"And so?"

Yoshino-san asked, taking a deep breath, atop the third-floor of the fire-escape staircase attached to the outside of the school building.

"In the end, things went back to how they were before? Everyone's concerns were dropped."

"Hehehe."

Unusually, a clear, blue sky spread out overhead. As before, a rosary hung around Yumi's neck.

"At they very least, I wonder if Sachiko-sama's grandmother's friend and your Yumiko-san were one and the same person."

"Who knows."

On that point, it wasn't exactly clear. Yumi thought she'd probably find out eventually, but she also felt she was happy enough not to know too.

"You'd know if you asked Sachiko-sama what the name of the friend was, right?"

"Yeah, but."

Yumi swayed the bag containing her lunchbox.

"I don't want to tamper too much with a fairytale story."

Like, for instance, what kind of a journey her blue umbrella had been on. There was no point in going out of her way to try and find out. She wanted the fact of it returning to her hand to remain precious.

"I think I kind of understand."

Yoshino-san quietly agreed.

"But I'll probably go and see Yumiko-san again."

Yumi had to report that she'd made up with her onee-sama.

Taking Maple Parlor sweets with her. Listening to trivial stories. Telling rambling stories.

"You two seem to quite carefree."

Sachiko-sama looked up and called to them from the entrance to the Rose Mansion. Squinting, shading her eyes from the dazzling sunlight with her hand. But to Yumi, it was her onee-sama that looked dazzling.

"Hurry up, we've got a lot of work to do."

A mountain of it, in fact. Ignoring that much of it was caused by her own absence, Sachiko-sama swaggered magnificently. She was in fine form. Basically, a complete recovery.

"Okaaay."

Yumi and Yoshino-san responded, then started down the emergency staircase.

They were giving up their lunch break to work on the preparations for the school festival today too.

One morning, on the way to school, she spotted Yumiko-san from inside the bus.

Holding a white parasol, slowly walking down the street.

She looked like someone enjoying a regular morning walk, and Yumi's chest was filled with happiness witnessing that scene.

Sachiko-sama commuted to school from her grandmother's house for a short while, but it wasn't long before she started thinking about moving back to the Ogasawara estate.

"Because, since then, all my mother does is go to the convenience store, and all we eat is that udon noodle broth. I can't take any more."

Her grandfather and father were probably feeling lonely, so perhaps it was the right time for everyone.

But moving back to their house may not put an end to Sayako oba-sama's trips to the convenience store. Convenience stores were scattered all throughout the country. There was bound to be one in Sachiko-sama's suburb.

In accordance with her fixed-term contract, Touko-chan stepped down from the role of assistant when Sachiko-sama returned to school. In order to devote herself to her acting, now that they were looking towards the autumn school festival. She still came to visit them in the Rose Mansion from time to time, whenever the mood struck her.

Familiarity was a terrifying thing, for Yumi didn't feel the same dislike as earlier. No, perhaps it was composure.

Shimako-san and Noriko-chan showed that they were the innocent young couple they very much appeared to be, while the established pair of Yoshino-san and Rei-sama continued to spend their days like an old married couple.

As for Yumi.

Secretly, she thought that she should buy a parasol that summer. While she knew that a black umbrella would be better to stop the sun, she already had her heart set on a white, lace parasol.

Soon, the rainy season would clear out.

When it did, beneath the dazzling sun, she'd hold that parasol aloft and set out with her onee-sama.