[FFML] [SHnY] The Inspiration of Haruhi Suzumiya

[Henry Cobb]

The Inspiration of Haruhi Suzumiya
By Henry J. Cobb

[The Haruhi Suzumiya characters are the creation of Nagaru Tanigawa,
etc. No infringement of their rights is intended.]

Haruhi Suzumiya was sitting at her "Brigade Commander" desk and looking
over at the door to the clubroom she have commandeered.

I knew she was bored, because I had seen it all too many times. In a day or
two she'd come up with some wacky scheme to assign to us, her "loyal"
minions and in a few weeks we'd have carefully made it all go bust behind
her back. After a few days of sulking, she'd be right back here.

Well, I've had enough of all that and I had done my homework on eactly the
right line of attack. "Haruhi, are you bored enough to listen to me for a
few minutes?"

"What makes you think I'm bored?" Haruhi balanced a pencil on her fingers
for a few seconds, then turned back to me. "Well, go on."

"You are bored and frustrated because you don't know what to do with your
life. You think you're condemned to being a nobody, but you're wrong. You
are the most important person alive."

Itsuki and Mikuru looked at me in shock. Even Yuki closed her book and put
it aside.

"What?" Haruhi asked, oblivious as always to the forest of clues around her.

"In centuries to come, schoolkids will be learning a sequence of names that
goes Newton, Einstein, and Suzumiya. Not because of any them ruled the
world, but because each of them changed the Universe. The path to
understanding esper abilities, unlocking time travel, and contacting
extraterrestrials starts right here in this room."

"Right here?" Haruhi made a sweeping motion over myself and fellow students
that she did not know were an esper, a time traveler, and an alien.

"It's you Haruhi. Just like Newton and Einstein, you are going to study the
mysteries of the Universe and come up with a new framework that others will
spend generations filling out."

"And where do you intend for me to start on this great quest that has
eluded the greatest minds of all time, Kyon?"

"Consider the three categories you yourself gave on the day we first
met. Look at the intersection of the quantum chemistry of the brain and the
quantum observer effect and you find esper abilities. Combine that with the
missing theory of quantum gravity and you have time travel. Once you have
that you'll be able to reach out over vast reaches of time and space to
contact aliens."

"Again, even if I accept your gibberish, why me?"

"Oh sure, Haruhi. There are lots of people who are smarter that you, but
you've got three vital elements in your favor. You are very smart, your
thinking is very flexible and you have the motivation to find exactly these
answers. Only you can understand the different fields deeply enough to
combine them together to meet your goals."

"Good grief Kyon. In order to do that I'd need..."

"A triple PhD in Physics, Quantum Chemistry and Brain Science."

"Do you know how long that would take?"

"Haruhi, you can get there in 12 to 15 years. I'll provide shelter and an
ear to bend. I know I won't know what you're talking about in even five
years, but at least I'll be there to listen."

"Kyon, is that a proposal?"

"It might be. If so, what's your answer?"

"I don't have one, yet. Let me read up for a few days so I can find the
obvious flaw in your daft scheme."

"That's acceptable."

-HJC