Chapter 3.3

After she left Darjeeling's office, she took a cab to her dormitory. She shared a dorm with her other Noble Sisters, it was quite spacious with a bedroom for each and another to spare. The only problems she has with it is its single bathroom which requires them three to have a tight schedule, to work like a well-oiled machine, or else they'll be all late. And the other one being the fact that being bunked in with Darjeeling forces her and Pekoe to literary dash to the kitchen before any mealtime lest Darjeeling knocks up another nasty concoction that will send them throwing their guts up.

Assam opened the door with her own key and went immediately to her room, paying no heed to other things. A quick visit to her wardrobe and gone were the red coat and black shirt of her Senshadou uniform and were replaced by a blue blouse and a long red skirt. She finished the look by wearing sunglasses and a purple purse and before she forgot, she left the box Earl Grey had given to her on her pristine desk, then locked her room.

Prior to leaving the house, she retrieved her black motorcycle helmet and the keys for her scooter, which she had hidden in a small shed in the backyard of their home. It was an Anzio-made Vespa motor scooter, which had served her dearly, especially during the gridlock of the early morning rush.

Putting on her helmet, she rode off back to Nightingale's, which was located all the way on the other side of town. Their dorm was located in the affluent Mayfair district in the West End, while the school proper was in between the city.

Weaving in between cars and circling a roundabout containing a replica of the Victoria Memorial, the original being outside Buckingham Palace, she stopped and parked her scooter on Regent Street. The street was a shopping lane for all the resident of the carrier and she decided to procure some items before she visits the quartet.

Entering a florist, she bought four bouquets, imported from Oarai doubtless arranged by the Ikebana master herself. Along the way, she went to a sweetshop, which is completely different from a sweatshop, and brought a small packet of Konpeitō, colourful sugar sweets that are a favourite of Rosehip.

She remembered the time the pink-haired girl chugged a sachet of these rainbow confections, which induced a 24-hour sugar rush that resulted in half a dozen tanks taken out and a permanent ban on consumptions of these candies before Senshadou matches.

A wide grin was on her face as she made the rest of the journey. After parking her scooter yet again and walked off to register at the hospital's reception. Signing herself in, it was now five minutes after 1, she began the final leg of her journey.

Room 250287; her final destination. Holding bundles of flowers and a paper bag, she knocked and pushed the door open. A small round object suddenly sailed over her head as she saw a girl dressed in Gloriana's Senshadou uniform digging into the fruit basket by her bedside.

"How dare you!" The brown-haired girl shouted, posed to throw an apple before she realized who was in front of her.  "Oh, wait, Assam-sama, sorry I mistook you for someone else."

"And who would that poor soul be?" This was Rosehip's driver if memory serves her right but she forgot her name. Rosalia, Rosella... Roselle, ah yes, her name was Roselle, who according to Rosehip was quote-unquote "Her sister from another mother."

"The nurses at this hospital! They took my boots away!" Roselle gestured to her bare feet, now missing their signature boots which had clashed violently with her clothes.

"Don't worry, they'll probably return it later, say how come you're wide awake?" Assam asked, as she made her way around the round, placing the flowers into vases and placed the sweets at Rosehip's nightstand.

"Oh, that concussion earlier, I've received worse, nice shot though." Roselle peeled a banana and began attacking it. The poor wretch hadn't had lunch yet, she remembered.

"Uhm thanks, well in that case, can you tell Rosehip that I visited?" she said, accepting the compliment despite having a heavy heart.

"Okie-Dokie!" The girl was now chowing down on a bundle of grapes, which was rapidly decreasing in number as they got devoured relentlessly.

Now on Rosehip's side, she watched as her precious kouhai slept. The distress on the girl's face earlier now disappeared and she looked quite peaceful as she lay tucked in on her bed, almost like an angel, as opposed to her demon-like mannerism when the girl was awake.


If only Rosehip will remain in this state forever and besides,  she really looked cute...


Wait a second! That's not quite right.

She was just concerned, nothing special about it. Assam immediately purged the memory from her head and reached out to touch Rosehip's creeks before leaving.

On leaving the room, she noticed her phone buzzing and she took it out to reveal that Darjeeling had been trying to reach her several times in the last few minutes.

Darjeeling's weary but strangely cheerful voice greeted her as she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Assam, it's Darjeeling. Thank God, I managed to dispose of Earl Grey! There will be an assembly later at 3 in the afternoon, sharp, be there. We'll be discussing this Shamrock affair. Additionally, the mechanics will be reporting something important.

Guess there goes her Saturday plans...