It wasn't supposed to be like this. She'd only come here for a little fun, why did she have to have this encounter? Mikuru had gone back in time to her first school arts festival in the S.O.S. Brigade. She'd hoped to just have a little fun and see the events she hadn't had the chance to the first time around. If she'd only avoided passing her class' maid cafe, she could have avoided running into her past self who was on her way inside. Her cover in case anyone recognised her was that she was her sister, visiting the festival and asking people not to tell the younger Mikuru as it was a surprise. The surprise part was right at least as evident by the look on the younger Mikuru's face when they bumped into each other. Her carefully planned cover naturally wouldn't work on herself since she knew for a fact she didn't have a sister like this and she would very quickly realise that she'd just met her future self; an event that should never be allowed to happen.
She quickly took her younger self by the wrist and told her to follow. The younger Mikuru was too surprised to resist and was dragged through the halls of the school, drawing the attention of most of the students along the way, until they reached the S.O.S. Brigade's club room. She sat her younger self down and told her to wait here for a minute. She left the room and closed the door, panicking about what to do. She needed help but who could she ask that knew about her?
"Miss Asahina?" As if on cue, her saviour arrived. Mikuru whirled around to see Kyon standing there. He'd just seen the concert Haruhi and Yuki had performed in and was exploring the festival alone. She let out a sigh of relief as Kyon had helped her countless times in the past and she could ask for his help again now. She quickly explained the situation and he too let out a sigh, though one of irritation more than relief. "Honestly, how do you get yourself into these things?"
"I didn't know this would happen," she pouted. "Anyway, we need to come up with something quickly."
"Well, don't you have any memory erasing technology in the future?"
"That's classified," she replied in the usual playful tone she'd say those words in.
"Can't you take this a little more seriously?" he replied, raising his voice a little in anger. He didn't mean to get angry but the way she replied at a time like this got to him.
"Well, I don't have anything like that with me," she continued. So either it didn't exist or she just forgot to bring it. Either way, that plan was out. He'd seen the lengths she'd gone to to prevent this kind of thing in the past but she'd been really careless this time.
"Maybe Nagato could help," Kyon suggested. Given the number of times she'd helped the pair in the past, it seemed like their best option. Just as they turned to go looking for her, they saw her stood there in the witch's hat and cloak from her fortune telling event. As much as she stood out with the hat, they somehow hadn't noticed her before however long she'd been there. Putting this aside in his mind, Kyon turned his attention to Yuki. "I take it you heard our dilemma." She nodded. After a few moments, he asked, "And?" She entered the room without a word, took a book from the bookshelf and returned with it. Kyon had to wonder what the younger Mikuru must have thought while watching Yuki as he took the book from her. He looked at it then back at her in disbelief. "Hypnosis?"
"What?" the older Mikuru asked, looking at the book herself.
Kyon was almost afraid to ask if the book belonged to Yuki or Haruhi so he moved the conversation in a different direction: "You think we should hypnotize her to make her forget?"
"Yes," Yuki replied in her usual monotone.
Kyon could see why this seemed like the best choice to the logical Yuki but he still felt it was a little weird. He looked to the older Mikuru to make the decision. Upon noticing him staring at her, she quickly said, "W-well, w-we don't have much choice, do we?" It was decided. Yuki left while the other two quickly looked through the book to get a basic understanding. Kyon didn't understand it all but he noticed the phrase 'focus object', an item used during the induction that the inductee would focus all their attention on. He assumed it meant the typical coin on a string (or a pocket watch in the western world) that was typically associated with hypnosis. There was also a recommended induction script to be read to help put the inductee under. Kyon fished a coin out of his pocket and quickly found some string to tie around it. He handed it to Mikuru along with the book. She knew it was her responsibility to deal with this so she entered the room and Kyon followed behind, closing the door.
"U-um," present Mikuru piped up. "A-am I in trouble?" She seemed to believe that her future self was here because she'd done something wrong.
"No no," Future Mikuru replied. "I'm just here because there's something you need to see." She held out the coin and began to swing it back and forth in front of her younger self's eyes. "Just follow the coin, Mikuru. Follow the coin as it swings back and forth. Back and forth." Present Mikuru was completely transfixed by the coin as she watched it slowly swing before her eyes. "Notice now that the only thing you can see is the coin and the only thing you can hear is my voice. Allow yourself to become more relaxed and feel your eyelids growing heavy as you sink down into sleep." Present Mikuru was struggling to keep her eyes open as she watched and listened. "Let them close and sleeeep." She did as she was asked and her head dropped into her chest.
Kyon, who had been watching the whole time, was surprised it had worked. "What next?" he asked.
"Let's see," Future Mikuru replied, thinking. "Oh, I know! Mikuru, can you hear me?"
"Yes," her younger self replied in a quiet voice.
"Stand up and open your eyes." She did as she was commanded and the other two noted that her eyes were glazed over and lifeless, as was the blank expression on her face. "Stand on one leg." She did so. She seemed to be responding to all the commands she was given. Now, all that was left to do make her forget- "You are now a chicken." The younger Mikuru tucked her arms into her armpits like wings and began clucking.
"Will you take this seriously?" Kyon chastised her.
"But I couldn't help myself, she just looks so cute like this," she replied. Kyon didn't know how to feel about the fact that he agreed with her but he wanted to quickly get this over with so he could get back to the festival. "Just a couple more? Now you're a kitten."
He picked up the book after Future Mikuru had put it on the table. He flipped through the book until he found a section on 'Post-Hypnotic Suggestions'. He scanned the page and got the basic gist of it and approached the kitten Mikuru before saying, "Miss Asahina, whenever you hear me say the phrase 'Nap Time, Miss Asahina', I want you to go back into a trance." Future Mikuru looked at him puzzled before he said "Nap Time, Miss Asahina." On cue, both Mikurus' eyes closed and their heads dropped. It seemed his plan had worked. He stood next to Future Mikuru and said, "When I snap my fingers, you will awaken but you will take this more seriously and resolve this situation. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she replied in the same tone as her younger self. Kyon snapped his fingers and her eyes opened. She didn't seem to realise what had just happened and got back to what she was doing before she started messing about. Kyon could have just made present Mikuru forget but he felt that Future Mikuru should be the one to deal with it. "Okay then, when you hear the door close, you will forget all about this little encounter and believe that you came here for a nap. If anyone asks about your sister, you will try to avoid the subject but believe just for today that you do have an older sister here. Is that understood?"
"Yes." With that Kyon and Future Mikuru left the room and closed the door, awakening Present Mikuru from her trance.
Outside, Future Mikuru bowed to Kyon. "Thank you for all your help."
"It's alright, just be a little more careful in future, okay?"
"Alright, I will." And with that, she kissed Kyon on the cheek and left. Kyon blushed a little before putting this bizarre occurrence behind him and getting back to the festival.