Section 2

After getting off at the M-station JR building's north entrance, Sachiko-sama went off towards the ticket counter.

``Be careful.''

Sachiko-sama straightened Yumi's tie as always, smiled like Maria-sama, glided off towards the ticket counter, and disappeared from sight. Her long, straight hair swiveled from side to side on her back, and from behind, she gave off an aura of a beautiful person.

The bus to Yoshino-san's hospital was in the south bus terminal, and took about 50 minutes. Climbing up the steps to the station, she saw the train that she normally took every day, and almost boarded it.

(Stupid, stupid.)

If she boarded that train, she would go straight home.

At the boarding place, Yumi recognized the train by the sign written on the top of the car. The car came up and the doors hissed open. The hospital was in the middle of a quiet residential district, so there were many people coming home from work and school.

After she reached the stop before the hospital, she had to get off the train and walk the rest of the way.

There were no medical checkups at night on Wednesdays, a sign in front of Yumi proclaimed, as she entered the hospital.

Because patients were done coming for the night, the accounting and pharmacy booths were closed, and the waiting room was empty. Because of this, Yumi could trace the smell of disinfectant in the air. A hospital at night seemed to have this gently cool air.

Because when she had come the day before yesterday she had come earlier, it was just after lunch on a Monday, this sort of atmosphere wasn't in the hospital then. She was supposed to meet Yoshino-san at seven, and now it was 6:05. She had nothing to do while waiting.

(Darn ......)

A strange thought leapt out at her. She tried to deny it, because this hospital was a modern, clean hospital, and there was no mistaking that the waiting room was obviously a beautiful place. It was not an old wooden building with corners full of spiders and their cobwebs. Yumi tried hard to hold on to the thought, but it felt as if a chill swept through the room.

(Hurry up.)

If she entered the hospital patient ward, there were many nurses, and Yoshino-san was bound to be in her room. Because Yumi was the guest to this meeting, this was to be her lounge. - - But there was nobody else here.

Because Yumi was afraid that Sachiko-sama was watching, she carefully ran up to the elevator, and pushed the up button.

Yumi waiting in front of the elevator for a while, and then the doors opened. Because she had waited for a while, she pushed the button again, and at the same time the elevator door opened. She thought it was slightly weird.

But because there was no-one else inside, she shouldn't be worried about entering the elevator. It was bad if there were only two men she didn't know, the talk at school said.

She took the elevator up to the fifth floor, and went out towards the nurse station. Like a barrier, no-one could enter the hospital rooms without passing the nurse station first.

While looking through the glass window at the nurse's station, she suddenly held her breath. Just at that moment, it felt as if something had crept up to the nape of her back. Without thinking, she brushed her back.

Then.

( $\Delta \Pi \Sigma$)

Without actually saying anything, Yumi called out. In the depths of the corridor of the hospital room, she saw a person's shadow with a white flanking color float away in the distance.

That shadow took one glance at Yumi, turned around, and went through the other way down the corridor.

(......No way.)

What was that? It seemed like a patient at the hospital. And the color of his robe was white.

``I hope it doesen't threaten me.''

If there were no people, then why was that figure stalking around without being helped? Some weird shapes were floating around. But, because they were all protected by Maria-sama, everything would be alright.

(......But)

Where have I seen this person before, Yumi thought to herself.

Of course, the moment she saw its shape, she was surprised, and she couldn't think up anything else. She had calmed down slightly after the figure disappeared, but she couldn't help but think that that person was someone she knew. It wasn't Yoshino-san.

(So, someone other than Yoshino-san knew her in this hospital?)

She felt a tap on her shoulder, its resounding echo, and suddenly straightened herself.

``Wh, what?''

Turning around, Yumi was a little surprised at noticing the features on the person who had tapped her shoulder.

``Yoshino-san ......''

``Yup. Hi.''

Yoshino-san was returning to her room after making a phone call, and she waved around her phone card in front of Yumi.

``What happened, Yumi-san?''

``......I, just now, I saw Rosa Foetida.''

``Eh?''

``Yeah. It was Rosa Foetida. And she was a ghost!''

Yumi interjected exicetedly. Of course, Yoshino-san did not understand anything of the explanation.

``Quiet down Yumi-san. Rosa Foetida? Rosa Foetida is alive so, why would you see her ghost?''

``Then, maybe it was a vengeful spirit?''

``Please stop that Yumi-san. People here are going to get surgery done.''

``......Sorry.''

Even though Yoshino-san looked like a weak person who would get scared by ghost stories, Yoshino-san did not meet Yumi's eyes. While turning towards Yoshino-san's hospital room, Yumi thought that Yoshino-san wanted to keep the blah blah to a minumum, but then suddenly, it seemed as if Yoshino-san remembered something. She said.

``Well, I also saw her.''

``Eh?!''

``I said I saw her. I meant it like, I think I had seen her before. But I thought the only reason Rosa Foetida would be in the hospital was because it was a dream, so I forgot it, but - -''

Maybe this was Rosa Foetida Yoshino-san was talking about. Maybe they were passing each other and didn't recognize each other. It was funny that both of them were in the same hospital ward without knowing that the other was there.

``But, did I mistake her for someone else? Because Rosa Foetida should be in school, so - - ''

``Well, she's taken off since the end of last week.''

``Eh?''

Yoshino-san perked up her ears as if she was hearing this for the first time.

``When did you see her? Then I can tell you if she was at school or not.''

``Last week, no, I think it was at the beginning of this week. Sorry, I don't remember it very well.''

``People say that she has a fever, so she's taking off from school.''

``The fever is so bad that she has to be at the hospital?''

The two of them sat on the bed in the hospital room and nodded ``Yeah.'' Was it normal to get hospitalized for fevers?

``Did you hear anything from your nurse?''

``I don't want to go there.''

``I see.''

Yumi realized that it would be better if she stopped her investigating. Yoshino-san had forcefully said ``I don't want to go there'', so it couldn't be helped. For whatever reason, she had pushed Yoshino-san's button, and she didn't know what could happen next.

Well, but.

The two of them had already decided that the person they each saw had to have been Rosa Foetida. While wondering if they were in danger, each of them wondered whether being eye-witnesses to each of their stories gave enough evidence that it was Rosa Foetida. If they talked about these incidents with the Newspaper Club, the club would no doubt thank the two and use the material for a story.

(Rosa Foetida's mysterious hospital student life.)

- Of course, she wouldn't let anything like that happen.

``Hey, Yumi-san.''

Yoshino-san said in a quiet voice.

``Yeah?''

``Thanks for helping with all these things, Yumi-san.''

After saying these words, the words seemed as if they came from another world. For some reason, Yumi-san lowered her face.

But, the surgery wasn't hard, she had said. It wasn't something trivial, but it was a simple form of heart surgery, she had said before.

``No, don't make that kind of face. I don't think I'm going to die, so it's alright. These errands are nothing like a will.''

Her face said everything in times like these. If when she became an adult, Yumi ever played Poker or Majong, her heart would say everything on her face.

``I just wanted to thank you. Also I have one more favor I want to ask of you?''

``A favor?''

Because Yoshino-san looked as if she was asking something amazing, bringing up a favor was a small warning about the task to Yumi. But really, the task was disappointingly simple.

``Day after tomorrow, if you have any free time, can you go to see Rei-chan's match?''

``- - Eh?''

``You know, her kendo fight?''

``Oh, Rei-sama's match.''

``Yeah''

Even though Yumi just nodded, she didn't think Yoshino-san wanted to talk more about it.

``Oh. I understand.''

She really had wanted to come after school to see Yoshino-san, but a surgery is in the hands of a doctor, and because she wasn't Yoshino-san's blood-type, Yumi realized that she would only be a nuisance that could do nothing.

``I'll see Rei-sama's stunning win.''

Yoshino-san said thank you and smiled like an angel.

After giving Yoshino-san some dinner, Yumi yelled back to Yoshino-san that she would see her later. It was a bit awkward, because she had undertaken a large responsibility. She didn't feel anything as she left the quiet hospital. For some reason, everything and everyone just seemed very simple.

Directly in front of her at the entrace, she could see the flashing red lights of an ambulance. In the waiting room, the nurses loitered, seeming as if they were the family of the patients here, and not going pale at all at the sight of injuries.

Whether it was illness or an accident Yumi did not know, but she still felt sad for the person. While going out the door so as not to be an annoyance to the hospital, Yumi thought of Rei-sama.

How bad was Rei-sama's heartbreak now?

The only thing she probably felt was that, the depths of her heart wanted to be next to Yoshino-san. Only because Yoshino-san had requested it, Rei-sama ground her teeth and beared the missed meetings. Because of Yoshino-san's frank love for Rei-sama, Yumi could think that Rei could do nothing but win at the match.

Of course, because Rei-sama was Yoshino-san's Onee-sama, Yoshino-san thought she was strong. Yoshino-san was a fascinating person, thinking like that.

In order to catch the bus that ran to M station, Yumi ran to the bus stop. Quickly getting into the car, just after getting inside, she seated herself in a seat and sighed.

After running, thinking about the day after tommorow made her heart beat quickly.