Entry 9

December 16th 2004

...Haruka Tsuruya was absolutely right. I have been sleeping far more often than usual lately. I suppose jet lag may have something to do with it, but it would seems unusual for my kind, who need not bother with many problems experienced by ordinary humans, and are unaffected by distortions in spacetime, to be vulnerable to something as mundane as a change in time zone.

After getting out of bed, I spend the majority of the afternoon reading, and this goes uninterrupted until I receive a phone call from Haruhi.

"I'M SO FREAKIN' BORED," she greets. "Kyon went to visit his grandparents. Yeah, now of all times! I guess three days in Canada just wasn't enough for him. So, you doing anything that'd keep you from coming to the clubroom?"

"Not much," I say. "But now that you have brought this matter to my attention, I find it to be suspicious, and would like to investigate."

"I know that feeling," she says. "Good luck."

I hang up the phone before calling his grandparents' residence, but instead of Kiyoshi, I am greeted by his younger sister, Kokoro Kujo.

"Hey Nagatochi! You wanna talk to Kyon?"

"If he is not busy," I say. "But you may be able to answer the questions I have."

"Go ahead!" her smile can be heard from many miles away. "When I'm staying here, my detective skills really shine!"

I am not sure what to make of this statement, so I dismiss it. "Is there a reason you are visiting on so suddenly?"

"Well…" She lowers her voice. "...Kyon doesn't anyone to know this, but it was his idea. So far, he's been spending a lot of time with Grandpa, so I think… Say, where's he been these last few days?"

"Canada," I say.

Her shock keeps her responding for nearly a minute. "...And he didn't bring me! What kind of a brother is he?"

Silence.

"Anyway… I think he saw something in Canada that lead him to ponder human mortality and the inevitability of death. He realized that he might lose somebody close to him without warning, and so he decided to spend some quality time with his grandparents before it's too late." She clears her throat. "You think I'm right?"

Being taken aback by her sudden change of vocabulary, I also take a while to respond.

"...Quite possibly."

She chuckles modestly, and our conversation ends shortly afterwards. As promised, I leave to join Haruhi at the SOS Brigade Clubroom.


When I arrive at school, I have the misfortune of walking past the clubroom for the Supernatural Phenomena Research Society, where Akira Hirano is waiting outside and struggling to look innocent.

"Is there something you wish to say to me?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "What about you?"

"Now that you mention it," I say. "There is something I would like to address. You stated that if I did not interfere with your business, you would leave me alone. In spite of this, you sent Aya Belgard to follow me when I went to Canada."

"Well…" He scratches his head. "That was mostly her idea, to be honest. She had a feeling you'd learn the truth about your identity there, and felt the need to kick you while you were down. I'll be honest with you… I don't really like her much more than you do. She's very rude."

Although I must agree, and in spite of everything that transpired in Canada, I would still rather be stuck in a room with her than with him. I cannot properly explain it, but I may be able to after some consideration.

I hastily make my way to the SOS Brigade Clubroom, where every member is present save for Kiyoshi. This leads me to two possible conclusions: Either everybody was bored, or Haruhi was very bored. I find the latter to be more likely.

"So Yuki," Haruhi says. "You find anything out about Kyon?"

"I was only able to speak with his sister," I say. "She has her suspicions, but no concrete evidence to back them up."

She stares at me, expecting me to elaborate further. Upon realizing that I will not do so, she sighs and returns her attention to the computer. Eventually, she realizes that having the rest of here is not making her day any more interesting, and as such she decides to leave.

"This seems like the perfect moment for something exciting to happen," Itsuki Koizumi says.

Twenty minutes later, Yasumi Watahashi arrives, much to Mikuru Asahina's delight.

"Hey there everyone!" She pauses while Mikuru hugs her. "I just came here to share some EXCLUSIVE CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION regarding Kyon's sudden disappearance!"

"I think I already understand," Itsuki Koizumi says. "Whenever you're here, it usually means that an incident that puts the brigade at risk is just around the corner."

"Well," she frowns, "when you put it what way, I sound like a scary harbinger of doom. I always preferred Kyon's 'I'm a leprechaun' theory myself. But yeah, you're right. Considering how this has only happened twice before, I'm actually impressed that you figured it out.

"Anyway, earlier today I told him the brigade was in trouble, and he decided the best course of action was to go visit his grandparents. I don't really understand myself, but he says he knows what he's doing, and I trust him. We all trust him."

The rest of us nod.

"So yeah," she says, "you should all prepare for what's coming. Yuki, you remember this?" She produces an antenna-like pointer with a star, most likely used to decorate a Christmas tree, placed on top.

"I remember it," I say. "It is a prop we used in our film last year."

"Yep!" She smiles brightly. "I was thinking, you totally need a new one. One that works. I'm sure you can manage it!"

It is at times like this where it is easy to recognize the connection between her and Haruhi.

"But you'd better be quick," she says. "I don't know how long we have until this incident happens. I can't really foresee it perfectly. There's someone involved who I can't really predict, or even identify. So be careful, okay?"

I stand to leave. "I shall begin preparation immediately."

As I depart, she reminds me once again to take care, and considering who will most likely be responsible for this incident, I follow her advice to the letter.


Because Yasumi Watahashi suggested that I create a new version of the Star Ring inferno, I have decided to purchase the resources necessary for what I like to call 'Star Ring Inferno Mk. II', or alternatively, 'Frostfang'. As the name suggests, it freezes its targets, and as much as I hate to spoil the magic, it occurs to me that some of the people reading this may want a more detailed explanation.

The 'wand' is little more than a hollow plastic rod (although its complex design may lead one to believe otherwise) that stores liquid nitrogen and sprays it at my command. It is very simple, but its design prevents anybody besides myself from using it.

When I have finished designing it, I am surprised to find that midnight passed over an hour ago, and as such I quickly make my way to bed, feeling for the most part satisfied with what has happened during the day.