Chapter 209

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Thursday, after school.

A gust of wind blew through the grounds of Lillian"s Girls Academy.

It was the beginning of March, and the air still had a chill to it. However, the gust of wind was neither prolonged nor strong.

Winds of fortune, spring squalls, the east wind, the first storm of spring. The winds that blew during springtime were known by various names, but you couldn"t use those names unless you knew which compa.s.s direction the wind came from.

Yumi walked along, enveloped by the wind. Or, perhaps, she had temporarily become one with the wind. Still clad in her indoor slippers, girls pa.s.sed by her on their way home, alone or in pairs. She would soon reach her goal, the gymnasium.

Coming to a halt, she took a sc.r.a.p of paper from her pocket. Countless times she"d run her eyes over the words written there.

"Yumi, Tomorrow after school, wait behind the gymnasium. Sachiko."

She"d received it yesterday, after school. After one night"s wait, it was now "tomorrow." And, finally, after school.

It had been a long twenty-four hours.

After initially mistaking it for a challenge when she received it in the Rose Mansion, Yumi had spent the trip home weighing up what it meant. Well, not quite - what was written there was quite concise, so the meaning was plain to see. But what purpose could Sachiko-sama have for calling Yumi out, behind the gymnasium? Why were places like the Rose Mansion, the courtyard or even just outside her cla.s.sroom unsuitable?

From memory, something similar had happened last year. Yoshino-san called out Torii Eriko-sama.

You"re late, Musashi. Sorry for making you wait, Kojirou.[1]

Even though they weren"t likely to end up dueling, their meeting place still held those connotations.

Perhaps Sachiko-sama had, in some respect, transcended and was about to throw down a challenge to Yumi. Even after arriving home, Yumi couldn"t put it out of her mind - she wracked her brain while eating dinner and taking a bath. She had thought that perhaps its outward appearance as a challenge was a fake and that it actually contained a hidden message, so she warmed it by the gas stove but, naturally, no new characters appeared.

Yumi thought about calling Sachiko-sama to ask her about it, but decided that if it was the sort of conversation that could be held over the phone then Sachiko-sama would have called her first. And she had probably left behind the letter because a phone-call would be an inconvenience.

That"s why Yumi had been somewhat on edge ever since she arrived at school this morning.

What would she do if she ran into Sachiko-sama somewhere, before school had finished? They were in separate buildings, but there were days when they would pa.s.s each other two or three times in the hallway. If they did accidentally b.u.mp into each other, how should she react? Should she race off after a quick greeting?

However, those worries had all been in vain. Until now, Yumi hadn"t seen her onee-sama at all that day. It wasn"t as though she was running from place to place to avoid meeting her onee-sama, but Yumi seemed to cause a fuss wherever she went today so she had avoided strolling through the corridors.

The Lillian Kawaraban"s extra edition was out.

It reminded her of events past, and the person she had become. During recess, spectators from other cla.s.ses gathered. Unlike before, however, there weren"t any who had come to see what she looked like, asking, "Which one"s f.u.kuzawa Yumi?" Instead, they opened the door and said, "Congratulations," and waved at her. It was even difficult to go to the toilet, as girls who recognized Yumi followed her around. She was finally set free when the school day finished.

The gymnasium was built with the sports ground behind it. Therefore, the back of the gymnasium was a "back" in name only - actually, it was a completely open area, that anyone on the banks of the oval could look down upon. This bright, open area was completely inappropriate as a place to summon people to, so it wasn"t a "proper" back of the gymnasium.

The path Yumi was on continued to the oval, so she strayed down the left side and arrived at the gymnasium. Walking past the entrance, she noticed that both the internal and external doors were thrown open, allowing her to see what was going on inside.

The dance club were performing calisthenics next to where the basketball club was throwing a ball around. Tournaments and other events were all approaching, so various clubs had to share the gymnasium, auditorium and oval. From memory, the drama club were supposed to be using the stage after the dance club had finished.

Yumi smiled drolly as she thought this.

She had no reason to memorize the time schedule, but it was firmly embedded in her brain. Perhaps you"d call it an occupational hazard. She was a total Yamayurikai addict.

Yumi turned the corner, listening to the sound of bouncing b.a.l.l.s. As she had expected, Sachiko-sama was waiting on the opposite side of the gymnasium to the path she had just been walking along.

Since Sachiko-sama had told Yumi to "wait" in her letter, she probably expected Yumi to arrive first. While it was inexcusable to make her onee-sama wait, the second-years still had cla.s.ses, homeroom and cleaning as usual, whereas the third-years were largely exempt from these. While Yumi came straight after completing these, she still arrived second. Sachiko-sama was forced to wait, even though she had already packed up, ready to go home.

"I suppose you"d call this the side of the gymnasium, rather than the back of the gymnasium."

Lured in by Sachiko-sama"s smile when she raised her head from the book she had been reading, Yumi smiled too.

"But this feels more like the back of the gymnasium."

An athletics storehouse was built a few metres from the outer wall of the gymnasium. Sandwiched between the two buildings was a kind of pa.s.sageway. Students would use this when fetching things like hurdles, or high-jump bars, or those things you use to draw the white lines on the field, but it wasn"t the kind of place you"d recommend for a nice stroll. However, if you were looking for somewhere out of the public eye, a true "back of the gymnasium," then it couldn"t be beaten.

Sachiko-sama closed her book and put it back in her bag, which was leaning against the gymnasium wall. There was no way to tell what book was inside the cover that had been Yumi"s gift to Sachiko-sama.

"What"s the matter? Calling me out here with this letter that reads like a challenge?"

Yumi held up the letter from yesterday.

"Challenge?"

Sachiko-sama looked confused as she took the paper.

"It says, "wait behind the gymnasium.""

"Ahh, that."

Sachiko-sama giggled, as though remembering.

"I originally intended to write, "Wait behind the gymnasium for me, please.""[2]

So, then, why didn"t the letter she was holding have that written on it?

If Sachiko-sama had written "wait for me, please," then that would have been normal. Up until now, that was the sort of letter that Yumi had received. "Please come to the women-only New Year"s party I"m hosting," or "Come to the library with me, please." Therefore, if Sachiko-sama had written, "After school tomorrow, wait behind the gymnasium for me, please," then the "behind the gymnasium" part may have seemed a bit strange, but it wouldn"t have been a cause for any concern.

"I accidentally added the full-stop after "gymnasium." It would have looked odd if I wrote, "Wait behind the gymnasium. For me, please," right? So I stopped after gymnasium."[3]

Sachiko-sama then explained that she wrote the letter using a ballpoint pen, so couldn"t erase it. Nothing to get alarmed about.

"When everyone else saw the contents of the letter there was a bit of confusion - they said it read like a challenge."

It was a slight exaggeration, but Sachiko-sama handed back the letter, asking, "And you?"

"I didn"t think it was a challenge, but I thought there might have been some hidden meaning."

"And did you unravel that hidden meaning?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Yumi didn"t mention anything about heating the paper, but the eagle-eyed Sachiko-sama must have seen how a corner of the report paper was now a light brown color, for she laughed and said, "You really are quite funny." It seems like she took it for a joke, for Sachiko-sama was laughing quite hard, as though she had just heard a comedian"s punchline.

After laughing for a while, Sachiko-sama seemed quite pleased when she said:

"I"m glad that I was able to see you today. It feels like this is the first time I"ve laughed or relaxed in quite a while."

So did that mean that for the last few days Sachiko-sama had been under constant tension and unable to smile?

"I"m in the Rose Mansion after school most days."

So come and visit any time you want to see my face and relax, was the unspoken invitation. Even though Sachiko-sama had retired, there was no rule prohibiting her from visiting. And having her onee-sama by her side didn"t mean that Yumi was dependent upon her. Basically, there were some things she had to figure out for herself.

However. Sachiko-sama"s response left Yumi dumbfounded.

"But if I went to the Rose Mansion, it wouldn"t just be the two of us, right?"

"Ehh!?"

At Yumi"s over-reaction:

"It"s a joke."

Defusing the situation effortlessly.

"Huh?"

"Your eyes are spinning."

Was she being teased about her funny reaction? Just as Yumi started to think so, Sachiko-sama continued:

"But it"s true that I wanted to have a nice, long look at your face. I remembered this place when I was searching for somewhere that would be quiet, without people coming and going. Originally I was thinking of a rooftop, but they would probably be locked after school."

"They wouldn"t be locked, but they"re all taken by clubs and other groups preparing for the third-years" send off."

"Ahh, that"s right."

Sachiko-sama clapped her hands together, apparently having forgotten about that. Whether it was because she was no longer involved in Yamayurikai work, or because she was caught up in her much-discussed cramming for exams, it seemed as though Sachiko-sama"s school rumor sensing apparatus had recently been switched off.

At any rate, since she had been called out here, Yumi figured that something was probably going on. She put herself on guard, in case Sachiko-sama was about to deliver her final requests.

But Sachiko-sama was true to her word, and watched Yumi closely. Without saying anything. As though there was nothing she wanted to say.

It felt as though the words that Sachiko-sama had in her heart were directed towards herself. As though by looking at Yumi, she was looking into a mirror and seeing her reflection. For something she needed to validate. Or something to firm her resolve.

"Onee-sama, did something happen?"

Yumi asked.

"Does it look like it did?"

"Yes."

"I can"t keep anything hidden from you."

Sachiko-sama sighed through her smile. Her facial expression seemed to indicate that she was happy, rather than disappointed, to have her thoughts read.

"Has something changed at home?"

"No."

"Then is it something about you?"

"It may well be. But for now, it"s a secret."

Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was the rumor that Sachiko-sama was cramming for an exam, but there was no way that Yumi could ask about it now that Sachiko-sama had forestalled this by saying it was a secret. Yoshino-san would probably be angry, asking what she was thinking, but Yumi decided that if her onee-sama didn"t want to talk about it just yet then there was no need to force the matter.

"You said "for now," so is this something that you"ll eventually be able to tell me about?"

"That"s right. Eventually."

Sachiko-sama was saying that she didn"t know when that would be. It could be tomorrow, or it could be a year from now.

"Well, that"s okay then."

Trusting that her onee-sama would eventually tell her about this, Yumi was prepared to wait.

"Yumi."

Suddenly, Sachiko-sama stretched out her arm and pushed against Yumi"s shoulder.

"Ahh!"

It was a surprise attack. Naturally, Yumi wobbled and lost her balance. She moved her right foot back to try and support her weight, but it got tangled up with her left foot leaving her in an increasingly precarious position. Yumi grasped for something to cling to, but couldn"t reach the storeroom"s wall. Just as Yumi thought she was about to fall, the hand that had caused this whole mess appeared in front of her eyes and she desperately clung to it with both hands.

"What on earth were you thinking, onee-sama?"

Yumi protested, having regained her balance. She had no memory of ever being treated this shabbily before.

"I"m sorry. It was a mistake."

"A mistake!?"

That was no excuse for pushing someone, for (an attempt at) making them fall over.

"You looked so solid, Yumi, that I thought you wouldn"t move even if I gave you a little push. And thinking that, my hand reached out."

"Solid?"

It had been a while since Yumi had been on the bathroom scales, so she wasn"t quite certain, but perhaps she had visibly gained weight. As Yumi was thinking these absurd thoughts, Sachiko-sama made a gesture as though she was pondering something, then looked upwards, drew in a large lungful of air and, finally, gave a small nod.

"Are you free the Sunday after next?"

"Huh?"

Their previous conversation had been forcibly terminated. After all, she was someone well accustomed to selfishly doing things on her own timetable. That was just a part of Ogasawara Sachiko.

"The week after next?"

It would be Sunday in three days" time, so the Sunday after next was -

"The day after the third-years" send-off."

Said Sachiko-sama.

"Yeah.... I suppose."

Yumi agreed, tentatively. With no idea whatsoever where this conversation was leading. She put herself on alert, fearful that the next poor response might earn her a kick.

"Well then, why don"t we go to the amus.e.m.e.nt park?"

"Huh!?"

Sachiko-sama was a box of surprises today.

"To make some memories?"

"Make some memories?"

Sachiko-sama"s stern eyes said that this was not something as lighthearted as that.

"This is revenge."

When they went to the amus.e.m.e.nt park in autumn, Sachiko-sama began to feel unwell midway through and had to retire. While she had sworn that she would have her revenge, Yumi hadn"t been under the impression that this was something that would happen while she was still a high school student.

"I shall accompany you."

No matter where she was asked to go. Yumi would do her best to ensure that her onee-sama, who hated to lose, triumphed over the amus.e.m.e.nt park.

"Thank-you. But I won"t ride on the roller coaster."

"Oh? What about your revenge?"

"The roller coaster was always excluded, right from the start."

It didn"t look like she was going to back down on that, no matter what.

Sachiko-sama picked up her bag, ready to leave.

"Are you going home?"

"Yes. There"s a tutor coming to my house today."

Standing beside Sachiko-sama as she checked her watch and calculated her estimated arrival time, Yumi was intrigued by her use of the word "tutor."

Sachiko-sama had supposedly stopped all her extra-curricular lessons when she was a first-year. Yumi had never heard her mention a tutor since becoming her pet.i.t soeur. This seemed to reinforce the rumor that was circulating about Sachiko-sama cramming for an exam.

"I thought I"d just see your face and then return home. But I ended up telling you about the amus.e.m.e.nt park."

As they were walking alongside the gymnasium, Sachiko-sama asked, "Why do you think I did that?" Inside the gymnasium, it looked like the basketball club were practicing their free throws.

Yumi couldn"t find an answer as she followed Sachiko-sama until they stopped at the fork in the path. Yumi would continue along the path as it went past the library and towards the school buildings, while Sachiko-sama would turn here, following the path lined with ginkgo trees to the main gate.

Sachiko-sama turned only her head towards Yumi, and spoke.

""Burn one"s bridges.""[4]

"Huh?"

Since she quoted it from memory, it was probably an aphorism or a proverb. However, it held little meaning to Yumi, since this was her first time hearing it.

"Right now, I"m burning my bridges."

Leaving Yumi with these words, Sachiko-sama turned the corner.

* * *

When she got home, Yumi looked it up in her English-j.a.panese dictionary.

- Burning one"s bridges behind them.

Basically, it meant to commit yourself to a course of action which you couldn"t turn back from.

Yumi parted company with Sachiko-sama, and when she arrived at the Rose Mansion the only people there to greet her were Shimako-san and Yoshino-san.

In other words, only the second-years were there.

"Oh, what happened to Noriko-chan?"

Yumi asked, the bag she had fetched from her cla.s.sroom falling with a thud.

She already knew that Touko was rehearsing for the drama club"s play. Touko had said she would stop by when the rehearsal was finished, but Yumi had told her not to overexert herself.

"Noriko went to the office to borrow the yellow pages."

"Yellow pages?"

"The florist we used last year has gone out of business, so we have to find another one."

Yumi was asked if she had run into Noriko-chan, but she hadn"t seen her at all. Yumi shrugged, then sat down. Various doc.u.ments were spread out across the table.

"Putting that aside. What happened with Sachiko-sama?"

Yoshino-san brought her chair around next to Yumi"s.

And just like that, work was momentarily suspended as they rushed into chat-time. Even Shimako-san put down her doc.u.ment and adopted a listening posture.

"What happened? Nothing much."

"What do you mean, nothing much. She was calling you out in that letter."

"Ahh, about that."

Yoshino-san and Shimako-san looked exasperated after Yumi explained the reason behind that. Yumi would never say it, but she was wondering just what on earth those two were expecting.

"But surely Sachiko-sama had something in mind, since she asked you to meet her."

"She said she wanted to see my face."

On hearing that, Yoshino-san and Shimako-san looked at each other and said, "Mmm."

"...That Sachiko-sama."

"So I let her look at my face."

That kind of reasoning would make Yumi blush and feel awkward even if she wasn"t talking about herself.

"And then?"

Yoshino-san lightly tapped Yumi on the shoulder, urging her to continue.

"Did she say what she was studying?"

"Sorry. I didn"t ask."

"You forgot again!?"

While Yoshino-san was still gasping in shock, Yumi shook her head.

"Nope. I remembered, but I decided not to ask."

"Why?"

This time it was Shimako-san posing the question.

"Sachiko-sama said she"d tell me eventually, so I"ll wait."

"Heey"

"You"re not concerned?"

Yumi stopped to ponder at this question from her close friend.

She would be lying if she said she wasn"t concerned.

Nor could she say that she wouldn"t worry no matter where Sachiko-sama went, or what she did. If they had been trapped by the same inability to understand each other"s feelings that they had during their troubles last year, then she would probably be badgering Sachiko-sama, trying to get information out of her.

"Well, it would just be to satisfy my own personal curiosity, so it"s okay, I guess."

Regardless of whether or not Yumi knew about and agreed with what her onee-sama was doing, Yumi considered her onee-sama to be a reasonable person and was convinced there was no way she"d be involved in anything untoward. And since her onee-sama had said, "For now, it"s a secret," that meant that at least there was a reason behind it.

"After all, when it comes time for me to know, I"m sure she"ll leave an obvious sign that she wants to see me."

Yumi said, taking the letter of challenge from her pocket and waving it around.

And then.

"...Wonderful."

Shimako-san whispered.

"Huh?"

"Yumi-san, it"s wonderful. That impression of solidness."

Again with the solid. Unlike Sachiko-sama, Shimako-san didn"t push her in the shoulder, but she did half-rise from her chair, lean across the table and pat both of Yumi"s hands.

Seated beside Yumi, Yoshino-san stuck a finger in her ear and tilted her head in an obvious display of boredom.

"For sure, it"s the bulk of a heavyweight sumo wrestler. I wonder if it"s the presence you gain upon becoming an onee-sama."

Yoshino-san"s words were probably intended to be sarcastic or a backhanded compliment, but there was just a bit too much spin on it and it went sailing past Yumi. Instead, she seized upon a few of the phrases she heard.

First, solid. Then, the bulk of a sumo wrestler.

"I knew it, I am fat!?"

Yumi pinched at the area around her waist. As the dress wasn"t tight around the stomach, it was possible that she was getting fat without realizing it.

"Still, her ditzy nature remains unchanged."

"Indeed."

Yoshino-san and Shimako-san smiled at each other. Yumi could tell they were speaking figuratively, but she still couldn"t work out how what they saw in her that was "solid."

"Ahh, that"s right."

Yoshino-san clapped her hands.

"We can talk about it now that the first years aren"t here. What are we going to do about "that"?"

"That?"

They were to discuss "that." However, the p.r.o.noun "that" is mainly useful for its ability to refer to any number of things.

"When I said "that." I meant the talent show, the talent show."

"Ahhh..."

If they were to give a name to the talent show, it would be "that." Last year, for the Rose"s farewell party, the three of them had risked life and limb in putting on a performance for the amus.e.m.e.nt of the graduating seniors.

"If we plan on doing that again this year, we should indirectly let the first-years know about it."

No high-school student would be able to perform a party trick on the spot if someone asked them to. Even if they did happen to know one, they probably wouldn"t have the necessary props with them.

"But, you know."

Yumi sought confirmation.

"We were tricked by Satou Sei-sama into practicing for it. That doesn"t mean it has to be like that every year."

"That"s true."

Shimako-san nodded in agreement.

Sachiko-sama"s solo ballet performance and Rei-sama"s one-handed apple crushing display were just things that Sei-sama had made up. Probably.

Last year had been an anomaly. So, what should they do this year? Should they return to the way things were, or continue to trial it for another year. It deserved some consideration. Depending on their choice, a talent show performed by the first-years could become the accepted custom.

Shimako-san didn"t seem particularly enthusiastic about it.

"Currently there"s only two first-years, and it would be a great burden to lay on them even if they didn"t have anything else going on, don"t you think? But Touko-chan has her drama club commitments too. I wonder if making her practice a party performance at this busy time of year would be unfair."

"Sorry."

"My apologies."

Yoshino-san, who was still without a pet.i.t soeur, and Yumi, whose pet.i.t soeur was busy, both bowed their heads simultaneously. Shimako-san looked mortified and said, "That"s not what I meant."

Still, Shimako-san had spoken truthfully. Last year, Yumi had overexerted herself and finally collapsed on the day before the party. Shimako-san and Yoshino-san wouldn"t presume to raise this, but it was a bitter lesson they had all probably taken to heart.

Silence reigned for a while. The private farewell party, by itself, wasn"t a lot of work, but before that was the "Third-Years" Send Off." While the three future Roses were the core of this effort, the first-years still had to act as their support. And since they had been first-years last year, they knew how much effort that was.

And even that was putting it lightly. For the first-years, it was brutal.

An odd atmosphere had settled around them. Their gazes shifted, as though searching for each others true intentions.

"I don"t think we should perform again this year."

Finally, Shimako-san spoke, breaking the silence. In no time at all, Yoshino-san and Yumi both agreed with her.

"That"s true."

It fell to them last year because they were the lowest on the totem pole. But now that they had pet.i.t soeurs of their own, n.o.body would want to do a magic act, or an impromptu traditional j.a.panese dance, or the loach scooping dance. After all, if their pet.i.t soeurs saw them performing such an act, then surely they would lose some of their dignity.

"What should we do if Rei-sama or Sachiko-sama request a performance?"

If they ask, "What are you performing?" Like Sei-sama did last year.

"They might. Last year"s performances were well received."

In that case, it would be unfair not to tell the first-years about it in advance. The more you thought about it, the more confusing it became.

They were all busy. Yet when they weren"t working, it looked like they"d have this to worry about.

"Anyway, we can continue this discussion later."

In the end, the question of the talent show was shelved without an agreement being reached.

Why?

Because the squeak-squeak sound of someone climbing the stairs floating into the second-floor room.

"I"m back."

Noriko-chan cheerfully opened the biscuit door. Standing behind her was Touko. However, neither of them were holding the yellow pages.

"Looking at the advertis.e.m.e.nts and addresses, we found a number of possible matches. After calling them to find out more, we think these two meet our requirements. They should be able to fit within our budget, and they can deliver if we pre-order."

Noriko-chan reported, looking at her notebook. And then Touko added:

"But since we"re dealing with flower arrangements, we shouldn"t make a decision until we"ve seen how they handle the flowers and what the store"s atmosphere is like. If you"d like, Noriko-chan and I can go and check them out on our way home - "

So that"s why they took so long.

It looked as though their talented pet.i.t soeurs had gone ahead and finished this job for them.

Friday.

Sachiko-sama didn"t come to school today.

Sat.u.r.day.

Sachiko-sama was standing outside the second-year pine cla.s.sroom when Yumi arrived at school. Who knows how long Sachiko-sama had been waiting, but when she saw Yumi"s face she suppressed a giggle and walked over to her.

Something good had obviously happened to Sachiko-sama, because she omitted the standard greeting of "Gokigenyou."

"I just thought of this yesterday, and I wanted to hear your opinion on it, Yumi."

It was about their date at the amus.e.m.e.nt park.

"Ahh."

Yumi"s initial reaction upon hearing the request was surprise, but she started to warm to the idea as Sachiko-sama continued to talk.

"Understood. I"ll ask them."

This wasn"t something that she could agree to on her own. Putting this on hold for now, Yumi agreed to have a response for Sachiko-sama by Monday.

"Really? I"ll leave it to you then."

"I think it"ll be okay. Or I"ll find a way to make it work."

Seeing her onee-sama looking so excited, like an elementary school student on the day before an excursion, made Yumi want to pitch in and help.

"You can"t force them."

Even as this warning was coming from her mouth, Sachiko-sama"s expression said that a little bit of arm-twisting would be okay.

"Is this because of your revenge?"

Perhaps this was a necessary part of her preparation itself.

"Could be."

Sachiko-sama walked back down the corridor in a cheerful mood, feeling better now that she had said what she wanted to say.

"Ah. I forgot to ask her about her absence yesterday."

Yumi thought, as she watched Sachiko-sama step lightly down the corridor, almost as though she were dancing.

There was no way Sachiko-sama had spent the entire day yesterday thinking about their date at the amus.e.m.e.nt park, right?

Miyamoto Musashi was a samurai who, among other things, killed Sasaki Kojirou in a duel. In the original, the letter has 待つ (with a large つ), which is abrupt and could be read as confrontational. What Sachiko says she intended to write was 待っています (with a small つ), which is polite. As above, the original has Sachiko explaining that she accidentally wrote a large つ and that 待つています would look odd. In the j.a.panese original, this is said in English. Hence Yumi"s confusion.

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