Chapter 3

``Well, everyone is copying Yoshino-san.''

After school as she was walking down the corridor, Tsutako-san turned to talk and brought up a bad topic.

``Yoshino-san, copying-''

Already deeply involved in the incident, Yumi did not believe those words. Of course, the incident with Miyuki-san after lunch break mimiced Yoshino-san's incident. Well, not the true Yoshino-san, but actually the image that everyone had received of her. Weak, gallant, and slightly pathetic ....... That was the image that Yumi had of Yoshino-san just a while ago.

``Well, just look around. After this, these incidents will get more common.''

``No way!''

``I'd be willing to bet against your ``No way!'' ''

While she didn't understand what Tsutako-san was betting against or why, why did Tsutako-san have to turn this into such a large matter? It seemed like this conversation would continue on forever.

``What is this copying Yoshino-san thing?''

``With a tragic face, calling out to your Onee-sama and returning your rosary in front of Maria-sama.''

Hearing this, Yumi replied ``Ehhhhh-''

``Well, well. Miyuki-san had no reason to return her rosary, but she did, didn't she? If you were to return yours, would you cry like that?''

``I see.''

Tsutako-san explained it simply. After this, Tsutako-san felt like going places with her camera and clicking its shutter, but then she would not be able to talk on the way. It seemed quite ridiculous on Tsutako-san's part.

``Well, what do you think Yumi-san? While humans do have mutual feelings for each other, sometimes certain things happen and they are forced to part. Do you think that Yoshino-san returned that rosay while smiling?''

``Well, I don't, but.''

``Whatever you think, don't you think it resembles more of a situation where you shout out in a heated voice and then begin to cry?''

Of course. A scene pressed a button into her mind of Yoshino-san fighting back tears and giving her rosary back. Whether she was laughing or angry, Yumi could not tell. But, according to Katsura-san's talk, Yoshino-san had been angry when she had given back the rosary.

``The power of the press is strong. This situation is resembling what happened in the article.''

Yes, that's true. That newspaper extra.

In the extra, they had written that Yoshino-san had completely surrendered. It was awful whenever Rei-sama's relationship with Yoshino-san was cut. The Rei-sama of the Rosa Foetida family was a hero known to be able to do hard work with great resolve. So, when the time came for the rosary to be returned in anger, it was unbelievable that the person who surrendered in the performance was Rei-sama.

``My Onee-sama called it a Rosa Foetida en Bouton disaster. It was a bad story.''

When the upperclassmen graduated, the en Boutons would become the Rosas. So then, the Rosas and the students they called en Boutons did not have to be friends, the en Boutons just must be chosen to be next Onee-samas.

``......''

The situation was quickly becoming worse. While she had not given it much thought, Yumi would become Rosa Chinesis en Bouton next year. Looking at Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama, she worried if that position was actually good.

``Yumi-san, you're soft. Shimako-san is now Rosa Gigantea en Bouton and next year as a second year she will become Rosa Gigantea.''

If she thought about that, it was actually someone else's affair. But, Shimako-san must be pretty tough.

``Well, being the sister of an en Bouton, how can you not think that you would surely eventually become a Rosa yourself?''

Whether the words were meant to comfort her or to put pressure on her, Yumi did not know. Tsutako-san then patted Yumi on the shoulder.

Thinking about how she would eventually become a Rosa, she realized that she would gain much extra responsibility, had she done it without being Sachiko-sama's soeur it would obviously have been awful. Probably, up till her graduation, she could distribute this pressure out among friends, but because of Yoshino-san's decision, she could not lighten her burden. (Me: The end of that was a bit difficult to translate.)

``Well, Tsutako-san. A bit ago you said that Miyuki-san was copying Yoshino-san? And that it was all an act?''

As Yumi said this, Tsutako-san looked up through the tall window on the stairs and moaned out a ``Yeah''. As autumn was deepening, the afternoon sky was becoming heavier and more like winter. And the enthusiastically clinging leaves on the trees with their lovable color and round shape gave Yumi a warm feeling.

``Well, it's difficult to say. Do you think the people did that because of what they actually felt?''

``What do you mean?''

``While the incident with Yoshino-san and Rei-sama may influence them, these people have probably thought out the whole affair beforehand, I'd think. Of course, they did learn about what happened with Yoshino-san and Rei-sama, but do you really think it is that easy to start these soeur breakups? In spite of what happened just now, these people must have been worrying from the beginning that they were not meant for each other, and so now they've decided to part.''

Well, the girls must have worried from before, hadn't they? Of course. Just like Yumi was always wondering whether or not her soeur relationship was compatible or not, Yoshino-san was thinking this and in her anger, made an unusal decision.

Hearing this, Tsutako-san laughed and replied ``If it was such an unusual decision, why did three of the breakups already happen at lunch?'' Of course, it was happening too quickly. At least, that's what Tsutako-san pointed out.

``So you saw them all?''

``Yup, I actually did. Miyuki-san, just as normal as Yumi-san who was drawn in a picture of the word normal, gave back her rosary with cloudy eyes.''

Tsutako-san must have lifted the camera in front of her eyes and at that moment captured the appeal on film. Yumi scrunched her eyebrows together and hurriedly defended ``It was quite casual.''. All over lunch, when people should have been eating, these strange incidents were hilighted. So, she guessed, because of these things she was able to steal two more pictures of strange incidents. Well now, this was worrying.

``But, why did they copy Yoshino-san? What would they gain in copying her?''

Yumi asked this as she descended onto the last step of the stairs. After this Tsutako-san would go to the clubhouse and Yumi would go to the Bara no Yakata, and so they would have to part ways. To keep talking on the way, the stopped on this step, leaned on the handrail, and continued talking.

``Isn't it wonderful to be like the heroine of a tragedy?''

``The heroine of a tragedy ......''

Of course, the image of Yoshino-san in this incident did make her seem like the heroine of a tragedy, and because Yumi was a girl, she enjoyed these sad stories and maybe once or twice wanted to empathise with these crying figures, but -.

``Well, isn't every day a bit boring? They wanted a change.''

Of course, it was not very crafty, said Tsutako-san.

``All the Lilian students really want is to be praised.''

The students who have attended Lilian Jogakuen would easily go onto college with great scholarship ability and household managing skill. Of course, along the way, students from other schools would transfer in, but it was part of school tradition to not talk about this test as if it were a highly competitive test. Without this talk, a casual atmosphere could be created. While much of this casual atmosphere was made and it was liked, sometimes it could be called boredom.

``If every day at Lilian was thrilling, then everyone would not be afflicted with this disease.''

``Disease, huh?''

``Yes, it's a disease. In continuous boredom, you cannot do anything, you cannot find anything, you don't notice what your heart really wants, and you become paralyzed in your student life and -'' (Me: I apologize here for the translation. The original Japanese really was a lot more elegant than I could put it.)

Like that unusual thing that Yoshino-san did.

``In this somewhat exciting thing, without knowing, a great magic has happened.''

``Of course. I see.''

Yumi understood Tsutako-san's words completely. If everyone did their best all the time and had no free time, then there would be no people like this. If Yumi had not become Sachiko-sama's petite soeur, then Yumi would probably be feeling bored right now. Plus, she didn't pursue her club activities with zeal like Tsutako-san did.

``Yeah, and the reason that the current Lillian Kawaraban is so popular is probably because it helps that boredom. But when we can't stop our boredom, we like to spy on the brilliant Yamayurikai-''

``While it is to cure boredom, this sort of stuff can only be written if one collects data. But, just like when the immunization-less students assaulted Yumi-san for a direct interview, the students do this and create news articles without anyone being any wiser about the consquences.'' (Me: I had a really rough time translating this. Tsutako's Japanese in general tends to be more difficult than the Japanese of say Yumi, and even Yumi comments on it on occasion (well, she did in the last novel).)

Tsutako-san who herself disguised herself when students were in gym clothes puffed this out angrily. Well, a person should do things the way they want to do them.

``But this buzz can't just be blamed on the Newspaper Club. The root of the problem is the unforgivable actions of Yoshino-san. The problem is, they made it seem fun.''

Tsutako-san then predicted like a fortune teller ``These three incidents won't be the end of it'', and then left towards the garden and the clubhouse.

This was getting unbearable. Even though what happened between Rei-sama and Yoshino-san was only one thing, the feeling was becoming that nothing can be done to patch it up. If like Tsutako-san said that what happened between Yoshino-san and Rei-san would spread like contagion, then soeur relationships would fall apart, and this special thing about Lilian would completely collapse.

(What can be done?)

Her feet turned the opposite direction from the Bara no Yakata for a second, then turned back. The best medicine for everyone would be if somehow Yoshino-san and Rei-sama could patch things together. But the talk was that this crime of copying each other could not be fixed. ...Maybe it would be a little different from the talk.

The first thing that should be done is to persuade Yoshino-san to accept the rosary again. But she was absent again today. And today Rei-sama was doing club activities so there was no way to go out and persuade her.

If one thought about it, there was one hope left. Rosa Foetida. Even though she was not very happy for some reason, her poor sisters were going through a crisis. It would be good if she could help us, and because she is normally quite different, there was no talk about what had happened to her. If she put all her heart into it, then maybe she could teach us how to make a solution.

As she descended from the last step, she thought it was perfect, as she looked upon the footgear box. Rosa Foetida was in the third year Crysanthemum class. Even though Rei-sama and Yoshino-san were of different years, they also were in Crysanthemum class. As she thought this, she found a small rock fell on her objective.

(Rosa Foetida's real name.)

While she had probably heard it before, she couldn't produce the name. Not just Rosa Foetida, but also Rosa Gigantea and Rosa Chinesis's full names she could not remember because they were never called by them.

She could recognize their names when they lined up by student-ID number, so she had to open that door in her mind.

(I'm really an idiot.)

She became saddened, and then decided to pull herself together and start work on her new operation, when in front of her eyes appeared the shape of a student. Not changing out of her indoor shoes because it was impolite, she walked up to the end of the room, and the person was none other than Rosa Foetida.

``Rosa Foetida!''

Yumi ran enthusiastically ran up to Rosa Foetida, who weakly turned towards her. For some reason, Rosa Foetida's eyes were teary, and her cheeks were read.

``Wh, wha-''

She wasn't able to say ``What is it?''.

Rosa Foetida avoided Yumi's glance. Her left cheek seemed red and swollen, as if a hand had impacted onto her cheek.

Her swollen left cheek looked like the time when Sachiko-sama had slapped the helpless Hanadera Gakuen Student Council President. Then, Yumi suddenly understood what was going on. Someone had slapped Rosa Foetida.

Even though she didn't let it show, Rosa Foetida's cheek looked as if it were painful. Which one of her friends was so cruel as to have a reason to slap Rosa Foetida like this?

``What?''

Faking composure, Rosa Foetida replied. But, with her head hanging downward, and her face turned away, conversation was a little hard. It seemed like what happened to Rosa Foeita was more important than what happened between Rei-sama and Yoshino-san.

``I'm sorry but, I'm in a hurry. If you can, please make it short.''

``No, if that's the case, then it's fine. I'm sorry for bothering you.''

While what she had to talk about wasn't short, because Rosa Foetida looked really bad, today she would just talk to see her off.

``Yumi-chan.''

After having turned her back to Yumi-san and walking away, it seemed that Rosa Foetida remembered something and turned again, hiding her left cheek as she had been the whole time.

``Yes?''

``I apologize, but, this thing- -''

``I won't say, and there's no-one here.''

Yumi hurriedly turned her face away. If any student picks this late time after school to leave, then they would not want anyone to see her face.

``Well, I'm not really hiding anything, but it is really bad, so.''

``No, it's alright.''

While she didn't understand what ``No, it's alright'' meant, she anyways saw Rosa Foetida off to the entrance.

``Gokigenyou.''

After a time, her figure became small in the distance, and Yumi looked out.

When, where, how, and who in the world would slap her? The person who slapped her in this school must be very bad.

(I wonder if she'll be alright ...)

While she wasn't part of the Newspaper Club, she really wanted to know what had happened.

She saw Rosa Foetida's shape disappear amongst the trees in the school garden, and Yumi turned back into the school building with a sigh. The way Rosa Foetida seemed, it would only become more awful as time went by. Before Katsura-san had said ``The third year, second year, and first year position in the Rosa Foetida family is peaceful'', but now to remember those words, they seemed completely unbelievable.

Yumi noticed that Rosa Foetida had gone out without changing her shoes. Now, it was time for Yumi to go to the Bara no Yakata. While she seemed like she was going home, following her was probably just a useless waste of time. Yumi paused a bit, because she was tired.

What had she said in the midst of that sorrowness and happiness?

With that bedraggled look, Rosa Foeitda had left for home, and did not notice that she had not taken off her indoor slippers. Of course she did not notice that her little sisters were going through a crisis.