Suzumiya Haruhi:Volume7 Epilogue
From Baka-Tsuki
Epilogue
The next day, after just making it to school on time I barged into the classroom, and ignoring Taniguchi looking grumpy and Kunikida chatting with other classmates, I sat down and began flirting with the person behind me,
"Hey, how's it going?"
"I'm fine, of course!"
Has Haruhi's gentle cat-smile, an indicator of her being up to no good, returned? Whoa! She didn't even look at me when she made that grin. Looks like she's the sort that would change moods after sleeping for one night.
When the first bell rang, Haruhi stretched her neck from behind and whispered to my ear,
"Kyon, I'm warning you, don't go around talking about what happened yesterday. Especially not to Taniguchi. This has got be kept a secret at all costs, or else it'll be so embarra......ahem, anyway just don't go around announcing it. Gifts are best cherished."
What the hell you talking about? Once something has entered my pocket, don't even think of wanting it back, especially when it comes to food!
"Who says I'm asking you to return it? What are you getting so uptight for? If I wanted it back, I wouldn't have given it to you in the first place. Anyway, we're gonna be busy after school, so be prepared."
Roger that. Actually, I haven't been able to relax today, as I've got to send today's Asahina-san back to eight days ago as well as receive the Asahina-san traveling from two days ago. Only then would this long week come to a close.
During lunch that day, Tsuruya-san came to the classroom to look for me. It was good that Haruhi, who rarely brings a boxed lunch, had gone to the canteen. I put down my half-eaten boxed lunch and headed towards her as she yelled "Kyon-kun~!"
"Let's talk somewhere else,"
Tsuruya-san pulled my tie and dragged me towards the staircase before stopping just next to the door leading towards the roof. Haruhi had also brought me to this dark staircase, with all sorts of arts and crafts scattered about as before.
"I'll cut to the chase,"
Tsuruya-san smiled cautiously and took out a stack of photos from her pocket.
"Kyon-kun, just how did you know there was something buried there? That totally took me by surprise, you know."
You actually found something? So what did you find?
"Enough to surprise you!"
Tsuruya-san spread out the photos in a fan shape,
"The first surprise is, when I began digging, there really was a three-hundred-year-old pot down there coming out to say 'hi' to me!"
The photo she handed to me showed a pot with cracks all over, using a white wall as a background.
"Are you sure it's over three-hundred years?
"Absolutely sure! I even took it for some radiometric dating (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometric_dating), but it's what's inside that's even more amazing!"
The second photograph showed a crummy old piece of paper, with some words written in hiragana, but it still looked blurry to me. The only thing I could see clearly was a familiar picture of a mountain on the edge of the paper, with a small "X" written on it. No guesswork was required to figure out what the "X" was referring to in the plateau.
"This was really written by Tsuruya Yauemon, my great-great ancestor. The letter says 'I felt a bit uneasy after obtaining such a strange object, so I decided to bury it', it's dated at 15 Genroku."
Haruhi also mentioned something like that being written on her treasure map, but that was a copy, while this was the real thing.
"But this Yauemon-jisan sure is absent minded, burying the letter and the treasure together. How are we supposed to find it that way?"
Tsuruya-san smiled as she pointed to a third photo.
"What's this?"
As the object was within the frames of the photo, I had no idea how large it actually was. It looked like a metallic rod about ten centimeters long. The surface was still shining so brightly it didn't look like it had been buried for three-hundred years. Upon closer inspection, one could see lines that resembled circuit wires, spread all over like a spider web. The pattern looked irregular at first sight, yet it was elegantly symmetric. Was this really something made during the Edo period?
"We only found the letter and this in the pot! But here comes the problem, no one would believe that our ancestors' time capsule could contain with such a thing......"
Tsuruya-san enthusiastically waved the photos and said,
"Let me tell you, that thing is made of a titanium-cesium alloy!"
Now that was truly shocking, I should find Kunikida and tell him so I could freak myself out again.
"It's simply impossible to find the technology on earth three-hundred years ago to make such an alloy. The guy who helped me do the testing said if this was really from hundreds of years ago, then it either has to be an artifact from some super ancient civilization, or an item that a future time-traveler left before, or else it could be the fragment of an alien spaceship!"
......Please don't let it be from a super ancient civilization......
"But, doesn't this looks like a spare part for some object?"
Tsuruya-san studied the third photo and then smiled cheerfully towards me,
"So what do you think, Kyon-kun? Would you pick an alien or a time traveler?"
I was left speechless when her innocent face suddenly came up with such a question.
"It would be better for you to decide quickly!"
The mysterious object found inside the pot stamped with the seal of the Tsuruya clan was placed under safe-keeping at the Tsuruya residence. It was reassuring to see Tsuruya-san slapping her chest as she promised to take good care of it, but that's to be expected. The priority is to make sure Haruhi hears nothing about this, but to be honest, I've got a bad feeling about it. I hope things will never turn out that way, and truth be told, I don't want to think about it any more......
I just have a feeling this spare part would make itself useful one day.
I wonder if I've told Tsuruya-san about this too soon? Would it have been a better idea, not telling anyone as well as not digging it myself?
But could I do it? After realizing something amazing must be buried there, could I play dumb and pretend there's nothing there? My curiosity burns so strongly that if I see a word I don't understand, I search the internet until I find out everything about it.
Besides, Haruhi might have decided to go back and dig some more. So it was good for this mysterious device that it could return to the safe-keeping of Tsuruya clan. Should a day arrive when the people from the ancient civilization, time travelers, or aliens would appear to claim the device back, judging from Haruhi's behaviour, she would certainly tell them to go to hell. I never want her to see such an object, because those people would probably disguise their identities just as Asahina-san and Nagato have. Instead of traveling back to the past to keep the present intact, it's better to do my best to take precautions against any unforeseen events in the future, since the present is where I reside, after all.
After parting ways with Tsuruya-san and returning to the classroom, I found Haruhi munching on my boxed lunch.
"Hey! That's mine!"
"Of course, I know that! I wouldn't eat a stranger's boxed lunch."
That doesn't mean you should eat the boxed lunch of someone you know! Spit it out!
"Let's leave that aside for now,"
Haruhi placed the chopsticks into the empty boxed lunch and shoved it over, while looking at me with a strange expression,
"What's with that gross expression, just what're you grinning at?"
Grinning? You tell me why on earth I would grin. Touching my face, I realized Haruhi was telling the truth, the muscles on my face must have been either relaxed or contorted.
"Freak."
After making such a rude remark, Haruhi turned her head away. Her silky hair waved along and revealed her tiny ears.
At this point I suddenly understood something.
The reason why I'm unconsciously grinning. I wonder how I could still grin after going through so much this past week. Aside from having to spend time with the other Asahina-san, a new group of time-travelers and another esper organization have appeared, trying to cause all sorts of mischief like kidnapping Asahina-san. I won't be seeing the last of them, not to mention a rival alien faction could stick their heads in as well. To add insult to injury, a mysterious device was dug up on the hill. It just isn't the time to grin like an idiot.
Anyone who thinks that way is a simplistic idiot, and I have no intention of becoming one. That's right, by now I've realized this point, which was why I didn't keep such an uptight expression.
To date I've already experienced plenty of unfortunate events, and it will probably go on this way. However, I don't seem to be fazed by it all; in fact, I now feel that no matter what comes my way, they could bring it on.
Was it because I didn't give a damn about them? The wave would be imminent, but I won't be alone! I would have Nagato, Koizumi and Asahina-san by my side supporting me, while Haruhi would place her hands on her waist and sit in front of me with her legs crossed, and Tsuruya-san would stand behind me laughing all the way. I don't care whether you're an ally, a foe, a neutral or just have a common interest with us, so bring it on!
I closed the lid on the boxed lunch Haruhi handed me, and covered it with a handkerchief before placing it in my bag.
Calling me a freak, aren't you looking just as freakish with that expression of yours? Did I really look weird just now?
"Hey, Haruhi,"
"What?"
I said to Haruhi, who had wrinkles on her forehead,
"The future of the SOS Brigade depends on you."
Haruhi looked stunned for a while,
"Of course it does!"
Her lips instantly formed a grin as she shouted,
"I founded this brigade, after all!"
After school, thinking that my work would be done once I had arranged for the two Asahina-sans to switch places, I had nearly forgotten about the "favor" Haruhi asked me to be ready for earlier this morning. Well, I didn't exactly forget, it's just that this activity was much bigger than I had expected.
First, Haruhi said she was planning to hold a lottery using Amidakuji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amidakuji), with Asahina-san dressed as a miko while giving out the prize to the winner; then the drawing point of this contest turned out to be......
"The SOS Brigade's Belated Asahina Mikuru Handmade Valentine's Day Chocolate Amidakuji Contest! Admission is 500 yen each!"
When I think of Haruhi carrying her loudspeaker and making her presence known everywhere, I shudder as I am reminded of how naively stupid I had been.
At the Belated Asahina-san Handmade Valentine's Day Chocolate Amidakuji Contest, the papers used for drawing lots were as long as a large scroll. Though the admission fee was a whopping 500 yen, I can imagine everyone fighting to get in the front of the line as we cheerfully watch our income grow rapidly to a five digit sum. Besides Koizumi's and mine, it seems Asahina-san had made a third obligatory chocolate as well for this occasion. Like hell I was going to donate my chocolate cake for this god-forsaken contest anyway.
"Actually, Nagato-san was the one who helped out in everything......"
Dressed in a miko attire suitable for any time period if she were to travel through time, Asahina-san stood on the grass field out at the courtyard and spoke apologetically to me. Once home room session was over, Haruhi had gone and dragged Asahina-san into the club room and forced her to put on that miko costume, though I have no idea how she obtained it. Looks like Haruhi was still feeling inspired about what I had incidentally said while throwing beans during Setsubun.
Under Haruhi's barked orders, Koizumi and I carried the long table from the club room downstairs and placed it on the grass field outside. Haruhi then held up her loudspeaker and began to make her move, while Nagato was assigned the task of cashier.
Very quickly, the male students began to swarm the courtyard like zombies attracted by fresh meat. The atmosphere was so surreal one can't help but worry about the state this country was headed to. When I saw that even Taniguchi and Kunikida were amongst the crowd, I began to worry about the future of my classmates as well.
Using her loudspeaker, Haruhi began to organize the crowd which was largely guys with a few girls scattered around,
"If you want to participate, line up here in front of Yuki! You'll be handed a number card once you've paid your 500 yen. Once you have the card, head to Koizumi-kun, where he'll write your number in your preferred slot as well as draw as many horizontal lines wherever you like!"
As Nagato efficiently dealt with the queue, Koizumi had to frantically draw lots of straight lines with a ruler on the large B4 paper. It seems he would need more than one piece of paper, as it looks like he'll be drawing hundreds of lines.
The number of papers that Koizumi had to cellotape together increased at the same pace as the number of times I turned to glance at my watch. Oh shit, at this rate, I'll never make it on time......
Asahina (Michiru)-san would return on 4:16PM, so I had to send this Asahina-san away by 4:15PM, not to mention the time needed for her to change back to her uniform first.
The minute hand had already gone past 4 o'clock, but Nagato still hadn't finished handing out the number cards, and Koizumi still had plenty of lines to draw.
Asahina-san stood by the side, holding the present box, her smile rather stiff for a mascot. Looks rather cold to cosplay as a miko at this time of year, doesn't it? But there's no point in wondering about these issues. As I was busy calculating how long it would take to change from a miko costume to a school uniform, the Amidakuji was finally complete. As expected, the papers used are together as long as a large scroll. It's certainly a scene to behold.
Haruhi casually picked up a pen and randomly picked one line out of dozens of them, and drew a heart shape at the bottom, she then added another bunch of horizontal lines.
"Now come! Only one can reach this heart and win the Valentine Chocolate handmade by Asahina! You'll definitely cry tears of joy if you win! We'll begin on the right side!"
It was already exhausting trying to trace which line the heart would reach from, but are you trying to kill me by wasting so much more time!? Though the odds of winning in one go are now very slim, Haruhi is sure putting a lot of effort into stirring up the atmosphere, but I really don't have much time for this!
Oblivious to my anxiety, Haruhi placed the portable hi-fi on the table and pressed the play button, a cheerful melody began to play. Orpheus in the Underworld? This isn't a sports fair, dammit! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orph%C3%A9e_aux_enfers It's common for Japanese schools to play this song during sports fairs. )
Looks like I've got to resort to desperate measures, I must have pretty good karma for Lady Luck to be sitting right by my side.
"I'm sorry, Nagato,"
I pretend to look at the coins and paper money stacked up like a hill inside the senbei box as I whisper softly to the ear of the cashier sitting on the chair beside the table,
"Please let this draw be over in one try, there's no time left!"
Nagato was staring straight at Asahina-san, shivering non-stop because of the cold wind, as she heard my prayer. She then turned to take a glance at me, and then silently stood up. Just before Haruhi began drawing lots from the right side with a red pen, Nagato quietly and elegantly adds one more line.
Ten minutes later, I was pulling Asahina-san's little hand and rushing towards the club room.
"Wah, Kyon-kun......! It hurts, what's going on?"
Even if it means having to drag Asahina-san and make her cry, I couldn't care less anymore, as there're only five minutes left!
"I'll explain everything to you afterwards, but we'll be in trouble if we don't hurry!"
I carried the tiny miko upper-classman and climbed up the stairs three steps at a time.
As expected from Nagato, the draw was over in just one draw. Seeing how the first student chosen had won the prize so effortlessly, besides being stunned, Haruhi and everyone else couldn't hide their disappointment. Well, there's only one winner after all, so don't take it personally, guys. Still keen on keeping the atmosphere on a high, Haruhi changed the background music this time to See, the Conqu'ring hero comes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Maccabaeus_%28oratorio%29) She then forcefully pulled the student who had card number 56 and made the student stand face to face with Asahina-san. By the way, the winner was a cute, curly-haired first-year girl - the way she looked shy and embarrassed sure was mesmerizing. Under a strange atmosphere, Asahina-san stiffly passed the chocolate to the girl, and under Haruhi's instruction, they both shook hands, at which point the crowd suddenly roared into a thunderous applause. I didn't understand what they were so joyous for. I still had to wait for Haruhi to take a photo of the two of them with a tripod camera she obtained from god-knows where. It's gonna be troublesome if this goes on any longer!
I quickly grabbed Asahina-san's hand before she even had a chance to say anything, and headed straight for the building complex without time to even come up with an excuse. Finally, we arrived at the door of the club room.
"Eh, where, wha......? Kyon-kun......?"
I can't really blame Asahina-san for looking so confused after being dragged to the club room so suddenly.
"Hurry up and change!"
I took her uniform hanging on the clothes rack and shoved it into her hands,
"Do it in three minutes, quickly!"
I don't know whether it's the tone of my voice or the terrifying look on my face, Asahina-san trembled as she nodded her head, but she made no sign of taking off her costume at all. Dammit! I might as well take it off for you! Just as I decided to do it anyway, her little white hand pointed towards the door.
"Um......"
"What now!?"
"Can you please go outside first?"
I spun out of the room in less than a second and began to look at my watch as I leaned against the closed door. The time was now 12 minutes 33 seconds.
"Asahina-san, are you done yet!?"
"......N, not yet!"
It's just that it was already anxious enough trying to make sure Haruhi wasn't chasing along, there was no time for me to daydream about the sound being made by the articles of clothing rubbing against each other.
"Asahina-san!"
"Just a little longer......"
It was now past 4:14PM, I can't wait any longer! I quickly barged into the room.
"Wah! Kyon-kun! I'm not, wah, kyaa!"
Asahina-san's eyes widened as she stood stiffly with her hand was placed on the zip of her sailor uniform. The white kimono shirt and red hakama on the floor was proof that she had been changing, but now's not the time for tidying up.
I placed my hands on her shoulders and pushed her towards the broom locker.
"WAH! K, Kyon-kun!"
I was at fault for ignoring Asahina-san's yell as I pushed her. Her legs tripped and as a result, I ended up falling on top of her.
"Wah! No, don't......"
Just what the hell was I doing? I had no time to enjoy seeing her look vulnerable, I quickly picked up Asahina-san in her sailor uniform, loudly opened the stainless steel door of the broom locker, and promptly shoved her inside.
"Asahina-san, listen carefully. Please travel at once to eight days ago from this time! Don't ask anymore, just do it!"
Still feeling shellshocked, she said teary-eyed,
"......But, I still haven't received authorization......"
"Please! There's no time!"
"Eight days ago, is it? What time?"
Damn it! Hurry up and remember! Just what time was it then? What did Asahina-san say to me that time? "You told me to return here at exactly......"
"3:45PM! Hurry up and go!"
"O, okay......huh?"
Like a little animal, Asahina-san looked innocently at me, her eyes then widened as she placed her hand on her head,
"The authorization came even before I even applied. Time coordinates......eight days ago, February 7th, 3:45PM......Right here? Huh? Top Priority Clearance......?"
"You'll understand when you get there, I should be there waiting for you. My past self will take care of everything from here onwards, remember to say 'hi' to him for me,"
It was less than ten seconds to 4:15PM.
I nodded to a terrified looking Asahina-san, and gently closed the door to the broom locker. Within the stainless steel locker, I could not hear anything from within.
As the saying goes, what goes around comes around, karma comes back to haunt what one has done, I have never felt about this so strongly before now. The reason I'm catching my breath now was all because on the day before yesterday, I had set Asahina-san's return coordinates at 4:16PM. At that time, I never thought it would be so nerve wracking, but in the end it's all my fault.
"Asahina-san?"
I tried speaking through the stainless steel door, there was no response. I knew it was a waste of time as well. Besides, I didn't give any warnings to my past self eight days ago, since I never heard of any warnings myself, and Asahina-san said nothing about it. Even if I wanted to, there was no time.
The watch now showed the time to be three seconds past 4:15PM.
It was extraordinarily quiet. Besides myself, the only sound that can be heard in the empty club room was the breeze and the sound of the crowd outside, haven't they dispersed yet?
I stood in front of the broom locker and waited quietly.
"Klunk!"
I don't know how else to describe this - A strange sound emanated from inside the broom locker.
I knew there was someone inside even without listening to the sound of their breathing. It was exactly 4:16PM, the stainless steel locker suddenly felt like an antique piece of furniture to me for some reason.
I opened the door and spoke the line that I prepared to welcome her back,
"Welcome back, Asahina-san,"
Wearing the large coat Tsuruya-san lent her, it had been 48 hours since I last saw this Asahina-san.
"Ah......um......"
Asahina-san blushed and lowered her head, and then slowly lifted it again. With trepidation, she slowly moved her crystal clear eyes upwards and finally stopped when they met my eyes.
A while later, a smile appeared on her face. Her pink lips blossomed like a cottonrose hibiscus as she spoke the following words,
"I'm back,"
It would have been great if I could continue to spend time alone with Asahina-san like that, but the circumstances simply would not permit me to do such a thing. I'd better get her to change out of that casual wear, but there was still no sight of the uniform that Tsuruya-san had promised to bring.
Looks like she'll just have to wear the miko costume again for now, and once again, I stepped outside of the club room and leaned against the door.
By the way, it's strange that Haruhi didn't come to ask for my head. While it was good that everything was going fine, it's worrying that it can sometimes be too fine for comfort. At the same time, along came a person carrying a paper bag, if she had arrived earlier, I wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble.
"Hey! Sorry, Kyon-kun, here, Mikuru's uniform and indoor shoes. I had wanted to give them to you during lunch, but I forgot,"
Tsuruya-san stepped closer to me,
"What's going on? I see Haru-nyan up to something in the courtyard, and where's Mikuru?"
Tsuruya-san smiled meaningfully when I silently pointed to the club room door, and proceeded to turn the door knob as though opening her own refrigerator door.
"Oh, Mikuru. Are you changing? Oh......that's just excellent, you can take these clothes back home,"
She then turned to wink at me, and then walked inside. Though I could only squat outside in the corridor and stare at the wall, it's not hard to imagine the surprised look on Asahina-san's face, since I've seen that look many times already.
"Let me help you! Getting changed~ Huh? You're cosplaying as a miko today?"
I leaned against the wall and heard Asahina-san's confused-sounding yelps and Tsuruya-san's child-like laughter. Tsuruya-san probably never gave a thought as to why she would take off Asahina-san the clothes of a younger twin sister she's not supposed to have met before. We both knew it was pointless trying to explain further, yet the wonderful thing about Tsuruya-san is that she never seems to mind. Looks like I won't be able to look at her without feeling inferior for the rest of my life.
As I began to smile wryly, Haruhi triumphantly returned, bringing Nagato and Koizumi, who was carrying the long table. She strutted in such a boastful way, tapping the floor tiles loudly as she stepped and shaking that money can in a loud and ridiculous manner. If she were on a fishing boat, she would probably be brandishing her flag to show off what a catch she'd made today.
"Why'd you suddenly take Mikuru-chan away? We were booed badly, you know?"
I was afraid she would catch a cold from wearing so few clothes. Besides, we're giving these guys a good bargain. Just for seeing Asahina-san in that costume, we should charge them an extra 500 yen!
"Yes, you're right! We should've charged more. These occasions are hard to come by, after all,"
Haruhi actually agreed to what I said without hesitation, has she already come up with a new activity?
"But Kyon, I sure was surprised. Yuki actually offered to give everyone a consolation prize,"
Haruhi patted her hand on Nagato's slim back,
"You know those bargain chocolate packets? The ones with the chocolate brand names on them. Yuki personally went and gave one each to every person who didn't win! I never thought she would prepare such a thing, good job Yuki! You sure thought it out well. This is a brilliant idea, this way no matter what contest we hold, people can always expect a generous consolation prize even if they don't win!"
They're probably only going to be looking forward to Nagato personally giving them a prize, I thought to myself. Before thanking her for thinking quickly on the spot, I should first of all thank her for buying time for me.
"......"
Nagato slowly turned around, as though in a hurry to rush back to the club room and bury herself into her book. Only I could understand this expression she's made.
At this moment, the club room door opened suddenly.
"Oh, Tsuruya-san, you're here? What's with those clothes?"
"Hey, Haru-nyan! I've lent these to Mikuru, I'm just coming to take them back, so don't worry about me taking her away from you!"
Tsuruya-san placed the long coat over her shoulders and stuffed the rest of the clothes into her paper bag, while spinning a shoe on the tip of her finger,
"See ya later, Haru-nyan!"
"OK, see you tomorrow, Tsuruya-san!"
After clapping their hands together, Tsuruya-san disappeared at the end of the corridor. It was as though the stuff concerning Asahina-san and what she told me this lunch time never happened, she was still the same person as before. Not even I could act like her, she is just that amazing. The Tsuruya clan would definitely prosper with her in charge.
"......"
Nagato drifted into the club room, randomly took a book down from the bookshelf, and like water flowing in a stream, elegantly settled on a steel chair and began to indulge in the world of her book.
Haruhi stood by the side as she watched Koizumi and me carry the long table back inside, by which time she had noticed Asahina-san in her miko costume for some time. She said,
"Mikuru-chan! We've amassed a great amount of funds today, so you'd better buy the best tea leaves as celebration! This is all thanks to you. For this achievement, I'm officially promoting you to Deputy Vice Commander! There's no need to be shy, Mikuru-chan, show some happiness!"
Seeing how Haruhi was feeling so pleased with herself while sitting on the commander's desk, I picked the chair furthest away and laid exhausted on the long table.
I am truly worn out. Now I finally understand how exhausting it is to tamper with time, trying to make sure that the effects line up with the causes. Even if I wanted to blame someone, I only have myself to blame. The arrow would still circle 360 degrees back to myself. Is the work of all future time-travelers as stressful as this? Looks like I'm going to have to be careful when talking with Asahina-san, otherwise I'll place a heavy psychological burden on her shoulders, and she'll probably roll up into a ball like an armadillo whenever she gets jabbed.
"I don't mind sharing some of that burden, cleaning up the mess is my forte, after all,"
Koizumi said to me in a volume in which only I could hear, while opening the wrapping of the box of a card game,
"I'm beginning to understand a bit concerning Suzumiya-san's plan,"
I lifted my heads and found myself exchanging glances with Koizumi, who was studying his deck of cards with a grin. "I wonder which hair style suits you best?" said Haruhi while sitting Asahina-san on a chair and playing around with her hair. At the mercy of Haruhi, Asahina-san shut her eyes tightly like a cat whose hair was being brushed. I watched this scene play out as I said,
"Didn't you say there was nothing unusual about Haruhi's behaviour?"
"That was what I meant, as treasure hunting and mystery searching are part of Suzumiya-san's regular activities. Maybe I should've said she's deliberately pretending as though nothing unusual is happening? Who would have thought that you would have completely forgotten about Valentine's Day? It's not just Suzumiya-san, I'm sure no one would forget. For guys like us, this is a day that we would at least pay some attention to even if we're not confident of receiving any chocolates. Of course Suzumiya-san would have thought you would be anxious about it, that was why she pretended nothing was happening. Having two consecutive days of mystery searches was a clear indication of her plan to drive you crazy about whether you would receive any chocolates on that day."
Then wouldn't it be better if she could just directly put the chocolates in my shoe locker? That locker isn't reserved for time travelers, you know!?
"Suzumiya-san is just the sort of person that likes to take such a convoluted route. If she had directly given them to you, she would have found it too boring. Besides, we worked very hard to dig out those treasures, so it was quite rewarding when we found them."
Koizumi seems to be examining his cards as he continuously organizes them into various rows and columns.
"I sure had a lot of fun, didn't you?"
What's that supposed to mean? Is that a loaded question?
Just as I was about to make a witty response......
"Hey, Kyon! Koizumi-kun! Whispering time's over!"
The loud exclamation had Asahina-san waking up in surprise from her daydreams as well as catching the attention of me and Koizumi. Haruhi released her hands from Asahina-san's hair, which was tied into a bundle......
"Now, on to the main agenda!"
She then smacked the white board,
"Listen carefully, especially Kyon and Koizumi-kun!"
Haruhi gave the smile of a strategist and talked to us like a cram school teacher teaching her honest yet dim-witted students,
"We'll begin with the planned activities for March!"
I glanced at the calendar for next month and said,
"For Hinamatsuri?" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri)
Haruhi went speechless for a while,
"......Ah yes, that one as well,"
I'm amazed you forgot.
"Of course I remembered! It's only through refreshing one's memories that one can discover new revelations, so there's no way I'd forget. March 3rd, huh? Right, we can toss rice cake offerings from the top floor corridor!"
Now that's the first time I've heard of such a silly activity for Hinamatsuri.
"Let's leave that aside for now, aren't you forgetting another bigger festival in March?"
Haruhi's smile is as the stars from the center of the Milky Way shining through the powerful lens of a super-telescope.
"Today I specifically want Kyon and Koizumi-kun to think on what they'll have to prepare for that day!"
So what are you trying to say then?
"I'm talking about White Day! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Day) On March 14th, when a guy receives an obligation chocolate or whatever confectionaries on Valentine's Day, they'll have to repay the favor by thirty times!"
She's like a wild stallion running blindly with blinkers on, why must Haruhi choose the moment when everything is going right for her to get back to normal!? Returning thirty times the favor was probably calculated using Haruhi's inflation rate.
"Yuki, Mikuru-chan, you can now ask for whatever you want! These two will do everything to get it for you!"
She pointed at me and Koizumi,
"They'll get anything you want! Crane Maidens repaying their kindness are out of fashion, in this day and age people should offer things that are thousands of times more valuable than cloth!" (Story of the Crane Maiden - http://www.amergin.net/maiden.html)
Haruhi then smiled pridefully,
"Just as reference, let me give you an idea of the stuff that I want. Though I still haven't decided which one to get exactly, so I'll announce that in a few days time! I won't purposely ask for something that'll be impossible for you to obtain within a month's time, so don't you worry!"
Haruhi spoke without reservations, just like how Kaguya-Hime comes up with ridiculously impossible tasks for the suitors who had came to ask for her hand in marriage. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaguya-Hime) While hoping she isn't going to be asking for non-existent stuff like "Authentic Artifacts of Yamataikoku" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamataikoku) or the "Elixir of Life from Horaijima" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horai), I said to Haruhi,
"Just so you know, we may take into account the amount of effort we'll spend on finding your treasure,"
By the time I realize my retort may backfire, it was already too late.
"No problem!"
Haruhi's eyes glittered brightly, totally eclipsing the brilliance of the entire Pleiades constellation.
"That's the attitude I want! As long as it's anything that I want, I will get it even if I have to go all the way to Mars! Isn't that right, Yuki, Mikuru-chan?"
Seeing Asahina-san looking awkward and Nagato nodding her head while keeping her eyes glued to her book, Koizumi and I both shrug our shoulders at the same time, as though it had all been rehearsed before.
(Epilogue End)
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