Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume6 Chapter1 3

Order. Part 3.

"I hadn't really thought about it, because she didn't receive any other than mine."

Yoshino-san sighed.

"And how many do you think Rei-chan received?"

"... A decent catch."

"Darn right, a decent catch. Fisherman will be lining up to dance with her, with a catch this big."

It was a different kind of catch though. But pointing this out would only double Yoshino-san's grumbling, so she didn't say anything.

The Rose Mansion, on the day after all the excitement.

It was lunch time, and the boutons were having a lunch meeting with Minako-sama from the newspaper club. They stopped by to say this, then headed out to the newspaper club's clubhouse for a review of the event.

And so, just as before, Yumi and Yoshino-san were left by themselves. On the table, Yoshino-san had an over-sized paper bag from which she pulled out box after box, all apparently full of chocolates.

"Those are all for Rei-sama?"

"Yep. Since Rei-chan's so popular."

This time, she wasn't saying that fondly. But, still, Yumi refrained from pointing this out. When started, Yoshino-san's "Rei-chan material" went on and on and on.

"I thought I'd at least be able to commiserate with Yumi-san, who'd be in the same position as me, but what happens? Sachiko-sama doesn't accept chocolates from anyone other than Yumi-san."

"I humbly apologize. For my fastidious onee-sama."

Coming from Yumi, it was filled with love.

"Oh, is that what you call it. In that case, my onee-sama is overly kind."

"Aww, how sweet..."[1]

"Same to you."

The pair turned to each other and bowed in thanks. Well, they had just finished eating their lunches, so it did have the proper appearance.

"So how come you have all these chocolates for Rei-sama?"

"Why indeed? Rei-chan's collector gave them to me."

"Collector?"

"Like, yesterday, the boutons were busy, yeah? So it'd be hard for them to deal with everyone individually. So somebody took charge of being the collector for Rei-chan. They were going to present them after the treasure hunt, but Rei-chan skipped out straight afterwards."

"Hmmm."

"So they gave them to me, because they couldn't catch her. By handing them off to me, I would undoubtedly be able to get them to Rei-chan that day."

"I see..."

Plus, Yumi thought, by using Yoshino-san as the intermediary, they didn't have to put up with her on the way home.

Even if you didn't know how scary Yoshino truly was, surely they would have some hesitation in giving chocolate to someone with a petit soeur. As for Yoshino-san, it was probably much better for her to be given a single bag with all the chocolates, rather than publicly be given them one at a time.

Still, is such a business-like approach really appropriate on this once-a-year memory making opportunity?

"It's good, don't you think?"

Yoshino unfolded the report writing paper she had brought along with her lunch, and started writing some kind of list.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's best that they can make the "I gave you chocolates" appeal to Rei-chan. It's not like she's Rosa Gigantea, no-one has huge expectations of Rei-chan."

As Yoshino-san was speaking, she was also picking up the presents one-by-one, carefully looking at the wrapping paper as though inspecting them, then jotting something down on the report writing paper, for some reason or another.

"Oh, how fortunate. Everyone's name and class is written in a visible location. The collector must have made sure of that. Even though I'm her petit soeur, I still wouldn't open anything addressed to Rei-chan."

She had been grumbling, things like 'Oh look, someone from our class,' when something silenced her.

"Umm, Yoshino-san. What the heck are you doing?"

Yumi thought it rude to interrupt, but she had become concerned and asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm making a list. Silly Rei-chan, on White Day she'll give return gifts to all of them." As she continued her task, Yoshino-san sighed once more.

It seems that on Valentine's Day last year, despite only being a first year, Rei-sama received a number of chocolates. Because it was Rei-sama, she gladly accepted them. Then, on White Day, she made a batch of cookies and candies, and went around and gave them to the people she had received gifts from. So those who were jealous about missing out last year had joined in this year, and so the decent catch.

Apparently Yoshino-san wasn't depressed about Rei-sama's popularity, so much as fed up with both the effort of making the list of the stack of chocolate, and thinking about Rei-chan conscientiously making sweets in one month's time. It was rough on the petit soeur who had to follow such a broad minded onee-sama like Rei-sama.

Thinking she should do something to help, Yumi lined up the scattered presents on the table so that the names where visible when, suddenly.

"Uwaaah."

Yoshino-san cried out.

"What is it?" When Yumi hastily looked up, Yoshino-san remained frozen, looking at the package she held in her hand.

"I saw an unpleasant name."

Yumi asked, "Which one?" and came over beside her to take a look.

"Tanuma Chisato?"

Who was she?

At times like this, Yumi was cursed with insufficient personal information. She'd heard that name somewhere before. Probably a first year, but she couldn't distinctly remember a face.

"So for Yumi-san, you don't mind who the other person is."

" - Which means for Yoshino-san, she's an undesirable partner... Ahh!"

"You've got it. She's Rei-chan's partner for the date."

Her memories of yesterday came back – Yoshino-san clicking her tongue, grinding her teeth, stamping her feet on the floor and even raising her voice a little. At any rate, it had been very easy to see the chagrin written all over her face.

Yoshino-san had almost made it to the end-game, but had not been able to find Rei-sama's hidden card. In a come from behind victory it went to Tanuma Chisato-san's group. That by itself was vexing, but what made it twice as bad was that they were the girls that had been shadowing Yoshino-san along the way.

Really, she looked like she wanted to rip that present apart, or spit on it, but at sixteen her judgment told her that she couldn't do that.

"Well then."

Having let her feelings out, Yoshino-san matter-of-factly jotted down her rival's name and returned the present to the paper bag.

"What is it?"

Yoshino-san asked, noticing Yumi's gaze.

"You seem to be handling this quite well."

"Well, of course. It's not good for your health to store up bad feelings. And if you spit it out, you can't change that you'll have to suck it up a second time... Especially now, no matter how I think about it, it's unjustified resentment. And that's not a good thing to carry around."

"Incredible. I understand."

"Well yeah, we've been hanging around each other for a while."

But don't get me wrong, I'm not concerned about whether other people can see this, Yoshino-san said. Hearing this, Yumi was a bit gladdened. Because she heard it as 'I can confide in you.'

She didn't take pleasure in finding fault with other people, but remembering the words that Rosa Chinensis once spoke, "Friends are there to take up such unpleasant duties," she thought that perhaps this was what she meant. Of course, there was a friendship between them, so this was excusable.

"Yoshino-san"

"What?"

"Let's be good friends forever."

Letting out a giggle as she tried to cope with the surprise attack, Yoshino-san went a bit red in the face and said, seemingly a bit angrily.

"Wh... What are you thinking, saying that, Yumi-san?"

Averting her gaze with all her might, Yumi focused on the table. As for Yoshino-san, she forced herself to resume drawing up her list.

"You don't have to feel shy."

"It's not shyness."

Yoshino-san raised her head and retaliated with a glare.

"Well then, why don't you respond? I like you, Yoshino-san, so I want to be good friends with you, like the Roses.... Or do you dislike me?"

When Yumi asked this, Yoshino-san's guarded expression loosened, but she took on a serious look.

"... I don't dislike you, okay."

"Then, you like me?"

"Yumi-san, how is it that you can say these things and not be embarassed."

"It's not something I could say in front of Sachiko-sama."

"Ehh, I could say this as much as I want to Rei-chan. I could say anything to her."

For both of them, it changed. What they could say when facing their soeur. Once more, the two of them burst into laughter simultaneously. The style may be different, but again they matched quite well.

Yoshino-san stood up and held out her hand.

"I look forward to working with you."

Yumi also stood up and held out her hand.

"Likewise."

In the air above the chocolates that were spread out over the table, the two right hands were tightly joined.

They may be a way off from an adult friendship like the Roses, but at least they had a target, so they should be able to build a good friendship. If the occupants of the Rose Mansion remained as they were, her second and third years would also be spent associating with Yoshino-san.

"Now that we've confirmed our friendship, can I ask you a question?"

Yumi said, as they were still shaking hands.

"What?"

"It's about the date."

"What's with that."

Yoshino-san started with a dubious expression, then muttered, fed up with it.

"I don't want to remember such an unpleasant thing."