What did she say?

When she heard those words, it was as though something had smashed into the top of her head.

"Supports..."

It wasn't just Yoshino that muttered that word, but also Touko-chan and Noriko-chan.

So Yoshino thought that all the people that heard must have received an equally large shock. At the words of the previous Rosa Chinensis, Mizuno Youko, that came out of Shimako-san's mouth.

To wit, 'The petit soeur supports.'

That took place shortly after the completion of the search of the first floor storage room for Sachiko-sama and Rei-chan's lost items.

It was when the four people that were left (the White Rose sisters - Shimako-san and Noriko-chan, as well as Touko-chan and Yoshino) were climbing the stairs to the second floor, after Yumi-san had left in a rush, apparently on some urgent task.

Despite walking in front, the conversation that was taking place behind her back between Shimako-san and Touko-chan seemed to be quite serious, so she was making an effort to listen to what was being said.

It was difficult, because our ears aren't as efficient at hearing sounds from behind. Making matters worse, the sound of footsteps on the stairs was accompanied by the creaking sounds of the old staircase itself. Given those circumstances, it was hard to make out what was said, but it seemed like Touko-chan was troubled because she wanted to do something for her onee-sama, Yumi-san, but wasn't able to do anything.

And the advice that Shimako-san gave regarding that was the aforementioned phrase, 'The petit soeur supports.'

Yoshino was frankly amazed. It felt as though God had come to visit and was knocking on the door of her heart. Either that, or using the telephone.

Hello, are you alright?

Now that Yoshino's heart had been called upon, she stopped to think about it.

Had she been able to act as Rei-chan's support? Hadn't it always been the opposite, with Rei-chan acting as the support that she leaned against.

Since Yoshino's successful heart surgery, her physical reliance on Rei-chan had lessened. But that's probably not what she was talking about when she said 'supports.' It was more about emotional support.

The petit soeur didn't have to do anything. Because just by being there, she would provide support.

So when the conclusion was that the petit soeur didn't have to do anything, Yoshino honestly thought that was wrong. Apologies to Youko-sama, but that's not the sort of thing you say to someone who's able bodied.

Certainly, there could be petit soeurs who didn't have to do anything.

But if you're not firmly planted on the ground, or twisting, or limp, there's no way you could be able to support anything.

Which was she? The former or the latter?

Having started to think about this, Yoshino couldn't just stand around idly.

"Sorry, but I have to leave too."

Taking her coat and bag, the first step was to leave the Rose Mansion.

She hadn't thought about it.

And now it was too late.

She couldn't confidently say whether or not she had been a good support for Rei-chan for these past two years.

As Yoshino thought about the good and bad points of herself as a petit soeur, the preponderance of bad points jumped out at her.

I get it, that's enough. - Yoshino took a step forwards.

Anyway, as long as she's thinking, she should think about what she could do for Rei-chan. That would be much more constructive.

Out the door, Yoshino dashed down the path to the library. Why was she running? It's not like she had to hurry home.

(Ahh, is that it.)

Her thoughts were racing, and they were being expressed through her feet. Tomorrow was the graduation ceremony. Rei-chan wasn't going to be a high-schooler for much longer.

(That Rei-chan.)

Rei-chan was leaving, but she hadn't forgotten anything in the Rose Mansion.

If she had found anything, Yoshino could have delivered it to her neighbor. Although it wasn't like Rei-chan to be that negligent. Although Yoshino had hoped, just a little bit, that she had been.

But the only thing to come out of it was Yumi-san's ribbon.

They didn't find so much as a single eraser of Rei-chan's.

'I no longer have any attachment to this place,' was the sort of thing Rei-chan would say to Yoshino, but it made her feel incredibly lonely.

There was nothing left undone, and nothing left unsaid.

Yumi-san had told her that last year, prior to graduation, Youko-sama had taken her to Milk Hall and asked her to take care of Sachiko-sama.

And as for Rei-chan's onee-sama, Eriko-sama, she had called Yoshino out and said all she had to say. Of course, Yoshino hadn't meekly accepted this and had fought back.

But as for Rei-chan?

Who was there that she could leave word with?

(Ahh.)

As she thought about it, Yoshino felt the darkness closing in, until it seemed like she was standing in total darkness.

In reality, she was standing on the path lined with Ginkgo trees, with the Spring sunlight streaming through the branches.

"So, anyway."

As Yoshino started to talk, that person rested her chin on her hand and smiled.

"How rare of you to come and make contact with me all by yourself, Yoshino-chan. I wonder what set of circumstances led to this."

"I came here because I wanted to hear your thoughts, since at the time of your graduation you didn't have a granddaughter, Sei-sama."

'So please help me,' Yoshino said as she bowed her head. Yoshino was currently in a hall that appeared to be some kind of gathering spot for the university students. Although it looked like the university holidays had already begun, as there were only a smattering of students around.

Assaulted by feelings of despair and loneliness on the path lined with Ginkgo trees, Yoshino's feet propelled her first to the University grounds and then towards Satou Sei-sama. Sei-sama was Shimako-san's onee-sama, and the previous Rosa Gigantea.

Because there were so few university students around, finding Sei-sama had been easy. The garden with the fountain, in front of the stores, the university hallways, the spot with all the bulletin boards - . If there had been a lot of people walking around, she wouldn't have been able to look at everyone's face, but because there were only a handful of people she was able to sift through them. Whether that person was here or not was another question.

However, Yoshino eventually found Sei-sama as she was leaving the library. It was only by chance that she was there, returning a book she had borrowed.

After chatting for a while, Sei-sama agreed to accompany her here. Acting quite maturely, she had even treated Yoshino to a caf au lait from the vending machine.

" Well, that's pretty stupid."

A subdued Sei-sama mumbled.

"What is?"

Yoshino asked, not understanding what 'that' was referring to.

"Let me think Hmm, nah, it doesn't really seem like you really, really wanted to see me and then just couldn't hold it in any longer so you came here, you know?"

"Huh?"

"I'm not some kind of guidance counselor, yeah."

At which point, Yoshino thought she'd ask about the person who had just sprung to mind.

"How about Yumi-san?"

"Yeah. But not so much lately."

So would it have been alright if she had come earlier? Yoshino felt like snorting.

"And Shimako-san?"

Yoshino was thinking that if Yumi-san had come here, then what about her petit soeur, Shimako-san. However.

"Shimako? I haven't heard from her at all."

It seems like she would have seen her, just for a little while, at the school festival.

"You don't want to see her?"

"I don't think about whether or not I want to see her."

"I wonder if Shimako-san feels the same?"

It hadn't been Yoshino's intention to stick her nose into the business of other soeurs, but she was concerned so she had asked. She wanted to think that it wasn't just out of curiosity.

"Shimako? I don't know. But if she wanted to see me, she would. That's how she is."

If she wanted to see you, she would, huh?

Come to think of it, that was the kind of relationship those two had even when Sei-sama was in high school. They let each other do as they pleased, yet they seemed to be tied together at the core. Even after graduation, that hadn't changed. Although it seemed like the space between Shimako-san and Noriko-chan was somewhat different.

Huh? Noriko-chan?

"Ahh, that's right. Thank-you for the energy drink the other day."

Yoshino remembered that the day before the third years' farewell party, Noriko-chan and Touko-chan had been entrusted with some provisions.

"Those were from Santa-san, though"

"So I was told."

Even though they were told it was from Santa-san, they all knew who the real source was. Because even though she hadn't encountered Shimako-san, Sei-sama was well known to her petit soeur. What was she trying to do?

"In summary."

Sei-sama resumed their conversation.

"You want to know what the granddaughter-less Rei is feeling. And since I went through that, you thought I'd know, right?"

"That's about right."

Sachiko-sama had Touko-chan as a granddaughter. So if she wanted to entrust something about Yumi-san to her, she could. Or if she disagreed with something Yumi-san did, as hard as that was to believe, she could let Touko-chan know that too. But for Rei-chan -

"But, there's no way I could know that."

Sei-sama cut her down with a single stroke. Completely and utterly. With one hand tied behind her back. As though she was sparring with a training dummy. With that done, Yoshino started to feel better.

"Is that so?"

"Not just because it's Rei, you know. I don't know what Sachiko's feeling either. Because it's someone else's heart, yeah."

Well, that's true. But how about just a hint? Why so stingy? Was what Yoshino was thinking.

"But, say I did tell you what you should do, would you do it?"

Yoshino honestly didn't know. If she said something like 'do a handstand down the school hallway,' she would probably refuse. There are things people can do, and things they can't do. And that's probably not the sort of thing that Rei-chan would want, anyway.

"Then it's fine, right. You'd only do it if you came up with it yourself, anyway."

Sei-sama made a shooing motion with her hands.

"But."

"I'm not going to stand for any high pressure sales techniques, you know."

When she heard the word 'high pressure sales,' the penny dropped for Yoshino.

"Well then, at least you could tell me this. Last year, was there anyone you entrusted something to? Like about Shimako-san, or the cat?"

Rei-chan would never admit it because she was so modest, but there may have been something she wanted to say, but no-one she could say it to. So this wasn't a high-pressure sale. More like a door-to-door salesman. If there's something you want to say, please say it. That kind of thing.

"Ah."

Sei-sama clasped her hands together.

"There was someone, right?"

When Yoshino leaned forwards, 'Not like that,' was the negative response.

"I just remembered. Last year there was another high-pressure salesman. A young girl that kept pressing me, asking if there was anything I wanted to say about Shimako, or about Goronta."

" Yumi-san?"

Yoshino asked, timidly.

"Yep."

"Ahh - "

Yoshino cursed inwardly - everywhere she turned, Yumi-san was there waiting to ambush her. Yoshino's line of thinking was that Yumi-san was too early, not that she had got off to a late start.

"So?"

At any rate, Yoshino wanted to hear what happened next, so she kept pressing Sei-sama for information.

"Nothing much? I didn't have anything I wanted to ask her to do."

"And with that she left?"

Yumi-san didn't seem the type to just let things go so easily.

"Huh? Ahh - "

"What?"

Sei-sama grinned, meaningfully. She may have been remembering something, but it was a bit repulsive.

"It wasn't a big deal."

"When you say it like that, it sounds even more interesting."

Yumi-san and Sei-sama - just what went on between the two of them? In that case, she'd have to be sneaky. Don't just teach Yumi-san, show some impartiality.

"Please tell me."

Yoshino tried her hardest to appear terrifying as she leaned forwards, but of course it had no effect on a scoundrel like Sei-sama. Instead Sei-sama looked intrigued as she gave a dry laugh.

"Well then, let me give you a kiss on the lips and I'll tell you."

Sei-sama looked like an octopus as she pushed her lips out and pointed. Here, here.

"Hmmph."

Yoshino turned her head away from Sei-sama.

"In that case, no thanks."

Better to just ask Yumi-san. Firstly, because it was Sei-sama, she wasn't really badgering Yoshino for a kiss. It was just a performance to avoid telling her the story.... And secondly, it was in bad taste.

Nonetheless, upon being shot down Sei-sama made a fairly suspicious face for such a beautiful person. It was quite the sight to see.

"How boring."

As she spoke, Sei-sama let her previous expression drop and adopted her usual, fair expression.

"Because I know you, I can hazard a guess. I'm not as interesting a toy to grope as Yumi-san, right?"

"Hmm. Perhaps. Oh? Why the long face? Don't like it?"

" Not really."

Even though she had said it herself, Yoshino would rather be 'interesting' than 'boring.' Although she never meant to get into a contest with Yumi-san on this point.

"About Rei."

Sei-sama said, after wetting her throat with the black coffee in her paper cup.

"I don't think she's really got any last request she wants to leave, you know?"

"But."

As Yoshino started to speak, Sei-sama held her hand up to Yoshino's mouth as though to say, 'Wait until I've finished speaking.'

"But if you think there's something, then maybe it's because there's something that you've forgotten to say to Rei."

"Me, to Rei?"

Whoosh, it felt like the wind blew past her. Whether it was in her mind, or around her body, either way it felt like the wind blew straight through her.

Me. To Rei.

I see. Is that it.

"Thank-you."

Draining the coffee from her cup, Yoshino stood up.

"What are you going to do?"

Sei-sama asked, glancing upwards as she remained seated.

"I'm going to give her something I'd forgotten."

"Something you'd forgotten, huh."

Now that Yoshino had decided, she was going to strike while the iron was hot. After gathering up her school coat and bag, she trotted off. Really, she wanted to break into a mad dash but she held back because she was on the university grounds. The traffic lights in front of her eyes had changed to green some time ago.

When she reached the entrance to the university hall, Yoshino said 'Oh right,' and turned around.

"Sei-sama. If you have time, why don't you come to the graduation ceremony tomorrow."

"Graduation ceremony?"

"Right. And invite Youko-sama too."

"Youko? Yoshino-chan, do you want to see Youko?"

Sei-sama looked at her with a blank expression. Well, that's understandable. There hadn't been any mention of Youko-sama until just now. To be able to work out the real reason, you'd have to have ESP.

"It's not really that, but wouldn't she want to see Sachiko-sama in her finest hour - that's what I was thinking."

" Hmmm. Would she though? I see. It sounds like it's going to be quite the interesting event."

Did she really understand, or not? Either way, Yoshino gave her a big wave, said 'Gokigenyou' and left the hall.

"Now then."

Only God knew whether or not it was going to be an interesting event.

Regardless, it was all tomorrow.

Consequently, she had some arrangements that she had to make today.

As she left the university grounds and stepped onto the path lined with Ginkgo trees, Yoshino broke into a sprint.