1. Beyond their secret,
2. another sits in waiting, wearing a smile.
Se încarcă…Se încarcă…
1. That's all the more suspicious.
2. Bright, without a care in the world.
3. My free-spirited Onee-sama.
4. I'm supposed to believe she came up with this whole letter exchange ...!?
6. Her!?
7. She came up with that!?
9. It's one thing for the book to inspire her,
10. but thinking to hide a letter in the 2nd volume to make her own special partner...
Se încarcă…Se încarcă…
1. "I knew it!"
2. "Knew about what?"
3. "I wasn't the first with the idea."
4. Casually
5. "I'd found one too."
6. "A letter in the book."
7. "Knowing you, Onee-sama,"
8. "you must have taken the idea from a show on TV."
9. "No,"
1. A secret bond to be. If you so desire this, you must place a letter of your own where this was found. A bond in secret. Until she so appears, falling captive to your words.
2. "Mm-hm."
3. "...You found one "too?""
4. "Inside the 2nd volume. During my first year."
1. "After, I followed the letter exactly, thinking, "Might as well!""
2. "I believe that's all it said."
3. "I did write what sounded enticing enough on my own."
4. "Then you came along to find it, Sumi-chan."
5. Huh...?
6. hazy...
7. "I didn't know that part..."
1. "...When you found that letter, were you curious about who left it...?"
2. Why did I just ...
3. "...It's true I was partially curious..."
1. "It was as if it wasn't written by a person."
2. "A sort of divine instruction, rather..."
3. "It was even printed rather than handwritten! As silly as it sounds..."
4. "But that letter was just so unnatural!"
5. "As if it were left to me by the heavens."
1. "I did exactly as the letter said..."
2. Why were those words lodged in my mind?
3. The answer came immediately.
4. Because it denied this belonged only to Onee-sama and myself.
5. If you so desire,
6. you must wait
7. until one is caught in your thorns.
1. What we had was designed by someone else.
2. Who are you?
3. If I'm this fixated on who sent the letter,
4. Onee-sama, who found it, must be more so.
5. "Was it a student...?"
6. "Would she even still be a student here?"
7. Of course she wants to know.
8. It's true I was partially curious.
1. "...What if I helped them meet?"
2. "That's it..."
3. "That's right."
4. After all,
5. I never give her anything for all she does for me.
6. I need to do something for her.
1. When I say I want to stay with her, she stays with me.
2. When she knows I lied about only wanting to hear her heartbeat, she smiles and lets me close.
1. But did you know this, Onee-sama?
2. I wanted to put my hands in your coat.
3. To get even one layer out of my way; anything to bring you closer.
4. And I stopped myself.
5. My hands were just so cold.
1. That is how I love you.
1. "...I should find her."
2. The letter's sender must have loved the book, so they'd have lots in common.
3. They'd surely fit with each other.
4. Simply happy to know I could feel this way about someone.
1. "More than"
2. "some-one"
3. "like me."
1. "Thinking you'll be the brave maiden out of a story?"
2. "...Not even..."
3. It's just as pathetic to me too.
4. "But this is the greatest love I can offer."
1. "Huh..."
2. "I emptied all my drawers for it."
3. This is that first letter.
4. But one line did catch my eye.
5. "...Hm?"
6. It was all roughly the same as Onee-sama had recalled.
7. Beneath the rose you and I share.
1. "With my name being a rose, that made it sound all the more like a divine order."
2. "...Is it some kind of code?"
3. It was easy to look up.
4. Beneath the rose, sub rosa, meant "to do in secret."
5. Apparently roses once symbolized secrets.
6. Back in Greek mythology
7. "Keep it secret!"
8. The idea became, anything spoken under a carven or hanging rose would never leave that room.
9. Which then birthed the Latin phrase: "sub rosa."
10. "That's pretty stylish..."
1. ... Under the rose?
2. Is that what it meant? In secret?
3. "Ah"
4. "Sumi-chan? The rose caught your eye?"
5. Your mouth is hanging wide open...
6. Can that even be a coincidence?
1. "If you'd like, why not look up at it from my lap?"
2. "Eh!?"
3. "...No thank you!"
4. "!?"
5. Never expected to hear "No."
1. "Sumi-chan, what's wrong...? Normally you'd let me spoil you..."
2. "...I know."
3. "That's exactly why."
4. I'm turning into such a spoiled little sister!
5. A few examples
6. "Sumi-chan!"
7. "hold..."
8. "Sumi-chan!"
9. "hold..."
10. "I never knew how good it feels for someone to give you everything you want!"
1. "If my lap won't do, what about a hug?"
2. "I'll even let you under my coat?"
3. "That should warm you up!"
4. "...!"
5. "I don't want anything!"
6. If Onee-sama ever leaves me for someone else,
7. I need to graciously step aside.
8. I need to be prepared for her to leave me.
9. I can't let myself be any more dependent on her!
10. "Sumi-chan..."
1. "Look here."
2. "Look at me."
3. "What's wrong...? Have I done... something I shouldn't?"
1. Ahh.
2. It's hopeless.
3. "No... Not that..."
4. she plucks at every nerve in my body like a magnet.
5. With her touch,
1. All my senses, devoted solely to feeling her.
2. "You don't hate me, do you?"
3. "I... don't..."
4. It's bad.
5. "That's good."
6. Hurry.
7. Have to hurry.
8. Have to find who sent the letter,
9. before I melt away.
1. I had to, so she wouldn't know I was finding the sender.
2. Dear Onee-sama, I need to focus on my studies so I can't meet with you for a while.
3. "I lied..."
4. "Would you believe it, the sender is behind this door!"
5. But I don't want her to worry about me.
6. Has to be a surprise
7. I'm sure she'd say something for my benefit.
8. "Sumi-chan... I'd be happy with only you!"
9. She's too kind-hearted.
10. "...Someone in the art club?"
11. That rose was painted with skill.
12. "Where can I start..."
1. "Even if I'd be lucky to find anything..."
3. "Might as well check it out..."
4. "Hmm..."
6. "So many paintings..."
1. "They're all so good..."
2. The walls of the art room are a space for displaying the many works of our club members.
3. "Huh..."
1. "Painted roses..."
3. "High School Class 3-E. Asai... Sayori."
1. "She still goes here...?"
2. The art club student's rose painting.
3. The rose painted under the stairs' landing.
4. The custom of roses on the ceiling.
5. The coded phrase, sub rosa. Under the rose.
6. The letter like a divine order.
1. "She's here! Lookie."
2. "Asai-saaan! Kouhai for you!"
3. "Asai-san? Did she come today?"
1. "Er-"
2. "Um,"
3. "sorry... this is so sudden."
4. "Just..."
5. "Where do I even start...?"
6. "Oh... It's you."
7. "Why...?"
8. "You know who I am...?"
9. "It's hard to explain here..."
10. "Are you free after school?"
11. "I am!"
12. "Then meet me then."
13. "At... Well, where else..."
1. "Sub rosa."
6. If you have the means, please consider supporting the author and purchasing the Japanese volumes.