Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume1 Chapter5 1

The Hot Second Week. Part 1.

It was the next Wednesday that Tsutako-san told Yumi that Sachiko-sama was strange.

"Strange…?"

"Well, maybe strange is a faulty expression. Not her usual self."

"They're both basically the same thing."

The school festival was only three days away, so most students were running around wild. Most classes were moved to the mornings this week, so that the afternoon would be freed for individual activities, such as club work, committees, and groups. The last spurt.

On the path to the different club houses, Yumi was told this.

"So, strange in what way?"

"She's like a fish-paste cake."

"Fish-paste cake?"

Tsutako-seemed to want to say that Sachiko-sama's attraction was as a proud and haughty princess, an al dente that still had a wick. Yet, right now, Sachiko-sama was simply a hollow fish-paste cake, without that tough wick. She stared off into space, sighed, and at the end of that-

"She even came to the photography club looking for me."

Tsutako-san bit into her handkerchief, frustrated, "That's not Sachiko-sama."

"Even if it involves her, she's more the type to call people to her."

"I don't think it's about type or suitability?"

Tsutako-san's aesthetic sense was peculiar. But anyways, that meant Sachiko-sama had gone to Tsutako-san's photography club house to settle something.

"And guess what she said? 'If you want to use the photo of Yumi and I for the school festival, you may go right on ahead.'!"

"Sachiko-sama…"

That, was definitely strange. The usual Sachiko-sama would not allow such a thing if the person desiring something did not bring the topic up in person. Even if she heard about it from other sources, if the person did not come directly, she was strict, in that she would utterly ignore it.

"Anyways, this is, happily, yours. Congratulations."

Tsutako-san lowered her shoulders and handed Yumi something.

"Ah, this."

It was the two-shot photo from last Monday, of Sachiko-sama fixing Yumi's scarf. Come to think of it, this was how it all started.

"She looks different now than she used to. I wonder what happened to Sachiko-sama."

Tsutako-san said, as she stepped over the newspaper sheets for a class that had spilled working on their sign board to the hallway. Yumi did not have such confidence in leaping over things, so she walked around everything.

Yumi felt she knew "what happened" to Sachiko-sama.

That Sachiko-sama had become fish-paste cake or a wick-less pasta was because she met Kashiwagi-san on Saturday.

"Also, Yumi-san. About the newspaper club, I heard."

"The newspaper club? That they stopped asking about an interview?"

"Yes. Apparently that was because of Sachiko-sama, too."

Because of Sachiko-sama, sounded ominous. It seemed certain that Sachiko-sama had pulled strings.

"Last week, Yumi-san was in dire straits, because you were being chased around, right? Maybe because she felt a bit responsible when she found out, Sachiko-sama spoke directly to the newspaper club captain. Because they're both second-years, it was probably easier for her to negotiate things."

"But I don't think they would pull back just because Sachiko-sama asked."

"Exactly. I heard Sachiko-sama took the interview in Yumi-san's stead. For the promise that they wouldn't chase Yumi-san around."

"Eh…!?"

She had no idea. That Sachiko-sama had unbeknownst to her, shielded her. Even though they met every day, she never noticed.

Tsutako-san said the newspaper club had become silent, because they had received the full story.

"Half of the article is already complete. Whether Sachiko-sama can make Yumi accept the rosary before the school festival, or not. And, whether she becomes Cinderella, or not. They're just waiting for the aftermath."

"You're knowledgeable."

"The newspaper club is in the neighboring room. When I'm developing photos by myself, I hear them talking, whether I want to or not."

"Whether you want to or not."

"Indeed, even if I don't."

When they finished descending the stairs and reached the first floor, they split left and right to head to their respective ways.

"Don't you, somehow, feel of an uneasiness looming?"

Tsutako-san spun around and asked.

"Uneasiness?"

"You know. You hear about it all the time. A strict person becomes nice all of a sudden, and then they vanish. When you suddenly receive something, it turns out it was as a memento. Or something."

"Oh come on, it's not an omen."

Yumi chuckled. The newspaper club had drawn back in the middle of last week. Sachiko-sama became strange on Saturday, so they were unrelated.

Plus.

Sachiko-sama would not run away. –Yumi believed her.

Sachiko-sama would never run away. Because, she promised.

On the second floor of the Rose Mansion, Sachiko-sama had drawn up a chair next to a window and was staring outside.

The cotton curtains were swaying, a telling tale of the visitations of the soft wind. Sachiko-sama's straight hair also swayed a bit around her ears.

Sachiko-sama didn't notice Yumi entering the room. She remained staring out, like an imprisoned princess.

"When did you come?"

Eventually, the princess noticed Yumi.

"About ten minutes ago."

"I see."

"Has no one else arrived?"

"They're probably busy with their class business, I think? How about Shimako?"

"… Environmental Care Committee."

"Ah."

Even the residents of the Rose Mansion did not spend their entire non-class lives devoted to the student council. They all took part in other clubs or committees, so when they were inquired upon, they would appear there.

"Sachiko-sama, are you in any clubs…?"

"No."

Her answer came back matter-of-factly. Since she was stuffed with obligatory lessons her entire life, it might have been a result of that. As a result, the two people with no class or club or committee activities milled about in the Rose Mansion.

Sachiko-sama quietly sighed out the window.

She was probably thinking of Kashiwagi-san. –She intuitively thought.

Such a gloomy sigh was not befitting of Sachiko-sama. Yumi gathered her wits and asked.

"Sachiko-sama."

"Eh?"

"What is the matter?"

"Matter…?"

Maybe she had been intending to be acting as usual. Sachiko-sama replied, her face expressing, "What is she talking about?"

"Umm, you seem to be distressing over something."

"If I were, would you save me?"

As she was asked with a straight face, Yumi timidly responded, "If it's within my power."

"Then, accept my rosary."

"Eh!?"

"You would help, if it were in your power, correct?"

Sachiko-sama stuck out her rosary, as if saying, "Here." Looking over it again, it was sparkling and beautiful. But, it came with heavy baggage, and she couldn't simply say, "okay," and accept it.

"If there is anything else-."

"This is all I request of Yumi." Without any further ado, the rosary was stashed back into her pocket. She had simply tried saying it, it seemed.

"Do you dislike it that much?"

Her desire to have Yumi accept the rosary was not based on the pure intent of making Yumi her little sister, that much was certain. As long as she could seduce Yumi by the fixed date, Sachiko-sama could extricate herself from the Cinderella role.

"Of course."

She had not specified about Kashiwagi-san, but Sachiko-sama had understood the meaning behind the question and answered in kind.

"But you have practiced with him a number of times…"

"It is not a matter of getting used to it"

Sachiko-sama spoke, as if spitting venom.

But that was opening a whole new set of problems. After all, Rosa Gigantea's plan was to have Sachiko become used to men.

"I hoped, maybe it would be alright, if I met him. … But that was not the case."

Sachiko-sama sighed, again.

Yumi thought.

Was it not the case because Kashiwagi-san was a man. Or was it because it was Kashiwagi-san.

It seemed the same, at first, but she felt it made a difference.

Sachiko-sama seemed to feel that there was, in fact, a difference.

Time passed, pressed onward by the sighs.

There were many things that needed to be done and still more than people wanted to do, so there was no choice but to flutter around wildly in the last three days. Even after receiving entire afternoons from the school, people were too greedy, so they were unable to use their time as wisely as possible.

Last spurt, Yumi memorized Cinderella's lines at home, rather than watch television. During recess, she practiced the dance steps with Shimako-san on the courtyard grass.

She didn't know herself why she worked this hard, but Yumi was the backup for the Cinderella part, so she felt obligated to do her best, for emergency's sake.

But what was that emergency? But because emergencies were extremely rare, she decided not to think about it.

And the day of the time limit crept ever closer.

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