Chapter 4: The Cock Crows Three Times, an Omen of Battle

Chapter 4

The Cock Crows Three Times,

an Omen of Battle

Late afternoon, St. Lulim Girls’ School. Most of the students were in the bright courtyard, playing and enjoying the glorious spring sunshine, when a poster was put up on the Astraea bulletin board in the center of the yard.

“Oh, a new poster. I wonder what that could be?”

“What? Did something change?”

In this carefree moment of relaxation after lunch, girls in light pink uniforms who had been walking with their friends in groups of twos or threes went to the board, seeking something unusual to talk about.

“Oh my!”

“Ooh, now that I think about it…”

“It’s that season again.”

***

NOTICE

THE COMPETITION FOR CHOOSING

THE NEXT ÉTOILE

WILL COMMENCE NEXT WEEK!

Étoile • Aînée

Étoile • Cadette

1 Person Each

The method of competition will be Trois Lumières.

The final selection and coronation

are planned for July.

From this point on, events related to the Étoile Competition will have priority over all other events and activities in all schools, so that the listed students may contend in this contest, in which lies the pride of all students in all three schools on Astraea.

– FIRST ROUND –

L’Ouverture Brillante

Month of the Virgin Mary

Held in the two days before the advent of St. Ranael

TWO DAYS PRIOR:

Cadette Competition: Undecided^*

Location: Chapel Hall or Maiden Park

^*We are currently in the process of choosing the

event. It will be posted the day of the competition.

DAY PRIOR:

Aînée Competition: The Fortress of Promises

Location: St. Spica Girls’ Institute,

Riding Grounds

—Étoile Competition

Executive Committee

The notice was followed by a list of the seventeen couples who wished to participate in the competition. Included in the names were St. Spica Girls’ Institute’s Otori Amane of Fifth Year Class Trois and Kenjo Kaname of Fourth Year Class Deux. At the end of the list, the last to apply, were St. Miator Girls’ Academy’s Hanazono Shizuma, Sixth Year, Snow Class, and Aoi Nagisa, Fourth Year, Moon Class.

***

“What? The notice for the Étoile competition! Oh, this is that ‘Star of the Campus’ contest Remon-chan was just telling me about, right?” said a short girl reading the bulletin board, her conspicuously short, pleated pink skirt fluttering. Her short hair, pulled up in two ponytails, swayed, and a sailor collar lay on her small back. “Let’s see. St. Lulim Girls’ School has…one, two, three… Huh? Only three couples!”

The girl next to her, with her hair in buns, gave a wry smile as she automatically pushed up her glasses, which had slipped down.

“‘Star of the Campus’ contest, huh? Well, you could call it that too, I guess.” She scanned the bulletin board with a very curious look on her face. “Étoile means ‘star’ in French, and the Étoile competition is the event that decides who is the most wonderful couple in Lulim, Miator and Spica, so calling it the ‘Star of the Campus’ contest would be right, but…the Étoile, who wins the competition that runs for three months—it starts in April when the new school year begins—is a HUGELY prestigious position! The Étoile always appears as the main guest at all of Astraea’s events, like the Culture Festival and the Sports Festival and Christmas. And the school that the year’s Étoile attends gets excited no matter what the event.”

“Hmm… It’s really that significant?” asked Hyuga Kizuna from Second Year Class B with admiration in her voice. She had just recently entered the school, so didn’t know much about it yet.

The serious girl with glasses and her hair in buns was Natsume Remon, also from St. Lulim Girls’ School Second Year Class B. She was a very common-sense type of person, but a little timid. She turned her eyes from the bulletin board, struck a triumphant pose and answered knowingly.

“That’s right! There are going to be three competitions to officially decide the Étoile. Each time, the couples in the lowest positions are taken out, until one couple is chosen during the last competition in July. In the meantime, there’s a fierce battle between schools, and the feeling of competition is just incredible! Even girls who say they’re not interested get caught up in all the excitement. Of course, everyone hopes her school wins. Oh, but there’s a rumor…since Prince Amane from St. Spica Girls’ Institute is entering this year, the winner has pretty much already been decided. It looks like Lulim has already given up; there aren’t many entries.” She leaned in close to check the bulletin board. “They’re saying it’s not going to be very exciting this year, but… Whoa! There really aren’t very many.

“Yeah, it sure does look like Lulim’s giving up,” said Kizuna. “It’s too bad. But you know, what you just told me is incredible! Spica has a Prince?! Wow, I really want to see! Is he blond? I wonder what country he comes from. I’ve never seen a real prince before, so I just have to…”

Just as she was about to finish her sentence…

Slap.

Someone hit her lightly on the head from behind.

“Silly, I can’t believe you said that. ‘Prince’ is just her nickname, of course. No, I guess it’s closer to a term of respect than a nickname. Just like we call our adorable second-year student Kizuna the ‘Peach-Colored Sleeping Beauty.’”

“Ah, Chikaru-oneesama!” Kizuna turned to Student Council President Minamoto Chikaru, standing behind her.

Chikaru smiled at the two of them with her strikingly kind eyes. The scent of flowers drifted from her flowing black hair with its trademark braids. The Student Council President’s sudden entrance made Remon so nervous she unconsciously blushed and rubbed her inner thigh. Kizuna, however, was completely unconcerned and left herself wide open.

“Ah! Oh yeah! I guess you’re right. I mean, why would there be a real prince here? Oh, so then Spica has a prince, even though it’s a girl! Incredible! I think I really want to see her!”

Remon timidly responded to Kizuna’s words in a modest voice. “Yeah, she’s handsome and gallant and valiant, just like a real prince! But she’s really popular, so it’s not like underclassmen from a different school, like us, have a chance to get close to her. She’s even beyond the reach of the Spica girls.”

Chikaru laughed, like she was making fun of Remon’s dreamy tone. “My, you like Amane-chan too, Remon? This is certainly unexpected.”

“Oh, n-no! N-n-n-not at all!! It’s just, umm, I saw her up close, at the opening ceremony, and I thought, ‘Wow, she has a strong aura about her.’”

Remon’s face turned bright red, her eyes immediately clouding up.

How adorable! She looks just like a little red tomato.

With that thought, Chikaru really started to enjoy herself. “Well, if you like Amane-chan that much, Remon-chan, then please cheer for her too, okay? Everyone is saying that Spica is certain to win this year’s Étoile competition, but it looks like the winds might have changed last week. Actually, I also think Amane-chan should be the Étoile once, for her own sake, so—”

“What? The winds have changed? Did something happen? Did a strong rival candidate come from somewhere? Does this mean you will be entering, Chikaru-oneesama?!” Remon yelled. Then she was stunned speechless, her mouth hanging open.

Kizuna was completely flabbergasted. She froze with her head tilted to one side and a stunned look on her face. Her two ponytails tilted as well, one up and one down.

Chikaru gave a bitter smile.

Dear me, to think Shion-chan said that same thing to me, and now Remon-chan too—I’m so naughty. I need to be a little more careful.

She embraced Kizuna lovingly from behind. “Heh heh heh, I would be happy if that were true, but I’m sorry. Instead of wearing the lovely robes of the Étoile myself, I would love to place those robes on the girl I like,” she said with a wink.

“I see,” Remon said. “Hey, why don’t all of us go to the club building together? I’m sure Kizuna-chan hasn’t chosen which club she wants to join, right? Many of the girls that go to Lulim have hobbies, so there are a lot of clubs. There are plenty I could recommend.” She nodded her head proudly.

Chikaru looked at Remon with a bright smile; she also seemed to be suppressing a laugh. “Good idea. The art department Remon-chan is involved in is pretty large, and they have a lot of activities too, so if you have a recommendation, then please share it. But since you’re at Lulim—what about joining the club I formed, the Costume Club?”

Remon had been smiling up until then, but when Chikaru impishly made a little peace sign in front of her lips, her brow wrinkled.

“Bring Kizuna-chan into the Costume Club? W-was that what you planned from the beginning, Chikaru-oneesama?”

“Huh? What do you do in Costume Club?” Kizuna asked innocently.

“It’s a club where we have fun transforming together. You can become a cat, an angel—actually, you might look cute as a little bear cub or something. Anyway, it’s really, really fun!”

“Wow—that’s like magic!”

“Yes, that’s right! I will put my spell on you. It’s even more fun than the Étoile competition! Hey, come on, let’s do something fun together!”

When Chikaru reached out her hand, Kizuna happily took it and innocently followed her. Chikaru smiled at her kindly, like the Virgin Mary. Remon saw the expression on Chikaru’s face and felt a twinge of worry.

However, she didn’t have the courage to be left behind.

“Wait for me!”

In a mad rush, she noisily chased after them.

***

“Unforgivable! Unforgivable! Unforgivable! I absolutely hate, hate, hate, hate this!”

A din spread through the hallway at lunchtime. Amane marched quickly down the passage, a demonic look on her face.

“Oh, it’s Amane-sama!”

“So you are going to enter this year’s Étoile competition after all, right?”

“Now we will win for sure!”

“I am so thankful to God for sending Prince Amane to us.”

Not a single one of those whispered voices reached Amane’s ears. She stormed down the hall with a suppressed anger that made the girls’ hair stand on end. She headed for…

Baaaam!

With a loud noise, she opened the giant double doors.

“Hey, Shion! Would you explain exactly what is going on here?” Amane rose to her full height and held out a crumpled piece of paper—the Étoile competition notice, which looked like it had been torn from the bulletin board.

The object of her glare was Tomori Shion, who tapped the documents in her hand on the desk to align them neatly and softly cleared her throat. Her long chestnut hair fluttered.

The usually calm Amane had stormed in, yelling. Shock and fear spread through the Secretary, Treasurer and the other Student Council staff in the immediate area. They were in the St. Spica Girls’ Institute Student Council office.

Shion controlled the commotion in the room with a gesture of her hand. “Oh my, I see you made your arrival early today, Prince Amane—or should I call you the future Étoile?” she asked with a chuckle. Despite her calm tone, she looked a little worried.

“The future Étoile…” Cht… Amane made a sound in the back of her throat and gritted her teeth. Then she clenched her fists as if holding something back and continued in an even lower voice.

“Yes, I did consent to entering the Étoile competition. Momomi came and asked; she knew I didn’t want to, but she begged me to do it. She asked me to do a favor for the White Star of Spica. Momomi pleaded with me, and she was serious, which isn’t usual for her.”

Amane lifted her head to the sky and closed her eyes. That unguarded expression made her seem even more determined; sighs of admiration went up from the Student Council staff who were watching her.

“People told me to accept the fact that I should enter. I thought it might be unavoidable this year. Even I like Spica that much. When people told me I had to enter so Spica could win, I didn’t really think it was true, but—when even the usually goofy Momomi asked me so seriously, I thought, ‘Well, okay, I don’t have much of a choice. I’ll endure it for one year.’”

“Yes, I heard the same thing from Momomi. We humbly accepted Prince Amane’s cooperation, and we were just now formulating a plan to make the greatest possible use of it,” Shion replied coldly, in response to Amane’s intensity. She hoped Amane would lose that dense aura of hers that looked like white particles of light she just couldn’t turn away from.

Amane almost shouted in response, “Then WHY! Why, of all people, does my partner have to be that…that—”

Amane’s hands shook. She couldn’t continue speaking.

Kchak.

A small sound came from the Student Council reference room, in the back of the office.

The door opened. A student appeared, spouting exaggerated lines with exaggerated gestures, as if she were an actor playing Hamlet on stage. “Are you really unhappy, entering with me? What…what sadness. What misfortune! I see that my feelings still do not reach you, Amane-sama.”

The student was a little smaller than Amane, but still tall, with short hair. The darkish shade of her skin, her long limbs and slim body, and her thin lips, high-bridged nose and well-defined features made her look even more androgynous than Amane. Moreover, she had an aura of fearlessness that made her appear masculine.

“Kaname! What are you doing here?” Amane shouted.

“You should know that without my telling you, of course—because your feelings, my beloved, are always clear to me,” said Hamlet, glaring at Amane. “At least, I wish that were true, but…” She glanced at Shion. “The Student Council President called me here. She said to come during lunch break.”

Shion put her head in her hands. “I asked you not to come in, no matter what, did I not? I said for you to initiate our secret plan for the Étoile competition instead of Amane, because she hates petty tricks—”

“But while I was waiting, I heard my Amane-sama’s voice, and she sounded really fired up. I thought, ‘Ooh, my precious Prince Amane is having a crisis, I can’t just stand here silently,’” the exaggerated dark Hamlet—Kenjo Kaname from St. Spica Girls’ Institute’s Fourth Year Class Deux—said, with theatrical gestures.

“That’s why…” Amane took a deep breath and yelled again. “That’s why I said I didn’t want to enter this thing!! Of all people, why is my partner Kaname?! I refuse! I absolutely refuse!! I withdraw!! If Kaname is going to be my partner, I am absolutely not going to enter the Étoile competition!!”

“Ahh, what a rejection. The only one who can thrust me, one of the Five Stars of Spica, into the depths of despair like this is you, my Prince,” Kaname remarked to Amane, who was breathing heavily.

Contrary to her words, Kaname looked completely impassive as she slowly drew closer to Amane.

When Amane tried to shoo her away with her hands, Kaname drew a single red rose seemingly out of nowhere and offered it to Amane.

“Please give up; this is our fate. It’s all right. It only hurts in the beginning… Please leave everything to me. If it’s for your sake, then I, Kaname, will use every technique I possess to give you the greatest happiness. I make this promise to you: I will give you such pleasure, you will feel as if you were in heaven itself.”

Amane let out a single word. “Idiot!”

The Student Council room went dead silent.

Shion finally opened her mouth. “Ahem. Umm… Uh, well, I can more or less understand why Prince Amane doesn’t want to do it.”

“If you understand, then WHY?!” Amane asked, flabbergasted.

“Princes never get to choose their partners.”

“I thought as long as I entered, my duty would be fulfilled. And the one who came to talk to me was Momomi, so I thought she was going to be my partner.”

“Yes, of course we considered that. Kiyashiki Momomi is one of the Five Stars of Spica, so she is fully qualified. However, considering that our primary responsibility is to capture the Étoile title this year without fail, for the sake of our school, we in the Student Council thought this would be the best choice.”

“How is it the best, even for your purposes?! I thought my cadette would be feminine and cute, like Momomi. But with Kaname as my partner, it’s like having two boys as a couple!”

“Yes, exactly.” Shion nodded deeply.

“Two boys—” Amane repeated weakly. She was bewildered.

“Having a masculine couple is pretty popular these days, Prince. Were you not aware of this?”

Amane was speechless. Shion smiled broadly at her and continued.

“Prince Amane participating in the Étoile competition was joyous news for all the students at Spica. However, I couldn’t possibly imagine that Prince Amane, who hates these kinds of events and has always refused to take part in the Étoile competition, would suddenly be so ready and willing to compete, simply because.”

With a look at Amane, who had hung her head in disgust, Shion stood and reached her hand out to Kaname.

“The Étoile competition is a serious and surprisingly tough fight, with the honor of all three schools at stake. Even with Prince Amane’s merits, there is still a small possibility that something could happen to hurt our chances, even if your partner were to be Princess Momomi, who is one of the greatest of the Five Stars. So, as insurance against that…”

Shion pressed on Kaname’s shoulder. “We decided to place Kenjo Kaname as your partner. Her unshakable, optimistic self-confidence, her fighting spirit and her strength in competition will be a plus in this battle. She will make the fight a lot easier for you, Prince. She herself is a core fan. And we do not want to see Prince Amane, who is adored by the entire school, fall to a girl. That is the wish of the entire school. We cannot allow it to come to nothing.”

Amane became even more bewildered. They don’t want me to fall to a girl? But…I’m a girl too, aren’t I?

Kaname sneered. “Aah, my Prince Amane. This is fate! Come, please take my hand!” She held out her hand. It was wild and angular for a girl’s, yet still beautiful.

Amane felt a lump in the back of her throat. I guess I don’t have a choice. I have to endure it. To me, becoming the Étoile is nothing but a pain. But just this year, for Spica…

And here she had planned to go to Miator’s library to do some preliminary research—which was totally out of character for her—to prepare herself…

“Come now, why do you hesitate? Let us engrave our names in history as the Star of Astraea, a binary star, the greatest Étoile of all time!”

Kaname took Amane’s hand. I…I will become the Étoile, as the Star of Spica. With Kaname…?

Something inside Amane exploded. “No! Not in a thousand years!” She slapped Kaname’s hand away, and a sharp sound rang out, as if Amane were parrying in a fencing match.

“Amane-sama.” Kaname was dumbfounded by Amane, who hardly ever showed any emotion and absolutely never did anything violent.

“Do you hate the thought of entering with me that much? If you’re sad when you appear with me in the Étoile competition, no one will take us seriously as a couple. Yet if you still refuse…” Kaname said without thinking.

Maybe looking at Kaname, who trembled during her lament, calmed Amane down a little bit; her voice was clear and quiet when she said, “No, that’s not it. It’s not that I hate you, Kaname.”

She gave a slightly bitter smile. “Even I didn’t know the reason clearly until now.”

It feels like a dense fog, covering the ocean, has lifted…

Amane faced Shion.

I wonder what happened… Kaname thought. The look on Amane’s face at that moment… Even Kaname, the former captain of the now-defunct bodyguard troop and self-acknowledged long-time Amane-watcher, had never seen that expression before.

Amane continued, her voice soft, “As long as I enter the Étoile competition seriously, and we win, then that’s good enough, right, Shion?”

“Y-yes…” Shion was also overwhelmed.

“I will choose my partner. I have a partner in mind whom I have complete confidence in, and who I think can win.”

“Of course I don’t mind,” Shion said. “But you did not have a special partner yet, Prince Amane, so we just looked at the qualifications of the girls in the school and picked a suitable partner—and of course it had to be one of the Five Stars…”

“A special partner—I have one.”

“…And of those, Momomi is too feminine, so if you say you don’t want Kaname, either—wait, what did you just say?”

“I said, I have a special partner. Well, actually, it’s not that we’ve made any promises to each other yet or anything. I’m the one who wants the relationship, but still…”

“Whaaaaaat?!” Shion shouted in surprise, and the entire room joined her.

“Amane-sama has a partner, and not only that, it’s a one-sided relationship?!” Kaname looked like she was about to faint.

“W-we didn’t know that. Of course, if you have a partner like that, we will investigate immediately. Now then, what is your partner’s name?” Shion asked sharply as she signaled with her hand for one of the Student Council staff to hand her the student directory. She couldn’t control her curiosity—or the adrenaline rush that came with the sudden change in the situation.

“Hikari,” Amane said bluntly, and then blushed. Even she knew her face was red, so she spun around to hide her embarrassment. “Konohana Hikari. I’m pretty sure she said she was in Third Year Class Un.” With that, Amane rushed out of the Student Council room.

***

Hikari pointed to the bulletin board with a trembling finger. “Yaya-chan… Umm, I think this is it…” Even here in the Third Year hallway, the notice of the Étoile competition caused a stir. The gossip flew: “Which couples are major contenders?” and “Which couples are Amane and Kaname’s biggest enemies?”

“I guess there’s nothing we can do. Since Amane-oneesama is in her fifth year, everyone wants her to win the title of Étoile,” Yaya said. “No matter how much she doesn’t like to stand out, I had a feeling she was going to be in the Étoile competition this year. It’s just that, no matter how you look at it, Amane-sama doesn’t have a special partner. Everyone was talking about who might have been her partner… There were a lot of girls dreaming about it. I always thought Momomi-oneesama would be her partner, though. For it to be Kaname-sama—the Student Council made a bold move.” She had an unusually impressed, meek look on her face.

Seeing Yaya’s behavior renewed Hikari’s impression that Amane was the school’s number one star, and it made her a little sad. Looking at the bulletin board made her feel small and pitiful, like a tiny grain of sand washed up on the beach. She hunched her shoulders timidly.

Next to her, Yaya also looked at the bulletin board. Without noticing the tears that had welled up in Hikari’s eyes, she gave a satisfied smile and gently hugged Hikari’s shoulders.

“Hey, Hikari-chan, did you know? The cadette is the younger sister, and the aînée is the elder sister. Of course Amane-oneesama is the aînée, so… Hey, on the day of the aînée competition, let’s go and cheer for her! If Amane-oneesama’s favorite person, Hikari-chan, comes, I’m sure she’ll get fired up and win!”

I don’t want to just cheer for her, I want to stand next to Amane as her cadette, if I could.

The thought was vain, but she couldn’t help imagining it. And, of course, she couldn’t actually say it out loud. It took everything she had for Hikari to reply in a frail voice, “Yeah…”

Yaya finally suspected something was wrong and was trying to take a peek at Hikari’s face, when…

“Hikari-oneesama!”

She heard running footsteps and someone yelling in a loud voice from far away. “I recognize that voice… ahh, she’s running so fast!”

In the direction Yaya looked, squinting, a small girl was running toward them. She was going much faster than was proper according to Spica’s strict rules. Her hair flew every which way and she was out of breath.

“Jeez, Tsubomi, don’t run!” Yaya scolded. “Even if you are on the Student Council staff, if you run like that, you’ll get yelled at by one of the nuns, you know? I thought you’d had enough of doing early morning duties.”

***

As the girl got closer, Hikari remembered. Tsubomi-chan!

Hikari knew Tsubomi from the early-morning lectures she’d had to take in the first two weeks she was at the school. Tsubomi had been a small first-year student, and even though she had just recently entered the school, she was on the Student Council staff, which had surprised Hikari. It seemed that when Tsubomi had heard that an oneesama she had been friends with since kindergarten was going to be Student Council President this year, she’d decided, even before entering the school, that she was going to join the Student Council.

The day Hikari had first met Tsubomi, the younger girl had been helping the nun prepare for the lecture. She happened to meet Hikari’s eyes and walked up to her with a smile.

“Excuse me! Umm… I haven’t seen you at Spica before. Are you a transfer student?”

Hikari was surprised that a girl who seemed younger than her would suddenly come up and talk to her, but attracted by the girl’s cheerful, adorable smile, Hikari answered with a smile of her own.

“Yes, I’m Konohana Hikari. I just entered Third Year Class Un. Nice to meet you!”

When Hikari said that, the girl seemed so happy she could jump for joy. “Ah! I knew it! You’re the transfer student who moved into the Strawberry Dorms, right? Wow, I heard rumors about you in the Spica dorm. Yaya-oneesama said she was going to be sharing a room with a transfer student this semester… Wow, I’m so happy! I got to meet the oneesama everyone’s talking about on the very first day!”

Completely ignoring how dumbfounded Hikari was, the girl jumped and clapped her hands. When she suddenly noticed the wide-eyed look on Hikari’s face, she grabbed both of Hikari’s hands tightly and started jumping again.

“I never imagined you would be so pretty! I’m Okuwaka Tsubomi, from First Year Class Deux! I hope we can be friends!”

She’s a really friendly girl, isn’t she? thought Hikari.

***

“Oh, thank goodness, you’re here!” Tsubomi panted, interrupting Yaya’s scolding. The first thing Yaya asked was why she was in such a panic.

“Huff huff… Um, we’ve got a big problem! Hikari-oneesama!!” Tsubomi said, her long, glistening pink hair bouncing behind her as she recovered from her run. Under the thick headband she always wore to hold back her excessive hair, her large, slightly droopy eyes drooped even further. With an unspeakably pitiful, tearful expression, she looked at Hikari.

“Hikari-oneesama, a-aaaaare you…really…” She swallowed. “Are you really…going to enter the Étoile competition with Amane-sama?”

The moment she finished, Tsubomi dropped to her knees.

And commotion erupted in the crowd around them.

***

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

But even when she was called out and blamed, Shizuma didn’t say a single word in reply.

They were just outside the courtyard, in a lonely place that almost no one ever passed through, probably because it was behind the faculty room. It was nicknamed the Garden Grave.

Shizuma turned her back on the two girls who had confronted her. There was a small stone monument which was almost buried in a thicket of wild roses that scattered a sweet, refreshing scent. The monument itself was a square stone slab, half buried in the ground, with a stone cross on top. It only reached knee height. Shizuma gently touched it with her hand and thought about what she should say.

“I don’t have any…particular purpose.” The words that fell from her mouth were even more emotionless than she’d thought they would be.

The words only enraged the girls even more. One, Togi Hitomi, stared straight at Shizuma’s back. She took a step forward and raged, flames of anger shining in her eyes. Her short haircut, which was unusual for Miator students, exposed the nape of her neck, which was slightly red from anger. Her body was supple, like a slender, quick antelope, and it was obvious she was furious.

“It’s not like you to enter the Étoile competition with a…a transfer student who just entered Miator, Shizuma-sama! You were bestowed with the Étoile title so spectacularly with Mizuho last year, and you were both so happy your names would go down in Miator history, and yet… Were your words of thanks for supporting you all just a lie?! Even we, your admirers who served you, thought it was a perfect year, and after it was over we felt like a weight had been lifted from our shoulders. This is a stain on your reign, Shizuma-sama!”

“A stain? Now, Hitomi-chan, that’s going too far.” A little worried she might be seeing the flame of hatred, Kano Mizuho, who had been standing off to the side, shielded her eyes and chided the other girl in a small voice. “I’m sure Shizuma-sama has some sort of plan.”

Mizuho’s kind voice calmed everyone a little bit. She gave a gentle, tranquil smile as her soft, slightly quirky hair billowed in the spring breeze. However, when Mizuho used her hand to try to keep her hair down, it looked to Hitomi like she was fidgeting to sooth herself, which made Hitomi even angrier.

“Come on, Mizuho, are you really okay with this?! Shizuma-sama is so worthy, of course she’d become the Étoile as soon as she even tried, but as her cadette you worked so, so hard to get the title, didn’t you?! You said, ‘It’s incredible that I’m Shizuma-oneesama’s partner!’ and did things like study Astraea history all night and practice dancing whenever you had a break, all so you wouldn’t embarrass Shizuma-sama. I know exactly how much effort you put into it. Are you willing to let some silly transfer student ruin that?”

With every word she spoke, more anger welled up inside Hitomi. “No one actually said it, but everyone worked hard together and fought the best they could, didn’t they? No matter how sad it was, they did it for poor Kaori—”

“Hitomi! Don’t mention that!” Mizuho screamed when she heard that name.

Twitch. Hitomi froze for a moment—but quickly regained herself and said bitterly, “No one will say it, so I said it. Because this is too much, Shizuma-sama! It’s just too much!”

Her voice grew progressively weaker, and it sounded like she was about to cry. She thought, Why is Shizuma so quiet?

I knew it. So this is why Hitomi called me here. Shizuma’s eyes fell on the stone monument again. The ancient stone relic, called the Garden Grave because the students saw it as being like Christ’s sacred grave, was buried in a profusion of roses. With one hand touching it, Shizuma let her mind drift back—not even trying to offer any resistance to Hitomi’s outburst.

I’m sure she’s resting peacefully right now, buried under the lavender flowers she loved so much. Remembering made Shizuma’s chest ache, but kindness filled her heart—much more than she had even imagined she had in her. Up until now, Shizuma had tried not to think about it.

It might be time for me to face it—yes, it is. This might be a good opportunity.

Shizuma looked over her shoulder and gave a sweet smile.

The two girls always thought of Shizuma in whatever they did. They were Togi Hitomi and Kano Mizuho, both in their sixth year, like Shizuma. Hitomi could be a little difficult at times, but Mizuho was always kind. The two were childhood friends, and they made a good team. Ever since elementary school, they had tried to get involved with Shizuma in one thing or another. Before they’d realized it, the two of them were like Shizuma’s closest relatives.

Shizuma herself thought that having such good childhood friends had probably had an influence on her personality. There were times when other people treated them like just another pair of Shizuma’s admirers. Yet Shizuma was fully aware that if she had a comfortable school life despite having a lot of fans, that was largely due to these two.

But they even called her Shizuma-sama, even though they were in the same year.

They really are serious, aren’t they? So soft-hearted, my precious, adorable ones.

Shizuma always looked out for number one and was always fickle, but…

I really do love these two. Just like I loved HER. Now that I think about it, it was these two who brought her to meet me the first time, wasn’t it? They said, “We know this adorable girl who really admires you, and on top of that, it looks like she would suit you.”

Sakuragi Kaori.

I’ve changed since I met Nagisa, haven’t I… Heh heh heh.

Despite herself, a laugh escaped her lips.

“What are you laughing about, Shizuma-sama?!” Hitomi yelled furiously.

“Now, now, Hitomi. Please don’t get so mad,” Shizuma said, smiling as if the entire previous discussion hadn’t even happened. Hitomi was dumbfounded.

This was the first time she had ever argued with Shizuma like this. Shizuma was strong-willed, so when Hitomi had decided to speak her mind, she had been fully prepared for however much Shizuma might yell at her or hate her—or push her away or tease her. She knew full well she might never be able to talk to Shizuma again after this.

Shizuma continued, “It’s not that I don’t understand how you feel, Hitomi—my year as Étoile ended, and…that was such a tough time. There were so many events, and I couldn’t even ask any cute girls out to have some fun. If I hadn’t had the support of you and Mizuho, I really might not have been able to handle it. Thank you; I’m truly grateful. Especially to you, Hitomi.”

She reached out and gently stroked Hitomi’s hair.

Augh! It was so gentle it tickled and Hitomi cringed.

Now that I think about it, we’ve been friends for a long time, but I think this is the first time I’ve touched her like that, Shizuma thought.

Hitomi was astonished by the gesture.

“Mizuho was able to be center-stage as my cadette, but you were content to work behind the scenes—and I think it may have been much more difficult for you than for her.”

When Shizuma drew close, she seemed to give off a fragrance more intense than the wild roses that bloomed around their feet.

“But, you know, now that I’ve finished my time as Étoile, and I’m free…I’ve been thinking about my last year here at Miator. I’ve already fulfilled my duty, so I can do what I want; I can enjoy every day however I please, with all of the adorable girls here at Miator.”

Shizuma laughed and looked at the sky. Even in this deserted, lonely place, the blue sky stretched above them, and white clouds floated lightly overhead.

“Even I didn’t expect this. I never expected to feel like this. Heh heh heh… It’s strange, isn’t it? Even I don’t understand how it turned out this way. I’ve only just met her, so I don’t really know what kind of girl she is, either. I don’t know about her home, her family—nothing. She just suddenly showed up in front of me, on the road to Astraea Hall, and I took an interest in her. Ever since then, I’ve felt myself constantly thinking about her. So you see, that day, when I saw her and Tamao playing around, for some reason I just couldn’t stand it. I ended up having as much patience as a little child.”

Hitomi became even more bewildered.

“Please understand, okay? I just want to try, that’s all. It’s not that I want to deny the Étoile title I won with you. And it’s certainly not that I’ve…forgotten Kaori, either. But…”

Shizuma smiled, an unusually diffident look on her face, and she spoke in an unsure voice.

“It feels like if I take my eyes off her, she’s going to fly away somewhere. Then I got the idea that if I become the Étoile with her, I’ll be able to be with her forever.”

Why would she think that? It’s not like there’s any girl who would leave Shizuma-sama, Hitomi thought, although she couldn’t actually say it.

Shizuma turned her back on the girls, as if she were embarrassed. “This isn’t for Miator or anything like that, I’m just being selfish—so I don’t expect the two of you to help me. I want you to…let me be, just for a little bit. If you ever actually met her, I’m positive you would understand, too,” she said, and she left them there.

“I think that was the first time I’ve ever seen you with such a soft look on your face, Shizuma-sama,” Mizuho muttered in a troubled voice.

***

Diiing dooong…

Around the same time, in the classroom for St. Miator Girls’ Academy’s Fourth Year Moon Class, after-school cleaning was about to begin.

“Sigh…”

“Sigh…”

The sound of the young ladies’ sighs echoed through the classroom, although there were only two there: Nagisa, holding a mop with a weary look on her face, and Tamao, next to her, pushing a bucket full of water.

“Sigh… This classroom sure seems big with just the two of us in it.”

“I’m sorry, Tamao-chan. It’s my fault we ended up cleaning by ourselves,” Nagisa said innocently, not even realizing Tamao had the easier job.

Tamao grinned. “Oh, that’s all right, don’t worry about it. I’m really happy just being alone together with you, Nagisa-chan.”

“…Right. Thanks.”

Tamao was a bit surprised Nagisa didn’t respond more to what was just one of her usual little jokes. Oh dear, is she really that shocked?

***

The Étoile competition notice had been posted in the fourth-year students’ hallway at Miator in the middle of fifth-period class.

Tamao heard shouts coming from students who had just finished Classics and gone into the hallway. She didn’t pay any particular attention to it, though; she just kept messing around with Nagisa, who was in the next seat.

Then a first-year student charged into the room. “Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen!”

The girl, Iohata Momiji, made a beeline for Tamao’s seat. Momiji was famous for being the biggest gossip-monger in Moon Class. Both her naturally wavy dark hair and her famous luxurious eyebrows flew up as she yelled.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Tamao slowly turned around—but Momiji wasn’t even looking at her.

Huh?

Her gaze went right through Tamao and…

“What in the world is going on here?! How could Aoi-san possibly be in the Étoile competition? She just transferred here!”

Momiji’s frightening stare wasn’t directed at Tamao, but rather at Nagisa.

“Huh? The Étoile competition?” Tamao said, confused.

“Don’t give me that!”Momiji beat her fists on the desk as if she couldn’t take it any more.

“Not only that! Not only is her partner that transfer student of all people, but this is Shizuma-sama we’re talking about! Exactly what in the world is going on here?”

Ah, I guess the notice for the Étoile competition was posted. So Shizuma-oneesama really did decide to enter the Étoile competition with Nagisa-chan after all. Tamao suddenly realized something. And she did it without saying a thing about it to Nagisa-chan, too… Heh heh heh, that’s just like Oneesama.

“The kissing-Shizuma-oneesama-in-the-hallway incident has even been hushed up. But this is the perfect opportunity. Since we’re here, shouldn’t we have Aoi-san explain about that?”

Momiji’s voice echoed across the classroom; there was the sound of chairs scraping the floor and the crowd pressed in on Nagisa.

***

“Well, when I’m with Nagisa-chan, it’s never boring and I always have fun.”

“Oh, not at all…”

With a bucket in her hand, Tamao tried as hard as she possibly could to comfort Nagisa, who was hanging her head. “Look, it was the same that day Shizuma-oneesama and you got the holy water. And besides, I got to see something interesting—”

“Yeah.”

Oh dear, she is depressed after all. Tamao tried to lighten things up a little. “Besides, if I had never met you, I’m sure I never would’ve seen a storm of jealousy that came from an entire class, or been made to do all the cleaning with just one other person.”

“Oh…I’m sorry… Well, but even that was because you couldn’t stand to see me all flustered trying to do it on my own, so you came and helped me, Tamao-chan.”

It wasn’t so much that I couldn’t stand watching; it was more because I just couldn’t let the chance be alone together with Nagisa-chan slip by.

Tamao stuck her tongue out in her mind, but pushed the bucket with a gentle, angelic smile. “Come on, let’s work hard and get this over with fast. I’m sure those girls from class are regretting what they said right about now! If we clean up quick together, I just know they’ll start to respect you more.”

“Th-thanks, Tamao-chan. You really don’t have to be so considerate of me…”

“Oh, no, it’s all right. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it was God who put us in the same class together.”

If we don’t hurry up, I’m sure a bunch of Shizuma fans will get in the way and try to suck up to Nagisa-chan by pretending to help her.

The fact that Nagisa didn’t see her hidden intentions was Tamao’s joy.

“Yeah, I’m really glad I could be in the same class as you, Tamao-chan. So, the Étoile competition, huh? I still don’t know much about it at all, but…if I really do have to enter it, I wish it could have been with you, Tamao-chan. Then I’m sure I wouldn’t feel so anxious,” Nagisa said in a tearful voice.

Tamao thought, Oh, how adorable she is, and had trouble fighting back the urge to hug her. She looked off to the side to hide her embarrassment. “I really do wonder what Shizuma-oneesama’s intentions are. I can’t believe she forced innocent you into the Étoile competition—an intense battle of pride between all the schools. It’s a festering pile of trickery—and on top of that, she did it without even asking you!”

In contrast with her statement, Tamao was thinking, If Nagisa-chan enters the Étoile competition, more people are going to find out how cute she is and try to go after her!

Twitch twitch twitch.

Nagisa huddled herself up as much as she possibly could. Is the Étoile competition really that incredible? She thought back on how everyone had acted when they’d stopped by earlier—and the blood-curdling looks on their faces.

They all asked, “Why are YOU entering the Étoile competition, and with Shizuma-sama, too!” And they all looked so serious. Uuugh…I’m scared.

“You know, Tamao-chan, I told everyone this, and it was the truth. I didn’t do anything, you know? I never applied, of course. I never even knew there was something called the Étoile competition until just a little while ago. And besides, I was never even asked if I wanted to enter with Shizuma-oneesama.”

Even as she was speaking, Nagisa realized the truth of the words. That’s right—I never DID say anything about entering the Étoile competition.

“That’s right! Hey, Tamao-chan, I wonder if this is some sort of mistake? That’s it! Hey, hey, hey, hey, that’s it! That has to be it! I never did anything, and no matter how incredible a person Shizuma-oneesama is, it’s ridiculous to enter it so suddenly, when I didn’t even know about it!”

Tamao looked at Nagisa with pity, and Nagisa sensed something from Tamao that made her stop talking. Tears welled in her eyes.

Tamao hugged Nagisa’s shoulders to comfort her. “I think it’s a pity, too. It’s like…you’re being made into a sacrifice, you know? But…since this is Shizuma-oneesama we’re talking about, there’s nothing we can do. There aren’t many people in Miator—or in all of Astraea for that matter—who can go against her.

“No, don’t cry—it’s all right. If you’re that unsure of yourself, you won’t get past the first round. To tell you the truth… The first cadette competition is the Examen sur l’Astraea, a quiz on your knowledge about Astraea Hill. It’s a preliminary test to see if the cadette has enough knowledge about all three schools to represent them, and to eliminate the weakest contenders. So it’s okay. Since you’ve just transferred in, there’s no way you can win. Which makes me wonder what in the world Shizuma-oneesama was thinking.”

Nagisa reacted by jumping into Tamao’s arms. “R-really?! Is that true, Tamao-chan?”

Oh my, her mood certainly changes quickly! Tamao thought.

Nagisa gazed at Tamao, tears of relief glistening in her troubled eyes.

She’s just like a cute, loyal pet dog that’s just been forgiven by its master. Tamao was so mesmerized she dropped her guard—and involuntarily said what she really thought.

“Yes, because there are seventeen couples in the first competition. Everyone who entered is popular, and has been enrolled in this school since kindergarten—but I still think at least half of them will be eliminated in the first contest. I think, since you’re a transfer student, it will most likely be a hundred percent impossible for you to make it through, so probably… I don’t think Shizuma-oneesama seriously thinks she can win the Étoile competition. I think she’s just using it as a way to be with you, or doing it for fun. She’s the kind of person who believes life is all about doing flashy things. She probably has feelings for you, and she wants to show everyone. It’s like she wants to say, ‘Look at my adorable little Nagisa-chan!’”

“I see, so she’s not serious.” Nagisa was starting to think of it as just a short ordeal she would have to deal with. After what Tamao said about Shizuma’s expectations, Nagisa was overjoyed.

Aahh, I’m so relieved. Thank goodness! If Miator lost because of me, or I caused problems for Shizuma-oneesama, I don’t know what I would do! If I’m an embarrassment to myself, I can’t help it, but I don’t want to cause other people problems.

Nagisa didn’t quite realize other people were actually causing problems for her. But even as she thought about how relieved she was, she started to feel just a little bit lonely.

I see. So she’s not…serious. I guess that makes sense. There’s no way I could become a representative for the school. I’m so relieved! It did have me worried. Being blamed by everyone—being forced to report every single word Shizuma-oneesama said—if it’s something so incredible everyone reacts the way they have been, just thinking about it makes me scared. My heart races, I break out in a cold sweat.

Just a little bit, in the deepest reaches of my heart, I’m actually kind of excited—now I can see Shizuma-oneesama again. A sixth-year student and a fourth-year student. The Queen of the School getting together with me, the transfer student who seems like she only got into this school because of some sort of mistake—that’s impossible. Or at least it should’ve been. Now that I think about it, it makes me kind of sad. My nose is tingly.

Tamao sensed Nagisa was downcast and tried to look at her face.

Nagisa turned away. I don’t want anyone to see my face like this.

When Tamao realized what Nagisa was thinking, she put her hand on Nagisa’s chin to force her to face her.

Clatter clatter clatter clatter… There was a loud noise, then the door to the classroom opened.

“This is horrible! This is horrible! Nagisa-oneesama! If you don’t hurry up, Shizuma-oneesama’s fans are going to—oh! Tamao-oneesama is here, too!”

The one who had burst in was a small first-year student with bobbed hair, Tsukidate Chiyo.

“What’s wrong? Why are you in such a panic?” Tamao asked calmly and maturely as she whipped her hands away from Nagisa.

“Oh! M-my apologies! I was in a hurry, and I just…”

“It’s not like you to just barge into a room without asking if you can come in, Chiyo-chan. Like I always say, when you’re visiting another classroom, you have to stand outside, give your name and ask if you can come in first.”

It wasn’t like Tamao to lecture. Even she didn’t know whether she was giving one now because of the flustered state Nagisa was in or because she was embarrassed Chiyo had seen her with her hand gently on Nagisa’s face.

“Y-yes, my apologies, but…” Chiyo was bright red, and she was constantly looking over her shoulder.

Is someone coming? Tamao was worried for a moment, but she continued on. “I also told you that if nobody answered, you shouldn’t go inside. If you let manners like that slide just because this is a girls’ school, it’s all downhill from there…”

“R-right!” As Chiyo cowered from Tamao’s unusual scolding, she kept stealing glances toward the door.

“What in the world happened? What are you so jittery for?” Just as the words left Tamao’s mouth—

Tromp tromp. It sounded like a huge crowd of students was making their way down the hall.

“Ah! Ah! What’ll I do?” Chiyo sounded like she was about to cry.

“What happened?” Nagisa and Tamao asked in surprise.

Clatter clatter clatter clatter—pssshak!

The classroom door opened again with a flourish. A crowd of girls wearing “Shizuma-Oneesama Is My Life” headbands surged into the room.

“This is Aoi Nagisa’s classroom, right?”

“What do you think you’re doing, entering the Étoile competition with our Shizuma-oneesama!”

“We are so going to tear into you for this one!!”

“Aaugh, Nagisa-oneesama, run!” The words turned into a little scream in Chiyo’s mouth.