Chapter 2

``Yoshino, are you up?''

Knowing her routine, after Rei knocked, she did not wait for an answer, opened the door, and entered. As usual, Yoshino was sleeping face down on her wooden semi-double bed, and then her face moved a little and she recognized the intruder.

``- - What?''

While she didn't have any hopes of receiving a ``Welcome'' from the ill person, she wasn't really wanting to immediately be accosted with a ``What?''. While she was thinking this, Rei pulled the chair from the desk, and pulled it over by the bedside and sat down.

``Your fever still hasn't gone down then?''

From when Yoshino was a little child, whenever she would get a fever, a hand-towel with a little-bird design would be placed on her forehead. Without it, she was not content. The print had faded now, and the end had frayed countless times, but it was sewed back together good as new.

Just a little while ago, the middle-aged lady had squeezed the towel, folded it up precisely, and tried to apply it to her face. It was pleasantly cool.

``Is everything the same?''

Because her situation was a little disgraceful, Yoshino did not open her mouth. Familiar with this, Rei did not pay it heed and went on.

``Because Rei-san is your Takuhaibinya-san today, I'll take out everything I have to give.'' (Me: Takuhaibin is a home delivery service in Japan which delivers goods door-to-door and to convenience stores and hotels and the like for moderate prices. For more information, see: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html. ``Ya'' is a suffix for stores.)

Taking her binder out of her schoolbag, she took out all the official papers from the clear case and placed it on the top of the table.

``The English reader will be homework until the next week. Also, your classical literature report has been returned. And - -''

``What about club activities?''

Interjecting, Yoshino unexpectedly said. When not in school, they used their long-accustomed equal names for each other. Based on the situation, Yoshino had skill in choosing when to say ``Onee-sama'' or when to say ``Rei-chan''.

``Club activities?''

Rei closed her schoolbag and asked back.

``Well, you have another competition coming up, so weren't you saying that you had intensive training to do?''

``I was saying ......?''

``Did you sabotage it because of me?''

Purposefully removing the little-bird-design towel, she asked as if she were searching for something. Someone who loves to read hard-boiled mystery novels, can easily take an objective look, and make the person nod honestly. She became angry enough to get a heart attack, just as it always has been for the many years they had known each other.

Then Rei sweetly smiled and denied it.

``That's not it. Today I had practice with my dad, so I came back early.''

``Really?''

``Really.''

In the middle of Yoshino's pupil, one must be very good to tell a lie to Yoshino. As expected, Yoshino had become skilled at seeking the piles of lies that Rei made. If she saw an inkling of lying, there was no way she could believe or understand.

``But, not everything is an a lie'' whispered Yoshino's heart, in the form of an explanation. It was true that she had plans to practice at her father's dojo, because it was pretty late. Plus, she didn't want to come early for Yoshino's sake, she wanted to come early for her own sake. At school, she thought of only Yoshino, not paying heed to other things. A wicked mind, as always, is judged by the wooden swords. After seeing that, she would never give much import to the kouhais' influence. She had work to do, so she had to skip club practice.

Her dad had said ``Your swordsmanship is good, but your sword is not stable. You must be a woman who flows her sword with passion.'' Her father had said ``On the path to the sword, there is no distinction between male and female.'' These words Rei took too heart. Yoshino also was made self-conscious of them.

``Look at the handout.''

Yoshino set the wet towel in the box near her bedside, and with effort raised her body and scrutinized the delivered thing. Because she seemed a little worn out, Yoshino had undid her trademark braids. That was also probably because of the fever. Noticing it in her vision, Yoshino raised her face and said ``What?''.

``Uun.''

Rei laughed and returned her neck sideways.

From when she was little, nothing had changed about Yoshino. Living in the same place all her life, Rei had been born next door, and they were cousins. Even before the formality of becoming soeurs, they had truly thought of each other as sisters. For Yoshino's sake, Rei would defy Maria-sama, and if needed, lie. To not make Yoshino worry, to protect Yoshino's normal student life. Up till now, she was Yoshino's knight.

``Rei-chan, what's this?''

Yoshino pointed at the tea envelope mixed in with the handout and asked.

``Ah, yes. I had forgotten. A questionnaire, requested from the Newspaper Club.''

``Questionnaire?''

``Yup.''

Rei had been chosen for the Best Soeur prize, and she had denied the Newspaper Club's request to collect data about her, she explained in brief.

``Best Soeur prize ......''

Muttering this, Yoshino's facial expression became complex.

``Yes, because gathering data would have been useless, I asked them to give us a questionnaire. After organizing that, they will make it into a news story.''

``Fuu-n. Ja, Rei-chan should write it. Mine too.''

``Alright.''

Rei took the blank forms, placed Yoshino's up on the desk, and began to write on it. For each person, the form was two pages long, the first page was for personal data. Full name, Birth date, constellation, blood type, class name, and student ID number were the entries on the form. Without confirming with Yoshino, she began to fill it out. The second page was for questions like favorite words, favorite author, and beloved performer. Each question she asked Yoshino, and filled out on the page.

``This is ......''

Her questionnaire and Yoshino's, each one she clipped together and while she was returning them back into the tea envelope, she annoyingly remembered. The truth was, every person who received a prize from the Newspaper Club received a questionnaire, not just the Best Soeur award. For today after school, it seemed like the questionnaire was the whole prize in total, but Rei had been the winner of the wondrous of Mister Lilian.

``Mi, Mister- ......?''

With a premonition about it being a mistake, Yoshino made her eyes circles and laughed.

``Sometimes, the mistaken lowerclassman unfortunately call me `Older Brother' '' (Me: ``Older Brother'' is ``Onii-san'' here, so it doesn't sound as stilted as the English version.)

``Rei-chan, what if you grow out your hair?''

Extending her hand out, Yoshino stroked Rei's very short hair.

``It wouldn't suit me, it is inappropriate on a protector.''

``Fuuun''

Sachiko is Miss Queen, and Shimako is Miss Princess, and this year there is talk that the extra Miss Cinderella prize will go to Yumi-chan. At this, Yoshino mumbled with force ``Yuuumi-san?''

``Huh, do you know Yumi-chan?''

``A bit.''

For Yoshino who rarely expressed much interest in a particular person, that answer was surprising. From long ago, because she had to take off from school often, she rarely formed deep relationships with anyone. Because she formed a pleasant outside face, she seemed personable, but that was her pecularity.

``Because it seems that she accepted Sachiko's rosary, we'll get to know her much more intimately from now on.''

After hearing Rei's news, Yoshino asked ``Really?'' and pushed aside her bedding and lifted herself out of bed. Because it was the evening of late autumn, the heating had not yet turned on, and her one layer of clothing pajama was unpleasantly cold. Rei took the cardigan lying on the chair and put it on top of Yoshino.

In the front neck of her pajama, exposed on the lost-weight Yoshino, was her Rosary.

Rei had given it this summer past. The dark green color of the stone suited Yoshino's white skin well.