Gosick Episode 12

Synopsis
Summer finally arrives at Sauville.

Students have started to talk about their plans on the incoming summer vacation period, and Kazuya feels that he is less fortunate compared to them, not being able to return to Japan due to its distance. However, that changes when Avril personally invites him on her summer vacation plans.

Avril later explains to him that she is allowed by her grandmother to invite a friend to a summer house in the Mediterranean Sea, and Kazuya almost instantly agrees to the offer. Soon, the noontime bell rings, and Kazuya's mind is taken back to the library tower.

Kazuya returns to his arduous climb through the many staircases that lead to the botanical garden at the top of the library, and Victorique sits at the end of the climb, wearing a purple dress. As usual, Victorique demands either a case to solve, or various sweets from Kazuya. Kazuya, however, sees this as too demanding of her, and leaves, telling her that he'll bring her sweets from the Mediterranean.

At first, Victorique was able to gloat about the effortless achievement of being able to determine what is inside Kazuya at that time and tells herself that it was better for her to stay inside throughout the vacation. This thought slowly reminds her, on the other hand, that she will also be lonely for the rest of the summer.

At the train station, Avril rushes to the train that will take her and Kazuya to the port. Kazuya is about to board the train when he sees a young blond girl parting ways from her mother. The sight caused Kazuya to change his mind about joining Avril to the trip, which the British girl is initially disappointed about; Avril later understands his priorities, and decides to bring some souvenirs for him and Victorique... which she finds out, to her surprise, is a girl.

With the students of Saint Marguerite out for the summer vacation, Victorique leaves the library tower for a change of setting. She tries to read a book under the swelting summer heat and is about to give up reading when a parasol appears over her head. Much to her shock, it was Kazuya, and she instantly asks about how he is supposed to be there if he is planning to travel to the Mediterranean with Avril.

Kazuya soon takes out some items that he received from his relatives in Japan. Victorique receives a pair of artistically-shaped candy and a letter from one of Kazuya's brothers. Kazuya, on the other hand, receives several copies of a magazine called "Monthly Hooligan", a certain magazine that Kazuya reads to acquire self-defense techniques. According to Kazuya, the copies of "Monthly Hooligan" came from his eldest brother, while one of the magazines, a science magazine, is from his other brother, who is intelligent.

Victorique soon remembers about challenging Kazuya's intelligent brother by handing a certain riddle to him and telling him to solve it within five minutes. The letter Victorique received is actually the response to the riddle, and Kazuya's brother was able to solve the riddle in three minutes, although Victorique is not convinced. Kazuya soon discovers that his brother, in fact, needed help for the riddle, as said by his sister.

The two stay longer in the tree near the dormitory, with Victorique staying in the shade and reading her books while Kazuya decides to rest at the branches of the tree. Kazuya's mind soon drifts back into his home town, where he always hears cicadas on summer days.

He remembers being scolded by his father, with his mother usually apologizing on his behalf. Although he is hurt by the things that his mother must experience for him, he is cheered up by his sister Ruri, who makes fun of his father just to make him smile, and his mother, who still sees him as manly for standing up to his beliefs.

And then, he remembers travelling to Sauville. To run away from everything...

Soon, Kazuya finds out that he has fallen asleep, while Victorique has just finished reading her books and notices that he might have been reconstructing chaos while asleep.

Victorique returns to the tree to continue reading her books, while Kazuya changes into a men's kimono. He stumbles upon Sophie, who just prepared fresh bread, and decides to bake a special orange cake for him. Kazuya then takes this to Victorique, who to his surprise has climbed up the tree. Victorique then asks him to place the cake on the stack of books and leave. With thoughts of Victorique not being able to climb down the tree, he leaves.

For the next several minutes, no one notices Victorique's presence on the tree. Cecile is the only one who walked past the tree and ends up eating the whole cake by herself, while Kazuya is preoccupied by the magazines he has to read.

Soon, Kazuya notices that it is getting dark outside, and the sound of thunder awakes yet another piece of his distant memory. After sorting the many magazines he receive from his siblings in Japan, he discovers a challenge letter among the mess. He remembers about Victorique and wonders if she have returned to her house. However, he began to worry and heads over to his friend, who was still stuck on the tree.

Kazuya ends up cushioning Victorique's fall by catching her heels using his stomach.

At Victorique's little house, Kazuya dries himself up while Victorique stays inside a room. Victorique keeps Kazuya from asking too much, and Kazuya soon notices that she did in fact liked the sweets that he brought to her to the point that she kept it in a vase like a decoration.

Victorique soon emerges from the room dressed in the kimono Kazuya gave to her. She was trembling, poorly balanced and holding a seemingly expensive tea set on her hands. Kazuya is amazed at the feat, considering that she is not the type to do such kinds of things, and Victorique eventually loses her balance altogether, causing the tea she tried to prepare to shatter to the floor.

Kazuya realizes that she was trying to prepare tea for him too late, and an embarrassed Victorique punishes Kazuya by commanding him to clean the dirtied floor.

The rain outside continues, and Victorique continues to read a book while Kazuya shares a little about getting over his fear of lightning. Kazuya then decides to give out his brother Yutaka's challenge for Victorique; according to Yutaka, she will "get a spanky-spanky" if she does not solve the challenge in three seconds.

The challenge goes like this:

Three men went to the mountain to bring down three logs at the same time as an order. They discovered that a single person cannot carry a single log since it is too long, and the men must consider that the men are ordered to carry two logs at once.

The men eventually completed their task. The question is how they did it.

Victorique gloats over her victory, forming her hands into a triangle and telling Kazuya that she has solved it in less than a second. She later explains that the trick was to turn each of the three logs into one side of the triangle, and placing each man where one end of one log meets one end of another, forming a triangle.

Kazuya is once again amazed at Victorique's intelligence, but Victorique soon finds herself humbled at the things Kazuya could do that she could not, that is, climbing on trees higher than anyone. However, it is just Victorique acknowledging Kazuya's strengths.

Victorique admits that Kazuya might have been too pressuring and humble to himself, often calling himself "the third son of an Imperial soldier", and it was that part of Kazuya that she finds unpleasant. For the first time, she sincerely praises Kazuya, for keeping himself from saying "third son of an Imperial soldier" recently.

The rain has finally stopped, and as Kazuya enjoys the bright sun over Saint Marguerite Academy, he wonders if Victorique is trying to encourage him. He then decides to return the favor, by staying by Victorique and offering her the sweets she likes as they spend the rest of the summer vacation with each other's company.

Adapted from
The events in this episode were taken from GosickS Volume 02, including the Pony Puzzle short story.

Characters
(In order of appearance)
 * Kazuya Kujō
 * Avril Bradley
 * Victorique de Blois
 * Sophie
 * Cécile Lafitte

New Characters

 * Yutaka Kujo

New Locations

 * Kujo Residence, Japan

Cultural References

 * The quote spoken by the person Grevil talks to on the phone is derived from Matthew 5:13.

Unanswered Questions

 * What is Kazuya running from when he left his home town?

Quotes

 * "It seemed to me that your insignificant brain was busy reconstructing insignificant chaos." — by Victorique, pertaining to Kazuya's reminiscing nap by the treetop