Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 33 Chapter 1

She had been worried about her swollen eyelids, but after a good night's rest they had become much less conspicuous.

She didn't know whether it was because she had cooled her face with a damp towel as soon as she got home, or the result of improved blood flow from her relaxing bath, or simply due to the passage of time. Either way, the swelling had gone down and she was saved.

Swelling on such a swell occasion - it was a pun, but she couldn't bring herself to smile.

But today she would have to smile.

Her usual, full-face smile had yet to appear, but a tear-stained face was forbidden.

Because today was the day of the graduation ceremony. The day her onee-sama would depart.

Yumi turned towards the bathroom mirror and forced a smile. It's okay, you won't cry. This was why, yesterday evening, she had embraced her onee-sama and they had wept until they could cry no more. The tank that held her tears had been completely drained, so now not a single drop would come out.

Consequently, Yumi's parents had been quite worried about her.

Although she had stopped crying by the time she arrived home, her eyes and nose were still bright red. Her parents panicked when they saw their daughter in such a state, asking her what had happened. Her seemingly naïve brother had been frozen to the spot from shock.

Even so, everyone had understood after she fully explained what had happened, because they knew how strong the bonds were between Yumi and her onee-sama.

"Is Sachiko-san's onee-san going?"

As Yumi lightly slapped her cheeks with both hands in order to psych herself up, Yuuki walked into the bathroom.

"To the graduation ceremony?"

Instead of turning around, Yumi looked at her brother's face in the mirror as she answered.

"Why would Youko-sama be going?"

"… You're right. Normally she wouldn't."

So that means.

"Huh? So at Hanadera, there's a tradition of going to your junior's graduation ceremony?"

The school that Yuuki attended, Hanadera Academy, were having their graduation ceremony tomorrow.

"I wouldn't call it a tradition. More like an exception? I've heard this year's graduation students really wanted their seniors to come along."

That was all Yumi needed to hear for that person's face to be spotlighted in her mind.

"...When you said seniors, you meant Kashiwagi-san?"

"Well, yeah."

Yuuki's expression seemed to contain a mix of tedium and frustration as he answered. It seemed, as the current student council president, he had conflicting emotions about the current students still longing for the charismatic former student council president.

But, Kashiwagi-san? Come to think of it, he helped out at the Hanadera school festival after being asked to. Even wearing a panda suit and handing out lollipops.

She was smiling at the memory when Yuuki suddenly interrupted her to ask:

"Yumi, what happened between you and Kashiwagi-sempai?"

"Nothing? Why do you ask?"

She had argued back and forth with him about Sachiko-sama and Touko (and they were both Kashiwagi-san's cousins), but she wouldn't point to those as something that happened between them - so there was nothing to say.

"...He said that he and you were dating, Yumi."

"Hmmm."

Kashiwagi-san was probably kidding around when he said that. He should be more careful with what he says, as there will always be someone like Yuuki who takes what is said jokingly as the truth. Well, Yumi did consult with him about Touko and consequently felt obligated to give him a full report after they became soeurs, but she wouldn't call that a date. - Definitely not.

"More importantly."

Yumi turned around.

"It's not 'Sachiko-san,' it's 'Sachiko-sama.' You said it a while ago, but I'm not going to let it slide."

Yumi advanced on him, with one finger raised, when he seemed to collapse, slumping his shoulders.

"More importantly, huh. I'm starting to feel sorry for him."

"See, even you say nonsensical things from time to time, Yuuki."

Why would telling Yuuki to call Sachiko-sama 'Sachiko-sama' make him feel sorry for Kashiwagi-san?

Yuuki shook his head, said 'It's okay if you don't understand,' and wedged himself in front of the mirror.

"Hold on, what are you doing?"

"If you're done, I'll take your place."

"Ahh, wait. I haven't done my ribbons yet."

Elbowing him out of the way, Yumi returned to her place in front of the mirror.

"Huh? What have you been doing in here for all this time then?"

She'd been having a staring contest with herself in the mirror, but she couldn't really say that.

"I said wait, okay. Just one more minute."

"Oh, forgive me for being in such a rush in the morning. Can't you do that in your own room?"

"I'm almost done, so just let me get on with it."

Yumi hastily took out her ribbons, then damn Yuuki said:

"Alright. Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven."

Laughing as he started the countdown. Having said 'one more minute,' Yumi would have to move from her position when the countdown reached zero.

"Eeeee."

Hurried along by the second-by-second updates from her brother, Yumi tightly tied the red satin ribbons atop the hair ties on the left and right sides of her head.

Then she turned back to the mirror for one last confirmation. Today's goal - no major crying episodes.

Yumi had often heard that you shouldn't set your goals unreasonably high, so she thought that her target for today was about right. If she had thoughtlessly set a goal like, 'I won't shed a single tear today,' then her hard work could be undone in an instant, if the moment took her. So she would try to keep her crying to a minimum.

"All done."

Having finished arranging her ribbons into shape, Yumi stepped away from the mirror. There were still seven seconds remaining in the minute she had been given by Yuuki.

Yumi was on her way out the door, having picked up her bag and called out 'I'm off' when her mother responded with 'Wait Yumi-chan' and came running up to her.

"I've already got my tissues."

In other words, Yumi was saying that she wasn't a child anymore. 'That's not it,' her mother said as Yumi turned to face her.

"Huh?"

"But first of all, face away from me."

Having just turned to face her mother, Yumi's shoulders were grabbed by her mother and she was turned back around. Something that she couldn't quite see and didn't understand was making her feel nervous. Turning only her head, Yumi peeked at what was happening and saw her mother holding something in her left and right hands, and striking them together.

"What's that?"

"Flint and steel. You don't know the Shinto fire-purification ceremony? These are cleansing sparks."

Her mother opened her hands, showing her what appeared to be a rock and a piece of metal.

"Geeze, it's like a scene from a historical drama."

Right, right, like when the chief constable says to his wife, 'I'm going out,' and then there's the click-clack as she does this.

By striking the flint against the steel, sparks would appear. According to the Shinto religion these would have a purifying effect, so it was something that actors or salesmen would have done to them before going to work, or travelers would use to pray for a safe journey. Well, at least now Yumi understood their purpose and how they were used. She understood, but -

"Why do we have these things in our house?"

It was a simple question. After all, her father did run a small architectural firm, but you'd hardly call him a salesman. In her seventeen years as a daughter in this household, Yumi had never before seen her parents hold a single fire-purification ceremony.

"Originally they came from your father's parents' house. But I remembered we had them in the storeroom, so I went and looked for them the other day."

"Why?..."

The first answer had just raised the fresh question of why her mother went to the trouble of finding and using them.

"When I saw you heading off to school on the day of the student council elections, I felt like I had forgotten to do something. Then, a few days later, when I was watching a repeat of a historical drama I heard the click-clack sound. It hit me like a bolt of lightning."

And then her mother had waited for an opportunity to use them. But it seems a historical drama really was the impetus for this, after all.

"Today's a special occasion, so it's appropriate, right?"

As Yumi's mother finished explaining, and returned to chatting, she once more turned Yumi's body around so they were facing each other.

"But it's not my graduation ceremony."

"Even so, you've got a big job ahead of you, right Yumi-chan?"

"Yeah."

Click-clack. Having the sparks scatter behind her back was one step forward. Although there was no scientific basis for it having any effect, just having someone willing to do that for her made Yumi feel better.

"Take care."

"I'm heading out."

The muscles along Yumi's spine felt somewhat refreshed as she stretched. That kind of feeling.

Having just left the front door, Yumi saw her father as he returned home.

"Oh, you're on your way out?"

"Yeah."

Yumi's father had recently taken up jogging in the morning. Although he would occasionally visit building sites or customers' homes, he felt like he wasn't getting enough exercise because he had a home office.

"Give it your all. Well, Shimako-san and Yoshino-san will be there for you if you need them, so I'm sure you'll be alright."

As her father focused on patting her on the shoulder, Yumi could see his stomach bulging out, just a little bit.

"Hehehe, I'm off now."

After waving to her father, Yumi jogged towards the bus stop.

She had only spent a little time with each of them, but adding up all the time spent dealing with her family meant it would be close as to whether or not she would make it in time to get on the bus she had planned on catching.

Turning the corner on Persimmon Street.

Her field of vision widened, and the blue sky flew into sight.

It looked like the weather was going to be fine today.

Chapter end