My sister can be useful sometimes. As your brother, I really hope that your innocence doesn’t disappear as you grow up.
After my sister played with Shamisen and Asahina-san, Asahina-san and I finally left, heading outside.
My watch read six fifteen. The sky was already darkening. It was still a month till spring.
“What should we do, Kyon-kun?”
Walking beside me, Asahina-san breathed small white clouds. If she appeared to be walking peculiarly, it was because she was wearing my spare shoes. That’s better than wearing school shoes, I thought, but for shoes meant for Cinderella, they might have been a little bit too big.
“That’s it.” I said as I too breathed out white clouds.
I had considered letting Asahina-san stay at my house. That way, my sister would have been really happy too. But after much thought, I gave up on the idea. My parents would probably want to know why she wasn’t going back to her own house, and if word reached Haruhi that Asahina-san stayed together with me at my house, I dare not imagine what disaster might befall me. If she really did come to my house to visit Shamisen, a pair of scissors and a quick snip would do the trick, but there was no way I could hide Asahina-san from her.
Petite Asahina-san’s footsteps began to become clumsier, as she stumbled closer to me. When she accidentally collided with my shoulders, she let out a small shriek, and immediately hopped away from me. That made her even cuter than usual. If it wasn’t only due to her shoes being too large for her, but her desire to depend on me that made her subconsciously lean against me, I would be very happy.
But I couldn’t just think about my happiness alone.
I didn’t have that much confidence within me. If Asahina-san did indeed depend on me, the effect would be like a domino piece leaning on another. There were only two possibilities. Either it would fall and collide with the others, or it would remain standing tall.
If I was indeed a domino piece, who would I choose to lean on? Since Asahina-san (future) chose to lean on me, who should I choose? There weren’t many choices.
The first one I rejected would be Haruhi. If anyone dares to ask why, I’ll scramble his brains, since he doesn’t appear to have any sense of shame.
Asahina-san (present) was a no-no. She would probably believe that she had an identical twin and go ballistic. That would make things worse. And I don’t intend to travel to the past to fix things up.
Koizumi, on the other hand, seemed quite reliable, but I had no faith in how his ‘Organization’ treated time travelers. Entrusting Asahina-san to them was definitely not a good idea. Arakawa-san, Mori-san, and the Tamaru brothers might seem nice, but if they were as Koizumi said merely low-level minions, then it’s going to be some time before their superiors can gain my trust.
Under the rules of elimination, there was only one name that came in mind. She was the only one that realized our current situation, and the true person that protected the SOS Brigade, silently pulling strings behind our backs. Even though she had some weird superiors behind her, I felt that I could trust them more than Koizumi’s ‘Organization’…
She was the only one left.
So where should we go? There’s not much of a choice, is there?
That is to say, it was finally time for Nagato Yuki to step up to the stage.
Now wasn’t the time to explain. Maybe it was better if I grouped aliens and time travelers together. I mean, to travel from the past to the future, we would certainly require Nagato’s help. This seemed like a better choice.
And also, I remembered something.
In order to prevent Asahina-san (Present) from seeing Asahina-san (Future), she had forcefully pulled Asahina-san (Present) from the club room, allowing me and Asahina-san (Future) to escape. In other words, she knew what was happening, and maybe she could tell us what was going on.
“Are we going to Nagato-san’s house?”
Asahina-san looked at me, as she slowed down her footsteps. I encouraged her by saying, “I’m sure she’ll help us. She’s also got a spare room, and it’s just a week after all, I don’t think she’ll mind you staying there.”
If possible, I too would like to stay. I even thought of a perfect excuse.
“But…”
She sounded a bit down. “Nagato-san and I have… umm… well… Do I have to stay there for… umm… a whole week?”
There’s no need to worry. Nagato would never hurt Asahina-san. We’ve always relied on her in the past. Didn’t we seek her help when we went time traveling?
“That may be so, but…”
Strangely, Asahina-san looked at me with accusing eyes. “If I stay with her, won’t Nagato-san feel bad…?”
“Huh? Why?”
How would you know what made Nagato feel good or bad? I bet that even if someone stripped stark naked before her and started dancing a nude dance, she probably wouldn’t even flinch.
I eagerly awaited her answer, but all she did was turn her face from me, and said,
“…Oh, never mind.”
Conveying thoughts in speech, and in the most subtle manner possible, that was one of Nagato’s specialties. That remains true even now.
Standing outside the luxury apartment, I punched out that familiar number, and duly awaited her voice.
“…”
“It’s me. And Asahina-san too. It’s like this…”
“Come in.”
I wonder how many times has the same conversation happened? I’ve brought both big and small versions of Asahina-san here, and if memory serves me right, this should be the fourth time. The first time was during Tanabata four years ago, along with Asahina-san (small). The second time was also on that day, but with Asahina-san (big). The third and last time, was during the 2nd of January, just last month.
Asahina-san wore a look of anxiousness on her face. This was also something I was used to. That same expression would remain unchanged as the elevator ascended.
The way she tightly gripped the sleeve of my shirt, there was no way to describe how grateful I was. With a face as tiny and cute as hers, there was no reason not to protect her. If I didn’t protect her, even if the Earth was reduced to dust, I wouldn’t be able to find anyone more suitable than her to protect.
“…”
Nagato’s apartment door was half opened, as if awaiting us. That sailor uniform was yet again something I was used to. The only times that I had seen her in casual clothes were during the summer vacation and the winter vacation. The way she looked at us was nothing special, but Asahina-san started to freak out at that very moment.
“Ah well… Sorry, Nagato… Some rather unexpected things have happened, so we’ve decided to come here…”
That was the truth, after all.
“It’s okay.”
Nagato nodded her head stiffly.
“Come in.”
Asahina-san stuttered as she remained motionless on the spot, that oh-so-familiar reaction when faced with Nagato. I ushered her in with a push of my hand, and she finally stepped in the door. Such embarrassment made me wonder how had she once slept in this very room just one month ago.
“Sorry to disturb you…”
Nagato’s apartment was once bare and empty, devoid of any signs of interest, and filled only with living necessities. Now, there was actually a large curtain draped over the window in the living room, and it was a winter-style curtain to boot. This wasn’t here when I visited last spring, and its existence proved of large significance. The games that we had played during Christmas were still rolled up and placed near the wall, but there was still no sign of any rugs or TVs. There was only a lone heater in the room, and a sturdy table. I had an urge to check out Nagato’s bedroom, but my instincts warned me against it. If it was plastered with cute, pink wall paper with a flowery wall hanging, and a stuffed doll in the shape of a lamb by her pillow, I would totally erase any memory of Nagato Yuki from my mind, and start to know her again from scratch. But even so, I dare say that even if you tra
ced time back to the Mesopotamian era, you wouldn’t be able to detect any traces of such a thing.
I had already heard from Asahina-san what would happen in the future, at least until tomorrow.
Now, I had important questions to ask.
“Umm, Nagato, do you know that Asahina-san is from the future…” Oh wait, everyone knows that. “Sorry, I mean, do you know that this is another Asahina-san from eight days in the future?”
I said this while sitting by the heater in the living room.
“I do.”
Nagato sat kneeling before me, and stared straight at Asahina-san. Asahina-san jumped in fright, before hurriedly sitting by my side, and lowered her gaze.
“Asahina-san doesn’t seem to know why she was sent here.” I explained. “From what she told me, it seems that my future self sent her here… Nagato, do you know why?”
Even if she didn’t know why, I was sure that Nagato had means to find out, so when the word “No” escaped her lips, I didn’t feel uneasy. I mean, all she had to do was to perform that synchronization thingy to find out.
But Nagato’s next reply totally betrayed my expectations.
“No. In my current state, there is no way that I can synchronize with my past or future self.”
Before I had a chance to ask why, Nagato said,
“Because there is a restriction program.”
I still don’t get it. Why?
“My freedom is currently being limited, since there is still the possibility that I may go astray again. This is what they have decided.”
This restriction rubbish, was it placed by your boss?
“The Integrated Data Sentient Entity has approved of it.”
Nagato’s expressionless face appeared to be different from usual.
“But it was placed by me personally, by my own will.”
Nagato said indifferently.
“A password is required to lift the seal, and the password is governed by someone else. My will alone is insufficient to disable the program. And I have no intentions of doing so.”
So that is to say, Nagato had no way of synchronizing with her future self. She had no means of knowing what would happen in the future, and consequently, what would happen eight days later. If so, what should I do?
“Just act according to your better judgment.”
A pair of black pupils stared directly at me.
“I’ll try my best to do so.”
I could only drop my jaw. Nagato was actually showing self-awareness. Wait, am I being lectured by Nagato here?
“Even though I have lost the ability to perform synchronization, I have obtained freedom beyond what I had imagined. Now I am able to act according to my own free will, unbound by the future.”
Nagato sure has changed. Since when has she loved to talk this much?
“I feel as though I carry the responsibility of shaping my own future.”
Nagato continued to stare at me, as she said:
“The same applies to you. Since…”
Nagato said softly, “It’s your own future.”
I closed my eyes and drifted into deep thought.
Let’s say I had the ability to see the future. I would know what my future self was trying to do. And let’s say that no matter what I did, I wouldn’t be able to change the future, so the only choice was to walk the same path. So, should I follow the flow of time naturally? Is that the right choice? That I would know when the time came?
After a few minutes of internal struggle, I finally came to the conclusion that since I didn’t have the power to see the future, I didn’t have a choice. Come to think of it, I didn’t have the power from the start either. This brings me back to square one. Or does it?
Nagato must have put up quite a struggle, not only with the Integrated Sentient whatever, but also with her own will. She must have known that she would run astray, and tried her best to prevent it from happening. Maybe it’s because she knew of it from the start, but no matter what she did, she wouldn’t be able to change the outcome. It’s not a matter of who’s to blame, and even if it did come to that, I’m sure I was equally guilty. I had noticed slight changes in Nagato ever since summer, but I didn’t give it too much thought. Even though I had a slight urge to let Haruhi take the slate instead of me, I didn’t want anybody to go through the mental stress I was going through right now.
Just last month, this Nagato had said to the past Nagato:
“Because I don’t want to.”
Nagato knew that her past self would do what she had to do, or at least, she believed that she would do what she had to do.
There is no need to decide upon things which are yet to happen. Isn’t that what I’ve been doing all along?
I listened to my future self’s voice, returned to the past, and told my own self those exact same words. I never told him what to do after that. I left it for him to decide.
Because I know there’ll be a way.
And I did think of a way. That’s why I’m standing here right now.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Nagato’s voice woke me up from my hallucinations. Those expressionless black eyes looked even brighter than usual. “My highest priority is to protect you and Suzumiya Haruhi.”
Oh how I hope you would include Asahina-san as well. And while we’re at it, let’s throw Koizumi in too. During the Snow Mountain incident, that fellow promised to help you as well.
Nagato nodded and said,
“If the enemy tries to interfere.”
Could you give us an example? What kind of enemies?
“The Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence - An entity that is of different origin from the Integrated Data Sentient Entity. They have tried to imprison us in a different sealed space once.”
So you’re referring to those guys behind the Snow Mountain incident, eh.
“They are a similar, but separate entity. Compared to the Integrated Data Sentient Entity, they exist in a different—-”
Nagato shut her mouth, as if searching for a suitable word.
“—-place. Even though both of them know of the existence of the other, there hasn’t been any contact before, because the both of them feel that even if there was contact, there couldn’t be mutual understanding.”
“However, they have noticed.”
Noticed what?
“Suzumiya Haruhi.”
How should I describe this feeling of nostalgia? Everyone had noticed Haruhi. Everyone wanted to observe her very actions, be it her usual antics or her eccentric behaviors. Some had even wanted to pitch in and join the fun.
“So they were the ones behind the Snow Mountain incident.”
“Yes. They were the ones who gave me extra burden, creating a scenario hard to escape with my own powers alone.”
Then what were your bosses doing then? Having a lunch break?
“Modifications were made so that I could not fully understand what the Integrated Data Sentient Entity was trying to convey.”
But then Nagato lowered her head, and said, “But I know that that was one of their means of ‘negotiation’.”
What negotiation? We were totally put in the dark. That kind of method is totally unacceptable in modern day society.
“They are a life form totally different to us. We cannot understand how they think, and it is estimated that they do not understand how we think.”
Isn’t there any other means of communicating with them? I really want to know how they think about Haruhi.
“There is currently no means of transmitting data with 100% efficiency.”
That’s what I thought. They were the kind to use snowstorms instead of summer days to relay a message.
“If it is a minor transmission, it may be possible.”
Nagato moved her neck and said, “As long as they create a living humanoid interface like myself, even if they couldn’t achieve 100% efficiency, they would still be able to achieve a high percentage, especially through means of speech.”<
br />
There wouldn’t be some of them here already, would there?
“There may be.”
Even though I didn’t wish for that possibility, I felt as if I would be even more surprised if they didn’t have at least one humanoid interface. What was this feeling, I wonder?
“Ah…”
That ah~ was made by Asahina-san.
“Could it be…”
Asahina-san looked as if she had understood something, and looked at Nagato as if she had just realized something shocking. Nagato also looked at Asahina-san. The sight of an alien locking sights with a time traveler freaked me out.
“What’s the matter?”
“No, it’s nothing… Really…”
As I was astonished by Asahina-san’s stunned reaction, Nagato got up, looked at us and said,
“I’ll go and make some tea.”
After making that statement, she headed towards the kitchen, before stopping halfway and saying,
“Or would you like…”
Like what? As I awaited her response, she came up with one, simple word,
“Dinner?”
Today’s dinner was canned curry, specially prepared by Nagato herself. As I saw her empty five people’s share into the cooker, I suddenly felt that it was Nagato’s usual doing. If it were Haruhi, she would have added some strange ingredients into the cooker. It was hard to describe. I wonder which should I choose, taste or happiness?
The reason why Asahina-san was willing to sit down in the living room with an uneasy look, was because Nagato had told her to sit still and not move. When Asahina-san suggested that she help out, Nagato simply said, “You are my guest,” and started to prepare dinner. All she did was take out five cans of curry from a drawer, and start to slice up some cabbages.
After a while, the previously empty plate was filled with rice, and topped with steaming curry. Even in such simplicity, I was able to feel a sense of joy. This was the main dish. A side dish – a bowl of salad – was also laid before me and Asahina-san. An extremely uncomfortable Asahina-san bowed very low before looking at the plate of rice that was piled like a mountain before her. She made a face that suggested she was in a difficult position, and, like a gastric patient trying to resist the pain, she tried to smile as beads of sweat trickled from her face.
Volume 7 - The Intrigues of Suzumiya Haruhi Page 7
