[FFML] [Haruhi] Sympathy Chapter Three

[Brian Randall]

Right.  Moving along.


#     Sympathy

##     A 'Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' fanfiction

###     Chapter Three -- Close Encounters

     Disclaimer: The novel series of Suzumiya Haruhi that began with
'The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' is the creation of Nagaru
Tanigawa.  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 browsing the internet and studying some sleight-of-hand
techniques for fun, I check the clock and declare our our first brief
club meeting over.  Now, I need to corner Yuki--  Since she's
officially still in the Literary Club, she's got the keys for the
clubroom.  That's not going to do in the future, since I went through
that trouble to get us a computer.

     Maybe I can bribe her for the key by letting her use it once in a
while?  It's not like I plan on limiting her access -- I just need to
make sure I can get in when I want, too.

     I let the others troop out, ready to call her to the side, but
she seems to be waiting for me.  Well, maybe it was on her mind, too?

     Once the other three are out of earshot, Koizumi going on about
yet more games, and Mikuru asking the occasionally confused, hopeless
question, I ask, "Yuki, is there more than one key for the clubroom?"

     "There are three," she answers.  "One for the club president, one
for the vice president, and one held by the advisor."

     Come to think of it, what teacher is the advisor for the Literary
Club?  I haven't gotten one yet for us -- I'm not going to try to ask
Okabe, since he's already given me trouble, either!

     Time for that later.

     "Well--  In that case, I'd like the extra key, since you don't
have a vice president!" I say.  I should probably get one of my own,
come to think of it.  Mikuru seems a bit too ditzy, really; I'd go
with Yuki, except she's kind of in another club already.  I don't know
Koizumi-kun well enough to say he'd be good at it, and Kyon.....

     Yuki stares at me with her unchanging expression, blinking once,
then holds up the book she was reading--  The title is _The Hyperion
Cantos: Books One and Two_.  Extending it the slightest distance
toward me, she says, "Read it."

     "Uh, okay," I agree, taking it and glancing at the cover.  Looks
like sci-fi--  And it's one of those compendiums.  There's two books
in it: _Hyperion_ and _The Fall of Hyperion_.  Well, I hope it's at
least interesting.  "But, the key?" I press, looking back up at her as
I stuff the book in my bag.

     Still without any change in expression, she reaches into her
pocket and pulls out a key, handing it over.

     Perfect!  I take it without hesitation, adding it to my keyring
-- I don't plan on letting _this_ go for a while!

     "Wait, you had both keys?" I ask.  There's no way she'd give me
her only key, is there?

     She blinks once, then says, "I will retrieve the second key
tomorrow morning."

     Hmm.  Or maybe there is.  Does that mean she thinks I'm her vice
president?  I guess that's alright--  For now, anyway.

     Except -- does that mean that she thinks she's giving me an
assignment by handing me the book?

     I'm not sure what to think of _that_--  We get to the hall and I
turn around to lock the door.  When I turn back, Yuki's gone, though.
I guess she can move faster than she looks like -- a tiny girl like
that doesn't weigh enough to make much noise when she walks, either.

     ***

     Once I get home and go through my bag, I toss the book that Yuki
gave me onto my desk.  Homework first -- can't do anything if bad
grades are slowing me down.  After taking care of that and going
downstairs for dinner, I go back up to my room.

     Only ... do I really want to read that book?  Putting it off a
day probably wouldn't hurt.  It'll take me about a week and a half to
get through something that size, between classes and everything else
-- but in the meantime I've got a project that should be more fun.

     The 'bunny-girl' thing didn't work as well as I'd hoped, but
Mikuru-chan is still fun to dress up.  Something that's more moe and
less focused on sex appeal should probably work fine, right?

     I'd kind of half-heartedly played around with making most of it
anyway, and I've got a pretty fair impression of Mikuru's sizes.
Really, other than being a bit wider in a few places, we're not that
far apart, so I spend the rest of the evening finishing up the maid
costume I thought might be fun a while back with the sewing machine I
got for my birthday a few years ago.

     After that, I check all the seams and turn it inside out, looking
for anything that's rough or just plain got a hole in it.  A few
touch-ups take care of those -- I think this will do!

     It's ... a bit loose around the chest for me -- the hips are a
bit loose, too.  Then again, it's also roomier around my stomach than
I need--  Probably Mikuru-chan will look better in this.  But that's
alright; this should be fun anyway!

     I yawn, looking at the clock -- even if it was the finishing
touches, it took longer than I thought it would.  Yuki's book will
need to wait until tomorrow.

     ***

     The next day is pretty good, too.  I get up early enough to dig
out an old electric kettle from storage, and set it up in the club
room during lunch.  Nothing really interesting happens with Kyon, but
that's hardly unusual.

     After class lets out and we get to the clubroom, I pounce
Mikuru-chan straight-off--  I want to see her in the costume I worked
so hard on!

     I bet Kyon will love it, too--

     Her little moe squeals that she doesn't need help are enough to
send Kyon and Koizumi running before they even set their bags down.
Which means more time for us all to be in the club!

     By the time I've got her completely changed into the maid outfit,
I'm pleased to see that I got the sizes just about right--  Except for
it maybe being a little looser across the stomach than I'd expected.
That's fine, though; you can't really tell beneath the apron, anyway.

     I let the boys back into the room.  "Was today a costume party?"
Koizumi jokes.  "That's a rather good VIVIT cosplay!"

     ...who?

     "Oh?" Kyon muses, raising his eyebrows, taking the excuse to keep
eyeing Mikuru-chan's new costume.  "I don't follow Seihou as much as
Touhou, but you're right.  I agree -- that looks very nice on you,
Asahina-san!"

     And like Kyon threw a switch, Mikuru-chan suddenly brightens,
completely dropping her fake 'I don't want to wear this!' attitude.
"R...really?" she simpers shyly.

     ...whatever.  That means I did a good job on the costume --
enough to look like some character from a game I've never heard of --
so I can't get too upset about it.  Before Mikuru-chan can move away,
I grab her from behind.  "Wear this every day from now on!" I order,
giving her a tight hug, nibbling on the edge of her ear, looking at
Kyon out of the corner of my eyes.

     "Eee!" Mikuru squeals cutely.  I bet he'd like to play with
Mikuru-chan like this -- and I'm sure she'd love it, too -- but I
don't think he's got the guts to try if he passed up the last invite.
She is _so_ adorable ... I guess I can't _really_ hold it against Kyon
that he gets distracted by her.  Well, maybe if I leave her alone, he
will too.  No good getting distracted all the time.

     "Alright!  Now as a proper maid, you should prepare tea for us,"
I add, releasing her and indicating the tea set.

     Kyon looks at it curiously, then shrugs and takes his seat at the
table.  Koizumi sits opposite him and fishes a game out of his bag.  I
glance at the white and black tokens on the box -- Reversi?  I guess
it's a good idea to have something to do in the clubroom when we're
not on assignments.

     Sure!  Why not?  That just means we're making this territory our
own!  Headquarters should be comfortable, shouldn't it?

     Well -- with Mikuru busy making tea, I sit back at the computer.
I don't want to spend all day just looking up sleight of hand, so I
move on to the next step of planning our weekend trip.  I've been
around town plenty, but with extra eyes, we're more likely to find
something amazing!

     There's not a lot to look at, though--  Well, actually, what we
should do is get a website.  We have the computer, after all, right?
It shouldn't be too hard to get the computer club to get that set up
for us -- it's pretty trivial compared to everything else, anyway.

     Except, we'll need something to put _on_ it, won't we?

     ...well, as much as Kyon and Koizumi were admiring Mikuru-chan,
why not take a few pictures?  And why stop there?  I bet a lot more
than just the three of us would like to look at them!

     She keeps making the most annoyingly cute noises and faces the
entire time -- I get Yuki into the act too, borrowing her glasses to
see if Mikuru-chan's cuteness goes over the top.  And it does!  I
guess it doesn't do much for Kyon, but she is ludicrously adorable!  I
didn't design the costume with 'sexy' in mind, but can open the top to
bare a little bit of chest -- not even that much cleavage, really.

     The effect is more cute than anything else-- and that's perfect!
A few of the pictures I manage to snap while she's leaning forward --
knockout poses for sure!  That's just a bonus on top of everything
else!

     I bet she could stretch that 'sexy' look, but before I can really
try and go further along that route -- loosen the top of that costume
a bit more -- Kyon finally has enough and pulls me away from Mikuru
forcefully.

     I don't think he really minds, despite his stern look and
muttering--  But he's right that I'm totally letting myself get
sidetracked.

     I think I could probably take pictures of Mikuru-chan all day,
really.  Except, it's not helping me find something amazing ... or,
well, maybe it actually is!  In a way, a cute girl like Mikuru-chan,
able to perfectly play up those moe-moe notes -- that's not bad at
all, for a start!  A video-game otaku who can test well, and his
mysterious foreign exchange student friend....

     Oh, and Yuki.

     Huh--

     Well, Kyon tries to deliver some half-hearted speech about
something, and Mikuru-chan sniffles along and nods agreement.
Koizumi-kun tries to form an echo chamber and agree, but I've lost
interest already.  Dresssing Mikuru up and taking pictures is all well
and good, but I've already _done_ that.  There's no reason to do it
again.

     Unless I come up with another costume later, or something.

     Thinking of that, when Kyon and Koizumi leave to let Mikuru-chan
change back into her uniform, I give Yuki her glasses back.  Her
prescription must be super-weak -- the lenses look almost like clear
glass to me, and losing her glasses didn't seem to slow down her
reading at all.  "Thanks!" I tell her, since she's been pretty helpful
so far.

     "Did you read it?" she asks in a very quiet voice.

     At the same time she asks that, Mikuru-chan stops whimpering.  Huh?

     When I look over, the upperclassman doesn't look even slightly
abashed about having no top on -- just a cutesy flower-patterned bra
and her uniform skirt.  She's staring at Yuki with something like ...
cautious interest, I guess.  Where'd the cute act go?

     When she realizes I'm looking at her, Mikuru-chan just gives me a
slow smile and shakes her head, redressing with silent efficiency.

     ...strange.  Not sure what's going on there.

     Weirds me out a bit, though, so I don't say anything until she's
gone.  "Er, not yet," I allow.  "It's a bit long -- it'll take me a
few--"

     "Read it," Yuki returns, before I finish, taking the glasses from
my hands as she rises and leaving without a backward glance.

     Is that girl's face carved from stone, or something?  I swear it
never changes!  If it's such a big deal, then fine!

    ***

     Since it's such a big deal to Yuki, and I can't really figure out
anything else about Mikuru-chan for the time being, I grab that
door-stopper she handed me when I get into my room.  It's that or sort
through Mikuru-chan's pictures, but I need to get the website up
before that's a big deal.  A few of them are a bit sexier -- but
something about the calculating way she looked at Yuki still weirds me
out a bit.

     I flip through the pages and sip at the glass of milk I brought
to my room with me, frowning when I pass something between the pages.
After setting the glass down and paging back I find it--  Hey, a
bookmark!

     That's kind of thoughtful, I guess?  I pull out the light purple
marker and look at it--  Blank.  It might as well be a strip of
construction paper.  The other side, though, has a message from Yuki
on it!

     Crap--  I barely have time to get there!  Kouyouen station?  She
could have just _asked_ me!

     I don't have time to explain things to my parents beyond yelling
a quick, "School related!" over my shoulder as I storm out of the door
and run as fast as I can.

     I wish I still had a bicycle, but the last one I had didn't fare
too well through my last experiment, and my father didn't really seem
impressed when I regaled him with the tale of its heroic sacrifice in
the name of science.  Next time -- if there is a next time -- I'll say
it was stolen.  The problem being that now he says it's my
responsibility to save up enough money, and--

     Anyway, running is good for your health!  When you're young and
you've got energy, that's the thing to do!

     A little worn out, I reach the bench about two minutes after
seven -- when the note said to meet.  "Hey!" I bark crossly, before
pacing back and forth in front of the bench, letting my muscles cool
down.  "What's the big idea, calling me out like this, anyway?  You
could have just asked me, you know?"

     Yuki's expression doesn't change at all.  She just gets up from
where she was patiently sitting, her head slightly bowed.  Her eyes
don't move to meet mine.  "This way," she answers quietly, turning
down the path and marching off.

     ...that's not answering my questions!  Well -- I still need to
cool down, so I pace along beside her.  "And?" I push.

     She says nothing at all, not even really looking at me.  We're
not far from what I think is her goal, so before I have a chance to
get really annoyed about it, we're walking through the lobby of a
pretty posh, upscale apartment building.  I can bite my tongue here,
because who knows who's listening in?

     After that we step into the elevator -- straight to the top!
Yuki's family must be really well off -- but when she lets me into her
apartment, I'm kind of taken aback.  Why doesn't she have furniture?
There's a kotatsu, but the girl doesn't even have as much as a
bookshelf, otherwise?

     Where are her family?

     "Sit," she says, pointing at the kotatsu while she heads into the kitchen.

     Yeah, I'm not a trained dog, so I ignore that and walk over to
the huge window overlooking the city.  The view from here is pretty
impressive.  It's gotten dark, so I watch the city lights until Yuki
returns a few minutes later with tea.

     When she actually sits down, I join her.  "Well?" I demand,
throwing back the first cup of tea, and watching her silently refill
the cup.  I swear, her movement's so economical, she might as well be
a robot.

     This time I don't touch it -- I want answers more than a drink.
Her tea's alright, at least -- better than Mikuru-chan's.

     "Drink," she says.

     "Did that," I return, scowling a little.  "You called me out here
-- so what is it that we can't talk about at school, or that you
couldn't just give me your phone number for?"

     She pauses for that, her expression not changing, still.  After
blinking, her gaze focused on my teacup, she says it's about Kyon.

     Wait, Kyon?  The same guy I labeled 'Boring-kun'?  Yeah -- she
uses his real name, but let's be serious--  "_Him_?" I ask.  "What
_about_ him?"

     "And me," she adds.  If I were drinking that tea, this would have
resulted in a spit-take.

     "Oh for the love of--  What, you want to ask him _out_?" I snap,
scowling.  "You sent a note to the wrong person, then!  Why should _I_
care?"  I can't believe she pulled me here for this!  I thought it was
going to be something important!  Not this big waste of time!

     She blinks at that, and for a bit, looks like she's having
trouble finding the right words.  She's not blushing, so I don't know
what the hell it is -- she doesn't at all actually look _shy_ about
it; her expression's as unchanging as ever.  I guess it's like she
can't figure out what the right words to say whatever are.

     "He and I are not ordinary," she finally says.

     Yeah, I don't think I agree.  He's about as ordinary as they
come, academic oddities aside.  She's probably just trying to convince
herself she's got some common ground with him or whatever.  "Uh-huh,"
I say, turning to look out the window and sipping at the tea again.

     Might as well -- I _did_ run all the way to the park.

     "We are not ordinary human beings like you," she clarifies.

     "Yeah, I kinda got that," I grumble.  "He's a savant and you're
autistic.  And?"

     When I glance back, she blinks several times.  "I cannot
completely convey this in words," she says in her almost un-modulating
voice.  "Some data may be lost."

     "You can say _that_ again."

     "I cannot completely--"

     "Didn't mean it literally," I snap, cutting her off.  Does she
think that's funny, or something?  This is so annoying....

     After another pause, her expression looking a bit lost, "The
Integrated Data Sentience Entity, which oversees this galaxy, has
created human-contact-purposed interfaces -- like me.  Our purpose is
to communicate with biological entities."

     ...whoa.  That's a hell of a topic shift.  "Say what?"

     "My task is to observe him and upload that data to the Integrated
Data Sentience--"

     "Hold up!  You're telling me you're some kind of _alien_ here to
watch _Kyon_?"  I mean, the 'alien' part would be pretty hard to buy
on its own, but -- seriously, to watch _him_?

     "Correct."

     "Are you kidding me?"

     "No."

     I roll my eyes at that.  "Okay, give me some proof, then," I
demand.  "I'm looking for aliens, espers--  Any trace of the
supernatural or paranormal!  That's what our club is about!  So show
me something that can let me know you're not just screwing around with
me!"

     After a moment of thought, she answers, "Listen."

     So, I do--  She goes on about how the aliens she's with are data,
not physical.  She says she's three years old--  Basically, she's got
a pretty good story -- it's a great excuse that doesn't leave room for
physical evidence.

     Well, isn't _that_ convenient.

     Evidently, somehow, _Kyon_ created this big interesting data
thing that got the aliens to care.  Believe me, if this were plausible
for a heartbeat, I'd be overjoyed!  Instead, when she's done with her
long-winded and incredibly awkward explanation, my immediate answer
is:

     "That's not proof."

     She just blinks and stares at me, her hand stopping halfway to
her own cup of tea.  Mine's half empty and cold, so I push it away.
Her hand returns to her side as though she were playing her earlier
motion backward.

     "So," I say, rolling my eyes, "pretending I believed this, if
you're not going to give me any proof, then why did you bother
_telling_ me?"

     "He has the potential to influence the environment around him
with thoughts alone, regardless of intent.  For reasons that we cannot
yet determine, he has chosen you.  My goal was to uncover some hint of
his reason for choosing you."

     "Wait, wait, wait," I say, shaking my head quickly, climbing to
my feet and pacing back and forth.  Damn!  This is seriously getting
on my nerves!  "He 'chose' me?  What the hell does that even _mean_?"

     "We do not yet understand fully.  You possess significant
importance to him.  We will observe both of you until we can make a
determination."

     "Sure--  But why tell _me_ and not _him_?"

     "The effects of him being aware of his ability cannot be
determined.  The Integrated Data Sentience Entity believes that if he
is informed or discovers his abilities, a crisis of unknown magnitude
may occur.  For the present, they have elected to continue
observation."

     "Great--  So I'll tell him," I warn, scowling.  "Then what?"

     "The probability of him believing you is negligible," she
returns, her expression smoothing from the tiny bits of stress that I
could see there earlier.  Hell, until she relaxed right then, I
wouldn't even have noticed it.

     So ... would Kyon believe this if I told him?  I doubt it --
because I don't believe it, either.  So why _would_ he?  Still--
That's an insulting thing to say!

     "Right," I say after a moment.  Oh, I wish she were telling the
truth, not just being bitchy about this entire thing--  So, she's
pissed off about me taking over her room, or something?  Well, if this
is her answer, whatever.

     As angry as I am about the entire thing -- I still have the
clubroom.  I still get to claim her as a member of _my_ club, not the
Literary Club.

     "I'll give you your book back tomorrow," I add, heading to the
door--  Seriously, at this point, screw trying to be nice to her.
After _that_?

     _Whatever_!

     I slam the door to her place on my way out, getting the last,
slightly disappointed look on her face before it vanishes.  Well, I
guess she can show hints of emotion after all -- but maybe she should
have thought about that _earlier_!

     I don't run, just stalking angrily back to my house.  I can't
figure out what Yuki really meant--  The only thing I can come up with
is that it's some prank.  I'll give Kyon points over her -- he can be
kind of boring, but at least he doesn't pull crap like that!

     I'm not in the best mood when I get back home.  You wouldn't be
either!  It doesn't help that my mother's waiting for me, still
wearing her business clothes.

     And that means _she_ already cooked, so dinner's not going to be very good.

     "Oh, Haruhi," she says with a sigh, shaking her head.  "'Dating' again?"

     That's not--  Well, if she's going to be like that, _fine_.  "I
gave it a shot, but she wasn't my type," I growl, brushing past her
and stomping up to my room.

     "Haruhi!" she yells in surprise, before I slam that door, too.

     I'll just skip dinner tonight -- my head hurts after all that
stupidity.  I throw myself onto the bed, almost smacking my face on
the book I left on my pillow.

     Bah--  Yuki can have that piece of trash back tomorrow!  What do
I care about it _now_?  I bet _that's_ where she got those stupid
ideas, anyway!  Since my mom knows better than to come after me when
I'm in a mood, I get left alone, just burying my face in my pillow
until I finally drift off.

     ***

     When I get into class the next day and sink into my seat, it
takes a minute for Kyon to say anything.  When he does talk, he
actually manages to surprise me.

     "Hey, Suzumiya....  Are you alright?" he asks.

     And I bite back anything I might say about him being boring and
normal--  Because at least he's not a jerk!

     "Slept really badly last night," I admit.  I almost go on -- tell
him about Yuki's prank.  But the whole thing....  That guy?  Able to
change reality with his thoughts?  "Some stupid stuff distracted me.
Waste of an entire evening."

     "That's too bad....  Did you finish your homework, at least?" he asks.

     What a question!  Yesterday I--  There was--

     _Crap_.  I think I might start getting really pissed off about Yuki, now!

     Before I can really start fuming, Kyon shakes his head a little,
then slides his homework over, across his desk.  "Math after
homeroom," he says, as though I'd forget.

     I want to shoot him a glower, but when I look at him, I don't
actually have his full attention.  He seems to be lost in some thought
of his own.  With grades like his, you have to wonder what he's
thinking of; his face doesn't seem _that_ different from when he was
griping about Mikuru-chan yesterday.

     Ugh, not what I wanted, but I'll take it.  I scowl a little, but
nod and snatch the paperwork away.  This gets me a glare from Onoki
before she looks sharply away and sniffs.

     Hey -- don't get the wrong idea, here!

     "Excellent work, subordinate," I mutter, loud enough that Onoki
should be able to hear.

     "You're welcome," he says, sounding amused.

     Yeah, okay -- he actually _is_ kind of a jerk!

     But ... at least he's on my side.  "...thanks," I grumble beneath
my breath.  Yanagimoto snickers at me, not bothering to conceal her
smirk.  From her desk next to Kyon, Sakanaka gives me a wince,
followed by an encouraging smile.

     I'm too tired to tell them they've got the wrong idea, and
anyway, Okabe comes in next, followed by Asakura Ryouko calling the
class to attention, ordering us to rise and bow to our teacher.

     ***

     I don't know if Kyon would have helped me out if I hadn't
recruited him for our club.  If any part of what Yuki said was true,
that 'choosing' bit kind of resonates.  I guess I'd be lying to myself
if I tried to pretend he didn't have some kind of interest in me.

     He hasn't ruined it by asking me out or anything like that--  I
guess if he were letting other people copy off his homework before he
probably doesn't think it's a big deal.

     I need a change of scene, so as soon as lunch starts, I run off
to the cafeteria like always.  I could let a few assignments slide, so
it's not like I _needed_ Kyon's help.  Even if I say that, the last
thing I need is my parents getting on my case about missed
assignments, so it's actually really good for me that I had that
backup option.

     While I'm elbowing my way through the line to get my lunch --
something a billion times tastier than my mom's cooking -- I can't
help but think about what Yuki said again.

     Not the garbage about being an alien -- that's just stupid.  But
the part about Kyon having powers that let him reshape the world
around him.  At least, if I understood what she was talking about.  I
can't help but wonder ... what if that were true?  And ... if those
powers were real, sorts of adventures and fun could we have with them?

     Probably it's pointless to dream about things like that, but it
makes for a good distraction.

     Thinking about it -- doesn't everyone at some time in their life
have the thought that they might be the only 'real' people, and
everyone else is watching them, studying them?  They could be ...
robots, or aliens, or, or....

     It sounds a bit like solipsism when put that way -- except,
Yuki's applying it to _Kyon_ instead of herself.  It's not like I
didn't have my own share of thoughts like that after that baseball
game--  How could I be the only one who recognized the enormity of the
situation?  How could I be the only one who realized how many people
there were, and how insignificant everyone else was in comparison to
that vast number?

     One real person, and a world full of simulations.  Isn't that
basically what Yuki's saying Kyon is?  Well -- that he's _more_ real.

     In order to believe that, though, I'd need to see other people
who thought he was worth paying attention to!

     I suppose I can't _really_ disprove it -- but that hardly means
it's true.  After all, when you use Occam's Razor, what's the simplest
explanation?  Until evidence says otherwise, it's that she's lying.

     Augh!  That's enough of that--  I need to focus on this weekend,
and finding proof of something _genuinely_ amazing!

     ---------------------------------

--
Brian Randall
--
Yrne awaits those with the courage to seek it.
--
I write fanfiction. Too much of it. You can read it here, on my
terrible webpage:
http://pishoque.net/brian/