A/N: This chapter is mostly based on the novel.
The Meeting
"This is tyranny! The Oneesamas are being mean." yelled by an angry person in the meeting room
"I understand, then. If that's what is being demanded, then I just need to bring her here! Yes, I will bring her here at once."
And with that sharp parting remark, Sachiko shot out of the room at the exact moment when the door was opened from the outside by Shimako. This resulted for Sachiko to accidentally crash the person standing behind Shimako.
"Aww. That was a flashy fall!"
"Eh, she got crushed by Sachiko's 50 kg. How miserable."
"Hey victim, are you alive?"
The Roses and their seours came out from the room and gathered around the two accident-victims.
"Eh, I crushed someone? Are you alright?"
As Sachiko realized what happened, she hurriedly tried to raise the person she crashed unto. Her eyes widened with surprised when she recognized the person lying beneath her.
'Yu-Yumi! Am I seeing things?'
She was sure she didn't hit her head upon landing so she couldn't be in a state of delusion. A lot of questions were forming in her head but that wasn't the time to look for answers.
She suddenly became aware of the Roses surrounding them and she remembered her reason for storming out the door resulting to accidentally crash unto the cute, peach-scented, angelic freshman named Fukuzawa Yumi. Just then a brilliant idea crossed her mind.
They slowly stood up. When Yumi assured Sachiko that she was fine, the latter leaned closer and hugged Yumi tightly.
"You are a freshman, are you not? Do you have someone to call Oneesama?"
Sachiko whispered in Yumi's ear as they embraced. She already knew the answers but she had to act like she wasn't familiar with the girl.
"I don't….why?"
Yumi whispered in return.
"Splendid! Just do as I say."
As soon as they came back inside the room, she presented Yumi to the Roses. Confused by the situation, the girl decided to play along with whatever her idol was up to.
"Introduce yourself."
Sachiko ordered.
"Peach class number 35, Fukuzawa Yumi."
The Roses stared at her curiously. Wondering what Sachiko was up to.
"I will have you carry out that promise earlier. As long as I choose now, everything is settled, correct? Therefore, I am choosing Fukuzawa Yumi to be my seour."
Sachiko triumphantly declared, shocking everyone.
"Sachiko, you simply dragged a passer-by into this mess to escape the job imposed on you, right?"
Rosa Gigantea asked with that glint in her eyes.
That was everyone's assumption, but truth was when Sachiko said earlier, "Yes, I will bring her here at once." she meant it. She really was going to look for Yumi and ask her to be her seour then drag the girl to the Rose mansion. And if Yumi ask why she was being chosen to be the seour of the famous Rosa Chinensis en bouton, Sachiko would simply say, "Because I like your smile."
Yup, that's the most creative thing she has come up with over the weekend. She got the idea from the former Rosa Gigantea. She recalled the former Rose always saying that she chose Sei-sama to be her seour because she liked her face. But to say "Because I like your face" to Yumi would be a total lack of originality, so she made her own rendition. And just when she finally had the courage to approach Yumi, this accident happened.
"Wait."
Tsutako Takeshima, Lillian ace photographer, and the person who dragged Yumi here, raised her hand. She is also here in the Rose Mansion, seated at the table with the rest of the Yamayurikai members.
"What is it, Tsutako Takeshima?"
Rosa Gigantea nicely asked.
"May I ask what is going on?"
"Forgive us for not explaining. To put it shortly, Sachiko accepted to play Cinderella in our play for the festival but refused the role 2 weeks before the actual performance just because she doesn't want to perform with Hanadera School council president who will be playing the role of the Prince, claiming that it's not fair for her because she only found out about it today."
Rosa Foetida explained.
"And when she complained about the role appointment, we teased her that she, who cannot even find a petite seour doesn't have the right to speak."
Rosa Gigantea added.
"But it did not mean, 'Regardless of who it is, get a seour'. If I am not mistaken, you did not know Yumi-san's name until earlier?"
Rosa Chinensis asked, staring intently at her seour.
"That…"
'That is not true!' was what Sachiko was about to say but she wasn't prepared to explain to the Roses how she knew about Yumi. She couldn't tell them about the notebook and that she has been stalking Yumi these past few days. She couldn't say the truth especially in front of Yumi.
"Please wait."
As Sachiko was taking her time, forming the right words to say, Shimako-san stood up.
"I think Sachiko-sama and Yumi-san did not just meet. Because Yumi-san came to visit Sachiko-sama."
'Yumi came to visit ME!'
Those words repeated themselves on Sachiko's head over and over. Her heart was pounding even louder as her face started flushing. But even if anyone would have notice that slight crimson color on her face, that person would probably have assumed it was caused by Sachiko's fuming anger for the Roses.
"I have proof too."
Tsutako-san cut in, handing something to Rosa Chinensis.
"I see. So the two of you have already met before."
The Red Rose said after looking at the photo. It was a photo of Yumi and Sachiko that was taken this morning. It was the reason why Tsutako dragged Yumi to the Rose Mansion, to get Sachiko-sama's permission to use that photo in a panel for the photography-club exhibit during the school festival.
The snapshot made its rounds until it fell before Yumi and Sachiko. When Sachiko took a hold of it, a puzzled look formed on her face.
"I wonder when this happened."
She didn't mean to hurt Yumi's feelings but her words were loud enough to disappoint the girl. Now Yumi believes that Sachiko never really knew of her existence even after this incident that morning.
It took Sachiko a few seconds for realization to dawn her.
'It was taken this morning? So that wasn't a dream?'
Sachiko thought that scene on the photo was just part of a dream but apparently, it was a blur memory. Last night, she was so busy thinking of (crazy) ideas to approach Yumi. Like, building her own club and recruiting Yumi to be a member. A Poetry Club to be exact since Yumi seems to be interested in poetry so she was pretty sure it wouldn't be hard to convince the girl to join. Her other plan was to "accidentally" bump Yumi. She thought it was going to be a good way to start a conversation. And finally, she came up with because-I-like-your-smile statement. These thoughts kept her awake all night. So, this morning she went to school feeling groggy. Her lack of sleep and low blood pressure was a bad combination. It made her look like a (gorgeous) zombie. Wondering through the grounds subconsciously, she spotted Yumi near the statue. Maybe because of her grogginess, she subconsciously did something she had always wanted to do but never had the courage to. Without thinking or having any hesitation, she called upon her to wait. Her feet, as if they had a mind of their own, approached Yumi. It seems like her body was repeating an act she did a few days ago, so that would mean that she would lift her hand then point a finger on the girl's collar. But her hands did not seem to have memorized that scene, because instead of just pointing, they felt the need to touch the girl, fixing her collar for her. It was a clear display of affection, a kind of scenario that only occurred in her dreams lately.
'She's so cute in this photo and she looks comfortable with me. Surely, anyone who would see this would agree that we look good together.'
Because of the photo, Sachiko gathered a big amount of confidence. Now armed with a prop, she confidently continued her word-war with the Roses.
"As you can see, Yumi and I have already established an intimate relationship."
"I see I have no right to intrude with your affairs, so I'll have to approve."
When Rosa Chinensis said this, Sachiko's face brightened.
'I finally got her approval. Now I don't have to play Cinderella and the best part is… I have Yumi as my seour! It's like killing two birds with one stone.'
"However, this does not mean you do not have to be Cinderella."
Just when Sachiko felt like floating on air with happiness, her Oneesama's words came to pull her back to Earth.
"The Promise!"
"What promise? You made that up yourself, didn't you? I clearly said that people without a little sister have no right to speak therefore, fell free to speak from now on."
"Then please remove me from the role."
"No."
Seeing her Oneesama would never waver, Sachiko stood up abruptly.
"I am leaving."
"Wait. Let me confirm one thing. What is Yumi-san to you? Do you still feel her as though your seour?"
Youko asked, staring at her seour, gauging her reaction.
"Of course…Yumi is my little sister."
With that proclamation, the proclaimed little sister sat up abruptly and looked at Sachiko's face apprehensively.
'Why do you look so surprise? I do not want anyone else other than you.'
Sachiko mused when she caught Yumi's face looking at her with a shocked expression.
"Splendid. Did you hand her your rosary yet?"
"Not yet. But I wouldn't mind doing it in front of everyone if you desire."
"Sounds good."
The older Rose answered smiling while sipping her tea.
Sachiko quickly reached her breast pocket to retrieve her rosary.
"Stay still, Yumi."
She ordered as she held the rosary above Yumi's head. At that moment, Sachiko's heart was beating wildly with excitement. She didn't plan to make Yumi her seour in this manner but with way things were going, she would surely get the result she wanted—Yumi would be hers. She was so caught up with her desire that she became oblivious of the girl's uncomfortable expression.
"Wait. We have forgotten the most important thing… Yumi-san's feelings."
It was Shimako who gave the reminder.
"Do you think she would refuse?"
"I will not presume, but-"
'What are they saying? Of course Yumi would not refuse. She clearly said in her poem that he wants to know me more, that she wants to always be by my side and that she cares for me. And her affection for me was clearly shown on the photo.'
Sachiko was confident that Yumi wanted her to be her Oneesama as much as she wanted Yumi to be her petite seour.
"Sachiko wants you to be her seour. Have you the intent of accepting?"
Rosa Chinensis directly asked Yumi.
"I apologize. I cannot be Sachiko-sama's seour."
Her answer shocked everyone especially Sachiko. Those words shattered her heart. She had been rejected before but that was nothing compared to the pain this current rejection brought her.
'How could you say that? After all those touching words you wrote about me, how could you refuse? Maybe you were not sincere at all. I should not have easily believed in you. I should not have entertained the idea that there is such a person who cares for me unconditionally. Or perhaps, you are not the rightful owner of the notebook. You are not the true writer of that poem!'
This shocking painful rejection is making Sachiko think irrationally. She felt betrayed. She felt as if Yumi toyed with her feelings—making her believe that Yumi liked her at first then cruelly dumping her the moment she becomes willing to return Yumi's affection.
"Do I, have the right to know why?"
She asked slightly trembling. Somehow she felt like she made a fool of herself. After all those sleepless night thinking of Yumi, after all her (useless) effort to approach Yumi, this is what she got in return. She had invested a strong emotion on Yumi because she expected it to be reciprocated afterwards but she was wrong. But even so, she couldn't bring herself to hate the girl.
"I was certainly a fan but it does not mean that I would do anything to be her little sister. Because as a fan I do have a bit of pride."
Yumi explained herself to Sachiko and the Roses.
'Pride? What does pride had to do with this? Stop making excuses!'
"Well, either way Sachiko got rejected again."
"Poor Sachiko."
The Roses surrounded Sachiko and they seem to be having fun on her expense.
"If you think I'm pitiful, will you do something about Cinderella?"
"Sachiko who hates being pitied, is begging? How rare."
'I don't care what you think of me anymore. I don't care if Yumi see me now as a weak person. It doesn't matter now.'
"Ah...um..."
Yumi shouted to get everyone's attention.
"You were still here?"
Sachiko coldly asked. She said that to camouflage the pain she was feeling. She wanted Yumi to think that she was not terribly affected by her rejection.
"How about swapping roles? Shimako-san is just as beautiful so she is also a fit for Cinderella. "
"So you are backing her now?"
'Is she trying to help me? But why? Why would she try to convince oneesama to remove me from the role? She doesn't care for me, doesn't she?'
"Since it was a communication mishap, it seemed everyone is laying the blame on Sachiko-sama. But everyone also—"
"Silence! I understand you are saying this for my sake, but please don't trouble the Oneesama's over me."
Sachiko softly laid her hand on Yumi's shoulder then she apologized to the Roses.
'Now I understand. You do care for me after all. I must have just surprised you earlier with my careless action. Come to think of it, based on that poem, it seems you have self-insecurities. Maybe you do not see yourself worthy of me. But I'm sure; you would not have refused me if you have seen my sincerity.'
Sachiko mused. When she saw Yumi's concern for her, her heart soften again. It's a wonder how much effect Yumi has on her.
"What Yumi-san tried to say was true. Because Sachiko did just find out about the role today, the responsibility lies partly on us."
The Roses begun to chatter.
"And forcing her to do something she doesn't want is also wrong."
However, changing roles now is hard. What we have to do is make Sachiko willing to do Cinderella."
"Well then, let's have a bet. Sachiko, if you win we will let you off the hook."
It was Rosa Gigantea who suggested.
"I understand. I accept the bet."
Sachiko immediately answered without knowing what kind of bet it was.
"The bet is whether you can make Yumi-san your seour. However Yumi-san, if you accept Sachiko's rosary, as her seour you are stepping in the vacant role."
Rosa Gigantea playfully explained.
Yumi was shocked by this revelation. As for Sachiko, he was worried yet happy at the same time.
'So that means if she becomes my seour, she would have to play Cinderella. I don't want to force her into this but this is a good excuse to spend time with her. Maybe after a few days of us together, she would see that my intention for her is sincere then she would accept me without hesitation. '
For everyone including Yumi, Sachiko is going to use this opportunity to step out of the role but for Sachiko, she is going to use this opportunity to step into Yumi's life.
To be continued…