Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume27 Chapter3 2

Unexpected Words. Part 2

In the end, not even a single prize winner chose to attend the explanatory meeting about the half-day date.

Yoshino stopped in at the second-year chrysanthemum class on her way to school that day, to touch base with Tanuma Chisato-san.

"About the explanatory meeting scheduled for today, we've made some changes for the participants."

Chisato-san asked what was meant by that, but then dismissed it saying, "Ah, don't bother."

"It's after school, right? Voluntary attendance? You'll give me a document with the main points later? No major changes from last year? In that case, I don't really think I need to attend."

That's probably the benefit of being last year's victor. Of course she didn't have to go, but what's up with that – that tone she used.

"Even though you don't have to go, won't you come along anyway?"

Quickly recovering from the slight, Yoshino tried one more push. Thereupon, the boss nonchalantly said:

"That's not going to happen. Because of my obligations, I'd never considered attending."

"Huh?"

"You see, I've got club activities today."

"Ah."

With that, realization dawned on Yoshino.

"Don't 'Ah,' me. It's been a long time since you've attended. And the event's over now, so it's about time you came back to the kendo club."

" … I suppose."

"Even though you've got a dojo right next door, you're just going home and not even touching your shinai, aren't you?"

" … Yeah."

Talk about kicking over the hornet's nest. Yoshino had been skipping out on club activities, using the election and the event as an excuse. Because Rei-chan wouldn't be there, and it was cold.

It'd been so long since she'd been, that the day they had club practice had slipped her mind.

(I see.)

Because it had been planned without any regard to the schedules of whoever may have found the cards, the explanatory meeting was bound to be canceled. If they hold the event again next year, they'd be better off waiting until the winners were known before setting a date and time for the meeting, or else being a bit more forceful about the requirement to attend. Yoshino made a mental note to tell Mami-san about this later.

"The third-years hardly ever stop by, so there's plenty of space, and now's not the time for you to be missing practice. If things stay like they are, spring will come, new first-years will join, and you'll still be the worst in the club."

That's speaking quite frankly. Yoshino endured the parts she couldn't refute. Like the frozen dojo floor first thing on a winter's morning.

"Pardon my intrusion, I'll be leaving now."

If she rattled the bushes any more, the only thing that would come out would be more trouble. Yoshino decided to beat a hasty retreat.

"Ah, Yoshino-san."

Yoshino thought, "What now?" as she stopped, and Chisato-san said:

"About the plans for the date – since it's a prize for the winner, we can go wherever I want, right?"

"That's correct."

Yoshino looked behind her. It was a bit rude, but she didn't really have any great expectations for the date with Chisato-san. Her feelings were that if there was somewhere Chisato-san wanted to go, then by all means, go ahead.

"Then leave it to me. I'll come up with a brilliant plan and show it to you later."

"Alright, thanks."

Yoshino bowed to Chisato-san, then started walking away once more.

(Just what would be brilliant with you and me… )

As Yoshino walked down the corridor, each and every student she passed seemed to be in a better mood than her.

That was the morning's conversation.

Lunch time. Noriko-chan appeared in the Rose Mansion and apologetically said:

"It seems Touko won't be attending the explanatory meeting. She said she'd be fine with just the print out explaining it. For some reason, outside of class, she's hard to get hold of … Please forgive me."

Watching this from the side, Yoshino thought, "You're only classmates, there's no need to feel so responsible." The heartfelt apology made the circumstances surrounding it look quite tawdry.

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

Yumi-san soothed.

"None of them are coming. It's better this way. Instead, I feel bad about using you as a messenger, Noriko-chan."

For doing something that the person herself was supposed to do, in other words.

"That's fine. If you'd come to our classroom, Yumi-sama, it would have just been a wild goose chase."

"Because she's hard to get hold of? Is she running away from her classmates?"

Touko-chan was the girl of the moment. Perhaps Igawa Ami-san was exercising such extreme caution because she didn't want to end up like that.

"I don't really know. She's there during class, but when there's a break she just seems to go missing."

Yumi-san listened to Noriko-chan's explanation, then folded her arms and looked at the ceiling before muttering, "Is that so."

That was the lunch conversation.

Which brings us to the after-school conversation.

(None of the card holders will attend the explanatory meeting. I guess that's how it goes.)

Yoshino shook her head as she walked down the corridor. No-one shows up to such a boring meeting if it's not compulsory, usually.

Since the planned explanatory meeting had been canceled, they'd also canceled their after-school get together.

(Ah, I'm bored.)

Shimako-san had gone to her previously scheduled periodic meeting with Igawa Ami-san.

Judging by their earlier conversation, Yumi-san had gone searching for Touko-chan.

What would Noriko-chan be doing? Since the meeting had been canceled, perhaps she'd gone home early for a change.

Even if there wasn't a meeting, and even if she was by herself, she could go to the Rose Mansion, take it easy and drink some tea. But she'd feel a bit guilty about that, so Yoshino didn't think that was an option.

(Club activities? I could go to that.)

It had been so long since she'd been that, in truth, it was a bit tough. It was unavoidable while she'd still been busy, but after that excuse had run out she'd just been avoiding it because it was bothersome, which made the barrier grow much higher.

It wasn't just because of what Chisato-san said, but Yoshino didn't want to appear pathetic to the new club members in spring. Having a third-year student who was so hopeless would be a hard sell. Even though she'd only started practicing kendo in second-year, who would know that when they first met her? She'd be better off making a note that said that and pinning it to her chest.

(New students … )

As she was thinking that she should head to the martial arts building, Yoshino realized that she had arrived at the middle-school building. Her legs must have automatically headed in this direction while she'd been thinking about the new club members.

Quickly, she headed towards the middle-school third-year classrooms. Without being summoned, Nana appeared in the hallway.

"Ah, gokigenyou."

When she noticed Yoshino, she said a few words to the students she'd been talking to then rushed over. Was that merely innocence? Or a misunderstanding of her feelings.

"Was there something you wanted from me?"

"Do you have a minute?"

"Yes, of course."

Since Yoshino had come all the way here to see her, Nana-chan was clever enough to realize that she obviously wanted to talk to her about something.

"Good job on the Valentine's Day event."

"Thanks."

Good job indeed. Yoshino was trying to prolong it so much that it even brought her all the way out here. Although a girl two years her junior was hardly going to complain about that.

"And the yellow card was found."

"Pretty much."

"That's great, isn't it?"

"Great!?"

Yoshino couldn't believe her ears when she heard what Nana said.

"Well, the card was hidden so that it could be found, right?"

Nana said, looking puzzled.

"Well, that's true, but even so."

Because it had been found on the day, the absentees wouldn't get their chance in the draw. And since the middle-school students were only allowed to enter the absentee's chance draw, they wouldn't have a shot at the card or the half-day date.

Was she really okay with that? Yoshino was going to ask, but swallowed the words. After all, how did Nana view her existence? Thinking about that, everything became clear. Nana didn't mind whether she won or lost.

"I put in an entry too. But I was completely wrong, I didn't even think about the outside wall of the staff room."

"… I see."

Tentatively, she then gave the answer to be checked. Perhaps hoping to bring it to a close. The disappointment was because she'd had such high hopes.

"I wrote down the martial arts building."

Nana said.

"Hmm, really?"

Yoshino responded, not showing much enthusiasm. Actually, Yoshino knew that without having to ask. Yesterday at lunch, when they'd been sorting through the absentee's entries, Yumi-san had spotted Nana's entry form and handed it to her.

"That was way off."

In other words, Yoshino was a member of the kendo club, so the martial arts building. It was too simple, and would have been found annoyingly fast. Give it a little more thought. And the martial arts building – at least write down where in the building you thought it would be.

"Yeah, it was a bad guess. But it seemed the obvious choice, so I had to go with it."

Even in that case, you should have at least narrowed it down, Nana-chan. Just on principle, Yoshino was mortified once more.

"But I was completely wrong. I'm glad Yoshino-sama chose a far more interesting place than I had imagined. And I'm thankful that you allowed us middle-school students the chance to participate."

Nana said, her eyes shining with gratitude. Based on that expression, Yoshino knew Nana wasn't just saying it to be polite, it was what she truly believed.

(…)

Had she been thinking that she wouldn't be able to participate, even though Yoshino had informed her about it? Surely some amount of expectation was good?

"I'm not sure I really understand. You're saying that overall you were happy with the event, including the outcome?"

"Of course."

Nana smiled, as though to say, "You still don't get it?"

"Even though you only participated, that's okay?"

Yoshino omitted to say whether the other option was overall victory or a reward.

"Yeah, you see."

The next moment, Nana said something completely unexpected.

"I can go on a date with Yoshino-sama any time."

"Ah."

– It goes without saying that, after that, Yoshino gleefully threw herself into her club activities.