geranium garden (ycsh), 1-4

// yellow, 04.



That afternoon, Shiori went for another walk with a horse around the vast racing track.

Equestrian club in Siegfeld isn’t participating in any tournament soon, but taking horse out for a walk is always a mandatory. ‘Maybe a little winding up should be okay’, Shiori noted to herself. A sudden thought of running came into mind.

The blonde pulled on the rein, then tugged on the horse with her foot to command the black horse for a run.

.

Shiori recounted what Meifan told her about how her older sister, how Yumeoji Fumi left them an irreplaceable gap.

Being a member of Edels is a big responsibility to uphold. Every students of Siegfeld Music Institute dreamed to become one of Edels, to the point that every time an audition to choose the new Edels is up, everyone will be there to participate.

Meifan said that she didn’t know what happened back then, but the peer pressure should be the one that made Fumi does that mistake on stage. Shiori felt that she doesn’t want to recall the memory – it was embarrassing for a stage girl to ruin her own stage.

Since other Edels members unable to cover or help her, she ended up taking all the blame alone. The pressure continues, and so she fled to Rinmeikan, abandoning the stages.

Shiori remembered when a grief-stricken Meifan said: ‘I don’t believe that a tenacious person like Fumi-san will leave just like that, but it must be partly our fault for unable to help her’.

The younger sister never hate her older sister for leaving. True that she might have an inferiority because how Fumi is, but it was never a strong disdain named ‘hate’.

Ever since both of them cut their own ties, vowing to not meeting each other anymore, what Shiori can do is to worry. Fumi is living alone there in Rinmeikan, far away from home. Living there has been her own decision and their parents agreed on it.

Sometimes, Shiori couldn’t help to wonder when she’s able to face her sister again, swallowing her own ire and how they could have better sisterly relationship or start everything over.

.

“Ah.”

Shiori took a glance to the far side of horse track to find a familiar pink-haired girl is present. She was walking to the direction of the horse track field, trying to wave her hand to Shiori’s way.

The blonde then put the horse to a stop not far from where Yachiyo stood.

Did the pinkette need something? It’s still a while before her usual high school’s student council visit, also Shiori is still in the middle of her club activity.

“What can I help you with, Yachiyo-senpai?”

“I came to pay a visit since it is said that you’re in equestrian club,” Shiori was about to ask why, when Yachiyo picked up, “Michiru-senpai is the one who told me to check up on you since Meifan can’t.”

Shiori was a bit puzzled, though she nodded on the explanation nonetheless.

The senior high school and junior high school are located in separate area. The field belonged to equestrian club and some other sport clubs are nearby the junior high building, while the senior high building is around the front, close to the north entrance gate.

Perhaps Yachiyo was strolling on her own away from the student council work since she seemed to be in good mood, somehow.

“I don’t believe you are in equestrian club, though. I mean, Fumi-senpai wasn’t good with animals.”

“Ah … my sister said so too.” Shiori tried to be neutral. After all, there’s no need to be tense of all the time, especially during a random leisure talk like this. “I like animals.”

“Frogs, too?”

“I’m okay with it.”

“I see, so you’re the one who’ll discard them, huh?”

“Did you ever scare Onee-chan with frogs?”

“I didn’t~ we just happened to pass by around the pond when a frog jumped to her way and she was panicking—God, that was hilarious~”

“Yachiyo-senpai, that sounds mean.” Shiori couldn’t help but to giggle.

“Sorry, sorry! It was so hilarious that I can’t help it!”

[The initial thought of Shiori seen Yachiyo as a person ‘who lost a friend’ went away for a moment; it was purely a conversation between the two who talked aimlessly about the same person.]


---


They continued on random conversation for quite a while, along with Shiori returning the horse she was using back to the stable. Yachiyo asked why Shiori is alone on the field and where the other members went off to. Shiori explained that she liked to take care of the horse, to the point that she stayed late when it is the day for club session.

When arriving on the horse stable belonged to Siegfeld Music Institute, Yachiyo seem to be amazed to see various type of horses that’s confined in the respective stalls. Well, no one really pay a visit to the horse stable unless you are the member of equestrian club, so no wonder the outsider would be amazed.

“Are they all the same horses?” asked Yachiyo.

“Oh, no. They might have similar colors, but the cross breeds are different, for example—“

Shiori continued to mention the horse’s name from the rightmost stall to where she’s at, together with the types of horse breeds. Yachiyo’s expression morphed from relaxed to a thoughtful one.

“How can you tell the difference?”

“Eh? Everyone is just ... different.”

“Uhh, ohh, yeah, okay.” Yachiyo closed the conversation with a nod. “So, are you finished?”

“O-Oh right! Sorry to make you wait for long, Yachiyo-senpai!”

“It’s alright, it’s alright~” the older girl brushed her polite bowing.  “There’s no student council meeting today, anyway. I’m here to tell you that.”

Huh? Shiori was taken aback, though she found herself to keep her question unspoken. Then why did Yachiyo tell her that ‘she was there to check up on her’, as directed by Michiru-senpai?

[Did the pinkette want /something/ from her, by coming this far to the equestrian club’s field?]

“Well then, I’m off—“

“W-Wait, Yachiyo-senpai!” the pinkette turned her heels from her walkaway stance. “How, how about we walk back to the dorm together?”