Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume6 Chapter3 7

Main. Part 7.

"Ah"

Yumi realized the person she had seen in the bookshop this morning was Yoshino-san when the exact same thing happened and she saw her reflection out of the corner of her eye.

The place was a street that was a short distance from the station. Despite the distance, there were quite a few people coming and going due to the stylish stores that dotted the area.

"Yoshino-san?"

She hadn't really wanted to meet anyone she knew, but something about Yoshino-san made her call out to her.

"Ah, Yumi-san."

When Yoshino-san turned around, Yumi was relieved to see that she looked more cheery than she had originally thought. Even allowing for the light of the setting sun, it had looked as though Yoshino-san's face had a shadow over it.

"Yumi-san... ahh, you're on your date. Ah, Sachiko-sama, gokigenyou."

"Gokigenyou, Yoshino-chan."

"I'm glad to see you're having fun, Yumi-san."

Yoshino-san looked at the shopping bags that Sachiko-sama and Yumi were holding and smiled. Even so, she was probably thinking of Rei-sama, because she didn't seem to be completely full of pep.

"Yoshino-san, are you by yourself? Were you buying something?"

Belatedly, Yumi realized her faux pas only after saying it. Why is it that she always says too much? She just has to say things that shouldn't be said.

"Yeah. Well, I've finished my shopping but – "

It turned into an awkward pause.

"Yoshino-chan, if you've finished what you were doing, would you like to have tea with us? I think that's what Yumi was trying to say."

Nice save Sachiko-sama. In her mind, Yumi clasped her hands together in gratitude. Thanks to her, the cracks that were appearing in Yoshino-san's facade had been halted.

"Tea …?"

"Uh, right. I thought we would go to that café. You know, the one Miss Kawagoe mentioned in her interview with the 'Lillian Kawaraban.'"

That mention had probably led to a small boom of high school students visiting the store and ordering the cake set.

K station was relatively close to school, and it was quite good. What made it more tempting was that from the outside it didn't look like a café at all. The exterior looked like an old, wooden Western-style house, but when you open the door you enter into a café. There were no billboards advertising it, so everyone at school referred to it as 'that café'

She wasn't allowed to visit cafés on the way home from school just yet, so Yumi hadn't been. When she decided that the date should be around K station, she thought she couldn't pass up the chance to go to that café.

"But, I'd just intrude, right?"

Yoshino-san glanced at the two of them and smiled. She was probably being considerate because she knew it was their first date.

"That's not true at all. The more, the merrier. Right, Yumi?"

"Ah, yeah."

Even as she gave a nod of approval, Yumi was conflicted. She wanted to help out a friend in need, but she was also somewhat suspicious that Sachiko-sama really would enjoy it more with three people rather than just the two of them.

Yoshino-san said, "In that case," and agreed, so it was decided that the three of them would go together to that café. Along the way, Yumi gave a summary of how they had spent the day so far. Window shopping, lunch at a fast food restaurant, buying a pair of jeans from the jeans shop, buying a pair of sneakers from the shoe shop, buying a dictionary from the book shop, buying some sheet music from the music shop – . Come to think of it, the only one doing any shopping was Sachiko-sama.

She didn't ask how Yoshino-san had spent her day. For some reason, she thought Yoshino-san probably didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh, right, Yumi. How much do we have left in the envelope right now?"

Yumi was left confused when Sachiko-sama suddenly asked her about the balance of their funds that she was taking care of.

"Umm, we haven't spent anything since lunch, so there should be enough left."

The café at the end was the main event, so she had made sure there would be enough left for cake sets for the two of them.

"Then, Yoshino-chan. I'm sorry, but can you please add half of the amount that's remaining into the envelope."

"Huh? Onee-sama?"

Yumi had absolutely no idea what she was planning on doing. But Yoshino-san got the better of the startled Yumi and agreed.

"I thank you for your consideration, and I'll accept your offer."

Yoshino-san took the money from her own purse and put it into the envelope that Yumi was holding.

"….?"

"Yumi-san, there's no way you thought Sachiko-sama was being greedy, right?"

"No, no way."

But she felt unworthy of being Sachiko-sama's petit soeur because she did actually think that, just a little.

Yoshino-san whispered to her.

"Paying separately would be lonely, right? Alternatively, if you shouted me I would feel even more like a third wheel. Since I'm joining up with your date, it's my responsibility to pay my share, right?"

So Sachiko-sama was being kind to her, she said. Yumi only realized this when Yoshino-san told her.

"I see..."

Incredible.

Just like her.

So cool.

And like that, Yumi was back to being happy.

"Onee-sama"

Yumi rushed over and clung to Sachiko-sama's arm. She didn't know why, but it was something she suddenly wanted to do.

"What is it?"

"I'm incredibly happy that I was able to spend today with you, onee-sama."

It didn't matter that Yoshino-san was beside them, or that somebody might see them. As long as Sachiko-sama was by her side, where she could see her, where she could hear her voice and where she could touch her with her hand like so. That was enough. That was all she could ask for.

"You're heavy, you know."

Despite saying this, Sachiko-sama didn't try to disentangle herself. Softly, Yoshino-san cheered them on with a 'Go go.'