When she left the classroom at lunch time, Sachiko-onee-sama was out in the hallway.

Touko didn't know whether she was just coincidentally passing by the first-years' area, or whether she was lying in wait. Touko tilted her head down, part bow and part hanging her head in shame, and went to walk by when Sachiko-onee-sama said:

"Are you running away?"

(Running away?)

Touko stopped and turned around, wondering what Sachiko-onee-sama was talking about.

"The treasure hunt. Are you participating? Or not?"

"I don't understand what you're saying. Whether or not I participate in the treasure hunt is no concern of yours, Rosa Chinensis. But even if I don't participate, I don't think you could call that running away."

Talking to Sachiko-onee-sama brought back memories of last Saturday. Touko thought that she'd been wrong to look down upon the Red Rose surs. She'd even apologized for it. But these were two separate matters.

"I suppose."

Sachiko-onee-sama muttered.

"Although it seems consistent to me."

"Consistent?"

"How you're always running away from Yumi."

Touko wanted to retort with something, but she couldn't find the words. If she remained silent, that may be taken as tacit agreement. Nonetheless, she couldn't even come up with a hackneyed excuse.

"Are you afraid of facing Yumi?"

"Huh?"

"It's frightening. I'm afraid too."

The words coming from Sachiko-onee-sama's mouth were completely unexpected.

"Because she's so honest. I'm sure she doesn't mean to, but being with her is an assault on your weaknesses. Like they're reflected in a perfectly clear mirror. I don't want to look ... don't want to admit to them."

She looked down, then abruptly smiled. Seeing that expression, Touko instinctively asked:

"So then why are you still with her?"

"Isn't it obvious? I love Yumi."

Sachiko-onee-sama raised her head and answered clearly.

"It's an assault on my weaknesses, but so what? It's certainly confronting, but by no means unendurable. Not being with Yumi would be much more tough. I came to the conclusion that if there were parts of me that I don't like, then when I see them in the clear mirror that is Yumi, I should try and change them. If I'm feeling envious of a sapling growing straight upwards, then I could lean against it, or tie myself to it, and we could reach for the sun together."

She seemed to be saying it was better to move forwards than to just be afraid; that there was a meaning to being together.

Why was she saying that kind of thing now?

Sachiko-onee-sama had been angry when she'd accused Touko of acting high and mighty. Given that, she could have cut off all contact. So then, why?

"I'd accepted that one day Yumi would chose a petite sur. Thinking about the type of girl she'd chose as her sur left me feeling both happy and sad. But if Yumi chose her, then she was the right girl. That's what I believed. Even now, I want to believe it."

Sachiko-onee-sama eyes were calm as she spoke.

"But you can't even be my rival."

But in those calm eyes, her fighting spirit shone through.

"Of course, the first person to find Yumi's card today isn't necessarily the person that cares the most about her. Even so, I thought you were the only one that could be my rival, Touko-chan. But if you're not going to line up on the start line - what a waste."

She let out a deep sigh.

Touko knew that Sachiko-onee-sama was being intentionally provocative. She knew this, but

"Wait a minute."

The next moment, Touko had called out to stop Sachiko-onee-sama from walking away.

"I never said I wasn't going to participate."

Then Sachiko-onee-sama looked back over her shoulder and smiled in satisfaction.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I'll be there."

Even though she'd been provoked, it was by no means a bad feeling.