Chapter Two

I suppose I should say that after that "talk" with Tsuruya was when my life really changed a lot. Yuki still seemed like she had something that she wanted to say, but, as she had already spoken so much, I feel that I'm safe in guessing that she didn't want to say anything else for fear of sounding stupid. The other Yuki may have been able to say just about anything with a straight face, but this Yuki was shy, and almost painfully so. It probably had taken most of her courage just to ask all the questions that she had that day. Koizumi was the perceptive one, so it was he who noticed second that Yuki seemed intent on saying something. In truth, I'm glad that despite the fact that he's a smug bastard in both realities, he is at least tactful. And so, he looked at his watch and said with a face that made it all too obvious to me that he was lying "I am very sorry. I have a previous engagement tonight with my family, though. Even we Espers can't neglect family ties…"

And with that, Koizumi simply stood and put his share of the bill on the table. Reluctantly, Haruhi went with him, although she seemed like she wanted to refuse, to stay and talk more. However, she went with Koizumi, and next it was Miss Asahina's turn to leave. She stood and bowed politely to me.

"Kyosuke-kun… I apologize for hitting you back in December…" She said politely. "You may be a little bit eccentric, but you seem like a nice person."

When she smiled, her entire face lit up. It was like the old Asahina had come back. I wondered vaguely if this Asahina was as good at making tea as the other Asahina. I knew that they were in fact one and the same, but somehow, that still seemed strange to me. Tsuruya, in contrast to Asahina's farewell, looked suspiciously at me, but then gave me a sort of half-smile, and said, "Well, I don't completely trust you, Kyosuke, but Mikuru-chan seems to have finally forgiven you, so I guess I can't hold a grudge any longer, either. I'll see you whenever…" And with that, she strode out proudly, walking next to Asahina, looking for all the world like the sweet princess's guardian angel.

Now, with only Yuki left, I wondered if she was going to say what she had on her mind the entire day. At first, it seemed like she was just going to content herself with sitting and glancing at me nervously, then looking away. She looked mortified, like she was about to cry. Then, she stood up rather mechanically, grabbing my hand with both of hers and jerking me to the doorway. I grabbed some money out of my pocket before I was pulled from the table and paid my share of the bill, then allowed the extremely petite girl to drag me to the door and out onto the sidewalk. Once out there, she let go of my hand with her left hand and pulled me behind the café where I could only guess that the employees took their breaks. It was a beautiful day out, and cherry petals were scattered all over the ground wherever one went because it was springtime and that was the nature of the season. Fortunately, we no longer had to deal with cherry blossoms in the middle of fall like we did when Haruhi was "God", and other bizarre events. For a few moments, Yuki said nothing, then she took a deep breath and blurted everything out in one go. Definitely not what I expected, but so adorable that I couldn't help but be endeared by it.

"!" It was all one long word, and as tiny as she was, I was a little surprised that she had the lung capacity to say it all in one breath. So shocked was I not just at the question, but the sudden delivery that I said nothing for a moment. I guess Yuki first took that to mean no, too, because she waited for two seconds… then four… then eight… Slowly, then, the color rose to her face, and tears formed in her eyes. By the time she was done blushing, her face was beet red, and she looked horrified. Her whole body was stiff as a rod, almost like I could have given her a light tap, and she would have toppled over like a tower that was too tall.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry!" She cried, waving her hands frantically. I wondered now… Was this how the other Yuki felt all the time? Even as she gave explanations that no human could possibly understand? Even as she engaged in all those ridiculous activities that Haruhi planned? Was the girl secretly just terribly, painfully shy, and covering it up with an icy cool façade or perhaps Alien Yuki just had no way to express traits such as "shyness" and "nervousness", and so, they simply came across as "introversion" and "bluntness".

"P-please f-f-forget I said anything!" Yuki pleaded. I suddenly held my hand up for her to stop, though, and in the midst of taking a breath for her next sentence, she stopped dead.

"Yuki, I haven't said anything yet. You just surprised me. That's all. I've actually been wondering for a while if I should ask you out…" I said. It was true as well. It wasn't on the top of my mind or anything like that, but we had gotten rather close over the past four months, I had turned in the application for the literary club, and on days that Haruhi and Koizumi didn't come to the café with us, we would sit around and read, or talk, or whatever. Whatever Yuki thought of my stories of the alternate world, she at least enjoyed listening to me talk about it. As I looked at Yuki, she looked back in mild astonishment, and blushed happily this time.

"R-really?" She asked simply. I know, it was kind of a clichéd scene, but maybe she had read so many books where this kind of thing happened that she hoped that if she set it up like this, that it would be more likely to work… I don't know. I'm not a mind reader, and Yuki isn't either anymore.

"Is that so surprising?" I asked quietly, putting a hand behind my head and scratching an itch that had suddenly popped up rather annoyingly.

"W-well… Yes… R-Ryoko Asakura is th-the only one who ever paid much attention to me before. Before you helped me with my library card, I sometimes wondered… if I died, if anyone would even notice…"

Wow. Talk about depressing. I've known for months now that this Yuki Nagato, at least, was shy. I didn't know that she was so lonely, though, as well. Did Asakura know this about Yuki? If she did, was she doing anything to try to help? Did she even know what to do? I know I wouldn't have known what to do… I suppose I could've tried to tell the school counselor, but would that really help? Or would Yuki just stop trusting me?

"Kyon? W-would you… like to g-go to the cinema on Saturday? N-Noon, maybe?"

"Sure… I don't have anything planned that day…" I replied. And then, she hugged me tightly and ran off, nearly skipping. I guess I made her happy. I don't know. I never considered myself a very encouraging person, but I suppose everyone has to find their match in someone, right? Had I, in my first year of high school, found my match in Yuki Nagato, the timid little bibliophile that I could have just as easily overlooked had that one key event at the public library not occurred that brought our worlds together? Now, just so you, the reader, don't misunderstand, I'm not a romantic by any means. I don't believe in love at first sight, and I don't know anything about, nor did I care at that moment, about "forever and ever". But, I had a good feeling about Yuki… And although my "good feelings" have gotten me in trouble before, when I decided for the first time to talk to Haruhi, when I gave her the monologue that inspired her to create the SOS Brigade, when I so obediently went along with all of that little psycho's crazy schemes, I had decided at that moment that I should trust this good feeling. And so, I stood there slightly dazed, having accepted Yuki's request to see a movie with me on Saturday at high noon.

"Wow, Kyon." Came the voice that still scared the shit out of me sometimes. Ryoko Asakura, the "no longer psycho" class president, rated "AAA+" by Taniguchi at the beginning of the year.

"I was a bit nervous when you didn't answer at first…" Asakura said to me, smiling as she almost always did. "I was sure for a moment that you were going to reject poor little Yuki-chan. It took her months to work up enough courage to ask you out, you know. You really do mean that much to her, so I'll warn you again…" She said, her demeanor changing now to one of pure business. "If you're not serious about your relationship with Yuki-chan, back out now, for your own good. If you break Yuki-chan's heart, I'll make sure I break your body…" She continued, sounding really frightening now, advancing on me like a wildcat assessing its prey. For the moment, all I could think to do was be sarcastic. It seemed like I was best at that.

"I don't doubt it. You've already tried to kill me once. But were you aware that Yuki was so lonely?" I asked. At this, Asakura straightened up, and her expression became worried, rather than dangerous.

"I… I knew that she didn't have many friends, but I wasn't aware just how badly affected she was by that. Maybe I didn't see because I didn't want to look deep enough. She's slow to open up to people. I was no exception. She moved into the apartment below me three years ago…"

Wow, even in this alternate reality, this "three years ago" plays an important role. Coincidence?

"I still don't know why she suddenly moved in, or why she doesn't live with her parents, but for whatever reason, she's always been very isolated. I'm glad that she has friends like you and your little club. As strange as you are, I think she's enjoyed these past four months. So I say again, you better not hurt her."

"I won't." I replied. What else could I say, now? Whether Asakura believed me or not, I really did like Yuki, and was looking forward to our date on Saturday, even if I was a little nervous. I had never been on a date before. What did one say? Was I supposed to kiss her? Was that 'don't kiss 'till the third date' really valid? Maybe it was just one of those things friends told girls to keep them from moving too fast? Would Yuki think me rude if I tried to kiss her on our first date? I was loath to ask Koizumi for anything, but he was the only friend I had who had ever had a girlfriend. I did have his number, oddly, it was the same as his number in the alternate reality (go figure. It certainly would have been odd had I called him before we even met. "Uh hey, Koizumi, you don't know me, and technically, I only know you from an alternate reality…" Yeah, can you say stalker freak?

Nonetheless, I knew Koizumi had lied about being busy, or at least I was 90% sure that he had. He was good at lying with a straight face, so a 10% margin of error was pretty reasonable. So, I took out my cell and dialed him up.

"Itsuki Koizumi… What's up?" Came the voice on the other end. For a moment, my voice refused to come out.

"Hello? Are you there? Did I lose you?" He asked, still politely, but with that suspicious edge that he sometimes got in his voice.

"Hi. Sorry, Koizumi, it's just me." I replied, and I heard a laugh on the other side.

"Ah, Kyon. Sorry for the suspicion. I've been getting a lot of telemarketers lately. What can I do for you?" He asked, sounding rather earnest. It didn't suit him at all.

"Um…" I said, turning slightly pink. "I'm… I'm going on a date with Yuki on Saturday and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do…"

"Ah!" He replied. "It's about time you asked her out. I was starting to despair that you might never pop the question… Anyway, why are you asking me, Mr. Ladies Man? You seem to be quite good at getting the attention of attractive young women. I'd think you would already know what to do…"

"You know, your smug attitude pisses me off, but regardless, you're the only male friend I have who's ever had a girlfriend. What did you do on your first date with Haruhi?" I asked. On the other end, Koizumi sighed.

"Tut, tut. For one so seemingly talented with women, you sure are clueless. Going on a date with Miss Suzumiya probably wouldn't be anything like going on a date with Miss Nagato. Their personalities are so radically different that asking me what I did is like comparing apples and oranges."

"Please stop making fun of me." I said. I was really not in the mood to hear Koizumi subtly taunting me.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist a little bit. But in all seriousness, what are you planning to do with her?"

"We're going to the cinema…"

"Oh. Well, you don't need my advice, then. Just go in and enjoy the movie. She probably already has a movie in mind, so you don't have to worry about that. Just buy some popcorn and soda for the two of you and enjoy the movie. You know, I was suspicious of you earlier, but maybe I misjudged you. You're definitely a little eccentric, but you're not a bad person."

"Gee… Thanks…" I replied through gritted teeth. Eccentric, am I? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

The next day, Friday, passed obscenely slowly. Perhaps it was because I kept looking up at the clock. Perhaps it was because even as I was nervous, I was excited about going on a date. Even I, the eternally apathetic Kyon could get excited about something, and so, I was really tense all day. I wondered, should I ask Asakura a little bit about Yuki so that I could at least have some conversation topics on which to focus? It seemed rude to talk about Yuki when she wasn't present like that, but maybe if it would help the date go more smoothly, then it would be good for her as well? Was I only trying to justify my desire to find out about her the easy way, though? Regardless, my lack of attention to everything except the petite bibliophile didn't go unnoticed, and in last hour (finally!), the teacher smacked my desk with his ruler, snapping me rather alarmingly out of a daze.

"Kyosuke-san… Perhaps you could tell us how to conjugate 'to be' in English?" The teacher asked sternly. I thought for a minute. It was vaguely familiar. I wasn't as good at English as Haruhi was, but I figured I had no excuse not to try.

"I are, you am, he/she is. We are, you (formal) are, they are."

"Well, I suppose you didn't do as badly as you did on your last test, Kyosuke-san. But you reversed the conjugations of I and you. It's 'I am' and 'you are'. Try to pay closer attention."

"Yes, sir." I said and I sighed in relief. I had practically pulled that out of nothing. Bullshitting my way through a class usually didn't work, as evidenced by my grades when I didn't study. However, after what seemed like an age, class ended, and I was approached by none other than Ryoko Asakura, who smiled brightly at me, showing no indication of the rather frightening threats she had issued the previous evening.

"Nervous about your date?" She whispered in my ear, giggling at my reaction. I gulped and nodded.

"Don't be. I feel I hardly need to say that Yuki-chan is head over heels for you."

"S-speaking of Yuki…" I said tensely, trying to keep my voice down. "D-does she have interests other than books?"

Asakura cocked her head at me for a moment, then clicked her tongue, wagging her finger at me, in a teasingly scolding manner.

"What a strange thing to ask. Of course she has other interests. She likes… Oops. My bad… You'll have to find out for yourself, Kyon. Well, gotta go! Student Council awaits!" She then giggled again and jogged out of the classroom, at which point, Taniguchi and Kunikida, the last two people I wanted to be stuck talking to walked over. Taniguchi naturally started with his usual dimwitted banter.

"Kyon, dude! I had no idea you were so close with Ryoko Asakura! How come you never told me!" He shouted, causing several of our classmates to look over at him in disapproval.

"I'm not close at all with her! She's just close with Yuki Nagato…" I said quietly, putting a finger to my lips to maybe make him be a bit quieter.

"Who?" He asked bluntly, so Kunikida leaned over and whispered something in his ear, and the idiot's eyes lit up, and he nodded in understanding.

"Right, the cute little literary club girl. But how would Nagato cause Ryoko Asakura to talk to you?"

Kunikida then leaned over again and spoke to Taniguchi, this time loud enough for me to hear.

"A friend of mine at the café down the road from Kouyouen told me that she heard Nagato asking Kyon on a date, and that he agreed." I couldn't believe that Kunikida of all people could have found out, but then, they did all go to school just up the hill from that café.

"H-how did you find out, Kunikida! And more, don't tell this guy!"

"Sorry, Kyon…" Kunikida said, shrugging. "You know he would've kept bugging you for an answer, though. And you know the waitress, too. She said she was a little put off that you didn't recognize her. You did sit behind her all second year in middle school, after all."

Suddenly, I remembered the girl. Although she had gotten a bit taller, it was true that she did look almost exactly the same. Even her hairdo was the same. I vaguely wondered how I didn't recognize her. Although it was true that being thrown into an alternate reality had thrown me off a bit, the seating arrangement in middle school hadn't changed. I had found out from declaring myself to be "John Smith" that certain things hadn't changed about the past, whatever that was, anymore

"Oh. Well, just… I know you naturally have a big mouth, Taniguchi, but try not to tell anyone! This is our first date, and I don't even know how it's going to go…"

"Oh, yeah, no problem…" (Famous last words)

And so, of course, by Monday, half the school knew that Yuki Nagato and I were dating, although the story of what happened was skewed a bit.