Apologies; gmail causes the FFML to randomly eat my posts still. No
idea why or what I can do about it.
Or maybe Yuki just doesn't approve.... Regardless:
The Blunt Force Trauma of Suzumiya Haruhi
Chapter three: In which there is a confrontation.
A 'Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' fanfic.
Disclaimer: The novel 'Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu' is the creation of
Nagaru Tanigawa. I do not know the producers yet, but the animation
company responsible is Kyoto Animation. No disrespect is intended by
the posting of this fanfiction, as I do not own the characters or
settings involved. I'm merely dabbling with another set of paints.
;)
---------------------------------
After detouring away from the normal route -- where I might run into
Mikuru -- Yuki-chan and I make it to the library. This is the same
library I napped in while I was supposed to be searching for some sign
of the supernatural, once.
Once we get through the door I realize that I left my schoolbag in
the clubroom.
It looks like I get to brave the hill yet again to get it back.
Well, I've got some time before that's an issue anyway. Yuki-chan
wanders towards the shelves -- she looks like she's in paradise again.
But she only takes a few steps before she stops, then turns around.
"We should speak," she says in a lower voice than usual.
"I thought so," I say with a shrug. "That's why we're here, isn't
it?" She looks away, then nods slightly, so I lead her to a more
private area where we're unlikely to be overheard. In the back,
surrounded by all these books.
Though, Yuki-chan's place has a lot more books now ... probably
because Haruhi thought it should be that way, come to think of it.
"Well," I say slowly, once we're both sitting down, "I guess you
overheard most of what Koizumi and I discussed?"
She gives that tiny nod she uses. "This is relevant to the data
thought entity. Your arguments will likely help your cause."
"Will they?" I ask, surprised.
"Even though I do not agree with the method, Suzumiya Haruhi is
demonstrating autoevolution, and projecting it across her entire
race," Yuki-chan says simply. "It is likely that as you have posited,
Suzumiya Haruhi is undertaking an accelerated version of autoevolution
within herself. You are the most evolved being after her, due to her
interest in you."
Me? An evolved being? I guess that kind of makes sense. According
to Mikuru, I have directed Haruhi's power before. Twice, at least.
Let's hope I can do it again and get us out of this mess.
"So, you think the data thought entity will decide that I'm more
useful left alive, huh? Though, things will change if Haruhi finds
out about it."
That nod from Yuki-chan again.
"But you're not certain?"
"No."
"Well, any little bit to help. Do you know what Mikuru and I
discussed yesterday?"
She stares at me for about a minute before: "It seems likely that you
discussed the missing pages. My own calculations into their contents
have yielded minimal results. This data may be lost."
Maybe not. Glumly, I explain, "Mikuru and I think that Taniguchi
told Haruhi that I, uh, liked Mikuru. And that Haruhi couldn't make
me like her."
Yuki-chan blinks several times. "Ah," she says.
"So.... Even though it at first seems too altruistic, that does seem
like something Haruhi would do. Try and make things perfect, since
she can't get her way. I mean.... No, she'd always want her way.
But if Taniguchi told her everything else, she'd want to try and be
responsible with her powers, wouldn't she?"
"My understanding of closed space is limited, but it would seem that
more stress on Suzumiya Haruhi in the proximity of either failure or
success would introduce a more profound destabilizing factor than
originally considered," Yuki-chan offers. "Meaning that our hope of
autoevolution is likely going to be declared a failure."
That sounds pretty terrible. "Huh?"
Yuki-chan shifts in her seat slightly, turning to face me. "Suzumiya
Haruhi has considerable power, but very undeveloped skill. The
process used to accelerate her autoevolution was too hasty. Despite
Koizumi-san's plans, it seems unlikely that she will stabilize. It is
most likely that she will become more erratic, and the created data
will not be able to survive in the world for long.
"This will call for exponentially more data creation. Her lack of
understanding with regards to the fundamental underpinnings of reality
does not protect or assure any kind of return to stability until the
extinction of the human race is a reality. Because of this, in fact,
she must make changes at the levels she can perceive and understand.
This will lead to a situation most easily defined as a resonance
cascade failure.
"In essence, each change, like a ripple of water across a pool, will
refract and create that many more waves when they rebound. As you
should know, opposing waves do not cancel one another out when they
meet; they combine into larger waves."
Ah, awkward silence. We're almost as good of friends as me and that
hill, now. Convenient, though. This gives me some time to mull over
what Yuki-chan said.
"Long and short of it, we've got a limited window to act before
reality _really_ starts to fall apart?" I hazard.
Yuki-chan's little nod, again.
"Well. Okay. So, if that's universal ... I mean ... if she's
treating the symptoms, instead of the root of the problem, as it
is.... She can't change Mikuru, because of the difference in
timeplanes. She can't change me because she doesn't believe in that.
Or because she _does_ believe in that. So she changes everything
around us to suit her goals."
"Precisely."
I think about that for a minute. "So, mostly what I need to do is
convince her that everything was perfect as it was, right?"
"This seems to be the ... safest bet," Yuki-chan says quietly. "But
it is a bet. There can be no guarantees at this point."
"With Haruhi, there never can be." I think about this some more.
"After tonight, you're going to speak with the data thought entity,
right?"
"Essentially."
Of course. They probably wouldn't really be 'speaking' at all.
"Okay. Well, if things go down badly, I may not be able to talk to
you afterwards. And if I have to, I'll...." Actually, better not
tell her my plans flat out. Yuki-chan evidently agrees, as she
presses a fingertip to my lips.
"I must report what I know," she says warningly.
"Of course," I say, when she lowers her hand. "Um. Anyway. Just in
case something goes wrong ... can you make another backup of yourself
in me?"
She blinks. "Of course," she says, nodding. "Time is limited, so I
will not be able to be as subtle as I would like, however." She
stands abruptly, and looks at me expectantly.
I stand up too, wondering where we'll go. She grabs my collar and
pulls me down, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against mine;
I panic. For a moment, I thought she was going for a kiss. Instead,
there's a spark, the tingling sensation across my scalp is a blinding
spike of activity that leaves me seeing stars, and I'm lying on the
floor.
On top of Yuki-chan.
"For shame!" someone nearby murmurs. I jump to my feet quickly.
Yuki-chan, this is a bad thing to keep doing. Why didn't you warn me?
And how can someone so dangerous and powerful feel so soft? Um, back
to the issue at hand, though. Her eyes are clouded, and only slowly
regain clarity. By then I'm kneeling at her side, holding one hand
and patting it worriedly.
I've seen her take worse, though. Haven't I?
Of course I have; in a minute she's sitting up, holding my hand. "I
apologize," she says quietly. "I forgot your senses would now alert
you to that transmission."
Did they ever! And who could ignore a girl pulling herself closer
like that, anyway?
"Well, as long as you're okay," I say, probably louder than I needed
to. Just what I wanted ... a rumor going around that I'm two-timing
Mikuru. Maybe I can get a Tsuruya-proof necktie. Like, a clip-on.
"I am," she assures me. Then she blinks. "I forgot your bag."
"Yeah, I'll get it tomorrow. You ... have to go soon, don't you?"
She nods. "It will seem that I am sleeping for a time," she replies.
"Good luck, Kyon."
"Yeah. Thanks, Yuki-chan. I hope everything works out."
That tiny, infinitesimal nod again. It's kind of cute, really.
Ah, I can't afford to be thinking like that. I need to focus on Haruhi.
***
The second trip up the hill for my bag allows me to punish myself
while trying to purge the wicked thoughts from my mind. Or really, to
doubt the need to deceive Yuki-chan. She's under the impression that
I'll be getting it in the morning, so she's not likely to find me at
the school if she's suddenly ordered to hunt me down early tomorrow
morning.
Though I really don't like this situation. I can't imagine many would.
Anyway, I conquer the hill's inevitability, reclaim my bag from the
empty clubroom, and walk back home. This is still earlier than the
club usually lets out, and much to my surprise I run into my little
sister on the way home.
"Kyon!" she calls, bee-lining towards me and trying to tackle me to
the ground. Trying, I say. I've grown used to it, by now. Instead,
she lands a hug. "Yay!"
"And how did you do on your homework?" I ask, smiling.
"Great! Thanks to you, I got one hundred percent on everything!"
Well, it's nice to know that just as Yuki-chan said, Haruhi hasn't
changed the basics. "Good," I say, as she lets go of my leg and we
finish the walk home.
I plow through my homework, wondering if I can use my supposed
deduction to get through it all easily. I can't, as it turns out. As
boring and difficult as ever, though I gladly shove it all aside to
help my little sister again.
After that, I reason that Koizumi and Yuki-chan have their orders,
whatever they are. Mikuru is probably always going to be on my side,
but she's really very limited in how much she can help me. I get a
few instances of tingling in the back of my head -- a more
Koizumi-like tingle than a Yuki-chan-like one, I realize, but nothing
happens.
I attribute it to closed space, and eventually doze off.
***
When I wake up, I'm once again in an uncomfortable world of gray. I
climb to my feet and run to the window, shaking my head to clear it.
This is exactly what I don't need. I didn't hear my alarm go off, and
I almost never wake up early.
But I've got a tingling in my scalp. Yuki-chan-like tingling.
Either she or one of the other agents of the data thought entity is up
to something.
My window opens and I peer out. Fog? Just fog. Okay, I can deal with that.
"Kyon!" my little sister calls, flinging my door open. "It's time to
get- Oh!" She seems surprised and confused to see me awake already.
Well, I do like my sleep....
"Good morning, Kyon!"
"Good morning to you, too," I say, nodding at her. "Did you already
take your bath?"
"Yep!"
I stifle a yawn. "Great, I'll be down in a minute to take mine, then
I'll see you at breakfast."
"Okay!"
That gives me a little time to splash myself with cold water and wake
up completely. That Yuki-chan-like tingle eventually goes away, which
is probably a good thing. Unless I get to school only to find out
it's been flattened.
Breakfast is quiet, other than my mother's jibing comment about me
actually waking up on time.
Hah.
Then Mikuru shows up for the walk to school. I used to go with my
sister towards her school, then ride my bike to the train station,
take a train, and then walk up the hill. But with Mikuru, I just
leave earlier and walk. My little sister's school is in walking
distance, so I'd have to walk my bike halfway to the train station
anyway to stay with her.
We get to where she meets up with her other friends, then Mikuru and
I wave. She waves back.
So far this seems like a normal morning.
"Do you have any ideas on how to get us back to where we came from?"
Mikuru asks.
Normal for me, I guess. And to think, Taniguchi once told me he was
more normal than I was! He could have been right, come to think of
it.
"A few," I say cautiously. "But I'm still working on them. The real
trick is figuring out how to get us back without having Haruhi change
things intentionally afterwards. Say, can you get me information on
how things used to be?"
"You mean from the timeplane that was collapsed into this one?"
Mikuru asks me, blinking. "I suppose you'd need that as an anchor
point, wouldn't you?"
"The way I see things," I agree. "Mostly I need to learn about head
trauma, I guess."
"Well.... It shouldn't be classified, just irrelevant.... I guess I
can do that for you. I can probably get it by tomorrow, if you need
it. But I can't bring objects back -- you know that."
She did mention that before. "That's fine. I just need to
understand a bit about it. If you can learn enough to answer some
questions ... or maybe just get them answered for me."
"That's no problem at all! Is there anything else I can do?"
"Well...." We reach the train station before I can answer. And then
we board and she's pressed up against me in the crowd -- which I can't
deny enjoying -- and we're quiet until we get off at the school's
stop.
"Well," I say again, as we reach the base of ... of course ... the
hill. "Could you get a nurse outfit like you used to have?"
"Eh?" She blinks and looks at me oddly. "W...well...." Then she
smiles brightly. "If you'd like, sure!"
It's not for me, though! That is, not entirely for me. "J...just
understand," I say quickly, "it's part of my plan. I'm not trying
anything.... I mean...." I may enjoy the view as well, but that's
nor relevant. Entirely.
"I wouldn't complain," she says with a wink. Then we discuss school
and the club, as Kunikida draws near us.
"Good to see you two getting along again," he says, nodding his
approval. Easy to say; you would just have watched. Then again,
would I help someone who made Mikuru cry like I did? Probably not.
I just nod at him.
Mikuru blushes and looks away.
"Ah," Kunikida sighs. "I wish I could luck out like you, Kyon.
Don't blow it this time, huh?"
"Yeah," I mutter, as he smirks and runs ahead. "Thanks for the warning again."
***
Another humdrum day. Mostly.
I don't get any strange notes in my locker, and no one asks me
politely to die. Or just attacks me, though that would actually be
new anyway.
No sign of Koizumi or Yuki-chan until after I head to the clubhouse.
Haruhi rushes out of class, and I stroll after her. When I get
there, Koizumi is standing in front of the door, very tensely,
scowling at it. I walk up behind him and think for a moment. Before
I can say anything, he says, very quietly, "I do have orders to report
your presence as soon as I see you. So far, I haven't, though. Which
is probably for the best. If you succeed ... then I hope we'll meet
again in friendlier circumstances. If you fail ... then I'm sticking
with the Coalition; they're the closest thing I have to a dependable
organization, and it's the only way I can watch over Haruhi."
"Oh?"
"Yes. We can't talk long here. If you do find anything out, and you
don't make it ... since I suppose Yuki-chan is on your side, can you
leave a record of what you discover with her? Or anywhere, really?
If it can be done.... Well. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I'm
going to turn left and go home now. You should tell Haruhi I wasn't
feeling well. Which is true enough; the thought of actually following
through on my orders is making me sick to my stomach."
He pauses then, and I carefully step to his right.
"It would be for the best if you either beat me to the club or don't
show up; I am under orders. If you aren't there, obviously the matter
is out of my hands."
"Ah."
"Keep in mind that while I am hesitant, I'm not the only one involved
in the Coalition. You can't expect anyone else to be this friendly
about it. Again, Kyon ... good luck." He turns left as he said,
striding away without looking back.
What a guy. No esper-tingle, though, which is probably a good thing.
Not that it matters in real space. And I think if I were killed in
closed space, I'd reappear as soon as it collapsed. So it's not like
he could hide me there.
Then again, if he turned into a ball of light and dumped me far into
the ocean.... Ugh. I'd rather not think about things.
I don't have much time now. Good thing I was expecting this. I know
Haruhi's in the clubroom, so Yuki-chan probably shouldn't attack me
openly. Mikuru hasn't warned me about it, at least.
And if I stick close to those two, I'll probably be okay for today.
I open the door.
The atmosphere is surprisingly tense. Yuki-chan looks up at me, then
down at her book, hanging her head lower than usual. Mikuru looks
happy, but it seems strained. Haruhi herself is hidden behind a
newspaper.
The headline reads, "Bodies discovered in area apartments. Owners
deny involvement in murder".
I close the door and say, "What a mood ... is everything okay?"
"Maybe," Haruhi answers, setting the paper down. "Did you see this?"
"Yes. It's a newspaper."
She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. "Seriously,"
she chides me. "This article says that three bodies were found in
apartment buildings across the city. Well, one was a few miles
further north. They appear to be normal highschool students crushed
with some massive force, and in all three incidents, the people who
live in those apartments claim that the bodies simply appeared from
thin air. How do you think that can happen?"
I think that an esper who dies will reappear in reality -- dead,
unfortunately -- as soon as closed space collapses.
"It could be a cover-up," I try. I get an unfortunately timed
Yuki-chan-tingle. "Maybe there was a series of murders designed to
look identical and be seemingly inexplicable. The unlikely
circumstances might require the police to dismiss the incidences as a
fluke."
"You think so?" Haruhi asks tiredly. "You don't think it was ...
maybe ... something like aliens? Or...." She trails off and stares
at the paper.
I feel guilty, knowing that it was probably my fault that Haruhi got
upset enough for those deaths to happen. But I can't let Haruhi know
that. "I suppose it could be. But that would be very hard to prove,
wouldn't it?" The Yuki-chan-tingle fades. I glance at her. Today's
book is 'The Confusion'. How appropriate.
"I guess." Haruhi seems unconvinced.
"Look at it this way," I say after a moment. "It's only recently
happened, and that's a morning edition. They only found out just
before the papers were sent out, so there's really only minimal
information there. More evidence may come to light later. And then
there could be a perfectly rational explanation for it."
Knowing the truth, it doesn't seem irrational to me when I think
about it. So much for being normal.
"That's true," she grudgingly admits. "I guess it's not anything to
worry about."
"Of course not," I agree. Mikuru offers an emphatic nod. Another
page turns in Yuki-chan's book. "It's very unlikely it will concern
us. After all, they didn't happen in our district, did they? They
weren't students at this school."
"Yeah, you're right," Haruhi agrees. "I guess it's nothing. Okay!"
She bounces back fast. Or pretends to. "Ah.... Say, where's
Koizumi, anyway?"
"He said he was feeling sick."
"Really? That's too bad." I really would expect more concern for
Koizumi than that, Haruhi. He is your boyfriend, isn't he? "Well....
I guess we can still play some games."
I think it's time for a little experimentation. Based on what I've
heard, I need to find out the limits of Haruhi's ability. This could
be dangerous. But rationality should see me through. It's basically
the force most opposed to Haruhi anyway.
"Weren't you going to come up with an activity list yesterday?" I
take a seat as I ask this. Mikuru gets up and starts making some tea.
"How did that go?"
"Miserable," Haruhi grumbles. "Mikuru wanted us to make a movie.
How would we do that?" She crosses her arms on the table and rests
her head there, staring at a wall. "I don't know what to do."
I think she's talking about the larger picture, now, not what to do
in her club. And we already made a movie. I would think she wanted
to make another, especially given what she knows she can do now. She
could make a really.... Well. It would probably be a terrible movie
with excellent special effects, actually.
"Why don't we go for a few laps around the track?" I suggest.
Haruhi raises her head and stares at me in confusion. Mikuru looks
puzzled as she serves tea, and even Yuki-chan looks up, blinking.
"What?"
"Well, Koizumi's out sick," I say reasonably. "We should obviously
look after our health better. And the track team doesn't meet today."
I don't know if they do or not. But I'm guessing.
"Oh," Haruhi says, frowning. "Well.... Okay. Yeah. Why not? I
could use some exercise. We'll change in here." She shoots me a
sharp look, but before she can follow it up, I'm stepping into the
hallway, tea in hand.
"I'll change after you," I say.
Haruhi looks momentarily sad for some reason, before I shut the door.
Huh.
***
After we all changed -- even Yuki-chan, who did not teleport in and
kill me while I was changing -- we went down to the track.
Unsurprisingly, it is deserted. Was this because I told Haruhi it
would be empty? Or did the track club really not meet today? Hard to
say, and if she changed it, impossible, when you get right down to it.
Now, for my test. "Okay," I say, after stretching. Mikuru and
Haruhi follow suit. Yuki-chan stands nearby, still reading her book.
"Let's try and race, Haruhi."
"Race? You?" she asks doubtfully.
"Yeah," I say with a nod. And now for a dual experiment: How well
can I lie, and how well will this work? "I can actually run pretty
fast. I was in the baseball club, remember? And now that I'm going
to school again, the hill's really built up my stamina. I think I
could probably beat you."
"Hah! I'm hardly going to let you win!" but she doesn't seem totally
confident. "Mikuru-chan, you'll sit this one out as our starter.
Yuki, you're going to be the judge. A full lap, right? And Kyon,
pace yourself. I don't need you collapsing on me."
"Collapsing?" I say indignantly. "I can run full speed for an hour
at least! Do you know what kind of exercise they make you do when
you're recovering at the hospital?"
"N...no," Haruhi says, looking suddenly very doubtful. "Is it really intense?"
"You'd better believe it," I say. "Are you ready? I'll try not to
embarrass you too badly."
Now, this may seem very foolish. And it might actually be just that.
But if this experiment works, then Haruhi will believe I am faster.
Her conscious will seems unable to affect me a whole lot, but her
subconscious....
Not only that, if people are trying to kill me, this could really pay
off; I don't think I could convince Haruhi I was a great fighter right
now. And even though it's not much of a plan yet, it'll be important
in what I've got so far anyway.
"Okay," Mikuru says, nodding. "When you two are ready."
"I'm ready," I say, getting into a starter's stance, remembering what
I can from seeing the Olympics. Haruhi grunts and gets into position
next to me."
"Ready?" Mikuru calls, backing away, as though we'd knock her over
with our wake.
Yuki-chan sets down her book and stares at us impassively. "Good
luck," she says, though I'm not sure who to.
"Won't need it!" Haruhi insists, shooting me another wary glance.
"Set!"
"Mikuru-chan! We've _been_ ready, and we're _already_ set!"
"Aaah! Sorry! Go!"
And like that, we're off.
Something is different as soon as we launch ourselves down the track
at Mikuru's call. I couldn't run this fast before, but I can now.
I've watched Haruhi run, and she could be a star athlete, if she
wanted to. But I can pace her, and I feel like I _could_ do it for
hours.
One foot before the other, my breath coming easily while Haruhi
stares at me in surprise, then grimly forward, trying for more speed.
I loose a chuckle and match her, almost. I'm not quite as fast as
her, but in no time we're rounding the far end of the track, and when
we reach the straightaway, she grits her teeth and throws herself into
it wholeheartedly.
I push myself to my absolute -- and now expanded -- limit to pace
her. Even when I try my hardest, I can only catch up, not overtake
her. But I think we've seriously got a chance of setting a world
record at this rate.
Mikuru probably realizes what I've done, and that this means I'm
actually making headway at exercising changes through Haruhi; she's
jumping up and down, waving her arms and cheering. It seems like
we've only just begun when we're sliding across the finish line, and
Yuki-chan blinks at us.
For good measure, both of us slow down and jog a bit to ease off our
run. She's winded, not quite gasping for breath, but certainly
heaving. I'm the same, though I struggle to hide it, grinning at her.
"See?" I say, before I'm forced to wheeze, not quite masking it with
a chuckle. "Tons of stamina."
Haruhi catches the attempt and actually grins at me. "I never knew
you were such a jock," she teases me, placing her hands on her hips
and stretching a bit more. "Maybe we should do athletic stuff, and
play with the other clubs sometimes?"
When I've caught my breath a bit more -- which takes less time than I
think it should -- I say, "We could, if you'd like. You're the club
leader, after all."
She shakes her head as Yuki-chan and Mikuru catch up. "Beautiful!"
Mikuru exclaims, clapping her hands together. "That was amazing!"
Yeah, she has to have figured out what I was up to. Experiment
successful. I feel great! Or maybe this is just the euphoria of
exertion? I can't complain either way.
"The match was a tie," Yuki-chan notes quietly. "But your effort was
very impressive." Haruhi shakes her head again, Yuki-chan pauses and
shoots me a direct glance. "This could change your standing with the
administrator."
"What?" Haruhi asks, frowning.
"Er...." Mikuru turns and looks at Yuki-chan.
"My grades did suffer from being in the hospital," I say quickly.
"So I guess if I did well somewhere else, like in physical ed, it
might bring my average up."
"Oh," Haruhi replies. "Well, hey, do you think the word of your club
chief will amount for much?"
And here's where I have to be careful. Yuki-chan and Mikuru are
looking at me, as is Haruhi. "It might," I say. "But this is only a
club activity. I wouldn't worry about it anyway. I'm sure I'll pull
my grades back up."
That seems to satisfy Haruhi. "Okay," she agrees. "Anyway, the
Brigade chief and Kyon have set a demonstration! Now, Mikuru and
Yuki-chan get to race!"
This should be interesting.
***
By the time club activities finish, Haruhi's run us all through a
wicked exercise regime. I'm pretty sure my stamina has been improved,
because I'm not dead. But we got to do everything. We ran, we leapt,
we climbed, and there were some attempts at acrobatics, which were
interesting.
I did a lot better than I expected. Mikuru hit her head and
Yuki-chan sat that one out.
After that we returned to the club room to unwind, and I got to
change first. I should be glad that Haruhi didn't insist that I
change in the hall, I guess. But it was good to see Haruhi actually
smiling, and seeming to mean it.
No esper-tingles, either. Which means, I guess, no closed space
access nearby. There's a thought.... While I wait in the hall, and
they change, I send a text message to Koizumi: 'Tried to reduce closed
space creation. Reply if successful.'
No response immediately, unfortunately. No Yuki-chan-tingles,
either, though that may not mean much. When the door opens, Mikuru is
the first one out, and she rushes to my side, handing me my bag.
"Let's go," she says urgently, though she's smiling.
Why not? I follow her out; we were just going to go home after
activities anyway. Once we're on our way down the hill -- and my old
nemesis seems less than its usual self, now -- she says, "I think you
did very well, Kyon-kun. Will you be able to manage things quickly
enough, though?"
"I hope so," I reply, glancing around to make sure no one is watching
us. I certainly don't need another session with Tsuruya.
"Depending on how things went, it could work out really well.
Haruhi's in a good mood, so closed space isn't an issue at the moment.
This doesn't take care of the other problems, but it all actually
seems manageable somehow, now."
Of course, I still need to make sure I don't argue myself into a
vegetable. That will be tricky. And Haruhi's still very dangerous if
she's not careful.
"I'm proud of you anyway," Mikuru says. "I wish I could offer you
more advice, but-"
"I know, I know," I reply, smirking. "Classified."
"Yep." Mikuru offers an apologetic smile. "Can I make you dinner
tonight to apologize?"
"I don't know," I say after a moment. "Remember, if we're close,
Haruhi gets upset."
"She doesn't have to know," Mikuru says, shaking her head.
"Remember, it's only when she sees us that it's a problem."
That's pretty jarring. Mikuru, I never knew you were so devious
behind that innocent exterior! "Y...you're kidding, right?" I manage.
"Of course not! After all, we're supposed to be dating in this world!"
"But, if we get back, we can't risk that, right?"
"Ah...." She trails off. "No, you're right," she agrees. "I've
caused enough trouble as it is. So I just want ... well ... to enjoy
it while we can."
"Mikuru-chan ... things like that make it very hard for me to focus
on what I've got to do," I say, shaking my head. "I mean...."
"I know," she says, sighing and bowing her head. "Let's wait here a
moment." We're at the base of the hill, a few blocks away from the
train station.
"Okay," I agree. Maybe she needs to catch her breath.
"Kyon, I want to help you as much as I can. And I can tell you about
the old world, even though I shouldn't ... but there's so much about
this one I'm not allowed to talk about. So it makes it very hard for
me to explain. But would you believe me if I told you it would be for
the best if we just stood here and you held me for a few minutes?"
That's certainly something I want to believe! And it's in public, so
it's not like it'd be too bad. But then, it could also get back to
Haruhi. Then again, it'd make any rumors that went around much more
positive in general.
This time I'd be beaten for taking advantage of Mikuru-chan, not
making her cry.
While I debate, she hugs herself against me. Reflexively, I hug her
back. Her hair smells clean, like Yuki-chan's, but also like fruit
... strawberry and apples. A few minutes of this is quite reasonable.
"And you want to make dinner tonight?" I murmur.
"Please," she says, her face rubbing against my chest as she nods.
This is a huge risk in temptation, isn't it? What are you up to, Mikuru-chan?
I don't answer immediately. The moment extends, and I enjoy every
bit of it -- until my cell phone vibrates abruptly, and Mikuru
releases me with a smile. "There," she says in satisfaction.
Wait, she was just distracting me until I got a call? I try to
answer, but it's not a call after all. It's a text from Koizumi:
'Close space growth almost completely halted. Superiors impressed.
You have more time. Be careful.'
As I stare at those last two sentences, a large, dark car rounds the
corner, a pair of men with dark glasses looking at me sharply and then
driving away down another street. I know they're looking at me
because I feel a definite esper-tingle from them, even behind the
shades. I thought their powers didn't work in the real world? They
don't do anything to me, either way. I realize that they're driving
from the direction of the train station, of course.
"I'd be delighted to let you come over and make dinner for me and my
family," I tell Mikuru, holding her at arm's length so that I can look
at her solemnly.
She gives me that same shy, pleased smile that I found impossible to
resist when I met her older self, what seems so long ago.
Devious, I tell you. Devious!
***
Mikuru isn't a bad cook. She's not a spectacular one, but I really
can't complain. Nothing gets set on fire or spilled on me -- until my
little sister knocks over her drink, and I'm the only one who gets
splashed. Typical, I suppose.
But other than that, it's a nice, quiet meal. My mother thanks
Mikuru for coming over and taking such good care of me, my little
sister asks if she can study with us, and everything seems ... well
... nice.
Nice enough that I can just think about everything that went right
today. Of course, a little sister is a perfect poor behavior
deterrent. With her in the room, nothing can go wrong.
It doesn't hurt that Mikuru and I have different classes, so we can't
really work together terribly well. All of my homework is old news to
her. But I plod through it as quickly as I can, anyway. My little
sister only asks me for help with a few problems, and Mikuru answers
about half of those for me.
"Little sister is so cute," she gushes, when my sibling gets up to
get a drink. I can only nod in agreement, though I doubt I would
utter such a sentiment myself.
Mikuru turns to look at me and says, "Well, I've done what I can.
I'll meet you here tomorrow and walk you to school again, okay?"
"Ah.... Sure," I reply. Then I get a text message. From Koizumi:
'Much to discuss; meet discreetly in Sakuragaoka park @ 11:00.'
My little sister returns, gathers up her books, and then gives Mikuru
a big hug. "Thanks, Mikuru-nee-san!"
"Any time!" Mikuru replies, before starting to pack up her own
things. I glance at the clock. It's just a few minutes after ten.
"I hope I'll see you tomorrow, too."
This elicits a cheer, and then it's just me and Mikuru again, though
the door to my room is left open. Suddenly, she turns serious.
"Kyon, you shouldn't take too long getting to that appointment."
"You know, Mikuru, I think I've underestimated you in the past," I murmur.
She giggles, and puts one finger to her lips.
"I know, but I'm not asking any questions," I say, before the old
'classified' line comes up again. Though from experience, it is kind
of fun to use.
She pouts cutely at that, and says, "Well, remember that it takes a
certain kind of person to make unreasonable requests. And positions
like this have extensive qualifications." Then she gives me a wink.
"Wouldn't you like to know more?"
Heh. She's just looking for an excuse to say it now. "You're cute
when you tell me things are classified, Mikuru. Did you know that?"
She blushes at that, her composure vanishing as she giggles and ducks
her head. "U...um," she stammers. "N...no one's ever said that!"
"It's true," I assure her. "But we'd better hurry to avoid trouble.
If you say I should leave soon, then I'm going to do that." I pause
briefly, considering. "Should I walk you home?"
She shakes her head. "We can walk together a little."
So, we pack up all the rest of the schoolbooks and homework, and do
just that. Mom is under the impression I'm just walking her home and
I'll be back later. Though, if I come back after more than an hour
has passed, I wonder if they'll get suspicious?
Nah. They didn't say anything when I went out with Koizumi for that
painfully long car ride.
Anyway, Mikuru and I walk together in companionable silence for a few
blocks, then she turns to go home and waves to me encouragingly. I
watch her walk away for a bit, then turn the other way and walk to the
park.
As I do, I feel another tingle -- Yuki-chan-like, not esper. I take
a deep, quiet breath. If I have to run from Yuki-chan, I will. No, I
will try. With Haruhi's changes on me, I'm even better at it, after
all. Then again, Ryouko froze me in place, so if Yuki-chan attacks
me, I'd probably best appeal to her better nature.
Assuming that will work. Really, she'd have to let me get away. I'm
going to trust in Mikuru for now, though, and continue on to the park,
unable to keep myself from jogging faster. Now, the park itself isn't
terribly large -- it's a quarter of a block, and a good deal of that
is taken up with a baseball diamond. Then there's a small gym for
children to play on, and the rest of it is benches and paths through
the trees. This is Japan, though, so it's all well lit, thanks to the
vending machines lining the paths.
It doesn't take long to find Koizumi, though according to my phone,
I'm almost an hour early. He looks intensely relieved to see me
before assuming his placid expression. That Yuki-chan-tingle doesn't
fade, but is joined by an esper-tingle.
That's a very discomforting sensation, by the way.
"You're early," Koizumi notes. He turns away. "Why don't we walk
while we speak?"
"Just what I wanted," I say, falling in stride beside him. "A walk
in the park late at night with you."
"I'm touched!"
"Not if I can help it."
He chuckles and shakes his head; I can hear the slightest sound of
strain in that laugh. "I shouldn't be here, you know."
"Yeah, you mentioned something about that," I agree. "So either
you're going to try and kill me," and good luck with that in the real
world, Koizumi, "or something changed."
"Something has indeed changed," he agrees, nodding as he leads me out
of the park, across the street, and down an alley. "My superiors are
very impressed with you, as I said. But as I earn greater trust with
the Coalition, I am learning that they are vastly different from the
Agency. Understand I mean no insult by this, but I place Suzumiya-san
as more important than you, given the world we came from."
Well, that's honest. "I guessed as much." We walk in silence as we
emerge on the other side of the alley into a poorly lit street, and he
turns to the right. "Wait. You're saying the Coalition thinks I'm
more important than Haruhi?"
"And why wouldn't they?" he asks, shooting me a dark look. "You're
at the center of most changes lately almost as much as Suzumiya-san,
and since you have a better idea of what's going on, your influence is
much more benevolent."
"Ah," I murmur, hiding a grin. Myself, a benevolent influence upon
reality as a whole. Or just the common sense that keeps Haruhi from
blowing everything up. That's somewhat sobering, though. "So, where
are you going with this?"
"It's not been stated directly, and it wouldn't, since I'm supposedly
her boyfriend. But I am under the impression that if you completely
stabilize Suzumiya-san, the majority of the Coalition would want her
destroyed."
I freeze in my tracks right there. Koizumi turns to one side, before
another vending machine, and studies it for a minute.
"Are you serious?" I manage.
"Unfortunately, yes. But look at this from a completely logical
vantage, Kyon. Suzumiya-san has implemented changes that only bring
danger to the world. Three of the Coalition died last night. And
while it has happened, in the past, new espers never appear, according
to their history. This, unfortunately, matches what we've seen in the
Agency."
"Maybe it just takes more time," I suggest. "Maybe it just takes
longer than three years." Then, another thought occurs to me. "Or
maybe your powers are hereditary. Does anyone in the Agency or the
Coalition have kids?"
He shakes his head in response. "Those have been considered. So
far, none of the children exhibit any powers. But maybe it takes
longer than two years. We don't know, though." He pauses, putting
some coins into the machine and pressing a button. He presses it
again. Two hot coffees are vended, and he hands me one. "My guess is
that Suzumiya-san didn't consider those ramifications when she made
us. We are a product of her subconscious will, after all. Now the
Coalition is divided, and the one side of the argument I'm certain of
is not a pleasant image either."
"What's that?" I ask, sipping at my drink. Bitter. The
Yuki-chan-tingle intensifies, as the esper-tingle fades. What's going
on, anyway?
"You are able to control Suzumiya-san to some extent," he said with a
shrug. "I explained to the Coalition that you were attempting to
curtail the creation of closed space. As soon as you did this, no new
closed space came into being."
"That's only been a few hours though," I object. "Not even a day.
They can't be acting so quickly!"
"Since we came to this world, an instance of closed space occurs
approximately every ten minutes. Until you spoke with Suzumiya-san in
the club room and ... the Coalition didn't have anyone in place to
watch that. Someone on the track team is usually in charge of that,
and they didn't meet today."
Oh, isn't that ironic. "I see. So because it seems I did something
with Haruhi...?"
Koizumi sighs and drinks some of his own coffee, then turns around
and leans against the machine, staring up at the darkened sky. "There
are forces that want to capture you to try and control Suzumiya-san,
to see if closed space can be destroyed forever, of if more espers can
be created."
Chilling. The Yuki-chan-tingle seriously intensifies.
"Others are convinced that because of Suzumiya-san's belief in you,
her powers, if you will, are fading."
"She's going to turn into a normal schoolgirl?" I ask in surprise.
Well, as close to normal as she can manage, anyway....
"I don't know about that," Koizumi says with a shrug. "It's
possible. It's also possible that she's giving her power to you
simply because she doesn't know how to deal with it."
I blink at that. That can't be right. Why would she even do such a thing?
"Think about it," Koizumi says, pausing for another sip.
"Suzumiya-san believes in you. She definitely believes in you. She
built this world for your benefit, as far as I can tell. She's the
center of our reality. But you're the center of hers."
I reflexively drink my coffee in silence, adding this to what else I
know. "I thought she just exercised her powers through me," I finally
said. "I thought I convinced her to make me a better runner. I
didn't do anything but talk to her." And ... run better, actually.
"You believed in her, she believes in you ... in a roundabout way,
you believe in yourself. I'm not certain ... but I think that
Suzumiya-san's strength stems from belief in herself. Absolute
confidence, if you will."
I nod and toss my empty can into a dustbin. Haruhi certainly
displayed enough confidence in the past for me to believe this.
"But she's losing that confidence, even as she's gaining in power.
She's got nothing to cling to but you. If things continue in their
present state, you stabilizing her and using her power ... you could
usurp her position."
"And the Coalition wants me on their side because they know I want to
stop closed space," I murmur. "But why not simply approach Haruhi and
tell her these things? It wasn't an option before, because it might
result in too many espers -- but that's not really the problem now, is
it?"
"That's true," Koizumi admits. "But here, Suzumiya-san is --
tragically -- a much more destructive force than she was in our own
world. And it's not a recent trend, that's simply how the Coalition
sees her."
"Why? She recreated the Coalition, didn't she?" I ask. Did those
notes explain the Agency? Maybe they didn't. Maybe Haruhi just saw
Koizumi throw his attacks and realized he was an esper. Would that
account for the radical change?
Koizumi just looks at me expectantly, taking a long sip.
"So ... Haruhi sees you attacking Taniguchi, and thinks that espers
are violent. For whatever reason that we still haven't figured out --
and it seems to me this is important -- she doesn't change you, but
now the Coalition is more bloodthirsty and less patient than the
Agency."
"Sounds reasonable," he agrees, finishing off his drink and tossing
it after mine. "Though, you're right. I don't understand why she
preserved me."
"Maybe Yuki-chan would know," I murmur. If only I had the specifics
of that notebook! Even though I've established some things, it's
coming clear that there's still too much I don't understand. "I wish
we could ask her."
That same tingle of Yuki-chan-related energy, and I spin around. She
steps out of the alley and looks at us askance. Should I run?
"This is a weak node for discussion," she says. She's not wearing
her glasses, and for some reason, that reassures me. "I believe that
the three of us should discuss this in a more private location."
How far is her apartment from here, anyway? Quite a walk. I don't
know if I'd make it back home before the trains stopped.
"Nagato-san," Koizumi says warily. "Well. You've still got your
trump card, Kyon. If anyone can pull through this, it's going to have
to be you."
Do I still have Yuki-chan as a trump card? "Where should we go to
speak?" I ask, just before everything around us shimmers -- big
Yuki-chan-tingle for this one -- and we're in a box that melts away to
show us her room. Well. That was efficient. So much for running
away. "Okay. So, what should we be talking about?"
"I have observed portions of your discussion. Enough that my
previous orders are rescinded. I am returning to my role as an
observer."
"Direct communication between us has always been very limited,"
Koizumi says cautiously. "And, I'm only a low ranking member of the
Agency, anyway. You're just a low ranking member too, aren't you?"
Yuki-chan looks at Koizumi. "You are the highest ranking remaining
member of your Agency," she notes. Ah, she's got him there, when you
get right down to it.
He looks momentarily flustered, then nods and takes a seat at the
table, taking off his shoes. I join him. Yuki watches us for a
moment, then pours tea for everyone. I just drank coffee, so I only
take a sip. Koizumi drains his cup.
"You're right," Koizumi says, sighing. "So, I suppose it's up to me.
Assuming I'm willing to betray the Coalition. I need to be back at
the park by eleven so that it will appear that Kyon did not arrive
when the Coalition is watching."
"Understood."
"I'm glad you're both on my side," I murmur. And I am. These people
would make terrible enemies. "Yuki-chan, how much of what he said is
right? Is Haruhi somehow giving her strength to me?"
"This seems possible. The potential for autoevolution has not
previously been observed as a contagious element, but may have gained
these attributes in Suzumiya Haruhi's changes to the world." She
seems hesitant, then refills Koizumi's cup.
He raises it in salute and sips before setting it back down.
"Because of recent factors it is critical now to preserve both
Suzumiya Haruhi and Kyon from damage." I still only get a nickname,
Yuki-chan? "This world is still destabilized. While our observations
were able to gather crucial data, especially during today's
experiment, there is much that still needs to be understood. In
addition, even with full understanding, the damage done may be too
extensive to mend at this node."
"So we're going to be stuck with Haruhi making worlds over and over
until she gets it right?" I ask.
"Unlikely. Each attempt will fail on a larger scale, leaving her
more frustrated and transferring more of her potential to you."
That doesn't ... really sound so bad. I'm not sure I really want
that power, but I could make sure it didn't do any damage. "Would
that work?"
"The result is not desirable. Your potential for autoevolution will
curtail Haruhi's strength and lock it into a harmless factor."
"Which would leave us stuck with no way to change things back,"
Koizumi reasons. "And on top of that, we probably wouldn't get rid of
the closed space issue, which would only get worse."
"Okay. But this still doesn't tell me why you can't approach Haruhi
and just tell her what's going on, and ask her to fix it. I know
Mikuru's got her reasons, but you _are_ the Agency now, Koizumi. And
you can explain things without revealing ... anything critical,
Yuki-chan." Better not mention the data thought entity in front of
Koizumi, just in case.
"I would be an anomalous affront to Suzumiya Haruhi's condition,"
Yuki-chan explains. "I should have been overwritten in this reality,
and was only saved by you. I would most likely degrade her confidence
further, which would only accelerate the entropic exchange."
"Telling Suzumiya-chan that her bad mood got people killed would
probably crush her spirits," Koizumi says with an apologetic shrug.
"Same thing, Kyon."
"So ... both of you ... just like Mikuru ... are saying that when it
gets right down to it, it's up to me?"
"Hasn't it always been that way?"
You know, I think he's got a point.
"Okay. I need time to think about this. I've got a plan, kind of,
but I may need to wait until things destabilize further," I say,
nodding. "I'll go over it with Mikuru. Yuki-chan, try and protect
Haruhi if you can. Koizumi, if you get any useful information, let
Yuki-chan know. And ... if you can, Yuki-chan, I'd like a copy of
what we know Haruhi read. Though, we'd better make sure she doesn't
see it again."
"Understood, Brevet-Brigade-Chief," Koizumi says with a wink. "And
... Nagato-san, if I could trouble you ... I need to return to the
park now. Otherwise the Coalition will likely see my arrival."
"Yes," Yuki-chan murmurs to me. "It will be in your book bag. At
this node, all utility functions will be at your discretion,
Kyon-kun."
"Okay," I say with a nod. "Then I'd better get home and get some
sleep. I think tomorrow's going to be a busy day."
---------------------------------
Author's notes: The next chapter is the last one.