Maria - Chapter 3 Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, February 1990. Written by Takeuchi Naoko. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.0, September 2000. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mom, are you awake?" "Maria?" says her mom. "Are you done with school? Oh, that Green Garden uniform brings back memories." "Mom, what is this picture!?" She hands the photograph to her mom. "Oh my..." says her mom. "Where did you get such an old picture?" Maria looks at the framed photograph next to her mom's bed. "Mom and dad..." she thinks. "I don't believe it," says her mom. "This brings back memories..." Her mom picks up the framed picture. "Look, this is me and your dad," she says. "Back then, the three of us took lots of pictures. We hung out together a lot. The three of us were in the same class." "The same class!?" says Maria. "Well, I told you," says her mom. "He went to Green Garden, too." "You were in the same class... and that's all?" "Oh, Maria," she says. "Don't be silly." "He's Mom's doctor," thinks Maria, "he's a close friend of hers from a long time ago, and he's an acquaintance of Daddy Longlegs..." "Mom!" she says. "Is Maie-sensei Daddy Longlegs after all!?" Maie enters the room. "Who did you say is Daddy Longlegs?" he says. "Sensei!" "This is troubling," he says. "Visiting hours are long over. And you're on the way back from school. If it's like that, I can't let you visit anymore." "What...!" says Maria. Maie rubs her head. "I'm joking," he says. "Go on, it's late." "Come on, sensei, it's all right," says her mom. "There are buses." "If anything happened to your precious only daughter," says Maie, "and you had a fit, it would be terrible." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maie sits in his car. "Come on, come on," he says. Maria gets in the car with him. "You came to see your mom because of Daddy Longlegs," he says. "That must be all you think about." "It's not that," says Maria. "Why don't we have some food," he says. "Forget Daddy Longlegs once in a while. It is crowded, however." Maria looks out the window. "Oh, is that!?" she thinks. "Kazuma-kun!?" She slides down in her seat. "It can't be. What is he doing in a place like this!? Oh, why am I hiding? That's strange. I shouldn't feel guilty, but... He's mean to me, he sticks up for me... I don't really get it. Why...?" "That's cute, isn't it," says Maie. "I see, it's not pleasant to stop by in your uniform. Let's go!" They stop at a dress shop. Maie points to a dress. "Would you try that on?" Maria puts on the dress. "Wow!" she says. "It's cute." "Oh, white suits you," says the saleswoman. "It's nice," thinks Maria. "I want one like this." "It does," says Maie. "All right, I'll get it for you." "What!?" says Maria. "S- Sensei!?" "Your uniform won't do, right?" he says. "I apologize for threatening you earlier." "But it's so expensive..." says Maria. "It's fine, it's fine," says Maie. "But can I...?" thinks Maria. "Still... White is the color of a wedding dress. Oh, my heart is pounding. Maybe this was the feeling I had when I was with my dad." They go to a restaurant. "That bracelet..." says Maie. "Oh, this?" says Maria. "Ehehe. I got it from my mom." "That brings back memories," he says. "So she still has that. Your dad and I gave it to her as a present, when we were still students at Green Garden. Back then... We loved your mom as much as we could. There were times when we seriously competed for her." "Do you still...?" "What are you saying," says Maie. "She married your dad, didn't she." "That's not what I asked," thinks Maria. "Does he still...?" "Are you single?" she says. "Oh," says Maie. "Snow." Snow falls outside. "Shall we be going?" he says. "You have to be back by curfew." God... I wonder if sensei still loves my mom... God, you aren't Maie-sensei, are you? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Wow!" says Ema. "No matter how many times I hear it, it's so cool. He bought you a dress, took you to dinner, and even then he wouldn't reveal the name. He's a gentleman. It must be him! Daddy Longlegs! It's so unexpected. All that's left is the proposal." "Oh, Ema..." says Maria. "He and my mom..." The bell rings. "Maria!" says Ema. "Let's eat lunch." "Oh, I'm going to the library for a bit," says Maria. "I want to write a letter." She goes to the library. God... The classroom is a little... uncomfortable, I guess. She takes the book Local Medicinal Herbs from the shelf and sits outdoors. "Oh, even if I come to the winter rose garden, it's boring," she says. She looks through the book. "Rose family. Plum, peach, somei-yoshino... Oh, that's a cherry blossom. 'Apricot' has the effect of stopping coughs. 'Hawthorn' is effective for the stomach." A gust of wind blows her papers into the air. Kazuma catches one of them. "'God'?" he reads. "D- Don't look!!" says Maria. "What are you doing?" says Kazuma. "Nothing..." "Were you studying?" "Oh," says Maria. "I want to be pharmacist. My mom has had a weak body for a long time, and no medicine she's taken has helped, so I..." "Stupid, stupid," she thinks. "What are you saying, Maria. You have to thank him for helping you. And for the picture." "What does she have?" says Kazuma. "Oh..." she thinks. "Kazuma-kun's mom also..." "I don't know," she says. "So I'll make her better." "Do you know of plant worms?" says Kazuma. "The herbal medicine... They have this small thing growing out like a mushroom. A strange mushroom living as a parasite in a hornworm larva. Eat them, worms and all. You'll have a long life. But a doctor would be easier." "You know Maie-sensei, don't you?" says Maria. "That's why you had that picture, right? Are you a relative of his?" "Give up on him," says Kazuma. They hear a noise. "I'm in trouble!" says Kazuma. He leaves Maria. Noa approaches her. "Where's Kazuma?" she says. "What..." says Maria. "You shouldn't talk about things like that in the classroom, right?" says Noa. "Since Ema has a loud voice. I don't think Kazuma will stick up for you a second time. How nice... Daddy Longlegs, the guy you're dating... You're well-liked. But I just have Kazuma. I know Kazuma has sympathy for you!" "Noa!" says Kazuma. "Let's go." He and Noa leave together. "Noa," thinks Maria. "She really... likes Kazuma-kun. And does he...? Again, I couldn't get up the courage to thank him. For the picture, too... Oh, I try to talk to him more, but I don't know anything about him. We're still not even friends..." She gathers her papers, among them the map Kazuma drew for her. "Daddy Longlegs must be all you think about." "That's not it," she thinks. God... Am I a bad girl? I have you, but when I think about it... She walks through the school hallway. "Kazuma-kun!" says a girl. Maria's heart jumps. "The sister called you, Kazuma-kun," the girl says to another boy. [She says 'Kazuma' with different kanji.] About him... Maria sees a crowd gathering in the hall. "The guy really isn't human! Amazing!" "How did he get prefect scores in every subject?" "What?" says Maria. "Oh, the knowledge test from the other day." She looks at the posted results. "What!?" She sees the name in first place with a perfect score. "Maie Kazuma!?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh?" says Ema. "That Maria, going out after school again. I wonder if it's another date with the doctor." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maria enters the hospital. "He's a Maie, he's a Maie..." she thinks. "Since the doctor is single, is he a relative after all!? He must know something about Daddy Longlegs! And that picture..." She turns down a hallway. "I'm in some strange place," she says. She sees Kazuma sitting in the director's office. "Why are you here?" she says. "'Why'?" says Kazuma. "Can't I be in my own room?" "But... But... The doctor is single, isn't he!?" "Who told you that?" says Kazuma. "What am I, then?" "Y- You're Maie-sensei's son!?" says Maria. "Why didn't you tell me!? How could you keep quiet about such a thing!?" "Daddy Longlegs is not my dad," says Kazuma. "There's nobody in this world you know less about." "Why... are you always so mean...?" "Jealousy," he says. "I was taken with you the first time I saw you." They look at each other. "Fool," he says. "That's a lie. Don't take it seriously." "I- I wasn't taking it seriously!" says Maria. "I- I'm going to be the bride of Daddy Longlegs!" She wipes tears from her eyes. "Y- You're so cruel... Joking about something like that..." "It's because you don't remember," says Kazuma. "You'll fall in love with me. That's how it is." Maie enters the room. "Huh!?" he says. "Hey, hey, what's going on? What are you to doing here?" God... "Wait," says Maria. "Hey, wait a minute. Your... Your son... When I lived next door to you... The one I promised... It wasn't..." "How do you feel reuniting with your fiancé?" God... Could... Could there be such a fated meeting...? God... Was that when my dad was still here? "Oh! That's the piano!" says the little girl. "I'm going next door!" "Oh, Maria, again?" The mom and dad I loved... Maie plays the piano. "Uncle, next play 'Ave Maria'!" she says. "Play it for me!" The piano of his that I loved... A hand pulls on her ponytail. "Ow!" And... "Fool," says the boy. "Ouch! What are you doing!" "I can play that one, too," he says. "Then play it," says Maria. "If I play it, what will you give me?" "What do you mean! You can't really play it." "That's not true!" he says. "Eventually I'll be good at it." "When is eventually?" says Maria. "I'll be waiting for it." He whispers in her ear. "If you become my bride, I'll play it anytime. I promise." "Really?" "Really." That was when everyone was still here... "Do you finally remember?" says Maie. The bully next door that I loved... "And your mom?" says Maria. "What happened after you moved...?" "His mother?" says Maie. "Yes, for a while, her kidneys had problems. I suppose it was soon after we moved. What, didn't Kazuma say anything?" "Why...?" says Maria. "You should have told me. About us playing together back then..." "I thought you remembered," says Kazuma. Maria gasps. "He was always looking at me, thinking that?" she thinks. "Our promise when we were so young... We haven't seen each other for years now. But I have Daddy Longlegs... And you have Noa... Right?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1990 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 2000 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko | Maria