"Without bad things, we couldn't have good things," as the old expression goes. And for an old expression, it's surprisingly accurate, even in these modern times. For example, Fridays are special and something to look forward to simply because they're the end of the week-or, in other words, because they're not Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Without the terrible monotony and abject boredom of the rest of the week, the relief of a Friday wouldn't even exist. So as reluctant as I am to agree with old-fashioned aphorisms, this one strikes me as undeniably accurate.
Relating to this sentiment would be another maxim: "All good things must come to an end." Weekends always have to end with a Monday, after all. No good thing can last forever, because there must always be space for the bad things: without them, there could be no good things either. Without the rest of the week, the weekend wouldn't feel like a relief at all.
So therefore, could you say that anything that's permanent can never be a good thing?
.
Something was wrong.
That's what my gut was telling me.
Although dull, it was a perfectly normal summer day, at the height of summer after the Obon festival.
"And the second batter steps up to the plate for the…"
The baseball game on TV, between two schools from the same prefecture, had nothing to do with me. But perhaps some misguided sense of pity made me want to root for the losing team...
"The first pitch is a strike…"
...Which was when I had a strange feeling that somebody was about to make trouble.
Brrr! Brrr!
Somehow, I knew that it was my phone buzzing, even though I rarely hear the ringtone (for obvious reasons.) Sighing reluctantly, I picked it up off of the table in front of me and gazed at it. The caller ID read: Yuigahama Y. I grimaced-she wasn't as bad as Hiratsuka-sensei, but I felt like ignoring her would be a decision that I might regret. What could she want, anyway?
"Onii-chan, your phone," Komachi called from the couch next to me. [1]
"Don't need you to tell me that," I sighed, flipping the phone open and putting it up to my ear.
"Hello, Hikigaya-kun." It was the ice queen, Yukinoshita, as I expected. "You're free today, right? I have been instructed to tell you that we're all meeting in front of the station at two. And that you'd better come." Beep!
I didn't say a word…
Brrr!
"What now?"
"Yuigahama forgot to mention what you need to bring. Wear your swimsuit, and bring plenty of money. And apparently, you should come on your bicycle. With Komachi." Beep!
...I'd rather not, please.
Don't disturb my glorious afternoon peace.
But somehow… Somehow, I had a feeling that I knew exactly what Yukinoshita was going to say. No, that's not entirely right. I should say that, for some reason, I had a feeling that this had all happened before.
Perhaps, this is what they call déjà vu?
*Clank!* "And it's going...going…it's outta here! A solo home run!"
…Summer's almost over, huh?
.
"...Day by day, I'm getting more fed up with life…" [2]
.
I pedaled into town with Komachi, wheels clicking and whirring in the afternoon heat in accompaniment with the cicadas. Pulling up to the station, I immediately spotted the three culprits that evicted me from my home on this perfectly good lazy day.
"Yahallo, Hikki! Yahallo, Komachi!"
"You're late, Hikigaya-kun."
And Sensei just punched my arm.
Komachi, of course, yahalloed (is that a word? It sounds wrong…) back in response to Yuigahama, as well as Yukinoshita, before respectfully bowing and introducing herself to sensei.
"Hello! I'm Hikigaya Komachi, this oaf's little sister! It's nice to meet you, and thanks for always putting up with my Gomii-chan!" Hey, Komachi, don't sell me out here! I need some emotional support against the tyranny of this teacher, and calling me an oaf gomii-chan isn't helping…
"Ooh, Hikigaya, your little sister's so nice! And what an accurate evaluation of his personality… Mind if I call you Komachi?"
"Not at all, sensei!"
It appears that they've sensed a kindred spirit...if you can call a desire to interfere needlessly in my life a character trait. Actually...
"Why am I here anyway…?" I asked more to myself than anyone else.
"You're here because I told you to be here."
"Actually, Yukinoshita told me that, Sensei. Not you."
"Yes, but I requested that she tell you. Now let's go!"
"Go where? Home? I approv-owwwww…."
"No, the public pool, obviously."
"I suppose I should've guessed from the preparations…" I muttered.
"You need to show some more effort, Hikigaya! You have to do summer-like activities in the summer! Time never comes back once it's gone!...a fact I know all too well…" Hiratsuka-sensei suddenly slumped down with a depressed look on her face as she added that. "But that doesn't mean I can't have some fun here and now! Let's goooo!"
"How are we gonna get there, anyway? Did you all bring bikes or something?"
"I brought one!" Sensei exclaimed, pointing. I raised an eyebrow. Did she seriously intend to take both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama with her? Her bicycle looks kind of old...and small...
"Hiratsuka-sensei…" an icy voice interjected. "You neglected to inform us that we would need to bring a mode of transportation."
"Um… Teehee!" No, sensei, that's a Hikigaya family-only trademark gesture, you're not allowed to use it. "Well, it's not like we can't fit a couple people on a bike." Um, again, how do you all intend to fit on that little thing?
"Komachi will ride with sensei! After all, Komachi can fit on sensei's bike. Probably. It does look kind of small."
"Oh, yeah, this old thing? You might be right, I dunno how we could get more than 2 people on it." Uh oh, I don't like where this is going, don't do this to me sensei… After all, it's already way too much work to bicycle on a weekend, much less hauling another person, much less hauling another two people! This is a violation of my codes of "avoid extra work at all costs," and I won't stand for it!
…
Hah… Hah… Hah…
"Oi, onii-chan! Put your bike away already! Why're you so worn out before you've even started having fun?"Whose fault do you think that is, huh? Making me try to bike here with both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama on the back… I refuse to think about it. Put it out of your mind, Hachiman! You've trained for this! Don't even look at those two, control your facial complexion, and don't even try to remember the vague softness on your back! ...Let's go inside, shall we?
The public pool we had arrived at was obviously a popular destination this late in the season. With the cicadas humming, the sun glaring, and the trees standing still in the windless afternoon, one could omnipresently feel the late summer heat baking into the back of Chiba. It's no wonder the fair citizens of the prefecture had decided to flock to the pool in hopes of some summer-themed cooling off. But really...this crowd was pretty large… Instead of a public pool, they should call it a communal pool…
Apparently, Komachi had no such qualms, as she hurtled down the walkway towards the pool, Yuigahama right behind her, with Yukinoshita in tow. Not even pausing at the edge, Komachi and Yuigahama jumped straight in, pulling the hapless Yukinoshita in behind them. Jeez...can't they read the "No Diving" signs everywhere?
"The smell of chlorine really brings out the atmosphere!"
"Yuigahama-san, I don't recall asking you to forcibly drag me into the pool…"
"Ehehe, sorry…Now take this!" Splash!
"Come on in, Onii-chan! The water's all warm and comfortable!" Indeed, something like pool water temperature is frequently a concern when one visits such an establishment. If it's too early in the season, or if it rained recently, the water is liable to be too cold for extended swimming. As a solitary loner and future house-husband, I am therefore also an energy conservationist. And swimming in pool water that's too cold would sap my body heat! I refuse to use a single calorie more than is necessary to maintain my body temperature! But wait, wasn't I just forced to waste a great deal of energy on that pleasa-err, hopelessly tiring bike ride a minute ago? Curse those who force me to abandon my ideals! May the gods of RomCom condemn you to eternal bad luck! Well, if it's sensei we're talking about, I guess they already have…
"They look to be enjoying themselves." Oh, speak of the devil. And I do mean that literally, this one likes to dole out the punishment like we're in the 9th circle of hell. "Quite a pleasant sight. And it feels peaceful as well."
"...mm."
"Think you guys are learning to have fun in a normal fashion?"
"I wouldn't consider calling me with no warning and hanging up the second instructions were given to be a normal way to invite someone."
"Ha. Like you could do any better."
"Fair enough. Although rather than issuing orders like some kind of deity, I probably just wouldn't say anything."
"Well, if you ask me, that isn't really a big deal at all. And there probably won't be any earth-shaking events when those two have such cheerful smiles on their faces."
"Sigh...sure hope you're right."
Sensei paused for a moment, contemplative, but then her expression darkened.
"What's wrong?"
"...Nothing. Probably just my imagination. I must have become a little oversensitive to people after all that cynical prattle about society you've given me since spring."
"Hmph."
.
Later that afternoon, I had left the water and was relaxing in the shade with my hands behind my head. But as I was watching the other four play in the pool with a big inflatable beach ball, I felt a strange sensation. Like I'd seen this scene somewhere before. With me feeling somewhat bored, and…
"Hikigaya-kun."
Yeah. And then Yukinoshita says the following to those two little kids:
This decomposing mass-
"-is one of my club 'll do whatever I say, as I am in charge of him-"
-so feel free to ask him for anything.
"Let's go play, Yukinon! We're gonna do underwater soccer! You too, Hikki!"
"Yeah, yeah. Coming."
Well, déjà vu is a fairly common phenomena. And seriously, Yukinoshita? Indoctrinating the next generation with more Hachi-hate? I'm at the point where you could just call me Hateman. Well, as I've said before: being noticed is a wonderful feeling.
.
"It seems Hiratsuka-sensei came up with a list of activities for us to do." After our trip to the pool, Sensei had bid us farewell and we had walked to a nearby cafe. "She said it was a request of some kind. I believe her words were 'enjoy the youth I never got to have,' or something. What do you think?" Oh, sensei, I'm not sure whether to pity you or be irritated that you had the nerve to force me to do something this summer. No, but really, be careful. They call it summer vacation after all, if you don't rest at home, you might be treading a dangerous line of legality.[3] But a sheet this long… And we're supposed to clear this in less than two weeks?
"Incidentally, is there anything that anyone else wants to do?" Um, can I put "Do nothing" on that list, Yukinoshita-sama?
"Well...I'd like to scoop goldfish." No, Yuigahama! Don't make more work for us!
"Okay, goldfish scooping it is." How could you, Yukinoshita? Whyyyyy….. "For maximum efficiency, we start tomorrow. Is there a Bon Dance going on anywhere nearby?"
"Fireworks could also work."
...say, wait a second. Why are you still here, Komachi?
"Onii-chan, I see that question in your eyes. But Komachi wants to have fun, too!" Then she lowered her voice and cupped her hand as she spoke in a low voice into my ear. "And besides, can you handle 2 weeks of events with both of these two? As much as Komachi wants onii-chan to succeed, Komachi can't help but feel that if I leave you alone, you'll totally screw this up…" Urgh. While I completely condemn any interfering that Komachi does trying to put me in useless romcom situations, it's true that it'd be handy to have another person around to relieve social tensions. Which Komachi is incomprehensibly good at. How does she do it even though she's related to me…?
"We wouldn't mind taking Komachi-chan along! Right, Hikki?"
"Yeah, I guess it's fine."
"...anything for your little sister, eh, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Hey, Yuigahama was okay with it. Hence, inviting her along should be totally normal and not at all to do with if I'm a siscon or not. Which I am not."
"Sure, sure. Anyway, I'll look into the Bon Festival. Dismissed until tomorrow."
...looks like I'm paying, huh? Even though Yukinoshita could've totally footed the bill.
.
The next morning, I was woken from my idle slumber by another call from Yukinoshita. She'd found a place holding a Bon Dance. It'd be this evening at the public grounds, apparently. Or at least, that's what I tried to tell Komachi…
"Let's all go buy yukatas!"
And so, she arbitrarily decided to go and shop for a yukata with Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. Of course, bring a suspicious-looking lone male, I was forced to wait on a bench outside the store for over an hour. At least I had my Vita-chan to keep me company!
I was interrupted in the middle of my game-playing by a buzz from the phone in my pocket. I fruitlessly attempted to argue with Konachi over email that I did not, in fact, need to come into the store and see their yukatas, as I would get to see them tonight anyway. But she got fed up with my antics and walked out of the store, yukata and all, and dragged me inside by the collar. Leaving the store with merchandise-I'm pretty sure that's illegal, you knooow?
"...if I had any respect at all for social norms, I'd probably say something along the lines of 'you all look marvelous.' But I'm not Hayama. And thank goodness for that, too…" I muttered.
"Onii-chan, you hinedere." Komachi complained.
.
Later that evening, we all went to the first event on our schedule, as we had planned. But a Bon Dance, huh? I'm surprised by all the people here. And really, I can't say that I have good memories of these things… Huh? I don't think I've been to one in years, but for some reason, it feels like I've been to one recently. That stage… That stand…
"Look, Yui-senpai! There's the goldfish scooping you wanted to do! Scoop all you want!"
"Yeah! Let's go!" Right… You two just run off like that, sure, leave me here with the ice queen...
"Er, anyway. Wanna grab something to eat?" I attempted lamely to Yukinoshita. But she was already staring at something, and simply shook her head as she brushed me off and walked over to a brightly lit booth.
...of course, it was a Pan-san mask. I pulled out my wallet, but she stopped me, saying, "No need." Well, I guess she's plenty rich, so it's not like she can't pay it. But it was only 800 yen; I wouldn't have minded buying that for her.
.
"Let's do fireworks next! Fireworks! Get it out of the way today!" Yuigahama, have you ever heard of the phrase, "everything in moderation?"
It was summer. Summer vacation. So I wanted to let loose and forget it all… But something was bothering me.
"We can do insect collecting tomorrow, then."
"Yukinoshita. There's nothing wrong with fulfilling this request, but what about summer homework?"
"What's wrong with you, Hikigaya-kun? That little bit only takes three days to finish." What!? Three days!? Who's the demon that assigned this!? "Get the painful stuff over with early, so you're free to do as you like. That's the correct way to enjoy summer vacation." Yeah, yeah. I bet she rewards herself with cat videos when she's done. As for me...well… I can probably churn it all out in one day! Don't underestimate the power of procrastination!
"So, as I said previously, we're collecting insects tomorrow. Hmm, to motivate this decomposing lump, whoever wins gets to be club president for the day." Um, no thanks, actually. That just served to demotivate me more.
"Yaay! Komachi loves bug-catching!"
"Will any insect be okay, Yukinon?"
"Well, Hikigaeru-kun[4] might have an unfair advantage if we include little flies… So it'll have to be big insects only. How about cicadas?" Wow, way to insult me while defining the rules. Also, how did she know my fourth-grade nickname…?
.
The following day was unbelievably sunny.
The competition was stiff (from what I could tell), with Yukinoshita's lack of stamina hindering her precision bug-nabbing skills, and Yuigahama and Komachi's sheer energy made me feel even more tired than the sun beating down on me did. Meanwhile, I just tried to stay in the shade and used stealth tactics to grab any cicadas that passed me. My advantage came in the form of my catching style. Who needs bug nets when you're basically an insect? Opposable thumbs are handy, ladies and gentlemen.
But in the end, as expected I suppose, Yukinoshita was the winner. I guess her pride wouldn't allow anything else.
"We must follow the spirit of catch and release," Yukinoshita declared. Yeah I bet that made you feel really noble and enigmatic, didn't it.
"Yeah! Cuz in the future, they might return the favor!" Er, Yuigahama, what could a cicada possibly do for you? I think there's a bigger problem if cicadas are catching and releasing humans…
.
The next day…
We were assembled for some unknown reason…
Stuffed into frog costumes for that same unknown reason…
And forced into a job handing out balloons at a supermarket.
What is this gross humiliation? At least there's a mask over my face, and I don't have to talk to people. But it's unbearably hot in this thing! Will it ever end…?
"Good work, everyone." Yukinoshita drifted into the worker's costume room, Popsicle in her mouth. Oi, oi, what's with this slave-like treatment? "The manager really appreciated it."
"I don't need any appreciation from the manager. What about our pay?"
"Sigh… Of course that's the first thing you think of."
"Well yeah, I just spend God knows how long sweating my face off in that awful frog costume, I'd like to know what I get for it."
"Hmm, I suppose I see your point. Incidentally, have you taken that frog costume off yet? Hikigaeru-kun?"
"...That is seriously the second time in three days. It's getting old."
"Well, suffice it to say that your payment went towards the club budget. After all, this request was undertaken as a club, so it's only fair."
"What? The club budget? What does that even pay for? Actually...I didn't even know we had a budget…"
"We do now."
Seriously!?
.
That night, my quiet slumber was interrupted by yet another phone call.
Is what I'd like to say.
"Kyon-kun…"
But really, it was just a dream.
"...can't go back…"
I realized after I woke up…
"...stuck in an infinite…"
That none of it had actually happened.
"...something was odd about the recent flow of…"
But somehow…
"...experiencing the same period of time…"
I just had a feeling…
"...endless summer…"
That the things I heard…
"...classified information…"
Just might be true.
A white paper airplane.
"There is a process, at midnight, on August 31st…"
Floating through the fluffy white clouds.
"Where everything is reset and returned to the 17th."
Against the vaulting blue sky.
"Eighty million, four hundred and ninety-eight thousand, five hundred and thirty two times."
.
For some reason, I woke up the next morning worrying about a certain class of IJN dreadnought battleship. At first, all I could remember was that it had eight 410mm guns[5]. And then I recalled the dream I had. Although I wanted to dismiss it as the ramblings of my tired brain, it seemed to inexplicably resonate as somehow being true. Perhaps, the frequent flashes of déjà vu were really remnants of memories that had been erased. Perhaps time really was resetting at the end of each August 31st. But what the hell could have caused it? You'd have to be some sort of god to control time like this. And why would you make a time loop for the last two weeks of summer vacation? It's almost as if this god had regrets or something. And as I've said before, just because something is forever doesn't necessarily mean that it's good.
.
That night, we went stargazing. The location was the roof of Yukinoshita's apartment building. I brought the telescope, a memento from my cringe-worthy chuunibyou-ridden middle school days.
"I wonder if any exist."
"What?"
"Martians."
No, Yuigahama, probably not.
"You can't see any on the surface, so they must be a really reserved race who lives in underground caverns. They're probably a friendly bunch."
Can't be sure about that. If they're anything like humans, that is.
"I bet they'll pop out and greet us when humans set foot on Mars for the first time. They'll be like, 'Welcome to Mars!'"
I have a feeling they'd probably mistake is for invaders.
"Man, just looking at Mars is boring. Let's look for UFOs! UFOs!"
.
The rush of summer events continued, and we were constantly on the move. I'm pretty sure that I went out to more places during the last two weeks of summer than I had been to in the entire preceding year. As busy as I was, I barely had any time to try and puzzle out what could possibly be happening with time looping. Naturally, I couldn't tell anyone else my suspicion, because I couldn't prove it. In fact, a lot of the time I spent just doubting myself. After all, I was basing this off of a vague notion that I got from a dream one night-for a monster of logic like me, I could barely convince myself. And of course, I still didn't have a clue what to do. But time waits for no one, and soon enough, it was August 30th.
We met back up in the same cafe as last time, and as we all sipped our drinks, Yukinoshita methodically checked everything off the list. Sigh...I'm paying again, aren't I?
"We've finished off our list." Well, that's good. I think it'd be a problem if we did all that and didn't even manage to complete the request.
"...was this enough?" Huh? What kind of a question was that? Don't tell me, you actually enjoyed yourself? Well, I suppose any semi-normal person might somehow enjoy the feeling of having "done something" with their summer. Actually, even I wasn't immune to the feeling, strangely enough.
But wait.
"Was this enough?"
That sounded strangely…
"...as if this god had regrets or something…"
...Familiar.
"But… I guess that's all there is."
...have to be some sort of god…
"Hey, is there anything else anyone wanted to do?"
"...smart, beautiful, high-stat in every way…"
"..."
"Oh well."
"...practically some kind of deity…"
"We managed to complete a lot of events this summer, so that should be sufficient to fulfill Sensei's request."
"...Sobu's resident Ice Queen…"
"That's all for today, then."
"What could she regret?"
"I had tomorrow set aside, just in case…"
"What does she still want to do?"
"But you can all just rest at home."
"What is there still to be done?"
"I'll see you two in the clubroom in two days, then."
There it is again! Déjà vu, stronger than anything before! I can't let Yukinoshita leave now. Somehow, I know. If I let her leave, we'll be forced to repeat these two weeks over again that we've already looped over 15 million times!
a white plane takes flight
But what am I supposed to do?
before a swath of white clouds
There must have been some kind of hint in what Yukinoshita said.
in the vaulting sky
But what was it?
What has she been saying?
Remember!
Something I've been worrying about
And trying to put off
If I don't do something here, Haruhi will leave.
If I don't do something here, Yukinoshita will leave.
That won't do it!
Nothing will change!
We'll be trapped in the endless circle of the status quo, forever and eternally "enjoying our youth!"
What did our
What didn't our predecessors do at this moment?
Make a wild guess!
.
Or not.
.
Pause.
Think about this.
With your head.
Logically.
.
What didn't Yukinoshita get to do this summer specifically because she was Yukinoshita?
Or rather, what could she have possibly missed out on?
Why doesn't she want summer to end?
What do I still need to do?
What does she still need to do?
(I need to do my homework…)
What do I need to tell Yukinoshita?
(She's already done her homework, right?)
What does she need to hear?
.
"Er…"
"?"
"I've… I've still got something I need to do."
Yukinoshita's footsteps paused, halfway out the automatic sliding door.
"Yeah. That's right… I've still got my summer homework to do."
Yukinoshita's front foot stepped back and turned around to face me.
"Really, I can't go to school until my summer homework's done. To think what sensei would do to me…" I shuddered.
Yukinoshita began to walk back over to the table.
"And Yuigahama. I bet your summer homework isn't even close to done. Or at the very least, not even close to correct."
"Hey, Hikki, that's mean! It's probably mostly correct…! Partially…! Somewhat…"
"And Komachi, don't you still have a book report to write? We can all give you a hand. Let's do a study session at my place tomorrow."
"Ara, Hikigaya-kun. Do you intend to hold club activities without your president? Since when are you in charge of this club? I don't recall allowing you to dictate where and what this club goes and does."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. You're invited too. After all, where else would we get our answers from?"
"...As expected from quite possibly the second laziest person to ever exist. Well, tomorrow morning it is, at Hikigaya-kun's house?"
"That's fine by me."
"I'll be there!"
"Me too!"
"Of course you'll be there, Komachi...you live there, remember…?"
"Teehee!"
.
And so the crisis was resolved. Not that anyone will ever know. In fact, I can't be too sure myself that whatever I did was even necessary. After all, my natural predisposition is towards inaction, so my actions there felt really out of place. But, every time I convince myself that it was all imaginary, I just remember that feeling of déjà vu.
School started back up the following day, as expected. Fortunately, the study session the day before had allowed me to finish my expertly-procrastinated homework on time with minimal effort. At the risk of sounding like some sort of pop-culture-attuned riajuu, I triumphantly crow: lifehacks! And as per usual, we all met in the clubroom after school, sipping tea, reading, and chatting casually. No sign that we had repeated the last two weeks of vacation over 8 million times. Really, how did I come up with that number? I really don't know, and I definitely can't prove anything. But if I was right, that meant that we had repeated those two weeks for over 300,000 years.
...I'm pretty sure that's longer than the entirety of the human race has been in existence.
Hard to believe it was real.
"Sooo, like, I brought some cards, wanna play a game?"
At this point, I don't share any of the memories…
"I have no objections, Yuigahama-san. I propose we engage in a round of poker?"
...of the versions of myself that came before.
"Sure, why not. But just so you know, I don't have any money."
Because this version of me was the only one able to return to the normal flow of time.
"Ara, Hikigaya-kun. Gambling in school is a borderline violation of school policies."
But I was given hints.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Figured you wouldn't pass up an opportunity to try to extort something from me."
Those sensations of déjà vu, assistance from my predecessors, undoubtedly allowed me to break free of the endless summer.
"Well, cards are dealt. Swap any?"
Because if I don't think about it that way, then all of those years of imaginary time would have been wasted, erased by the impossibility of the time loop.
"...No, actually."
Well, that said...
"Same here."
If I ever get the opportunity to redo this day…
"Whoa! Hikki, isn't that, like, a really good hand?"
"A royal flush, eh? Looks like the only thing you're lucky at is card games."
...I'll remember to place a bet.
.
[1] Kyon-kun, Denwa! Know your meme, guys. If the title didn't give it away, this should have. 100%.
[2] Opening line from "Super Driver," the main Haruhi Suzumiya OP.
[3] A direct quote from the ever-masterlord Watari Wataru's author's note at the end of oregairu volume 5.
[4] Gaeru means frog in Japanese… I know, this 8man nickname is so cliché. But it's also a classic.
[5] Although Google-sensei would reveal this information when prompted correctly, the specific class of IJN battleship with these parameters that I'm referring to would be the Nagato-class dreadnought. *wink wink nudge nudge* No, I'm not a Kancolle hack, I'm just a military history aficionado! Seriously! Also, I'm horrible with remembering character names, so this is the only reason I can remember what Nagato's name is.
.
ER MUH GERD. THIS CHAPTER WAS ENDLESS.
Hi guys… ImaNuke here… Although it seems rather appropriate, this chapter seriously felt endless when I was writing it. At 5k words, it's the longest single chapter I've written yet, and now I'm even more impressed by all you other authors who can just churn out the chapters like some kind of machine...
In reality, the entire prompt and inspiration to make an "endless 8man" chapter came from just that phrase. Seriously, the title was the entire idea. So fleshing out the story came in the form of copying and transforming an abbreviated version of ALL OF ENDLESS EIGHT. I swear, I've watched those episodes so many times I could probably recite them from memory. You thought just watching it once was bad? You ain't seen nothing yet.
So glad I'm done with this chapter.
I guess I'm just not cut out for finishing projects…. Well, there goes any shred of hope I had as being a successful human being. *cries*
Anyway, hope you at least appreciated the terrifying evil of this chapter, and as always, thanks for reading.