Hey guys, I've decided to redo the Haruhi Suzumiya story I tried a few months ago! I'm really feeling good about the flow and direction of this one so far!

Enjoy!

"So hot…"

It was hot. No, hotter than hot. It was as if the entire world was on the brink of transmuting into a self-sustaining star from spontaneous combustion. A bead of sweat rolled down my face as I continued to try and fan myself from the devastating heat. Why is Japan always subject to these strange fronts of hot and cold?

Just a few weeks ago it was still pretty chilly outside, now it's hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk. I've never actually tried it myself, but I hear it works! Actually, I've never heard that. Wait, where did I hear this from, if not the original source of the experiment? Was there even an origin or did it just pop up out of thin air like the Inokashira Park myth? Now that I think about it, a lot of things thought of as 'mythical' to the general public happen around me on a daily basis. I think most people would consider fighting off an alien, super-analog-whatchamacallit camel cricket as 'abnormal', or even the stuff of myth. I'm right, aren't I?

I mean sure, this stuff is interesting. Hell, it's even cool sometimes. The world I live in now seems to become more and more like a manga every day. We've got the whole team here, haven't we? We've even got the normal guy, beats me why we need one, but we have one.

I'd say we have the complete team, but Haruhi and I are the odd ones out. I've never read any kind of novel or manga based in a supernatural world where any of the characters were under the archetype 'normal guy' or 'fierce deity'. Speaking of unheard-of archetypes, why haven't we heard from a slider? Didn't Koizumi mention something about 'Haruhi not having a need for one'? Or was it Nagato? Jeez, my memory needs a tune-up. Either way, what the hell does 'not having a need for one' mean? Why does she need any of these other supernatural beings?

"Hey, Kyon!"

My train of thought was thrown off its tracks as I felt the force of a girl's hand smacking the back of my head.

"Ouch! What the hell is your problem?!"

I jumped up from my desk and turned around, rubbing the back of my head, already knowing who would do such a thing.

Before me was Haruhi Suzumiya: the most reckless and inconsiderate girl in the North High.

"The bell for after-school activities rang 15 minutes ago and you were out cold! I didn't want to disturb you. You know, you really ought to get more sleep at home."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to tell me that."

Still rubbing my head from the rude awakening, I stretched a bit then inquired as to what I was woken up for.

"Why'd you wake me up now then?"

Haruhi threw a look of anger in my direction before facing me fully and unleashing her usual fervor.

"Because, our names got chosen from the hat to clean up the café area this week, remember?"

Haruhi's expression lightened up a bit to an almost sympathetic one when she noticed I had truly forgotten. Wait, sympathy? I must be imagining things. The obnoxious girl spoke yet again.

"Eh? Are you contracting Alzheimer's Disease or something?"

Actually, I've got the Purple Plague. Would you like a share?

"Jerk."

Haruhi stormed to the door leading into the hallway and beckoned me.

"Hurry up, Kyon. We don't have all day. And you know how worked up Okabe gets when he sees even one grain of dirt on a table."

I let out a long, satisfying sigh.

"Fine. I just – "

Wait. Where is my backpack? I could've sworn I left it right here under my desk!

After about 2 very brief seconds of stress, Haruhi took it off my shoulders for once.

"Oh, I took your bag to the clubroom along with mine and set them down beside the computer."

"Tell me that a bit sooner next time, would you?"

The walk to the central courtyard area was hell, seeing as it was nearly 30°C and the AC system in the school was on the fritz. What is it about the heat that makes you so tired?

"Oh boy…"

There were bits and pieces of trash strewn across the area, like some garbage monster had been digging here all day for food. After noticing the area's unclean nature for herself, Haruhi spoke.

"Oh man. I wish people would learn to clean up after themselves every once in a while. Why can't people seem to locate the garbage can around here? This makes me sick."

Calm down, Haruhi. It's not that bad. This will probably only take 10 minutes at most. But she did have a point.

As we began foraging around the area for bits and pieces of trash left behind, I couldn't help but notice a very gradual decrease in temperature, as a few thunder clouds started climbing over the distant mountains. The wind started to pick up very gradually as well, but it was a plus, seeing as the weather was still very humid. I almost wish I could ask Nagato to change it up a bit so the weather could be perfect 24/7, but I already know the consequences of an action like that. I wonder if Koizumi has abilities like that in Closed Spaces? Surely the civilization from Ms. Asahina's time can change the weather on command. A civilization capable of travelling at near-instant speed and through time itself should be capable of manipulating a few rain clouds and water vapor levels, right? Maybe I should ask her about that. Although, she'd probably only say "That's classified". Koizumi's powers don't really seem as 'advanced' as Nagato and Ms. Asahina's. Well, I wouldn't actually call what Nagato and Ms. Asahina have 'powers'. There is something unique about his abilities, though. Although he can only access them in oddball places, he seems to have a better grasp on his abilities.

What kind of an omnipotent being would award someone with powers that they could only access in strange, unworldly places? Did you think up such an odd situation on your own, Haruhi? Or were his powers just meant to fill in some basic outline of what you had in mind of a real-life esper?

"Did you say something?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Oh, nothing."

I raised by eyebrow to the question, but it wasn't too much of an abnormality.

I continued looking around for pieces of trash.

"Hey, Kyon!"

"What?"

"I think we got everything."

I stood up an examined the area alongside Haruhi. You know, she may be right. The area looks pretty clean now.

As Haruhi took time to smile on her handy work, I focused my gaze on the quickly-approaching storm. Man, the weather is never good around here. It's always either hot or cold enough to make a climatologist blush, not to mention the other configurations it sets itself up for. Siberia, why must you constantly rain abnormal fronts on us from the North?

Haruhi made her way to the door leading to the Old Building and gestured for me to follow. She walked through the door and up the stairs, so I followed suit.

After we arrived at the clubroom I immediately surveyed the room for my bag and noticed it near the window, beside Haruhi and Ms. Asahina. Speaking of Ms. Asahina, I can't wait to have some hot, delicious tea!

"Oh, umm… what kind?"

That's my angel!

"Green, please."

"A-Alright."

With a light blush, Ms. Asahina started boiling more water for my tea. Ms. Asahina, you're a godsend. Haruhi nudged her way pass me to her desk and took a big, long gulp from her cup of tea. Hey, wait, she has a pre-made cup and I don't? Ms. Asahina, what is this treacherous behavior?

My brief anxiousness was hampered when I saw Ms. Asahina's arm cross over in front of my view to place a hot cup of tea on the table. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for my doubt! I sipped down on my hot tea with a great feeling of satisfaction.

Koizumi stood up after finishing his cup and made his way to the bookshelf, gesturing for my approval to play a board game. After my nod of approval, he grabbed Chess from the shelf, set it down on the table, and set it up to play.

Club activities after that were fairly normal. The window was open, letting in the semi-chilled breeze. Ms. Asahina worked on some sort of mathematical questionnaire, occasionally rummaging through her bag for a material. Nagato sat in her usual spot and read what looked like a Russian print of Oblomov. Where does she manage to find these odd books? She couldn't have just ordered from some online store, could she? And while Koizumi and I were locked in a fierce battle of chess, Haruhi calmly sat behind the computer, with her legs up in the chair, occasionally clicking around and typing. You could say the silence was almost peaceful, that is until –

"Alright, SOS Brigade! Listen up!"

Haruhi stood up in her chair, almost losing balance, as the rest of the SOS Brigadiers focused their attention on her.

Can't she just lead up to these little end-day speeches with a calm "hey" rather than giving out a morale speech?

"Silence, peon! The announcements are on!"

Said as if speaking about some dictator giving a speech through a nearby radio.

"This Sunday we'll be gathering at our usual spot near the park for a town-wide search!"

Did she just say we'll be doing another search? Please tell me she didn't just say that. I've set Sunday aside to finish my overdue English homework! Koizumi, wanting to inquire just as bad as I, spoke.

"What will we be searching for during this outing?"

That's not the question I was hoping for, Koizumi. You failed me yet again.

"Weird stuff and ghosts!"

Ghosts, huh? It seems like she added that one to the search list without my notification. Weird stuff? Well, that's sort of the norm nowadays, isn't it?

"It's usually around this time of year that all the important secret agencies gear up for the underground war! We're sure to find something!"

Wait, underground war? What is she on about now? Koizumi replied.

"Well, I'll be looking forward to it then."

You bastard.

"Any objections?"

Haruhi looked around the room for such a brief amount of time that even a short 'yes or no' answer was impossible, then slammed her 'Brigade Chief' pyramid on the desk.

"Class dismissed!"

Wait a moment!

"Hold on a moment! I've got tons of homework to do this Sunday! There's no way I'll get it all done if we spend all day looking around town for some spirits!"

Haruhi looked up at me with that usual glare in her eye.

"I'll help you fill it in on Monday if needed, Kyon. Just make sure you don't show up late, or your grade is as good as dead!"

I hope you're right, Haruhi. I might just have to commit seppuku if my homework isn't complete by the time Okabe starts collecting the overdue papers.

Haruhi grabbed her things and jogged to the door, but briefly turned around before stepping into the hallway.

"Oh, and Kyon."

"Huh?"

"We need a fan for this room. We already have a heater, but that old machine doesn't do a thing when the weather gets warm. Pick up a fan on your way home!"

Wait, what? Haruhi, did you really tell me to pick up a fan?

"What? Do you have any idea how much money a fan costs? I can't just keep shelling out money like this for clubroom materials."

Ignoring my gripes for the millionth time, Haruhi continues.

"Oh come on. A cheap fan from a convenient store only costs about 1,700 Yen. And that's if you get a pretty nice one!"

1,700 Yen? Well, there goes a new game or shirt. Damn you, Haruhi. Before I could speak my mind on what I could possibly need that money for, Haruhi bolted from the room. Oh boy, this is going to be a good twenty minutes out of my way as well. Why can't I just say "no" every once in a while? Come on, you can do it. Say "no".

"Well, I suppose I'll take my leave then. I'll see you all on Sunday."

Koizumi gave a have-assed salute with his jacket draped over one of his arms, and left the clubroom.

I looked over to the window and noticed Ms. Asahina standing there in an awkward pose. Oh! I forgot Ms. Asahina had to dress back up into her normal uniform! I jumped up from my seat, nearly dropping my now-empty cup.

"I-I'm sorry. I forgot."

"I-It's alright."

Ms. Asahina threw a cute smile in my direction and waited for me to exit the room. I only now noticed that she was wearing a nurse outfit today. You know, I would complain to Haruhi about those costumes she forces on you, if you didn't look so cute in them!

Saturday was as forgettable as ever. All I accomplished that day was a small portion of my homework and about 2% of the new RPG game I bought along with the fan on Friday afternoon. Yeah, I overspent. Big deal.

The phone call from Haruhi arrived at my phone around 11:00 AM, which left me only about 2 and a half hours of free time in the morning. I almost want to stay away from the living room ever since that time I unknowingly spent collective years sitting in that spot, but the game I bought beckoned me.

"Yo?"

"Hey, Kyon! We're gathering at the park square in half an hour! Don't be late again, got it?!"

And as usual, the call ended before I could even fit a "But – "in there. I suppose I should probably take a shower and start getting ready. Boy, what a bother. The one Sunday I needed off out of the month, and she goes off and rips it from my calendar. I'm being metaphorical, of course.

After a seemingly 'quick' shower and a few more minutes of playing my game, I noticed there were only ten minutes left before I was supposed to be there. Wait, doesn't it take about ten minutes to get there on my bike?

I arrived at the park square out of breath and ready to keel over, but my watch was right on the dot. I wasn't a minute too –

"Late!"

I looked up and noticed that everybody was already there. Well, that's not abnormal, but why did Haruhi say I was late?

"Because, you're the last one here!"

"That doesn't mean I'm late!"

"It's whoever arrives last. Come on, Kyon, we've been over this before!"

Maybe I really am contracting Alzheimers, seeing as I don't remember anything like that ever coming out of her mouth. Where's the memo I missed? Koizumi shrugged his shoulders in that universal 'just go with the flow' gesture. Can't you be on my side for once, Koizumi? Haruhi pulled a small sheet of notebook paper out of her pocket.

"This is the list of places we'll be exploring today! We'll talk about it more inside the café. Come on!"

Haruhi lightly skipped across the street to the café. We took our seats and ordered our drinks before finally beginning to talk about the 'plan' for the day. Haruhi smacked a piece of paper on the table.

"Take a look, guys! I organized it myself."

As Haruhi sat back, admiring her handiwork and letting a billion-watt smile gleam. I leaned forward and examined the paper.

Nishinomiya Shrine, Hirota Shrine, Koshikiiwa Shrine, wait –

"Haruhi."

She gulped down her drink and replied.

"Yeah?"

"Why are we exploring shrines?"

"Because shrines are the best places to look for abnormal activities like ghosts and spirits!"

Oh, right. She did say that we were going to be looking for ghosts today. Haruhi, why do we keep coming to these outings and basically walk around the city for a few hours then go home?

"May I see that list?"

"Of course."

Koizumi picked up the paper and examined it as he rubbed his chin.

"Thank you."

He set it back down on the table.

"So who's ready to find some ghosts?!"

Haruhi shouted so the whole café could hear, as if to say that they should be jealous of her need to find a ghost. I can tell you right now, it's nothing to be jealous of.

After Haruhi and I argued over who should pay for the drinks since I did arrive on time, she finally overpowered me yet again and I paid the full bill. Why is it always me? I'm lucky I managed to pull together enough money to buy a cheap game, let alone pay for five people to get a drink. At this rate, I'll end up going to war for reparations.

My train of thought ended when Haruhi slammed her fist down on the table, clenching five sticks.

"Everyone take one, but only one!"

I pulled a random stick from Haruhi's hand. It just so happened that mine had a blue tip. I looked around the table to see who else had a blue-tipped stick.

"I guess this means we're grouped together."

Koizumi, sitting to my immediate left, had pulled the other blue-tipped stick. Damn it, why couldn't I be grouped with Ms. Asahina? Hell, I'd even take Nagato if it's like that time we spent the whole hour in the library. Haruhi examined the sticks we were all holding and exclaimed, almost with a sense of anger:

"Alright, we have our groups! Now get going! Kyon and Itsuki, you two are hitting the Hirota Shrine."

"I see. We'll be on our way."

Way to rebel, Koizumi.

"Fine."

And with that, Haruhi, Nagato, and Ms. Asahina walked off towards the south side of town, Koizumi and I spoke.

"Why in the hell are we even looking for ghosts? These outings are pointless."

Koizumi, with his usual, trademarked smile, responded.

"Look at it from Ms. Suzumiya's point of view. She's seen a few strange things happen before, but she's never quite gotten her feet wet like you have. I'd say we're actually quite fortunate that she still sees it as worthwhile to spend a few Sundays out of the month doing things as a group. Wouldn't you?"

"I wouldn't exactly call this 'worthwhile'."

"It's worthwhile for me, at least. I've been meaning to talk to you for a day or two now, but I haven't ever found the time."

Oh boy, what is it this time? More Closed Spaces? World on the brink of destruction? Some strange dictation by the Organization? An encounter with some new faction?

Koizumi raised his eyebrows and placed his hand to his chin.

"Actually, none of those. It's going to be a bit difficult to explain, but I'll try my best."

I'm sure whatever you're about to delve into, you've explained much weirder scenarios before.

"About three nights ago, the Organization and I discovered a Closed Space appearing. So, like clockwork, we went inside it to destroy the shinjin. Sure enough, the shinjin was there, wreaking havoc and such like it always does."

No kidding.

"Ever since four years ago, shutting down Closed Spaces has been the comprised of the exact same circumstances and almost every time we defeat the shinjin, whether there is one or more, the Closed Space always shatters and evaporates like a glass full of liquid nitrogen being thrown on cement."

"You know, you really should come up with some better metaphors."

"But something very peculiar happened to this Closed Space. Rather than shattering and then evaporating, this one popped like a bubble, and the boundaries of it faded into blackness."

The mystery of the bursting Closed Space, huh? I wonder if this abnormality is just some odd, singular trek, or the beginning of some new form of Closed Space?

"So what's up with the oddball Closed Space?"

Koizumi scratched his head, seeming as if he was at a loss for words, but then spoke.

"The Organization isn't exactly sure why this abnormality occurred, but we're fairly certain of the ramifications of it if we don't get handle it pronto."

"Ramifications? You said that almost like that particular Closed Space is still open, and in business."

He gave me a lopsided smile and replied.

"No, we're quite sure that the Closed Space was shut down when it popped like a balloon. But rather than teleporting back to the entrance point of the Closed Space, we were simply teleported to our exact location in the real world, which was particularly dangerous for one of my colleagues who, upon arrival, noticed he was still about 4 feet above the ground when his powers were nullified."

I inquired.

"Is that the only 'ramification'? You're making it sound like something else went down that wasn't supposed to when the oddball Closed Space collapsed."

"Exactly. Immediately after the Closed Space shut down, I was contacted by Ms. Asahina."

What is this bastard doing getting midnight calls from Ms. Asahina? That should be my job.

"She explained that somewhere near or in the Nishinomiya Shrine was a sort of wrinkle in time, in her own words, at least."

"Well if it's dangerous then why hasn't anything catastrophic happened yet? And what does this supposed 'wrinkle in time' look like anyway?"

Koizumi's expression hardened a bit.

"Well, that's where the complication arises. You see, we're not actually sure what the problem is. For all we know, it could just be that whatever type of sensory device Ms. Asahina is using is malfunctioning. But judging by the fact that nobody's reported anything peculiar up at the shrine, we can safely assume that it's an intangible abnormality much like the camel cricket we fought not too long ago."

I can't even imagine what sort of mayhem would ensue and how the world would be changed by Haruhi if whatever escaped that oddball Closed Space appeared here. What if the escaped being is a shinjin? Wait, is it even a being? Maybe it's just some bit of trash that managed to fall through the boundary somehow. You never know what could happen with that strange realm. Also, wouldn't Haruhi possibly walk in on this abnormality and discover something we don't want her to? And does this mean we're going to have to face some horrifying beast like the camel cricket again? I'd like the next flight to China if they call me in on something like that.

"Not quite. We're still not sure what the abnormality is, so it's too soon to assume it would be anything like a super-analog camel cricket. And as for Ms. Suzumiya, Ms. Yuki and Ms. Asahina and I already spoke about it. The Organization has setup a boundary in front of the Nishinomiya Shrine so it has the appearance of being under maintenance. But rest assured, we're going to handle this situation as soon as possible."

Well at least the Organization is handy. I wish I could say that I really enjoyed the benefits that come with being associated with the Organization, but they usually come with some sort of price, like being in a coma for a few days, or being scared for your life on an enclosed island. After a brief moment of silence, Koizumi spoke again.

"I suppose we could go to the arcade until the ladies return. Shall we?"

Koizumi gestured me towards the mall across the street.

"Fine."

The wait was fairly long, considering we had only used up about 5 or 6 minutes when we decided to visit the arcade. Koizumi was surprisingly good at the dancing games, which made me slightly jealous. How the hell does an esper manage to find the time to learn dancing? Or was he just lucky? Being beat by him at dancing, of all things, made me feel pretty uncoordinated.

About 5 minutes before the time was up, Koizumi and I left the arcade and stood in the park square. After seeing Haruhi walk around the street corner with Ms. Asahina and Nagato, I already knew her first words would be:

"Did you find anything?"

"Yes, we found the ghost of Adachi Hatazo hanging around the mall."

Haruhi widened her eyes for a moment, but then narrowed them on me as they seemed to catch on fire.

"Don't screw with me, Kyon. We just so happened to find something cool!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Haruhi stepped closer.

"We found this really strange looking urn sitting near the wooded area beside the shrine. It totally looked like it came from the feudal era!"

I doubt it did, probably just some moron forgot to pick it up a few days or weeks ago.

Letting her rationality get the better of her for once, Haruhi's expression calmed and she spoke again.

"Fine, whatever. Let's go back to the café."

"More drinks? I don't think my wallet can handle that."

The group started walking.

"You'll be fine, Kyon. Now hurry up buy us a drink before we pass out from the heat. And we don't want that, do we, Mikuru?"

Haruhi put her arm over Ms. Asahina's shoulders. I'd say Haruhi looked the best in the dress she was wearing, but the way Ms. Asahina had her hair tied up looked so cute! As we walked over to the café, I couldn't help but notice a surprisingly somber mood falling over Haruhi. Was she honestly going to create another Closed Space over not finding a ghost? Even then, we don't need another weird Closed Space like Koizumi mentioned. I almost feel sorry for Koizumi. Every time Haruhi gets depressed or angry, which is usually late at night, he has to go to the Closed Space she inadvertently opened and fight some overlordy creature. Hell, I'm almost glad I don't have any superpowers. With great power comes – wait… what was the saying again? Oh whatever, it doesn't matter.

We entered the café again, leaving me with a heavy sense of de ja vu. And of course I pulled the short stick, so I had to pay for drinks the second time as well. I gulped down my ice-cold soda with a deep sigh of relief as the extreme heat covering my body seemed to fade away. And with that, Haruhi spoke.

"Alright! Next groups will be organized…"

Haruhi situated the sticks in her fist again.

"…now!"

She slammed her fist on the desk and looked around the table with a bright smile on her face, obviously expecting us to jump up and pull a stick out with the same excitement she portrayed. If we keep searching around town all day like this, I really won't get my homework done!

"Haruhi, I really think I should get going so I can finish my homework."

Haruhi threw a somewhat confused look in my direction.

"Eh? We already went over this, Kyon. I'll let you copy my answers on Monday. Now pick a stick!"

Aye-aye, captain Ahab! And with that bellowed order, I picked a stick from Haruhi's hand. Immediately, I noticed yet another blue blotch on the end of my stick. Do I ever get the normal stick? Aftera brief examination of the stick I had drawn, I surveyed the table to see who else had drawn a blue-tipped stick. Not Ms. Asahina, not Nagato, not Koizumi – oh no. A bright smile shot across Haruhi's face as she too realized she had drawn a bue-tipped stick.

Why? If I'm grouped with Haruhi, then I won't get time to relax like I do with the other three! I'd love to be grouped with Nagato again, or Ms. Asahina! Hell, I'd even take Koizumi! The obnoxious girl spoke.

"Well, these are our groups! Finish your drinks and we'll begin!"

And with that, Haruhi gulped down her milkshake like she hadn't had a thing to drink in years. I'm surprised her brain didn't literally freeze. After gulping down the last few centimeters of my soda, I stood up and walked to the park square with the rest of the Brigade.

"Alrighty then, listen up! You have one hour to find some sort of paranormal person, place, whatever! Let's get to it!"

Koizumi replied.

"That sounds good. We'll try our best."

"That's the spirit!"

Koizumi leaned over whispered in my ear.

"Be cautious."

What? What is there to be cautious about? Don't tell me there's going to be another Closed Space or something. I don't think my heart could handle another one of those. Haruhi jumped down from the bench she made her speech on and trotted over to me as Koizumi, Nagato, and Ms. Asahina started walking down the street.

"Hey, Kyon, this way!"

I looked to my immediate left and saw Haruhi pointing in the opposite direction of the other three Brigade members, towards a somewhat hilly area. Wait, isn't the Nishinomiya Shrine in that direction?

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Are we going there?"

"Of course! It's one of the places on our list, and Mikuru didn't want to go there for some reason, so now's our chance. Come on!"

And with not even the time for a reply, Haruhi began walking at a rather brisk pace down the sidewalk. Having no other option, I followed.

The hike up to Nishinomiya Shrine took about ten minutes, leaving my legs somewhat fatigued. You would think that after a full year of walking uphill to school, I'd be fit enough to make a ten minute hike pretty comfortably. But alas, the fates have yet to shine upon me. I really wish I lived in an area with a little more flatness to it.

As we approached the shrine, Haruhi's expression of absolute joy was hampered when she realized that there was 'maintenance' going on around the shrine. Thank you, Organization! That is much appreciated.

"How dare they!"

How dare whom?

"Those bastards! They always pick the worst times to get work done. Why does a shrine even need maintenance? This makes no sense!"

Haruhi shook the fence post labeled "Do not cross" briefly before facing me. She looked as if she was about to say something, but then faced the shrine again, this time examining it intently. Wait, I've seen this before! Haruhi, I know what you're thinking, but please don't say –

"I know! Maybe we can sneak in!"

What? Are you crazy? Even if it is just Koizumi's Organization pulling the strings, doesn't she know the consequences of trespassing, especially during government maintenance?

"Haruhi."

"Yeah? What?"

"Do you know how much trouble we could get in for trespassing?"

Haruhi turned around and faced me with a clear expression of anger.

"So what? I've done it before and I can do it again! Just trust me!"

As much as I would've loved to point out that she was lying, I couldn't. The fact is, she actually has snuck into private property and trespassed before. One of the most glaring examples I can think of is when she snuck into the school grounds and drew those symbols on the baseball field about four years ago. But back then she was a little bit smaller and it was easier for her to sneak around. Either way, I have to portray this as an actual government project rather than something set up by the Organization. It's the only way to keep Haruhi from finding whatever they're trying to hide from her.

"Absolutely not. We could get arrested or even worse. I'm putting my foot down for this one, Haruhi."

"Oh come on, Kyon! Quit being such a baby. If we get caught, we'll just say 'hey, we were lost and stumbled into an area we shouldn't have. We're sorry.'"

"I'm not doing it. Let's just find another shrine."

Haruhi, obviously flustered, faced the shrine again.

"But just imagine, this could be some sort of elaborate cover-up of some mystical urn or mummy they found! They're hiding something in there. I know it! If only we could find a secret entrance or backdoor or something."

Haruhi, I would say your intuition is sharp right now, but you think the wrong people are hiding the wrong things. And why would they find a mummy? I thought mummies only existed in the Middle East and parts of the Americas? Anyway, it's my job to help support what Ms. Asahina, Nagato, and Koizumi are doing here. It's for your own good, Haruhi.

"I said we're not going in. Let's find another shrine or something."

Haruhi stopped her search for alternative entrances to the shrine and faced me, this time with a little more fervor than before.

"Kyon, why are you always so stubborn about these things? Can't you just relax and have a little fun for once?"

"A little fun for once? I've been dragged around this town countless times in search of something we could not – and would not – find! And quite frankly, I'm tired of being treated like an accessory to your little schemes. I could be at home right now getting my homework done or doing something a little more productive, but this is how you're making me spend my Sunday! I never enjoyed searching for paranormal beings or whatever you're looking for all the time! Why can't you just find some nice guy or some extracurricular activity that you like and have fun with that over the weekends? I'm sick of this."

Why did I flip out like that? Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the stress from school, hell, it could've been any number of things. Knowing what I know now, I would've tried to keep myself from flipping out on Haruhi like I did that day. I finally calmed myself down after a few seconds and realized what I had said. Haruhi stood there with her arms at her side and a very strange expression on her face. I can't quite describe what I saw in her eyes anyway other than this: it was like looking into two pools of completely frozen ice, with even the fish and plants perpetually stuck. I've only ever seen that expression on her face once before, and it wasn't a good thing then either. I felt so bad about lashing out that I was about to apologize, but after a few brief seconds of awkward silence, Haruhi spoke.

"I s-see."

We stood there like that for another few moments before Haruhi turned to face down the hill we had just hiked up. Freud, where are you when I need you?

"I guess we should find another place to search, then."

And with that, Haruhi started walking down the hill. I would've followed immediately but Haruhi's expression was just yelling, "Caution! Deadly force is permitted." So I kept my distance for the rest of the way down the hill until we reached the park square.

Haruhi and I sat at a distance of about five meters from each other for an excruciating forty minutes before the other three Brigade members arrived. I could already tell by the expression on their faces that they knew I had flipped out, but we had a silent agreement to not talk about it until the group disbanded. Haruhi put on a playful façade for the dismissal quickly, almost as if she had feigned her melancholic nature a few minutes ago.

"Aright, guys! Did you find anything?"

Ms. Asahina spoke.

"N-no. We didn't really find anything."

"I see. Well, I guess that's it for the day then! See you all on Monday!"

Eh? That was the shortest goodbye from her I'd ever seen. After speaking, Haruhi trotted off down the street. Ms. Asahina said she wasn't feeling well, so she started waking home as well. Get well soon, Ms. Asahina! After they were both out of sight, Koizumi spoke.

"Mind if I ask what happened?"

How did he instinctively know something happened?

"Nothing. I just lashed out a little bit. It's no big deal."

"I see. Ms. Yuki, how is the situation?"

Nagato stared blankly at the ground for a brief moment, then spoke.

"Situation is nominal. Ms. Suzumiya did not penetrate the boundary, however a fluctuation in data occurred in proximity to the boundary approximately 46 minutes and 49 seconds ago."

Well, I already know why that is and I'm sure they do as well.

"Kyon, we're glad you managed to keep Ms. Suzumiya from going beyond the boundary. The result of her coming in contact with whatever invisible abnormality is lurking there would've been catastrophic. Although, I'm going to be working very hard tonight to tame the monster Closed Space that appeared due to your disagreement with her. And we recommend that you contact her as soon as possible tomorrow and apologize. But don't worry about it, we've got that under control. However, we would like to see you here after school on Monday. Can you make time?"

Assuming my homework would already be done, I suppose so. And I have to apologize to her? I let out a long, deep sigh.

"I guess."

"Good. It's a date, then. See you all tomorrow."

And with a light smile and wave, Koizumi and Nagato parted from the park square, leaving me as the last Brigade member there. Wait, how did Haruhi manage to leave before me when she enjoys these outings the most? Damn it, Haruhi, you cheated.

The walk home was just as tiring as ever, seeing as it was just past noon: the hottest part of the day. We usually stay out until a bit later, however Haruhi closed the outing a little sooner than usual. I guess that's to be expected, though.

I tried playing my RPG that night, but the expression on Haruhi's face after I shouted at her kept sliding across the forefront of my mind. Damn it, Haruhi, why can't you just take heed of my monologues every once in a while? I mean seriously, why do you have to go off and make life hard on Koizumi, , Nagato, and I by getting the blues? If only you knew how tough it was on Koizumi to fight giant monsters on a weekly – sometimes nightly – basis. If only you knew how hard it was for Nagato to sit and watch your every move all the time and not be able to do a thing but observe. Hell, I still can't get over those 500-some years she spent living the same two weeks over and over, remembering everything! If only you knew how harsh it can be for Ms. Asahina to have to risk her profession by trying to keep time on its proper course. If only you knew how much I – wait. Am I feeling guilt? Good work, Haruhi, now you went and made me feel melancholic over today. Damn you, Haruhi. Damn you.

Please comment and tell me if I made any mistakes or if there are any issues with the story that need to be resolved! I'm trying to keep as close to the canon as possible! Thanks!