It was cold when she woke up. Although it was warmer in the apartment than it was outside, it was still probably under 14 Celsius inside the building at this hour. Yuki didn't want to come out from under the kotatsu. She lay for several minutes, ignoring the alarm clock which told her it was time to get up. But eventually, she struggled out of bed, shivering. She quickly put on her coat, although she was inside. At least, since she was already in her uniform, she would not have to undress in this cold. She took small, halting steps to her kitchen. There were still some leftovers from the last time Miss Asakura had cooked for her, and some milk in the fridge, which ended up comprising Yuki's breakfast.

As Yuki was gathering up her breakfast, she stubbed her toe on the fridge, and had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out in pain. Why did that happen? It was as if she'd never stubbed her toe before, and yet she knew that she had in the past. Maybe she was just out of sorts from sleepwalking the night before.

As Yuki was eating, she remembered why she had thought it was so strange that Ryoko Asakura should have been outside the apartment building last night. As far as Yuki knew, Miss Asakura had the virus she had warned Yuki about. That was why she wasn't in school yesterday. Maybe she had gone to a clinic, and had just been returning when Yuki sleepwalked out of her apartment. But at midnight? That was strange. Yuki felt a pang of guilt, knowing that Miss Asakura had been walking around in the cold night air, while sick, on her account. Though she hadn't seemed at all sick last night…

As she left her apartment, she had a strange feeling. It was as if she was on the verge of remembering something important, but couldn't quite remember what it was.

She had been having these feelings more frequently of late. It usually happened whenever she chanced to see Kyon at school. She didn't think that was his real name, but she had heard Taniguchi, who at least seemed to be on moderately friendly terms with Kyon, call him that, so Yuki figured it must be a nickname. But this odd feeling, that there was something she should know about him, but didn't, that they had somehow known each other for a long time, was recurrent. But she knew that was impossible. Apart from the time, back in May, when Kyon had helped her to make a library card, he had never spoken a word to her. Yuki figured that she was easily forgettable, and thought that she was the one who should feel bad, since she had never thanked Kyon for helping her.

She wondered if maybe she was going crazy. These instances of déjà vu, or whatever it might be, were affecting her in strange ways. She remembered that when she came across a Japanese subtitled version of an American film about a man who repeats the same day, February 2, indefinitely, she had become oddly enthralled by the plot. And while she understood that the movie was basically comedic, she couldn't help but find the plot, in which the main character found himself repeating the same day over and over, so serious that she got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach during the scenes where the main character was realizing his situation. She couldn't figure out why this bothered her so. It was almost as if something like that had happened to her, and it hadn't been funny at all, it had been horrifying, and it had gone on for so long…but of course Yuki knew that such thoughts were ridiculous. So why were they so compelling?

This line of thought occupied her mind as she walked to school. After entering the building, she walked quickly to the Literary Club room. She still had some time before class started, so she thought she would read until she had to go to her classroom. This was all she needed, Yuki thought. Here, with her books, she could escape the cold, drab world that surrounded her. She considered briefly what she would read. Then she remembered that a book with a collection of science fiction short stories in her bag. It was a public library book. As she opened it, she felt a small pang of guilt, knowing she had never thanked Kyon for helping her with making a library card. Maybe she should just walk up to him and thank him, and then she wouldn't have to have that pang of guilt. But she couldn't do that. He had probably forgotten already, and it would seem weird for her to walk up to Kyon months after the fact to thank him. She already had a reputation as the weird glasses girl, after all, and Kyon might be embarrassed if she approached him with such an odd reason in front of his classmates. So she tried to push the thoughts from her mind and enjoy the book.

After Yuki had finished two stories, the warning bell for first period rang. Reluctantly, she marked her place with a slip of paper, reshelved the book, and gathered her schoolbooks for class.

Yuki walked quietly to her seat in the back of the classroom, next to the window. The first period class for her was English. As someone who was fluent in both Japanese and English, Yuki found the class boring to the extreme, while always getting top marks on her exams. Although most of her classmates didn't know, due to the girl's extreme shyness, she was actually extremely intelligent, and had taught herself English by the time she was twelve. When she commented on English-language websites online, people didn't know she wasn't a native English speaker unless she told them herself.

The next class was advanced algebra. Although Yuki didn't have the same passion for mathematics that she had for literature, this was also a fairly easy subject for her. A lot of the material the class was covering right now was going right over many of the students' heads, at least if marks on the most recent exam were any indication. "How can you call yourselves' Japanese when you're apparently this incompetent at mathematics?" the instructor fumed, "Of course, it's not everyone in this room. Miss Nagato scored a 95% on the last exam. Maybe you should try to be more like her." Yuki turned her head downward and blushed slightly at this unwanted bit of recognition. She hated being put on the spot. If she had been any other student, she knew that heads would be turning her way, some with looks of admirations, others with envy. But none turned her way. Her fellow students, save one or two, just looked quizzically at the instructor, as if it was news to them that there was a Miss Nagato in their class. The only student in the class who knew her even remotely, Miss Kimidori, was absent today, probably with the virus that was going around.

At lunch, Yuki quietly shuffled up to the literary club room. She didn't eat lunch most days, and just went to the club room to read. She shied away from the strange glances she got from her classmates as she left the classroom. She felt like she should be used to it by now. She thought she heard someone whispering, "wait, is that Nagato?" She walked more quickly, hoping to escape the room before she heard more. On the way to the clubroom, she saw Kyon running down a hallway perpendicular to the one she walking down, looking frantic. She hoped it was nothing too serious, as she climbed the stairs to her little domain. She went back to the book she was reading before. She found that the third story, in addition to being science fiction, was also a love story. The main character was a traveler from another dimension who fell in love with a woman he met in one of the alternate dimensions he traveled to. For some undefinable reason, she was enthralled by the story, and was disappointed when the warning bell for the second half of the day rang, forcing her to stop halfway through.

The second half of classes passed uneventfully, although Yuki heard some conversation a few desks to her right about a student in another class who had apparently gone crazy and assaulted another student. The nameless student had also apparently gotten into some sort of argument with Ryoko Asakura. The speaker wondered aloud if maybe the virus that was going around hadn't turned into a brain infection, and caused the hapless student to go crazy. It scared Yuki a little to hear about it, but she didn't give the story too much thought. She was glad to know, however, that Miss Asakura was back at school, which presumably meant she was feeling better. Yuki returned to the club room after the last bell for the day rang. She reopened the story she was reading before, picking up where she left off. She continued to read. The traveler was obsessed with finding a way back to his own dimension, but still found himself falling in love with the quiet woman who first met and helped in him in the alternate dimension. In the last scene, they confessed their love to each other, right before the traveler departed. Yuki found tears collecting in her eyes. She didn't like the way this ended. Maybe it was because the female character in the book reminded her so much of herself, a lonely, isolated orphan who was mostly ignored by the people around her.

She wiped her tears away. Why was she so bent out of shape over a fictional character, she wondered? Because she imagined herself in that role, and imagined Kyon as the interdimensional traveler, of course. Why she thought of him this way was unclear to her. It wasn't healthy. Then again, the snippets of short stories that she had written in the word processing program on the computer, in which she imagined them both being in the Literary Club, and where she had to work up the courage to eventually confess her feelings to Kyon, might seem a product of unhealthy obsession to some people. The point is, it was nothing new. But it was something she enjoyed doing nonetheless. Come to think of it, she should probably move those files. As it was, anybody who logged onto the computer could see them.

At that moment, the door to the literary club room opened slowly. Yuki was surprised to see that the visitor was none other than Kyon. For his part, he also seemed surprised to see her. Yuki felt like this had happened before. Had he been looking for someone else, and accidentally gone to the wrong room? But that didn't seem to be the case, as he said, in a relieved voice, "Thank God you're here." So apparently Kyon was looking for her? Why? He closed the door behind him, only to look suddenly perplexed again, and stare at her as if she were some strange creature that he had only just noticed. "Nagato!" he said sharply.

Yuki caught herself gaping at the visitor. She looked down, embarrassed, and then looked back at Kyon. She couldn't think of anything to say, another than, "Yes?" Kyon continued, "I know this is going to sound weird but…do you know who I am?" Yuki wondered what he meant? Was he referring to the time he had helped her get a library card? Was he angry that she had seemed ungrateful by simply walking away without a word? Of course, she knew very little about him. She found herself self-consciously touching her hair as she considered her answer. "I do," she replied. Kyon said, "I was hoping you'd say that, because I know a few things about you too!" What things? thought Yuki, as she gasped softly. Kyon asked, "Do you mind if I tell you what I know?" Yuki just stared downward. What could she say? Kyon continued, "For starters, you aren't human. You're actually sort of a robotic human hybrid thing, made by the Data Integration Thought Entity. And you have these powers, like magic, that you use to save us sometimes. You made a bat that hit only home runs, and fought a giant cricket in another dimension." He paused slightly, and then said, "Anyway, that's the stuff I know about you. Am I wrong?"

Yuki wasn't sure whether to be offended, scared, or incredulous. What was Kyon talking about? Was this a joke? A prank on the science fiction-obsessed bookworm? But it seemed so out of character for the kind boy she knew from the library. Maybe he was forced into it by his schoolmates? But another possibility lurked at the back of Yuki's mind, one that she didn't want to consider: Maybe he's crazy, and actually believes everything he's saying. She remembered what she'd heard earlier about a student going crazy. She had assumed that the student had been sent home, or to the hospital, or maybe even taken away by the police. She also remembered Kyon running down a hallway at lunch, looking frantic. Was he the one who had gone crazy? If so, should she be scared that he was suddenly coming up here, spouting delusions?

It took Yuki a few seconds to think all of this, and consider her answer. She decided that in any case, she was best off being honest. "I'm sorry," she began, "I know you're a student here and you're in class 5. So yes, I've seen you around." She didn't mention that he was the person who had helped her at the library. She assumed he must already know that. "But I'm afraid that's pretty much all I know about you. Actually, this is the first time I've ever spoken to you." She noticed that while she was speaking, Kyon's expression changed, almost to one of anger, and he began to tremble. "So what you're saying is…you're not an alien?" Kyon asked. "Alien?" Yuki asked, still confused. "And the name Haruhi Suzumiya…you don't remember it?" continued Kyon. "No," Yuki replied, perplexed.

Why was he talking to her, after all these months, just to start asking some of the weirdest questions she had ever heard? She had no idea who Haruhi Suzumiya was. And yet…there was that feeling of déjà vu again, as if she should remember it, but simply couldn't. These musings were stopped when Kyon yelled, "But you have to! Think back and try to remember!" He advanced toward Yuki, heedlessly toppling a pile of books she had put on the table. Yuki winced slightly at this, but she was more scared of what Kyon was going to do next. He was talking like a crazy person. She stood up quickly, thinking to run, but freezing and simply holding the book she had been reading to her chest, hoping to somehow protect herself from this person who had apparently changed overnight from a normal, kindly high school student to a raving madman. She wondered if she should yell for help, but all she could get out was a soft whimper.

Kyon grabbed Yuki by the shoulders, "Don't you remember this last summer when we had to repeat the same two weeks fifteen thousand times!?" He shook her slightly. Why did she have that insane feeling of déjà vu? "Come on, try to remember! Everyone we know changed between yesterday and today! Haruhi's gone, but Asakura's here! You know who's responsible for it, don't you!? Was it the Data Integration Thought Entity? If Asakura's been resurrected, you'd know about it wouldn't you? She's the same as you, right? What the hell is going on!? You're the only one who can tell me what's happening! You've always been able to, remember?" As he said this, Kyon pushed Yuki backward, eventually pinning her to the wall. Was she going to die? She was terrified. She should yell. She should scream. But all she could bring herself to do was to utter a plea, softly, "Stop it!" To her surprise, Kyon stopped. And a second later he released his grip on her shoulders. Yuki's eyes were closed, but she heard Kyon stumble back a few steps and knock against the table, at which she opened her eyes. She saw a look of horror on his face, as he looked at the hands that had pushed her against the wall a moment before. She was still terrified. She could feel herself trembling all over. Why wasn't she running? It was obvious that there was something wrong with Kyon and yet…somehow what he had said struck a chord with her. About the two weeks they'd had to repeat fifteen thousand times? But that was crazy! She didn't remember anything like that. And yet…she felt like she should.

"I'm so sorry," Kyon apologized, "I didn't mean to freak out on you like that." Yuki was still huddled against the wall, her thin arms holding her book to her chest. "I just wanted to make sure, that was all," said Kyon. What did that mean? Kyon suddenly sat down in the chair that Yuki had previously occupied, covering his face with his hands. He remained like that for half a minute, at least. Yuki remained standing against the wall, not sure of what she should do next. She stared at Kyon, trying to make sense of everything that had happened in the last few minutes. Sitting down, his face in his hands, he looked utterly broken and defeated, and she felt sorry for him. Whatever this was, Yuki didn't think it was a joke. Suddenly he looked up again. Yuki flinched, worried that a second assault was coming. Instead, Kyon got up from the chair, offering it back to her, said "sorry" again, and then unfolded a second chair and sat down in it, looking completely dazed and utterly dejected. He put his face in his hands again. When he lifted his face and looked at Yuki, she turned her face away from his, embarrassed to have been caught staring.

Eventually, Kyon rose from his seat again. He spoke to her abruptly, "Nagato, would it be okay if I used your computer for a bit?" It was a strange request, but Yuki felt no harm could come from it. Kyon at least seemed to be calm now. Then she remembered the files containing her stories. She would be incredibly embarrassed if Kyon, of all people, were to find them. "Not yet," she said, powering up the computer. She moved all the files to an encrypted folder as Kyon remained on the opposite side of the room. She noticed that while he was waiting for her to lend him the computer, Kyon gathered up the books he knocked to the ground earlier, and set them in their original place. He looked as if he felt guilty, and was trying to make amends. Yuki was still a little afraid of him for his original outburst, but she was starting to think he wasn't crazy. Of course, with all he had said, the only logical conclusion would be that he was either crazy or playing a bad joke on her, but for some reason she felt an irrational belief that there was some element of truth to what Kyon had said. Then again, she considered her doubts about her own mental stability, her odd moments of déjà vu, and wondered if she was a good judge of such things.

Once the files were moved to a secure folder, she offered Kyon the computer. "Okay," she said, standing up from the chair and moving away from the table. "Thank you," Kyon replied, as he sat down in front of it. He seemed to be searching through all the files. What was he looking for? Had somebody found out about the stories she had written, and decided it would be funny to tell Kyon about them? Was that what he was searching for? Yuki didn't know. That wouldn't really explain his earlier outburst either. She noticed Kyon typing in the name "Mikuru" in a file search field. Why would he be doing that? Yuki knew, vaguely, of a Mikuru Asahina who was a junior at their school, but she couldn't figure out what significance she might have to Kyon. Eventually, he seemed to give up. "Sorry to bother you," Kyon said. "Are you finished?" asked Yuki. "Yeah, I couldn't find the thing I was looking for." Cryptic as ever.

Kyon slowly picked up his bag and headed for the door, apparently intending to leave. I should just let him go now, thought Yuki. Or maybe she should call a doctor for him. Logically, he must be suffering from some sort of brain fever, but apart from his initial outburst, he didn't seem delirious. And she wanted to learn more about him. At least, that's how she rationalized her next action to herself later. "Wait!" she said suddenly. Kyon stopped and turned around. She went to the bookcase, where she also kept the literary club application forms (These were actually from last year, as she was currently the one and only member of the club, whose other members had already graduated). She grabbed one, walked quickly over to Kyon, and offered it to him. "Take one, if you want," she said. He regarded it silently, and then left. She wasn't sure what to make of that.

As Yuki walked home, she was depressed. When Kyon had come into the room, and said, "Thank God you're here," she had hoped, irrationally perhaps, that everything she had fantasized about had come true, that her crush was there to confess his love to her. Then it turned out that he apparently thought she was an alien, that Asakura had been "resurrected" (what was that about?), and that Yuki should remember someone named Haruhi, and should also remember repeating part of the last summer fifteen thousand times. That last part disturbed her a little, because it seemed to ring a bell. She thought of the strange significance that movie, about the man who repeated the same day over and over, held for her.

That, and the fact that she had longed for months to have the chance to speak to him, explained why she had implicitly invited him to return to the Literary Club. But she doubted he would come back. Whatever business Kyon apparently felt he had there, he had also apparently finished. As she ate some rice and drank some milk for dinner, Yuki wondered again if this was someone's idea of a joke on her. While she couldn't bring herself to believe that Kyon would maliciously do something like that, she couldn't rule out that maybe someone wanted to play a joke on the bookworm, and had found a way to force him into it. Blackmail, perhaps? Had Kyon cheated on an exam, or something, out of desperation, and had someone else who really disliked Yuki found out and used the knowledge as leverage? Paranoid, much? She thought to herself. Maybe one of the people in her math class had recognized her name, and been annoyed by being shown up by her, and so had decided on a petty revenge. But she remembered the look of horror on Kyon's face, and the utterly defeated look he had as he realized she was not who he apparently thought she was. It was all too perplexing.

After she finished her homework, Yuki readied herself to sleep. As she pulled the blanket over her frail body, she noticed tears pulling in her eyes. Don't worry about it, she thought to herself. You don't need to get so worked up about one boy. You have your books, and Miss Asakura, and you don't have to worry about why Kyon was acting so strangely. With those thoughts, she went to sleep.

Author's Note:

At the risk of beating anyone reading this over the head with my conjecture about Yuki having moments of déjà vu, I wanted to point out that I thought they were really important to this chapter. My hypothesis is that part of the reason why Nagato didn't call the men in white coats on Kyon, was that some of what he was saying concurred with feelings of déjà vu she'd been having, kind of in a reversal of the situation in the Endless Eight, where Yuki remembers everything and everyone else just has flashes of déjà vu. But still being Nagato, of course, she doesn't actually let the other characters, including Kyon, know this, hence why in the Disappearance plot from Kyon's perspective, there's no indication of Yuki having any memory of pre-December 18 events, other than the moment at the library. She's much more like the Nagato Kyon already knows than he picks up on, because the other Nagato couldn't express herself as completely.