Maria-sama ga Miteru English Translation -- Novel 5: Valentine's Day Gift
This is Saicoink's Lost Translation of Maria-sama ga Miteru Novel 5: Valentine's Day Gift.
[If you're looking for the complete translation of Maria-sama ga Miteru Novel 1, it's here.]
During 2004 and 2005, a fan group partially translated the fifth Maria-sama ga Miteru novel. This translation appeared on the web at http://www.saicoink.com/marimite/ [dead link]. In July 2005, the site disappeared off the internet, replaced by a generic domain hosting sales page.
I did not write this translation, but I certainly enjoyed reading it. This translation is the product of much hard work from the Marimite fans at Saicoink.
I loved this translation, and was sad to see it vanish. But thanks to badlilsheep/Sei Satou's resourcefulness, the translation still exists. I am happy to rehost the translation here at http://ziggr.com/mariasama/saicoink.shtml
I don't know how to get in touch with the original Saicoink authors of this translation, but wherever you are, thank you. I know firsthand just how much work it takes to translate a novel, and your work was wonderful. Please come back!
| Research | |
| Chapter 1 | 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 |
| Chapter 2 | 20 21 22 |
| Chapter 3 | 23 24 25 26 |
| Chapter 4 | 27 28 29 30 31 |
| The Visitor's Present | |
| Chapter 1 | 32 33 34 35 36 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 |
| Chapter 2 | 57 58 59 60 62 63 64 65 66 |
Research
Chapter 1
"Valentine's Day?"
Yoshino-san replied, blinking.
"What? You mean to say it's that time of year already?"
It was after school, as the two walked down the hallway together on the way to the Rose Mansion, when it suddenly occured to Yumi to bring up the subject.
Since the Student Council Election had passed without incident, it seemed about time to begin thinking that she had to come up with something to do for their first Valentine's Day.
"Geez, already. It's just under a month until the actual day, and the department stores and supermarkets are already starting their Valentine's sales war."
"That's right, huh. --- Only 3 more weeks."
Yoshino-san folded her glove covered fingers and let out a small "U-n." Whatever it may be, it was rare for the person who was always one step ahead of Yumi to forget such an important event like Valentine's Day. After all, since Yoshino-san's motto was "Making the first move means a certain victory," she seemed like the kind of person to anticipate the season.
"I wonder if the human mind is made to not think about things it doesn't want to remember."
"What are you talking about?"
Yumi replied thoughtlessly.
She was holding her hands, warmed using the disposable heating pad right in her pocket, up to cover her wind chilled ears like head phones, so she hadn't heard very well.
"I mean just what I said. Valentine's Day makes me depressed."
"Why? Don't you give chocolates to Rei-sama?"
"I do. Every year... which means I have to this year too, doesn't it..."
Honestly, the way Yoshino-san replied was really depressing. And just like those heavy emotions, her feet seemed to get heavier with each step until she ended up stopping entirely.
They had just left the school grounds through the courtyard. The Rose Mansion, which was used as a meeting room for the Lillian Girl's Academy Student Council, appeared before them.
"Well, it's not exactly like you have to, but since you do every year, wouldn't it be weird if you just didn't this year?"
"That's right. If I didn't give her anything at least on the first Valentine's after the 'Yellow Rose Revolution', she'd probably get pretty depressed. Considering her personality."
"Don't you want to give her something, Yoshino-san?"
It was all well and good that they had arrived at the Rose Mansion, but for the sake of discussion, they couldn't yet go inside, so Yumi leaned on the door resignedly and continued their conversation. She was actually really cold, but it couldn't be helped since she was the one who had brought up the subject in the first place, and she thought that on the off chance that Rei-sama overheard them it would be terrible, so she endured. After all, when it came to Yoshino-san, Rei-sama really did get all depressed even over the littlest things.
"You know, it's not the actual giving part that I'm against."
But in Yoshino-san's case, it seemed the problem was what to give.
"We're talking about Rei-chan here, right? Can you understand the pressure? Compared to a chocolate cake that keeps getting bigger every single year, what am I supposed to give back?"
"Huh? What, you mean to say Rei-sama gives you a present too?"
"That's right."
On asking her, it seemed they exchange chocolate themed sweets every year on Valentine's Day. Then as a set, a month later on White day, they would again carry out another exchange of candy or cookies. (1)
"A chocolate cake that gets bigger every year..."
For a moment she thought that she was jealous, but if she were to put herself in Yoshino-san's place, it might be a very heavy matter.
Yoshino-san's onee-sama, Hasekura Rei-sama, what with her very short hair and her hobby of waving around a bamboo sword looks pretty tough at first glance, but on the inside she's really quite feminine, and when it comes to making desserts, cookies, or cakes, she really has the skills to beat out any pro.
"Even so, up until now, it's still been OK. I was really sickly before the operation, right? It's like, she couldn't expect too much of me. I just kept digging a deeper hole with more and more store bought chocolate and she would still forgive me, but..."
From now on, it won't be that simple.
Additionally, the two of them had just recently repaired their relationship after breaking up. How would it look if the chocolates she gave this time around weren't even better than always. It looked like Yoshino-san was feeling pressure from all sorts of directions. As a result, her subconscious may have blocked out any memory of Valentine's Day.
Even if they were store bought chocolates, as long they were from Yoshino-san, Yumi thought Rei-sama would be happy. The one who couldn't accept the idea of giving store bought chocolates was Yoshino-san herself. So in the end, she was probably just chasing herself around in circles, but..
(----)
Yoshino-san already understood that well enough. Having figured that out, Yumi decided not to mention it. Even when you know you're being stupid, sometimes there are still things you seriously want to contemplate and complain about.
"Why does it have to be chocolate anyway?"
Yoshino-san expelled a large white cloud of breath.
"Wouldn't it still be okay to give something else? Like something hand-made."
"Hand-made?"
Yoshino-san crooked her eyebrow sharply.
"Aa---!"
"Oops!", Yumi thought to herself right after she said it, but it was already too late. She had meant to lend her friend a helping hand and had instead lost her balance and fell into the pit herself.
"Like a hand-knitted sweater? or a scarf?"
For a second, Yoshino-san's face held an expression matching the unhappy statement.
"...I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"It's alright. It's not really your fault."
The mittens that kept Yoshino-san's hand warm were made by Rei-sama. Not only that but the lap blanket she used in class and the winter cushion covers were all made by Rei-sama (2).
Rei-sama is someone who can not only makes desserts, but can also knit at pro level. What kind of handmade present can you give someone who's already a master of handiwork? Yumi realized that all sorts of unforseen problems would arise if her oneesama had been a different person.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't be of any help," Yoshino-san said as she placed her hand on the doorknob.
"Eh?"
"You're going to give Sachiko-sama chocolates this Valentine's Day, aren't you? I wish I could've given you some good advice..."
"Wow, nothing gets past you."
Exactly as she should have expected of Detective Yoshino. Her blithe praise for the intuition produced a bitter smile in return.
"You're just way too easy to understand is all, Yumi-san."
She whispered tiredly. Rosa Gigantea was always calling Yumi "the woman of 100 faces", but it seemed what she was thinking really did show up on her face.
When they opened the door, they could immediately feel the warmth on their skin, and hear sounds of the pleasant chatter floating down softly from the second floor.
"Ah."
When each had picked out the voice of their respective onee-sama, with eyes alight, they both hurried, racing to reach the stairs first. If their oneesama could have seen their fluttering skirts, they surely would have recieved stern warning for such disgraceful behavior.
Just thinking about Valentine's Day, Yumi's heart began to beat quickly..
The excitement mixed with the pounding of her own heart made her feel like she could hardly contain herself.
This happened, right around the end of January.
Chapter 2
A few days later...
"Valentine's Day?"
Not that Yumi had been expecting much, but Shimako-san only tilted her head slightly and smiled, as if asking "What's that?".
"Um, well you see..."
Yumi scratched her head, even though it didn't itch, and swallowed her words.
I guess you could say it was what she had expected. Or rather, the reaction really fit Shimako-san, who, no matter how you looked at it, just didn't seem like the kind of girl to give someone chocolates every year on February 14th.
"Don't be silly, Yumi-san. Even I know what Valentine's Day is."
She laughed elegantly. Oh, thank goodness, thought Yumi, as she sighed in relief. If she had had to explain Valentine's Day from the beginning, she wouldn't have known what to do.
"There are various pronunciations, like Saint Valentin or Saint Valentino. But in Japan we call it Valentine's, right?"
"Valen...huh?"
"Valentin. It's the name of an Italian saint who was martyred. February 14th is his feast day."
"Hmmm."
Shimako-san's explanation was, how do you say; extremely precise. Strictly factual.
Unfortunately, it seemed Yumi had never heard that part during church. Anyway, they were currently in one of the gym's locker rooms. During the changing period before gym class, even if you didn't want to, it was impossible to avoid seeing stuff like classmates' thighs or underwear.
This brought Yumi, whose hands had gone absently idle as she had gotten caught up in the conversation, back to herself with a start, and she continued changing, taking off her petticoat and putting on knee-high spats. After that, she removed her one piece and the 3/4 sleeve V-neck t-shirt she had been using as a camisole before donning her collared white gym uniform, with 'Fukuzawa, Peach Group class 1, #35' stitched on the back (3). Her suddenly exposed arms developed goosebumps under the short sleeves. There was no helping this, as it was the result of spending all day bundled up to preserve heat.
"I'm not sure exactly when it was established in Japan, but it doesn't have anything to do with chocolate."
Having finished putting on her gym clothes, Shimako-san gathered her fluffy, cotton candy-like ringlets together into a single pony tail with a plain, wide black hair band. She then swept it back into place using a headband the same peach shade as their class color. Shimako-san may have seemed to give off a sense of being endlessly soft and delicate but in reality, she always kept her back straight and maintained good posture. She never got sloppy despite the heat or cold. You could say she just seemed consistently fit. She was like an angel, beautiful to look at, but you could never tell what she was thinking, which was certainly one way of being mysterious.
"So, you aren't going to give Rosa Gigantea any chocolates?"
Yumi lowered her voice, whispering her question into Shimako-san's ear surreptitiously.
"Oh, so that's where this conversation is going."
Shimako-san smiled, as if she finally understood the point Yumi had been getting at. Although, when it came to talking about Valentine's Day, normally, most people seemed fine with it and expected that they would be asked whether they were giving someone chocolates or not.
"Chocolate, huh----"
"Right. Shimako-san, you only became Rosa Gigantea's petite sœur slightly before I came along right? So, I was wondering what you were planning to do for your first Valentine's Day."
Would this be called research? Yumi wanted to do everything she could to collect more information, even if it was only a little, and anyway, that was why she'd been asking around like this. After all, she hadn't really gotten anything out of asking Yoshino-san.
".....I haven't really thought about it."
"I was afraid you were going to say that."
She wasn't really disappointed. Seeing as she'd pretty much given up ever since the beginning when Shimako-san had seemed to not understand.
Yumi and Shimako-san had completely different images of Valentine's Day. One of them was busy thinking of the actual St. Valentin, after all. Giving chocolates could be considered kind of low class even, so Shimako-san may have gone through her whole life never having done it. ...could that mean that she doesn't even give any to her father?
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help to you."
Using the same words as Yoshino-san, Shimako-san ended the conversation and exited the locker room.
Even with a sweatshirt and jersey training pants, P.E. in February was harsh. Even during the light running they were doing to warm up, as soon as they started running, the wind blew right through the fabric of their clothes, making it like a test of endurance. While blowing on her numb fingers, Yumi reminded herself to try and avoid jamming them as they were playing basketball in gym class that day.
Chapter 3
"You don't say?"
Tsutako-san laughed heartily.
"Yoshino-san and Shimako-san are both special cases. It's your own fault for trying to use them as examples"
"Hmm"
It went without saying that Yumi was already well aware of that fact. She crossed her arms with a groan. It was the afternoon of the day which Shimako-san had told Yumi, "sorry." It was between classes as they walked down the hall heading towards the science room when Tsutako-san pulled out her pocket-sized camera and aimed it at Yumi.
"And I'm just going to say, asking me won't do any good either. Sadly, I live a sœur-less existence."
Even Yumi wouldn't have counted on that, anyway.
"So, Tsutako-san, there aren't any upperclassmen from your club or anything that you admire?"
"Nope."
She answered reflexively, bringing the camera away from her face. Then she let fly with her famous line, "Who do you think I am?"
"The photo club ace, Takeshima Tsutako-san."
"That's right."
Her frameless glasses twinkled.
"Is there any better cameraman at Lillian?"
Tsutako-san's answer was a bit off mark from the original question. It seemed that she took the meaning of 'looking up to someone' in the sense of 'respect,' implying that there was no one else she considered going after. Well, in her case, it probably wouldn't be wrong to say that it was already set that she wouldn't notice anyone but the first upperclassman to fullfill the condition of being a better photographer than her.
"Oh, I see, that's too bad."
"Why?"
"On this occassion, you're a bad example."
"Like Yoshino-san? Cut it out!"
Tsutako-san pursed her lips and shrugged, looking a little disgusted. Perhaps she was remembering the events of the "Yellow Rose Revolution". Come to think of it, Yoshino-san aside, even though she was the root cause of it all, Tsutako-san was one of the people who was repulsed by all the copycat break-ups and the subsequent resurrections of sœur relationships.
"Just think about it," said Tsutako-san as her eyes sparkled.
"There are so many lovely students here at Lillian! Do you think I could stand being tied down to just one? First of all, look at what it would be like if I had a grande sœur or a petite sœur. It's not like I could get away with using other students besides her as my subjects."
"I see..."
Which meant, it seemed like Tsutako-san was resolved in protecting her single status for the whole three years. Not sure if you could call that impressive, or what. And looking at it from the flip side, it meant that she had no plans to change her lifestyle at all for the next two years. Even if, Yumi thought, it would probably be better to change the whole bordering on spying thing.
However
Just as she had thought, Tsutako-san couldn't help her either. As Yumi sighed involuntarily, Tsutako-san, instead of saying "I'm sorry I wasn't any help," offered her a piece of advice.
"If you talked to Katsura-san you could probably come up with some information but I think it's pointless to even ask."
"Why?"
"You can imagine, can't you? The cookie cutter Valentine's Day."
"Hmmm"
Well, certainly... no offense to Katsura-san, but she really was the picture of ordinary student life. But was it really necessary for Valentine's Day to be fun or unpredictable?
"Yumi-san, you should think about your original intention."
"Original intention?"
"Like, why you're gathering information. It's because this time, the person you're trying to give chocolate to is really special, right? So you can't go listening to the normal student's experience. The only people who could truly give you any meaningful information would be the ones from the Rose Mansion. Am I wrong?"
"But talking to Yoshino-san and Shimako-san was useless."
"Why does it have to be first year students?"
"Eh? Because I need help and I'm a first year student----"
At Yumi's mumbled reply, Tsutako-san pointed a finger at her in frustration and said, "Second and third year students all went through their time as first years too, you know."
Chapter 4
"Chocolate, to my onee-sama? Yeah, I gave her some last year. Why?"
Immediately after finishing cleaning, Yumi ran to the martial arts hall at the rear of campus and caught Rei-sama before her club activities started.
"Oh, no, I was just wondering if I could get some suggestions. Um, it wasn't by any chance a giant chocolate cake was it?"
"Naw. There's no way I could get something like that all the way to school."
Rei-sama burst into laughter. Afterwards, she said, "So I take it Yoshino talked, eh?", while not looking at all unsatisfied. It was no good. Rei-sama didn't understand Yoshino-san's feelings at all. It wasn't as if Yoshino-san had been bragging about the extra-large chocolate cake, if anything, it was the opposite.
However, Yoshino-san's problem wasn't directly related to the discussion at hand, so even though she was sorry, Yumi put it aside for now.
"Yes, that's right," said Yumi as she joined Rei-sama and returned the laugh.
"It was just something modest. Small enough to fit into my book bag."
Rei-sama showed her, using 4 fingers, the index finger and thumb on each hand, to make a rectangle in the air. It was just about the size of a paperback novel. Sure, something like that could probably be called modest. A size that would be no problem to bring to school.
It might look like Yoshino-san and Rosa Fœtida were treated surprisingly differently, but if you thought about it, being able to get a huge handmade chocolate cake was probably just one of the perks of being cousins that live next door to each other. Although to Yoshino-san, it might be called a burden instead.
She was finally being led to some useful information, Yumi thought. Tsutako-san had read it right after all. Of course, it was no mistake that rather than first year students from this year, asking first year students from last year would provide more answers. And since it was all about things that had happened last year, the fact that the results had already come out made it even better. From this angle, if she could get Rei-sama to tell her about her onee-sama's reaction on the receiving end, it seemed like she could make the perfect setting for Valentine's Day.
Since only last year, Rei-sama had been bouton en petit sœur, just like Yumi, there was probably no better person to talk to about it. And although she also used to be a first year, there was no way Yumi could ask Sachiko-sama, the person she was going to give the chocolates to, about this.
"So, what was inside?" ,she asked excitedly. Was it fresh chocolate from a famous chocolate maker? Or maybe some sophisticated chocolate bon-bons?
"What was inside? Oh, you mean what kind of chocolates?"
In her head, she remembered the scene at the food section in the department store she had peeked into the other day. Those expensive chocolates seemed quite fitting for a modest sized box.
"Um, if you could let me know a little more..."
If it was the kind of thing where one piece, about the size of a pickled plum, cost several hundred yen, what would she do? But since the recipient was Sachiko-sama, cheap chocolates might not suit her tastes. As Yumi resolved that, if it came to that, she would withdraw some of her New Year's money from her post office account, Rei-sama continued bluntly, "Bitter chocolate truffles, around 6 of them maybe."
"Truffles?"
Those somehow sounded kind of expensive. Hadn't she seen that name among the some of the plum sized chocolates lined up in the glass cases of the department store display? That's right! It had been an eye popping price.
At which Yumi, just like any normal person, unthinkingly ended up doing the calculation in her head.
One piece at 200 yen would be 1200 yen.
At 300 yen, 1800 yen.
At 400 yen, 2400 yen.
At 500 yen... she stopped there. Her head was spinning. She was an average person after all. Just 6 bite-sized chocolates coming up to 3000 yen was unbelievable.
Even though you could say that she attended an affluent school, she'd be distressed to be lumped in with the top tier of the upperclass. Depending on these households, there were substantial differences in the extent of the assets and influence they possessed. This was something she'd known vaguely for a long time, but it had become clear to Yumi upon visiting Sachiko-sama's house on New Year's.
Living in the same country of Japan and even going to the same school, the various attitudes about the value of money still differed. It wasn't as if she was dissatisfied with her own household though.
"What's wrong Yumi-chan?"
"It's nothing, I'm just a little dizzy."
In her mind, she imagined money flying around the chocolate like butterflies.
"Imagining giving Sachiko chocolate truffles made you tired?"
"Haa---. Yeah, something like that."
"It'll be okay. It's not that hard, so why don't you give it your best effort?"
"----"
'It won't be that bad,' she says. So even someone like Rei-sama, who Yumi thought would have comparatively similar ideas about the value of money, actually thought quite differently? 'Do your best,' was it? It just made her even more discouraged.
Furthermore, she felt like the more expensive it got, the farther and farther it seemed from, maybe you could call it her original intent, anyway, from the feeling she had of wanting to give Valentine's Day chocolates in the first place. Maybe she was just low class after all.
"I'll write out the recipe for you."
Rei-sama smiled, patting Yumi on the head.
"Re...recipe?"
"If you want to make truffles, you know? As long as we kept it a secret from Sachiko, I could help you out a bit too."
Yumi realized something suddenly at that point.
"Um... when you say recipe, do you mean, how to make chocolate truffles?"
"Hmm?"
By the look on Rei-sama's puzzled face, it seemed that it wasn't just a possibility, it was the only possibility. The chocolates Rei-sama gave to Rosa Fœtida were hand-made, just like what she gave Yoshino-san.
"What is it, Yumi-chan?"
"----Nothing"
Yumi dodged with her words. There was no need to confess that she had jumped to conclusions.
Anyway, Rei-sama was a superwoman. That would mean that she was making chocolate truffles on one hand, and a chocolate cake on the other, at pretty much the same time.
However, it didn't look like she'd be able to use this information after all. Yumi wasn't proud of it, but helping her mother make doughnuts was about the extent of her experience making sweets. So for a person like that to all of a sudden make truffles, there was no way. The problem wasn't about money anymore, it was about skill.
Rei-sama said she would help, but unless she got Rei-sama to do almost all the work, she thought she could take all year and still not be able to make truffles. But if Rei-sama did most of the work, there was no mistaking that calling that handmade would feel like cheating. Even so, she had never even considered the idea of making truffles by hand.
"Thank you. I'll think about."
Yumi bowed her head quickly and left. She hadn't thought too hard about it since it was just chocolate, but it seemed there would be more than a few sorts of problems along the way.
The Visitor's Present
Chapter 1
Pages 32 33 34 35 36 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
At the start of February, a visitor came to the Rose Mansion.
"Gokigenyou, is anybody in? Actually, I came precisely because I knew that the Boutons would all be here." (1)
Yumi, who went to answer the door, saw the person standing at the entrance of the mansion, smiling fearlessly, and thought about turning around and running back up the stairs. What in the world was this person doing here?
"Why, how timid. You look like a little puppy with its tail between its legs."
"A... a puppy-------"
"Oh that's right, we haven't exchanged greetings yet. Gokigenyou."
"-------Gokigenyou. Welcome to the Rose Mansion."
Helplessly, Yumi uttered a greeting. Though really she wasn't feeling very welcoming.
"I came to discuss something with the Boutons. They're on the second floor?"
"Yes."
"I'll let myself in then."
"Eh?"
Without waiting for a reply, she proceeded up the stairs, rapidly making them creak as she went up. Yumi chased after her in a panic.
Today, Tsukiyama Minako-sama, president of the newspaper club, was making a rare grand entrance. Even though she was the one who usually acted like a dog at times, always chasing scoops and sniffing around.
This was someone to keep an eye on. If you searched any area where a disturbance occured, you'd be sure to find her right at the heart of it.
Did she cause the uproar, or did the uproar attract her? Either way, Yumi and company accepted the answer as "God only knows," and left it at that. You could say that she came from the unlucky direction of the demon's gate to the Rose Mansion. (2) Oops, Yumi was having un-Christian thoughts again.
Catching up at the biscuit-shaped door, Yumi barely managed to enter the room first. (3)
"Uh, Tsukiyama Minako-sama is about to---"
Perhaps she spoke too soon, as Minako-sama herself appeared, pushing Yumi's head aside.
"How rude, it's almost like you're some retainer warning them of an enemy attack."
"How is this any different?" Yumi wanted to interject. However, even if she was imperfect, she was still her senpai and furthermore, a guest, so Yumi put up with it. (4)
And then,
"Really, Yumi, you should be a bit more calm."
Sachiko-sama, who was sitting and drinking tea, returned her cup to the saucer and stood up gracefully to greet Minako-sama.
"My petit sœur was very rude. Please come in, Minako-san."
The gracious gesture was like that of a high society lady, welcoming a guest to her leisure salon. It was the kind of scene in which, if it had been a shoujo manga, roses would fill the background, or if it were a movie, Baroque music would start playing even though there were no musicians in sight.
She lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile and that was enough to make Yumi wish that she wouldn't smile quite so warmly. On top of that, she had told her cute petit sœur that she 'should be a bit more calm,' in front of everyone, her Sachiko-sama.
Even though she didn't like it, Yumi thought it over and corrected her attitude. After all, she realized that people tend to be strict with those they are close to but tolerant of a guest's conduct for the most part. She decided to consider it as Sachiko-sama, being Yumi's onee-sama, treating her as someone close to her.
Minako-sama sat in the chair motioned to her and crossed her legs. Judging by the way she carried herself, it seemed that she was steeling her nerves, though sadly, in front of someone born and raised as a princess, like Sachiko-sama, she couldn't be reflected as anything but a little monkey imitating a person. But still, Minako-sama wouldn't give up.
"Sorry to interupt your pleasant discussion."
"Oh not at all, please don't mind us. Would you like to have some tea together?"
In the room the typical members were gathered, excluding the Rosas who were busy taking entrance exams. The three who were called en Bouton, Sachiko-sama, Rei-sama, and Shimako-san, and then there was Yoshino-san and Yumi.
The moment the word "tea" escaped Sachiko-sama's lucious lips, Yoshino-san had risen from her chair, however Sachiko-sama commanded, "Yumi," and so it became her task.
She thought about making the tea bitter, but stopped since it wasn't a very adult thing to do. What was she doing wanting to get payback by making them drink bitter tea? Besides, Sachiko-sama hadn't directed her to make the tea for that reason in the first place.
Pouring a warm cup of tea for Minako-sama, Yumi said "Please help yourself," then quietly returned to where she had been sitting earlier. Wondering if she had been watched from afar the entire time, her eyes met Sachiko-sama's in the seat beside her, and she felt a flutter, though it didn't feel like the normal quickening of her heartbeat. Feeling as though she had been seen through to her wicked heart, Yumi was unsettled. Although, she hadn't actually done anything to the tea.
To calm herself down, she reached out for her cup. Judging by the cup in her hand, which had long since lost its warmth, she realized that what was in her cup wasn't hot tea anymore, but had changed into something much closer to iced tea, minus the ice. The moment that Yumi brought that cool black tea to her mouth, the words "I was wondering what you plan to do about Valentine's Day?" almost made her spit it all back out, as they were uttered offhandedly by Minako-sama.
"Valentine's Day?"
Yoshino-san, Shimako-san, and Rei-sama all looked at Yumi at about the same time. If she were there, Tsutako-san would have done the same.
However, Sachiko-sama who was there, naturally, didn't look at Yumi. Without turning her gaze from their guest, she turned the question back cooly, elevating a single eyebrow slightly.
"I thought I heard you ask us what we were going to do for Valentine's Day. Am I incorrect? Minako-san."
"W, well."
Though it seemed she flinched a little from Sachiko-sama's cold glare, like the editor-in-chief of the Lillian Kawaraban that she was, Minako-sama cleared her throat once and continued speaking.
Of course, she already had some idea of what the students in the Rose Mansion thought of her. The fact that she still came despite that meant she must have been prepared, and had a good reason. Something important enough that she couldn't curl her tail up and run away just because they gave her a cold look.
"Valentine's Day. Isn't it that wonderful day to open up to that special someone about the feelings that have lain hidden inside your heart?"
Minako-sama suddenly stood up and clasping both hands at her breast, and looked at the wall, eyes shimmering. Not that she was interested in the material or pattern of the wall or anything, it was just that other than Minako-sama, everyone else remained seated so without anything intercepting her line of vision, it ended up making her appear as though she were gazing at the wall. But her own emotions were already beyond the wall, leaving for some far off world.
After talking about the same religious foundations of Valentine's day that Shimako-san had explained to Yumi last week, Minako-sama then launched into a passionate discourse on how February 14th, the feast day of St. Valentine, became a day for professing love. Apparently there are various theories, but nowadays, it was said that the tradition arose from the fact that birds choose their mates around that time of year. Naturally, Yumi... hadn't known a thing about it.
"The only thing that we've learned is that you, Minako-san have very strong feelings about February 14th."
Sachiko-sama whispered, coughing lightly. She was trying to appear composed, but even she seemed to be left quite speechless at Minako-sama's heated appeal. She used a lace hankerchief to casually mop at the sweat that appeared at her brow.
"So what this Valentine's Day, that you feel so strongly about, has to do with us, is the one thing that isn't clear."
"Well, I've been trying to explain that all along but I guess you haven't gotten the point yet."
Minako-sama turned her gaze, purposely making what seemed like a fake expression of surprise. The tension in the atmosphere rose quite a bit.
"Hey, Minako-san. I wonder if you could just get right to the point."
Rei-sama interrupted the conversation, seemingly growing impatient. Yumi nodded vigorously in her head. Even though Minako-sama had said that she'd been, "trying to explain that all along, " at the very least, Yumi couldn't understand what she was trying to say. No, excluding Minako-sama, she thought the opinion was probably shared by everyone else there too. After all, they all had dubious looks on their faces. That being, Minako-sama was the one involved in the issue, so knowing the important information, it probably all looked magically transparent to her.
"Oh, really?"
Finally noticing the atmosphere of the place, Minako-sama produced some documents from the brown envelope she had brought and placed them on the table.
"Right to the point, huh? Alright, in that case, I have a request to ask of the Bouton. By all means, would you please keep your Valentine's Day schedules open for the newspaper club?"
"Huh?!"
The three Bouton of course, as well as Yumi and Yoshino-san replied at the same time. That was certainly to the point, but this time, skipping a beat left it hard to figure out what was what.
"Namely, I'd like to have your cooperation in the newspaper club's Valentine's project. The idea is to use a joint event between the Yamayurikai and the newspaper club to create a stir about Valentine's Day. Don't you think that it would be a great thing to have the student body, who we count on every day, enjoy themselves? Judging from everyone's reaction, I'm thinking that the Yamayurikai doesn't have any special events planned."
Minako-sama leaned forward while she distributed the documents, which until now had been spread out on the table untouched, to the three Bouton.
"What is it that you are planning?"
Asked Sachiko-sama as she drew the paper near.
There only appeared to be enough of the neatly printed A4 size copies for the three Boutons, so poor neglected Yoshino-san and Yumi each had to follow their oneesama and peek at her copy. (5)
"If I could have all of you look over these copies of the proposal, I'm sure you can figure it out, but-"
" 'Treasure hunt! Where are the Bouton's Chocolates!?' What in the world is this?"
Rei-sama jumped to her feet, tapping what Minako-sama had called her "proposal". That's right. Because inside the proposal thrust upon them without any prior notice, it mentioned their own participation like it was the most natural thing in the world. Not only that, but just from the title, it rather smelled like they wouldn't be just "normal collaborators", but instead, the "main personalities".
"It means just as the words say. The three bouton will hide hand-made chocolate within the school. The students that find them win."
Still seated, Minako-sama looked at Rei-sama, who was standing, and grinned.
"So at most, there will be three grand prize winners."
Sachiko-sama's chocolates, Rei-sama's chocolates, and Shimako-san's chocolates. Each would hide a single box in a secret place, and the game would be to find them. Minako-sama's scheme, project rather, was slowly beginning to take shape.
A treasure hunt. It sounded a bit exciting.
"But what I don't understand is why the newspaper club president would present this plan to the Yamayurikai?"
Standing with her arms crossed, Rei-sama said that up until this point, they had been acting independently, so why not handle it all themselves this time as well. Certainly, the school newspaper, the Lillian Kawaraban, had until now, been running pretty well on their own individual course. If you had to describe the relationship, it could be said that they had a kind of rivalry with the Yamayurikai. To put it outright, the newspaper club had been labelled as a troublemaker. So naturally, a sense of wariness that this was going to be another trap began to surface.
"You are entitled to your opinion, Rei-san, but it is just that. Isn't it sad, the newspaper club isn't so magnificent."
"No kidding."
Rei-sama, who was still standing, finally became seated again when Yoshino-san sitting beside her tugged on her hand saying, "Perhaps you would like to sit down, Onee-sama."
"When it comes to events, the more participants there are, the more enthusiasm there is. In order to attract participants, it won't do any good unless the prizes have some kind of drawing power. But since we have such a small budget, we can't afford to give out any really expensive presents, right? That's where I would like to have the Boutons' cooperation. You understand?"
Minako-sama was suggesting that the newspaper club and the Yamayurikai combine some of their yearly funds to cover the cost of the event together. The expenses being things like the cost of the ingredients for the chocolate or of the wrapping paper, it seemed. There was already a rough estimate of the costs on the proposal. Minako-sama was more well planned than they had thought.
"And so, what are the merits of this for the newspaper club?"
That newspaper club would never be satisfied with just working behind the scenes. Rei-sama was of course aware of this.
"Again with such straightforward questioning, Rei-san."
Minako-sama inclined her head slightly and smiled.
"Sorry. My personality doesn't sit well with being roundabout."
"I get it. Alright, let me explain it frankly, just the way Rei-san likes it. In the event that this Valentine's Day event is realized, the newspaper will have rights to an exclusive report."
An exclusive report on the Valentine's event!
"The newspaper club really thought this out."
As if she had already tired of the subject in the middle of the discussion, Sachiko-sama let out a quiet sigh. Then, as if in response, she slid the proposal across the table.
"Even though you went through a lot of effort we can not cooperate as there are parts that we unable to approve of."
"And what might they be? As much is possible, anything that you wish to be amended can be done."
"There are various points, but the deciding factor was the chocolates."
"The chocolates?"
"Right, that was something that caught my attention too."
Rei-sama raised her hand in agreement with Sachiko-sama.
"I understand the idea of a treasure hunt, but what I can't accept is the chocolate."
Recieving delicious chocolates is something to be enjoyed. That's why even Yumi could tell that using the word, 'accept' was probably some kind of play on words. (6) What Rei-sama was saying was that chocolate was inappropriate treasure for a treasure hunt.
"Oh! I get it! It's because they're bulky!"
Without thinking, Yumi had blurted out what she had been thinking. In that moment, she drew everyone's attention at once, while Sachiko-sama had a rather bitter expression on her face, and it wasn't from drinking tea. (7)
"I... I'm sorry..."
As soon as she had bowed her head with all of her strength, she hit the table with great force. Oh dear, that didn't really help things at all.
"......Yumi. You'll make a mess of things, so please quiet down."
"Right..."
Why did it always have to end up this way? She wondered about how great it would be if she could stay this way, never having to lift up the head that she'd just banged on the table, for the rest of her life.
"Are you okay?," asked Yoshino-san, trying to stifle her laughter.
"------Yeah," Yumi replied with tears in her eyes, while rubbing her forehead. The place she had bumped her head was relatively painful, but more than that, the damage to her heart might have been even worse. She had brought shame on her onee-sama again.
"Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama are probably more worried about sanitary concerns right?"
Perhaps for her classmate's sake, Shimako-san sent out a lifeboat to bring the conversation back to the original topic.
"To sum it up in a word, well, yeah, something like that."
"Is the problem about them being hand-made? Even for store bought chocolates, since it'll still be something that people put in their mouths, I have concerns about leaving them out for a long time."
Rei-sama, who looks a bit like a pretty boy, reportedly recieved chocolates as presents from students that she didn't know, every year. Also, whether people were being shy or something, there were a lot of incidences like things being left inside her shoe locker or on her desk. Of those, it seemed that some of them were unsigned, which Yumi thought could get pretty scary after all. Before this conversation she thought popular people were lucky to get to eat all of that chocolate.
Which wasn't to say that chocolates made by the Boutons would be tainted, but if something were to happen... She didn't even want to imagine it, but thinking about if someone found the chocolates beforehand and played a prank or did something terrible, maybe having food as the "treasure" wasn't very appropriate after all.
But being able to think that far ahead, they were certainly the Bouton. Yumi began to respect her onee-sama even more. Re-energized, her previous embarassment was reset and Yumi's good cheer was restored. --- but this feeling of happiness was short lived, not even lasting for the blink of an eye. In the next moment, Yumi took the words coming from her onee-sama's mouth like the blow of a hammer, splitting her head.
"As for me, bringing chocolate to school is the issue in and of itself."
It was a good thing she was sitting in her chair because if she wasn't, she'd have been bouncing around like a sky diver in a slapstick comedy. Still, Sachiko-sama had more to say.
"Even though the teachers tolerate it, just think, on February 14th, the entire school will be filled with the smell of chocolate again, even now I can guarantee it."
"--"
It seemed that Sachiko-sama was someone who didn't think so fondly of Valentine's Day. That was the last nail in the coffin.
"Having one sided presents pushed on to you is nothing but a nuisance."
(---um)
As much as she could, Yumi tried to calmy clear her mind.
But whether she thought calmy or thought excitedly, the answer that came out was the same.
A nuisance.
(Speaking of which, my plans to give her chocolate can be called useless----)
At first she was shocked but as time went by she slowly began to feel gloomy.
"I see."
Minako-sama nodded.
"Well, it seems that hiding chocolates may not really be fitting. If I think about it, as the school would be flooded with chocolates, it would be difficult to know which one is the treasure."
So they thought that she might give up, but she wouldn't be the editor of the school newspaper if she let something like that stop her. Which was something that they really should have swallowed their pride and learned from.
"Just a moment."
Minako-sama took some time to strategize by herself, squinting at the proposal while muttering something softly. That lasted for 5 minutes.
"If I changed the treasure would you agree to the project?"
"Change? Exactly what are you planning to do?"
"Handwritten valentine cards. I remember that some send cards, not chocolate on February 14th, in the present and the past."
So that was it, good thinking, Minako-sama.
---- But.
"Do you really think that handwritten cards would be that attractive?"
Shimako-san murmurred. It was a question of whether or not they would be appropriate treasure for a treasure hunt. The idea that the treasure you worked so hard to find was just a single sheet of paper, when you put it that way, it might not have been such a great idea. Compared to the cost and effort to make handmade chocolate, the value dropped with a bang.
Both Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama seemed to be of the same opinion. Would their own handwriting be enough to create value that would draw in the students, or not? It wasn't modesty or anything like that, but rational judgement that the 3 Bouton used to come to the verdict of no.
These handwritten cards were supposed to elicit enthusiasm. Wouldn't reporting on that make the newspaper club's project a big empty failure as well?
Yumi thought that she would want the handwritten card by all means, as long as it was from Sachiko-sama, but that was obviously because she was 'the foolish petit sœur', so she didn't say anything.
"If the Bouton all say the same thing, then it makes things easier," said Minako-sama, her eyes sparkling. When she made that kind of face, you knew she had something unthinkable in mind, which was why you had to be extra careful.
"That is why I'm going to make it more interesting."
Minako-sama spoke as if capitalizing on the suggestion, leaning her body forward knowing now was the time to attack.
"Make it more interesting?"
"What if the cards were like claim checks for an extra prize?"
"Extra prize?"
What's that, they all asked. So it wasn't that the card in itself was the actual prize.
"For example, a ticket for a half-day date."
"I object!"
Before Minako-sama could finish talking, Yoshino-san stood up and shouted.
"I am completely, totally, absolutely against it! There's something wrong with that! To merchandize an individual's private time as some kind of prize is just plain wrong!"
Oh dear, Yoshino-san was completely panicked. Even though she looked like the quiet type, she had totally forgotten to put on the face of a cute kitten, like she usually did. Even if during the Yellow Rose Revolution they had caught a glimpse of her bold side, the myth of Yoshino-san still abounded, and to Minako-sama who had always gazed at them from afar, the attack probably seemed more forceful than expected. More than when the physically imposing Rei-sama had threatened her, she was clearly thrown off balance.
"Yumi-san, you disagree too don't you?"
"Huh?"
Yoshino-san was glaring at her with a face that said, "Of course you'll work with me against this, right?" They weren't enemies at least, so she wished that Yoshino-san would ask a little more gently.
"W... well..."
It was the first time that Yumi started to consider it. In all honestly, just barely following the conversation she didn't have the time to come to a final opinion. First of all, because of the mistake a while ago, the truth was that she had been listening to the meeting in a quiet manner, trying not to stand out.
Did she agree or disagree?
She thought that if she were asked, then she would probably be against it. If she were to say why, it would be because Sachiko-sama was her onee-sama after all, and she didn't want anyone else to have Sachiko-sama all to themselves, even just for a little bit. Even though Yoshino-san talked about an individual's private time and things like that, the truth was that she didn't want to premit anyone besides herself to go on a date with her precious Rei-sama, was what Yumi thought. If it wasn't the Bouton but the Rosas instead, there was no reason she would be this opposed.
(But)
How would it be if they were to seek her opinion as a person responsible for helping the Yamayurikai? The Yamayurikai was always working on eliminating the barriers between themselves and the student body in order to have a more accessible student council. The point was to make sure that the Rosas did not become so idealized that they became hard to approach.
Now, if the current Bouton, who would become the next Rosas, were able to establish an opportunity to have some friendly exchange with the regular students, wouldn't that work as a plus for the Yamayurikai?
While she could think things like that as if she were some model student, there was still a jealous part of her saying, "No way!".
"You do know that we still have school on Valentine's day..."
Shimako-san posed to Minako-sama.
"Sure, that's why the treasure hunt is planned to take place for one hour after the end of the school day. It'll be alright. Since I expect there will be a lot of participants, as long as they have an hour, the treasure should be found, right? And even then, if it looks like it won't be found, then that means that it's some place that they couldn't find even if they had half a day. So, that's why it'll be restricted to the time after school on the appointed day.
While Yumi was lost in thought, the conversation proceeded rapidly. Now that she thought about it, whether to accept or reject was up to the Bouton. In the end, all the petit sœur's opinion would amount to was a reference.
"I want the dates to be on Sunday."
"Objection! Objection!"
Even though she knew it was useless, Yoshino-san continued to scream. She'd completely lost it. In the end, Rei-sama put her hand over Yoshino-san's mouth to quiet her down. Certainly, if she continued to shout "Objection!" repeatedly, the conversation couldn't go on.
"What do you think?"
Continuing with the topic briefly, Sachiko-sama wanted the opinion of the two remaing Boutons.
"A treasure hunt as an event in itself might be an interesting plan, but..."
A disintrested expression appeared on Shimako-san's face.
"The half day date is the sticking point. I'm not Yoshino, but somehow I don't feel too good about the idea of objectifying people."
So Rei-sama was on the same side. However, although Shimako-san's reason for objecting probably had something to do with the half day date too, the fact that it was using Valentine's Day as a gimmick was probably another big reason, Yumi thought. February 14th was the feast day of Saint Valentine, not some day for love confessions.
"I am also against it. So, I can say that all of us agree to dismiss the plan, right?"
Thinking that was the final say, Sachiko-sama collected the distributed project proposals and returned them to Minako-sama.
"Wait just a moment."
The one panicking now was Minako-sama. She put the returned proposals onto the table again and made a desperate appeal.
"Won't you at least take a day to consider for me?"
"I think letting you have false hope would be more of a let down for you."
"Do you really feel bad for me!"
While looking at the faces of Sachiko-sama, Rei-sama, and Shimako-san one by one, she said it with a choked voice. Of course the Bouton's petit sœurs weren't included.
"Is chivalry dead? Can't you give me your answer after school tomorrow?" (8)
Is chivalry dead? What era was Minako-sama from?
"I left the clubhouse with a big sendoff. Even if you rip my mouth off, I can't go back there and tell them that I was refused.
Yumi thought that trying to flatter and suck up to another person the same gender and grade as you was useless. Of course, it didn't reach Sachiko-sama at all, who replied with a cold word.
"What if you keep quiet for today, then make a report to your staff members tomorrow?"
"Oh no, once I get back, they'll cross-examine me and I know I'll end up confessing. My petit sœur is persistent you see."
"That's not our problem."
Even Rei-sama who, of all the people in the room, was comparatively the closest to a knight, didn't seem to have any of this chivalry. Having tried both Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama and been outright refused, taking her hand tightly, Minako-sama turned to Shimako-san as the next step on the ladder and her last hope.
"Shimako-san, please."
"Even if you were to say please...."
"As your senpai, I'm begging you. Do something!"
Amazing.
When her pleading didn't work she would compete using threats. The idea was, if pushing was no good, she would try pulling.
"Just a second, Minako-san. Isn't using your position as her senpai to make a kouhai listen to you unfair?"
Rei-sama, who hated things that weren't straightforward, raised her eyebrows.
"Say whatever you like. I don't care as long as I get you to postpone your answer."
(Eek--)
Yumi had been trying to listen closely without drawing attention to herself, but she was inadvertently blown away by Minako-sama's remarks.
Minako-sama was really the kind of person that didn't care how she looked. You could say that she was willing to do anything for the newspaper. That was that, which was one way to live your life, but...
"I give up."
If she told them that they could say whatever they liked, then it was the end, since no words that could be exchanged after this point would have any effect. As if worn out, Rei-sama shrugged her shoulders and Sachiko-sama let out a sigh. Then Shimako-san spoke in a subdued voice.
"How about it? It's not like delaying the inevitable answer will create any inconveniences for us, so why don't we do as Minako-sama says now and give our answer tomorrow?"
Outside of that option there was no other way to settle the whole thing. As they were dealing with Minako-sama, if they mishandled it, she seemed like she had more than enough energy to hold all three Bouton hostage, confining them in the Rose Mansion until they agreed. It would probably be wiser to stop the conversation at the inquiry, promising to give a reply at a later date, to get her to leave quickly.
"Well, it can't be helped. But Minako-san, delying our answer is just a formality. Don't make the mistake of expecting anything."
Rei-sama warned her. When tomorrow came, there would still be no going back on the answer they had given before. Even so, Minako-sama gave a perfectly satisfied smile.
"I understand. Thank you. Well, I guess I'll come by again tomorrow after school then."
She rose from her chair and hurried to get out of the room, as if to leave before the three could change their minds.
"Oh, take the proposals back with you."
Sachiko-sama called out to stop her but, "Tomorrow, tomorrow," Minako-sama said, then without looking back she disappeared through the brown bisquit door. Yumi, who missed the chance to see her off, heard the sound of the floorboards squeaking to a skipping rhythm.
"What was that?"
At Sachiko-sama's words, they all tilted their heads to the side in unison, saying, "Hmm..."
She was in that good of a mood just for getting them to wait on the answer for one day. What thoughts were going on inside Minako-sama's head?
"Is it really going to be okay?"
Were the first words Yoshino-san said out of the mouth that Rei-sama had covered until now, after she was finally released
"What do you mean, okay?"
"Well, we're talking about the newspaper club after all."
Yoshino-san's implication was pointed. Taking into account all the absurd things they'd already gone through, with the meaning of Minako-sama's actions still unclear, she had a bit of, or maybe more than a bit of a bad feeling about it.
"But, you know, just like Shimako said, making it tomorrow doesn't really create any difficulties for us."
Rei-sama suddenly laughed.
"That's right. I don't think that after a whole day our feelings would change."
"Yeah"
Sachiko-sama and Shimako-sama both agreed. They were all strong-willed people after all. There were no way they would withdraw the answers they had given so easily.
But that thinking was naive.
Just one day.
It turned out that postponing their answer for just one day did end up causing some major problems.
In a way, when it came to the leadership of the Yamayurikai, Minako-sama was a maniac. She knew all too well how to manuever the Boutons.
Chapter 2
Pages 57 58 59 60 62 63 64 65 66
"What?"
At any rate, the passing of one day brought words that, Yumi, having arrived at the Rose Mansion, never thought she would hear.
"Anyway, it looks like we will accept. Don't make me say it twice."
Sachiko-sama was clearly in a bad mood.
"Um---:
She looked for an explanation from the others. In the second floor room, Yoshino-san, Shimako-san, and Rei-sama, who had skipped out on her club activities, were sitting around the table with unamused looks on their faces, although not as bad as Sachiko-sama.
"She pressured them into it! That Minako-sama..."
Yoshino-san banged her fists against the table.
"I thought she would come back with some kind of setup, and sure enough... I can't stand it!
"So what happened anyway?"
While Yumi didn't understand it at all, Rei-sama raised one of her index fingers.
"From the top."
"The top?"
She looked earnestly at the ceiling. Though, it wasn't like she actually thought there was a hole letting in rain or something.
"No, no. When I say from the top I mean the 3rd years."
"The third years? Oh! The Rosas!"
"That's right, today all of them were here. They each paid a courtesy visit to their petit sœurs during lunch time."
"-----oh"
Come to think of it, Shimako-san, who had suggested that they have lunch together at the Rose Mansion, suddenly cancelled shortly after lunch began, and disappeared. There were often times when the student representative committee was suddenly called into session during lunch, so Yumi didn't think much of it, but this time it might have been Rosa Gigantea who pulled her out.
"Um... and then?"
As if Rei-sama had passed the baton, Sachiko-sama continued the explanation.
"They gave an absolute order telling us to go along with the newspaper club's Valentine project. If you were told it was a final request, could you refuse?"
"Well..."
Well, normally you wouldn't be able to, right. Is what Yumi thought. But if you had someone who could say something like "Oneesama, you're all so mean!" as she had ended up hearing Sachiko-sama say during her first visit to the Rose Mansion, she figured that perhaps 'normal' wouldn't exactly apply either.
"Anyhow, this is a special meeting. Thanks to which it doesn't look like I'll be making it out to my club today."
Under the impression that she was the only one who had been given orders by her onee-sama, Rei-sama underestimated the situation and thought that as long as Sachiko-sama and Shimako-san were against it, things would be okay. So, as soon as classes were over she quickly put on her kendo uniform and did some practice swings. It was only when she saw Yoshino-san running over from the Rose Mansion with a pale look on her face that she realized the seriousness of the situtation. No one had expected that Minako-sama could win over all three of the Rosas.
Perhaps it could be called good timing. Speaking of the Rosas, the three of them arriving together effectively cut off the conversation and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Rosa Cinensis was followed by Rosa Fœtida, and Rosa Gigantea brought up the rear. They probably hadn't been seen as a set since the student council election's campaign speech assembly. All three of them had such twinkling eyes, smooth skin, and beautifully flowing hair that you didn't get the feeling they were tired from exams at all. They were so gorgeous it was blinding.
"It's not like we said anything about waiting for you anyway."
Though the lines Sachiko-sama uttered were distinctly uncute, her pouty expression was cute enough by itself. Even if she knew they came to sow seeds of annoyance, it seemed she was happy just being able to see Rosa Chinensis's face.
"Oh, well then, even without us I suppose the meeting is proceeding without delay, right?"
They all nodded to each other as if to say, "excellent," then took their seats. The Rosas were in high spirits. The five who had been there originally felt their power being cut in half, as if being swept away in this aura.
"So?"
Rosa Cinensis asked her petit sœur Sachiko-sama.
It was the start of the First Round.
"Have you decided your answer to the newspaper club?"
"----"
"Sachiko"
Having been warned about remaining silent, Sachiko-sama released what she had been holding back with an explosive reply.
"If all of you get together and command us to do your bidding in such a manner, we have no choice but to agree whether we will it or not."
"Why that's preposterous. If you say it that way, it makes it sound like we're forcing you to do it against your will."
"Am I wrong?"
"Yes, of course. Making the most of the student council officer elections, we took it as an opportunity to truly hand over the role of uniting the student body to the Boutons at the same time. We're enjoying our peaceful retirement. How you want to run the Yamayurikai is up to you."
"Then, why are you meddling?"
"What meddling?"
"You are meddling. You're telling us to cooperate with the newspaper club."
"All I'm saying is you should think a little more about it."
"That is meddling. After all, we already came to a conclusion yesterday."
"You being hard headed, as always."
"I beg your pardon. Just who was the one that choose such a stubborn petit sœur?"
"Me. Which is why I want you to become more flexible. I want you to have more interaction with the other students. What's wrong with that?
After all, ever since making Yumi-chan your petit sœur, look at how good you've become at expressing yourself."
"-----"
Sachiko-sama lost by KO.
Next, the second round.
Placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her twined fingers, Rosa Fœtida narrowed her eyes.
"Rei."
"Yes."
Upon being called, Rei-sama replied with a complicated expression. Not quite like a frog being eyed by a snake, but still with a rare sense of nervousness. It was as if she knew what was being set up in store for her, and was hoping that she could somehow be excused. Though Rei-sama surely also knew that there was no way around it. And that it was something completely unpleasant.
"You've been my petit sœur for almost two whole years now, so you should already know what it is that I want to say."
"Yes ma'am."
Like a balloon leaking air, Rei-sama shrunk visibly. In contrast, Rosa Fœtida, who usually had a bored look on her face, had shining eyes and held her chest puffed out today.
"So, can I understand that to mean your answer has been decided?"
"Please assume that you have decided for me"
"That won't do. You should decide on your own."
"Say it," said Rosa Fœtida, encouraging Rei-sama.
".....I'll cooperate with the news--"
"I object!"
Unable to keep silent, Yoshino-san spoke out.
"Rosa Fœtida, isn't pressuring her like that foul play? And you too Rei-chan, if you don't want to do it, then why don't you just say so!"
Getting too excited, she forgot to replace "Rei-chan" with "Onee-sama".
"Yoshino, be quiet."
"That's right. Don't interrupt. I'm talking to Rei. I don't like having uninvolved people who don't know how to keep their mouths shut..."
"Uninvolved?!"
"Don't take the bait, stupid!" Rei-sama said to stop a shrieking Yoshino-san.
"Yoshino, don't you know that if you get offended, the more you let it show, it only serves to fire her up that much more?"
"Huh?"
"That's right."
Rosa Fœtida smiled triumphantly.
"You still have a long way to go Yoshino-chan."
Yoshino-san had yet to fully grasp the true nature of their "Grandma," Rosa Fœtida. Being able to do pretty much anything without trying too hard, Rosa Fœtida tended to work for things that fed her appetite for the strange and unusual. Also, once she showed an interest in something, she would bite and not let go until she was done in the end, like a hungry snapping turtle. At any rate, it could be said that she was amazingly persistent. Knowing this, Rei-sama tried as much as possible not to defy her and to just ride things out. Since she realized that the more she resisted, the more Rosa Fœtida would work to make the situation that much worse.
But, right now, even all of Rei-sama's efforts came to nothing.
"You did say that you'd do what I decided, right Rei? Well then, lets have you participate in the event shall we?"
Rosa Fœtida was that kind of person.
The 3rd round.
Rosa Gigantea looked at Shimako-san.
"That's how it is, so, do your best."
"...I understand."
Well, seeing how Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama, the 2nd year students, caved in, there was no way that Shimako-san, as a 1st year student, could fight by herself.
But, how could Rosa Gigantea cheer her on by saying, "Do your best!" now, instead of during the student council elections?
"What, Yumi-chan. You don't look too happy."
Looking at Yumi's face, Rosa Gigantea laughed.
"It's nothing."
"Oh? It'd be better if you sulked openly. Like Yoshino-chan."
"Yoshino-san?"
When she looked back, Yoshino-san had a look on her face that made it impossible to say "that's not true", while she sulked next to Rei-sama. She looked like a kid with the mumps.
Yoshino-san couldn't lie.
She absolutely hated the idea of Rei-sama dating someone, so she spoke against it with all of her strength, and having lost, was in a bad mood. She was fierce, but still easy to understand, which made her adorable. Rei-sama, while smiling wryly, rubbed Yoshino-san's shoulders gently.
Sachiko-sama cast a glance at Yumi. The reason Yumi noticed was because she had already been looking at Sachiko-sama in the first place. If she thought about it, she realized she had been following Sachiko's profile the entire time.
Their eyes had met for only a moment when Sachiko-sama turned away immediately. Yumi thought that, even just for a little bit, it would've been nice if she had smiled. Then Yumi could feel some peace of mind.
But it seemed that at present, Sachiko-sama couldn't deal with her petit sœur.
"Anyway, should we go along with the newspaper club proposal, it is still necessary to present our modifications to the terms and proposal."
Turning to Rei-sama and Shimako-san, she sought their agreement. They had already completely switched gears.
"That's right. We don't have to do everything exactly as she says"
"I feel the same."
Rosa Fœtida looked at her wristwatch. Caught up in the moment, Yumi also turned to her neck to the left and glanced down. It was 4 pm.
Then, they heard the creaking sound of the stairs. Since the Rose Mansion was old, if you went up or down energetically, the vibrations could be felt through the walls and floor even from the room on the 2nd floor.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
After knocking, the face that appeared from behind the opened the door was none other than Tsukiyama Minako-sama, just as expected. Whether she had calculated the right time to come or just waited to make her appearance until the time was right, even if she could have come in earlier, it seemed she timed her entrance for when the meeting began to settle down. After all, she gave the Rosas a look that seemed to ask "How did it go?". There was no question about it, Minako-sama had told the 3rd years all about the Valentine's plan and somehow gotten them to cooperate.
TO BE CONTINUED! ^o^