Volume 7 - The Intrigues of Suzumiya Haruhi

by Tanigawa Nagaru

  Asahina-san softly muttered to herself while she read the letter, which was gently caressed by the wind. She was thinking aloud, just like a little lost mouse who had forgotten the way back to his little hole.

  “I have a general idea of where we’re supposed to go. It should be the site of the treasure hunt. In other words, it’s the only place I know.”

  I nodded. It made sense.

  “But, what should we do?”

  Obviously, I had no clue. But I did have an idea.

  “Asahina-san, did we really not find anything?”

  “Yes… I mean, no, we didn’t.”

  My hands were slowly turning numb from the cold. Asahina-san folded the letter, and I suddenly felt uneasy. What was this feeling?

  “Doesn’t it seem strange? No matter how you look at it, this order has something to do with treasure hunting.”

  “W-Well…”

  Asahina-san lowered her head.

  “What does this mean? Hmm…”

  Not knowing whether ignorance is bliss or not knowing anything was not good, Asahina-san shook her head and looked at me.

  “I still can’t seem to make out anything. I guess it’s best that we head to the mountain. Maybe I’ll remember something there…”

  “That makes sense.”

  Anyhow, we should first head there to have a look. Haruhi would undoubtedly be unhappy if she were to find out that I’d been there ahead of her, but I suppose that I could always pretend that I’d never been to the place before, should she ask.

  I got onto my bike, and persuaded Asahina-san to sit behind me. Afraid of falling off, Asahina-san wrapped her hands tightly around my waist. I suddenly recalled last night.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Asahina-san asked me softly, just as I was identifying left and right.

  “Nah, it’s nothing.”

  I replied simply, as I began pedaling. My mind, however, was silently thinking about something else.

  Was that guy last night Koizumi? Or was it merely someone who looked like him? I hadn’t really got a good glance at him, and it was dark too.

  I shunned those thoughts from of my mind, and continued to head for the mountain.

  Maybe it was due to Tsuruya-san’s mansion being too big, but I soon lost all sense of direction.

  Tsuruya-san’s private mountain was located east of North High. Instead of being called a mountain, it should be called a hill, as it wasn’t really as high as a mountain above sea level. As I scanned the area around me, I was disappointed to not find any monuments left behind by some ancient civilization. Looking up high, all I could see were trees, trees, and more trees. Be it a mountain, a cliff, a dune, or a sleeping volcano, scaling it was no easy task. The same could be said for this hill. There were no specially-made paths for ascension. It would take equal amounts of time and energy to ascend or descend, or simply put, to go up and down the hill. Even a grizzly bear would feel tired climbing this steep hill.

  “It’s this place all right. Let’s start climbing.”

  Following Asahina-san’s directions, I silently pushed my bike uphill, and scaled the hill. The sun was already beginning to set. As I looked down, vast vegetable fields came into view, but there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

  “Are you sure it’s all right to just climb someone else’s mountain? We’re technically trespassing on private property you know.”

  I said as I wearily made my way to the top of the hill. Asahina-san suddenly let out a soft laugh. “Tsuruya-san said it’s all right. Kyaa~ That’s what I heard her say a few days ago… Oh no, wait… That should be tomorrow… She should be telling you this tomorrow.”

  I felt as if I had finally grasped the situation. It may seem like the past to Asahina-san, but to me it was the future. I only hoped that she would shed more light on what I should do.

  “Erm… That’s all I can tell you for now… The treasure hunt and city patrol should happen pretty soon now…”

  Then what about the lucky draw?

  “A-Ah… T-That…”

  Asahina-san was immediately thrown into a state of panic, as she blushed furiously. Hmm, anything else?

  “W-Well… T-That…”

  Was Asahina-san panicking because she was hiding something? Classified information?

  “Y-Yes! That’s it, classified information… Well, at least classified for now.”

  From the look on her face, I couldn’t feel any sense of superiority at all. Even though I didn’t know if she knew about any big, cataclysmic secrets about the future, I was confident that she at least knew about some events from the recent future, events that she was concealing from me. So does that mean that the only one who knows absolutely nothing is Asahina-san (Mikuru)? Gah this is frustrating. If put in inequalities, it would probably be:

  Asahina-san (Big) > Asahina-san (Michiru) > Asahina-san (Mikuru)

  I sighed loudly. Upon hearing this, Asahina-san became even more anxious than before.

  “Erm… Kyon-kun…?”

  Asahina-san said with her back faced to me. From her voice, I was sure that her eyes were filled with tears. If she stared at me with those pitiful eyes, I was sure that I couldn’t answer her question calmly. I admit that I had no evil intentions at that time, but even so, my mind was filled with immense feelings of love that had somehow exploded out from somewhere and were fast overfilling my soul. My face crumpled like Shamisen’s belly under her magical touch, as I forced myself to say:

  “Oh, it’s all right, there’s no need to worry. Even if you don’t say anything, I think I’ll understand everything in a few days time.”

  If what Asahina-san said was true, then I would know everything after eight days. To her it seemed like the past, but in reality it was my future. I could know everything that would happen within these 8 days if I were to ask Asahina-san, but then again, I would still know what would happen even if I didn’t ask her. All I needed to do was wait. Time will tell, or so they say. Now if time didn’t tell, wouldn’t that be stranger still?

  “Let’s finish what we’re here for before nightfall.”

  I said as I gently placed my arms around Asahina-san’s shoulders. Asahina-san looked at me with puppy-like eyes, and slowly nodded her head.

  “Oh, okay. Let me lead the way. We need to go further up, before we start climbing.”

  So, the both of us hiked through the dense jungles. I had originally planned to take the lead, hacking away at the dangerous twigs and tree roots, but after taking into consideration that Asahina-san might slip and roll downhill anytime, I quickly changed my mind. Since it was still winter, all snakes of any sort would be busy hibernating, so I guess it wasn’t that dangerous after all. This way, even if Asahina-san were to slip, I would be able to catch her in my arms and protect her.

  “A-Ah… Oops…”

  No matter how you look at it, Asahina-san + steep mountain always equals danger. Add to the above equation that this was no ordinary mountain, and you get the picture. While scaling a mountain, one would usually zigzag along like a snake, but due to excessive stones and tree branches, things were more complicated than usual.

  I lost count of how many times Asahina-san nearly slipped and fell. Even though I had to arch my back to protect her, a smile was always on my face whenever that happened. We were walking in a mountain unfit for humans, no doubt, but no matter where we went, there was always a “correct” path leading deeper into the mountains. By “path” I mean a route that wild beasts probably also found better to follow. But even so, I was happy. If this were a “normal” mountain, then there wouldn’t be any need for Asahina-san to walk in front of me, would there?

  After a good ten minutes of walking, a small, even patch of land soon came into view.

  “Yes, this is the place. Even though it’s been dug like this, the stone’s still here.”

  Asahina-san panted, as she arched her back and placed her hands on her knees.

  I followed suit, standing beside Asahi
na-san.

  “Huh?”

  There were various slopes on the mountain, but this was the first time I had come across flat land. There was thick overgrowth growing everywhere, save a small patch of land that was shaped like a semi-circle, no larger than 10 meters in diameter. The grass there was sparse, and from the looks of it, it was as if someone had shaved away a whole part of the mountain via a landslide long long ago. It didn’t seem like it had happened recently.

  After our breathing returned to normal, I looked at the direction Asahina-san was pointing at.

  “If it’s a rock we’re talking about, I think it’s that one… It looks exactly the same as the one in the drawing…”

  “A gourd shaped rock.”

  A… rock?

  “Erm, isn’t that a little too big to be called a rock?

  And aren’t you exaggerating too much? How is this any bit identical to the drawing? If it weren’t for Asahina-san, even if I searched till sunrise, I doubt I would have spotted it.

  “Well, it does slightly resemble a gourd…”

  The rock was not evenly shaped. The side facing me was flat, so from my point of view, it resembled a turtle’s back more than a gourd. And due to the excessive overgrowth surrounding the rock, it was hard to make it out from its surroundings. It was no easy task spotting this rock, all right.

  I double-checked the orders on the letter.

  “Shift this rock three meters to the west, eh?”

  It had already begun to turn dark. If we stayed here any longer, things might turn dangerous. After all, who knew what lingered in these woods? Plus, if we were to slip as we made our way down, the both of us would inevitably be pulled down the mountain, so I knew I had to make pace.

  I passed my flashlight to Asahina-san and asked her to help me illuminate my surroundings. Here’s to hoping that I can manage to lift this rock up.

  “Damn, this is heavy.”

  That wasn’t all. Only after I had begun lifting the rock up did I realize that one third of it was still buried in the ground. This has officially broken the definitions of “rock”. It should be labeled as “boulder” instead.

  After much effort, I finally managed to hoist the rock out of the ground. Only then did I realize that it really did resemble a gourd. It was only because one third of it was buried in the ground that I failed to notice.

  I once again lifted the rock, and headed to my west. Pulling with all my strength, I made four giant paces to my right. That should be around three meters.

  “I think you’re slightly beyond three meters.”

  Asahina-san said as she pointed at the rock. From her point of view, she should have a better estimate of how far three meters was.

  “That’s it. Just place it there.”

  After following Asahina-san’s instructions, I placed the rock down on the ground, as it made a thundering noise, before sinking deeper into the ground. That should allow it to resume its original posture.

  “That rock… It’s standing…”

  Asahina-san said through surprised eyes.

  “Just like… A symbol…”

  I looked at the rock I had just moved.

  A symbol.

  From this angle, the strange rock was really obvious. What kind of rock it was, this I had no idea, all I knew was that it was snow-white. This snow-white stone, standing in the midst of pure darkness, was really a sight to behold. A white, gourd-shaped rock. If I were to spread the word, I’m sure many would think of it as some ancient ruin.

  “Asahina-san, don’t tell me Haruhi plans to dig beneath this rock?”

  “Yes. The ones who will do the digging would be Kyon-kun and Koizumi-kun.”

  And we didn’t find anything? Honest?

  “Yes.”

  Asahina-san said as she lowered her head, “There were no treasures or the sort…”

  I sighed as I clapped my filthy hands together.

  Then, what was I doing now? Come to think of it, I had been following strange orders for two days in a row. Yesterday it was the prank, and to top it off, someone actually fell for it. Why we did that, even Asahina-san didn’t know. The only person who probably knew what was going on would be Asahina-san (Big). I have to remember to ask her why, should I meet her again. The next time something like this happens again, I’ll definitely not play along.

  I once again looked at the rock. There was something not right about it. The rock had originally slanted towards its side, thus it was only natural that half of it be covered with dirt. Since I had just removed it from the ground, there was a huge, glaring portion that was dirty, while the other half of it was sparkling clean. It was painfully obvious that someone had just moved it not long ago.

  “That crater is too obvious; anyone would realize it.”

  The “crater” was where the rock originally was. The soil there was a dark black, and curved inward. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

  “How was the crater like when you last visited the mountain?”

  Asahina-san revealed an expression that appeared to be deep in thought.

  “Erm… Since no one said anything, I myself didn’t notice it. The only one who talked was Suzumiya-san, and all she did was talk about digging holes…”

  If so, let’s just ignore the plot holes for the time being, and see what can we do to minimize the errors.

  Asahina-san and I searched for dry twigs, vines and leaves, before placing them atop the crater. After we had filled the crater, the both of us took turns stamping on it. The results were far from convincing, since it had taken the rock years of weathering to achieve such conditions, but it was better than nothing.

  The sky was already rapidly darkening, and soon we had trouble seeing even if we squinted our eyes. I decided to call it a day.

  “Let’s head back home, Asahina-san.”

  This time, it was I who took the lead. I was grateful that I remembered to bring along a flashlight. The ancients once feared the darkness and worshiped the light like a divine entity. Now, thanks to modern day science, there was no longer the need to do so, as I carried the divine entity in my own hands.

  Compared to scaling the mountain, heading down was a breeze. There were many times Asahina-san missed her footing, and each time she stumbled, she would cling on to me for her dear life. Not that I’m complaining or anything.

  By the time we had reached the foot of the mountain, it was truly nightfall. Both of us sighed simultaneously.

  “Ah,”

  Asahina-san said as she looked upwards towards the sky.

  “It’s raining.”

  Within five minutes, the small drizzle had already escalated into a downpour.

  Riding my bike as fast as I could, with Asahina-san sitting behind me, I sped towards Tsuruya-san’s residence. At first, I was really grateful for such an opportunity to befall me. Riding down a slope on a bike in the rain, with a goddess behind me, what’s there not to be grateful about?

  Barely halfway towards Tsuruya-san’s house, however, I felt as if I had only one third of my energy left. As I pedaled furiously in the rain, Tsuruya-san’s house finally came into sight. It was only then did I notice someone was already there awaiting us.

  “Aha, welcome back nyoro~”

  Just like yesterday, Tsuruya-san was dressed in a long kimono, as she carried an umbrella above her head, smiling energetically as she opened the door, awaiting our return.

  “Where have the both of you been? Ah forget it; it must be due to some reason that you can’t tell me, right? Don’t worry, I’m not such a busybody anyways. Why, Miku—- I mean, Michiru, you’re filthy all over! Let’s go take a bath, shall we?”

  Tsuruya-san said the above in a single breath.

  “It’s cold outside, isn’t it? Come on in and have a bath first! That’s right, a bath! Kyon, would you like to join us too? I’ll scrub your back for you nyoro~”

  Even though I was moved by the suggestion, I knew that Tsuruya-san was just pulling my l
eg. Haruhi loved to blurt out some serious suggestions while putting on a look that suggested she was just kidding. Tsuruya-san, on the other hand, loved to crack out jokes while putting on a straight face.

  “I think I’ll head home. Well, please take care of Asahina Michiru for me.”

  As I turned to leave, Tsuruya-san caught hold of my sleeve.

  “Wait just a second.”

  Tsuruya-san said as she reached for her lap.

  “Here is something I promised Haruhi. Would you please hand it over to her?”

  Tsuruya-san produced a thick sheet of curled up paper. Studying it carefully, I noticed that it was made out of ancient, Japanese paper, so old and worn out that it resembled a papyrus. There were mosquito bites all over it too. It didn’t take a genius to find out that this was the “treasure map” in question.

  “What’s this?”

  I asked, playing along.

  “Erm, it’s a treasure map.”

  Tsuruya-san replied, just as I expected.

  “It’s an ancient custom that all treasure maps be kept in rattan cages. I happened to stumble upon this one not long ago. I’ve wanted to pass it to Haruhi for quite some time now, but for some reason I keep forgetting to do so.”

  Is it okay to just give away a treasure map? I mean, it’s buried treasure, Tsuruya-san. TREASURE.

  “It’s all right. I couldn’t be bothered to hike all the way up some old mountain just to spend half a day there digging. If there really is treasure buried there, all I want is one tenth of the entire lot. God knows how long that treasure has been buried! Based on ancient records, the treasure was left by one of my ancestors who particularly liked to play tricks. This might be a trick conceived by that devious old trickster to fool us descendants. After digging for half a day, only to not find anything, that sounds like a grand trick he would pull to fool stupid humans!”

  It looks like we’re the “stupid humans” in question here.

  “But look on the bright side. There’s a chance that something is really buried there.”

  I tried my best to put on a face that seemed as if I was honored, as I took the map from Tsuruya-san. It was something that Tsuruya-san had dug up especially for us, but somehow, I didn’t feel the least bit thrilled.