Maria-sama ga Miteru

Chapter 72

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Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

Arriving at school slightly earlier than usual, Noriko went straight to that cherry tree. At the spot behind the auditorium.

 

 

 

 

 

She had a feeling that if she went there she would see Shimako-san. It felt like that was the only place they would meet.

 

 

 

 

 

"Gokigenyou."

 

 

 

 

 

They hadn"t made any sort of arrangement, but there she was. Standing up from the tree trunk she had been leaning against, she quietly smiled at Noriko.

 

 

 

 

 

"I can"t believe you"re actually here &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko said without thinking. It was a miracle.

 

 

 

 

 

"Then why did you come?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Why - "

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty much all the cherry blossom petals had already fallen from the tree. It was a bit hard to use the excuse that she came here for cherry blossom viewing.

 

 

 

 

 

"I wanted to see you."

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko said what was in her heart.

 

 

 

 

 

"Me too."

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san said, looking right into Noriko"s eyes. Silence descended upon them and Noriko tried with all her might to find what to say.

 

 

 

 

 

"Um &h.e.l.lip; I"ve been thinking about it, and not saying anything isn"t necessarily the same as telling a lie. On top of that, in your heart, you"re a Christian, right Shimako-san? You can"t do anything about the fact that you happened to be born into a family that runs a Buddhist temple. I don"t think you"re doing anything to betray G.o.d &h.e.l.lip; sorry, I can"t put it into words all that well."

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san had been quietly listening, but at last she spoke, looking straight at Noriko.

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; You put it into words wonderfully."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, um &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling embarra.s.sed by being looked at, Noriko instinctively averted her eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

In truth, if she had been a statue of Buddha or Maria-sama and the eye contact was one-way traffic, how sublime would it have been to gaze upon her. But she was a real live human, and a peerless beauty at that, so it was a bit nerve-wracking. Even though they were both girls.

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko had panicked, thinking she had to say something. It would probably seem strange if she kept looking away and fidgeting.

 

 

 

 

 

(That"s right.)

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko remembered she hadn"t achieved her main goal, which was to persuade Shimako-san that she shouldn"t quit school.

 

 

 

 

 

"I-I"m."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I"m a Buddhist statue enthusiast, but I"m still coming here."

 

 

 

 

 

What she"d blurted out may not have been all that sensible. But now that she"d started speaking she couldn"t stop, and had no choice but to plow on ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

"I went to Kyoto to see a Buddhist statue on the day before my entrance exam, but a huge snowstorm stopped the bullet-train and I couldn"t return home, so I lost my chance at my first-choice school. I used the money put aside for entrance exams to my backup schools on the trip, so the only option I had left was to accept entry into Lillian"s, when I"d only sat that exam for the sake of my great-aunt"s pride."

 

 

 

 

 

Fuwaah.

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san"s face suddenly grew very close. Just as Noriko thought this, she felt Shimako-san"s arms entwined around her neck.

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh &h.e.l.lip; !?"

 

 

 

 

 

It took a while for Noriko to realize she was being embraced.

 

 

 

 

 

"Thank-you. That"s enough."

 

 

 

 

 

"Shimako-sa - "

 

 

 

 

 

"It"s all right. I don"t want to leave just yet. I was waiting here this morning because I wanted to tell you that."

 

 

 

 

 

"Really?"

 

 

 

 

 

Suddenly, all the strength drained from Noriko"s body. So there was no need for her stupid speech, her self-important declaration.

 

 

 

 

 

"But."

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko pried herself away from Shimako-san and asked:

 

 

 

 

 

"Just now, you said "yet?""

 

 

 

 

 

She was just a little bit hung up on that.

 

 

 

 

 

"That"s right. Things have returned to before I met you - to the way they were earlier. If it becomes public knowledge and that causes a problem, then I think I will have to leave this school after all."

 

 

 

 

 

"But Shimako-san, you like this school don"t you?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course."

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san smiled fondly as she looked in the direction of the high-school building.

 

 

 

 

 

"I"ve come to like it more and more every day, even despite the troubles. Although that would have been unthinkable around this time last year."

 

 

 

 

 

"Then - "

 

 

 

 

 

"Even so, there"s no point to coming here if it causes trouble for someone else. I can study Christianity anywhere, and follow the teachings of Jesus."

 

 

 

 

 

"Shimako-san &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

It was like she was chasing herself away. Shimako-san seemed somehow pitiable, and Noriko felt her chest tighten.

 

 

 

 

 

"You can"t be more carefree, I suppose."

 

 

 

 

 

"Carefree?"

 

 

 

 

 

While Shimako-san looked perplexed, the bell for cla.s.s rang.

 

 

 

 

 

"But I never thought I"d be able to have a conversation like this at school."

 

 

 

 

 

"I"ll be there for you whenever you want someone to talk to."

 

 

 

 

 

So you don"t have to worry all by yourself - Noriko swallowed this last sentence.

 

 

 

 

 

"Shall we go?"

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san walked half a step ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

Somehow, a miraculous relationship was born.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It"s about time we had a talk about school - that was what Sumireko-san had said.

 

 

 

 

 

"I suppose."

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko answered as she sipped her tea. At first glance Sumireko-san had been a bit slipshod in making the royal milk tea but, wonders never cease, it actually tasted quite good. You could probably say she"d mastered the skill. Her grandfather"s family had a rather long pedigree, so perhaps Sumireko-san had been a proper lady back in her youth. Still able to remember the thousands of cups of tea she"d prepared for guests in salons or at tea parties.

 

 

 

 

 

"Yep. We haven"t discussed school once since you started going there. Have you made any friends?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Friends? &h.e.l.lip; To the degree that I can talk to them during lunch or after school."

 

 

 

 

 

"What would you call them, if not friends?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Maybe you"re right."

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko thought, "But she"s older than me."

 

 

 

 

 

Sumireko-san was also older than her. So was Takuya-kun. Maybe she just got on well with older people.

 

 

 

 

 

She occasionally met Shimako-san beneath the cherry tree. They didn"t arrange it. When they felt like it, their legs carried them there.

 

 

 

 

 

There had been times when they met, and times when they hadn"t. But even when they didn"t meet, Noriko hadn"t felt disappointed. She knew that Shimako-san was busy because her commitments as Rosa Gigantea pulled at her, and the time Noriko spent waiting and thinking about her was surprisingly enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

Before she knew it, Noriko had become quite adept at spotting Shimako-san in a group of students. Whether in the hallway, or out on the campus, or in the courtyard, Noriko felt as though she could easily spot her, no matter how many students she was surrounded by.

 

 

 

 

 

Occasionally she wondered.

 

 

 

 

 

Just what was it that existed between the two of them?

 

 

 

 

 

Empathy?

 

 

 

 

 

(That"s not it.)

 

 

 

 

 

Friendship?

 

 

 

 

 

(It seems like it has a slightly different nuance to that too.)

 

 

 

 

 

She liked Shimako-san. It felt comfortable being beside her.

 

 

 

 

 

But was that by itself enough? Was just being able to understand the other"s feelings enough of a connection?

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, Noriko had been thinking that she wanted to do something for Shimako-san. But she had absolutely no idea what she could do.

 

 

 

 

 

"I don"t know."

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko slumped over the table.

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh, fret, fret. Fretting over trivial things is the privilege of youth."

 

 

 

 

 

Sumireko-san laughed, holding out the box of chocolate truffles.

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh. How can you say it"s trivial?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I don"t know what it is you"re worrying about, but look back on it in ten years."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ten years &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

To someone who was currently 15 years old, ten years seemed like an absurdly long amount of time. Unlike a certain someone who had lived more than 4 times 15 years.

 

 

 

 

 

"Say, Sumireko-san. What if there was a devout Christian who thought that she was constantly betraying G.o.d as she lived? How do you think she could be helped?"

 

 

 

 

 

"What? Are you worrying about yourself?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I"m not a devout Christian."

 

 

 

 

 

"I see."

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason, Noriko thought it was okay to discuss this with Sumireko-san. Expecting some of that wisdom of the elderly.

 

 

 

 

 

"I don"t really know. What if she came clean before G.o.d and asked for forgiveness?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Then it would turn into a big ordeal."

 

 

 

 

 

"Then what if she gave up Christianity?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Whoa, that"s extreme."

 

 

 

 

 

"Otherwise, there"s what I said earlier, "time." Time heals all wounds."

 

 

 

 

 

As she said this, Sumireko-san stood up and opened the refrigerator door.

 

 

 

 

 

" - or there could be some kind of brouhaha, I guess."

 

 

 

 

 

"Brouhaha?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Yep."

 

 

 

 

 

She rummaged around in the refrigerator before eventually returning with a small, plastic-wrap covered bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

"If there was some kind of brouhaha, then it would sort things out once and for all, for better or worse. Then you wouldn"t have to worry about it."

 

 

 

 

 

"I see &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

But she wasn"t just about to stumble over something like that. And it went without saying that it wasn"t something she"d be able to do herself -

 

 

 

 

 

"But, you know, Riko, if that"s all you think about, it"ll eat you up."

 

 

 

 

 

Sumireko-san returned to the table and slipped a piece of pickled daikon radish into Noriko"s sweet with chocolate mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Noriko."

 

 

 

 

 

In the hallway leading to the home economics room, she stopped when she heard her name called.

 

 

 

 

 

It was alongside the second-year cla.s.srooms and Noriko looked around restlessly until the person who called out to her stepped out of the cla.s.sroom.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, Shimako-san."

 

 

 

 

 

Touko and the other girls who had been walking with Noriko squealed when they saw who it was. Like fans who"d accidentally b.u.mped into their favorite pop star.

 

 

 

 

 

"Do you have a moment?"

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko nodded, and Shimako walked her over to a quiet spot near the staircase. It had been quite some time since they"d talked face to face.

 

 

 

 

 

"I"m sorry, Noriko. I haven"t been able to make it out to see you all that much &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

For a while now, Shimako-san had been addressing Noriko by just her name, without an honorific. It just seemed so right that it felt like she"d been calling her that since the beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don"t worry about me. I know you"re busy preparing for the Maria Ceremony. You"re getting in early and staying back late, right? How"s your body holding up?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I"m fine &h.e.l.lip; Thank-you."

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san"s expression changed to one of relief. She"d probably called out to Noriko instinctively when she saw her, wanting to explain why they hadn"t met.

 

 

 

 

 

(How conscientious of her. We hadn"t arranged to meet, so she shouldn"t feel bad about not making it there.)

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko thought, "Well, that"s just like her though."

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san lowered her voice slightly.

 

 

 

 

 

"I was wondering, do you like juzu?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Juzu?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes. I remembered there was an image of Buddha in the juzu I inherited from my grandmother &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

"Please, I"d love to see it!"

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko"s voice suddenly grew louder the moment she heard the word Buddha. Shimako-san shushed her, then laughed quietly.

 

 

 

 

 

"I thought you"d say that. Wait for me at that spot tomorrow at lunch, please."

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright!"

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san said, "See you tomorrow," and then returned to her cla.s.sroom. On her way back, she smiled sweetly at Touko-san and the other girls who had been watching them.

 

 

 

 

 

"Do you have sewing next period? What are you making?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Skirts. Rosa Gigantea."

 

 

 

 

 

"I see. I hope you all make wonderful skirts. Do your best."

 

 

 

 

 

"Y-yes!"

 

 

 

 

 

(Ahh &h.e.l.lip; It"s incredible, even Touko-san"s stuttering.)

 

 

 

 

 

The first-years looked like they were struck first by Shimako-san"s gentle manner and then by her friendliness. Noriko sometimes forgot about it, but at times like this she remembered.

 

 

 

 

 

That Shimako-san was Lillian"s Girls Academy High School Division"s idol, Rosa Gigantea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


"Um, Noriko-san."

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes?"

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko raised her head after she finished cutting the navy-blue cloth. When she turned around, she saw that a student who usually sat a fair distance away was standing right behind her.

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn"t particularly unusual to see students out of their seats in the chaos of the home economics sewing room. The big group tables were cluttered with four people"s cloth.

 

 

 

 

 

"What is it?"

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko asked, and the girl either didn"t have anything to talk about or found it hard to say, because she started with the obvious piece of flattery, "That"s lovely cloth you have," before lapsing into an awkward silence.

 

 

 

 

 

"Kyouko-san, did you really come all the way over here just to compliment Noriko-san"s cloth?"

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-san spoke those p.r.i.c.kly words, working beside Noriko. She"d been in a bad mood for a little while now, for some unknown reason. Like an enemy of friendliness, her eyes were focused on the cloth she was cutting apart, making her a terrifying presence for those at the same table.

 

 

 

 

 

Kyouko-san, however, was unaware of this, so she shrugged off Touko-san"s hostility and took a half-step forward, as though she"d firmed her resolve.

 

 

 

 

 

"No, there was something I wanted to ask &h.e.l.lip; Um, Noriko-san, have you become close to Rosa Gigantea?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

That topic was so far removed from the earlier, "Lovely cloth," comment that Noriko couldn"t respond immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well, you were talking to her earlier, right? Toudou Shimako-sama, the second-year."

 

 

 

 

 

"Um, Shimako-san"s &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

No sooner had Noriko uttered this than the air around her cla.s.smates began to tremble.

 

 

 

 

 

"Did you say Shimako-san &h.e.l.lip; !?"

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone had been listening in to their conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh my, using the honorific "-san" with an older student."

 

 

 

 

 

"Do you have that close a relationship with her?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Did you know her before you started school?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Have you been to her house?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Don"t tell me you"re related, or something like that."

 

 

 

 

 

Since the teacher was in the preparation room just now, everyone took the chance to get out of their seats and crowd around Noriko.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, um. Hold on a minute."

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, Noriko was submerged in the flood of people, floundering and close to drowning.

 

 

 

 

 

"Actually, it"s like this."

 

 

 

 

 

Kyouko-san, the first to talk to Noriko, started speaking as a representative.

 

 

 

 

 

"The Red, White and Yellow Roses are so popular they"re adored not just by the high-school students but also by middle-school students. So when one of them takes a special interest in someone, it"s only natural that everyone would take note &h.e.l.lip; You understand, right Noriko-san?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I guess."

 

 

 

 

 

She responded equivocally to the question of whether she understood. But Noriko thought they"d just been talking normally in the hallway, it wasn"t like they were co-workers having an affair. It was odd that her cla.s.smates would get so worked up about that.

 

 

 

 

 

"Toudou Shimako-sama has a graceful beauty about her, right? She"s always calm, and ascended to the role of Rosa Gigantea young, as a second-year. But despite that, everyone"s concerned because she still hasn"t chosen a soeur."

 

 

 

 

 

The moment she said the word "soeur," it got noisy again.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don"t tell me they"ve already made the soeur vow &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

Came from someone in the back, sounding like a scream.

 

 

 

 

 

"The soeur vow?"

 

 

 

 

 

"You"ve already accepted her rosary!?"

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the students crowding around her had come up through Lillian"s middle-school, so they continued their conversation leaving Noriko behind in confusion.

 

 

 

 

 

"Rosary? Accepted? Becoming soeurs &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

Having no idea what was going on, Noriko asked the obvious questions and was greeted with the sounds of suppressed laughter, probably from relief, leaking out all around her.

 

 

 

 

 

"If you don"t know what a rosary is - "

 

 

 

 

 

"I do, just not why you"re all so worked up about them."

 

 

 

 

 

(Such an unpleasant smile.)

 

 

 

 

 

Even Noriko knew what a rosary was.

 

 

 

 

 

(Rosaries are those things &h.e.l.lip; Christians use them, juzu with a cross attached.)

 

 

 

 

 

But it was a complete mystery what that would have to do with Shimako-san.

 

 

 

 

 

Basically, one of the cla.s.smates surrounding Noriko explained it like this:

 

 

 

 

 

"For a long time, there"s been a tight bond between grades at Lillian"s Girls Academy. Almost like real sisters, the older students provide guidance to all the younger girls, and the younger girls abide by the direction of all their elders."

 

 

 

 

 

But there were cases where individuals could join together. Apparently that was done through the previously mentioned "soeur vow," where the older student would give a rosary to the younger one.

 

 

 

 

 

"One onee-sama can only have one pet.i.t soeur. It"s a one-on-one relationship, so the exchange of vows is an acknowledgment of the closest possible relationship. It"s a bit like going steady with someone and rejecting other offers."

 

 

 

 

 

"We call those sisters "soeurs.""

 

 

 

 

 

Even with soeurs, they"d be called older sister or younger sister, or grand soeur and pet.i.t soeur if clarity were needed.

 

 

 

 

 

"That such a system exists &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko muttered, looking down.

 

 

 

 

 

"My my. But Noriko, you shouldn"t be disappointed even if you haven"t received a rosary yet."

 

 

 

 

 

"Indeed. We"ll offer you what little support we can."

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently her cla.s.smates were under the misapprehension that Noriko desired Shimako-san"s rosary. They"d apparently interpreted her silence from culture shock as something else entirely.

 

 

 

 

 

(My head hurts &h.e.l.lip; What is up with this school - )

 

 

 

 

 

Terrifying, Lillian"s Girls Academy. She had dismissed it as just another rich girls" school, but that may have been concealing something far more incomprehensible.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don"t cry, Noriko-san. We"re cheering for you."

 

 

 

 

 

( &h.e.l.lip; "Don"t cry," seriously, who would? )

 

 

 

 

 

"Noriko-san"s smart and a little aloof. I"m sure no-one would complain if Shimako-sama chose her as her pet.i.t soeur."

 

 

 

 

 

The conversation continued around her. No-one seemed to notice that the person in question had been left behind. It was almost as though Noriko was the only one that didn"t understand a thing.

 

 

 

 

 

Until recently they"d been looking at her with interest, envy and even a little bit of jealousy, but why had those gazes changed to ones of compa.s.sion and sympathy? Surely these girls must be good little lambs beloved by Maria-sama, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

It was at this point that, accompanied by a clattering sound, the girl sitting beside Noriko stood up.

 

 

 

 

 

"Can"t you be a bit more quiet?"

 

 

 

 

 

She"d been silent the entire time, so Noriko had completely forgotten that Touko-san was there.

 

 

 

 

 

"Why are you all saying such impudent things? Noriko-san being chosen as Rosa Gigantea"s pet.i.t soeur &h.e.l.lip; there"s no way that would ever happen!"

 

 

 

 

 

Touko-san stormed off, her eyes shimmering.

 

 

 

 

 

"Touko-san."

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko was about to chase after her, but a muttered, "You should be more discreet," stopped her.

 

 

 

 

 

"You know, she"s always dreamed about becoming the pet.i.t soeur of a Rose."

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, it must have come as a shock to her to hear that Noriko-san had become close to Shimako-sama."

 

 

 

 

 

At Touko-san"s vacated seat, there was some left over cloth with a large and showy rose pattern on it, an odd choice for a skirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The omens for a brouhaha were already creeping up on Noriko unnoticed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It began with her shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

She was on duty that day, so was leaving late after writing in the day log when she noticed that her shoe box was empty.

 

 

 

 

 

"I"m wearing my indoor shoes right now. Which would mean my leather shoes are unaccounted for &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

If someone had mistaken her locker for theirs, then that careless person"s indoor shoes should be in her shoe box, but they weren"t. First of all, the small lockers had nameplates on them, so that sort of mistake shouldn"t happen to begin with.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well, what should I do then?"

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking she"d have to go home in her indoor shoes, Noriko stepped out the entrance and saw a pair of black ballet flats lined up neatly on the mat.

 

 

 

 

 

"??? &h.e.l.lip; How on earth did that happen?"

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko pondered for a while, looking down at the words "Nijou Noriko" written on the insole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

" - Then, this morning, there were paperclips in my indoor shoes."

 

 

 

 

 

"Paperclips?"

 

 

 

 

 

Hearing Noriko"s grumbling, Shimako-san tilted her head slightly in confusion. As busy as Rosa Gigantea was, she had still appeared, lunch box in hand, at the back of the auditorium at lunch time, just as she"d promised.

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, paperclips. Normally if they were going to do that, it"d be thumbtacks, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"They"d put thumbtacks in your indoor shoes?"

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san frowned, "That sounds painful." Then, as she picked up a slice of rolled omelet, she said softly, "Why would they do something like that, I wonder."

 

 

 

 

 

" - Shimako-san, you don"t read girls manga, do you? Putting thumbtacks in indoor shoes or ballet shoes is a standard form of hara.s.sment."

 

 

 

 

 

"Really?"

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; Although that sort of manga has been on the decline recently."

 

 

 

 

 

Even so, there were a lot of reprints lately.

 

 

 

 

 

In Noriko"s case, rather than spending her allowance on manga books, she slowly saved it up to go towards her photo-alb.u.ms of Buddhist statues, so she hadn"t spent her own money to learn this. She"d gained this knowledge by reading absolutely all of her older cousin"s old comic books when she was visiting them. So it was some distance removed from recent manga.

 

 

 

 

 

"But that"s getting off topic."

 

 

 

 

 

An explanation would take up the rest of their lunch break, so Noriko set the discussion about girls manga to one side for now.

 

 

 

 

 

The bookshelves in Shimako-san"s room probably wouldn"t contain girls manga, and definitely wouldn"t contain photo-alb.u.ms of Buddhist statues.

 

 

 

 

 

"But it was a paperclip, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"That"s right."

 

 

 

 

 

They had paperclips in them, but if she"d found them in the bin then that would have been a far more effective form of hara.s.sment. No matter how Noriko looked at it, the treatment she was getting was way too half-hearted. She couldn"t even begin to fathom the state of mind of whoever perpetrated these acts.

 

 

 

 

 

"Do you think they could have got into your indoor shoes accidentally?"

 

 

 

 

 

"A 5cm paper clip accidentally getting in there? One in each shoe?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I suppose you"re right. But why would anyone be teasing you, Noriko?"

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko silently took a bite of her sandwich.

 

 

 

 

 

There was no way that the girl in front of her would be thinking about how popular she was, and that others might be jealous of Noriko being around her.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, on top of that, Touko-san hadn"t been speaking to me ever since the conversation about the rosary."

 

 

 

 

 

She couldn"t hold it in any longer. Even though Noriko would have preferred it if school was just a place for her to learn. Why did she have to think about all this other stuff?

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; Rosary? Ah, that reminds me."

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san closed the lid of her empty lunch box, then pulled something out of her pocket saying, "Before I forget."

 

 

 

 

 

"Here you go."

 

 

 

 

 

She was holding out a small cloth bag.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don"t you remember? I asked you to come here so I could give you this, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah."

 

 

 

 

 

The juzu. Because it was in an usual casing, she hadn"t recognized it immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don"t open it here."

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san"s hand stopped the movement of Noriko"s fingers.

 

 

 

 

 

"It would be an affront to Maria-sama. When you get home, you can take your time looking at it. If you like it, you can keep it for a while."

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Are you sure that"s okay?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I don"t have your eyes for these things, Noriko. More importantly, you were saying something about a rosary just before. What was that all about?"

 

 

 

 

 

( &h.e.l.lip; wait, she was actually listening?)

 

 

 

 

 

"About that."

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko summarized the events of yesterday, and Shimako-san responded with the slightly off-base question, "Do you want my rosary?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I don"t mind."

 

 

 

 

 

"I wouldn"t hesitate to give it to you. But is it something that you really need right now?"

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Yeah, I understand."

 

 

 

 

 

Noriko nodded, stood up and folded up the handkerchief she"d been sitting on.

 

 

 

 

 

Even without the rosary, she"d still be able to meet Shimako-san like this. They"d still be able to talk.

 

 

 

 

 

(But.)

 

 

 

 

 

The truth was, somewhere deep in her heart, she felt a sense of disappointment.

 

 

 

 

 

(What would Shimako-san have to say to me, for me to be satisfied - ?)

 

 

 

 

 

Did she want some proof that she alone was special?

 

 

 

 

 

(So then maybe what I do want most of all is for Shimako-san to give me her rosary.)

 

 

 

 

 

Just then, Noriko had a realization.

 

 

 

 

 

That what she wanted was simply to understand Shimako-san"s heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she returned to the cla.s.sroom, a picture of Doraemon had been drawn in chalk on her desk.

 

 

 

 

 

The girl who sat beside her still hadn"t returned yet, and looking around the cla.s.sroom everyone was either chatting or busy getting ready for the next cla.s.s. No-one seemed to be paying any attention to the graffiti on her desk.

 

 

 

 

 

Giving up on tracking down the perpetrator, Noriko once more looked at her desk.

 

 

 

 

 

"It"s so well done it"s a shame to rub it out&h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

At present, no real harm had been done. There was an innocence to the pranks. That was why.

 

 

 

 

 

(Maybe it"s not going to escalate.)

 

 

 

 

 

That was the sort of feeling she had, for no particular reason. That it was just a bit of messing around.

 

 

 

 

 

But those were naïve thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

Even if they were unavoidable.

 

 

 

 

 

At that time, neither Noriko nor Shimako-san knew that someone had witnessed the hand-over of the pouch at the rear of the auditorium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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