Maria Sama Ga Miteru:Volume12 Chapter4

The Rich Princes and Princesses

Part 1

Wednesday.

As usual, Sachiko-sama spent the morning reading. Yumi copied her, with the complete works of Natsume Soseki open on her lap, silently turning the pages. But at some point she couldn't take it any more and let out a deep sigh.

"What's the matter?" Sachiko-sama asked.

"Oh, nothing, it's just the book," Yumi answered.

Her spirits had been dampened from reading the part of "Kokoro" where the protagonist discussed his betrayal of his close friend. Plus, she felt those melancholic feelings had been spurred on by the fact that she was just sitting still, repeatedly running down line after line of text.

But then an unexpected visitor arrived at the summer house.

"Hey, Yumi."

Standing in the entrance, grinning and waving with his left hand, was a raccoon-faced figure wearing a familiar dungaree shirt.

"Yuuki. What are you doing here. . . ?"

For there was no doubting that it was her younger brother standing there in the entrance.

"I told you, right? We're having our meeting out here."

"Well you did say that, but—" Yumi started, but finished in thought, "I had no idea you'd come and visit." Although she had imagined they might run into each other around town.

"My, Yuuki-san. It's been a while. Please, come inside." Sachiko-sama appeared and invited him in, probably having been informed of Yuuki's arrival by Kyo-san.

"No, I have to get going, I only came to give my sister something she forgot."

Yuuki held out his right hand, which he'd been hiding behind his back, revealing her white parasol.

"You left it on the back seat of dad's car. You can't start your fun vacation without it, right?"

"Hey, you didn't have to say that, Yuuki."

When she reached out and grabbed the parasol, Sachiko-sama's rebuke was stinging.

"Yumi. That's not the way you should accept something. You're brother and sister, after all."

". . . Yes, onee-sama."

While she had become accustomed to being scolded, she didn't like that her onee-sama was sticking up for her real-life younger brother.

"But honestly, Yuuki-san, do come inside. It's almost lunch time, so why don't we all eat together?"

"I really would like to do that, but I'm supposed to meet up with the rest of the guys."

Yuuki looked at his watch. Sachiko-sama asked, "Where?" and he responded with the name of the sightseeing area / famous local shopping district.

"We just got here, so we were checking out the town together. I slipped away to come here, but if I'm gone for too long they'll start to worry."

"Wha? You're going to Main Street?"

She was so envious of Yuuki that she spoke without thinking. Consequently, her longing was probably showing clearly on her face.

"What, you haven't been yet? Then why don't you come along too?"

"Uh."

Yumi was stumped by this unexpected development. But there was no way she could say, "Yes." Sachiko-sama was watching.

However.

"That should be fine."

Sachiko-sama said.

"I won't have to worry if you're with Yuuki-san. You should go with him, Yumi."

"Uh. . ."

"You could come too, Sachiko-san," Yuuki extended the invitation.

However, "I've been there before, and I can't handle the crowds all that well."

As Yumi had expected, Sachiko-sama didn't want to go. She said she couldn't handle the crowds. But what about their Valentine's Day date around K Station? That had been on a Sunday, so the place had been packed.

Yumi started to worry that Sachiko-sama might be peeved, but sadly, her onee-sama didn't let her emotions show on her face as readily as Yumi did.

"So don't hold back on my account."

Even though she'd been told this, Yumi had to hold back. Since Sachiko-sama had invited her to stay at her family's villa, there was no way she could leave Sachiko-sama here and go out.

But still, she wanted to go because the chances of Sachiko-sama taking her there were now pretty much zero.

On one hand she had Sachiko-sama, and on the other she had Yuuki. As she was puzzling over which way to go, Yuuki took her by the arm and spoke to Sachiko-sama.

"I'm going to borrow my sister for a little while. I'll make sure she gets back here safely."

"Ah, Yuuki."

He quickly bowed and then steadily walked off, pulling Yumi along.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Because you couldn't make up your mind."

After passing the low stone wall that marked the property boundary, Yuuki stopped and turned to face her. "Don't you think it'd be rude to Sachiko-san if you refrained from going on her account, even though you wanted to go?"

"But—"

"But nothing. Even if you had decided not to go, the fact that you wanted to go was written all over your face," He said in an unusually strict tone, after letting go of Yumi's arm.

". . . It was showing on my face?"

Yumi's gaze idly traced over the characters on a white nameplate casually stuck into the ground. There was a street number, followed by something that looked like a name. The letters were faded, so she could just barely make out "SAWA" but she couldn't tell if it was from "OGASAWARA" or from "SAWAMURA."

"Yeah, it was really obvious. But then you got all gloomy for some reason. So I thought it'd be better for you to let those feelings out, and forced you to come along. I think this is best for Sachiko-san too."

Yuuki started walking slowly.

"This is best for Sachiko-sama?"

Yumi continued to follow along behind her brother, even though he'd stopped holding her arm.

"Right. You'd just cause problems for everyone around you if you were depressed."

"That's horrible."

"I'm just saying you're better when you're happy."

So that's it, she was better when she was happy.

But it was tough to be happy all the time.

After walking for a little while, they bid farewell to the woods. Yumi held her hand out to shield her eyes from the dazzling sunlight.

Part 2

"Oh, Yukichi's heading this way with a girl."

The young guy with a strange sense of style — Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, but jet black hair in a bowl cut — whistled when he spotted Yumi and Yuuki in the bustling downtown area.

"You sure about that? Kashiwagi-sempai might be watching from somewhere."

When they approached, he raised his sunglasses. Yumi thought she had seen him somewhere before, and it was indeed Yuuki's classmate, Kobayashi-kun. Once he recognized Yumi's face, his attitude changed immediately and he bowed his head.

"Oh, it's Fukuzawa-kun's sister. A pleasure to meet you once again."

He offered a proper greeting, as befitting a student of the prestigious Hanadera Academy. But . . . hmm, wouldn't a less distinguished greeting be more appropriate? Maybe Yuuki put on a front when he was outside too.

"Still, you two sure do get along well together."

"What are you talking about? She said she wanted to come, so I brought her, that's all," Yuuki spat, reddened slightly from the dig. He was obviously embarrassed to be seen by his friends hanging out with his sister. Yumi felt a slight pang of sympathy for her brother.

"So, Yumi-san, have you seen the main sights yet?"

"No. It seems like all the places mentioned in the guidebook are packed, though."

"Well, it is peak season," Kobayashi-kun readily agreed. Since he'd arrived here earlier than Yumi and Yuuki, he probably had first hand experience of that. "The lines are huge, but the cafe would have pizza and ice cream."

Yuuki sighed. Kobayashi-kun thought for a little while then said, "Ice cream, ice cream . . . alright, let's go."

Kobayashi-kun clapped once then cantered off, leaving behind the Fukuzawa siblings.

"What's he talking about?"

"How would I know?"

Kobayashi-kun ducked and weaved his way through the crowd like a baby monkey, so they chased after him to see where he was going. His loud Hawaiian shirt served as the perfect landmark as it appeared and disappeared amid the crowd.

– Ice cream. Let's go.

True to his words, Kobayashi-kun brought them to a famous coffee shop.

"I'll treat you to their specialty: mocha ice cream."

"Huh? Why?" Yumi asked, surprised.

Kobayashi-kun smiled awkwardly and answered, "It just seems like the right time."

But the line in front of the shop was now even longer than before. They'd need some sort of magic to jump in front of the people already lined up.

And, just like that, magic happened.

"Thank you for waiting. Two mocha ice cream."

A boy emerged from the store and handed Yumi and Yuuki each an ice cream cone.

"Thanks."

Kobayashi-kun handed the boy a 1000 yen note. The boy said, "Thank you," and walked off, meeting up with another boy that was carrying two additional ice cream cones.

"Um, uh, um." Yumi had no idea what sleight of hand she had just witnessed.

But Kobayashi-kun said, "Don't worry about it, eat up."

"It's okay, Yumi, you can eat it. Those guys are our juniors."

"That's right. Luckily, they bought a double serving. We can get them to line up again, if necessary."

"But they had another two ice cream cones."

"Those are for our seniors. I saw them, using those guys as gofers."

Striking it lucky so to speak, Kobayashi-kun had spotted them at the front of the line. They'd already ordered, but offered to sell their ice cream for 500 yen each, to which Kobayashi-kun had unhesitatingly agreed.

"Time is money, after all."

Kobayashi-kun laughed, looking satisfied. Yumi felt like that wasn't quite the right meaning of that phrase, but her ice cream was melting so she concentrated on eating it instead. One step ahead, Yuuki had already finished eating his ice cream. He pulled a 1000 yen note out of his pocket and offered it to Kobayashi-kun, who wouldn't accept it.

"You can owe me one."

"Owing you one's more costly than 1000 yen."

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

"It's not okay."

"Oh, now it's on."

They faced each other, each of them with their right hand in a fist, and catching the other's right hand in their left. They seemed to be playing around. Yumi thought that the way the boys interacted was kind of nice, even if it was a bit crude and violent. She would probably never be able to get that sort of close physical relationship with Sachiko-sama.

She watched the pleasant spectacle unfold.

"It's true, two Yukichis"

"They look identical, even though they're not twins."

Two huge men suddenly appeared before her eyes. They were both holding a half-eaten mocha ice cream.

"Nikkou-sempai, Gakkou-sempai," Yuuki said when he saw them.

Nikkou and Gakkou? The question of, "What's that?" swirled around and around in Yumi's head. She didn't know if they were first names, last names, or nicknames. Well, they were probably nicknames, since they called Yuuki "Yukichi."

"That reminds me, some time ago Kashiwagi-san said, 'Yukichi'd be cute if he were a girl.'"

She didn't know which was which, but Nikkou-san and Gakkou-san chatted to each other as though they were watching TV as they ate their soft-serve ice cream. Naturally, they were currently tuned in to watch the Fukuzawa siblings.

"Then we'd better introduce Yukichi's onee-chan to Kashiwagi-san. If they got married, he'd become Yukichi's older brother."

Guh . . . the shiver that ran through her entire body was not from the cold mocha ice cream she'd just eaten. Even if it were hypothetical, being paired with Kashiwagi-san gave her the chills.

"But he's already got a fiancée."

"Ah, I thought I'd heard something like that."

Kobayashi-kun chose that moment to happily jump into their conversation. "That's your onee-san's onee-san, right Yukichi?"

"You idiot, that's just gossip."

"Yukichi's onee-san's onee-san will be Kashiwagi-san's wife? . . . Then Yukichi and Kobayashi's relationship—"

Wasn't really anything. They disappeared into the crowd, leaving both Nikkou and Gakkou looking perplexed.

"Who were those people . . ."

Hanadera Academy. It seemed to be a collection of oddballs.

"Yuuki, I'm . . ." Yumi said, as she put the ice-cream cone wrapper into her pocket.

"Going home?"

"Yeah."

Having seen Yuuki's school friends, she'd had a sudden longing for her onee-sama. If she headed back now, she'd have missed lunch but she should still be able to make it in time for afternoon tea.

Then Yuuki seemed to hit upon an idea.

"Kobayashi."

"Mm?"

"You said something about Kashiwagi-san."

"That was Nikkou and Gakkou," Kobayashi-kun said, looking back in the direction of the two seniors.

"Not that. You said something about Kashiwagi-san seeing us."

Hearing this, Yumi also had the feeling that she'd heard Kobayashi-kun say, "Kashiwagi-san."

"Oh, that's right. I saw his car on the outskirts of town."

Thunk. Kobayashi-kun clasped his hands together.

"Where?"

"Near where I met you guys. Parked in front of a cafe or a restaurant."

"Alright, I'll lead."

"Huh, why?"

"Don't worry about that, hurry up. Let's go."

So, with Yuuki in the lead this time, they pushed their way through the crowded Main Street once more.

Part 3

"Thank-you very much."

After getting out of the back seat of the red sports car, Yumi bowed towards the driver's seat. They were in front of the white plate with the house's street number. She'd arrived by car, taking the super-express to the Ogasawara's summer house.

"I'm always happy to help you, Yumi-chan."

Kashiwagi-san laughed. The ginkgo prince had been sipping coffee at a cozy cafe when one of his juniors had charged in and demanded that Kashiwagi-san take his older sister to a holiday house. Indeed, his only real option was to laugh it off.

"Because I can always get Yuuki to pay for it."

"Wha!?"

Yumi panicked and looked at her younger brother, still sitting in the back seat of the car. Yuuki waved it away, indicating that it was all fine. Kobayashi-kun was also in the car, so he probably wasn't about to get jumped right there and then.

"Good luck, Yumi-chan."

Kashiwagi-san said, sticking his head out the window.

"Okay?"

"Oh, it's just a hunch that you'll need it."

"With what?"

She was thankful to Kashiwagi-san for bringing her here, and while she didn't dislike him as much as she once had, she wasn't particularly fond of his brand of anxiety-inducing teasing.

"I don't know, but it feels like a storm's brewing. You're the away team here, so it's going to be rough. Well then, see you around."

The away team.

Kashiwagi-san and Yoshino-san had both said the same thing.

Leaving her with those words, the car returned the way it had come.

Brrrm.

Yumi remained there until the sound of the car had faded to nothingness, then entered into the villa grounds.

It wasn't clear how much Kashiwagi-san had foreseen, but patiently waiting for Yumi to return was a series of events that brought his words sharply to mind.

"I'm back."

She heard the sound of laughter when she stepped into the entry. It was quite lively laughter, since it had echoed all the way down the hall from the terrace.

"Ah, welcome back, Yumi-sama."

It looked like she'd arrived just in time for tea, as Kyo-san was pushing a tea cart loaded with a teapot and teacups.

"It seems quite lively."

"Yes, the young ladies from the Ayanokouji, Saionji, Kyougoku and Matsudaira families heard that Sachiko-ojou-sama had arrived, so they came to visit. They've all been spending summers together here since they were little."

"So that's it."

"Why don't you go and join them, Yumi-sama? It's perfect timing, since the tea's ready too."

"No, it's okay."

She didn't want to intrude on their fun. Yumi loitered in the entrance, still holding her parasol, thinking that she'd sneak up to her room.

"Yumi, is that you?"

Now that she'd been discovered by her onee-sama, there was no way she could run away. Reluctantly, she set her parasol down and followed Kyo-san out to the terrace.

"I just got back."

The laughter, which sounded like the chirping of small birds, stopped instantly when she approached. Sachiko-sama beckoned her over, put her hands on Yumi's shoulders and positioned Yumi in front of her.

"Everyone, this is my petite sœur from school, Fukuzawa Yumi. She'll be staying here until Monday, so I hope you all get along well together."

"P-pleased to meet you."

She mustn't embarrass her onee-sama. She had to greet them properly. – Thinking these thoughts, Yumi bowed deeply. Then, when she raised her head and got her first good look at the visitors, the image seared itself into her brain as she was assailed by waves of regret.

The visitors, all of them, were colorful swallowtail butterflies.

Bright, tailored clothes in all colors, coupled with equally striking features, and faces brimming with confidence.

In contrast, she wasn't even a white cabbage butterfly at the moment. She wasn't sure what her T-shirt and jeans could be likened to, but it definitely wouldn't be a butterfly, it'd be some other sort of insect.

"A pleasure to meet you, Yumi-sama."

"How lucky for you, becoming Sachiko-sama's petite sœur and all."

"Splendid. I just know we'll get along well together."

The butterflies smiled, showering her with flowery words. But there was one butterfly that remained silent, watching on with a displeased expression.

"Touko-chan . . ."

"Gokigenyou, Yumi-sama."

Touko-chan smiled faintly.

She hadn't even realized that Touko-chan was here until that exchange. But, thinking back, Kyo-san had indeed said, "Matsudaira."

"What about Canada?"

Perhaps not wanting to touch on that topic, the young lady from the Matsudaira family looked away and replied, "I changed my mind."

"I see."

Her attitude towards Yumi was as cold as ever. Even so, Yumi was glad that Touko-chan was there.

For Yumi, on the away team, it was a relief just to see a familiar face. That wouldn't change, even if Touko-chan was on the home team. It could be called sentimentality, perhaps.

With the basic introductions completed, tea and cakes were served. Yumi had thought that she would withdraw after greeting them, but the butterflies wouldn't let her leave. In the end, she was forced to join their tea party, chatting with them as she drank tea and ate sweets. Unfortunately, Yumi found it hard to join in the conversation of these rich young girls.

One of them said that their favorite shop was such-and-such and they went there every month, and when Yumi asked where it was she was told it was in Paris, France.

Another one said that her parents had bought her a horse as a birthday present.

One of them was spending all of August on a luxury cruise liner. It was like they were from another time, and another place.

Yumi vaguely remembered a song she'd heard a long time ago. It started with someone claiming they owned multiple ships, then after a long series of back-and-forth discussion it turned out they were a complete liar, so you should watch out for them — that sort of song.

But the things the girls were discussing were probably all true. Assuming a world like theirs existed, those sorts of things would just be part of everyday life. Yumi felt like she'd got lost in a foreign country.

At times she'd felt as though Sachiko-sama was a space alien, but perhaps Sachiko-sama was really the earthling and Yumi herself was the alien. Majority rule was, in this case, quite terrifying.

"By the way, did you hear what happened with widow Higashiyama-sama, from Kamakura?"

"Yes, I was surprised by how audacious she was."

When the conversation turned to gossip, Touko-chan suddenly stood up and said, "I should be leaving now."

"Touko-sama?"

The three young ladies — Ayanokouji, Saionji, and Kyougoku — all stared at Touko-chan in wonder.

"I'm not particularly fond of making fun of other people. Besides, I wouldn't like other people to slander me without knowing my situation, so I refrain from doing likewise."

"We're not slandering anyone."

"Right . . ."

The trio exchanged glances, but didn't offer up any logical rebuttal.

"That's perfectly alright. Why don't we end our tea-party here for today?"

Sachiko-sama said. In truth, it felt like she was troubled by that sort of conversation too, but the other girls were her guests so she couldn't scold them.

"Yumi-sama, while you're staying here, you absolutely have to come and visit our summer house."

Saionji Yukari-sama said, grasping Yumi's hand, just as she was about to leave. Her invitation was quite enthusiastic, perhaps because they were both in second year of high school.

"Yes, thank you for the invitation," Yumi replied politely, probably because she'd been addressed politely.

With that, the three young ladies returned to their respective summer houses.

"Gokigenyou Sachiko-onee-sama, Yumi-sama."

Touko-chan was the only one to tarry a while before leaving. Curious, Yumi chased after her and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Since I stopped them in the middle of their gossip session, I just thought I'd give those poor girls some space so they could bitch about me."

"Hmm, how mature."

"Now's not the time for admiration. As soon as they get home, they'll start spreading rumors about you, Yumi-sama."

Touko-chan purposefully stopped walking as she offered this warning. No, based on her tone of voice, it was more like a threat.

"They've all admired Sachiko-onee-sama for so long, there's no way they'll say good things about her newcomer petite sœur."

"I see, so there's three more lined up behind you, Touko-chan."

Before Sachiko-sama had introduced Yumi, they'd only spared her a single glance. Indeed, their expressions had seemed to say, "Who's this?" as they sought to shut her out.

"How does it feel? A bit terrifying, right?"

Touko-chan laughed and dashed off into the woods, leaving Yumi with those words. That had been quite the tough conversation.

Sachiko-sama was waiting for her in the entry when she returned.

"Did you have fun in town?"

"Yeah, but . . ." Yumi rested her head on Sachiko-sama's shoulder. "It's more fun to be with you, onee-sama."

Here and now, in front of her onee-sama, had she been able to return to her happy self?

This was what Yumi thought as she felt the warmth of Sachiko-sama's hand gliding across her hair.

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