New chapter! It's kind of short, but it's an important one. Almost at the end...I hope everyone enjoys this one and has a happy holiday!


Ugh, where am I? When am I?

I opened my eyes. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, and when I checked my phone it told me it was a little after 7 PM of the same day I left. Good, only a few hours have passed. Seems I'm back on that bench where Asahina-san (Big) left me during the events of Tanabata. Wonder if there's some special significance about this place.

Speaking of Asahina-san, where is my version of the pint-sized senpai? She usually waits with me after time-traveling until I wake up. Not going to lie, I was kind of hoping to wake up on her warm, soft lap. But whatever, she must have had a good reason.

Guess I should head on home.


"I'm home!" I said as I walked in and took of my shoes.

My little sister came running over, squeezing Shamisen in her arms. He did not look pleased.

"Kyo~n's home, Kyo~n's home," she sang, while spinning Shamisen around. He looked even less pleased, and wriggled furiously until she put him down. He started grooming his mussed fur, then looked at my sister and me with disdain and walked away in a huff.

"Why are you so late?" she asked me. "Were you with Haru-chan?"

"I was studying with Taniguchi and Kunikida," I lied. "We have a big English test coming up soon. I lost track of time."

"You should have come here to study! Then you could have played with me and Shami!" she exclaimed.

Yeah, right. Even if I actually had been studying, there's no way in hell I would have come here to have you distract us the whole time.

"Kyon's mean!" she pouted, then ran off to find the poor cat.

She'll get over it.


After dinner, I took a long bath, then retired to my room to read some manga. I ignored my homework. I knew that my preoccupied brain would never be able to focus on math formulas and historical dates anyway.

I flopped down onto my bed and started to think.

Should I really tell Haruhi that her whole high school experience has basically been a lie?

I remember future Haruhi's pleading eyes. She seemed genuinely upset about missing out on an extra year of supernatural hanging out. And I did make her a promise. If I'm not a man of my word, then I don't really have much more going for me, do I?

And on that note, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of Haruhi and I…together. It's not like I've never thought of her in that way before. She's beautiful, smart, athletic, and completely insane. And especially after that time we kissed in her Closed Space (I'm still not entirely sure that even happened, but still), it's impossible not to imagine certain things.

But what's even more surprising to me is that she is the one that confessed to me after finding out about Koizumi, Asahina-san, and Nagato. She learnt that aliens, espers, and time travelers really exist in the world, and that I am none of those things, and she still wanted to be with me? I know better than anyone how totally normal I am. The most unique thing about me is that I am friends with all of those other weirdos. I don't have any special powers or unique talents and my family isn't super powerful and mysterious. I recall freshman year, when Haruhi dated every guy who asked her out in hopes of finding one who was literally out-of-this-world.

How could Haruhi, the self-proclaimed queen of everything strange and unexplained, settle to be with someone so…ordinary?

Then again, it's futile to try and figure out the way her complicated brain works. I've learned that multiple times.

So back to the original question. Am I going to wake up tomorrow and reveal everything to her? Will I break my promise?

I don't know.

I've experiences such sensory overload today that I don't think I'm thinking clearly. I don't trust myself to make big decisions right now; it's dangerous for everyone involved.

I'll sleep on it. Maybe I'll have some illuminating dream telling me what to do. Maybe I'll wake up feeling refreshed with a clear mind and suddenly know what decision to make.

In any case, I'm dead tired. Time travel takes a lot out of a person. And tomorrow is not looking like it's going to be any easier.


Something isn't right.

It's almost pitch black in my room. The only light is coming from the digital clock on my desk that reads 3:17 AM. What is this odd feeling? It's like the air feels heavier and tighter. I'm not claustrophobic, but I bet this is what it feels like.

Hey, wait! I can't move! I tried to turn over and found I was paralyzed in the position I'm in, lying on my back. What's going on? Has Asakura returned to kill me? Is the world changing again?

Just as my mind started switching over into panic mode, I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. A figure was emerging from the darkness. I was fully expecting to see the glint of a knife in Asakura's hand, so imagine my shock when I saw the figure was none other than the SOS Brigade's own resident esper, Koizumi Itsuki.

He had a look on his face somewhere between neutrality and frowning. As my eyes got more accustomed to the darkness I saw that someone else was standing right behind him. A small, feminine-shaped someone else. There's only one person I know with that figure. Asahina-san, you too?

I tried in vain to say something, but my mouth wouldn't move. Now I know how those people who are actually cognizant but everyone thinks they're in a coma feel like. Seeing everything happening, and not being able to do anything about it. Assuming everything's going to be okay after this, I'm going to visit the hospital and stop in and chat a bit with every comatose patient.

"Hello there, Kyon," Koizumi said, in his normal polite manner of speaking. Asahina-san stood off to the side, looking sad and nervous. I glanced over at the clock and noticed it still hadn't changed from 3:17 AM.

"I'm sorry we have to do this to you like this. But we have no choice."

Time's not progressing, and I can't move. So she's got to be behind this.

I looked up as far as my eyes would go, and sure enough there she was, standing at the head of my bed, with her hands extended like she was warming them over a fire. Nagato Yuki.

"We've sealed off your room from the rest of the world temporarily. We just wanted to take every precaution," Koizumi continued.

I'm still groggy from waking up. What is this all about?

"I'm sorry, Kyon-kun," Asahina-san whimpered. "But, you know too much. Letting you go on like this would invariably cause classified information, and the consequences of that would be classified information. It's my fault for being so clumsy with the TPDD in the first place, and I'm being appropriately disciplined as well."

Oh, I think I get it.

"Yes, there would be serious problems in the future for us," Koizumi said. Of course he would make it all about himself.

I tried to transmit as much disdain through my eyes as possible, but I don't know if it came across in the dark.

"So, with that," he said.

I looked up at Nagato. Her face was as expressionless as ever.

I did my best to project my thoughts to her. I wouldn't be surprised if she could read minds, although she has never shown any outward evidence of it before. Please Nagato, I don't want to forget. I don't want to go through high school without worrying that some supernatural entity is going to kill me and all my friends. I want to know everything will work out- I'll get into college, the world won't end, I won't get fat.

I don't want to be the only one who doesn't know what's going on, and what's going to happen. Now I understand how future Haruhi felt. Spending all this time with people who know more than you, but in her case not even realizing it. Being out of the loop, in the dark. I didn't mind it before, but know that I know I don't want it to go away again.

I don't want to go back to being boring old normal Kyon.

If Nagato could hear me, she didn't show it. Her hands started faintly glowing, and a slight pressure began building up in my head.

I started fading out. Suddenly, I heard Nagato's quiet voice, but I could tell she wasn't speaking out loud. It was in my head. It sounded kind of distant, but I could just make out what she was saying.

"Unavoidable circumstances."

Then, nothing.


Cliffhanger! Next chapter is the last one! I'd love any feedback you can give.