Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume4 Chapter8

With the archenemy

Part 1.

"We're here."

I don't know what roads we'd taken, nor how we may have looked driving across them, but somehow we'd managed to reach our destination without getting in an accident. I don't remember how many times I must have repeated prayers.

"And… it doesn't look like heaven, yet."

Gathering some composure, I looked outside the window. We were in an extremely quiet, green neighborhood. It wasn't the quiet you'd describe the countryside with, like you would my home. The trees, which were grown with a clear esthetic sense, grew thick over the towering fences surrounding the site, as well as colored the peaceful promenade as roadside trees.

"Where are we?"

"Where we're staying tonight."

"You were serious?"

Rosa Gigantea was so carefree that I'd begun to doubt her words entirely.

"Of course I was serious. Hold on."

Rosa Gigantea stepped out of the car and pressed the interphone button in front of her.

(Interphone?)

It was a house with an interphone placed conspicuously right on the gate, like you would expect any other house. But of course, I felt out of place. Not because of the interphone, but because the interphone belonged to a house that was far, far larger than your regular house. Let's just say, it's larger than mine. By far.

Rosa Gigantea did say a friend's house, but I definitely didn't expect a house this large. I mean, I don't even know how large the house is, because I can't see the end of the fence from inside the car. I felt faint.

"And I'm back."

As Rosa Gigantea settled back into the driver's seat, the gate opened.

"Wow."

It was surprising enough that the gate opened by itself, but the intensity of the world that lay beyond it made me gulp.

"This isn't a school nor hospital, right?"

"Hahahah. I see."

After laughing, Rosa Gigantea pointed to the splendid nameplate that hung on the gate, as she slowly nudged the car forward.

I read it.

"Ogasawara."

(Eh?)

I re-read it, doubting my eyes.

Ogasawara.

The car slid through the gate. The afterimage of the plate was burnt into my mind.

"Umm, umm."

I became speechless, trying to say so many things at once. Opening and closing my mouth, not being able to make my vocal cords work, I clutched at Rosa Gigantea's arm, imploring her to stop.

"So, Yumi-chan, how do you feel?"

"Then, this is Sachiko-sama's-"

"Righto!"

"Rosa Gigantea, you liar! You never said we were going to Sachiko-sama's house!"

"Yes I did, I said we're going to a friend's house. And Sachiko's a friend, right? So I wasn't lying."

That's just a sophism! It was so obvious she'd been fudging over the fact so she could surprise me.

"But who cares. Yumi-chan, you wanted to see Sachiko, didn't you?"

"Of-of course, but, I mean…"

Then what, she asked, but I didn't know how to answer. But if she just drove me to Sachiko-sama like this, I don't know what I'd do. I wasn't in good condition, kind of.

"I haven't readied myself."

"Why? You see Sachiko every day at school, stop being so nervous. Relax, relax."

I wished she could lend me even a tenth of her composure. Rosa Gigantea ignored my petition and slowly moved the car along. It was like a forest after going through the gate, but there was a tube-like tunnel for the winding pathway through it.

"I mean, after all, it's not like we're going to Sachiko's parents and asking, 'May I have your daughter?' or something."

"P-parents!?"

I hadn't even thought about that. Sachiko's household meant, obviously, her parents would be in. What a rude "little sister" to be intruding on the second of the new year.

I wanted Rosa Gigantea to turn around, but it was too late for that. We'd already pushed ourselves into the house, the moment she used the interphone.

(Rosa Gigantea, I hate you so much.)

When they finally finished passing through the forest, she found herself in the middle of an English-style garden, with a building that looked like a mansion, or maybe even more like a castle, in view.

"Umm, I think it was a right."

Rosa Gigantea turned the wheel, and they saw something like a parking lot. Something like, because there were other cars, but otherwise you wouldn't have been able to tell. As for why, that's because it was spacious enough to easily fit twenty plus cars, but unlike the parking lot at a supermarket or something of the sort, it had a neat roof.

"I have a bad feeling."

Rosa Gigantea muttered, as she saw a shiny, polished, red open-car in the lot.

"Bad feeling?"

"I can't explain it, but that car gives me a really bad feeling."

"Huh?"

"Umm, just think about what kind of guy that might belong to."

Rosa Gigantea deliberately chose the furthest spot from that red car, and parked. Red and yellow. It would be like a stoplight if they had a green car. When I looked at the other two cars parked in this space, I realized it was the parking lot for visitors, because there were no black cars.

"Alright, alright."

I stepped out of the car and helped guide Rosa Gigantea's parking, and imagined "what kind of guy that might belong to." Someone that's self-confident, conceited and narcissistic.

"Ahh!"

"What, what, Yumi-chan!?"

Rosa Gigantea, not used to parking, reacted to my voice, slamming the breaks and quickly sticking her head out of her window. She thought she was about to hit or scrape something.

"Oh, sorry, you're still alright."

"… Don't scare me like that."

She turned off the engine and tottered out of the car, holding a hand to her breast. Well, it looked like she was nervous about driving, after all. Plus, the car belonged to her mother, she said.

"Could it be… the prince?"

"Oh, that car? Yeah, I'm thinking the gingko kingdom prince."

We retrieved the presents, our belongings, and the food we bought at the temple, and walked toward the building.

"Because it's New Year's. Because they're cousins. Because they're fiancées."

I mumbled to myself. That it wasn't surprising that he was at Sachiko-sama's house.

"But Yumi-chan is boring."

"Ah…"

But in my case, I don't know if boring or interesting were a good way to describe me.

"Maybe that's why I was called."

As always, Rosa Gigantea abbreviated her sentences, so I needed someone to translate for me.

"Who called you?"

"Sachiko."

Of course, was Rosa Gigantea's facial expression. Maybe she knew everything, but I'd finally begun to understand what was going on. And even then, just roughly.

"So, Sachiko-sama called you?"

"Of course, what did you think?"

"That Rosa Gigantea was invading."

When I answered truthfully, Rosa Gigantea flicked my forehead, "How rude."

"She asked about my New Year's plans, and then said, 'Then would you like to come over to play?' She specifically singled out this date, Sachiko."

So Rosa Gigantea seriously tried to gather the three Rose families for a hatsumoude, but Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida turned her down for prior arrangements (not that she was surprised, because she came up with the idea the afternoon before New Year's Day), and right when she gave up hope, Sachiko-sama called her with the pleasant invitation, so she took me along.

"But that would mean I wasn't called."

"Why? When I mentioned your name, she said, 'Bring her, please.'"

"Really!?"

Rosa Gigantea's words made me ecstatic.

"You know, both of you are so unlike one another, but for some reason you both are so passive. If you're both 'waiting' for the other to act, a hundred years'll pass before anything happens."

Right when Rosa Gigantea made her happy, she immediately dropped the floor out from under her feet. A hundred years'll pass- what a harsh way to put it.

"Speaking of which, what was the gingko prince's name?"

Had Rosa Gigantea tried to eradicate his existence from her mind? The gingko prince's name.

"Umm-"

But I couldn't remember.

I remembered his name wasn't Ogasawara, despite being her cousin. But it sounded like it came from the Tale of the Genji.

Ahh, I couldn't remember peoples' names lately. Should I start all over again from A?

"Oh, whatever, who cares about him."

Rosa Gigantea stood in front of the big, entrance-like door, and yanked on the chain dangling in front of her, ringing the doorbell.

It looked awesome. The building itself was very antique. I imagined a white-haired gentleman coming out, in a crisp, black suit, like in those western-style movies. Like a butler.

After a moment, I heard the lock being opened from inside. Unlike the gate, this one was manual.

"Satou-sama? Please come in."

The door was opened. But the person that answered the door wasn't a butler, as I'd imagined. Well, they were both men, I suppose, but he wasn't wearing a suit, nor did he have white hair. In fact, I recognized him. "Huh?"

"Huh?"

We both spoke up. Not Rosa Gigantea and I, but the person who opened the door and I.

We looked at each other with a surprised face, like we were wondering if there was a mirror in front of us. Because the person on the other side of the door "wasn't supposed to be there."

"Yuuki…?"

"Yumi…?"

I tried to get an answer from Rosa Gigantea. But it wasn't a continuation of her bag of tricks. Rosa Gigantea was also looking at us siblings, with amusement.

"What's going on?"

A tall man crept up from the hallway behind Yuuki.

"Yo, welcome."

When I saw him, the fog cleared from my brain.

(It was "ka"!)

The person who wrote Yuuki a New Year's card, the name I thought looked familiar. It was the tall man standing in front of me. –Ka, I remembered I skipped past it, for some reason.

Ka, for Kashiwagi.

Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi Suguru.

Rosa Gigantea and I both thought it was certainly not amusing that he was here, standing in front of us. The gingko prince, Kashiwagi Suguru. As always, he wore an invigorating smile on his face, and had the look of, "I belong here."

-And he rested a hand on my brother's shoulder.

Part 2.

"Oh, welcome, Rosa Gigantea, Yumi."

About ten seconds after Kashiwagi-san's appearance, Sachiko-sama showed up at the foyer in a kimono.

"Happy New Year's, onee-sama. Thank you for inviting me today."

I hurriedly took off my coat and gave my New Year's greeting. But the paper bag with candy, the vinyl bag with okonimiyaki and stuff, and my shoulder bag got in the way, so it was very imperfect.

"Happy New Year's."

For the first time this year, Sachiko-sama gave me a flowery smile.

A like, peach-colored kimono with small, yellow flower embroidery (they're called fine patterns, I found out later). And on top of that, a grape-tea colored haori with butterfly patterns. It was even more brilliant than the clothing she wore for the Japanese paintings exhibit some time ago, but she wore it like it was her every-day clothing, and that made it look even better. She'd gathered her straight, black hair with one ornamental hairpin, ending up with a relatively casual hairstyle. She didn't have any make-up, but she still looked absolutely captivating.

Sachiko-sama said, "Please," and led us down the hallway.

Oh, how I wanted to brag, to anyone, really.

Look at how lovely my onee-sama looks. I wanted to run around bragging. –But this wasn't the time to be thinking things like that.

"Why're you here?"

I grabbed Yuuki's sleeve, as we walked, and asked. As his elder sister, and as Sachiko-sama's little sister, I had to ask him.

"What do you mean, why?"

Yuuki asked back.

"Why is this Yuuki's 'friend's house'?"

"I don't know, either. It just ended up like this. I mean, I really intended to sleep over at Kobayashi's house, but Kashiwagi-senpai kidnapped me in the middle."

Apparently, Kobayashi-kun and Kashiwagi-san had played a game at the arcade over Yuuki, and Kobayashi-kun lost. But why did they have to bet Yuuki?"

"Really?"

And how's he related to Kashiwagi-san, Yumi thought, as she looked at Kashiwagi-san standing naturally next to Yuuki, but then they met eyes, and he smiled.

"Fukuzawa is a pretty common name, so I had no idea, that Yumi-chan was Yukichi's big sis."

"I wish you wouldn't call her 'Yumi-chan' in such an intimate way, Kashiwagi-san."

Rosa Gigantea cautioned Kashiwagi-san.

"Oh, Rosa Gigantea, I'm not sure you can talk. Because she's Sacchan's sister, isn't she? Sacchan's sister is like my sister."

"I don't like that 'Sacchan' either."

"I can't help it. I've called her Sacchan ever since she was born."

Rosa Gigantea, and her previously mentioned "same species" person, blasted invisible fireworks at each other as they walked down the hallway. And to the side of that, I kept interrogating Yuuki.

"You're called 'Yukichi' at school?"

"… Please don't ask."

It sounded like my brother had his own set of troubles at school.

"Welcome. I'm glad we have more visitors."

At first glance, the lady looked like she might be Sachiko-sama's mother, as she stood up from the living-room seat and greeted us.

"Happy New Year's. Long time no see, aunt Sayako."

"Oh my, Sei-san, have you been well?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Rosa Gigantea had switched completely into "speaking to adults" mode. But this didn't feel like she was putting on a good face, as she definitely seemed to think well of Sachiko-sama's mother.

"Mother, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Fukuzawa Yumi."

"P, pleasure to make your acquaintance, thank you for inviting me today…"

"Oh, how cute. Sachiko-san, you have a good eye."

On top of the nightingale-colored, floral fine pattern, she wore a deep crimson haori, and this was brilliant to look at, too. But it was definitely not flamboyant, instead looking extremely refined, and maybe it was because of something that ran in their family's blood.

"Do call me Sayako, and I shall call you Yumi-chan, okay?"

"Yes."

And of course, Rosa Gigantea didn't raise a complaint this time. Come to think of it, I didn't really like Kashiwagi-san called me "-chan" either. But Sachiko-sama's mother was perfectly okay.

"Okay, Yumi-chan. The second is a vacation day for the Ogasawara household, every year. None of our housekeepers are here, so there's not a whole lot we can do for you, but in turn, most of the worrisome men are not home, either, so make yourself home."

"How cruel, aunt. You make it sound like I'm a bother. I worried everyone may be feeling lonesome, so I even brought a kouhai to help be the bodyguards."

Kashiwagi-san said, as he brought tea.

"Oh, I'm sorry. But Suguru-san is a different story. Men that will pour tea for us are perfectly welcome."

"I am grateful."

Laughing, satisfied, Kashiwagi-san placed tea cups filled with Japanese tea before each person. Sachiko-sama placed the pastry that Yuuki and I had brought, although at different timings, on a pastry tray and placed it before us, saying, "Thank you very much."

I was Rosa Gigantea's assistant, microwaving the takoyaki and okonomiyaki and toumorokoshi and everything else we'd bought at the temple. The kitchen in Sachiko-sama's house was extremely big, and there was even a big oven range for heavy-duty use, but no one knew how to operate it, so we just used the family-use electric microwave to heat everything bit by bit.

"What a rare occasion."

Aunt Sayako said, as she happily ate the temple food. For the wife of the Ogasawara household, this sort of food wasn't something she could see very often. Maybe Rosa Gigantea bought all of this knowing that fact. If so, she was definitely formidable.

(But, what is this?)

Am I the only one finding it odd that this lineup of people ate temple food together while sipping tea?

The clock had just passed four in the afternoon.

Part 3.

So, without really figuring out what was going on, we began playing a poem card game, and I was swept along with the momentums, so without realizing it, I actually began playing around with Sachiko-sama's mortal enemy, Kashiwagi-san.

We'd moved places to the Japanese-style room, which is where we ended up playing. The scent of the freshly-laid tatami tickled my nostrils, and the room was decorated with a lavish India-ink hanging scroll and a shouchikubai flower arrangement. This room was designed so that if you removed the sliding doors, it could become twice or even three times as spacious.

The results of the match were, of course, the complete defeat of the Fukuzawa siblings, who weren't used to playing such a refined game. In contrast, the Ogasawara relatives had years of experience, so there was simply too much of a difference in skill. That said, even though it was obvious how things would turn out, losing was vexing.

"Okay, how about diving up into teams and playing cards?"

Kashiwagi-san suggested.

Rosa Gigantea, who'd lost to Kashiwagi-san by one point, agreed vigorously. She seemed to be looking at it as a chance to take revenge.

"Sure, but how should we split teams?"

"If we do the Fukuzawa siblings, then the Ogasawara family, that would leave Rosa Gigantea and I-"

"What-!?"

Yuuki and I, as well as Rosa Gigantea all raised a complaining voice. Of course. Turning it into a team match was theoretically supposed to be to even things up, so sticking the inexperienced Fukuzawa siblings together was absurd.

That said, Rosa Gigantea was complaining for a different reason. They had bad blood between them, so the two of them teaming up wouldn't end too well.

"If half object, I guess that idea's been rejected."

He probably said it just to say it. Because he backed down quickly.

I glanced at Sachiko-sama, who was putting away the poem card game. She looked like she didn't really care who she was paired with. Aunt Sayako, to her right, looked the same. They're so mature.

I mean, I'm not saying it aloud, but I wouldn't like it if Sachiko-sama and Kashiwagi-san were paired. And like Rosa Gigantea, I would prefer if I wasn't paired with him, either. But if everyone said something that selfish, we wouldn't get anywhere.

"Auntie and I, Sachiko and Yumi-chan, and the two men?"

-Suggested Rosa Gigantea. Kashiwagi-san seemed to be pleased by the suggestion, too.

"What a wonderful arrangement. Yukichi, come here."

Kashiwagi-san slid to the side, opening the space next to him. He seemed to be in very good humor.

(…?)

I knew Kashiwagi-san was a homosexual, but was he really that fond of placing the raccoon-faced Yuuki next to him? I mean, I'm not a male homosexual, so I can't really say much about it. Speaking of which, Yuuki was the one being rather indecisive.

"Onee-sama, shall I come over?"

"Please."

I settled down where Yuuki used to be. Rosa Gigantea slid over, and with that, every pair was able to sit next to each other.

"What first?"

Rosa Gigantea shuffled the plastic cards with blinding speed.

"Shall we start with babanuki[1]?"

Aunt Sayako giggled.

"Yumi, you're in charge of taking the card from the neighbor."

"Ah."

"Okay? Be insentient as you do it, and then hand it to me. I'll manage our cards."

Sachiko-sama whispered in my ear, at the start.

"Oh, battle plans? How friendly."

Rosa Gigantea laughed, teasing, but I didn't understand that "battle plan." Because babanuki was luck-based, wasn't it? It's a simple game where you discard pairs while taking and giving cards?

But I realized it wasn't so simple. It was usually an individual game, so that left one person on each team free to perform a task. Thus, the game hinged on how that free person was used.

(What… what?)

Right after everyone spread out their cards in a fan, Kashiwagi-san just stared at me. We were going clockwise, so sitting to our left, they would take cards from Sachiko-sama.

Wondering why he was doing that, I took a card from aunt Sayako's fan.

(Insentient, insentient.)

However. I glanced at the card as I handed it to Sachiko-sama, and I reflexively went, "Erk!"

(J, Joker…)

The Joker is the "baba." How unfortunate to draw the Joker in the first turn. Then, Kashiwagi-san's eyes glimmered.

"Yumi-chan, you just drew 'baba' didn't you.'

"Ah."

When I shouted, Yuuki and Rosa Gigantea, whom were supposed to be enemies, both said, "Idiot." And Sachiko-sama, to my side, sighed.

Of course, my reaction at drawing the joker was bad enough, but then my reaction to his question was even worse. It was like saying, "Yes, we have the Joker."

"So that's what you meant by insentient."

Sachiko-sama said, "Don't worry, we just started," and placed a reassuring hand on my depressed shoulders.

I learnt a lesson. You couldn't underestimate "babanuki." It's a poker-like adult's game.

Afterward, I pulled cards while singing "Maria-sama's soul" in my mind. As a result of it, the game continued without a hitch, and we were able to finish first. Maria-sama may have lent her strength to us.

But when it came to intellectual games like shichinarabe[2] and doubt, Kashiwagi-san and Rosa Gigantea showed immense skill.

"Yumi-chan, keep this in mind. Men that are good at shichinarabe are men you want to avoid at all costs."

"If I may interject, ladies that are great at doubt are like they're admitting they're great liars, are they not?"

And so they argued. Rosa Gigantea and Kashiwagi-san were like archenemies. They were similar, and yet very contradictory.

"Shall we take a break?"

Aunt Sayako said, and their circle crumbled. They looked like they were relaxed, but everyone was pretty focused.

After the poetry card game, babanuki, shichinarabe, doubt, scum, rummy, concentration, page one, and then ladders, so it was already past eight. Time flies when you're having fun. I looked at the score we kept on a notepad and was surprised we'd played so much.

"Where could I wash my hands?"

I stood up.

"Oh, I'll lead you."

Rosa Gigantea went with me. She knew her way around another person's house. She took my hand and lead me down the halls.

"Rosa Gigantea, have you been here before?"

She seemed to know Sachiko-sama's mother, too.

"Indeed. This year, no, I guess it's more like last summer, I came over. Rosa Chinensis was with me, of course."

"Mmm."

"Jealous?"

Rosa Gigantea stopped and pinched my cheeks. I'm not being sullen!

"It was before I became her sister."

It would be illogical to be jealous, I thought. I mean, of course. That said, I also felt it was natural that I'd be a bit envious when listening to stories about onee-sama before I came to know her. So in the end, I probably was being sullen.

"Righto, youths with bright futures shouldn't be bothered by the past."

Rosa Gigantea opened the brown door in front of her. That seemed to be the washroom. It seemed like it wasn't designed just for one person, so Rosa Gigantea came in, too.

A rich person's house seemed to be on a different scale from a regular house in every way. It was like a miniature version of the washroom at the high-class hotel I went to, when my cousin married last month. The floor used a fluffy carpet material, there were powder room corners separate from the washing counter, and hand towels were neatly folded in a cute basket, imploring you to use them. The lighting utensils were shaped like flowers, and it was just lovely.

There were three individual rooms. And each bathroom was around twice as large as the western-style toilets. Apparently this was the visitors' restroom, and there were other, employee-use restrooms and family-use restrooms fitted around the house. Sachiko-sama's room came with a bathroom and toilet, so this house was definitely like a hotel.

"After we graduate, you should just come over to visit every now and then."

When I was washing my hands, Rosa Gigantea began speaking to my reflection on the mirror.

"What?"

"Probably when her uncles and father aren't home, like today."

"I don't follow?"

When I asked, she said, "Wait a second," washed her hands, and dried her hands using the dry parts of the hand towel I used, before turning to me.

"Today, the Ogasawara men are with their other women."

"Eh!?"

"I told you about this before, didn't I? The men in this household are unique, they have other houses. On New Year's Day they have an exquisite party with their main household, right? And then on the second and third, they call it a vacation and let their housekeepers go home. And then the men go to the number twos. Actually maybe it's the other way around. Because the men aren't home, the housekeepers can take a break. Not that it matters."

"Then, the third is with their number threes, and the fourth is…"

I wasn't really trying to joke, but Rosa Gigantea laughed, anyways.

"I don't think I hear the term 'number three' used much. Anyways, I'm sure the men of this household have that many. Actually, I hear they have a meal party with the executives from their company on the fourth, so they come home by then."

"You're pretty knowledgeable."

"Jealous?"

"… A bit."

When I grumbled, Rosa Gigantea grinned.

"People have their roles. She can't really show her weaknesses to you, because you're her little sister, you know? Likewise, I don't show any weaknesses to Sachiko, either."

"Then, why?"

"Sachiko's onee-sama is my friend."

"Rosa Chinensis…!"

Of course, Sachiko-sama was like Rosa Gigantea's little sister. Then she would talk to Rosa Gigantea whenever she was in a bind-

"Right, she told me. And Sachiko knows about that, so it's alright."

"Ah."

"In the end, it just means Rosa Chinensis trusts me. And by doing so, she's able to use me. And as a result, I'm just doing as she wants me to do."

"Umm."

Now she was losing me.

"In other words, the goal was to bring Yumi-chan and brighten the place. It's lonesome to sit here alone with her mother, while the men are off with other women. So we come in, brighten the place, and make everyone happy."

"Ah… oh, I get it."

So I don't need to wonder about any ulterior motives for buying temple food, eating them here, sipping tea, and playing card games all day.

"There was an unexpected person, but hey, everything's worked out, so who cares."

"I'm sorry."

Yuuki was probably the unexpected person. Of course, Kashiwagi-san was the one who brought him, but as his elder sister, I ended up feeling a bit responsible.

"No, Kashiwagi probably thought the same thing when he brought him."

"Brightening the day?"

"Yup. And Yumi-chan's brother is just like you, fitting in well and all. As expected of cousins, I guess? He knew what kind of person Sachiko-sama might be comfortable with."

"Ah."

I got a slightly better opinion of him, but I think I'll never able to like Kashiwagi-san. Rosa Gigantea opened the door to the hallway and crinkled her nose as she grinned.

Part 4.

When we returned to the Japanese-style room, no one was there, so when we wandered around trying to find everyone, we found aunt Sayako in the living room we first sat down in.

"Oh, you two, would you like sushi?"

Aunt Sayako had been going to and fro, but she decided to wait at the living room to tell us where everyone had gone.

"Umm."

The two of them simply nodded, not knowing whether they were asked if they liked sushi or if they were hungry. Of course, they liked sushi, but they'd been munching on pastries while playing cards, so they weren't particularly hungry. Rosa Gigantea seemed to feel the same.

"Mother, just how many did you order?"

Sachiko-sama came from the foyer carrying three varnished wooden boxes. And aunt Sayako placed an index finger to her jaw as she looked up and thought.

"Umm… eight, I think."

Sachiko-sama raised an eyebrow.

"Do you remember how many people are here? There are only six."

Of course, I thought. I silently supported Sachiko-sama. There are only six, so what kind of calculation ends up with eight?

"But, I thought young men eat a lot."

"But we were grabbing snacks, so I don't think anyone is that hungry?"

"I didn't think that deeply about it. Gosh, Sachiko-san, you don't have to be so harsh."

Feigning cross-ness, aunt Sayako rolled her eyes at Sachiko-sama.

(… Cute.)

It might be rude saying this about an older woman, but aunt Sayako was so cute you'd want to hug her. Soft, gentle, and refined. Someone you might want to just sit in a room, like an ohina-sama, and watch. They looked so similar, being mother and daughter, but she was so different from Sachiko-sama. Oh, but Sachiko-sama sulks in front of Rosa Chinensis, too.

"More importantly, Sachiko-san, do you know where the tea cups and tea caddies are?"

"Suguru-san poured tea a moment ago, did he not?"

"I'm asking because I can't find Suguru-san. All the housekeepers being away is a little inconvenient."

She seemed to truly mean it, and I thought, wow, that's not really the kind of sentence a regular person would utter. Ever.

(She might be even more of a princess than Sachiko-sama.)

Born into good lineage, married into a plutocratic family, and surrounded by servants, I suppose if you're a wife of a house like this, you would never once pour tea for yourself.

"Though I do know where the teapot is. Oh, Sachiko-san, can you put the tea leaves into the teapot? But I couldn't find the tea caddies, either. Oh, but we received tea as a New Year's gift, where did we put them?"

"…" As I thought, aunt Sayako-sama had not poured tea for herself in years.

"Aunt Sayako, I'll pour the tea."

Noticing this, Rosa Gigantea stepped forward. Actually, I was just pondering whether I should tag along, too. Kashiwagi-san was pouring tea on top of the wagon, so the tea caddies were probably on the wagon. And we'd split up the dishes for washing before we began the poetry game, and washed them, so the tea cups were probably still in the drying machine.

"Then, Yumi, come help."

"Yes."

I carried the sushi with Sachiko-sama. Five varnished wooden boxes were stacked at the foyer. She really ordered eight boxes, aunt Sayako. But personally, it was the first time I'd seen sushi in square boxes, as opposed to sushi tubs.

When I began walking, carrying three, Sachiko-sama stopped me, "Wait," and then took one.

"Oh, onee-sama, I can carry three."

"Just wait."

She said, and she walked in front of me.

"Yumi."

After five steps, Sachiko-sama suddenly stopped.

"Yes?"

So, I stopped, too.

"… Thank you."

"Huh?"

I didn't know why I was being thanked, so I asked back with an oddly high-pitched voice. But onee-sama, as usual, just continued forth, having said what she wanted to say.

"Onee-samaaa."

Onee-sama was carrying more sushi boxes than me, so why was I being thanked?

I stood for a moment, left behind in the dark hallway, and mumbled to myself.

"I don't understand."

But, my heart felt like it was about to burst.

Even without understanding exactly what she meant, I still felt the feelings behind what onee-sama said to me as she stepped in front of me.

So, even if I may not have gotten everything, I still answered, "Yes," and followed her.

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