And here comes a new chapter! Hope you enjoy, everyone!

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It's truly amazing how many questions I can ask myself on a daily basis. While I'm not actually talking to myself out loud when I do this, I find that I can always question one thing or another in the back of my mind. It's kind of a bad habit, actually.

I found myself leaning back in the fold-up chair I had been sitting in this entire time, just having absorbed the breadth of what Koizumi had told me regarding Suzumiya-san and her relation to a religious text.

The notion of her being considered an actual God sounded completely and utterly ridiculous to me. Sure, she may be able to bend reality from time to time, but in no way do I believe that she actually is what some people believe to be a God.

I looked at Suzumiya-san, who still seemed content with playing on the computer until the world came to an end. Nagato-san was still watching her intently, and I noticed that the light-haired alien did not even take the time to blink as she watched Haruhi play.

What was going on in her alien mind? I've always wondered how Yuki actually operated, because if you ask me, she seems more like an automated machine than an actual alien being. A human interface is what she called herself, actually. Was there more humanity in her than I knew about? I had seen hints of it in the past, from the fact she enjoyed crushing the Computer Research Club in that game, to something as simple as the her reaction when I had told her she looked cuter without glasses. Still, I couldn't be too sure.

Now do you see what I was talking about? I ask too many questions, even though they're being asked in the safety of my thoughts. This is certainly a habit I should stop doing in due time. Whenever I get around to it…

The sound of furious clicking that had been coming from Suzumiya-san's side of the room stopped, and I knew automatically that it signified Haruhi had gotten bored of playing Day of Sagittarius. I was kind of expecting she would get bored of the game after a half-hour or so of playing it.

"I guess we're done for today." She indifferently said to us all, getting up from the chair after she took those big black headphones off her head. Haruhi always had this strange sort of grace to her. She was could be clumsy at times, but there was something you could admire about that. Don't ask me what that means. I really can't explain something like that.

"We can leave?" I asked our Brigade Chief, and my voice was sounding a little more excited than usual, to Haruhi's disappointment. She answered almost quietly.

"Yes. You can all go."

Something in the back of my mind was glad that I now had the freedom to leave the clubroom. No longer was I chained to this room. I was free to frolic for the rest of tonight. I was free to sleep when I got home, and maybe just read a good book or something. Maybe I'll pick up something new to read from Matsumoto Books. Perhaps one of those science-fiction novels that I've been neglecting to indulge in for some time now.

I looked to my side, and I could see that Koizumi had already stood up, and he was in the process of getting his school bag from underneath the table. Yuki Nagato was the first to actually leave the room, having silently closed her novel, and then proceeding to walk past everyone as she opened up the door to the room.

Like a ghost, and without any sort of goodbye, Yuki left us. I wasn't actually surprised by this. While I had yet to enter the clubroom after school before anyone else arrived, I had always known that Nagato-san's departures were always the same. They were silent and quick.

When I finally decided to leave the clubroom myself, I waited for Suzumiya-san to leave before me. Asahina-san was gone after Koizumi, and there had been a minimal amount of time where I had to vacate the room for her to change out of her maid outfit. Surprisingly, Haruhi didn't force-change Mikuru this time around. The fact that Haruhi would do that to Asahina-san so often was enough for it to feel like some sick tradition to.

"Lock-up when you're done." Haruhi told me before she left the room, and I have to admit that she was sounding almost melancholic. This could only spark worry in my mind, because I knew what happened when she got too melancholic. I knew quite well.

In a quick fashion, I obliged to Haruhi's request, locking up the door behind me and quickly shoving the clubroom key in one of my jacket pockets. With my bag slung over my shoulder, and I ran down the hallway to catch up with Suzumiya-san, who was walking at a slow pace.

"Hey." I said casually, my hands in my pockets as I was now walking beside Suzumiya-san. She didn't look sad or anything, but something about her face kept telling me she was in deep focus or something.

"You made sure to lock the clubroom up tight, right Kyon? The last thing we need is someone trespassing." Suzumiya-san asked me, an almost devious smile starting to appear on her face. While she sounded serious, I was getting the feeling she was just messing around with me.

"Yeah, I made sure."

I added a smile at the end, while moving a little closer to Suzumiya-san at the same time. Slowly but surely I let my hand touch her smaller, more delicate one, and in a short amount of time, both our hands were interlocked in each others.

Haruhi gave no initial reaction to this, but she didn't pull away, so I assumed it was okay with her. I still can't get over how perfect she can look sometimes. Even when she's angry, or sad, or discontent, her features have never ceased to remain stunning to me,

We were still silent even when we had exited out of the entrance of North High, and I guessed I would be walking with Haruhi until we reached her house. I didn't care who might see us holding hands like this, as the fact that we were together now was clearly known in the entire school.

In fact, I was beginning to think that some people might even be jealous of the fact that I was the one going out with Haruhi, even after many of these same people had labeled her as a freak and a weirdo. You know, I should be reveling in the envy that other people might have towards me, because they aren't the one holding hands and walking with this eccentric girl…

As we walked, the silence was already beginning to get to me. I couldn't keep this up for much longer.

"So is there a reason you started playing Day of Sagittarius again?" I asked the silent Haruhi, who looked up at me with those large amber eyes of hers. Gah, those eyes of hers could certainly be deadly in persuading people, even when she's not using them to glare into your soul.

"Well, of course! If I can get good enough at that game, then it won't be long till we can challenge the Computer Research Society to it again." Haruhi responded, and I was beginning to feel relieved at the fact that she was now sounding energetic and upbeat as usual. I guess the silence she has around me when we're alone is only a momentary thing then.

"Why would you want to challenge them again?"

"You're so ignorant sometimes, Kyon! There's always something to be gained from other people. And if we get good enough to beat the Computer Research Society at their game again, then we can force them to give up those cards you were talking about. They already are subject to my whims for losing to us the first time, but I figured that I'd give them some mercy and let them stand a fighting chance."

Mercy? You think you're being merciful by giving those computer geeks a chance to lose? Because if I'm not mistaken, losing seems to be the only option for them, because the consequences of Haruhi losing are not the kind that any of us would like to face.

Suzumiya-san obviously had these plans in her head this entire time. No wonder she'd been so silent. The silence meant she was cooking up another plot. I can't say that I'm really surprised with how manipulative and controlling she can be sometimes. Especially considering all the times when she's like this towards me.

"So we're just going to crush them and take some of their precious graphic cards, just so you can play the game that you also took from them?" I asked, to make sure I was hearing the right words that had come out of Suzumiya-san's mouth.

"You got that right! That's exactly what we're going to do."

I made an internal sigh, not astounded by the fact that Haruhi found her plan to be completely within normal moral boundaries. To her, blackmailing and extortion was fine when she wasn't the one at the receiving end.

We were still walking at this point, because even thought Haruhi's house wasn't as far from school as mine was, it was still a long walk to and from North High. Nevertheless, I was enjoying talking to Suzumiya-san on this walk, however, even though all she had talked about thus far was the suffering she planned on causing the Computer Research Society.

It constantly dawned upon me how much trouble we caused them. If anyone beside me had taken the brunt of Haruhi's bossiness and manipulation, it was definitely the President of the Computer Research Society. I wouldn't be surprised if he hates Suzumiya-san with a burning passion by now, considering she's forcefully taken probably some hundred thousand yen worth of computer equipment from him and his club members.

"Hey Haruhi, I have a question I wanted to ask you." I said out of the blue, suddenly having the feeling to toy around with Haruhi's usual interest with the strange and the bizarre. I rarely did this, but as her boyfriend, I figured I might as well amuse her once in awhile.

"What is it?" Suzumiya-san asked me, giddiness apparent in her voice at the sound of my question. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that it's as if she knew that my question was going to involve something outlandish. I am truly amazed at her intuition sometimes.

"Out of curiosity, what might you do if you had the power of a god?"

Now that was truly the million dollar question right there. I had always wanted to ask Suzumiya-san that question, even though I was asking it to her right now in a clearly hypothetical sense. At least, I hope she would take it that way. If I was giving Suzumiya-san any bright ideas that might lead to her becoming aware of her own power, then I wasn't heading down a good road at all by asking her this specific question.

"That's an easy question! A really easy question!" Haruhi replied, and the expression on her face was telling me she was extremely confident in her judgment and in whatever response she had thought of. I raised an eyebrow, not wanting to pass up this chance in doubting her just a little bit.

"Oh really? So tell me then, Brigade Chief. If you were God, what would you do?"

When I said this, I didn't doubt for a second on what kind of answer Haruhi was going to give me. I was already playing the possibilities in my thoughts at the same time she started talking with the speed and tenacity of a sports announcer.

"There's a lot I would do, but there are things that I would have to take care of first and foremost! The first thing I would do would involve making the SOS Brigade a mandatory club for everyone in the entire world. It won't matter if you believe in aliens or not. You join the club, and you like it! After that, I would build up the Brigade into a big enough organization so that it can make laws and stuff. I'd search for all the espers, time travelers and aliens that I can find in every corner of this planet, and they'd all automatically be inducted as official members of the Brigade. All the normal humans will just end up being lowly Brigade members, and they'll all have to listen to my commands. I think the world would be a better place if I was in charge." Suzumiya-san completely explained to me as we walked. Her tone confident and completely sure that what she was saying was more than credible.

I'd say Haruhi ruling the world as "Ultra Brigade Chief" would be debatable as a good thing. While Suzumiya-san might be able to do some good, like intimidate other countries enough with her power to end all future wars and conflicts, I predicted that Suzumiya-san in power would really only mean one thing.

Everyone else would be listening to her, and those who defied her would end up suffering a terrible and agonizing death.

What am I saying? Even Haruhi isn't that cruel. Perhaps she would just publicly embarrass you if you were unlucky enough to defy her godly rule…

"And where would I end up in all this insanity?" I said to Haruhi, smiling a little and stopping as she did. We both were standing just some feet away from her house now.

Haruhi looked at me with an expression that made it seem like I had asked a ridiculous question. A devilish smile emerged on her face, and her eyes gleamed with the usual determination and optimism that I knew and loved.

"Well, you would be lucky enough to become one of the more privileged Brigade members. It's not often that I meet such a normal human like you, Kyon."

That response did nothing less of making my heart skip a beat. If there was anything that I had been waiting for Suzumiya-san to say to me, it was something like this. The fact that she was actually referring me as an honorary Brigade member was warming me up with positive energy from head to toe.

I'll admit that I was unprepared when Suzumiya-san leaned in to give me a kiss. The taste of her lips was the same as always, but it still was still a heavenly sensation. This kiss lasted for a few seconds, until she broke away, seemingly satisfied.

"Those are rewards. If you please your Brigade Chief with hard work and diligence, you get more of them. I would think you'd prefer them over penalties. Now don't go being late tomorrow, Kyon." Haruhi told me after giving me her "reward".

"I'll try not to." I said with a smile, and Suzumiya-san put on a playful pouting expression, obviously not happy with my sense of humor.

"I'm serious! Don't be late. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Suzumiya-san's voice was actually not too bad on the ears when she decided to make it nice enough. I watched her run like an excited little girl to the front door of her house, and she waved at me one last time before walking inside. I couldn't help but be curious about the inside of her home. What might her parents be like? Something tells me they're just as eccentric as their daughter…

I stood at the street corner for just a bit longer, until I stopped thinking about assorted things, and finally decided it was time to head home.

When I got up to my room, I found myself reveling in the fact that I was able to avoid my little sister upon arriving home. I had gobbled down some dinner, washed up, lazily changed into my sleeping clothes, and ran up to the sanctity of my room before my little sister could seek me out like the homing pigeon she was.

I fell back on my comfy bed. Looking up at the ceiling and just thinking seemed to be what was ahead of me now. I had no schoolwork to do, mostly because I can find time to do it during an uneventful break, or when Suzumiya-san isn't present in the clubroom for an extended period of time.

I remember one time when she had caught me doing my school work in the middle of the club room, and Haruhi had just casually taken my paper from me and thrown it out the nearby window. This had been a long time ago, in the days when I had only just met Suzumiya-san. I remembered being pretty steamed about that.

But there were a lot of good memories involving Suzumiya-san as well. Too many of them for me to count, actually. But still, they were there. They were still there, sitting in the back of my mind….

Something was talking in my ear. I was content with sleeping at the moment, so I just ignored it. Whoever was talking wasn't very audible anyway.

"Awaken."

Whatever it was that was talking to me, it had said a discernable word. The voice that spoke sounded familiar. It was devoid of emotion or flavor, even though it had enough volume to catch my attention the second time it spoke.

"I am attempting to awaken you. Please awaken yourself from your sleeping state."

I was beginning to realize who might be addressing me. Who else did I know who spoke in such a way? I feebly began to open my eyes, rolling over in my covers as I turned to the side of my bed. I was looking up now at none other than Yuki Nagato, who was standing only a foot away from my bed, staring down at me.

"Nagato-san? What are you doing here…." I said in a sleepy voice. Man, I had really just fallen asleep too easily before. One minute I was thinking about Haruhi, and the next, I was out.

"You need to come with me. There is much to elaborate on." Yuki told me in her usual monotone voice, not making even the slightest movement or sign of body language as she spoke.

I reluctantly obliged to her commands, rubbing the back of my head as I sat up in my bed. Yuki didn't seem to react much to this, and I was beginning to have half a mind to ask her what she was doing here at this time. There was no doubt that it was probably past midnight by now.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, my eyes still feeling sleepy.

"It will be fully explained soon. I hope this does not give you discomfort."

After Nagato-san said this to me, I looked up to see that she had a single finger pointed directly at my forehead. Before I could say anything, or do anything, she touched me there, and I felt everything suddenly become a blinding white.

This blinding effect had only lasted a second or two however, and I soon found myself in an awkward sitting position, and something that felt like hard asphalt was making up ground underneath me.

I stood up, still groggy from having just been awoken. Opening my eyes fully, I was greeted by an unexpected sight.

I was now standing in what looked like a very long street that kept going on into the distance, and the sky around me was not too normal looking at all. Instead of the color that usually signified it was nighttime, there were instead coruscating colors and lights that had replaced what might have been the sky and any clouds. It was as if the sky had become a giant kaleidoscope of some sort, but I was surprised to notice that the rapidly changing colors weren't hurting my eyes.

"This is a junk data space. It is where any unsuitable or corrupt data is sent to if Suzumiya-san deems it to be so. She has no control over why she does this, nor is she aware of it. Even still, it continues to be done."

The voice who had said those very words belonged to the same person who had sent me here in the first place. Nagato-san was standing next to me now, a blank expression on her face. I was still a little confused, wondering why Yuki had decided that she needed to bring me here. Actually, I should know not to ask such things by now. Chances are this involves Suzumiya-san in some way, shape or form.

"A what?"

I had barely heard most of what Nagato-san had said, probably because I was still feeling too tired to actually listen.

"What did you say, Nagato-san?" I asked, this time with more energy as I found myself viewing my surroundings. The changing sky was already beginning to remind me of the time when I had been trapped in a data space by Asakura-san. She had tried to kill me when I was trapped in there, and I would be dead if the alien standing next to me hadn't interfered.

Even after a few seconds, the light-haired alien did not answer my question. She was completely silent and unmoving now, as if she was focusing on something in front of her that I could not see. It was like I had a statue standing next to me.

What is going on here? What's the point of just teleporting me with her to this place?

"Nagato-san?" I said to the alien, waving my hand in front of her face to make sure she was cognoscente. She did not blink, but she spoke in her autonomous voice again.

"I am analyzing the new data that is being transferred to this space. It all remains to be junk data, except for a specific data presence. New data that I cannot recognize has formed in this space. It is in close proximity."

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly becoming interested in the notion that there was some presence here that the alien next to me was not originally aware of. I always thought Nagato-san was always thinking ahead and calculating every possibility and outcome. Out of three extra-ordinary people I knew, she seemed the most knowledgeable. Koizumi just had some obscure theory to explain half the time…

"There are unknown errors. I cannot pinpoint its location. It is present in this space, and it is of a foreign origin. The specific data is unique. You may need to take some sort of precaution."

At the sound of that, I could do little but worry. If there was anything that could have scared me more in this situation, it was when something was beyond Nagato-san's alien knowledge.

Standing beside the light-haired human interface in the middle of this barren asphalt road, I could only hope that whatever was in this place with us was hopefully friendly.

But as with all things, the fact that I had hoped for such a thing will undoubtedly mean that I will only get an opposite outcome. I've always hated my accursed bad luck.