Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume23 Chapter1 2 nr

Onee-sama's Lead. Part 2

Three days later, a written invitation arrived.

She spotted the unusual sight of a letter addressed to her amongst the letters she took out of the post box. Wondering who it was from, she flipped it over and written there as the sender's name was "Ogasawara Sachiko."

Now that she'd seen that name, there was no way she could wait until she got back to her room. She took the scissors out of the drawer above the shoe rack, then, taking care not to damage the contents, Yumi opened the letter from her onee-sama and read it where she stood.

Like a few-days-late Christmas card, the message in the red envelope was word processed and simple, like so:

 We're holding a women-only New Year's Party. Please join us, if you feel so inclined.
 
 When           :   From Noon on January 2.
 Where:         :   The Ogasawara Residence
 What to Bring  :   Sleepwear, any food or drink you'd like.
 
 * The plan is for an over-night event, but you're free to arrive late or leave early.

"A New Year's Party at Sachiko-sama's house."

From memory, it was on the second of January this year that the former Rosa Gigantea, Satou Sei-sama, had tricked her and dragged her along to Sachiko-sama's house.

Every year, Sachiko-sama's father, Tooru-oji-sama, and grandfather were out of the house on the second day of the year, so the house staff were given the day off too. Thinking that Sachiko-sama and her mother, Sayako-oba-sama, might be lonely by themselves, they'd barged in to liven the place up. Although Sei-sama probably hadn't anticipated Kashiwagi-san having the same thoughts and beating them there.

Sei-sama had told Yumi that she should go and visit them from time to time after she'd graduated. So maybe it would have been better if Yumi had gone out on a limb and asked Sachiko-sama, "Is it alright if I come and visit during New Year's?"

But she hadn't been thinking that clearly recently, due to the shock she'd received.

Still. What kind of a pathetic petit soeur would she be if she needed someone to force her to go to her onee-sama's house to offer a New Year's greeting? Although this time she was taking advantage of the invitation extended by Sachiko-sama. She had to be more proactive.

"Even so."

Yumi smiled at the words "women-only," and felt relieved. Since it seemed that Sachiko-sama was going out of her way to let her know that her rival, Kashiwagi-san, wouldn't be coming.

"But still … "

Why such an impersonal invitation, like for a school reunion? If she was just inviting Yumi, a single telephone call would have been better –

Yumi put the invitation back in the envelope as she walked back to her room. She glanced at the telephone in the living room on her way past, and as she did it started ringing, like it'd been aiming at her.

"Hello."

She said, picking up the receiver in disbelief.

"Ah, Yumi-san?"

"Huh?"

Naturally, Sachiko-sama would never talk in such a casual manner. However, that "Yumi-san?" was in a voice she heard all the time.

"… Uh, this is the Fukuzawa household, right?"

The person on the other end of the phone line corrected themselves.

"That's right. And you must be Shimazu-san, no?"

"Wha~at. For a moment I thought it was your mother and I panicked."

Correct, that was Yoshino-san.

"You know how your voice always sounds a bit different over the phone."

Yoshino-san laughed it off, sounding a bit embarrassed, before she said, "By the way," and jumped into the main topic.

"I got a letter from Sachiko-sama."

"Ah. Now I get it."

Yumi said.

"What, what do you get?"

"Sachiko-sama sent a written invitation to everyone."

With the same contents. Yumi finally understood why the invitation had seemed so impersonal. Sachiko-sama was the type of person who would have handwritten an invitation if the situation had been different.

"You're going, right Yumi-san?"

"Yep. Although it's only just arrived, so I haven't asked my parents yet. But that's the plan."

"Then I'll go too."

"Really?"

Before she could ask, "What about the marathon?" Yoshino-san said:

"Since I went to Hakone to watch the marathon relay at the start of the year, it feels like I've beaten that demon – I don't have the cravings to watch it. Well, even if I hadn't beaten that demon, if I had to choose between the Hakone marathon and a New Year's party at the Ogasawara house, I'd probably pick the New Year's party."

"What about Rei-sama?"

"Why wouldn't she be going?"

"She's studying for exams, right?"

"Well, by that reasoning, what about Sei-sama last year?"

"Mmm."

Still, the counter-example to "that reasoning" was Mizuno Youko-sama, who'd been in the same position last year and hadn't been able to attend because she'd been taking a prep course over the winter break. Incidentally, Torii Eriko-sama would have been in the same position with regards to entrance exams, but she'd spent her time relaxing in Hawaii.

So then, which type was Rei-sama?

"Well, Rei-chan can do whatever she wants. But since it'll be my first visit to the Ogasawara estate, I'll have to ask her all sort of questions – like how to get there, or what to bring."

"Hahaha. I don't know if that'll help or not."

"Count on it. Well then, see ya."

"Yeah."

Hanging up the phone, she suddenly laughed.

She absentmindedly thought that it had been one year since then. She didn't know whether she should prefix the "one year" with "only" or "already."

She put the handset back and took a single step towards the staircase before the phone started ringing again.

It was probably Yoshino-san. But it felt a bit soon for her to be calling back to give an update if Rei-sama had just arrived home. It was so fast that she must have pressed the redial button immediately after hanging up.

"Hello."

Yumi answered the phone, thinking that Yoshino-san might have forgotten to ask something.

"Ah, is this the Fukuzawa household?"

"Yes."

She heard a composed voice, completely different from the one a while ago.

"I'm Lillian's Girls Academy high school second-year Toudou Shimako and – "

"Shimako-san!?"

"Yumi-san? Gokigenyou. Is now a good time to talk?"

It was rare for her to get a phone call from Shimako-san, but Yumi immediately knew the reason behind the call.

"Actually, I've received a letter from Sachiko-sama."