious injury."

The first part of their homeroom teacher's advice was more or less the same as what her mother had said, while the second half seemed more like a threat.

How serious would an injury have to be to miss the school trip? Something like a broken bone, or whiplash, or a full body pummeling. The students in the class all fell silent for a moment. Those options all sounded extremely painful, but to then also miss out on the school trip added to the injury.

Because, the school trip. Held during their second year of high-school, it was in the top 5 events of their school life. The athletics festival and the school festival were each held once a year, while the school trip was a one-off. Miss it and they'd be regretting it for the rest of their lives.

"I say it every year, but it always works on the second-years."

Their teacher laughed in amusement. No sooner had she said this, then a cry of criticism rang out.

"Wha? So it's a complete lie?"

"It's not a lie. It's happened once, about ten years ago."

Their teacher brought it to a close by saying, "So make sure you pay attention."

"Here, Yumi-san."

The girl in front of her passed Yumi the bag to store their valuables in. As Yumi and the girl beside her placed their purses and watches in the bag and passed it on to the girl behind them, the programs were distributed, and at some point Yoshino-san and Mami-san made their way to the podium at the front of class.

"Alright, listen up. Except for the people that have other jobs, we should all be assembled in our space by five minutes to nine. We're the green team, so where are we sitting?"

When Yoshino-san asked this, Mami-san cupped her hand to her ear as though she was hard of hearing, coaxing an answer from her classmates.

"Next to the libraryyyy."

They answered like children, with everyone going along with the joke.

"Exactly. Okay, anyone that has a specific task to do, please go to your stations. We'll see you later. Best of luck, everyone."

With this powerful declaration, Yoshino-san jubilantly led her group out of the classroom. She was heading off to the main gate, to help with visitor check-in.

Because it was a girls' school, at every function they had strict checking to ensure that no-one unrelated was allowed in. It also happened for the school festival and the graduation ceremony, but they were at their most vigilant for the athletics festival. The Lillian PE uniform wasn't particularly revealing, but because it wasn't often seen out in public, it seemed like there would be a fair number of people that would think, "I want to see that." It was a lot of work, making tickets with the students names on them, checking against the register of graduated students, etc.

With the class dissolving, Yumi also stood up. Tsutako-san asked her, "Oh, are you helping out with something, Yumi-san?"

"Yeah, I'm carrying some of the supporter gear from the gymnasium."

"Ah, like cheerleader costumes … "

Tsutako-san was excused from the tasks that had been assigned to the class. In exchange, her classmates had asked her to take all manner of photos, not just of themselves, but also of their onee-samas running, the Roses dancing, and the like. Strangely, she seemed to be completely smitten by a photo of cheerleaders from a certain third-year class that she'd just happened to run into during practice.

Incidentally, Yumi's onee-sama, Sachiko-sama, was a member of the green team's cheer squad, so Yumi had been assigned the task of carrying their gear, being told, "You want to be with her as much as possible, right?" Rather than being a fair allocation of roles, it felt more like she'd been smooth-talked into it. But it did let her be with Sachiko-sama for a little while, so, well, she supposed it was okay.

"Tsutako-san, make sure you take good photos. Then give me a print, please."

Yumi asked, acting a little bit flirtatiously. She imitated Touko-chan, putting on a fawning look.

"If Sachiko-sama says it's okay."

Tsutako-san answered bluntly. While she did take photos like she was a peeping tom, her rule was to never publish or release the photos unless she had the subject's permission. No matter how good a photo, if she were told "no," then she would firm her resolve and burn even the negative.

Still. Even without Yumi saying so, it looked like Tsutako-san knew who she wanted photos of. Well, it was true, Yumi wanted photos of Sachiko-sama more than anyone else.

"But what if Sachiko-sama says no?"

"She won't. But I'll go one better, and take a photo of the two of you together. To completely make up for last year's athletics festival."

"Together, huh."

A goal, beyond just a speck, the size of a pencil's eraser. This year, she could put a photo into her album of them standing together, wearing the same green headband … maybe.

"Ah, she's been distracted by something shiny. Pause your flight of fancy, and hurry off to the gymnasium. If you keep dawdling, you'll be scolded with, "You're late, Yumi.""

"Yes."

Somewhat fooled by this imitation, Yumi instinctively came to attention and bowed.

"Hey, hey, I'm not Sachiko-sama, you know."

Despite her surprise, Tsutako-san still managed to raise her camera and click the shutter.

Sachiko-sama had already arrived at the green team's spot in the gymnasium, but she didn't say, "You're late, Yumi."

"Ahh, Yumi. Can you take that drum and drumsticks that are over there, please. To the supporter's area in the oval."

"Oka~y."

It was the first time they'd met today, but she omitted saying, "Gokigenyou," and jumped straight to the matter at hand. It was a small thing, but seeing this, Yumi thought, "Our relationship really does feel natural."

Although they were still a long way off the old-married-couple style of soeur relationship that Yoshino-san and Rei-sama had. But still, she was happy. When she thought about how, one year ago, all she could do was watch on, it felt like a dream.

– Then she felt someone watching her and turned around, to see Touko-chan over in the red team's space looking her way. As soon as Yumi turned to face her, Touko-chan turned around and started working on whatever it was she was doing. But her actions were completely meaningless – she picked something up and moved it, then returned it to its original position.

Absent-minded Touko-chan. She was probably looking at her beloved Sachiko-sama.

"Sorry we're late. Gokigenyou, second- and third-year onee-samas. We look forward to working with you today."

Having arrived late, the two girls from the first-year pine class that were assigned to carry gear bowed approximately 90 times.

"Don't worry about it. As first-years, this is your first athletics festival, so I'm sure your homeroom teacher was warning you about each and every little thing."

The head cheerleader said with a smile, as she checked the costumes next to Sachiko-sama.

It made sense, the younger grades' homerooms probably would have taken longer. That may have been why Yumi wasn't scolded.

"Um, Yumi-sama, is there anything we can do … ?"

One of the first-years timidly asked as Yumi was about to leave the gym carrying the drum. The head cheerleader would normally direct them, but she was off negotiating with the pink team's leader about something, while the second-in-command (Sachiko-sama) had just this moment left carrying the cheer team's uniforms.

"Should we take these to the cheer team's seating?"

"Oh, the flags? They're going to be used as part of the entry parade, so they should stay here. The placards are out for the same reason. This cardboard's going to be used in the afternoon, so I think the plan is to carry it out later."

Apart from the things she'd mentioned, nothing else remained. But since they'd come all this way to help, it seemed kind of sad to tell them to just wait here.

"So, if you could take this drum. And these drumsticks."

Yumi gave the miniature taiko drum to one of the first-years and the drumsticks to the other, then saw them off.

"You should run into Rosa Chinensis out there, so ask her where they should go."

"Okay. Thank-you very much."

The two first-years left the gymnasium with a smile – were they really that happy to be given a job to do? Lured in by this, Yumi also smiled and waved them farewell, when a low voice came from behind her.

"You've become quite dependable, Rosa Chinensis en bouton."

Startled, Yumi turned around and saw the green team's head cheerleader standing there, arms folded, and nodding, having returned at some unknown point.

"It must be a relief to Sachiko-san too."

"Huuuh."

Then Yumi hastily covered over this with, "Pardon me." Despite receiving a generous compliment, Yumi had spoiled it with her vulgar reaction.

"… My apologies."

Because, it was only just this morning that she'd come to the conclusion that, "we're well matched." As she was thinking back on this, Yumi glanced at the red team's area, but Touko-chan was no longer in the location she'd been earlier.

(… Hmm?)

Just what had she been expecting? It was a little deflating.

The two first-year students and Sachiko-sama arrived back at the gymnasium together. The timing was just right, so they headed off to the green team's gathering spot, next to the library.

Having not carried anything earlier, Yumi picked up the green flags and trotted along behind Sachiko-sama. It was like a sumo wrestler's entrance ceremony, with the grand champion followed by his sword-bearer. Sachiko-sama looked as grandiose as ever, so the image matched exactly.

After handing the flags to the cheer team leader, who was waiting at the front of the formation with the other third-years, Yumi started to move towards the ranks of second-years when Sachiko-sama called her to a halt with, "Yumi."

"Yes?"

When she turned around, Yumi's eyes leapt to her onee-sama's determined expression. Then Sachiko-sama raised her index finger and roared:

"Fighting over the wooden spoon is foolish. Got it? Since we're doing this, we should aim for first place overall. The red team isn't worth worrying about."

Haughty, domineering, and dazzlingly beautiful. Sachiko-sama was as magnificent as Yumi expected. It felt like a bolt of electricity ran across her entire body when she heard this stern command.

"Okay!"

Sachiko-sama nodded, satisfied by this energetic response.

"Just what I expect from my soeur. Let's give it our all."

As she returned to the group of second-years, Yumi thought, "Be that as it may, you weren't particularly enthused back when Yoshino-san was talking about it so passionately, Sachiko-sama." Perhaps her competitive spirit had finally ignited now that the day of the event had arrived.

When Yoshino-san and Mami-san arrived just before the appointed time, the second-year pine class was fully assembled.

"How was it, dealing with the arriving guests?"

"We were flat out. Well, I expected as much, but the parents just kept coming one after the other. They've all come to see their daughter's big moment. My parents were getting all emotional even before they handed the ticket over, it was so embarrassing I pretended not to know them, but Rei-chan's father spotted me."

Prior to her heart surgery, Yoshino-san had never participated in a sports meet or athletics festival. This year would be her first time attempting something other than the entrance parade or dance, so her parents were probably overjoyed. Especially since she was taking part in the athletics festival's main event, the team relay.

"I wonder if my parents made it here okay."

Yumi said to herself, but Yoshino-san heard it and responded.

"Yeah."

She said, with complete confidence.

"No way, how do you know?"

"Because, the tickets all have the student's name on it, right? Although, even if they didn't, I think I'd still know … You, well, you and your brother, you take after your father."

"Oowah."

"He was wearing a green polo shirt, right?"

That put it beyond doubt. It looked like Yoshino-san hadn't just been making things up when she said she knew.

"It's kind of embarrassing."

Her parents meeting her good friend when she wasn't there. Just imagining it made her feel awkward.

"It's fine. I greeted them in honor-student mode."

"Speaking of honor-students."

Mami-san interjected, having silently listened to their conversation until now.

"Do you suppose the former Roses are coming?"

"I don't know."

"Setting aside Satou Sei-sama, since she's going to Lillian University, it would be a homecoming for Torii Eriko-sama and Mizuno Youko-sama. Neither of you have heard anything about that?"

Nope, nope. Yoshino-san and Yumi both shook their heads. She would be better off asking the previous Roses' soeurs, Rei-sama and Sachiko-sama, as the boutons were unlikely to hear any news of this sort. It was only now that they even thought about sending them an invitation.

"I see … but, they'll still allow people in once the games have started, so we should cast an eye over the guest seating from time to time."

Yumi had thought that the reception would have closed when Yoshino-san and the other girls working there returned, but apparently that wasn't the case.

"Once the peak's over, we leave the rest to the teachers."

"The teachers?"

"Like the specialist subject teachers, or the middle school teachers. We borrow teachers that aren't directly involved with the athletics festival. If nothing else, all students have to be involved in the entrance parade, right?"

Backing up Yoshino-san's words, students were trickling in from wherever they'd been stationed. Including the health committee members from the first-aid tent, and the scorers. About the only students that wouldn't be in the entrance parade were the broadcasting committee members doing the announcing.

9 am.

Bang, bang. The sound of a starter's gun echoed around the grounds.

"The teams will now enter when their name is called."

At the sound of the mic, a shiver of excitement ran through the rows of waiting girls.

And then.

"The white team."

Yumi's second-year athletics festival had finally begun.