Yuki Nagato can't be this Cute
-Kyon-
So my nightmare started like this.
Embraced by the sensation of cold snow, I looked up to see the fifty meters of snowy hill which appeared so endless. The weather was harsh; the mix of freezing draft and blusterous wind that could paralyze muscles effectively. Each steps was torment, as the piling snow reached almost my knees, and being a human that couldn't resist extreme climate, I knew that I could just faint in any second.
But I still braved the mini-blizzard. So, gave me a credit.
From the very first day I entered North High, I almost vaguely knew the real reason why this school had the highest number of absent students in the entire region. Not because of the depressing lessons, not because of the irritating teachers, and I would punch anyone who called us mentally retarded. It was because of this hill. This hill was a sore for eyes; it almost looked like that the hill evicted the students, telling us to just go back home and enjoy our time on the bed.
Taniguchi once suggested Mori-sensei to consider our climb up the hill everyday as one of the PE's programs, so that we didn't have to join the PE class at noon. The result? The aforementioned teacher ordered the entire class to climb the hill up and down for around two hours, not even caring the fact that it was summer and the temperature was ridiculously high. Some female students fainted on the spot, and Taniguchi became some kind of public-enemy for around one month.
I didn't know whether Mori-sensei was just unaware of the situation or she was evil.
The latter was the most probable, anyway.
By the way, I made my way to the class eventually, after going through a period of blinding snow and bitter draft (finally!). I casually put off my sweaters (double layers), my scarf, and all other things on the chair, and sat. Ah well, it appeared that today's trouble was over. I would just have to finish the classes, go home at 2 pm, and…
"Kyon! You must attend today's meeting and tardiness is not tolerated! I have a plan for us today… Hum-hum-hum…"
Did I say something like… the end of trouble? Forgot it.
I turned to my back to see the source of that loud noise, Suzumiya Haruhi, who was rubbing both of her hands. Her smile was mischievous, with a certain glint in her eyes as though she was imagining how I would look in the clown's attire. I shivered at the very thought.
I just sighed.
Well, at least two troubles in the morning were more than enough… There couldn't be anymore… right?
Okabe-sensei came…
"Class, I knew I haven't told you, but today, we will have an English test. I know that this is a bit sudden, but you guys must always prepare yourself for everything. I'll pass the test now. Good luck and do your best…"
…
God must have hated me!
The rest of the classes just went like a blur, like a flash of light, or like… whatever.
Since the English test was over, I didn't care much about school anymore. This class was over, that class was over, and that was all. I almost didn't hear anything that the teacher explained. Actually, I could just complain to him; teacher was actually prohibited to give a test without telling the students. Nevertheless, I knew that Okabe-sensei would only say something like 'an idiot in English shouldn't talk big' and the class would laugh at me. Okabe-sensei was infamous for his sharp words, after all.
Anyway, I tardily made my way to the meeting room. It was once the literature club's room, owned by the only member of the club, Yuki Nagato. Nevertheless, when Suzumiya Haruhi declared her nonsense idea, the room was now the SOS Brigade's room. I didn't know whether the bibliophile really liked the idea, or she was just forced. But anyway, nobody could choose much when Haruhi was around.
As I entered the said room, Yuki was already there, reading a book on her usual spot as the sound of flipping pages penetrated the area. She looked at me with those emotionless eyes.
"Only you, Nagato?" I asked. She just nodded. Knowing Nagato for months, action spoke much louder than words. Too much maybe.
"Where is everyone?" I asked again. She turned to look at me slowly, and pointed her forefinger at me.
… that was the only thing I saw before a certain someone exclaimed loudly, and my head was hit by a-what-seemed-to-be-strong leg, a hundred thousand of unimaginable pain reached my body. I somehow knew that it was Haruhi, who loved to make such unnecessary entrance, and I would always be the victim.
Damn her undying spirit of youth… Perhaps mine had just died, fading out to the background.
"So!" Haruhi slammed a pile of paper on the table; the said table just cried in pain with its noticeable cracking sound. Asashina Mikuru winced, sympathizing on the table maybe; Koizumi Itsuki's face remained… like that, stayed smiling to no end. "The school will end in two days, and this year will end in four days…"
You didn't need to tell me about that. I had circled '29th of December' on the calendar, it wouldn't escape my eyes.
"… and we have known each other for around seven months, enjoying our lives in SOS Brigade together…"
You were the only one enjoying yourself…
"… and now, we'll have a survey, guys! A questionnaire! To decide who will be the cutest, the most awesome, the most charming, and so on, and so on," she exclaimed, punching her fist excitedly to the air, and grinning widely.
…Ah it appeared that mutation didn't show its presence from her head anyway. Today. I didn't know about tomorrow and didn't want to imagine it. But why survey, anyway?
"It appeared that Suzumiya has become more and more normal these days," Koizumi suddenly said, grasping my attention and again, I met his endless grinning visage, closely. Too close that his face almost reached mine. "We should be grateful for that. Questionnaire like this is one of the most normal things a teenage girl would ever do," he said, smart enough to lower his voice's volume so that I was the only one who could hear it.
"I bet she just got the idea this morning, and spending her time thinking about it," I answered.
The leader of SOS Brigade took the pile of paper and gave them to each members of this silly group. I took them and began reading. But the contents of the paper— it didn't need much time to surprise me to the very core and I couldn't close my mouth because of it.
The survey was around… three pages long, cluttered with so many categories and details that my head was spinning because of them. Nonetheless, the worst was…
"Umm… Haruhi? Why is it written in English?" I asked.
"Because using Japanese is too mainstream!" she answered almost too quickly that I almost thought that she had been hoping to listen to the said inquiry. "Why? You can't read it, Kyon?"
Like hell I would admit it…
I couldn't read it!
After twenty minutes of writing and scribbling, I looked around. Haruhi and Yuki had finished all the questionnaires, Mikuru was halfway through, and Koizumi had almost reached the last page. I looked at my paper. Well, from around one-hundred-and-twenty-one categories, I had written about…
… two of them. The sweetest (Yuki Nagato) and the cutest (Asashina Mikuru). I didn't understand the rest at all! Why must it be written in English? I was Japanese, a healthy adolescent that loved my country, the place where I was born, so I didn't learn English much! Why must I learn it anyway?
…to simply graduate from high school?
… Shut up, brain.
Okay, this was my last resort!
I leaned on to Nagato, and whispered to her. "I don't really understand the categories, since they were all written in English. So could you help me translating them for a while, please?" I asked. What I got as a reply was just a cold stare, straight to my eyes and somehow, they sucked me in. Anyway, I took that as a 'yes'.
"Okay, so first Nagato. What's the meaning of 'attractive'?" I asked my first question. She blinked, still in poker face, as though she was determining whether I was kidding or not. Nevertheless, it was probably just my imagination.
"It means appealing, drawing attention," she answered briefly.
Okay, so the most attractive girl here was… her… and finished. I moved on to the next categories.
"What's the meaning of enchanting?"
"It means having a power to enchant, charming, appealing," she answered flatly.
…
Didn't those two words have the same definition?
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
I didn't know what was wrong with her.
Suzumiya Haruhi stared at me, just when she had finished reading my questionnaire. She was smiling, so sweet that it was almost shining, but deep behind that, I felt a certain shadowy gaze, or maybe hostility, as though she was ready to stab me if a knife was present and kill me.
Socially, of course…
Or maybe mentally…
Even physically, I believed…
"Kyon~," she said in a sing-song voice, too sweet but somehow so threatening that I pictured her as a certain psycho-alien that tried to kill me once. "Do you know what have you done?" she leaned closer to my face, and I shuddered at her glare— it was paralyzing.
"Filled in the questionnaire?" I tried to talk but my voice was as low as a mouse's squeak. How could this girl be so intimidating?
"WITH YOUR NAME AT MOST OF THE GOOD THINGS!" she shouted, too loud that I could almost feel the impact in my ears; deafening and destructive. "REALLY! You are the most awesome guy, you are the handsomest guy, you are the most diligent guy… how could you say that?" she questioned me and her glare was fixed at me.
"I couldn't help it! I'm awesome!" I replied, attempting to continue but I didn't. That crackled fist would punch me right on the face and I would have a certain significant injury that lasted for a month if I resumed my answer. Behind Haruhi, I could see Asashina Mikuru looked at the scene worriedly… or maybe she was just trying to determine which flowers she would give to me at the hospital. Or maybe on my grave…
Cursed my pessimistic thought.
"And the most important thing is…" she squeezed her eyes shut, resisting her imminent rage, and I wondered whether my life would really end here or not. No. I was too young to die.
Not too young to rot in Haruhi's eyes, I thought.
"YOU DON'T WRITE MY NAME IN ANY GOOD CATEGORIES! THE SWEETEST-YUKI, THE CUTEST-MIKURU, THE MOST ADORABLE-MIKURU, AND SO ON, AND SO ON... HOW DARE YOU?" she shouted, showing my paper and I swore that around ten knuckles were formed on her forehead.
But she didn't have a right to say that! I could write anyone that belonged to the categories, and she didn't belong to any of them!
"Relax, Haruhi," I laughed at my useless effort to ease the tension. "It was just my opinion and it was only a questionnaire. You don't have to be so irritated, right!"
"Don't screw with me!" with that last shout, she hit my head. Hard, and I was somehow afraid that my brain wouldn't be as useful as before, not that it was so bright beforehand.
"But still…" she looked at my questionnaire and turned to the silent girl who appeared to be so unaffected by the entire ruckus. For me, I was somehow surprised at the fact that Haruhi had suddenly forgotten her anger and her attention was not at me anymore. "Yuki— the sweetest?" she approached the bibliophile and examined her tentatively. "I wondered… do you like silent girl, Kyon?"
"Not like that, I just felt like she was the best in that category," I said, rubbing my head which cried in pain. Honestly, I didn't know why I wrote her name. Asashina Mikuru was also sweet, but it didn't meet my standard— or something like that.
"Hum-hum," she sighed in relief, maybe she was glad that I picked Nagato for a random reason (why must she be relieved, anyway?). "I must admit that Yuki is sweet," she said and examined her again. "Perhaps if you were tinier or so. Hey, right, Yuki! Go transform into chubby-Yuki!"
…
Nothing happened.
"Suzumiya, I don't think that Yuki can go transforming like that," Mikuru said, her soft words were more similar to another stutters but nobody could complain about that.
"Ah well then," Haruhi said, laughing. "Let's call this a day then," she took her handbag and stormed off. "See ya guys!"
And with that, the meeting was over.
… Not for me.
After the meeting, Koizumi, with the assistance of Mikuru, reprimanded my action for doing such a reckless thing. Koizumi said that my action determined the future of the world, so I must be more responsible for it. Mikuru said that I should be more aware of my action. Well, her voice was still soft, but I could feel a certain seriousness that I couldn't help but noticing.
But hey! Where was the glory of human rights for giving opinions freely?
They left already, leaving me with a huge burden on my gnarled shoulders, and for another time, I was reminded that my action determined the future. I sighed, taking my sweaters, my bags, my books…
"I think that you have been reminded by Koizumi and even Mikuru. I hope you can be more careful…"
… and almost caught a certain cardiac arrest because of the nonexistent, ghost-like presence that came from Yuki Nagato. Really, she was light, silent, expressionless, and her steps didn't produce any sound. How could she accomplish such feat?
"Yeah, I know, I know," I answered, taking the last book on the table and shoving it messily in my bag. She took my example and reached for the door. Then, just when she was about to leave, she looked at me with those eternal poker face and mumbled.
"Thank you for choosing me."
With that conundrum, she left.
So that's it guys. Have I ever told you how hard it is to write in first person's opinion? Well, you know it. I'll make it around 8 chapters, and I will concentrate on this, and I promise I'll end this story. Nevertheless, in two weeks I can't write, National Exam is coming up, so please be patient.
And also, please review. I'm an amateur writer and I don't know much about this manga. Can you review this story then? For fuji92 and Mugi-pyon, thx for your offer, but I'll deal with it myself. I dedicated this story for you two, if you don't mind. Bye then
