They could say it was because of all the tasks they had to complete. Or how they were constantly bombarded by one thing after the other.

But, really, how could they completely forget such an important thing?

Especially me, Yumi thought to herself.

Shimako-san and Yoshino-san were still fine, since they hadn't remembered it at all.

What had been forgotten? The conversation they had to have with Touko and Noriko-chan about the party performances, of course. Despite Yumi's surprise when she remembered it on the bus this morning, she had then completely forgotten about it, perhaps because her memory playback system had broken down or she simply lacked the ability to learn.

It was embarrassing to blame it on something like the impact of Touko's hairstyle, or the third-years' send-off completely filling her head.

Anyway, Yumi had totally forgotten about it for the entire morning. It was only just before the second farewell party of the day, the "Farewell Party for Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida" that she foolishly remembered.

While Yumi recognized that telling them about it today would probably be too late, no matter the time, telling them immediately prior to the event would just be too cruel.

The curtain closed on an incredibly successful "Third-years' Send-off." Although it went about 30 minutes overtime, there hadn't been any significant mishaps. Yumi dutifully thanked Maria-sama for seeing them safely through such a large event.

After sitting through their respective homeroom classes, it was time to start preparing for their private farewell party. The two guests-of-honor had agreed to wait in their classroom until called, allowing the first- and second-years to transform the second-floor of the Rose Mansion into a party zone.

There were still a few of the roses bought for the "Third-years' send-off" remaining even after one had been given to each senior. Shimako-san put these into small vases that she decorated the room with.

Yoshino-san cut the sandwiches that she had bought on the way to school this morning into bite-sized pieces and arranged these on plates that she then put on the table.

Yumi was taking some cookies that had been given to them by the confectionery club out of a tin when she belatedly remembered.

"Ah."

It was like telepathy. Yoshino-san and Shimako-san stopped what they were doing. Then, before Yumi said anything, they both put their hands over her mouth.

"Erp."

Luckily, Touko and Noriko-chan were both over at the sink pouring tea into teacups, so they didn't see this bizarre behavior from the three second-years.

They knew what she was going to say, so there was no need to make a fuss. After nodding to this message conveyed through Yoshino-san's eyes, the hands that blocked Yumi's mouth were removed and she was able to breathe freely.

"What do we do?"

They huddled together and spoke in a whisper. It looked like the thing they had shelved had come crashing down to the ground.

"It's a bit late to tell them now."

"But what if we don't tell them?"

Then they'd have to host the party dreading the moment when the third-years would utter the phrase, 'Party performance.' That wouldn't be good for their hearts.

"But if we do tell them, won't that just mean that the first-years will be nervous during the party."

That was the heart of the problem. But there was no-one there who could solve it.

While they were still having their whispered conversation, Touko turned towards them, followed by Noriko-chan. Then Touko said:

"Isn't it about time we got Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida?"

Yumi looked at the clock and saw it was almost 2pm. Even though it was ratcheting up the pressure, they had originally planned for a 1pm start so it had already been a lengthy wait for the two Roses.

"Th, that's right. Can I ask you to do that?"

"I'll go with Touko. We've already finished preparing the tea."

They continued their conversation after seeing off the first-years.

"Then how about we sneakily tell our onee-samas that there won't be any party performances today."

"Sneakily, you say."

"Even so..."

Right. Since the first-years had gone to fetch the third-years, there wasn't any opening in which they could surreptitiously talk to their onee-samas. And it would look very strange if they were to chase after Touko and Noriko-chan and order them back to the Rose Mansion so that they could retrieve the third-years themselves.

"If the third-years say so, then there will be a performance."

"I know."

Fundamentally, Lillian's Girls Academy was a school where the juniors obeyed their seniors. If their onee-samas asked for a performance, then they would be expecting someone to do something.

"I'll dance."

Shimako-san stood bolt upright.

"Although I don't have the cassette with me."

Yoshino-san asked what she intended to do about that. If there was some suitable music that she could dance to.

"I'll sing as I dance. It'll be okay. Sachiko-sama sang as she performed Swan Lake."

Shimako-san was visibly trembling. The story about Sachiko-sama singing as she performed ballet was just something that her onee-sama, Satou Sei-sama, had made up.

Still, Yumi understood the painful feeling of wanting to spare your darling petit soeur from embarrassment.

"Okay. And I'll sing as I do the loach scooping dance."

They started collecting the necessary props - Shimako-san made a basic folding-fan out of paper and Yumi tied some thread around a five-yen coin she found in her purse. She could use a hand-towel in place of a regular towel, but what to do about the strainer? Just as Yumi was wondering whether the basin from the sink would do:

"They're that precious to you, huh?"

Yoshino-san, who had no petit soeur of her own, looked amazed.

"But without the right props, I can't do my magic act."

Nonetheless, Yoshino-san had lined up her handkerchief, a 500 yen note and a safety-pin on the table and was quietly fiddling around with them.

Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama arrived at the Rose Mansion right on two o'clock.

The second-years had just hidden their makeshift props in the back of the room, underneath their school coats, when they heard the sound of people climbing the staircase. Just in time.

When they opened the door to greet their guests, Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida smiled brilliantly.

"Thank-you for everything you've done for us today."

They both had a salmon-pink rose, with the stalk cut off, pinned to their chest.

"We talked about it on the way over, but we really enjoyed today's third-years' send-off."

"Indeed. Everyone's hard work really paid off."

Yumi had received similar compliments from many third-years today, but when it came from Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama she didn't feel the need to reply with 'Thanks for the compliment.' She was grateful for their praise, but there was something else as well, so she couldn't just respond with that.

These people were the reason why they had worked so hard. The third-years' send-off was for all third-years, so as presenters they obviously wanted to make everyone happy. But setting aside their position as the next Roses, it was these two beloved people that they had thought about as they worked. Surely all the individual members of the various clubs and groups that participated today had some cherished person for whose sake they were working hard. And when you added all that hard work together, what you got was the "Third-years' Send-off."

"Anyway, please take a seat, and have some tea."

As she was saying this, Yumi made a startling realization. They were so busy preparing their props that they had forgotten to place the teacups on the table. She was hastily heading towards the teapot when Touko said to her:

"Onee-sama, Noriko and I will do that."

" Sorry."

Dejected, Yumi returned to the table and found Rei-sama looking intently in her direction. Yumi looked back, thinking that Rei-sama had something she wanted to say, but Rei-sama just smiled and shook her head. Perhaps Rei-sama was looking for something else.

"Cheers."

The farewell party started with their standard toast using black tea. At any rate, it was 2pm. The first order of business was satisfying their hunger, so everyone reached for a sandwich or a cookie. The main topic of conversation was, naturally, the third-years' send-off. They recounted all the things that happened during their preparation. The story of the kind Santa's presents was incredibly well received.

As they ate, the words started to flow. Their mouths were kept busy.

"Rei-chan?"

Yoshino-san said, her tone asking if anything was wrong. Come to think of it, Rei-sama had been kind of quiet just recently. As though she were daydreaming, or there in body but not in spirit, or searching for something that wasn't there.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking of everything that's happened since Christmas."

Rei-sama smiled as she spoke. So had she been looking at something that had gone away? It didn't look like she were yearning for the past.

"Christmas, huh?"

Sachiko-sama smiled broadly. There was no mistaking that this was the face of someone reminiscing fondly about the past. A face that said that so much had happened.

"Yeah."

Yumi nodded.

Back then, Touko wasn't yet her petit soeur.

Kanako-chan and Nana-chan had been invited, and they'd played games and eaten cake. Right, right, and Tsutako-san had taken a ton of pictures with her camera.

Normally there were eight seats at the table, so they had to bring an additional two over. And they'd chosen where to sit by drawing from a deck of cards.

Now, there were the seven close friends in the room. So there was one chair left over. Rei-sama's gaze was continuously drawn to that empty chair.

Yumi understood.

Rei-sama was undoubtedly looking for Nana-chan.

Time passed, and still the request for a party performance didn't come from the third-years.

They hadn't really wanted to perform, and had prepared the props only as a last resort, but as the party continued without the subject being broached it started to seem as though perhaps it wouldn't come up after all. Even so, Yumi couldn't come up with any better way of wrapping up the farewell party, especially given how much of a hit the party performances had been last year. She was even starting to wonder if perhaps they should be the ones to raise the topic.

"Hey, Yumi."

Seated beside her, Sachiko-sama spoke quietly.

"I'd completely forgotten about this."

"Yes?"

Had there been a massive growth in forgetfulness amongst the general population recently? Or was it something that was passed from one person to another, like a cold? Either way, it looked like her onee-sama had caught it.

"What is it?"

Yumi had expected her to smile and say, "The party performances," but that didn't happen.

"About the amusement park."

"Oh."

That was the location for their date tomorrow. Yumi put herself on guard, ready to accept the shocking admission that Sachiko-sama had forgotten about their date, but that didn't happen either.

"I only thought of it recently. When we were talking about Christmas, it came to me."

"What did?"

"I was wondering if maybe we should all arrange to meet at the amusement park."

"...Say what?"

Since she'd brought it up, Sachiko-sama obviously wasn't opposed to the idea. But neither did she want to come out and suggest it as something they should do. Basically, she didn't want to pressure anyone into it, and wouldn't be offended if they refused. But since everyone would enjoy the amusement park, Yumi didn't see anything wrong with being assertive about it. Still, Sachiko-sama seemed bothered by it.

"People. Yumi and I are going to the amusement park tomorroooow."

Everyone was momentarily shocked when Sachiko-sama suddenly stood up and made this announcement. Her cheerfulness made Yumi question her sobriety, and looking around she saw an empty energy drink bottle hidden behind Sachiko-sama's teacup. The kind Santa's present. Wow! Her onee-sama was drunk.

"So?"

Rei-sama asked, inquiring as to whether Sachiko-sama was just making an announcement or if there was something more to this story.

"If you'd like, why don't you come over."

"Huh?"

"Ahh. It's not at my house, so asking you to come over does sound a bit strange."

Sachiko-sama giggled.

"Basically, I was inviting you to come along with us."

"Hmm?"

In other words, she and Yumi had already arranged to meet, but other people were free to come along if they wanted.

"Okay. So you're saying that it's not compulsory, but if we're all in the same place we could meet up and have some fun."

Rei-sama seemed to understand.

"Is that okay, Yumi-san?"

Yoshino-san nudged her arm. Asking if it was supposed to be a date for just the two of them.

"Yeah, I suppose."

Either way, it was never going to be just the two of them. Four, six, eight, it's all the same. The more the merrier, probably.

Pa-n pan pa-n!

At the same time as this explosive sound, the biscuit door opened. No, wait, the biscuit door opened and then there was the sound.

Looking around, Touko and Noriko-chan were standing there, smiling, and holding the spent firecrackers.

Yumi had completely missed their early departure. They walked into the room carrying some baggage. Touko was carrying her overnight bag and it looked like it had regained its original bulk.

"Oooh, what's happening?"

Sachiko-sama turned to Yumi and Rei-sama turned to Yoshino-san to ask, but they were both met with shrugs. Of course, Shimako-san didn't know what the first-years were doing, either.

"It's showtime!"

Noriko-chan called out. Touko opened her bag and pulled something out. Yumi knew that shape. It was a violin case.

Touko took the violin out and started playing a light melody. Then Noriko-chan took something from her purse that looked like a bunch of decorative chopsticks. Yumi knew what this was too. It was -

"Well then, time for the Nankin Tamasudare show!" [1]

- that.

Showtime continued, oblivious to the bewilderment of the second-years. That nostalgic carnival melody was the musical accompaniment to the Nankin Tamasudare performance. It looked like they'd put a lot of effort into this. Everyone turned their chairs to face the performing duo.

Noriko-chan used her Nankin Tamasudare screen to make the gates to Lillian's Girls Academy, Buddha's halo, Napoleon's hat, and a number of other things, one after the other.

"I guess we won't be needing our props."

"Yep."

The three second-years nodded, watching as Sachiko-sama and Rei-sama applauded raucously.

"Even so..."

Just when, where and how did Touko and Noriko-chan think of doing this?

"Hehehe."

Yumi laughed spontaneously. The first-year super combination were attentive to details, even on things they didn't have to worry about, and ever so reliable.

"Are there any requests?"

Touko asked, tuning her violin. It looked like Noriko-chan's Nankin Tamasudare performance had ended.

"Well then, 'Maria-sama's soul,' please."

Sachiko-sama said, rising from her chair.

"Okay."

When Touko raised her violin, Sachiko-sama took hold of Yumi's left hand. Gripped by her right hand, their bodies drew close. Yumi's body responded before she had time to think about it.

It was in 6/8 time, but you could dance to it in 3/4 time.

One, two, three, two, two, three.

The waltz steps. Natural spin turn.

Yumi remembered this from her first-year cultural festival. The ballroom scene from Cinderella.

They had danced together, on the night of the cultural festival. Just after they had become grande soeur and petit soeur. In front of the statue of Maria-sama. To the distant sound of students singing.

How quickly time had flown since then.

When she'd received that rosary, she hadn't been looking to the future. The year-and-a-half until her onee-sama's graduation had seemed like an eternity.

There had been days when she had obsessed over what would happen if her onee-sama left her.

Nonetheless, they were here now.

Even though it was her onee-sama's farewell party, Yumi was able to face it without crying.

One, two, three, two, two, three.

In time with the melody played by Touko.

Lured in by her onee-sama's laughter.

Yoshino-san took Rei-sama's hand and joined them in dancing. Shimako-san took a reluctant Noriko-chan's hand.

It'll be alright, even if you can't dance. Just press your bodies together and sway to the music.

See, who knew dancing could be this much fun?

Touko-chan continued to play, starting from the top again.

One, two, three, two, two, three.

Even though she knew the end would come at some point.

Surrounded by her dear friends.

Yumi wished they could have stayed dancing like this forever. for a theoretical overview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZuR-Hw--L0 for a practical demonstration.