Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume1 Chapter1 3

Monday of Uneasiness. Part 3

"Yumi-san, Yumi-san."

Yumi was called upon after school, just as she had finished her cleaning duties and walked out of the music room.

"Ah, Tsutako-san. Have you already finished cleaning the classroom?"

"Yes, and that's why I hurried here, to ensure we wouldn't walk past each other. Yumi-san seemed to have taken her bag to cleaning duty, after all."

Because the first-year classrooms were distant from the music room, they always took their bags with them. As the entrance to the school and the club houses were close to one another, it was convenient if one were going home or for going to club activities.

"You were looking for me?"

"I wanted to discuss something."

"Discuss?"

This prompted Tsutako-san to raise her frameless glasses by the bridge with a finger, nod, and say, "Yes."

"Yumi-san. We have club activities to get to, so we'll excuse ourselves now. Oh, I'll return the cleaning journal to the staff room on the way, too."

The three students who were helping with cleaning duty smiled with pure eyes.

"Why . . . thank you."

"No, no. Think nothing of it. Gokigenyou."

"Gokigenyou."

The uniforms, with the color of damp crows' wings, leniently flowed down the hallway. Tsutako-san and Yumi saw them off together.

"You are, I think, aware that I belong to the Photography Club?"

Tsutako-san turned back toward Yumi and asked, abruptly.

"Y–yes."

Because she's notorious.

Aside from class time, she rarely lets go of her camera. Yumi vaguely remembered hearing her mourn, at one point, about how chagrined she was whenever she missed a shutter chance, and that feeling of regret was the reason why she had no choice but to hang onto her camera at all times. Since the beginning of high school, this had been the first time Yumi ended up in the same class as Tsutako-san, but already she'd been shown two or three photos that she never realized had been taken. Though Yumi couldn't really tell how “good” Tsutako-san was, she had to admit that even her ordinary self looked at least 30% cuter in the photos.

"You know how the school festival is close by? Well, because of that, I've been coming to school early to take photos in the morning."

She only used people as her photo subjects. Well, specifically, "female high-school students." Honestly, there was no problem in that, but she claimed "good photos can't be taken when the subjects even subconsciously pose," so she had a tendency to take secret photos.

"Tsutako-san, don't you think it might be better to stop taking photos as if you were a peeping Tom?"

"Why should I throw away the privilege I have, being an active Lillian Girls' Academy student? I just want to seal away beauty as beautifully as they come, within these frames. We'll all age, eventually, but it's possible to preserve 'now' in all its glittering glory. I just think that's my God-given duty, having been chosen by the camera."

With that, she raised a clenched fist.

"Even so . . ."

"Not to worry. I've gotten permission from every one of my subjects. I burn everything, including the negatives, for rejected pictures. And before I present them, I always, always make sure the people involved are willing."

"Permission?"

"Like this."

Tsutako-san presented two photographs to Yumi.

"What?"

Three, two, one.

It required three seconds to realize what the photos were of.

"Ehh!"

As Yumi had raised her voice far beyond what was generally accepted of a Lillian student, Tsutako-san covered her mouth.

"Th–this."

Ahh, and what it was.

The morning scene, that same scene she wished could be erased from her memory. A two-shot photo of Ogasawara Sachiko-sama and Yumi.

Even so, it was definitely worthy of the Photography Club's ace. She had not let the shutter chance go by. Both of Sachiko-sama's hands were firmly gripping Yumi's scarf. You could imagine hearing the sound of the knot being squeezed.

Even while struggling to hold onto her bag, Yumi stared, absorbing everything in the photo.

As always, Sachiko-sama was lovely. And as a direct result of her presence, Yumi, standing to her side, looked like an angel.

"The first one was taken with a long-range lense, the close-up. But this one, the one where your whole body is photographed, has more of a 'forbidden' mood to it, making it look better. Don't you think?"

By the way, the title is "Training," Tsutako-san said, and Yumi could do naught but agree.

"Can I have this?"

As Yumi asked, Tsutako-san laughed and took back the photos. She looked as if Yumi had just been snagged hook, line, and sinker.

"I don't mind, but on two conditions."

"Conditions?"

"Condition one: that you allow me to use this photo in a panel for the Photography Club exhibit during the school festival."

"Eh. . . ?"

Exhibit? Panel? Was she out of her mind?

How reckless to line up someone like Yumi, with an extremely average academic, height, weight and figure, to someone who's perfect in every regard, like Ogasawara Sachiko-sama, in front of every student.

"Tsutako-san. You must be kidding."

"Why would I be kidding? I've been confident that, ever since I snapped the photo, it was my best work this whole year. That's why I developed the film at the cost of lunch break."

As she said that, Tsutako-san's stomach let out a decidedly un-ladylike growl. Ah, her lunch lay untouched in her bag. Hobbies take precedence even over the nurturing appetite.

"But, a panel . . ."

Yumi looked down.

"You don't want the photo?"

Tsutako-san plucked the two photos and waved them in front of Yumi's face.

"I know. You've always admired Ogasawara Sachiko-sama in secret. Yet, ignoring the remote possibility of a two-shot, I know you don't even have a close-up photo of her head. When the field trip photos were put up outside the staff room, you were vexed that you couldn't request copies, because you were of a different grade, am I right? And as you aren't part of any club, you had no second-year student to request a copy. The only photo you have is one from the athletics meet. That's the picture where Sachiko-sama, waiting in line for the relay, happened to be in the background and, well, I won't say a rice grain, but she is really just a speck."

"Excuse me. She was at least the size of a pencil. And even so, it's a treasure to me."

Tsutako-san could pursue a career as a private detective if she so desired.

"I wonder if that pencil will satisfy you after today's events."

The lens of her glasses shined like a camera flash.

". . . You're evil."

Of course there was no way she'd be satisfied, having seen such a good photo.

"But, isn't there a chance Sachiko-sama refuses?"

"That's why," Tsutako-san put up her index finger and laughed, triumphantly.

"The other condition is that you receive permission from Rosa Chinensis en bouton."

"Ehh!? That's impossible, absolutely impossible."

Again, she says something so stunning so smoothly.

"Why?"

Tsutako-san widened her eyes in surprise.

"You two look so intimate. Like sœurs."

"I wish!"

Yumi explained. This morning, while heading to school, she'd been suddenly called out. And when she wondered what was going on, she'd been cautioned about her appearance.

"Well . . . And she fixed your tie while at it, too. If your classmates found out they'd be envious."

"As if they would say, 'Oh, I'm so envious’?"

Just remembering the incident made her want to blush.

"Sachiko-sama probably thought, 'what a slovenly student.’”

It wasn't supposed to be like that.

In reality, meeting onee-sama in the near future was supposed to be a more beautiful situation.

For example: like a scene in a movie. A scene that would make you blush just remembering it, even after graduating. Even if it were just an instant. Like picking up and returning Sachiko-sama's handkerchief after it got blown away by wind, or something trivial like that.

But, a bent tie. On top of that, she panicked so much she couldn't even greet or thank her. She'd fallen to the status of an impolite underclassman.

"A slovenly student, isn't that fine? After all, it let you get close to your lovely onee-sama."

"Err. . . ."

There was no retort to that. Had her tie not been bent, it would have been likely she would have never been called out in her entire life.

"Tsutako-san, why don't you negotiate in person? You do that all the time, after all."

"Even Tsutako-san, brave and fearless as she is, is intimidated by the Yamayurikai council."

The Yamayurikai was the student council of the Lillian Girls' Academy High School. The council, called the White, Red, and Yellow Roses were, despite being students, on a different social standing than the regular students. Like court officials. Sachiko-sama was the petite sœur to Rosa Chinensis.

"Also, Yumi-san, I decided that it would be profitable to use you for negotiations."

"W–why?"

"Because you caught the attention of Sachiko-sama."

"That's because of my tie—"

"If a bent tie were all that was needed to get the attention of Sachiko-sama, every Lillian student would walk around with bent ties."

That was Tsutako-san's retort.

"No way."

"Quite frankly, I've seen such calculating first-year students."

First-years that undertook a bold deed, the likes of walking in front of Sachiko-sama with a bent tie, all for the sake of catching her attention for one moment. Tsutako-san spoke of this in a serenading tone, as if she were a leading actress, standing at the middle of the stage, basking in the spotlight.

"Especially Sachiko-sama. She's considered one of the most compulsive about cleanliness in the school. She's famous for disdaining slovenly appearances, so there might have been more than one person who foolishly attempted such a stunt."

To carry a proper soul, one must first tend to their person appearance. For roughly 11 years since kindergarten, that had been a repeated mantra, and breaking that schooling in order to get the attention of their beloved senior simply awarded them one, icy glance from Sachiko-sama. And then complete disregard.

Even worse, sometimes that student's onee-sama was called out for a discussion about personal appearance.

"Sachiko-sama . . . is scary."

"Did you just find out? Ogasawara Sachiko-sama is scary. Of course, this is only with matters that she disapproves of."

"And you're telling me to face that scary Sachiko-sama. . . ?"

Frankly, she thought Tsutako-san was just as scary.

Already, Yumi was getting ready to run. The toes of her indoor shoes were already facing the entrance.

"You don't understand, Yumi-san. Sachiko-sama is no demon. She's an angel. Archangel Michael."

"A–Archangel Michael. . . ?"

What is she saying? Does she even understand what she's saying? Tsutako-san's eyes were focused on something far away.

"She is, in reality, sublime and tolerant. However, everything that opposes her aesthetic sense is absolutely unforgivable. She is, after all, a born princess. She has her own peculiar sense of rules."

Tsutako-san was swimming away, alone. Yumi could not help but raise her hand, and say, "Um," and protest.

"Tsutako-san, I only get mid-marks for language class."

"Yes?"

"Can you lower the level and explain, please?"

"Lower the level?"

"Umm, in other words, can you explain more clearly, please?"

Tsutako-san folded her arms and went deep in thought. It was hard to explain to someone else a theory you had already completed yourself.

"To put it simply, Sachiko-sama is never irrationally angry, so it's alright. When she's angry, there's always reason in her words."

"So?"

"So don't worry and get persuading."

"Why me?"

"Seems to be a fit, you and Sachiko-sama."

Sheesh, I can't understand Tsutako-san's thought process.

"And what basis do you have for that?"

"Basis? I have no basis. These things are all about instinct. Intuition."

Sachiko-sama, who never bothered with the ties of underclassmen, spontaneously decided this morning to call out to her, chastise her, and then re-tie Yumi's scarf with her own hands. Tsutako-san seemed emphatic that this was a brilliant achievement, one that couldn't have happened with pure luck.

"Even if the person is not aware of it, I think like-minded people subconsciously step closer to one another."

"And again you're being irrational."

Essentially, it seemed like she was simply pushing something she didn't want to do on Yumi.

"If you're regretful of being thought of as a slovenly student, then replace that image. If you politely thank her, 'Thank you for warning me this morning,' you'll turn out to be a polite lady."

"Ugh, Tsutako-san, you're persuasive."

"Why, thank you. I have been invited by the Debate Club once."

Her triumphant laugh was so masterful that it felt she could be invited by the Theatrics Club, too.

Ten minutes later, Yumi stood in front of the door for the Yamayurikai headquarters, the “Rose Mansion.”

In the end, Tsutako's killer blow of "You don't want the photo?" had pushed Yumi into accepting the job of negotiating with Sachiko-sama.

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