Section 2

In the corner of the middle garden of the High Grade School (Me: This uses a construct used often in the first novel - Koutoubu, to mean High School) Yumi reached the erected student council building - The Bara no Yakata, at 7:50 AM.

``You are late"

Used until the end of the Gakuensai used for exchanging props and clothes, the multipurpose first floor door was opened by Yumi. Inside, the faces of the eminent members all turned towards her. (Me: This was very difficult to get into English without sounding like chicken scratch. My apologies.)

Rosa Chinesis, Rosa Foetida, Rosa Foetida en Bouton Hasekura Rei-sama, Rosa Gigantea en Bouton Toudou Shimako-sama, and ...

``Did you get caught in traffic?"

Low blood pressure in the morning Sachiko-sama. Sachiko-sama's eyes sharply turned towards Yumi, and asked Yumi with her normally cold voice. (Me: Low blood pressure in the morning was the excuse that Sachiko gave in the last novel for coming to school early on the day that she adjusted Yumi's sailor collar.)

``N...No."

``Then why are you late?"

Her trademark black hair falling gracefully from her neck down to her chest. Her eyebrows raised up, looking at Yumi with a facial expression of a cold stare, raising goose pimples at her beautifulness. - It was a captivating sight. With her soft words, Sachiko let out a question that hung in the air. Even looking at it in the most positive way, this could only be called a cross-examination. (Me: I feel very bad for rendering this in English. Konno Oyuki-sensei phrased this description beautifully, and translating it made it lose much of its flavor not only because I'm not even half as skilled a writer as she is, but because English just doesn't have many of Japanese's subtleties. The impression here was one of hard but elegant beauty.)

``Hold on, Sachiko"

Rei-sama gently pushed her shoulder into Sachiko, but Sachiko replied ``Please stay silent" and completely shut her out, turning back to Yumi.

``If you have a reason for being late, say it clearly."

``..."

After Sachiko said this light criticism, Yumi replied back honestly ``I overslept".

``What time do you think it is now?"

``7:52 ..."

With a fool's honesty, Yumi looked at her watch and replied, and Rosa Chinesis let out a small ``Pu" behind Sachiko sama.

After the Gakuensai, a simple cleaning-up meeting was planned, and everyone was told to meet at the Bara no Yakata until 8 AM. Because she came now, Yumi was late, in spite of Sachiko-sama profusely explaining to her about the meeting. Because she was a first year, she would come at least 15 minutes early, to be able to meet with her Onee-samas.

``You're even later than the 3rd years! What is the meaning of this?"

She didn't know. The others had come from the gym (Me: I encountered a word I didn't know here, so I'm not sure what this exactly means). She was absentminded this time.

``Sachiko-sama is scaryyy"

Suddenly from behind, the voice came. Without time to react, from behind, Yumi's arms were pinned behind her back. ``Guu" she let out, as she was forced into an unseemly gesture.

``Gokigenyou, everybody"

``Rosa Gigantea!"

As usual, Rosa Gigantea's entrance seemed like a stampede. Out of the Lilian Jogakuen High Grade School Student Council's leaders, Red, White, and Yellow Roses, only Rosa Gigante came, turned Yumi's neck around with her hand, then raised her hands in the air in a big yawn. After she finished, the two looked like arranged manequins. (Me: This sentence was a bit hard to understand.)

``Sorry, sorry. I totally forgot like I always do, and came. But, since the meeting's at 8, it's safe, isn't it Sachiko?'' (Me: Safe is in Katakana - Seifu.)

Rosa Gigantea, like a hostage scooped up as a shield, or a puppet hugged during a ventriloquism act, pulled the dangling Yumi from right in front of Sachiko. (Me: Think: ``I just stole your girl!'')

``Ehh, but Yumi ...''

``It's alright you know''

This time it was Rosa Foetida who intervened.

``The point is the meeting starts at 8, so it's alright''

``But, I wanted to bring to Yumi's attention ...''

``This coming from the sempai who made us wait 25 minutes day before yesterday has little persuasion power'' (Me: Sachiko and Yumi went `eloping' together in the first novel.)

Rosa Chinesis laughed, and Yumi who had a part in the being 25 minutes late affair could do nothing but flinch. The without thinking attacker Sachiko went red in the face and protested.

``Onee-sama, you're being too soft on her!''

But Sachiko could only keep the affair in the palm of her hand. Rosa Chinesis folded her arms over her chest and answered.

``It's as it should be. We are the third years, and you second years are like our children, and the first years like our grandchildren. Home discipline is basically our role. We won't sit silent like irresponsible grandmothers who only come when their sisters act cute.''

Grandmothers, she said. Yumi and also-first-year Shimako exchanged glances and their eyes lit up. So. The Rosas are grandmothers, huh.

``When you were a first year Sachiko, and even until we graduate, do you really think we'll spoil you?''

``Th, That's ...''

It seemed that Sachiko could not find words to reply with. Of course there was no mistaking that, when Sachiko was a first year, her ``Grandmother'' had spoiled her.

``Well, that's how it shall be. Please drop this now.''

``- -''

Sachiko was completely defeated. If that was the case, then nobody could win.

``The Rosas, they're basically sadists, aren't they'' thought Yumi. ``Or Sachiko-sama is a masochist''. The whole time, without even becoming obvious, Sachiko had been talked down to. The whole school's Target of Affection, the authentic princess of a good family, talking down to her gave a good feeling that one could only suspect. But it was all just a way of the Rosas showing affection, Yumi knew.

Also, whenever Sachiko was amongst the Rosas, she was different from her image. Normally, her image was one of grace and a faultless bishoujo.

``Aree, Yumi-chan, what's this?'' said Rosa Gigantea from behind as if she was stopping a child's game, and this time transformed into a sexually harassing old man and ran her hand down Yumi's neckline. (Me: Hahahaha. I'm surprised it didn't look so detailed in the anime.)

``Kyan''

The cold hand hitting her collar bone, Yumi let out an unnatural sound. Even while saying ``Sorry'', the long awaited rosary was pulled out.

``Hmm. I wonder if this is why Sachiko is in good spirits.''

``Ara, maa''

``When the time comes to do it, she does it.'' (Me: This was my lame attempt at trying to transliterate a Japanese expression into English. The original was ``Yaru toki ha yaru yo ne.'')

With their mouths flapping, the Rosas kept looking back and forth from Yumi's dangling rosary back to Sachiko. It was almost as if they were pandas in a zoo.

``This isn't really a meeting any more, Onee-samas''

This brought attention to her displeasure, as she combed her hair up and spoke with a look of distaste. But she didn't look as if she were hiding embarassment.

``Maa, with that said, please give me some service. When and where was the ceremony?'' (Me: The word for service here is ``saabisu'', commonly used in less than proper places.)

``S, service?!''

Calm Sachiko pulled her eyebrows up with a piku piku. Yumi knew she was becoming angry at being the Rosas feeder.

``Why must I give the Onee-samas service.''

``Aa, so. Then, I'll hear it from Yumi-chan. Yumi-chan is obedient, so she'll teach me.''

``Uhhhh'' (Me: This is Yumi's classic stammer line.)

What a bother. Sachiko faced Yumi with a look of ``If you tell, I'll never forgive you.''. The school's three most powerful girls turned and faced her. How awful. (Me: It was difficult to preserve the original sentence structure here. Sorry.)

It can't be helped - Yumi took a deep swallow. Unexpectedly, the area near her stomach seemed to move a little, she thought.

(Th... this ...)

Bad. Small pricks brought her to attention. Again the second came. She was already doubting herself. In the very near future, she would have to do the undesirable thing.

(It can't be helped.)

So, the thing she had tried with great effort to avoid all of life, she had no power to stop from happening, there was no mistaking that she had to do the this. How to decrease the unseemliness of it was what she should be thinking about.

(1. Before the thing happens, write down the embarrassing information on paper. 2. In a big voice lie. 3. Run immediately.)

Yumi chose the third one. Anyways, if she had chosen the embarrassing information writing, she would have to hear it and be sorry.

``Ah, kora, wait!''

So she began to ran but, before she could struggle to the door, Rosa Gigantea reeled her in and dragged her to the circular center of the room. (Me: Yumi's actions are sometimes just so comical. Until you catch yourself in real life in a Yumi moment. Then you'll get a good laugh at yourself, I guarantee.)

``Hmm, do you not want to say it? Because it was a beautiful memory, you don't want to talk about it?''

Yumi shuddered and shook her head. She was wrong. There was no way to run away from telling the story of the sister ceremony.

(Aa ...but ...mmmm)

For this sort of stuff, she should have had breakfast - -. And just as she was thinking this, Gyorogyoro, a sound like a frog, emerged from Yumi. The unbelievable thing didn't end after a full three seconds, the longest something like that has ever happened in her entire 16 years of living. And the center of the room all fell silent and the sound echoed off in the air.

(Aa ...has it ended yet ...)

Of all places, why did this frog's solo have to be heard among these beautiful people. A hole ...yes, she'd dig a whole in the floorboards, a whole 10 meters deep, and she'd want to stay buried in it for 10 years.

`` ......Kuu''

The person who broke the silence was Rosa Gigantea. The girls laughed with a `fufufu' and a `kusukusu' but not an `ahahaha' in big voices, and threw themselves backward. She was lured in - no, actually, there was no way she was lured. They began to bear it - Yumi and Sachiko, isolated out of the others in the room who were swept up in a wave of laughter. (Me: I'm thinking that `ahahaha' is not a ladylike way to laugh.)

``Great. Yumi-chan, you're awesome!''

``What would you do about Sachiko Onee-sama's predicament, I was thinking, no that was incredible timing.''

``For Yumi-chan's foolish actions, I apologize.''

Not knowing who hit what, the Rosas laughed with seemingly great satisfaction. The simple wrap-up meeting wasn't actually so simple. Rei and Shimako who had already left and missed the laughter that had spread out across the room. Review meetings and naming meetings were conducted in the one room of the upstairs that had a salon-like atmosphere. (Me: I probably hopelessly mangled that last bit. I tried what I could, though.)

Second floor one room, first floor one room. Even though the Bara no Yakata was a mansion, it was pretty small. But even though it was small, to call it a shack would be a mistake, it was a beautiful building. In the corner of the Middle Garden, built quietly, and having wooden floorboards older than the rest of the school's floorboards, with a stained glass thatched roof, and ivy crawling up the outer wall, with wooden edges to the bay windows, the outside of the building looked like it had been taken out of a sepia photo. After entering, the aged floorboards creaked as you stepped on their aged bodies, but this was time after time the special headquarters of the Yamayurikai. It was a mansion that filled you with a sense of cleanliness. (Me: Because `Bara no Yakata' means `Rose Mansion', that's why Yumi questions its largeness.)

The beautiful Sempai walked up the narrow steep stairs which creaked with gentle sounds. Whoever reaches the room first should probably make preparations but, because the stairs were narrow, it was not possible to overtake someone, only to walk while seeing someone's backside. ``I need to learn many things about the Yamayurikai from Sachiko'' thought Yumi, because Sachiko was of the same grade as her.

From today, no from the night before yesterday when she was given the rosary, she had become Sachiko's soeur. Sachiko was the soeur of Rosa Chinesis, Rosa Chinesis en Bouton, the Lilian Jogakuen High Grade School Student Council leader out of the other three Rosas, and she would become the next Rosa Chinesis. Yumi, who gave no thought that she would eventually become Rosa Chinesis, was Rosa Chinesis en Bouton's soeur, and her appearance at the Yamayurikai was customarily to aid with the Yamayurikai Member's affairs. Also, she would stay by Sachiko's side, take on her tasks, and become a wholehearted soeur. (Me: Talk about rending grammar. This sentence, while easy to understand in Japanese, was horrendous to get into English. I can't even imagine the amount of damage I've dealt to the sentence's elegance.)

And today was the special day. Today was her first day as Sachiko's soeur.

So.

(I became quickly disillusioned, huh?)

While going up the stairs and watching the coldly swaying black hair of Sachiko, Yumi became a little blue. What will the mass-of-pride-Sachiko do with her soeur, thought Yumi. Because this was their first meeting, she didn't have very high hopes, but today was just too cruel.

(No. She'd never give back the rosary!)

While Yumi climbed up the stairs with heavy creaking steps, ``I don't understand'' thought Yumi to herself. Sachiko couldn't be read, almost like an unfathomable thing to a guest. (Me: Geh, that's one of those lines that translates very badly into English. Times like these you wonder whether true English translation is even possible or not. Trust me, translation is a lot harder than it seems.)

(The frog solo made everyone laugh really haaard ...)

With ten more steps to go, today the steps looked like they had no end in sight. What should she say. Silence could only be bad, she thought, and it showed on the middle of her head. If they could start the sister relationship all over again, she would prefer a large lightning strike to today - and just as she thought this, the climbing Sachiko turned, and looked down upon Yumi. (Me: Looked down here, amusingly, means both physically and (at least to Yumi) mentally).

With eyes that showed a request, she looked bleak-faced. But in this position one step above Yumi, Sachiko's natural elegance and beautifulness was only more highlighted.

Yumi looked up at Sachiko with obedient fascination. Sachiko was a beautiful, and that's why there was no reason Yumi was her soeur. Of course, even from a distance, one could see the beginnings of her beauty.

``Turn your palm over and give your hand to me please.''

As commanded, Yumi presented both of her hands. Because this wasn't a palm reading, she decided not to stick out only one hand. It brought an image herself to mind. (Me: I had trouble translating the last bit, so take it with a grain of salt.)

(...Korette)

What could it be. Ah, that's it. In Home Economics Class, an image of a boy getting punished, that's it. If she remembered correctly, in an illustration in a novel, the painful-looking bodily punishment the boy had to receive with both his hands together with the look of the beautiful boy. But, she had completely forgotten the rest of the story.

(No, could Sachiko-sama want to do that with me ......?)

In her imagination, she could see herself being struck. Like lightning it would strike - - even after thinking that, when it came down to it, she thought ``The pain will probably be little''.

But, Yumi closed her eyes tightly. Rei-sama, who had been walking in front of Sachiko-sama, had already disappeared through the biscuit like door, leaving Yumi and Sachiko-sama alone in the area.

However, after waiting a little while, the pain did not come, and instead sounds of Sachiko-sama shuffling in her pocket could be heard. ``Are?'' she thought to herself, and a trivial answer visited her on top of the palm of her hand.

``This - -''

Opening her eyes, she saw there were two toffees.

``Here's something for what you didn't get'' (Me: Again, I had a bit of a time translating this.)

``Eh ......?''

``You didn't eat your breakfast because you were in a hurry, I understand''

Sachiko-sama turned on the heel of her foot, and her back faced Yumi once more.

``I'm not even a bit embarrassed''

``Sachiko-sama ......''

After clearing the last step, Yumi ran up, and followed from behind. Her thoughts seemed so stupid. But, no way, Sachiko-sama couldn't put these toffees in her stomach often, could she? Yumi couldn't even think that. (Me: Obviously the more English natural thing to say would have been ``eat the toffees'', but I kept it this way for authenticity's sake.)

Reaching the doorway, Sachiko-sama who seemed like she remembered something pushed her hand out to the door and said to Yumi.

``From now on, please stop calling me `Sachiko-sama' ''

``Eh?''

``You are my soeur, and to show the distinction, call me clearly with 'Onee-sama' ''

Sachiko-sama said this, put Yumi's tie in order, and said ``Your answer?''

``......Yes.''

She wasn't able to understand what just happened, but in spite of that Yumi nodded, and that person smiled with a satisfied look, and went on ahead and disappeared through the biscuit-like door. (Me: ``that person'' is specifically put, because in Japanese, ``sono hito'' is used.)

``Onee-sama ......''

Even if just a little bit, she tried whispering the name. After saying it, she blushed. Those were words she would never get accustomed to saying.

Onee-sama.

The back of her ears were tickling a little bit, but that couldn't compare to the ``Doki Doki'' of her speeding heart.

Even though it was a stupid, Yumi took out the rosary hidden underneath her seifuku. This was reality, she needed to confirm one more time. Of course the rosary was there. Sachiko-sama's rosary put on her nick the night before yesterday by Sachiko-sama.

So, she would only call ``Onee-sama'' to Sachiko-sama, and in the whole school, only Yumi could. Yumi, in great excitement, Yumi lifter her fist into the air without thinking.

``Don't be late''

Sachiko-sama called out from the middle of the room.

``Y, yes.''

Yumi, on the verge of panic in her answer, jammed down the sweets and entered the middle of the room. In the middle of her fist from the candy she held, the wrapping paper still remained, not very skillfully wrapped.