Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume25 Prologue

Prologue

"Gokigenyou."

"Gokigenyou."

The clear morning greeting travels through the serene, blue sky.

Today, once again, the maidens that gather in the Virgin Mary's garden smile purely to one another as they pass under the tall gateway.

Wrapping their innocent bodies and souls is a deep-colored school uniform.

Walking slowly so as to not disturb the pleats in their skirts, so as to not toss their white sailor scarves into disarray... such is the standard of modesty here. Running here because one is in danger of missing class, for instance, is too undignified a sight for students to wish upon themselves.

Lillian Private Academy for Women.

Founded in Meiji 34, this academy was originally intended for the young women of nobility, and is now a Catholic academy of prestigious tradition. Placed in downtown Tokyo, where you can still see traces of Musashi Field's greenery, it is protected by God, a garden where maidens can receive tutelage from preschool to university.

Time passes, and even now, in Heisei, three era-names past Meiji, it is a valuable academy, where nurtured ladies raised in greenhouses are shipped out in carefully packaged boxes after 18 years of schooling - an arrangement that continues to survive.

There exists a door in people's hearts.

If the doors aren't open, they can't communicate heart-to-heart.

A stubborn door could be made of heavy stone.

Or a metal door that hasn't been opened for so long it has rusted over.

But as long as it's a door and not a wall, some day it may eventually be able to open.

A magic phrase may be needed to open a tough door.

Or perhaps it requires a key.

Neither of those would be immediately obvious.

It doesn't even have to be something obtained after a long journey.

It could be right beside it, but hard to find. Such things are possible.

But even supposing you possessed those things, you can't turn the door handle yourself.

All you can do is say the magic words, and put the key in the lock.

If you don't wait until the door is opened from the inside and you're invited in, then the door will remain closed forever.

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