Maria-sama ga Miteru - Vol 34 - Chapter 1

Little Horrors 1

Nana-chan you say? Wonder if she dislikes ghosts?

Even with these words and a push on the back making her responsible for the errand, as expected, she was hesitant because of her reluctance toward the matter.

"Hah..."

Walking down the corridor a bit, after checking that the 3rd year Chrysanthemum classroom's name plate was no longer visible, Arima Nana let out a heavy sigh.

It seems that even with April soon coming to an end, there would be certain after school activities.

For the Lillian Girls Academy High School section, the hierarchical relationships were rather on the strict side of things. Such that even just being beside a first-year's upperclassman caused nervousness, yet her partner was a third year, two school years her elder. When it comes to both that, and it being the order of an athletic club sempai, and with herself being a first year student without much time since enrolling, even if it were to be acceptable, there were no remaining options to say "I refuse."

However, to say that she had accepted, even if not 100%, to the extent that Nana is even there gives the appearance of having accepted.

(Besides…)

Surely, speaking of ghosts was troubling. Yup, she nodded and quickened her pace which was becoming heavy. After this, her partner who she would confront was considerably stubborn, but she must not be defeated. Whether with being two school years her elder, and being a sports club sempai, and being her *Onee-sama*, it was that, if it was a matter she believed to be correct, she ought to speak up with a resolute attitude.

However, as to whether or not her companion would accept a sound argument, was still a separate problem.

"Then, if that's the way it is, could persuasion even be possible?"

Nana, who had exited the school building and come to the entrance of the building called the Rose Mansion, sighed out a breath with a bit different nuance than just a while ago.

Why is that? With people such as Shimazu Yoshino, why is it so to have a personality that cannot be dealt with in an ordinary manner.


"Hah? Not here?"

Here, with a resolute attitude that one ought to reproach, it was that Nana vigorously went up the stairs, but immediately her resolute spirit was crushed. It was because she had been informed about the target person's absence by Nijou Noriko-sama, Rosa Gigantia en Buton, who had just come out from the 2nd floor room.

"...um. About Rosa Foetida, she isn't here…"

Nana, only tried to repeat Noriko-sama's words that she'd heard just now.  However, her judgment was that the words didn't make sense, even though her judgment didn't doubt the words, while there was the pattern of the unexpectedly said, "not here," it was that she wanted it to be an expectation, and while readily accepting the truth, a softening of the impact was needed.

"Yes."

Noriko-sama, while leaning against the door popularly called the biscuit door, nodded as if to say, "that it wasn't wrong." With "Rosa Foetida-sama," was how Yoshino-sama, who was Nana's Onee-sama, was addressed as her student council title. Therefore, in other words, it was unnecessary to be properly instructed to say such as, "Concerning Yoshino-sama, she isn't here."

"What's wrong? Nana-chan, is it that you are looking for Rosa Foetida-sama? Didn't she say there was club practice today? She didn't come after it was finished?"

Noriko-sama threw out the questions in rapid succession. Because Nana was Rosa Foetida en Buton, with the significance of being called "Buton" they shared the same position, but there was still the matter of Noriko-sama being her sempai by one year, and there was something like taking care of her newly arrived junior.

"The club activities aren't over yet."

For the time being, Nana only replied to the last question.

"It's not over, you say. Is it okay to come and be absent?"

As a new club member, she's saying. It's natural to worry about it.

"It's both good and bad. Because I was ordered by a 3rd year sempai to bring onee-sama."

"Wait. In that case, today's Kendo club's meeting, you say, wasn't just for new club members, is that what you're saying?"

"Suppose so..."

From this situation, in conclusion, Yoshino-sama probably told a story similar to, "because today's club activity attending was only for new club members, I'm a 3rd year, so it's ok if I don't go," to her other friends. That is, at the least, not showing up for club activities, and it's not from being dragged into unforeseen circumstances or something, rather, you could call it a premeditated crime.

Really, what was she thinking, Nana sighed a bit. Even though Yoshino-sama was her onee-sama, Nana was shocked. Does she know any limits?

"Was there something?"

Those words happened together with the  opening of the biscuit door and the appearance of a face. It was Rosa Gigantia, also known as Toudou Shimako-sama.

"Onee-sama. Nana-chan says she's come calling for Rosa Foetida-sama."

Noriko-sama turned to look back at Shimako-sama who came out of the room.

"Well."

Shimako-sama murmured softly. Suitably called by this name, she was trim and pretty.  From someone at one time or another, she had heard the white rose sisters described as "a western doll and a Japanese doll," but when lined up together with Noriko-sama, truthfully, this contrast was beautiful. However, today the impression was a bit different from usual.
――if you think about it, it was the wavy hair tied up with a single rubber band.

"If it is Yoshino-san, she isn't here."

Shimako-sama smiled like a flower opening.

"About that… I heard."

In a blink of the eye, because of being allowed only an illusion like a sweet fragrance, the *genuine article*, as one would expect, is different. Nay, saying so, it's not to say that Yoshino-sama is a poor imitation yellow rose. Absolutely.

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"Then, Rosa Chinensis-sama?"

Nana pulled herself together and changed her question.

"Yumi-san?"

"Since Rosa Chinensis is in the same class with Onee-sama, she might be aware of something."

Something like maybe she had said that she had somewhere to stop by after school, before going to the Rose Mansion? Or maybe this time it's something like cleaning an area that takes an immense amount of time? If only there was even the slightest hint of where she was now, or even something that gave a reason.

"That is…"

However, the white rose sisters said such and exchanged glances.

"Rosa Chinensis-sama also isn't here."

"Eh"

And even that as well, though it wasn't that there was any expectation. Fukuzawa Yumi-sama, who is Rosa Chinensis-sama, didn't even have any extracurricular club activities and also wasn't in a committee meeting. Considering the likelihood of being at the Rose Mansion, along with Noriko-sama, they where the top two likely to be there.

"We were also told at some point that they would be late, right Noriko?"

"Yes."

She wondered whether there's something with the 3rd year pine class. As it came to be that she might be together with Yumi-sama, Nana was shaken that until just a bit ago she had believed and not even doubted the Yoshino-sama "skipping designated club activities theory". Maybe the truth is something like even though she was planning to properly go to club activities, surely circumstances made it so that she couldn't go? However, it's also a complete guess that such circumstances came about.

"Hey, Nana-chan. For now, shouldn't the two of us try to go to the 3rd year classroom?"

Noriko-sama suggested.

"Hmm. If that's the case, then I'll stay here keeping watch. If Yoshino-san comes, I'll keep her detained here."

Shimako-sama joined in.

So, that means…, Nana thought that if it is just going back to the 3rd year classroom, then she alone was sufficient, but not having a reason to refuse, she said, "Please treat me well," and lowered her head.

"Take care."

Shimako-sama, came out in front of the biscuit door, and waved, seeing off the two butons who were descending the stairs.

"Your onee-sama, did she say that only first years were to go to today's club activities?"

While descending the stairs, Nana-chan asked at Noriko-sama's back. Because of the creaking sound made by the old wooden stairs coping with their body weight, it couldn't be heard clearly, but coming from the front was, "y-, a-, yeah," or similar sense of words was returned.

"That, about when did you hear it?"

Earnestly wanting to attain a response, after reaching the first floor,  she expanded upon the question.

"When, you say… who knows? Lunch break?"

Noriko-sama, while pausing for a moment and tilting her head,  murmured somewhat uncertainly.

"Lunch break?"

Nana also tilted her head. Probably guessing from the slightly puzzled expression she received, Noriko-sama realized and promptly withdrew her previous remarks.

"Nah, about today's lunch break, we didn't gather at the Rose Mansion, so it wasn't that, was it? Then, yesterday's lunch break…"

"Yesterday was Sunday."

Even though it was a day off, going to school, you say... it's to the point that Nana wanted to insert a straight-man like, "to just what extent do you like school?" But since the partner was her senior, for the time being, Nana showed restraint. Assuming for argument's sake that it was true, if there weren't lessons, surely, you wouldn't call it a "lunch break."

"...it was, wasn't it. That being so, wasn't it this morning? I can't clearly recall. What did she say? I'm sorry, bit by bit I've become less confident.  Now that it's come to this, even Rosa Foetida's words, I might have misunderstood, and, among other things, have come to feel so in the end."

While scratching her head, with it's moderately long bobbed hair cut, Noriko-sama faced towards the exit in the foyer of the Rose Mansion and started walking again.  While chasing after, Nana asked,

"Umm, perhaps, your onee-sama is covering for someone?"

"It's not that."

Putting her hand on the door knob, only this part, Noriko-sama clearly asserted. Surely, Noriko-sama wouldn't have any reason to take Yoshino-sama's side.

"But. Why is Nana-chan fixated on when I said it was?"

As Noriko-sama opened the door and they went out side, a bit of wind was blowing on their cheeks and hands and pleasantly caressed the exposed part of their calves.

"I wonder why it is."

Because not much was said during the short distance from the Rose Mansion until entering the school building, Nana thought things through in her own mind.

"I, finally, that talk with onee-sama -- the talk that you mentioned -- though it is a talk about attending the club activity meeting, at the time that talk happened, onee-sama also seemed to be saying that she would attend. Right from the start, it was a plan to skip out or something, or after meeting with me she had a change of mind or something, so it was probably said in that way."

"If that when she did that, it was to deceive you, it would be mortifying, is that what you are saying?"

While walking down the corridor alongside Nana, Noriko asked.

"I don't know. To say that she is such a person, knowing from the start and such."

"Such a person?"

"That she's a liar."

Noriko heard Nana-chan's words and made a startled expression. That there is a person who calls their own Onee-sama, "a liar," it was a thing that probably couldn't be believed.

In autumn of last year, while still enrolled in the middle school section, Nana was made accomplice to a lie during her initial meeting with Yoshino-sama at the kendo tournament's assembly hall.  That lie too, it did become the truth, eventually, through the two of them becoming souers, but….

"That is, it is my thinking that, for me, I would not be amused that onee-sama would do it secretly when taking on amusing things."

"… … that's a terrible desire to monopolize, isn't it?"

"It's a bit different though."

So it's also different for 2nd year students, and it's natural that there are things that can be done and things that can't. In other words, she should be resigned to unreasonable things from the start. However, being in the same kendo club, why keep it a secret from your petite souer, that you're not attending a gathering slated for all members to attend? She just wanted to say, That's probably a bit different.

Thus, Yoshino-sama will be in the 3rd year Pine classroom, and surely unavoidable urgent business had made her unable to go to club activities. As far as Nana was concerned, that was the conclusion she hoped for the most.

"There's something... it's that they are planning something, isn't it?"

"W-what something are you talking about?"

"I don't know."

Though she didn't know, she could smell it.

"If you don't know, instead of strange presuppositions, if you  meet with the person herself and ask, it and other things will be resolved.  More importantly, let's have a brighter conversation."

Noriko-sama said. It is so, suspicion invites ugliness.

"Even so, apart from that I don't think smiling is necessary though."

"Got it. Well then, there's no harm in a flat strike. I wonder why does it seem such an all over the place story?"

Just as Nana was about to say, how'd it get to that?, Noriko-sama spoke.

"Well, um, guess so. Are you already accustomed to life in the high school section?"

―― That, truly, it was a terribly all-over-the-place topic.

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