Suzumiya Haruhi:Volume7 Chapter 5

From Baka-Tsuki

On the morning of the next day (Saturday)-

Because I was never really good at manual labor, I found my body aching all over, no thanks to Haruhi. Fortunately, I didn’t dream of anything weird last night, and due to that had a nice, deep sleep.

I placed letter #3 into the pocket of my outer coat and proceeded to fetch my bicycle. Cold winds blew through the streets, and it appeared that today would be a cold day too.

Due to the rising incidence of illegal parking, the authorities had decided to build a whole new parking lot in front of the train station. Anyone could park their bicycles inside if they purchased a ticket. After parking my bicycle, I proceeded towards the station, and found out that, unsurprisingly, I was again the last one to arrive. Asahina-san looked like a new kind of adorable pet, wearing a warm, cozy outfit while awaiting my arrival. Koizumi wore one of those elegant smiles that was bound to get at least one out of five high school girls’ heads turning, and Nagato wore her sailor suit as usual, coupled with her cardigan and a hat, standing there quietly without uttering a word.

With a scarf wrapped around her neck, Haruhi pointed her finger towards me and said, “We’ve been waiting for a long time, Kyon. Thirty seconds, to be exact.”

Oh that’s too bad. If only I had parked my bicycle somewhere else instead of in the new parking lot, it would be the first city-wide search where I wasn’t the last one to arrive. Or maybe I just wanted Haruhi to treat us.

“If that were the case, I would definitely treat all of you. But before that, let me make this clear: I do not like winding up last for anything, be it mock examinations, a race, or a meeting like this! I would rather sleep here overnight than be late.”

Haruhi announced this with a big, energetic smile, like a knight eagerly awaiting a challenge. Indeed, the Haruhi before me looked as if she could knock down any foe before her while swinging a tachi. She should really learn to concentrate that overwhelming enthusiasm of hers into more useful endeavors. As I was thinking about what she could have done with her enthusiasm, Haruhi had already forcefully pulled me and the other brigade members to the coffee house.

“Even though we didn’t find anything yesterday,” Haruhi said while chugging down her hot drink, “We should think about it for a moment. The SOS Brigade’s goal is not to find some ancient relic, but rather extraordinary events, like for instance some mysterious object left behind by a time traveler from the future. This town just reeks of time travelers! I’m sure we’ll be able to find something today!”

Isn’t the town a little bit too big a scope?

“It’s not a matter of how big the town is, but rather how advanced, how populated it is that time travelers will mostly take into consideration.”

“…… Just forget it.”

I give up. What’s this have to do with how advanced a town is, or how heavily populated it is? Haruhi’s “extraordinary events” were those that didn’t appear on a schedule, and nobody knew when they would happen, or what they would be, for the matter. Under these circumstances, all we could do was wait for the predetermined events to happen.

From my point of view, I didn’t “discover” these extraordinary events, but was rather “forced to discover” these events instead. All I could do was do what I was told, and that’s all because… I mean, thanks, to you.

As I was busy thinking back on what had happened during my past experiences, Haruhi had already marked the toothpicks with a ballpoint pen, and was ushering everyone to make their picks. “In order to speed things up, we’ll divide into two groups. There are two toothpicks with marks, and three without marks.”

I instinctively looked at the sailor-suit clad Nagato, who was quietly sipping away at her fruit juice, while studying the menu before her. If I couldn’t be grouped together with Nagato, that was alright.

Everything would be fine as long as I was grouped together with Koizumi.

“Come on, draw your lot!”

Haruhi said as she shoved five toothpicks in my face.

“Are you hesitating because you’re not willing to be in a same group with someone? Hohoho. Who’d you like to be with then? You’re so childish!”

Haruhi’s smile resembled that of my neighbor, who in turn resembled a certain man-eating female ghost who lived in the attic. Thinking back about it, according to Asahina-san (Michiru), I would be grouped together with Koizumi. That means that I would have to pick a marked toothpick, and the probability of doing so was 2 out of 5. According to the basic principles of probability, there was a higher chance of me picking an unmarked toothpick than a marked one. What if the principles of probability overrode Asahina-san’s memory? If I indeed picked an unmarked toothpick, what could I do to tie up the present to Asahina-san’s future?

Oh well, there was probably nothing I could do about it. Faced with a silent, thinking, unmoving me, Haruhi passed the toothpicks to the other three brigade members. After the others had made their picks, I was left with the final 2 toothpicks. I nervously glanced at the toothpick in Koizumi’s hand. In his hand, Koizumi elegantly grasped a marked toothpick.

Now only Haruhi and I have yet to draw lots. Since Haruhi had a habit of picking the last lot, it would mean that it was my turn to draw a lot.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I reached for Haruhi’s fist and concentrated for about ten seconds.

“That’s a bit over the top, no?” Haruhi said with a bewildered expression on her face. That’s what it may seem to you, but to me, it was more like sacred ritual. If everything didn't go as Asahina-san had said, I would be in trouble.

“Oh, whatever!” I yelled as my hand flew forward at godlike speed. I can’t remember if it was my left hand or my right, all I remember was that I grabbed a lot based purely on intuition. But apparently that wasn’t a good thing to do, as in my anxiety, I accidentally pulled both toothpicks out of Haruhi’s fist.

Watching the two toothpicks fly out of Haruhi’s fist, I initially thought, ‘It’s over’. Suddenly, one of the toothpicks fell on the table and began spinning horizontally. As I searched frantically for the second toothpick, I gazed up, only to see Haruhi grab it in midair.

I cautiously lowered my gaze to the toothpick on the table. There was a small, yet visible, mark on it, like a small speck of dirt.

“Oh, come on!” Haruhi said. “An all-guys and all-girls pairing? How boring!”

That’s too bad. Truth to be told, the morning pairing really wasn’t of much importance to me. If only Koizumi hadn’t picked a marked toothpick, he would very well be grouped together with Asahina-san and Nagato. Since I couldn’t allow this potential two-timing, it was vital that he and I pick a marked toothpick. That’s why I calmed down upon knowing I would be grouped together with Koizumi.

After that, all of us stood up and prepared to leave. Needless to say, it was my duty to settle the bill. A habit can be such a dangerous thing. How I loathe myself for picking up the bill so naturally!

“I’m sorry you have to do this again, Kyon-kun. Thank you.” Asahina-san’s apology was the only thing that made me feel better. Koizumi also said something to that effect, but when coupled together with such a situation, and a happy smile to boot, how could you expect me to feel appeased?

All he said was:

“If you ever run out of money, I can always find a part-time job for you.”

As I was about to leave the coffee shop, Koizumi approached me and told me more about this “job”.

“It’s an easy job, really. After you get used to it, I’m sure it’ll be a piece of cake for you. The salary is absurdly high too, this I can guarantee you.”

Thanks, but no thanks.

An image of a devil hiding behind that smiling face suddenly flashed into my mind, as I found myself signing a mysterious guest book and brought into a mysterious research facility. As I was blindfolded, modifications were done to my mind and body, allowing me to temporarily receive esper powers. I’m sorry, Koizumi, but I’ve had enough of sealed spaces. I don’t want to be stuck in another one of those gray worlds again, thank you.

“I’m also working on that part-time job. You can work too, if you wish. It’s not something stressful, don’t worry.”

I think I’ll leave that kind of work to you.

“Only you can do something like that,”

I quickly replied, trying to exit this conversation as soon as possible. I wish to remain a normal human without special powers, be it real or manufactured, thank you.

“Hmm…” Koizumi said as his lips curled upwards, revealing a smile.

“If you ever change your mind, be sure to give me a call. I can teach you the basics, and even go beyond that, if you wish.”

For some reason, Koizumi’s choice of words sounded strange and peculiar today. I had a feeling that he would be mentioning something I didn’t like should I play along with him, and for that one reason alone my gut told me to reject his offer all the way till the end, lest I end up falling into a trap. Sometimes, a man’s just gotta trust his gut.

Haruhi was waiting for me outside the coffee shop.

“Meet here at 12.”

Nagato was positioned at Haruhi’s right, as Haruhi curled her left arm around Asahina-san’s waist, grinning maniacally.

“Listen up. I don’t care what it is, you have to uncover something mysterious today! Maybe you could try the sewers, since we’ve never been there before, or try counting the number of stripes in pedestrian crossings to see if they’ve mysteriously increased! As long as you put your hearts into it, I’m sure you’ll be able to find something interesting! If you do something half-heartedly, you’ll never achieve anything!”

You know, you’ve been the target of two aliens and a time traveler now, and yet you’re still in the dark about it… Oh, I give up.

Now if I were competing in a scavenger hunt, and the object I was supposed to seek was “something strange”, the first thing that I would drag all the way to the finish line would be Haruhi. Come to think of it, someone normal like me being a member of the mystery-ridden SOS Brigade was perhaps the strangest thing of all. While Haruhi pressured us to look for “mysterious things”, I found myself wishing for nothing more than a normal high school life. Reality is always so paradoxical, it seems.

Haruhi dragged Nagato and Asahina-san across the streets and parted ways with us. I tightened my scarf and turned to Koizumi.

“So where do mysterious things appear?”

We had two hours to search for something mysterious. In this freezing cold weather, Koizumi smiled and said coolly, “Even if I were to tell you where, I’m sure you wouldn’t like it. Nor am I willing to go to such a place. Let’s just take this opportunity to take a stroll and chit-chat a little.”

Koizumi was surprisingly quiet the whole time. All we did was look at some carp in an aquarium, before proceeding to flip through some magazines at the convenience store. No matter how you look at it, both of us looked like ordinary high school students.

As for the dialogue exchanged between us, this was mostly limited to stuff like the term-end exams, the drama shows which aired yesterday and the sort. Hearing him talk so casually did nothing but increase my suspicion. Or was I wrong?

“I want to become someone who appears to be a normal high school student on the outside, but in reality is an esper on the inside. That’s why, in my opinion, appearances are very important.”

Koizumi spoke as we slowly crossed the streets. “I never once thought that I would be an esper forever. Sometimes, I wish that I could just gift wrap my esper powers and give them to someone else, freeing myself of both my powers and my burden.”

Am I supposed to be relieved upon hearing that?

Koizumi smiled at me and continued. “I don’t have these thoughts often, only sometimes. If I were given the choice right now, I would undoubtedly choose for things to remain how they are. Being able to come in contact with cosmic beings, being able to communicate with those from beyond this time plane; I don’t think there’s anything more amazing and awe-inspiring than that. But of course, your experiences far outweigh mine.”

If I were you, I’d include you in those ‘amazing and awe-inspiring’ experiences.

“From my point of view, even though being an esper is strange and unexplainable, it’s neither amazing nor awe-inspiring. One day, I’m going to graduate from being a high school student, provided that Suzumiya-san does not repeat her grade. That’s why I try to enjoy life as it is right now, both as a high school student and as an esper.”

All I want to do is enjoy a peaceful high school life. However, I will say that you’re pretty praiseworthy of your actions during the summer and winter co-ed incidents.

“That’s because I’ve been a member of the ‘Organization’ for about 4 years now. If I hadn’t received any esper powers at that time, I would not have transferred into North High, and would probably be engaged in some activity that does not concern the fate of the world right now.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be a good thing?”

As the traffic lights turned green, both of us proceeded to cross the streets.

“I have no idea if I transferred here due to my esper powers or some other-worldly powers, but it doesn’t really matter, right? I’m already here, after all. And although you constantly say that the SOS Brigade is a silly club, you’ve never once regretted joining it, have you? If you were truly fed up with it, you could write a letter of resignation. I suppose I could help you hand it over to Suzumiya-san.”

Koizumi said this as his lips curled upwards, as if mocking me.

“Just forget it.”

Koizumi ignored me and continued on with an amused voice.

“You’re like a totally different person now. I still remember the first time meeting you and Suzumiya-san, and the good vibes I felt from all of you back then. And then, I was promoted to Vice-Commander… But let’s just forget about that for a moment. Do you still remember what I said during the Snow Mountain incident?”

Of course I do. Even if you eventually forget it someday, I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life. And if you dare to go back on your word, I’ll make sure to combine forces with Haruhi and crush you with full force.

“I’m greatly relieved then. Even if I do contract amnesia one day, at least someone will be there to remind me about it.”

Koizumi smiled as he said:

“Nagato-san almost said ‘I hope such a situation won’t befall all of you again’ back then. If something like that ever happens again, I’ll surely help all of you out, so don’t worry.”

Upon hearing this, I suddenly felt relieved that aside from Nagato, there was somebody else I could rely on. “I think this goes without saying, but the desire to protect Asahina-san has always been present within everyone. Without knowing it, you suddenly get the urge to protect her. I think this also qualifies as a ‘power’, no?”

After crossing the streets, Koizumi abruptly stopped and looked at his watch. Taking a hint, I too looked at my watch, and found out that we had in fact been strolling around for quite some time. It was almost time for us to gather again. Just as I was about to head for the station, Koizumi suddenly said softly:

“As for the other Asahina-san, although I will be protecting her as a part of the ‘Organization’, please be careful. That Asahina-san may be different from the other Asahina-sans.”

Asahina-san (Big)’s image suddenly popped in my mind, as I continued on forward without turning back. Even though Koizumi’s voice grew fainter and fainter, I could still make out what was he trying to say. “She is, to us --- The SOS Brigade--- more than a simple mascot.”

That may be so. After all, you were the first one to tell me so. “That’s why,”

I said,

“Even if the future were to change, I don’t care. What’s important is it should start changing now.”

When Koizumi and I reached the station, the other three were already there waiting for us. “Did you find anything mysterious?” was what Haruhi first asked. I’m sorry Haruhi, but even if we had really looked, I doubt that we would have found anything.

“No.”

That was the only logical answer, followed up with “Same goes with the three of you. You guys didn’t find anything either right? That makes us even.”

“You’re right, we didn’t spot anything mysterious.”

Haruhi replied without sighing or flying into a rage. She must be really happy today.

“But we did have fun, trying out the various food samples offered in the supermarket, didn’t we?” Haruhi happily asked Asahina-san.

“Y-yea!” Asahina-san agreed as she nodded, and for a split second, her fluttering hair reminded me of the crimson butterflies which were flying about in my house’s garden right now. “We saw many interesting things, and even bought some new tea!”

Asahina-san had a very contended look on her face, as if she had just gone on a shopping spree. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that Nagato had a plastic bag, which bore the label of a bookshop, in her hand. Come on, do you guys really think that there’ll be something mysterious in a shopping mall?

Unless you’re talking about mystery books, which can be found in the book store, of course.

“Oh well, it’s not that bad.”

Asahina-san said, as if unsatisfied. “If we do things in a rush, we may regret it later on. The more anxious we are, the more slowly we should try to handle things. It’s the same with driving. If we frequently accelerate, when something happens, we won’t be able to brake in time, as opposed to if we didn’t accelerate. Things like this happen because we never thought they would, and when they really do, problems arise.”

I don’t get your logic here.

“It’s not an easy theory, is it, Kyon.” Haruhi suddenly said. “The same can be said with a Daruma doll. You would think that it wouldn’t stop rocking, and when you finally look away for that one second, it suddenly stops. That’s how mysterious things work. If you don’t turn back and look at it at the right moment, you’ll miss it altogether. You need to grasp the right moment, that’s what we mean by chance, Kyon. Chance.”

I’m getting lost here. I have no idea what's going on in Haruhi’s brain, but the way she worded it, it was as if she wanted me to grasp my goddess’s hair the moment it began fluttering in the wind. It’s impossible, I tell you. The only person who can grasp something as abstract as that is someone who is fed information from the future.

“Come to think of it, where should we have lunch?”

That’s how you answer my question?

“I know of a new Italian restaurant which just opened opposite the bank. I’ve scanned the menu once, and from the looks of it, it looks really delicious. So, shall we get a table for five?”

It seemes that Haruhi has totally dodged the question. I felt like a Buddhist Monk reciting Holy Scriptures to a nearby cow. Aside from increasing my karma, doing so served no purpose, as no matter how I tried, the cow would not be swayed. Sometimes, I feel that the same goes with Haruhi.

“I have no problems with that. What about you, Koizumi?”

I wondered what would happen if Koizumi suddenly put on a face and said ‘I’m sorry but I can’t stand ‘Insalata Caprese’. Of course, this would never happen, as Koizumi would never say no to anything that popped out of Haruhi’s mouth. All he did was smile and reply with a joyful ‘Sure’.

“It’s decided then.” Haruhi said, as if giving us the signal that we needn’t run round the city meaninglessly anymore and could finally sit down and enjoy a meal. When we reached the restaurant and were finally seated, I found my body aching all over, no thanks to Haruhi.

Sometimes I wonder if I worry about that girl too much, just like I sometimes wonder if I’m being too nice to Shamisen. Whenever I see her looking down and depressed, I would worry about her, and think that it would be much better if she remained energetic all the time. I wonder if one day Haruhi would become just like the glass of warm water before me – neither too hot, nor too cold; neither too energetic, nor too quiet.

As I wondered about this, my eyes shot instinctively towards Haruhi, who had already gulped down her glass of water in three seconds, and was asking the waiter for refills. Just like how it would take time for Asahina-san (Small) to grow up into someone like Asahina-san (Big), it would also take time for Haruhi to become someone like that.

After ordering Today’s Special (‘Risotto alla Milanese’), I felt my wallet deflate completely, as Haruhi once again began marking the toothpicks.

This was it, the most important moment of the day. It was because Asahina-san was concerned that I felt so anxious. Up until now, I had been constantly worrying whether Asahina-san (Michiru) would show up at the prearranged spot. Please be there!

As I glanced around me, the first person to have finished her meal, now silently studying the menu, was none other than Nagato. She looked as if she was keenly interested in the toothpicks in Haruhi’s hand. Since I had asked for her help earlier, I knew that I needn’t worry, as I confidently went first and picked a toothpick.

A marked one, as always.

Nagato went next, gracefully pulling out another marked toothpick. Without uttering a word, she placed the toothpick on the table, and returned to the menu.

“I guess there’s no need to continue drawing lots,” Haruhi said as she stuffed the remaining three toothpicks in the ashtray. Without complaining or crying foul play, Haruhi picked up the bill and began studying it. Since there was no way Haruhi would treat us, each of us paid for our own share and we left. Emerging into the cool winter air, the five of us strolled aimlessly on the streets, like fish swimming here and there in the ocean.

As Haruhi, Asahina-san and Koizumi went their way, Nagato and I headed for a different path. Or more specifically, the two of us headed towards the place I had arranged to meet up with Asahina-san (Michiru).

Whenever I walk together with Nagato, my mind drifts back to the first time I walked with her like this last spring, back when she was still wearing glasses, without a sliver of emotion on her ice cold poker face. Come to think of it, it was then that Nakagawa noticed us.

As I walked, I found Nagato silently following me two steps behind. Because I couldn’t detect her presence, I had to constantly turn back to make sure that she was still there. Of course, she would always return my gaze with an expressionless face.

I’m sure both of us felt a sense of nostalgia, as we were headed for a place we’d both remember – the public library. After I brought her here for the first time, while she was still wearing glasses, it seemed that Nagato frequently visited this place. For both me and Nagato, this was one memorable place indeed.

This time is no different from the other, aside from the fact that Nagato had already obtained a library card, and is no longer wearing glasses. The both of us headed silently towards the library, without uttering a single word, yet not feeling the slightest bit awkward. For me, silence was gold, and speech was silver. If it were Haruhi or Koizumi we were talking about, then I would have thought that they were up to something, but since it was Nagato, I fully acknowledge her silence as a positive point.

Immersed in silence, we entered the library, and then I paused to gaze around looking for someone. As I spotted her sitting on a sofa, Asahina-san stood up and walked towards me, as if wanting to save me the trouble of walking.

Asahina-san was wearing Tsuruya-san’s favorite jacket, a flowery muffler, and a straw hat. Upon seeing who I was with, Asahina-san (Michiru)’s eyes grew large, as she said, “Kyon-kun… A-ah… Nagato-san…”

Since I was in a library, I mimicked Asahina-san’s actions by placing my finger upon my lips, before toning down my voice and saying, “Tsuruya-san’s not here, is she?”

“No, she’s not,”

Asahina-san said as she glanced nervously behind my back. You don’t have to be that afraid, you know.

“Tsuruya-san said she had something to do today, so she couldn’t come with me here, however…”

Asahina-san nervously twirled her fingers,

“She arranged for a car to transport me here, and even gave me some money to take a cab back home…”

I was slightly disturbed by the fact that Tsuruya-san couldn’t follow her to the library, but was even more disturbed by Asahina-san’s large eyes. I turned around, wondering if there was anything else behind me, like a vengeful spirit or the sort, other than Nagato.

“……”

Nagato looked at Asahina-san, without any trace of expression on her face. I suddenly recalled that when I told Nagato to help me manipulate the outcome of the lot drawing…

I had totally forgotten to tell her why.

Oh crap.

“A-ah, Nagato, you see…”

“……”

With Asahina-san clad in such an outfit, I don’t think the “She’s her identical twin!” story would fool anyone, never mind Nagato.

“This is another Asahina-san.”

“I know.”

Nagato said without looking the least bit shocked.

“O-oh, that’s right, I’ve introduced her to you before!”

“E-Erm…”

“……”

“I’m sorry. Really sorry.”

Why was the librarian looking at me, who was sandwiched between an apologizing Asahina-san and an ice-cold Nagato, with such weird eyes? I doubt I’ll forget them even after three days. What was she thinking?

Ten seconds later, Nagato said,

“Is that so?”

I looked at Nagato, as her chin drooped down that millionth of a centimetre for a split second. It seemed that she had approved.

I took this opportunity to briefly explain what I had to do. “I have to head somewhere with this Asahina-san to accomplish something important. After we’re done, I’ll be back for you. Can you wait here?”

“I’ll wait for you,” was all she said, as if understanding my current situation.

After watching Nagato return a book that was as thick as my pillow back to a crammed bookshelf, I turned towards Asahina-san and said,

“Let’s go, Asahina-san.”

I once again turned back to see Nagato disappear within the bookshelves. The clock on the wall read two o’clock.

“… … Erm… Kyon-kun…” Asahina-san said with a tone that suggested she was having great difficulty getting her words out, “You brought Nagato-san here without telling her anything, did you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I had completely forgotten about that.”

“No… That’s not it…” Asahina-san said as she shook her head.

“Nagato-san is probably angry at you now.”

Huh? I’m sorry, but how do you put it? From the tone of her voice, it seemed that even Asahina-san was angry at me now! No, that’s not it. Nagato wouldn’t be angry at someone --- Gah, I give up. A sigh escaped my lips.

“I don’t really care, but… Kyon-kun, you have to apologize to Nagato-san after we’re done, okay?”

Asahina-san put her ‘senpai’ charm to full use as she made that statement. After that, as we left the library, Asahina-san glanced at the road without saying anything, leaving a very confused me behind.

Where should we go now, and what should we do, you ask? It would seem that the only logical course of action is to follow the instructions on the letter in my pocket.

As the wind blew through the trees, we both walked in silence. Did my body feel cold due to the coldness of winter? Or was it due to me walking beside Asahina-san and still managing to find time to read every single house number plate we passed by, instead of attempting to talk to her? From Asahina-san’s footsteps, I could tell that she too was pretty anxious.

We were almost at our destination, as the aforementioned bridge loomed close.

I read the letter one last time, confirming that we were at the right bridge. As Asahina-san and I stopped before the bridge, we were amazed by the entire array of blooming flowers.

The flowers were extremely pretty, making the flowers that grew on the path up to North High look like a joke. These were the flowers that bloomed despite the harshness of the winter, and deep inside my heart, I felt proud of them. Some had even blossomed completely, making me wonder if I were to search in this large, 10 meter flower patch, would I end up like yesterday, with nothing much save a face full of dirt?

Careful not to let the wind carry the letter away, I read it again.

“We have to find it within…”

If we were to search every nook and corner of this flower patch, it would be really time consuming, and I hadn’t taken that time into account.

“No, I don’t think it’ll take much time at all,”

Asahina-san said as she pointed at one corner of the flower patch.

“There’s only one area where purple common stock grow.”

I felt highly embarrassed for not even knowing the common name of flowers. As I peered in the direction Asahina-san pointed, all I could see were some small bluish flowers waving in the wind.

“Those yellow flowers are Pheasant's Eyes, while the violet ones there are Persian Violets. As for those, erm, I think they’re Hairy Violets.”

I was shocked, and greatly impressed, by Asahina-san’s knowledge of flowers.

“While attending class here, I learned a lot of things. One of them was about botany and the names of flowers.”

I’m saved then. Yesterday’s treasure hunt was like looking for needles in a haystack. At least now I know specifically where to look.

“Please be careful not to tread on the flowers.”

I took Asahina-san’s request seriously, and proceeded with care towards the patch of common stock. It seemed that Asahina-san cared deeply about these flowers which bloomed in the winter. I peered down from above the patch of flowers.

The letter asked for a transmitter, which would be present here. Purging all doubt from my mind, I began looking. If time travelers from the future said it would be here, then it would definitely be here. If it weren’t for that fact, what I was doing was no different from a servant following his master’s order.

Asahina-san looked at me from the side, as I dived into the patch of common stock, and cautiously turned every stem and leaf. Although there weren’t many cars or people who passed by this place, if someone else saw me, I wouldn’t blame them for thinking that I was ruining the flower patch. All I hoped for while searching in the flower patch was for a patrol car to not pass by.

And so, thirty minutes passed. I brushed off the dirt on my fingertips on my pants, and proceeded to wipe off my sweat with the back of my hand.

That’s strange.

I couldn’t find anything, even after inspecting every single common stock growing there. I even took the liberty of searching beneath the Persian Violets and Hairy Violets.

But aside from rocks, I couldn’t find anything that was man-made, never mind a future transmitter.

While I was searching, Asahina-san also joined me in my search, just in case I missed a spot. However, even with four eyes searching, we still couldn’t find anything.

“What’s going on……?” If we didn’t find anything here, Asahina-san (Big) would have surely known of it, no? Since Asahina-san (Michiru) had been searching by my side all this time, it was impossible that Asahina-san (Big) didn’t know about it. There would be no meaning to sending me that letter then.

“What should we do, Kyon-kun?”

Asahina-san looked at me as if she were about to burst into tears any moment now.

“If we don’t find it, it’ll be very troublesome for us. The first of the secret commands was the harshest, stating that it was crucial I find the device. If I don’t do so accordingly…”

Asahina-san’s scarf had already loosened, but she paid no attention to it, or should I say, she didn’t even notice. The look on her face was even more terrified than when she had encountered Nagato with me in the library, and upon seeing her face, I began to panic. Just as I was about to search the flowerbeds again, someone called out from behind my back --- “Is this what you’re looking for?”

The voice definitely didn’t come from someone I knew. It was deep and hoarse, and before I knew it, I had already spun around. Sometimes, the body does react faster than the mind. I stretched both my arms open, as if protecting Asahina-san behind my back, and looked at the source of the voice.

The voice came from someone who was positioned roughly five or six steps away from me. He was almost the same height as I was, and his face was of a complete stranger's. Although it was the first time we had met, I knew that deep down something was wrong with him. He had an extremely detestable face, one that made you hate him even though you had just met him moments ago.

The stranger held up a board-shaped object by his fingertips, as if picking up something dirty. It was jet black, and resembled the object from the drawings.

The stranger held up a board-shaped object by his fingertips, as if picking up something dirty. It was jet black, and resembled the object from the drawings.

“It looks so boring, waddling in the flowerbeds just for the sake of that girl’s future. I wouldn’t do it if I were you.”

The stranger’s lips curled upwards slightly. Even though I’m pretty dim, I knew that he was making fun of me.

“You’re a strange guy.”

He said as his looked at me with disrespectful eyes.

“I don’t know why are you wasting your time doing useless stuff like this. Don’t you have other, better things to do?”

Due to my experiences this last year, I had developed a sixth sense capable of detecting danger, and right now it told me that things weren’t too good.

Come to think of it, what good was sensing danger if all I would do was smile and think “Oh this is bad”? Now that I had identified the danger, it was time to think of a suitable course of action.

As expected, I couldn’t think of any. There was no choice, then. The only thing I could do was ask, “Erm, where did you get that from?”

Upon hearing my question, the stranger snickered. “Oh, in that flowerbed you’re standing on, before you guys arrived. It was pretty obvious, and all I had to do was walk over there and pick it up.”

“Give it to me.” I said trying to look as fierce as possible. However, the stranger merely laughed at my feeble attempt.

“Why should I give you something that isn’t even yours? Aren’t we supposed to hand lost items like this to the police?”

“Why don't I send it over, or even better, why don't you just give it to me for safekeeping. I’ll hand it back to its original owner for you. Isn’t that even better?”

“Hmm…” The stranger said as he sneered.

“Do you think the owner’s address is written on that letter you have there? How can you be sure? Did you ask that alien friend of yours?”

This guy knows about Nagato? No, wait. How did he know about the letter in the first place? I’m sure the only ones who have seen it are Asahina-san and me!

This can only mean one thing. This guy…

Behind me, Asahina-san had grabbed my wrists and was slowly shaking them. Without turning back, I asked the panicking Asahina-san:

“Do you know this guy, Asahina-san?”

“No…” Asahina-san said while shaking her head. “I haven’t even met him before… I know no such person…”

“It doesn’t matter who I am. It’s not like I’m going to eat the both of you up anyways, although I would greatly like to do so.”

I was getting bad vibes from this guy. His smile was more of a grimace, one that I had never seen on even Koizumi’s face before. From his detestable face and annoying smile, I could clearly feel a sense of malevolence coming from him.

What should I do? Should I fight for the transmitter? If this guy wasn’t a normal human, there was almost no way I could defeat him, even if Asahina-san and I were to attack him two versus one. I should have brought Nagato along, damn it!

I clenched my fists, as two thoughts raced through my brain. Should I fight, or should I call for reinforcements?

“Hmph.”

The stranger’s smile vanished off his face, and was replaced by a look of extreme boredom. With a flick of his finger, he flicked the transmitter towards me, as the small, black, board-like item traveled through the air in a trajectory course. Before it landed on the ground, I quickly shot forward to catch it.

“Take it then. It’s something I have to do after all. Do as you wish with it, and you can follow those silly orders for all I care. Continue to do as the time travelers tell you to, if you really want to.”

I looked at the object in my arms, which resembled a digital camera’s memory card, albeit one which I had never seen before. I couldn’t tell if it was dirty after being placed in the flowerbed, or if that was its original color.

Ah, whatever. Most importantly, it was safely in my hands right now. The thing which I had to worry about was this guy before us now.

“Who the heck are you, and how did you know we would be here?”

“Hmph.”

The guy’s sneer became more apparent.

“Aren’t you the same? What are you doing here? Why have you come all the way here? Why? Aren’t I supposed to ask you that first?”

Seeing someone who was roughly of the same age as I behave so arrogantly made my anger boil. However, I knew that I couldn’t let my anger get the best of me. Now was not the time to do things according to my own feelings.

Plus, Asahina-san was tightly hugging me, apparently very much intimidated by the stranger.

“The person you should be questioning isn’t me.”

The stranger said, as his gaze fell onto the figure by my side.

“Isn’t that so? Asahina Mikuru?”

I tightly held Asahina-san’s hand, as she continued to clutch onto my jacket.

“W-what do you mean? I d-don’t know you… Where have you…”

The stranger’s smile turned into a frown.

“I see… It’s your first time meeting me eh. Treat this as ‘Nice to meet you’ then. But to me, I’ve already met you several times now. You get what I mean? Asahina Mikuru.”

I never loathed someone so much in my life before, as I found myself being pushed to the limits. From the malice in this guy’s eyes, it was obvious that he viewed Asahina-san as his enemy.

I may be mistaken, but I definitely felt that he was human. I’ve never met someone who so openly showed his animosity before. I never liked him from the first time I saw him, and it seemed that he had no intentions of hiding his hatred either, as he openly made snide remarks. I hate these type of characters, and I was sure Haruhi did too.

“If you have anything you want to say, just spit it out.”

Whenever someone suspicious appeared before me, I would find myself toughening up. The only person I would allow to babble such crap would be Koizumi. I continued, as my voice became firm, “If there’s anything you need from me, just say it out loud. Do you need me to relay a message to Haruhi? Or how about I introduce you to her, huh?”

“There’s no need for me to meet with Suzumiya Haruhi.”

Upon hearing his reply, I was initially shocked, but quickly got over it. I thought that this guy had some business with Haruhi. Apparently I was wrong.

“I am different from Asahina Mikuru,”

The stranger said as he shifted his eyes, gazing at the time traveler of the SOS Brigade, then shifting them towards me.

“You should think twice before following her orders so blindly. Reality is not just bound to you only. The same rules used to apply to me. That memory chip is an important artifact to the future. As long as you picked it up with your own hands, the future will not change no matter who obtains it. Isn’t that so?”

No, I’m afraid I don’t agree. I’ve been following my schedule pretty tightly until now, and that schedule clearly doesn’t state the appearance of a stranger like you.

“You’re pretty dim, aren’t you? Don’t you get it? What you’re doing won’t make much difference. Why am I here, you ask? Well, what do you think I’m here for?”

“How the hell would I know,” I responded without thinking. I’m sorry, but I’m not the one who usually does the thinking in the SOS Brigade. If you want a detailed deduction, I’ll just have to refer you to our Vice-Commander instead.

“I decline, seeing as I don’t plan to do so.”

What a cold answer. The stranger retreated, as if being carried by the wind. “The only reason I’m here today is to meet you and play with you. It’s a predetermined event, anyway. I’m not sure which future agenda you follow, but the one thing we time travelers must all adhere to is the prohibition of interfering with the past. Hmph!”

After saying what he had to say, the stranger turned and quickly left. Geez, what an impolite fellow. Not even bothered to introduce himself, all he did was show up and spout some nonsense only he would understand. For a moment I wondered if I should pursue him, but I decided to let it slide.

Asahina-san stood behind me like a statue, her hands were closed tightly around my wrists, and it seemed that she had sprouted roots for legs, as she stood there unmoving. All she did was gaze at the despicable fellow, as he turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

“Kyaa~”

As if losing all her strength, my petite senpai fell limp all of a sudden. I hurriedly supported her with my body. Asahina-san stuck to me, as if wanting to leech my body heat, but for some reason, I wasn’t the least bit happy.

“Asahina-san, do you really not recognize that fellow?”

I asked a wobbling Asahina-san, who had at least regained the strength to stand. “…… He’s probably… another time traveler…” Asahina-san said softly.

That was exactly what I thought. If I were to put it in words, I would say that he shared a similar aura with Asahina-san, and based on my skills of deduction, I had came to the same conclusion. However, I had absolutely no idea why had he come all the way to the past. He had specifically come to this area and picked up something important to us, and I don’t think his motive was to see me and Asahina-san crawl around in the flowerbeds for thirty minutes.

A new time traveler. One that held feelings of animosity towards Asahina-san.

For some reason, this thought made me shiver more than the freezing winter wind. Just like how there were different cosmic entities present, it seemed that time travelers had their different agendas. Call me paranoid, but I also suspected that Koizumi’s ‘Organization’ had some inner conflicts within it. What these factions had done up until now, I have no idea. All I knew was that they were beginning to step on the stage, slowly revealing themselves to us.

“So there are different types of time travelers after all…” I sighed. As if wanting to reply me, Asahina-san opened her mouth and said, “Erm… Well…” Unfortunately, that was all that she said, as she hurriedly shut it, before proceeding to open it again. Her eyes drooped low, as she said:

“I’m sorry, it’s classified information. Even if I wanted to tell you, I’m prohibited from doing so.”

Don’t worry, it’s fine with me. Don’t think of it too much.

“B-but… This is something important. That guy may just show up anytime again… And maybe even during unstable periods like this…”

Unstable?

“Yes, unstable. I’m supposed to be with Suzumiya-san in this current time period. Since he saw me here, it could have messed things up…”

That kinda makes sense.

I once again took out the crumpled letter from my pocket and began reading it. If, according to Asahina-san (Big), Asahina-san and I meeting with that guy was a predetermined event, the only way that would be possible, with Asahina-san (Mikuru) still being together with Haruhi and Koizumi would be to arrange for Asahina-san (Michiru) to be together with me when the event triggered.

The memory chip in my hand was probably covered in sweat right now. Although it seemed that luck was on our side, seeing that the stranger returned the chip to us, I felt that I had a pretty bad day today, running into someone like him. As I pocketed the object, I once again felt rage building up within me. Even though we had just parted, whenever I thought of that guy’s sneering face, I would be boiling all over. Someone who wanted to harm Asahina-san, and was even equipped with a pass to hop between the past, the present and the future, was way beyond my league. Even so, I definitely wouldn’t allow him to, and I’m sure Tsuruya-san wouldn’t either. Haruhi would probably never forgive him, and the same goes without saying for Nagato and Koizumi.

“Will we meet him again?”

“I suppose so.”

Asahina-san said so with terrified eyes, which were still darting around in fear, as if she was looking out for something. The only consolation for the day was that Asahina-san still didn’t notice she was clinging tightly onto my wrists.

“That person said something about a predetermined event… He must be similar to me. Furthermore…”

Asahina-san abruptly stopped, leaving her sentence hanging in midair. Classified information?

“Yeah.”

Asahina-san finally detached her body from mine.

“I’ve never seen such a bad guy before. What about you, Kyon-kun?”

No matter how I look at it, or how I think of it, he still drives me mad. I hated him for shouting at Asahina-san and me. It was bad enough to shout at me, but at Asahina-san too? Oh forget it, it’s probably the first time anyone has done so anyway. Nice to meet you? Nice my arse!

Since we wasted most of our time unintentionally destroying the flowerbeds and meeting up with that strange fellow, it was already three in the afternoon. Haruhi had requested that we meet at four. Even if I dragged Nagato from the library and brought her to the station, there would still be some time remaining. I couldn’t just let Asahina-san hail a cab all on her own seeing that the person driving the cab may very well be one of our enemies. At this thought, that sneering bastard’s face came into mind.

Even if my heart bleeds at my lost cash, I had no choice but to sit on the same cab with Asahina-san, and after leaving her at Tsuruya-san’s residence, board the same cab back to the library.

As I hailed down a cab and boarded it with Asahina-san, Asahina-san suddenly asked me: “Erm, what is Tsuruya-san’s house address again?”

“Erm, I’m not too sure myself. Which street was it on again?”

Hearing our conversation, the young driver turned back and told us politely: “Do you mean the big Tsuruya mansion? If that’s the case, you can leave everything to me.”

Wow, you’re great, Tsuruya-san. It was a good thing she was the only one with the Tsuruya surname in this area. This way, I would be able to save back on the costs of making a phone call.

The driver was a really talkative guy. He knew from a glance that we were high school students, and could even tell which grade we were in. He then proceeded to tell us about how his son was still an elementary school kid, and how he planned to send him to a well established private high school. Before we knew it, we had already arrived at Tsuruya-san’s mansion.

After getting out of the cab, Asahina-san repeatedly thanked me and the driver, before disappearing within the walls of Tsuruya-san’s house. This way, it would be impossible for some new time traveler to harm Asahina-san. You can rest assured, Asahina-san, knowing that you’ll at least have someone to rely on.

“Please head to the library.”

I said to the driver, my tightened spirit finally being able to relax a little.

After I reached the library, I found Nagato already standing by the front counter waiting for me. Standing upright while reading such a thick hardback, I really admired her for not feeling the least bit tired.

“Sorry for the wait.”

“It’s ok.”

Nagato shut the book with a dull thud, before returning the book, which better resembled a dictionary to me, to the topmost shelf. After that, she walked to my side, as we hurriedly headed for the exit.

Fumbling with my fingers, I finally managed to pull out the memory chip from my pocket.

“Nagato, do you know what this is?”

Nagato turned her head and looked at the memory chip in my fingers, not bothering to stop, as we headed out of the library.

While I was returning to the library just a while ago, I had phoned Nagato to tell her about the past happenings, including the letters in my shoe locker, and the sneering bastard.

“…… I see.”

Nagato nodded her head, without revealing a bit of emotion on her face, as she answered me in her usual monotonous voice.

“This is a broken memory chip. However, the data inside is still undamaged.”

As I looked at the chip again, I found that it was in fact broken in half. What was the use of it then, even though the data was preserved?

What kind of data is held within?

“Although the majority of the data is not lost, a major portion of it is nevertheless corrupted, and it seems that several crucial files have been either damaged or lost.”

So it contains something even Nagato has no idea about. If Nagato didn’t know about it, no human possibly would. I wondered who I was supposed to mail this to. Was he even human?

“Data restoration in progress. Attempting to replicate and substitute lost or damaged data with similar hits.” Nagato said, suggesting that she had already scanned the entire contents of the memory chip and was currently attempting to restore it to how it was before.

“Inferences can be formed.”

“This memory chip contains a myriad of damaged data. However, there are also two hundred and eighteen pieces of different data that has been recently input. This memory chip is meant to be inserted in a transmitter. If played in correct sequence, it is possible to formulate a basic theory.”

As I was about to ask Nagato what was she saying, Nagato said simply:

“Something that Asahina Mikuru is currently using: The basic foundation of time travel.”

“However...” Nagato continued

Even if someone obtained the data, based on our current level of technology, it would be impossible to deduce what the data meant. Although it is still insufficient for someone to formulate the basic theories of time travel based on it, it is crucial to time travel. Without it, it would be impossible for humans to travel through time. This chip contained the basic foundations for time travel, including the correct method to move through time planes and the sort.

“Can someone come to this conclusion based on this memory chip?”

“Yes.” Nagato replied emotionlessly, without slowing her pace. Since she didn’t, I obviously couldn’t either. Although I suddenly had an overwhelming desire to hand the memory chip to her, seeing that it was a crucial thread of the time travelers’ fate, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“Of course, it could be a decoy.”

Since Nagato was the least likely to joke about such things, I took it seriously.

“This is not the only one. There must be other copies somewhere.”

Come to think about it, that kinda makes sense. Who in their right minds would leave something important like this in the hands of someone who just happened to pick it up? This was probably a decoy, whereas the real chip was already being ferried safely to who-knows-where. Asahina-san (Big)’s smiling face, with an eye closed and her index finger by her lips, suddenly surfaced in my mind. However, knowing Asahina-san (Big), she could have had some difficulties in doing that, and as such secretly sent me to do it for her.

“Oh, one more thing, Nagato.”

I said as I hurried to catch up to the short haired silhouette.

“Sorry for today.”

I’m sure Nagato’s footsteps slowed down, as she lifted her head and looked at me.

“It’s my fault for not telling you I would bring Asahina-san along today when I called you last night. Asking someone for help without explaining things clearly to them, how would I have felt if someone had done the same to me?”

Nagato looked at me without saying anything, as if I was being interrogated by those cold eyes. After walking about ten steps, I surrendered.

“Asahina-san told me to apologize to you. I’m sorry.”

“……Is that so?”

Nagato said as she looked at the road before her once again, and continued walking. About 5 seconds later, she said again:

“Is that so?”

Just outside the train station, Haruhi and Asahina-san looked like tired puppies, as they leaned on each other for support. Koizumi stood beside them, once again with a smile on his face.

After we had all gathered, it was time to report our findings of the day, as we entered the familiar coffee shop. Of course, the reports were always the same ever since last year. Although I did meet some strange guy, I didn’t tell Haruhi about him. Fortunately, “I didn’t discover anything strange or mysterious” didn’t warrant a scowl from Haruhi this time, which was something I was relatively new to.

“It’s fine, days like this are bound to happen anyway.”

I’d like to know what would happen other than days like this.

Seeing the way Haruhi drank her cup of Cappuccino, I could tell that she is in a pretty good mood. “Let’s meet up again tomorrow. Those mysterious events are bound to not expect us looking for them for two days straight, and as such may let their guard down! I can feel something exciting happening tomorrow, like running into something paranormal just around the corner!”

For some reason, I suddenly recalled that incident where Asahina-san and I were shouted at by some stranger from behind. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that he had been monitoring us for some time then, and upon thinking about this, my glass of milkshake seemed to abruptly turn into a glass of black coffee. Just you wait, you sneering bastard! The next time I see you, I’ll bring you straight to Nagato or Haruhi, and let you feel their wrath!

I wonder if I really had a pained expression on my face, for Haruhi continuously looked at me, as if wanting to say something, but lacked the courage to say it. In the end, she didn’t do anything, other than reveal an unfathomable smile.

“So, we meet again tomorrow, understand? I believe that if we change the day, the situation will change too. If we keep sticking to the same schedule, wouldn’t that be boring? I have a feeling that mysterious things are easier to find on Sunday. Maybe it’s because Sunday gives you the impression that it’s meant for lazing off, which is something those mysterious things may be doing! Just like how I feel that I won’t be so friendly on Monday, I’m sure mysterious things will be lazing about on Sunday! I’m sure of it!”

So did that mean Haruhi’s mood was set according to what day it was? Oh well, it’s not like I’ll be able to get any rest tomorrow, seeing that we’d be having yet another city-wide search. But what am I fretting about, didn’t Asahina-san (Michiru) already tell me this before? The only thing that soothed my heart was Asahina-san giggling, as she talked to Haruhi about something.

“That’s all for today.”

Haruhi then gave us the command to dismiss, before reminding us to meet up again tomorrow.

I certainly had lots of things to think about today.

As I rode back home on my bike, various thoughts raced through my mind, from the things Koizumi said to me in the morning, to the two Asahina-sans; from the chattering, unknown stranger, to Nagato’s expressionless face, and last but not least, Haruhi’s bemused expression in the coffee shop. For one who had never been settled on by so many worries before, this was certainly a plague of troubles. But of course, I wasn’t someone who would let his worries get ahead of him. I still had things to do, I reminded myself, as I trudged through the snow towards the convenience store.

After purchasing an envelope and some stamps, I headed towards the shopping mall.

I entered the pet shop, and began looking at the different dogs and cats present there. Unlike Shamisen, these animals were of pure breed, and I found myself strangely fascinated by them. As I tried my best to pull myself away from the urge to purchase one of them, I dragged my body towards the turtle counter, and found out that the Chinese Box Turtle was pretty close with the Golden Coin Turtle. If possible, I would like to bring Asahina-san here one day. I could picture her picking up one of those adorable puppies, her eyes sparkling in the process, as she made a shout of “Kyaa~”. That was something I had seen my sister do before, and I had no doubt Asahina-san would be the same.

I lowered my gaze back at the counter, and began thinking, “Which one should I buy?” The turtles there were basically hunched together and resembled unmoving rocks. Each seemed to be fond of another, and I found it hard to separate them. I know that many people liked turtles, but sometimes I wonder if I really imagine too much. However, seeing that I was about to fling one of these poor guys into a freezing cold river tomorrow, I began questioning myself, which would they prefer? Being trapped in a small and crowded place like this, or set into the free but punishing wild?

As if realizing I was staring at him, one of the golden coin turtles quickly turned away and attempted to escape. However, maybe it was due to his poor balancing, he stumbled and fell into the water. Being in the cold water was probably an unpleasant thing for him though, as he quickly climbed back out to the safety of the land.

Alright, it’s you then.

I quickly motioned for the shop assistant and pointed at that turtle, before telling her that I wished to purchased it. The shop assistant, whom I have no idea if she’s only working here or is this her family’s business, revealed a huge smile on her face, and quickly went to fetch a tank. After that, she began teaching me how to take care of turtles, what to feed them, etcetera. To tell you the truth, all of that didn’t matter to me, since all I wanted to do was fling this poor guy into the river. But seeing her explain to me so patiently, I had no idea what I was supposed to say. When she asked me why I wanted to buy a turtle for a pet, I had wanted to tell her that it was something I couldn’t tell her, something secret, something classified.

In the end, as I tried to make up a suitable explanation as to why I had wanted to buy a turtle, the shop assistant had already decorated the tank with several marbles, filled it with water, picked up the golden coin turtle, and placed him gently into the tank. “This comes free with the turtle,” she said to me, smiling.

She was smiling as she led me all the way to the cash register. She must really like turtles.

“If there’s anything you would like to know about turtles, you can come and find me anytime.”

After that, I paid for the turtle, since the tank and turtle pellets came free with the turtle. I felt sorry for the turtle, who would most likely be thrown into the river tomorrow. Too bad, buddy. That’s fate for you.

As I felt a slight pain in my chest, I carried the tank out of the shopping mall, placed it into the basket in front of my bicycle, and started pedaling. Even though it was already dark, I couldn’t go home yet. There was somewhere else I had to go first.

“Hi, Kyon-kun! I knew you would come today! Good evening!”

Even though stars were shining in the sky, Tsuruya-san radiated a certain aura that made her stand out from them, as she opened her front door. I decided to park my bike inside Tsuruya-san’s mansion this time.

“Huh? What’s this? A souvenir?” Tsuruya-san said as her gaze fell upon the tank in my bicycle’s basket. “Oh, it’s a turtle, a turtle! Do you have them in your backyard too? I used to rear some in my pond, but then later felt sorry for them and released them into the wild!”

That’s too bad Tsuruya-san, but this turtle isn’t a present for you. It’s something I got for Asahina-san to keep her company.

“Oh, that’s too bad, Kyon-kun. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to accompany Michiru-chan to the library today. Something important came up, you see.”

I parked my bike into Tsuruya-san’s front yard, before proceeding to take the tank out from the basket. I then asked Tsuruya-san:

“You had something to do again today?”

“Yea, we had to pay respects to one of my dead ancestors. This time, it was my father’s grandfather, as my various aunts and uncles talked about the old times before his grave. However, from what I heard, he used to be a really fun and jolly man. All of them looked as if they were enjoying themselves by recalling the good old days!”

Tsuruya-san had always loved to talk, and this time was no exception.

“Did anything worrisome happen to Michiru-chan? If you’re really that worried, why don’t you stay here for the night? I’ll be sleeping beside you too! Wouldn’t you like that ~nyoro?”

Tsuruya-san said this without looking the slightest bit nervous. She was like Cinderella asking her fairy godmother for a dress; asking me at my moment of weakness. Such simple traps won’t work on me, Tsuruya-san, and it seemed that Tsuruya-san understood that too. There was no way she would have said something like that otherwise.

“No thanks.”

I’m sure Tsuruya-san understood what I meant. Even if I agreed, I’m sure that being sandwiched in between two ravishing upperclassmen would probably derive me of all sleep. I’m tired enough, thank you. I don’t want another sleepless night.

Perhaps due to the cold weather, the golden coin turtle had withdrawn itself into its shell, and was hunched in a corner. Compared to throwing it into the freezing cold river, I would have preferred to let it live in Tsuruya-san’s pond, but alas, there was no way I could ignore Asahina-san (Big)’s order.

“K-Kyon-kun?”

Just as I was about to enter her room, I heard Asahina-san gently call my name, as she came out to greet me. There’s no way I would come for a visit after we’ve just barely parted. It’s just because I forgot to give you something that I came back to hand it to you.

Handing the tank to Asahina-san, I said, “Can you please bring this along with you tomorrow?” Hopefully she still remembered the contents of letter #4: “Tomorrow, please throw this turtle into the river before 10.50 am.” This was the last task I had to accomplish with Asahina-san. Tomorrow, we would all meet again for a city-wide search at 9. After that, we would head to the coffee shop, have breakfast, and draw lots again. This would take presumably an hour. If Asahina-san could bring the turtle to the river for me, it would save me much time and energy. Plus, if I brought this to the station, Haruhi and the others would probably ask me what was I up to.

“Erm, yeah, that’s it…” Asahina-san said as she took the tank from me. “Kyon-kun didn’t bring anything to the meeting on Sunday either.”

For a moment I thought I heard a dry cough. I turned, only to see Tsuruya-san place some snacks on the table, before closing her eyes, as if saying ‘I didn’t hear anything’.

“Do you need me to send Michiru-chan there tomorrow?”

“Are you fine with that?”

After hearing my counter-question, Tsuruya-san answered coolly: “Ahaha~ I happen to have more family affairs tomorrow, so I’m afraid I can’t send her there in person. But don’t worry. I’ll have someone drive Michiru-chan there, okay? Just tell me what time you wish for.”

“10.45 am tomorrow, near the riverbank where cherry-blossom trees grow. Asahina-san knows about the place, too. Thanks a lot.”

Provided Asahina-san doesn’t contract amnesia, she should remember the bench by the cherry-blossom trees.

“OK, you can leave it all to me! You can hail a cab if you want to come back!” Tsuruya-san said as she beat her chest proudly.

“I understand your feelings Kyon-kun. Choosing not to stroll by the busy streets, where you would meet obstacles every 200 meters, that’s a wise choice! You should feel happy about this, Michiru-chan!”

I felt that Tsuruya-san was the only one feeling happy about this.

“I think Michiru already has a crush on someone. I’m kinda worried about her, since she’s so naïve and all. Now if I knew who the person was, and if he was a good guy or not, then I would be greatly relieved.”

Upon hearing that statement, I felt uneasy. I think about those things everyday. Every single day.

“Ahaha~ Isn’t there any way to make Kyon-kun calm down?”

Even though I wanted to say “There is,” I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Asahina-san was already blushing furiously, apparently embarrassed by Tsuruya-san’s words, as she twirled her fingers in her lap. I had decided long ago to protect Asahina-san, not only the Asahina-san who currently resided in my time plane, but all other Asahina-sans. I don’t care what happens to me then. Apparently, Tsuruya-san knew of this too.

This is the turtle we’re going to use tomorrow. That was what ran through my mind, as I looked at Asahina-san, hoping to relay that message to her, while silently gulping down Tsuruya-san’s tea. Asahina-san looked at the turtle swimming around in the tank, and let out a series of soft giggles. Would this Asahina-san remain here forever? If things continue on like this, Asahina-san (Small) will be dragged in this too. Eight days --- No wait, three days now --- later, would I really have to send Asahina-san (small) back to the past?

Thinking about this, I suddenly thought of the series of letters I had been receiving recently - #3, #4 and #6. Why had #6 suddenly pop up behind #4? By now, I had no doubt that this was not a printing error. #5 must be out there somewhere. It was only that I hadn’t received it yet.

I hadn’t told Asahina-san about letter #6 yet, simply because it had specifically told me to keep it a secret from Asahina-san. “When everything is over, please head over to the bench where you and I met during the festival of Tanabata. I’ll be waiting.”

I was grateful that Tsuruya-san had served me a cup of expensive tea, and that she didn’t ask me anything about the turtle. As I looked at both of my upperclassmen, I began thinking, what did ‘when everything is over’ mean? Was it when Asahina-san (small) was sent to the past, thus completing the cycle? It was, after all, a predetermined event for Asahina-san (Big). Does it mean that I get to see her when I finish cleaning up this mess?

‘You and I’ was a no brainer. The ‘I’ in question was without a doubt Asahina-san. During the Tanabata festival four years ago, I had met the same person twice, though they were different version of me.

My heart jumped as I thought about this. When could I reveal all of this to Asahina-san? The day I tell Asahina-san ‘Actually, it was your future self who put those letters in my shoe locker’, was it a predetermined event too?

Besides, just how much could I reveal to this current Asahina-san? From the orders I had received from the future, all I had been doing so far was make Asahina-san commit crimes together with me. Was this the right thing to do?

I shook my head lightly. It doesn’t matter now, does it? Besides, I wasn’t used to thinking. Is this an aftereffect of meeting that strange guy?

Nagato’s words suddenly rang in my mind – There is no such thing as a win-win situation. There was no point worrying about the future. It is my duty and responsibility to shape my own future. Sometimes, I would curse my past self for making stupid mistakes, but I would never curse my future self. All I have done is do what I had to do, leaving everything for time to decide. That was the only thing I could do.

It was my future, after all.

After staying at Tsuruya-san’s house for a little longer, I got on my bike and pedaled back home. Upon returning home, I found Shamisen sleeping peacefully on my bed. The only time he would look so peaceful was when he was sleeping. How I envy him. I don’t think even a world plunged into chaos would prevent Shamisen from sleeping peacefully.

“Everything depends on tomorrow…”

Tomorrow we begin part two of Haruhi’s exclusive two-day city wide search and commence the releasing of the turtle. I had done all necessary preparations, and there was nothing else I could do now. I had searched for buried treasure, dug holes, sent unknown people to the hospital, moved rocks, and even mailed memory chips --- Oh wait, that’s something I haven’t done yet. Best get it done before I forget again.

Using the envelope I had bought from the convenience store, I copied the address from letter #3, inserted the broken memory chip, sealed it tight, and attached some stamps. After that, I once again put on my jacket and headed out. Oh, and of course I didn’t put my address on the back of the envelope.

After cycling all the way to the post office and depositing it into the mailbox, I silently prayed that nothing would happen to it while it was being mailed. I don’t want to have another matter to worry about, Asahina-san (Big). Everything should have a smooth start, and a good end. Now that the end was near, I hoped that nothing happened, from now onwards, up until I met Asahina-san (Big) when everything was over, at the bench of the Tanabata Festival.

END OF CHAPTER 5