Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume22 Chapter3.4
Part 4.[edit]
When everyone had found their seats, after a toast of black tea, the party began.
"A simple introduction and a few words about what's going on with you. Those of you for whom something eventful happened before or after the exam holiday, please feel free to talk about it now. Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, then you don't have to. Now let's begin."
While Sachiko-sama was glancing around wondering whom to start with, Tsutako-san boisterously raised her hand.
"If you want someone, please pick me."
"Ah, Tsutako-san, you sure are acting forward."
"My real motive is to get my turn out of the way as soon as possible so I can take pictures at my leisure. Um, do I have to stay seated until all the introductions are done?"
Tsutako-san had prepared her camera for the event long before. When she saw Tsutako-san's shutter finger carefully move around the button, even Yumi understood.
But.
"Yes. Please remain seated during the introductions."
An immediate, cold rejection. Sachiko-sama was strict.
Even still, Tsutako-san had let her name go around first, and so had to begin the introduction.
"I am second-year Pine Class Takeshima Tsutako. A member of the Photography Club. Um, I had come to the Rose Mansion's Christmas Party last year, so now this makes it my second year of attendance. I offer my humble apologies to Rosa Chinensis, but after my introduction is finished, I will assume the role of cameraman. Ladies, you will hear the clack-clack of the shutter, but please do not let the sound bother you. Without receiving express permission from the subjects within the photograph, I will not release a single photo, so please do not worry. Ah, nothing interesting really happened before or after the exam holiday. That is all."
"Have you found a petite soeur, or any such gossip?"
Sachiko-sama asked. It felt as if Sachiko-sama was acting as their representative. Because the Roses and their petite soeurs had grown very interested in just what was happening between Naitou Shouko-chan and Tsutako-san.
"I haven't."
Tsutako-san cleanly cut the air with her words and sat down. Why not?! Somber sighs were emanating from the room.
Going clockwise, the next was Noriko-chan. Noriko-chan stood.
"I am Rosa Gigantea en Bouton, Nijou Noriko. I'm a fan of admiring Buddhist statues. I had wanted to go on a small Buddhist statue viewing trip after exams ended, but I kept putting it off and it never happened. It made me realize that nothing in life really happens according to plan."
It was said that Noriko couldn't go on her fun little Buddhist statue viewing trip. Why the trip kept getting delayed Yumi did not know, but she wondered whether Noriko-chan had plans to go again. Winter vacation was after tomorrow."
After Noriko-chan went Rei-sama.
"I'm Rosa Foetida, Hasekura Rei. Hm, what should I say. I'm part of Kendo Club. But it seems like I've had too many things to do this year. If you open my box, from time to time I'll move my face, or my mouth, or my swords. Oh, right. Recently I've found a weird, younger boyfriend. That's all."
"Boy... ?!"
Yumi slipped the word out, and looked toward Yoshino-san. Shimako-san, Noriko-chan, Kanako-chan, and Tsutako-san too. Maybe, other than Rei-sama herself, everyone's gaze had at that moment fixed upon Yoshino-san. The always anxious Yoshino-san.
It seemed as if Yoshino-san had surely known about this, for she made no notable reaction. She only nodded toward the conversation and said something to the effect of "It's not my affair."
"How old is he?"
Sachiko-sama asked, and Rei-sama answered. But perhaps the hand Rei-sama outstretched while answering the question was more telling than the answer itself.
"He's ten I think."
".... Huh?"
Which meant that Rei-sama had lightheartedly revealed her boyfriend, but for those who hadn't realized that the entire thing had been a joke, it had been such a shock that they promptly fell silent. So that was the potential lover's big moment, huh?
"Ten...."
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed to one of incredulity. And then, into a "no wait" moment.
No, wait. He may be ten years old now, but give it ten years, and he'll be twenty. By then, Rei-sama would be twenty-eight ... it really wasn't a complete-no situation, was it?
But the attitude of the person herself in question was one of complete denial, one which spoke "Never a kid from elementary school" and brushed it off casually. So then it really was a complete-no.
But even still.
It was obvious that Sachiko-sama had already heard this news from Rei-sama. She felt a different sort of jealousy for their relationship. The bond they had was one different from the conventional bond of sisterhood, but Yumi could remember what strong feelings were contained in this bond.
"Next, Yumi-chan."
As Rei-sama sad down, Yumi pushed herself into an upright pose, pushed one hand into the other, and suddenly stood up.
"Um, I'm second-year Pine Class's Fukuzawa Yumi. Rosa Chinensis en Bouton. Uhhh..."
Now what to do. Nothing else would come out.
Yumi was the kind of person who found it harder to introduce herself to her good friends than to a crowd of people. So just what should she say now. Suddenly, Rei-sama, from her right-side, whispered a hint.
"What you did over the break."
"Ah, what I did over the break ... ummm... during break I .... I.... "
Yumi's eyes fluttered about as she tried to remember, and they fell on Touko-chan. But Touko-chan's running-away wasn't the type of thing that should be discussed at these sort of meetings.
"Did you go to the amusement park?"
Shimako-san asked from across the table.
"Ah, I did, yes I did go to the amusement park. And then, when we were coming back, I went to my Onee-sama's house, and was given a Mille-feuille cake as a gift. It was handmade by Onee-sama's mother. It was delicious."
Yumi felt a bit embarrassed to summarize her summer vacation by calling it "delicious", but everyone's look had this warm "If you found it delicious, then good for you" feel to it. Yumi ended her introduction with a "That's all."
Oh right, the next introduction was part of the main event, the premiere of Arima Nana-san.
Nana-san understood that she was up next, and immediately stood up.
"I'm Lillian Middle School Third Year, Arima Nana. Thank you for inviting me here."
Everyone's reaction to the word "Lillian Middle School" was less profound than Yumi had expected it to be, probably because everyone had seen that Nana-san wore a different school uniform.
"If you're asking yourself why a middle school student like me should be here, well incredibly enough I had recently become that Shimadzu Yoshino-sama over there's friend, and I got my invitation from her. When I heard her talking about the party, I implored her to let me come along." [1]
The fact that she was introducing herself here was in and of itself something "incredibly enough".
And while Yumi did not know what "incredibly enough" moment had brought Rei-sama close to a boyfriend younger than her, she did know the "incredibly enough" moment that had led to Yoshino-san and Nana-san meeting.
Yoshino-san had boasted to former Rosa Foetida Torii Eriko-sama that she would introduce her soeur, and tried, but could not find one. As Yoshino-san was running away from Eriko-sama, she happened to meet a girl, and passed the girl off to Eriko-sama as her soeur. That was the story behind Nana-san.
But Nana couldn't say that out loud, and instead had said "incredibly enough". "Incredibly enough" was simply a phrase of convenience.
While Yumi was thinking about such things, Nana-san pinched her introduction closed.
"I'm young, and I don't really understand much about high school, so I understand that my presence here may be rude. If so, I offer my humblest apologies, and request your humble guidance."
The middle school student was more than capable of introducing herself. And while everyone chewed the introduction over, the card hit the floor, she sat down.
Next was Sachiko-sama's introduction.
"I am Rosa Chinensis, Ogasawara Sachiko. Right, the person whom Yumi had spoken to you all earlier about, who had accompanied her to the amusement park, was none other than myself, of course. A small accident also occurred that day, but everything else was a lot of fun. We made a plan to go again, and this time, how about all of you come with us?"
"Definitely."
Before Sachiko-sama could even finish the question, Tsutako-san answered happily. Sometimes, Tsutako-san was a very transparent person. Tsutako-san's role wasn't to enjoy something with you, but to capture the pictures of you enjoying everything around you.
"Great. But for you Tsutako-san, all film is forbidden."
"Huuh."
"You can't have fun by only snapping pictures."
Sachiko-sama laughed. Just once, they should all forbid her from bringing a camera. But then, Yumi knew that Tsutako-san would research on how to bring in hidden cameras.
Next was Kanako-chan.
"I'm First Year Tsubaki-class's Hosokawa Kanako. During the last school festival, I had participated in the Yamayurikai's play, and have very fond memories of it. Right after that I joined the basketball club, and now I seemed to be followed by balls day and night. I've recently been feeling that I've once again grown taller, but I'm too scared to actually measure myself."
People wondered whether this was a comment that people should laugh at. But Kanako-chan herself was smiling, so Yumi held nothing back as she laughed heartily. So, Kanako-chan grew again, huh? But she was too afraid to measure herself? But wouldn't that be something to be celebrated as a player on the basketball team?
"I'm Rosa Gigantea, Toudou Shimako. Recently, incredibly enough, I've found an interest in baking."
Yumi at first thought that Shimako-san's use of "incredibly enough" had been subconscious, but then she wondered just what was "incredibly enough" to build an interest in baking. While she thought about it, Touko-chan stood up.
"First Year, Camellia Class, Matsudaira Touko. I'm part of the Drama Club."
"That's all?"
While Touko-chan began to sit, Kanako-chan asked. Rather than punctuating her with a question, Kanako-chan's tone of voice seemed to have been a form of advice. And then, Touko-chan.
" 'No Mr. Priest, I'm fine.' "
Suddenly Touko-chan had changed her facial expression and intonation.
At first Yumi didn't know just what had happened, but finally she realized that Touko-chan was acting out a scene from a play.
Touko-chan had cast her eyes down, and seemed to have somehow shrunk her person, as she was relaying her line.
It was winter, and Touko-chan was cold. She seemed to be holding a shopping cart between her hands.
(Please, buy as much as you want. If I could have had a child as lovely as you are with me this night, this is what I would say)
Those words suddenly sprang up in Yumi's heart. And suddenly, behind Touko-chan appeared the streets of Europe.
Yumi understood. It was "The Little Princess".
" 'Well, on Christmas Eve, things must be donated to the poor children? Thank you very much. You are a very great man, Mr. Priest. ' "
Touko-chan pushed a smile onto her face, pushed her hand out, and seemed to take something. Perhaps it was some coins. The scene was so vivid, one could almost see the satisfied nod on the Priest's face.
Touko-chan watched happily as the priest inside the carriage rode off.
" ' I couldn't do anything about it. My clothes are always so dirty, and I'm always so hungry. I was mistaken as some needy child ...' "
You'd reflexively laugh, then suddenly swallow. What a stunning performance. Ah, what a sad Sara. [2]
But.
"Is this enough, Kanako-chan?"
Hmph.
Touko-chan seemed to have shut off the TV, and had brought everyone out of the ship's crew, and back to a Japanese high school.
"I don't have anything interesting to talk about anyway, so this will be the end of my introduction. I hope I didn't bore too many people."
She sat down without a smile on her face, and hung her head down dejectedly. When the audience came back to their senses, they began clapping.
Touko-chan really was a fantastic actress. In just perhaps two minutes, she had entranced the entire room.
"If you set the standard so high Touko-chan, then the people coming after you will have a hard time."
Yoshino-san brooded, and then stood.
"I am Shimadzu Yoshino. The 'Shima' in my name uses the character for island, found in the word 'Japanese Islands'. The 'dzu' in my name comes from the character in the word 'Tientsin', that place famous for water chestnuts. The 'Yoshi' uses the character in the word 'Freedom', and the 'No' uses the Kanji in 'General Nogi's name. Not the 'Yoshino' from 'Somei Yoshino' ." [3]
Just why was Yoshino-san explaining the Kanji in her name, Yumi wondered, as she listened to Yoshino-san ramble. But then, Yumi suddenly understood. Yoshino-san was speaking for only one person.
Yoshino-san's gaze stuck only on the farthest person from her in the room -- Nana-san. And just as Yoshino-san had wanted to happen, something in her explanation made Nana-san break out into actual laughter.
- ↑ Nana laced the end of that last sentence with so many honorifics, it can get your tongue tied.
- ↑ "Little Princess" is a story about a rich girl, Sara Crewe, going to a boarding school, who is propped up by the headmistress as a star pupil because of her family's money. The money comes from her dad, a captain aboard a ship. Some months into the school year, the girl finds out that her father died of some brain fever, and lost all of his investment money to a friend. She becomes destitute, and the headmistress uses the opportunity to turn her into her servant. The book explains the changes of fortune that the girl undergoes, and how she copes with it.
- ↑ When the Japanese give formal introductions, and want to express to others what Kanji is found in their name, they relate the Kanji in their names to other common words and names. 'Shima' is the common Japanese reading for the character 'island'. The place 'Tientsin' is a place in China; the name rendered in Japanese is "Tenshin", and the second character in this name has a Chinese reading as 'Tsu', when Okurigana is applied it becomes the infrequently used sound 'Dzu'. The second character in the word 'Jiyuu', meaning freedom, is the 'Yoshi' in Yoshino's name. An interesting note: the 'no' in Yoshino's name is the same as the outdated Kanji used for the possessive particle 'no' in Japanese. Somehow, I doubt the average Japanese person would understand any of the references Yoshino just gave. For reference, the Japanese reading of a Kanji is also known as its Kun-Yomi, and the Chinese reading of a Kanji is also known as its On-Yomi. It's out of the scope of this blurb for me to go into any more detail about these mundane matters.
