Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 7 Chapter 8

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One, two, thee, four.

 

 

 

 

The music from the ca.s.sette played over and over in my mind.

 

 

 

 

"You're on day duty, right? Our teacher said the cla.s.s journal hasn't been delivered yet."

 

 

 

 

Back from the staff room, my cla.s.smate conveyed the message from our homeroom teacher.

 

 

 

 

"Ah, yes."

 

 

 

 

I raised my head in surprise. I'd put my school bag on top of my desk, and zoned out as I was putting my pencil case in it. Sleep deprivation, probably.

 

 

 

 

"Sorry, I'll take it now."

 

 

 

 

I wrote the name of tomorrow's day duty person in the right-hand corner of the front blackboard, then picked up my bag and the cla.s.s journal and left the room.

 

 

 

 

School was finally over. Because I'd been on duty, today had felt like an incredibly long day.

 

 

 

 

(Scoop, scoop. Discard, pose.)

 

 

 

 

"Okay, thanks for your effort."

 

 

 

 

I handed our teacher the cla.s.s journal, bowed quickly and left the staff room. But I still had a number of odd jobs left to do.

 

 

 

 

I had to go with Yos.h.i.+no-san to the art club's room to pick up the signboard, then to the flower arranging club to borrow some vases.

 

 

 

 

(Quick spin.)

 

 

 

 

Oh no. I'd s.p.a.ced out again, drawn completely into that world inside my head. I had to swap that music for something else. It may have been off key, but for now I started mentally singing "Maria-sama's soul," and headed towards the Rose Mansion. But before I got there.

 

 

 

 

"I'm from the koto music club, is it too late to change the program?"

 

 

 

 

"I'm with the confectionery maker's alliance. Here's a sample of the cookies we're giving to the graduating seniors on the day."

 

 

 

 

I was stopped on the way by various groups involved in the "Third-Years' Farewell Party," and had to either answer them or take a memo. While this was happening, Maria-sama flew far, far away, and what was left behind was the "One, two, three, four," rhythm.

 

 

 

 

The number of people that called out to me had increased day by day. The event itself was the day after tomorrow, and everyone was busy making last minute changes.

 

 

 

 

"I'm from the choir~ club."

 

 

 

 

As I was opening the door to the Rose Mansion, a familiar voice called out to me from behind. When I turned around, I saw an unexpected face.

 

 

 

 

"s.h.i.+zuka-sama! Oh, you surprised me."

 

 

 

 

"You look busy, hey."

 

 

 

 

Lillian's diva grinned. She'd soon be leaving j.a.pan, to become an international diva.

 

 

 

 

"Ah, the choir club? Was there something you wanted to change?"

 

 

 

 

I asked, opening my student diary. I was more accustomed to this sort of thing.

 

 

 

 

"Ah, sorry. I was just calling out to you the same way everyone else did. What I'm here for today isn't related to the choir club."

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+zuka-sama said, waving both her hands.

 

 

 

 

"Unrelated to the choir club?"

 

 

 

 

"You were asking about borrowing some pianicas to bring to the Rose Mansion on Sat.u.r.day, right? The music teacher said you could borrow up to five, so I came to let you know. How many did you need?"

 

 

 

 

"Pianicas?"

 

 

 

 

This was the first I'd heard about that, so I had no idea who to even refer her to.

 

 

 

 

"I was talking to a first-year music teacher about it &h.e.l.lip; right, I think she said it was Yos.h.i.+no-san that asked."

 

 

 

 

"Yos.h.i.+no-san?"

 

 

 

 

What on earth was she planning on doing with them?

 

 

 

 

"Can you wait here a moment?"

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san was probably inside the Rose Mansion right now.

 

 

 

 

I raced up the creaking, groaning stairs, and opened the door to the second-floor room.

 

 

 

 

"Ah, Yumi-san, you're late."

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san had been sitting down, checking over the printed programs, but she stood up when she saw me arrive.

 

 

 

 

"Alright, let's go to the art room and pick up the signboard. After that we have to see the flower arranging club too."

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san was the only person in the room. Belatedly, I realized it would have been quicker to have s.h.i.+zuka-sama accompany me and then they could have talked here, and this had me feeling a bit down.

 

 

 

 

"What's the matter?"

 

 

 

 

"s.h.i.+zuka-sama's here. About the pianicas."

 

 

 

 

"Oh, really?"

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san placed the note saying, "Yumi, Yos.h.i.+no: Go to the art room and flower arranging club," on the table and left the room.

 

 

 

 

"What do you need them for?"

 

 

 

 

I asked, following Yos.h.i.+no-san down the stairs.

 

 

 

 

"I thought I'd get s.h.i.+mako-san to play "El Bimbo" as background music to my magic act."

 

 

 

 

El Bimbo? Ahh, that dadah-dah dada-dah music that usually accompanies magic acts.

 

 

 

 

"You couldn't just use a ca.s.sette tape?"

 

 

 

 

"Sure, I could. But when I showed her the musical score, s.h.i.+mako-san said that she should be able to play the melody part."

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san smiled.

 

 

 

 

"And from a performance standpoint, this is more fun, right?"

 

 

 

 

That Yos.h.i.+no-san. It looked like she was dragging s.h.i.+mako-san into the world of comedy after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh, so you only want one? But there's a couple of different types, so which type do you want?"

 

 

 

 

s.h.i.+zuka-sama asked, having heard our conversation.

 

 

 

 

"Umm."

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san was lost for words. I wouldn't know how to answer if asked which one I wanted either. You mean there's more than one type of pianica?

 

 

 

 

"Do you want to have a look in the music prep room? The teacher should still be there now."

 

 

 

 

"For sure. Ah &h.e.l.lip; but."

 

 

 

 

After her immediate response to s.h.i.+zuka-sama's question, Yos.h.i.+no-san looked at me, as though just remembering. She'd probably forgotten that we had to to go the art room and the flower arranging club's room.

 

 

 

 

I declined the offer to accompany her. There was no point in having me look at pianicas.

 

 

 

 

"Come as soon as you've picked one, okay?"

 

 

 

 

I split off from Yos.h.i.+no-san and s.h.i.+zuka-sama at that point.

 

 

 

 

Then the sound of Yuuki's voice counting, "One, two, three, four," came back to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The art club's room was on the second floor of the arts building.

 

 

 

 

Still feeling the effects of my recent sprint up and down the Rose Mansion stairway, this completely normal staircase was tough on me right now. The two punch combo of shortness of breath and sore calf muscles.

 

 

 

 

"Oh, you're on your own?"

 

 

 

 

"Yeah. s.h.i.+mazu Yos.h.i.+no-san will be along in a bit."

 

 

 

 

"I see."

 

 

 

 

For some reason, the two girls there were chewing on something. On closer inspection, it turned out to be nothing more than plain white bread.

 

 

 

 

"Ah."

 

 

 

 

Noticing my rude gaze, the club president offered me some, saying, "Want something to eat?" but I politely declined her offer. I wasn't particularly hungry, and the smell of oil paints permeated the art room, removing any desire I may have had to eat.

 

 

 

 

"You use white bread instead of an eraser when you're doing charcoal sketches."

 

 

 

 

So that's what it was.

 

 

 

 

There was a plaster bust of the Venus de something or other between them, which they were sketching. There were a couple of things that looked like pencils, but were probably charcoal, scattered around the table.

 

 

 

 

"But you can only use the white, fluffy bits. Which inevitably means the crusts are left over."

 

 

 

 

So, not wanting to waste it, they ate it. That made sense. The charcoal mustn't have stuck to it.

 

 

 

 

"That's really good."

 

 

 

 

I mumbled, peeking at the picture on the easel. Using just the white of the paper and the black of the charcoal, they'd drawn something that looked like a black and white photograph.

 

 

 

 

"Thanks."

 

 

 

 

They were probably used to being praised, as they casually acknowledged the compliment.

 

 

 

 

"But rather than this, praise that."

 

 

 

 

The club president pointed at the signboard for the "Third-Years' Farewell Party." It was leaning against a corner of the wall, probably so it wouldn't get in the way of cla.s.ses.

 

 

 

 

"Wow, that's incredible."

 

 

 

 

The letters really jumped out at me.

 

 

 

 

"I know, right. Rei-san told us to do it however we wanted, so we went with the high impact lettering they use for sumo matches."[1]

 

 

 

 

"Sumo matches &h.e.l.lip; ahh, the one they use for the professional rankings?"

 

 

 

 

"Yep. I'm pretty proud of it."

 

 

 

 

I thought I'd seen it somewhere before, and it was the font known throughout the country for displaying the names of the famous sumo grand champions and challengers. The dark black lettering on the white signboard read, "Third-Year's Farewell Party." It goes to show, simple is best.

 

 

 

 

"Mmm, it looks really professional."

 

 

 

 

They were as skilled with their lettering as they were with their charcoal sketches.

 

 

 

 

"More praise, more."

 

 

 

 

Cheerfully, they requested more compliments from me.

 

 

 

 

"It's very bold."

 

 

 

 

"One more."

 

 

 

 

"It's a masterpiece."

 

 

 

 

"Alright, take it, thief."

 

 

 

 

There were still plenty of interesting people in the school.

 

 

 

 

They handed the signboard over as though I'd just bought it cheap at an auction.

 

 

 

 

"But on that note, s.h.i.+mazu Yos.h.i.+no-san hasn't come."

 

 

 

 

"I think she's probably on her way here."

 

 

 

 

I strained and picked up the signboard.

 

 

 

 

They said they'd used quick drying paint on it, and I was relieved to find it dry to the touch.

 

 

 

 

"Are you okay? Sure it's thin, but it's about as tall as you, Yumi-san. Do you want us to help?"

 

 

 

 

"Ah, I'm fine. My energy's my sole redeeming feature."

 

 

 

 

"Oh my, there's nothing else?"

 

 

 

 

"Hahaha."

 

 

 

 

It was sad that I couldn't puff my chest out and say, "Sure there is." But my energy was my main selling point. Especially when these tough days kept coming one after the other.

 

 

 

 

"In that case, we'll clean up and head home."

 

 

 

 

The two art club members washed their hands and picked up the plaster bust.

 

 

 

 

"Oh, you're not having club activities?"

 

 

 

 

"Not today. We were just sketching to kill some time."

 

 

 

 

So normally there would be more club members. Thinking about it, that made sense.

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Ah."

 

 

 

 

I'd figured it out. Since we told them we'd come by and pick up the signboard, they'd opened up the art room and were waiting. They didn't know when we'd get there, so they'd brought some white bread and spent the time sketching -

 

 

 

 

"Ah, don't drop it."

 

 

 

 

"Right."

 

 

 

 

I'd intended to farewell them with a respectful bow, but with the enc.u.mbrance of the signboard, all I could manage was a small nod.

 

 

 

 

The signboard artists, like all the behind-the-scene partic.i.p.ants, were responsible for the cost of their materials, but they didn't have to handle delivery of the final goods. The thought, "That sort of distance must be nice," idly floated across my mind.

 

 

 

 

"Alright, let's do this."

 

 

 

 

Leaving the art room, I descended the stairs.

 

 

 

 

But climbing down the stairs holding the signboard was even tougher than I'd thought. Never mind restraint, if I went back and asked for help they'd probably give it, but regrettably it was too late now. If I had the strength to climb back up the stairs I'd just descended, then I could struggle down to the first floor.

 

 

 

 

One, two, three, four. One foot in front of the other, I silently walked on.

 

 

 

 

I left the arts building and persisted down the hallway, and, when the Rose Mansion was finally in view, Yos.h.i.+no-san appeared.

 

 

 

 

"Don't tell me you've been carrying that all by yourself!?"

 

 

 

 

"Yeah."

 

 

 

 

I leaned the signboard against the wall and took a breather.

 

 

 

 

"I'm shocked. Since you were by yourself, shouldn't you have done the task that can be done by one person first?"

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

"The vases from the flower arranging club. At they very least, I'm sure they'd be easier to carry than that."

 

 

 

 

"Ah, right."

 

 

 

 

I hadn't even thought about that until now.

 

 

 

 

"Don't just say, "Ah, right.""

 

 

 

 

As she spoke, Yos.h.i.+no-san helped lift the signboard. It was a heck of a lot easier with two people carrying it.

 

 

 

 

As decided in an earlier meeting, the signboard was going to be kept in the storage room on the first floor of the Rose Mansion until Sat.u.r.day, so it wouldn't get dirty. There was already a pianica case in there, from a previous visitor.

 

 

 

 

Pianicas came in many types, but signboards were more simple and while they came in various sizes, they all had the same structure. Naturally, Yos.h.i.+no-san had borrowed the pianica with the largest keyboard. She liked to be prepared for any eventuality.

 

 

 

 

"Yumi-san, you can take a break if you want."

 

 

 

 

Yos.h.i.+no-san said, mindful of the heavy labor I'd done earlier, but I shook my head.

 

 

 

 

"I'm fine."

 

 

 

 

I posed with my arms up, like a bodybuilder showing off their muscles.

 

 

 

 

"My energy's my sole redeeming feature."

 

 

 

 

That had become my pet phrase recently. I'd say it when I was feeling tired so my body would think it was fine, and I could keep pus.h.i.+ng on.

 

 

 

 

Incidentally, speaking of the vases we borrowed from the flower arranging club. They were about the size of hibachi ovens, and just as heavy to boot, so there was no way one person could have moved them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So after all that, my arms were aching that evening.

 

 

 

 

"Yuuki, sorry, can you rub my shoulders?"

 

 

 

 

I pounced on my younger brother as he left the bath, and dragged him into my room.

 

 

 

 

"Why do I have to?"

 

 

 

 

"I'll buy you a caramel next time."

 

 

 

 

"Do you think I'm in elementary school or something?"

 

 

 

 

Whine, whine, whine. But he was kind, so he fulfilled his older sister's request.

 

 

 

 

"Whoa, your shoulders are stiff. What on earth have you been doing at school, Yumi?"

 

 

 

 

"Preparing for the third-years' farewell party."

 

 

 

 

Carrying signboards and vases the size of hibachi ovens.

 

 

 

 

"It's a girls school, but you're doing manual labor?"

 

 

 

 

"It's because it's a girls school. After all, there's not a single guy there."

 

 

 

 

Like all-boy schools, all-girl schools had their own set of problems.

 

 

 

 

"Ah ha. Don't overdo it, though."

 

 

 

 

"It's in two days time. I have to overdo it."

 

 

 

 

"Easy to say, but will your body hold up?"

 

 

 

 

"Yumi?"

 

 

 

 

"Mmm &h.e.l.lip; yeah!"

 

 

 

 

I'd dozed off, without noticing. I'd been dreaming, momentarily, but was awoken by my onee-sama scolding me.

 

 

 

 

"Just go to sleep."

 

 

 

 

Shocked, Yuuki left my room.

 

 

 

 

"Yeah."

 

 

 

 

That was how I answered him, but I couldn't go to bed just yet.

 

 

 

 

I had to practice the moves that Yuuki had shown me, as well as organizing my books for tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Ahh, that reminded me of something I'd read.

 

 

 

 

- This was surely an authentic example of midnight training.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edomoji contains information about different typescripts. The one they're talking about is Sumomoji.