Suzumiya Haruhi:Volume9 Chapter 1

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Chapter 1


It happened the next day, a Friday.

That habit of Haruhi's from the first year, leaving class for most of the break time, is still conducted daily even though it's a new year. So it was no surprise that when the bell rang, signifying the end of fourth period, our brigade leader immediately vanished. I, also in my second year, still ate lunch with Taniguchi and Kunikida at the same table.

I don't care about Taniguchi, but once I see Kunikida's harmless face, I can't help but think of Sasaki, whom I'd met several days earlier. I tried not to make it obvious so that he wouldn't notice, but he saw me looking at him.

"What's the matter? Do you really like omelettes so much?"

Kunikida acted exactly like Sasaki said he would and replied 'lightly'.

"No, nothing."

I immediately replied.

"I'm just surprised we still managed to get put in the same class."

"That's true."

Stopping those hands of his that had been continuously separating and scattering the okazu (side dishes), Kunikida lifted his head.

"I'm very happy. When I first saw the class listings, I almost couldn't believe my eyes."

I had certainly been sure that you were going to be in the sciences class.

"That's what I was going to do at first. But I'm not very good at humanities, so I want to use this year to get better at them. I'll prioritize the sciences when we get to our third year. Also, in the second year, they start to categorize both the Humanities and the Sciences. That means there are a lot more choices for classes, and running around to get to them all becomes very tiring, especially by the second semester." [Note - Studies are separated into 2 main streams, science and arts. Chemistry, physics, biology all fall under science while economics, languages, history would fall under Arts. Since during the first year of Kyon and friend's they study science/humanities(arts) in general, categorizing as mentioned above would be to further derive it specifically to individual subjects/fields such as chemistry. Hope that helps.]

As for Taniguchi... Meh, I don't really care what happened here.

"Hey, that's cruel, Kyon," Taniguchi protested. "I originally wanted to get into a class with prettier girls. My goal was something along the lines of Class six......"

With that, his gaze started to slide towards the girls in our class.

"Look, absolutely nothing has changed. And I'm still with you guys......"

He's still such a vulgar rascal, that much hasn't changed. I guess that's good. We'll do the same thing as last year, and 'Help please!' on the tests. (!)

"This I can promise you: I will not let that piece of paper change my life(!). Leave it to me."

The way you pound your chest and assert that does make me feel a bit better, but I wonder if you could live up to such exaggerated claims. I would have no complaints if Taniguchi had some latent abilities or special talents to back that statement up. If that was the case, I might have a chance at convincing my mother that grades are just meaningless numbers.

"But, I never expected to be in the exact same class as Suzumiya five years in a row. Isn't that the worst? She and I shouldn't have anything to do with each other."

Now that Taniguchi said it, I do feel it's a bit unbelievable. Things that happen more often than is good for them often have another face; I've seen many examples of this.

Taniguchi and I both shut up at the same time, but what we were thinking about was likely different. Kunikida spoke up,

"The chance of two people having the same birthday in a group of thirty people is extremely high. So this actually isn't too surprising, right?"

Even though that sounds like it makes sense, it's hard to believe.

"Should we calculate the odds then?"

No no, it's okay. I can barely stand looking at those weird markings and formulas, even in math class. Don't calculate it mentally either. I don't want to compare my brain with anyone else's. Only Haruhi would participate in that kind of contest. The only type of contest I would ever enter is one where I get to guess who is going to sit behind me when we change seats.

The person sitting behind me is the same one from last year, the one who runs out of the classroom as soon as lunch arrives. I'm pretty sure she's gone to patrol the first-year classrooms. I wonder if the first-years think her behavior is strange.

If there is anyone with even the slightest interest in the same things that she likes, she'll barge right into that class without thinking. As I ate my lunch, I prayed for those new students: don't run to the school office after being frightened by an upperclassman who suddenly burst in. However, since I didn't know what god is in control of these types of things, I was unable to offer a sacrifice of money. I think the god heard me anyway, because when the bell rang for fifth period, Haruhi didn't have those sparkling, bright eyes I know all too well as she ran hurriedly into the classroom. (!)

"How'd the fishing go?" I asked.

"Not one bite."

The tone of her voice didn't have too much disappointment in it. In fact, it's just like her normal, cold, unexcited voice. Her attitude was similar to the time she couldn't find any Arowana in the neighbor's pond(!). That's just how she sounds now. (!)

After school, I walked with Haruhi to the clubroom as instinctively as breathing.

Since we've advanced to the next grade, our classroom has changed. Meaning the clubroom is much closer than before, though it's still not very convenient.

"I think it's convenient enough."

Haruhi said, swinging her bookbag back and forth.

"The cafeteria and store are both closer than before. That's good, because it's really hard to find a place to sit at lunch. I've always wondered why they don't just add some more seats."

This kind of complaint should go to the Student Council President. If you start a petition and give him the signatures, he might actually be able to do something about it.

"I don't want to owe that person anything."

She sped up, all the while shaking her head like a shy kid (!).

"We will not help or support that evil organization. I hate the type of person who starts asking for something in return once they help you a little. That's why I prefer to work things out by myself."

If you decide to start building an extension for the cafeteria, trouble will follow. Also, the money the literature club gets isn't enough for something like that.

"If I was going to do it, I wouldn't bother telling anyone. Besides, everyone would be happy once it's finished."

I advise you to abandon this idea. If you don't, you'll be in the newspapers. Next time I see Tsuruya-san, I'll have to tell her about this and warn her that even if Haruhi asks for help, she shouldn't comply. Tsuruya-san [something], and wouldn't just randomly listen to Haruhi's orders, but I think I should tell her anyways.

I worked hard on getting Haruhi's attention away from the business of the extension.

"So, Haruhi, still haven't found a first-year who's to your liking?"

"Huh?"

Although I am glad that she stopped thinking about the cafeteria, Haruhi's sharp gaze made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

"I didn't know you cared about that. Surprising, surprising. I thought you would object when I got some new members, but I guess you want some underclassmen(!) too?"

Of course I don't want any. But, if there was a brigade member lower in rank than me, I could delegate all the tasks I usually do onto him, I would feel more relaxed. (!). That's not a bad idea. Koizumi's the 'Assistant Chief', Asahina-san's the 'Mascot/Secretary/Assistant Chief', and Nagato is formally the literature club leader/president, though only in name. That leaves me as the only member without a position.

"What? So you want an official position? Then I guess I'll consider it. But this requires some promotion tests. 5 written's and 2 practicals.

No thanks, then. The only thing I want is a driver's license.

"If that's what you say, I take it you've given up. If you beg me, y'know, I might not say no."

I'll be fine with 'Brigade Member No. 1'. Actually, that's the best position.

"Mm, so you finally see?"

As Haruhi revealed that devilish grin of hers, we arrived at the clubroom.

Opening the door without even knocking, Haruhi entered the clubroom as if it were her house. Me... well, I can't do that, because I wouldn't want to walk in on Asahina-san changing, so I always make sure before opening the door. I don't think anyone complains about that habit.

"............"

The only person inside is Nagato.

Sitting at the corner of the desk in her favorite chair, she calmly reads a mathematician's biography. It seems no matter how fast I get here, she's always earlier than I am. Does she never have 'cleaning duty' to do? That's very possible.

Haruhi put her bookbag on the table, then sat down in the Brigade Leader chair. I put my bag beside Haruhi's, and sat down in my regular seat.

I listened to the 'karikari' sound of the hard disk running while surveying yesterday's game of Go, which we didn't bother to clean up afterwards. It was an unfinished 'Tsumego' [1]. The mosaic of white and black pieces was placed in such a way that someone was obviously going to win. In three moves black was going to have a semi-victory. If even I could see that, the player must be a complete novice.

"Kyon, tea."

We should wait for Asahina-san to show up. With her tea-steeping skills, even if she was reincarnated and started talking to a modern-day Furuta Oribe [2], she would get along just fine.

"That's going overboard. We don't need to start talking about tea ceremonies. (!) If you became the founder of the Asahina school of steeping tea, the cult-like tea ceremony school would be heralded as genuine."

Haruhi's gaze never left the monitor. She pulled on the keyboard, as if she was about to type out some article. I wondered what type of article as I looked at her suspiciously.

"Oh, yeah, you were writing something yesterday too. Updating a blog?"

"It's private. A secret document. If it's found by people outside the brigade, there will be big problems. If there's a leak, you'll be the primary suspect."

Broadly grinning, Haruhi continued pounding at the keyboard quickly. She's skilled at things like this.

I shrugged my shoulders, walked towards the fridge and took out a bottle of already-made Oolong tea. I poured myself a cup and then some for Haruhi and Nagato too.

Even though I put it right in front of Nagato, she didn't move a muscle. Haruhi, as usual, just chugged the whole thing in one gulp. I stole a glance at the screen. The PC monitor showed a new typing document.

"Making booklets to hand out again?"

"That's not it," was Haruhi's response, shoving the now-empty cup towards me. "I'm making this in case something happens. This is a test paper. Don't look at me like that. I'm not telling you to make it."

Well, who's the test for?

"That doesn't even matter. Don't look at it. How am I supposed to write it if you're watching?"

Haruhi put both hands over the screen so I couldn't see, so I returned to my seat.

As I drank my iced Oolong while aimlessly putting pieces onto the board, Koizumi entered the room. While I do feel bad about it, I felt sort of happy he was here. I don't know why, but today, I felt like that. I thought since he would be very busy today, he wouldn't come to the clubroom, and if there's no one to play games with me, it gets very boring.

"Homeroom was a bit long today."

He explained, closing the door. A smile showed up as he saw the board.

"There's nowhere I can place a piece, so I surrender."

And there's his smile. Since he's in front of Haruhi, he has to display that all the time, but I think it seems different. Heading for his seat, he cleared the board, and asked,

"One game?"

Iitomo. But I need to go easy on him. It's not much fun beating the same person every time. I'm not like Haruhi, who thinks wins and losses matter.

"That'll help."

Koizumi chose Black, and placed four handicap stones on the board.

And with that Koizumi and I wordlessly started our board game battle. [D:] Nagato, like always, simply continued reading. The only sound I could hear was the 'karikari' of Haruhi continuously typing on her keyboard and the sounds of the sports clubs seeping in through the closed window.

A silent Spring day. Tranquil and completely normal; nothing has changed.

After five minutes, there was a quiet knock at the door.

"Sorry for being late."

Asahina-san entered with her usual timidness, and beside her is...

"やっぼーい!" (!)

Tsuruya-san raised her hand and waved. Her ear-to-ear smile brought life to the room.

"Hello everyone, I'm here today to give you all an invitation! Wahaha, it's for 'flower-viewing' part two!"

This time, apparently, it will be at the time of the next Golden Week[3].

Tsuruya-san gave us those high-class invitations, the ones that look like 'GanShinKei - 顔真卿[4]' personally written out using an ink brush[5], the ones where the only thing I can understand is the date. If Haruhi didn't read it out for me, I was already planning to visit a museum to get them to explain it.

After Asahina-san changed into her maid outfit - Koizumi and I left the room for that - she started to make some hot tea. The SOS-dan's unexpected visitor, after the initial 'Fuha~', said,

"Last time, we saw the ソメイヨシノ - somei yoshino flowers[6]. (!)! Because, in the olden days, when someone mentioned cherry blossoms, that's what everyone thought of. My family's yard does have a lot of wild cherry blossoms. Even though there are currently a lot of moths around, it's still quite pretty."

Tsuruya-san took a sip of her tea, then shut her eyes.

"いにしへの~奈良の都の八重桜~っ" (!)

"[More lyrics], ne?" (!)

Haruhi quickly recited the next line, energetically nodding her head.

"Now, with all sorts of plants able to be raised wherever we want, we should criticize [?] some places a bit more. We should wait until after all the other trees have bloomed and wilted, then encourage the ones that are still blooming. Sasuga (!), Tsuruya-san."

There's nothing that describes Tsuruya-san better than 'Sasuga'. Is it possible that Tsuruya-san is actually descended from the nobility of the Asuka period[7]?

"How should I know about these age-old matters? It doesn't really matter, anyways! If you really want to know, I could check my family tree, but that takes too much effort!"

The way she speaks makes Tsuruya-san seem very reliable. I hope she will be able to grow old with Asahina-san. Just like the Queens of Hearts and Diamonds. Because if Tsuruya-san is with Asahina-san, no one will be hitting on her. Haruhi? Ahh. She can be a joker. Because you can't do without it in 'Five-card'.

As I was admiring, as always, Asahina-san in her maid dress, Tsuruya-san and Haruhi,

[Four lines of poems. Ogura Hyakunin Isshu no. 33 in two lines and no 35 in two lines, to be exact. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/hyakunin/frames/hyakuframes.html XD]

Started a reciting contest.

[Ogura Hyakunin Isshu no.66 - two lines]

[Ogura Hyakunin Isshu no.67 - two lines]

[Ogura Hyakunin Isshu no.7 - two lines]

[Ogura Hyakunin Isshu no.94 - two lines]

Now it doesn't even have to do with cherry blossoms during Spring anymore. We've gone into Summer already, possibly even Autumn.

"Fufuu-n? Then, how about this one?"

Tsuruya-san, with an enthusiastic expression,

[Some poem]

"Eh?"

Someone who used to be able to keep up suddenly faltered.

"Does that exist? Whose poem is it?"

Tsuruya-san's hard question had a very weird answer. I think this is the first time I've ever heard that.

"......[Nagato finishes the poem]"

Flipping the page, Nagato answered with her head down.

"源俊頼[Minamoto no Toshiyori]. 百人秀歌."

"Yarunee, as I expected of the all-knowing Majin Yuki."

Tsuruya-san cackled and complimented her, but Nagato's expression didn't change one bit. And I don't know why they think this game is so interesting. I'll ask them later.

Tsuruya-san then said three different poems, and when Nagato answered them, she said, as if satisfied,

"Well then! See you later. Thanks, Mikuru. The tea was very tasty, you know! I'll depend on you this year too!"

After saying that, she left the clubroom. I think the way she comes and goes resembles the wind. It will leave as soon as you find it...

But Tsuruya-san really is a genius at lightening up the mood. What sort of things would she be bad at? She would be the hardest person in the world for me to imagine how her crying face would look like, she sure is something.

Haruhi continued to sip her tea noisily.

"That takes care of the schedule for the golden week then. Yep, let us all go flower viewing and write some short poems. Make sure you write something that will be recorded in a poetry book and remembered by the future generations."

Maybe she got tired of typing, Haruhi is now holding the invitation left by Tsuruya-san in both hands and staring at it like some sort of historical artifact. Can't we write Sinryu instead? Before I could voice my proposal, Haruhi seemed to have remembered something and said:

"Let's leave it at that for now. I have to announce the schedules for tomorrow first."

Haruhi jumped onto the top of the desk and made an iron horse stance while shouting with a bright smile on her face:

Tsuruya-san cackled and complimented her, but Nagato's expression didn't change one bit.
Tsuruya-san cackled and complimented her, but Nagato's expression didn't change one bit.

"Now then! Let the SOS brigade's first meeting of a new year begin!"

There is no record of the total number of meetings the SOS brigade has had, and Haruhi and I don't seem to remember either. Which means we can just reset it back to one, since it is the first meeting of the year and all. And the contents of this meeting are as follows:

"This Saturday, which is tomorrow! Everybody gather in front of the station at 9am! Don't you guys think it's about time for those mysterious events to make their appearance? We've been looking for them for soo long now, don't you think they are thinking of meeting with us for a change? It's even Spring to boot! Let's get them when they're napping under the warm sunlight!"

We are not talking about Shamisen the wild cat retiree, and that plan of yours isn't going to work even if you were after some wild cats.

"Listen here, Kyon. It's almost a year since the brigade's been established! We don't have much time left, what do we have to show if we have zero results?"

Show who?

"Ourselves! You can be lax to others all you want, but you must be strict to yourself or you'll never be anything! It's like that saying..... was it small profits and big turnovers... no.... self satisfaction... no... trails and hardships... that's not it either... Mikuru-chan, do you know how it goes?"

"Eh?"

Being asked a random question out of the blue, Asahina-san put her index finger on her jaw and said:

"Is it...... self insured?"

"Was it proper accordance?"

Koizumi said that without moving his eyes off the black go stone. Just when I thought of coming up with one too-

"The words that correspond to that meaning do not exist in the dictionary."

Thanks to what Nagato said, I gladly give up my turn to come up with something. Maybe you should make one yourself, Haruhi. Something along the lines of respect and properness?

Haruhi ignored me and turned to Nagato.

"Really? I think there's something like that..."

But the brigade leader that never listened to any of our opinions seemed to agree with Nagato in the end.

"That's it for the meeting. It's free time till the end of school!"

Haruhi sat back down into the chair and started typing again.


Just when the last bell that seems to be shooing out all those who don't want to leave yet out of the school started to ring, Nagato closed her book. Just like someone who can tell the time by listening to the cries of cicadas, we took it as an accurate sign and prepared to go home.

We waited for Asahina-san to get changed and left the club room. The sun is setting already, the wind is a little chilly.

It's natural for a significant gap to form between guys and girls when we are going down the slope. Haruhi and Asahina-san walked right at the front with Nagato trailing behind them silently.

Me and Koizumi walked together a couple meters behind the three girls. Since this is a rare chance, I'll ask him about that now.

"How is it?"

"Today's the same as yesterday, nothing has changed at all."

Koizumi answered me with his usual smile.

"Maybe I've been looking too much into this. Nagato-san and Asahina-san didn't seem to have any special reaction to Sasaki-san either. I just hope this type of Closed space is just a one time thing."

It's already been quite a few days since the new year has started, Nagato and Asahina-san haven't even mentioned my old classmate once. But this is only natural after all, since I'll go crazy if I have to take precautionary measures every time if i want to talk to an old friend.

"You don't need to do that, as long as that person isn't Sasaki-san. It'll only be a problem if it's her."

She's just someone who's a little eccentric. Plus, we ran into each other by coincidence.

"I can raise both of my hands in agreement. That's what I believe too. It's a fact that's already clear to us, no further explanation needed. What I'm worried about is the one who misunderstood, and those who're deliberately using this misunderstanding."

"What do you mean by that?"

I don't think Kunikida or Nakagawa have any use for that at all.

"Those two friends of your's should be ok, but-"

Koizumi took off his bag from his shoulder and shrugged.

"Never mind, let's just forget about that. I just hope it's a bad hunch. Oh, you don't need to worry about Sasaki-san. The "Organization" would never do anything to endanger her safety, there's no reason to."

Isn't that obvious? What the heck are you trying to say?

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to eliminate your worries, but it seems like that was unnecessary."

Koizumi turned his head back to the front, with a melancholic smile on his face. If some junior girl were to see that look, she'll probably turn to mush. I followed him and turned my eyes back to the front and saw the back of Nagato's head, Haruhi and Asahina-san are walking in front of her while talking cheerfully.

And so, we followed our normal routine and went our separate ways at Koyoen station.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Haruhi gave me a look that said "Can't you come early for once?" and left first, with her skirt and ribbon fluttering in the wind. Asahina-san waved goodbye and followed our brigade leader. When I turned back to look for Nagato, I could see her small figure far away in the direction of her apartment.

"I hope nothing happens tomorrow."

Koizumi said that in a monologue tone. That's what I thought too...


But Koizumi was too naive, and so was I.


The situation is still advancing steadily, it's just that no one has noticed it. But the fact is that it already started a long time ago. It's dragging everybody in one by one, starting from me. It's not just the SOS brigade either, Kunikida, Taniguchi, Nakagawa, Sasaki, and those who I know and don't are all being dragged into it.

I still need some time for me to realize what is really going on. Tomorrow? No way it's that fast. But you can say that something close to an omen happened on that day.

Was it just a coincidence, or was it a fated encounter? Maybe it was a part of someone's plan....

The next day, that Saturday's morning at 9am. I met two of my former acquaintances and was introduced to someone who I have never seen before in front of the station. I was also being told that someone else I know is lurking just around the corner...


That day, I was somehow able to wake up earlier than my sister who uses the alarm clock every day. I followed my new daily routine of pushing the sleeping Shamisen off my pillow, and got up myself.

My body felt refreshed, it's a feeling that I haven't had for a long time for a holiday's morning. My feet and hands seem to be lighter too. Seems like not relying on an alarm or my sister to wake up in the morning would be the key to living a long life.

I sneaked out of my bedroom and ate a breakfast that was devoid of my sister's usual ruckus, got changed and started to ride my bike towards the station. It sure is early, it's just a little past 8am. I may be able to arrive before Haruhi if I keep this up. Maybe Koizumi would purposely be the last one to arrive and save me the trouble. It's not too bad for Haruhi to cover the cost for a change, but compared to the measly change in a high school student's wallet, that "Organization" must have amassed plenty of funds. So Koizumi's pay should be pretty good.

Just when I was riding along the road in an elated mood, the pink petals that carpeted the road caught my attention. Looks like it'll only take one more night of rain and it'll be the end of this year's cherry blossom season.

I got off my bike near the station and looked around. I got the feeling that Sasaki would pop out of nowhere. But it's only natural for that self-proclaimed old close friend of mine to be nowhere to be seen. I let out a sigh of relief. Koizumi, it doesn't really make a difference to me, but it seems like you don't need to be worried about it anymore.

I looked at my watch, it was still more than 30 minutes before 9am. I really did come early today.

I hummed while I parked my bike in a pay parking space, then walked leisurely towards the meeting spot and discovered that no one was there yet.

But there was no time for me to form a satisfied smile. On the contrary, even the sunlight filled morning seemed to have gotten darker.

"Hey, Kyon-"

Sasaki greeted me with the smile of someone who has successfully surprised another.

"We meet again. This really makes me happy. Maybe it's different for you, but I really hoped something like this would happen. Although rather than happy, I'm actually more intrigued by it."

I stood there like a piece of rotten wood, unable to say anything.

Sasaki wasn't alone either, she was accompanied by two other girls. And one of them was someone who had a face that I would never forget. It belongs to someone who's on my top wanted list. It's all thanks to the extra self-control I gained in the last year, that I haven't pounced on top of her and proceeded to beat the daylight out of her.

"You......!"

"Hello."

She nodded towards me and smiled.

"Long time, no see. How is your time traveler, Asahina-san, doing? Huhum. You don't need to look at me like that. We have already withdrawn from such activities."

The month before, those incidents that happened around mid-february started to come back to me.

The Asahina-san from 8 days later, who I named Michiru at that time. We followed the hints of Asahina-san(Big) and solved many problems. The prank with the can and nail, the boulder at Mt.Tsuruya, turtle and the boy. Plus that mysterious memory chip and that other detestable time traveler.....

And the Asahina-san kidnapping incident.

After a series of car chases, the one who appeared with that new time traveler as one of the criminals, was now standing in front of me. She acted like she was the head of the operation and was also the sole female member. She even kept a calm face against Mori-san's terrifying smile.

That girl is now standing beside Sasaki, right in front of my eyes.

I have no idea if Sasaki knows what's going on between me and that kidnapper, but she slowly raised her hand in a attempt to cut in and said:

"Allow me to introduce her, Kyon. This is Tachibana Kyouko-san. She's....... Well, you can call her an acquaintance of mine. We only got to know each other recently, our relationship hasn't progressed far enough for us to call each other friends. But I'm very interested in the things that Tachibana-san has told me."

Sasaki cleared her throat and continued:

"Judging from that look on your face, I'd say the you two have already met. Seems like the encounter was a bad one too. Although that was what I expected."

"Sasaki....."

I said that in an oldmanish tone.

"You shouldn't associate yourself with her. She's....."

-Our enemy.

"It looks that way."

Sasaki didn't seem to mind at all.

"But it doesn't seem like she's an enemy of mine. That's what's interesting. She's told me some incredible things too. Although it's hard for me to understand, it's something that feels refreshing to think about. Kinda like mental aerobics. I may not be able to understand it as a whole, but I'm aware of what is going on."

Tachibana Kyouko, the kidnapper's lips curled into a smile.

"That won't do, Sasaki-san. I was hoping that you'd understand the situation, otherwise-"

She looked at me with the begging eyes of a puppy in a pet shop waiting for an owner-

"He would never listen to what I have to say. You wouldn't listen to what I have to say for more than 3 seconds, right?"

Right. That is correct to the extreme degree. Anyone who kidnaps Asahina-san should be sent to trial without a lawyer. Why isn't Koizumi here yet? What about Mori-san and Arakawa-san, or the Tamaru brothers?

"Kyon, are you listening?"

Wait a second, Sasaki. I'm looking for someone I can trust right now.

"I'm sorry, but there's someone else here that I have to introduce to you. Can you please let me go first?"

Who? You can forget about it if it's that future bastard with attitude problem.

"Although I can guess who you are talking about, you can relax. Since it's not him."

Sasaki raised her hand and pointed to the opposite side of Tachibana Kyouko.

"She told me that she wishes to coexist with you within a radius of 2 meters, so I suppose it's not that bad to introduce you to her. Since it could be troublesome for you if we just let her be. She's.... I guess she's someone I know rather than a total stranger."

I looked towards the direction of Sasaki's hand.

At first I couldn't comprehend what I was looking at.

Something that looked like a drop of black ink inside a glass of water, hazy and fog like...... is what I saw. It took me quite a few seconds before I realized that I was looking at a Youkoen girls school's uniform.

At the same time that I realized what I was looking at, that girl gave me a feeling that she's been there for more than a hundred years. Just what is this feeling?

This would be the first time I have met someone that I can accurately describe using that ancient phrase "Out of this world".

"Huh...........?"

It's our first meeting for sure. There's no way that anyone could forget a girl like that if they happened to lay their eyes on her.

But why is it that I can feel a chilling sensation like something from snowy mountains in the winter? I feel like I have experienced something similar before......

She slowly raised her head, and I got goosebumps all over me the instant I saw her face and that expression. She must be a ghost, definitely not human. It's impossible for it to be a human.

"______"

That girl, with a face that's paler than Nagato's, has an indescribable black glass like eyes, with hair that's dark like a crow sprayed with a can of dark tainting spray. Her hair extended below her waist, with strange wave-like curls. It resembled a big and heavy mop. Her hair spreads and extends onto both the left and right sides, you can say that it covers the majority of the surface areas. It really stands out, it's so strange that I wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly grew a pair of wings and flew away. Although it's impossible to overlook someone like that, why is that I didn't notice her until Sasaki introduced her? Isn't that abnormal? Was she invisible before?

I quickly checked my surroundings. The pedestrians only made a passing glance at Sasaki or Tachibana Kyouko occasionally, but no one seemed to notice her existence.

"Who are you?"

"________"

She just stood there without making a sound, she doesn't even blink. She looked straight at me, with a look like she's trying to find a specific pigeon out of the flock that's in front of a shrine. It feels more mechanical than any machine, even the lens of the cheapest camera would look more alive than her eyes.

"________"

That expressionless face somewhat resembles Nagato's, but it's a completely different type. The manufacturer and maker are completely different. If Nagato is a piece of ice out in the wilderness, this girl would be dry ice. She won't even melt, she would just evaporate into nothing.

The pale lips seem to have moved out of obligation.

"_____Ah...."

To my surprise, those heavy lips spit out human speech instead of white smoke. But it moved very slowly, after a while it started to say some things I never expected.

"My mission_____ to observe________ This is______ a place_____ where time.... moves slowly. Temperature____ very humid."

That voice sounded extremely drowsily it's almost deathly. The color of that tone is comparable to those old monotone films that are full of sepia flakes by now.

She moved her gaze away from me.

"___ This time...... no mistake.... you.... will____"

I can't understand anything she said. This situation seems to have overlapped with my memories. But what's this similar yet different déjà vu like feeling?

"____ I'm ____"

She continued slowly.

"Kuyoh ____"

Just when I wanted to ask how to spell that.

"Suou ___"

"Ah?"

So it's Kuoh Suyo?

"....___ Suou ____ Kuyoh ____"

What? Which is it? Is her head short of at least 5 gears or something?

The sound of Sasaki's light giggle brought me back to reality.

"Kyon, she has always been like that. Isn't she interesting? I just call her Kuyoh-san. What she lacks isn't gears, but a solid definition of individual. No no, it's not an illness. That's just how she is. I can't think of any other ways to explain it."

But this Kuyoh woman's ability to communicate is far worse than the Nagato I met for the first time...... Eh? Nagato?

- Don't tell me, they are somewhere close?

- It's possible.

The SOS Brigade's group lodging of the winter holidays. The snow storm at the ski resort. The hotel that appeared like a mirage.

Nagato fainted in that place because of fever. We were able to escape that place with the help of a hint that Nagato left us combined with Haruhi's intuition and Koizumi's knowledge. It feels like a daydream to me now.

An alien life form that's different from the Integrated Data Sentient Entity- The Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence.

"So that's it..."

I stared at her like I was trying to carve her face into my brain cells.

"So it's you. The alien that's different from Nagato."

"____ Ali.... en___? What's___ that___?"

"Drop the act!"

It's easy to see what is going on even for me. Tachibana Kyouko the kidnapper is the opposition of Koizumi and the "Organization". That future bastard would be Asahina-san's opponent. The answer is clear if you use the elimination method. Nagato's opponent would be her, Suou Kuyoh. I almost said that out aloud.

I remembered what Koizumi told me on the way back from Tsuruya estate.

- Lets use this example. Let's say there a kingdom called A and another one called B - There's also C the opposition force against A and D the opposition of B - If C and D become allies -...

So it's finally here. If Nagato's IDSE would be F, then she would be part of G's first wave.

She looked at me, with a look like she was looking at the carvings on a copper clock-

"___ Your ___"

Kuyoh talked in a voice that's like an old and off tone tape:

"Eyes_____ very _____ pretty."

And spat out that perfectly meaningless line.

In conclusion.

She is a interface that's cruder than Nagato, Kimidori-san or Asakura Ryoko. It's pointless for me to try and ask her origin, which is meaningless anyway. I have no intention of getting along with her to begin with.

"Kyon, I knew you would say something like that."

Sasaki held her stomach in a attempt to stop herself from laughing and said:

"All I have is these two. Because no one else would get close to me. Does North High have a lot interesting people like Kuyoh-san? It would be great if that's the case, but it's a pity that I'm not a student of North High. No matter how much I complain about it, I still have to stay there for 2 more years. I must play to my heart's content when I get into the university I'm aiming for. That's what I have planned."

"Sasaki-" I said to my old friend. "Do you know what they are?"

"They told me. So I know. It really is something that's unbelievable. If you had asked me if I believe it or not before, I wouldn't have a clue on how to answer you."

The laughing eyes of Sasaki's that are looking at me have now narrowed into an irregular line.

"But I know now after that reaction of yours. They are the real deal."

She cast her gaze towards Kuyoh and Tachibana Kyouko.

"A humanoid android made by aliens, an esper with limited powers, and a time traveler right? Although it's hard to take in those 3 cards all at once, but I'm starting to believe it now."

Stop mixing around with them, Sasaki. It's for the best to not get involved with those things. You'll just turn into another me. Damn it. Leaving that monster Kuyoh aside, I'd probably act differently if this was the first meeting between Tachibana Kyouko and I. But because we have already met each other in a bad situation before, I just can't soften up my attitude towards her. Even if I try to sway Sasaki now, it would be useless against someone who's clear-headed and sharp-eyed like her.

The leader of those criminals, Tachibana Kyouko, now has a warm and harmless smile on her face that's impossible for anyone to think of her as a criminal. Was what she did in February just an act for this moment? If that's so, then it must be the same for that future bastard too. Where is he?

Just when I was looking around suspiciously, Tachibana Kyouko said:

"He said something about not wanting to do stupid things like this. He should be somewhere. But it seems that he won't be showing up today."

She pronounced the word "today" differently, relaying that bastard's message.

I don't want to see him either. If possible, I don't want to meet those two mysterious girls in front of me too.

"It can't be helped, since no matter how much we delay it, it will happen someday. Besides, we have waited for a long time already, isn't it about time for us to show up now?"

Tachibana Kyouko closed her mouth and giggled,

"He must be thinking about the same thing too. Something that's meant to be will be. No matter how much you delay it, there's always something that you can't get away with. Wouldn't the wound be lighter if you get it over with quickly?"

She stressed the pronunciation of the word "he" this time, I thought she was talking about the future guy. But I was wrong.

Tachibana Kyouko looked behind me, her gaze passed through me like I was invisible. A chilling sensation instantly ran up my spine. I sometimes thought that the expressions like chilling or fear are used often, although the true meaning or feeling that it represents are rarely felt. It's like a drawing of a mouchi or kamo carrying a leek.

Everything has been blown away. There is no mistake. This is it. My heart is now filled with a chilling fear that's impossible for me to describe.

I turned around slowly.

Koizumi is standing behind me. He probably got here from the station's ticket booth. He's dressed in a casual but faultless outfit with his hands tucked in his pockets, standing there nonchalantly like he's been waiting for me to notice him.

It would have been good if it's just Koizumi. Since he's the only one I can count on in North High to debate with those three.

"Uuu..........." Another bead of sweat dropped down from my forehead.

It's the worst case scenario imaginable. Haruhi, the absolute person in power of SOS Brigade, is standing beside Koizumi. She's staring at me with the look of a government official who's witnessing the wrong doings of a local magistrate, with Nagato and Asahina-san behind her.

That is to say, the entire SOS Brigade is now present at the meeting point. Furthermore, they seemed to have formed a human wall that's used to block free kicks to block out me and Sasaki.

I looked at my watch and found that there's still 15 more minutes before 9am. I have no idea when they arrived, even though I'm technically not the last one to arrive, it still looks that way with all the others already standing there.

But now is not the time to be pondering over something so trivial.

Haruhi has now locked her gaze onto mine and is now stomping towards my way. The other three followed like maids following a princess. Koizumi who always tirelessly dressed faultlessly for every occasion, Nagato who's always wearing a uniform with no explanation, and Asahina-san who's wearing a fancy spring outfit.

I felt like an air traffic controller who has seen an ultra-low atmospheric pressure that's accompanied by an enormous sea of cloud on my radar screen.

Haruhi stopped in front of me, with a look like those drug sniffing dogs at the airport who have caught the scent of marijuana.

"I thought it's a rare occasion for you to come before us. What? You have another appointment before ours?"

"We just ran into each other."

Sasaki answered. She didn't look at Haruhi, her eyes were on me.

"Seems like if you live near here, it would be natural to choose this place as a meeting point. I have promised to meet my acquaintances here. Kyon, just like you, I too make new friends at places you don't know. Since those that I've been waiting for have arrived, it's time for us to get going."

That's great. I'm sorry, but please hurry up and be on your way. But please don't go into the coffee house that's nearby, since that's where we are going. It would be troublesome if there were no seats left.

"Ok, I'll think about it. It would be awkward to meet up again just after we have parted. We'll take the train and go somewhere away from here."

Sasaki answered after understanding my intentions, then bowed toward Haruhi.

"Suzumiya-san, I'll leave Kyon to you. He still doesn't put any effort in studying and extra-curricular activities even in high school, right? Unless he gets back on track before his mother's patience runs out, he'll be forced to go to cram schools like in junior high. I think she should reach her limit around the upcoming summer vacation."

"Eh. Ah. En."

Haruhi squeezed out some random sounds in order to evade not being able to say anything. Her eyes were wide open like a kid who discovered a bug he had never seen before in the mountains.

If this is all part of someone's plan to shake me up, then those two really are more than enough. But no, I realize that there really is more on top of everything.

It's normal to see high school students stand in front of a busy station on holidays, it's something that you see all the time.

But, on a certain corner of this street, something huge has collided. Although it seems to have made no sound at all - but I think I have heard something that should not be audible.

At the same time as Sasaki was smiling at Haruhi, Tachibana Kyouko and Kuyoh were looking in different directions. The image of our stylish vice commander from head to toe has appeared in Tachibana Kyouko's eyes.

They did not talk at all. Itsuki's smiling pokerface did not change one bit. Even though he is radiating an air of annoyance, it seems I'm the only one who noticed.

On the other hand, Tachibana Kyouko has a satisfied smile like a female actress being on stage for the first time.

But those two are not the source of that sound. Such a shockwave can't be produced by two human beings facing off.

It's something that's causing me to lose my mental footing, like the continent plate and the oceanic plate are colliding far underground. And the source of that sound is-

"............"

"____________"


Those two that are staring at each other without moving are Nagato and Kuyoh.

I remember now, that's right, I have seen Nagato get really angry a couple times already. Like the time when we were having a game showdown with the computer research group or when the student President tried to suspend the Literature Club. At the time when she was fighting Asakura I didn't have the extra attention to see her expressions, it's also possible she didn't have that emotion back then.

But now, I have finally understood.

This ability to read Nagato's emotional changes that I'm so confident in, was still middle-class level.

That expressionless Nagato's steely firm and expressionless eyes were now radiating an emptiness that could pulverize your spine. In her transparent like pupils, is the image of the different alien-made android that calls herself Kuyoh.

The noisy surroundings and the passing pedestrians all seem to be far away from here. It wouldn't feel weird even if a giant mantis broke the ground and climbed out.

This loss of reality feels just like being trapped in a different dimension-

"Ah, uhmm....."

The one who dispelled me from that is a fairy who has come down from the heavens, the one who is also the support of my optic and protectiveness nerve-

"Kyon-kun? What happened? You don't look so good...."

Asahina-san looked up at me with a worried look.

"Did you catch a cold? Ah. You are sweating. Handkerchief, handkerchief."

She reached into her pouch, took out a flowery handkerchief and handed it to me.

I snapped out of my trance thanks to that.

"I'm ok, Asahina-san."

I don't want to dirty your pretty handkerchief. My shirt sleeve is enough for the job.

She reached into her pouch, took out a flowery handkerchief and handed it to me.
She reached into her pouch, took out a flowery handkerchief and handed it to me.

That future bastard has my temporary gratitude. Because he isn't here, Asahina-san doesn't need to glare at someone else like Koizumi and Nagato.

I wiped my sweat, while suppressing the feeling like a reporter being pushed onto a live broadcast of a presidential election support speech without a script.

"Kyon, I'll be going now."

Sasaki who was talking with Haruhi said.

"I almost forgot, can you call Sudou when you have time? Looks like he's officially preparing for the gathering. He called me again a while ago, seems he wants to put you in charge of informing the North High region."

Why did he tell you that instead of me? Maybe Sudou's really interested in Sasaki instead of Okamoto.

"That's impossible."

Sasaki said that without thinking.

"I never did anything that may have made anyone like me. I never showed affection to anyone either. You are probably the one who understands that the most, right Kyon?"

Nope, I got no idea.

"Is that so?" Sasaki giggled, "Then that's ok."

Sasaki raised her hand after saying that puzzling line.

"See you later."

She walked past me and continued towards the ticket booth, Tachibana Kyouko and Kuyoh started to move silently too. The former had a look of someone who has just finished all of their tasks and the latter was like a dark cloud that's slowly drifting away.

Koizumi and Nagato acted like they were meditating and didn't say anything at all, only Asahina-san bowed nervously. You really are someone who can put people at ease regardless of the location. You are so lovely that it's making me dizzy! I love you Asahina-san, I want to hold you close in my arms!

After seeing the three disappearing into the station, Haruhi murmured:

"She really is a queer character. Hmmm, but she is one of the more interesting people you know. Although she feels a bit artificial."

She would probably take what you said as a compliment, Sasaki's like that.

"I thought as much, she seems to have more friends than you too."

It's true that she is considerably more sociable than me. But, Sasaki-

I held back my sighs, and thought:

You don't need to go and befriend aliens, time travelers and espers. Even if you want to expand your social zone, there's still limits.

I probably shouldn't be thinking about it. My head isn't working properly right now.

Tachibana Kyouko's opponent is Koizumi. For Suou Kuyoh it would be Nagato, the nameless future guy would be against Asahina-san.......

Then what about Sasaki? I had completely forgot about her.

I had never thought about who she would be going against.


Several minutes later after parting with Sasaki and the two extras, we went to the coffee house like fulfilling some sort of obligation. That would be listening to Haruhi's rant about what she had planned for today.

I shouldn't be treating everybody this time. It's the second time that I'm the first one to arrive, it's something I should be celebrating about, but I'm not happy at all. Maybe it's because it didn't feel like I was waiting for anyone till now. I still can't forget about the day that I was waiting for Haruhi by myself when Koizumi, Nagato and Asahina-san were absent. Even though I still paid for her, it's still memorable.

"We met at the ticket booth this time right?"

Haruhi continued while drinking her American Ice Cream Float noisily:

"Therefore no one is late. You just arrived first. Therefore we'll just pay for our own things this time."

What's with that "Therefore"? You even used it twice. It makes you sound stupid by repeating the same conjunction twice, and don't go changing the rules either. Maybe next time I'll come here while doing the Oklahoma Mixer [It's kinda like a part of the PE program in japanese Junior High...... although I don't think they do it anymore] dance with Nagato and Asahina-san.

"That's a no go."

Haruhi shook her straw with her mouth.

"You can't plan it before hand and pretend it's a coincidence. I'll say this now, I'm not that easily fooled. You'll have to pay the ten times fine if you get caught."

Who's going to investigate that? You won't get caught if you make sure to say the same thing anyway. Haruhi's probably on top of the Fair Trade Commission's list. But let's forget about it, since one will have to pay the ten times fine in a fixed period and need a loan from the bank.

"About today's activities-"

Haruhi finished her cold drink and looked around at every one, I did the same and looked at the other three.

Asahina-san held her glass of ceylon tea elegantly with both hands and listened to Haruhi's words enthusiastically, Nagato stared at the surface of her apricot water and Koizumi had his usual smile with his arms crossed.

In regard to the appearance, there is no change to the SOS Brigade members. Ignoring Nagato, Koizumi's unwavering business like smile is really praise worthy. I'll make sure to mention that when I talk to those two later.

The following scene would be us drawing lots to decide the groups, is what I thought.

"I've decided to not split into groups."

Is what she said.

"I thought about it before, maybe we can't find anything because we tend to divide into two groups of two and three. After all, it is easier to discover something when there's more people searching one spot. Five is over two times more than two."

Haruhi give me an interrogatory look:

"Especially you, Kyon, you weren't looking for those mysterious things seriously, right? You were asleep in the library before."

So you still remember that. I looked at Nagato and Asahina-san from the corner of my eyes, they seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"Hey, Haruhi, what are those mysterious things again? Sorry, but I forgot most of those things you said before. Can you tell me about those again?"

"That's the basic of the basics, so make sure you remember them this time."

Haruhi brushed some hair away from her cheek.

"Any incomprehensible occurrence is ok. Something that can't be explained or someone who's mysterious, temporal disturbances, aliens pretending to be human, and many other similar things."

Most of what you just said can be explained by these guys here -- I thought that to myself and sighed.

I'll have to have a good talk with Koizumi and Nagato in another time. It's too risky to try to talk with those two without Haruhi noticing if we are moving around as one group.

From Koizumi and Nagato's complexion, and the fact that Asahina-san is still the normal Asahina-san, plus there isn't another me that has come back from the future trying to fix things, it seems things shouldn't be that bad.

Besides, there's something that's more important right now. I peeked at Haruhi.

Looks like she's really concentrating on finding those mysterious things. It's all right then if that's the case. There's no need to reassure myself or panic.

Our raison d’être-less SOS Brigade has already sailed through many storms, it's now completely out of control and roaming around randomly. As long as the course is still unclear, it'll just continue to ignore the marine traffic safety code and run all over the place. It's not unlikely that a voyage which started by aiming for an Indian subcontinent would end on the top of Mt. Ararat.

Sensing that Haruhi was going to get up soon, I hurriedly gulped down the remaining melted ice in my glass.

"Ok, let's go!"

Just as Haruhi was pushing the receipt towards me out of habit, she seemed to suddenly remember the declaration she made before and acted nonchalantly while picking up the straw in her empty glass with her mouth.

We walked around near the station for several hours after that.

Some of the buildings that weren't here a month ago seemed to have appeared out of nowhere just a bit off the main street, there are also some buildings that seemed to have evaporated into thin air. Although all of this seems a bit fast, maybe it's normal in today's commercialism-infested community. Has the bar near my house that existed before my birth been left behind by time too? The convenience stores that seem to have just opened suddenly close shop, and more take their place, just like Russian roulette. Although that's a scene that one should already be familiar with, you would still feel strangely at ease if the scenery hadn't changed at all.

The thing I'm most thankful about is that we didn't meet up with Sasaki's group again. Although I'm prepared for them to pop out from a corner, it seems that they really did get on a train and have gone somewhere else. I'm still not very happy about the fact that she brought the other two here, but it seems that she is still considerate of others. I'll have to thank her for that.

The five of us moved around together for the whole day. We had lunch at a curry restaurant with unique dishes that the owner is proud of, looks like he opened the restaurant as a hobby. We did the same activities in the afternoon. I feel like we three are just accompanying Haruhi and Asahina-san for window shopping, it's probably the same from other people's perspective.

Asahina-san who's looking at the miscellaneous goods corner of a fancy shop with sparkles in her eyes, Haruhi trying out various sunglasses on Nagato in front of a optometric shop, Koizumi who's been making small talk with topics like the weather or his classmates-

Today passed so ordinarily, it's somewhat strange.

Aah, it was a enjoyable day. There's nothing to complain about.

On that night.

After the new year's first mystery search tour ended without finding any mysterious phenomenon, I hurried home as soon as Haruhi signaled the end for today. I ate dinner and went idle for a while, then went into the bath after my sister.

I washed my hair with a shampoo that's cheaper than the ones for cats, and went into the bath tub after washing off all the dirt and dust, just when I was humming the tone of my sister's self-composed song that's known as "Dinner time song", the bathroom door suddenly opened.

"Kyon-kun -Phone -"

My sister who's already in her pajamas poked her head in.

So I got a call. I thought I would get a call anyway. I have some business too. I'm prepared to have a talk with Koizumi or Nagato. My sister held the receiver with a big smile on her face.

" 'Is Onii-san home?', I answered 'Kyon-kun is.' "

Can't you call me using the former too?

"Who is it?"

"It's a girl-"

My sister said that in a weird tone, I wiped my hands on the towel I placed on my head and took the receiver from her.

"Ah, Kyon-kun, you have to help me with my homework after you get out of the bath. Arith~ matic~ drill~~ nn~~"

After she finished that toneless song, she poked out her tongue at me and skipped out of the changing room like a kindergartener.

A girl who would call me at this time?

Who else but Haruhi? Maybe it's Nagato because of what happened this morning? Could it be Asahina-san?...... don't tell me it's the (big) one. I'm not in the mood to listen to some strange advice right now.

"Hello."

To prevent accidentally dropping the phone in the bathtub, I put my head out over the edge and placed the receiver to my ear.

"Hello."

And that echo-like voice is-



~~


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