Notes on the 11th Maria-sama ga Miteru Novel – Parasol o Sashite (Holding A Parasol)
Part 2

Yumi returns to the Rose Mansion. You have to figure that for the past week or so, Noriko and Shimako have pretty much been doing all the Yamayurikai work by themselves.

Noriko serves Yumi tea and Yumi thinks that Shimako and Noriko make fine masters of the Rose Mansion.

When Yumi says that she doesn’t know what Sachiko has been doing, Noriko opines that she thinks Touko does – but she isn’t saying. Yumi’s heart thunks at the mention of Touko’s name, but she reflects that Touko probably *hasn’t* been chosen over her, or she’d certainly be telling everyone.

Noriko apologizes for Touko’s behavior the other day. (She calls Touko “Touko” with no honorific, btw) Yumi thinks that Noriko really has no involvement in that, but that they do appear to be friends, so…

***

The crucial Yumi/Touko scene was not in the courtyard observed by any other students.

Yumi can’t tell whether Touko is annoyed because she was called out by an upperclassman, or because she doesn’t want to see Yumi.

Yumi starts to tell Touko what she wanted with her, but she forgets what she wants to say. Touko rubs her temples like she’s got a headache and asks Yumi to think first, then speak clearly once she has a handle on what she wants to say.

When Touko protests that she can’t help the Yamayurikai because she’s a member of the theater club, Yumi replies that Touko’s club hasn’t approved any specific script yet for the play, so she don’t have daily practice yet. (D’oh – as Rosa Chinensis en Bouton of *course* Yumi sees all the club’s schedules)

Yumi takes Touko’s *elbow*,  not hand. And she does not think that she’s using Sei-like skinship. Touko shakes Yumi off, but as she walks away Yumi can see that the tips of her ears are red.

***

Sachiko has been away from school for about a week. Since Yumi had become her soeur, Sachiko had never been away so long. If her Homeroom teacher knew the reason, s/he wasn’t saying – and Sachiko’s not the type to play hooky.

***

This scene was massively altered and cut for the anime. The original works better and is a lot snarkier, so bear with me.

After school, in the Rose Mansion. Yumi sighs, and whines, tugging on Touko’s sleeve. “Where is Sachiko? Tell meeeeee, Toukoooooooo.” Touko pulls her arm away, complaining that Yumi is depressing and telling her to let go.

Touko is moody, but she’s been coming to the Rose Mansion to help and has been a good assistant. But she and Yumi bicker constantly.

Touko says that Yumi’s acting like a drunk today.

Rei comes in, mentions that Yoshino will still be at club for a while. She asks Noriko to make her coffee – apparently she and Noriko are the only coffee drinkers in the group.

Touko asks Rei to switch seats with her because “sitting next to Yumi-sama is bad for my mental well-being.” Rei declines, since Touko agreed to assist Yumi – it’s a Rosa Chinensis family matter and she won’t get involved.

Yumi stands up and with a grand gesture, invites Touko to sit next to her, and Touko completely loses it. She goes rushing out of the Mansion. Her footsteps are loud and fast, indicating how perturbed she is. Rei looks at Yumi and smiles, then asks Yumi to please go to the manga club room and get their schedule…right now. Yumi chirps “Roger!” and hops to it.

When Touko tells Yumi to stay away, she says that when Yumi’s around, she can’t help but get upset. They reach the sakura tree among the gingkos, and Yumi warns Touko not to get too close, it’s a little dangerous at this season. Touko screams – there’s a wooly caterpillar on her.

They keep walking along the path. Touko says that she doesn’t get Yumi. A week ago you were timid and irritable – now you’re cheery. “Sachiko isn’t around and you’re cheerful?”

Yumi asks if Touko doesn’t like her cheerful.

Touko says she doesn’t care. And she asks if being chosen as an assistant was some kind of trick.

Yumi doesn’t even understand the question (which is everything you really need to know about the two of them…).

There were many other people who were easier to chose – and then Yumi wouldn’t have to look at such an unpleasant sight, Touko very calmly analyzes.

Yumi says that Touko was just the first name that popped into her brain. Touko, Yumi points out, wanted to help Sachiko, I wanted to help Sachiko, so here you are helping me to help Sachiko.

They end up wandering onto the college grounds. In the front of the college, there is a fountain, surrounded by flowerbeds. Yumi runs up to them and Touko is forced to run after her calling her name, like a mother after a mischievous child. Yumi stops so suddenly that Touko slams into her. Yumi has recognized Yumiko.

Yumiko asks if Touko is a friend. Touko says no, Yumi is a “gentle advisor.” Yumiko remonstrates Yumi – you said you weren’t popular with the underclassmen. Touko says not to listen to Yumi about that – that she’s a much admired onee-sama. This sets Yumi’s teeth on edge and makes her really uncomfortable.

Yumiko is talking about how she never said that she was sorry to the person from her past. She wonders what her friend would say if she did. From behind her, Sei says, “she’d forgive you.”

Sei had seen them from her classroom window and wondered at how friendly things seemed. The class was boring anyway. She holds out cans of oolong, milk tea, apple juice and coffee to Yumiko, Touko, then Yumi.

Touko “regards Sei expressionlessly for three seconds” then thanks her for the drink.

Sei asks if she should call Kei – she was in the same class. (It appears that they are in every class together…) Yumiko says that it would be fine if Sei just tells Kei that she’ll be gone for a few days and gives her the key.

Sei asks if she’s going far – Yumiko says a little. Yumi wonders, because it looks like her handbag isn’t really enough for a long journey – even if it’s a large handbag.

Using her “honor student voice” Sei offers to accompany Yumiko the whole way. Yumiko demurs, so Sei says she’ll at least accompany Yumiko to the station. (Yumiko had said that she had to get going because she was taking a “steam train” which made Yumi think that she really was an old lady…) Sei takes Yumiko’s bag and offers the older woman her arm. Yumi asks if its okay for her to leave class, and Sei insists that it was really boring. Yumiko calls Sei a delinquent, smiling, and Sei protests that she’s an honest, upright person. Yumiko takes Sei’s arm and they walk off.

Yumi thinks that as an escort, Sei “doesn’t lose to a top Takarazuka star.”

“From high school students to seniors, Satou Sei is always kind to women.” Yumi thinks it would make a nice catchphrase. (It flows a bit better in Japanese, really.)

Yumi says “be careful” to their backs as they walk away.

Unexpectedly Touko comments that Yumiko seemed to be in a good mood today. Yumi is surprised and asks if Touko knows her. Touko says no – it was partially the way you treated her, it just came to mind.

Yumi says that she was told that Yumiko is a misanthropist. Touko says she seems more like someone who is just hard to please. Yumi asks how she knows this. Touko gestures to her own face and comments that Yumiko had deep creases in her forehead and none in the corners of her eyes – like a woman who has furrowed her brow a lot, but rarely smiled.

Then Touko says that it’s obvious something has recently changed – then says that it was probably Yumi’s fault. That Yumi “provokes optimism.” ^_^

The rest of the scene is pretty much as you saw in the anime.

***

Bits cut out …

When Yumi is called to the staff room, she doesn’t recognize her name. She’s like, “gee that sounds similar to my name…” After she realizes that it *is* her, she thinks that this isn’t the first time she’s gone to the staff room – there was the time when Sei got called in, and the time Eriko was called in…. She wonders if this has something to do with the rumours about Touko hitting her.

Katsura finds Yumi, tells her about the prince at the school gate. Yumi gets distracted and goes over to the gate to see Kashiwagi standing in front of his red sports car. When Kashiwagi calls her Cinderella, Yumi says that Cinderella isn’t here. Kashiwagi says, “Well, weren’t you Miss Cinderella last year?”

Yumi gets to the staff office, as you saw in the anime. Youko steps out of the crowd like “the birth of Venus” We’re told that with light makeup, and in her suit, she looks very adult.

Youko is a bit short with Yumi – especially when Yumi says that she had to go to the staff office and couldn’t talk with Youko… and Youko explains that she *was* the reason Yumi was called. As they walk, Yumi can see that Youko is a little irritable. Eventually, when they reach Mary, Youko admits that she’s a little jealous of Yumi and her importance to Sachiko.

***

More bits cut…

During the scene where Kashiwagi is driving like a jerk, Youko is more forceful…and a little threatening.

Yumi learns about Sachiko’s grandmother – but Youko says that Sachiko’s grandmother said to not say anything to anyone. Kashiwagi remarks that she didn’t say that to me. He comments that the women of the Yamayurikai are tough.

Yumi asks if he dislikes women. He says that they’re fine. Yumi counters – so you just like guys better? And btw, leave my brother alone. When Kashiwagi is silent, she panics – what have you done to him!? He admits to light skinship, which makes her imgine a love scene between Yuuki and Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi says, don’t worry – he’s normal. Youko snidely asks isn’t it abnormal’s habit to try and draw normal in? Kashiwagi says that it’s all complicated – he’d like Yuuki to like him. Yumi thinks he’s a “fine” pervert.

Yumi asks him why, on all the earth, Yuuki? Kashiwagi doesn’t answer, but when they arrive at the house, he says that he’s got a weakness for the potential of Fukuzawa siblings type.

***

More cuts:

Sayako-obasama comments that Sachiko hasn’t eaten in several days – nor has she cried at all. Sachiko’s hanging on by a thin thread. Even preoccupied with the dead as she is, Sayako thinks that the living take precedence. She had asked Youko to speak to Sachiko, but all Sachiko would says is “You’re not Yumi!” then “Yumi hates me.”

Yumi admits that she thought that Sachiko hated her…

When Yumi sees Sachiko, she’s shocked. Sachiko looks appreciably thinner. Hugging her, Yumi can feel how emaciated she is. Yumi is suddenly afraid to hold her too hard or she might break Sachiko.

Sachiko strokes Yumi’s cheek likes she’s made of glass, and asks if this is a dream. Yumi says that she’s here to lead Sachiko out of the dream. She’s overcome with the need to support this emaciated, grief-stricken person.

When Yumi tells Sachiko that she’s still calling her onee-sama, Sachiko finally begins to cry.

Sachiko tells her that her grandmother told her to tell Yumi that she loved her. Yumi says, but we never met. Sachiko agrees that it’s strange – when she was in the hospital, she said it. Yumi gets a weird feeling about it.

Sachiko explains that she kept hoping her grandmother would recover, so she kept pushing the day of their date to the amusement park ahead. By the time it became obvious that her grandmother was not going to get better, Yumi had already ceased to trust Sachiko. Yumi thinks that it was in part a measure of denial on Sachiko’s part – an unwillingness to jinx her grandmother by admitting the truth.

When Sachiko tells Yumi about her grandmother’s friend coming and visiting her, Yumi gets the “aha” light bulb and immediately connects it with Yumiko. An old friend did come to visit her grandmother, took one look at Sachiko and said, “Saiko-sama!”

Yumi thinks that it was a miracle.

Sachiko goes on to say that her grandmother’s friend’s visit made her realize how much she needs Yumi – Sachiko starts crying, her tears flowing past her hands down her cheeks…and tells Yumi she loves her.

From this point on, everything was cut from the anime.

Sachiko stops crying (or at least gets to the snuffling stage) and says that she’s hungry. Yumi says that Sayako will be thrilled to hear it. Yumi grins at Sachiko and Sachiko asks her to stop, it’s weird to be smiling like that.

Outside rain falls, but in her mind, Yumi is carrying a parasol as she walks in the sun.

Sayoko is, as Yumi predicted, thrilled to hear that Sachiko is hungry. She says that Yumi is a medicine for promoting appetite.

Kashiwagi appears at the door, and they ask where Youko is – he says he doesn’t know, they weren’t together. Yumi realizes that Youko *really* doesn’t like Kashiwagi. Sachiko comments that it’ll be all right – undoubtedly Youko has an umbrella.

Sayoko is about to order some food from a caterer, or she suggests going to Sachiko’s favorite restaurant in the Ginza. Sachiko, with a sour expression, says she’s not in the mood for French food.

Yumi understands her predicament – after a week of not eating, her stomach doesn’t want rich food. She probably wants a good homemade soup. But there’s no food at this house.

Kashiwagi offers to go to the convenience store they passed, but as he goes to leave he runs into Youko who is returning carrying a bag filled with food. She did not, as it turns out, have an umbrella… ^_^ The food is all typical Japanese home cooking.

Yumi asks her how she knew, and Youko replies proudly that she’s Sachiko’s onee-sama, after all.

***

After an impromptu meal, Sayoko comments that the convenience store is a very “convenient” restaurant. Although she expected it to some degree, Yumi thinks that Sayoko is even more of an alien than Sachiko. ^_^

***

Yumi tells Yoshino that Sachiko’s grandmother’s friend was Yumiko. Yumi is filled with a desire to visit the old woman and hear rambling stories and let her know that she and Sachiko are back together. The rosary is around her neck again.

When Sachiko passes them standing in the entrance talking, she yells at them to get over to the Rose Mansion – Yumi thinks she’s glorious. They spend yet another lunchtime working on the upcoming school festival.

***

On the way to school, Yumi sees Yumiko from the window of the bus. The older woman looks glowing.

***

Sachiko comments that she wants to go home (they are still staying at her grandmother’s house) – she’s tired of nabeyaki from the convenience store. Yumi thinks that that might not solve the problem – surely there’s a combini near even where Sachiko lives.

***

Touko went back to her club, but every once in a while stops by the Rose Mansion to visit. Yumi never feels dislike for her again.

Shimako and Noriko have grown from being a young couple to a mature couple. Yoshino and Rei continue to be a husband-and-wife comedy team…

Secretly. Yumi wants to buy a white parasol with a lace trim. Soon the rainy season will end and then she would walk under the dazzling sun with her onee-sama, holding a parasol.

The End