“I’ll order,” Sei picked up the phone, which was immediately removed from her hand, even before the shouting began.
“No!” Yumi was half out of her seat, Rei and Yoshino only inches behind her. Youko looked rather smug as she moved the phone out of Sei’s reach, turning her back on the former Rosa Gigantea.
“What?” Sei pouted.
“You order really weird toppings,” Yumi was up to the challenge, “and no one else eats them. Like corn smut.”
“Corn smut?” Sei looked thoughtful, then chuckled at the memory. “Heh, heh – that was a good one.”
“Last time you ordered pizza for us, your stuff got onto my plain slices. It looked like bugs.” Kei backed Yumi up quickly.
“Those were raisins!” Sei protested. “Everyone likes olive, raisin and pine nut pizza, right?”
“No!” Several voices were raised in response.
“Yumi.” Sachiko’s voice slid into the conversation easily. “What was it that you ordered last time?”
“O…Onee-sama…” Yumi stuttered, trying to remember the last time she had had pizza with Sachiko-sama. Not last week, when she was out with Yuuki. And Sachiko-sama hadn’t been there when she and Yoshino had gone out. “You mean the corn and prawn pizza?”
“Yes,” Sachiko nodded. “Onee-sama,” she directed the conversation towards Youko, who was apparently on hold. “I would like corn and prawn.”
Yumi sighed. “Onee-sama…that’s not…”
“Don’t forget the pineapple.” Eriko added, loud enough to be heard over the hullabaloo.
“No one likes Pineapple but you, Eriko,” Sei grumped.
“I do,” Rei hesitated. “And Yoshino…too.”
“Only with ham,” Yoshino amended.
“There you go,” Eriko shot a triumphant look at the other woman. “Three say pineapple.”
“Only with ham,” Yoshino insisted.
“Onee-sama. I like olives, as well,” Shimako put her hand out as if to soothe her “older sister.”
“Me too!” Noriko jumped in quickly, then wondered out loud, “Does anyone else here eat normal pizza? Like pepperoni? Or am I the only one?”
“I like pepperoni.” The voice was soft, a little hesitant, with a strained note. Kanako looked back defiantly as all eyes turned towards her.
“This is ridiculous!” Touko’s petulance was audible in every syllable. “Can’t we decide on a simple pizza order? Corn and prawn is fine with me too.” She hmphed slightly, her banana curls flouncing.
“…Half an hour? Thank you.” Youko’s voice was smooth, as she finished placing the order. She hung up the phone to find that all of the room’s occupants were now staring at her.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Onee-sama…how did you order?” Sachiko asked, her brows drawn together. “The discussion was never really resolved, after all.”
“Oh?” Youko smirked. “Wasn’t it?” She ticked off the order on her fingers. “Three large pies. One with olives and mushrooms, two half corn and prawn, half plain, three half pepperoni and half hot peppers.”
Everyone sat in stunned silence.
“How did you know what to order?” Kei asked, breaking the silence at last.
Once again all eyes turned towards her and as one, ten voices said, “Same as always.”
The End
Maria-sama ga Miteru © Konno Oyuki, Cobalt Shueisha Publishing.
Original situations and characters, E. Friedman