How do I go back?

Chapter 13

No male students cared if Alan was gone for a trip for a week. Female students, however was bit disappointed and seemed to be counting the days till Alan came back. Odd thing was in that 'female students' category included Haruhi as well. She often looked towards Alan's empty desk.

"When is he going to come back? It's been a week! We can't do full brigade activities without him!"

I really didn't know listening to Alan snore while everyone else talking would help the brigade much, but leaving that aside I kind of missed him too.

Anyways, today Haruhi was in a good mood. She just finished showing us

"Revenge of Nagato Yuki Episode 00 Trailer"

Her emotion changes every week.

Koizumi entered the clubroom.

(Author: I need following dialogue from light novel to connect to my story...I don't own the novels ...)

"What a busy spring break."

Koizumi said that in a depressed tone.

Since his eyes are transfixed on the sky, I thought he was simply talking to himself and so chose to ignore him.

"Don't you think so?"

Seeing no reply from me, he decided to turn over and ask instead. I don't know if there are any problems with my eyes, but I believe I see signs of fatigue in those eyes of his.

He started playing with the bangs on his forehead.

"Your eyes are normal, very normal. You are right, I am really feeling fatigued."

Going crazy with Haruhi all day, normal people are bound to get tired.

"I am not talking about the normal fatigue that you and I know about. Do you still remember my actual identity and mission? Do you still remember why I was posted here in the first place?"

In the beginning it should have been to monitor Haruhi, I guess it's now changed to licking her boots?

"I apologize, but I am sure you remember that I am an esper. Also, where and when can my powers be activated, and which person's change in mood will allow me to use my powers. I am sure you still remember all these, correct?"

You have already repeated this numerous times, of course I do. You declared your actual identity to me after Nagato and Asahina-san. This is considered the latest news regarding the members of the SOS Brigade.

"That is good. Then I can get straight to my point."

Koizumi gave a look of relief, let out a long sigh and lowered his voice.

"I am not getting enough sleep these few days. I tend to wake up in the middle of the night or the early mornings even when I do not want to, every night without exceptions. Thus I cannot quite go back to my normal state of being."

If you cannot sleep at home at night, then just sleep in class during lessons. It is said that sleeping five minutes during lessons is equivalent to sleeping an hour normally.

"My condition is not exactly insomnia, and the problem does not really lie with me, which I am sure you have realised. We already know each other so well, even if we want to talk in circles, let's leave it for other, more unique topics instead."

Koizumi's squinting eyes revealed a seldom-seen seriousness. Haven't you always loved talking in circles? I guess you now have a taste of your own medicine. Although you are less credible than Asahina and Nagato, it is true that we already know each other for quite a while.

"'Sealed Realities' and 'Avatars' you mean."

These should be the areas Koizumi's power will work.

"Correct answer. Recently, the frequency of their appearance is increasing again. It began just after spring break and has continued to today. To be even more precise, it began one day after spring break. Because of that, my working hours are no longer bound by night or day and without any break. Currently we are on twenty-four hour standby already."

Koizumi let out a self-ridiculing sigh.

Then he started to take me back to my memories about Sasaki and the day at the flea market. Why was that so important?

"So, this is where the problem is. I said just now that the frequency of the appearance of 'Sealed Realities' had increased recently, or to put it more correctly, is comparable to when Suzumiya-san had just entered high school. Starting last year, and continuing until this year, the number of times I have had to work has decreased, but has recently spiked up to previous levels starting this spring. What is the reason for this?"

I am getting increasingly impatient...

"What exactly do you want to say?"

"Although I did not want to spell it out exactly, but there are times when some things, if not expressed in words, will never reach the hearts of others. Cases when speechless communication being able to transmit information accurately are few and far between, I shall illustrate the following as cause and effect. According to the current situation, the part on cause is the sentence 'the last day of spring break'. Effects are 'Sealed Realities' and 'Avatars'. So, what exactly does this mean? This is my question to you."

I am engulfed by the speechlessness like that of Nagato. Areas near my hindbrain started to hurt.

Koizumi revealed a smile found on a mask dug out from the Jomon Period. If nobody said this is a smile, I really would not understand.

"Because Suzumiya-san started creating 'Sealed Realities' in the new school term, I can infer that there must have been a problem on the last day of spring break. And when we wonder what exactly could have happened, our normal SOS Brigade activities would not be of much importance. It is only that we spent one jovial day at the flea market. So if we are to talk about problems, it had to be the intervention of variable factors... Regarding the variable factor, I think you should know that."

You mean Sasaki.

"But why? Sasaki is just a middle school friend whom I met by coincidence at our usual meeting place. How did it turn into the source of Haruhi's problems?"

Koizumi opened his mouth with a look of shock before looking at me with a sense of connoisseurship than friendliness, just like when Shamisen first saw the cicada my younger sister caught and brought home, and continued this way for nearly ten seconds.

Just when I wanted to wave my hand in front of his eyes to check if he was still conscious, this esper with a harmless-looking and handsome face shook his head quite strongly.

"If you want me to say why..."

He turned towards me in exaggerated actions.

"That would be the self-proclaimed very close friend Sasaki of yours, who exudes a charm that is able to mesmerize eight out of ten guys."

Koizumi used a voice with the determination of an evil imperial official wanting to assassinate the king.

"Yes, Koizumi sure is right..."

Koizumi and I both turned around to face the voice.

Door slowly opened and Alan entered the clubroom. He wasn't in this room for a week.

"Alan! You're back. How did it go?"

Judging by what he is saying. Koizumi knew where Alan was the whole time. I knew he wasn't at some stupid cross country tour.

Alan looked even more fatigued than Koizumi; it looked like he was just about to collapse.

"I didn't need to use the tablet after all. I sorted the matter out on my own. Now I really feel like a stalker... I won't be making a stupid mistake like that again."

What is he talking about?

"Would anyone care to explain what is going on?"

Alan turned around to look at me; He looked so fatigued that it looked like he was barely opening his eyes. His eyes were constantly twitching. Wait, was he faking this expression too?

"No I'm not faking this expression if that's what you are wondering. I was around, fixing up my mistakes. It involved your middle school friend that Koizumi and you were talking about."

Does he mean Sasaki?

"Here, let me summarize the mistake I made. Basically I told Sasaki my name was...um... 'John Smith'."

"Why does that matter? It only matters to Haruhi."

"That's why; it would be disastrous when Haruhi and Sasaki have a nice little chat about who 'John Smith' was. It would mess up the whole storyline of this world."

"So that's what you have been doing? Making sure Sasaki don't meet Haruhi? Well you missed that one day . Near the end of the spring break. Haruhi and Sasaki met."

"That was the day that I made the mistake. Here I'll explain."

-----------------------------Flashback---------------------------------

After that day I knew that I didn't need to show up for school, so I went straight to business with Nagato's tablet carefully stored.

"So this is where Sasaki goes to school..."

I told myself. This school looks awesome compared to the junk where I call school...I mean look at that! They actually have security guards.

It would be few hours before the school is over. We'll that's enough time to grab a bottle of milk.

Thinking that, I headed towards the supermarket.

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"That was the most boring hour of my life, so I'll continue when the school was over."

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Finally the bell rang...

Students began pouring out of the school.

Then I saw Sasaki. I wouldn't forget that calm looking face so soon. If I start the conversation it would be bit suspicious, I'll let her. I walked near the main gate that Sasaki was coming out of.

"Oh...John!"

Sasaki noticed me and called.

"Huh? Oh Sasaki it's you."

"Don't you have school today?"

"I'm skipping today, I don't feel like it."

She frowned, looking at me with concerned eyes.

"You shouldn't skip school whenever you feel like it. Education is important."

Ya...sure...that's what everyone says.

"Ok sure...anyways where are you headed now?"

"I don't know, I have no plans for today, I guess I'm just going home."

"Really...I have no plans also."

Actually I had a plan that I needed to get done very soon.

"How about we go to a café and talk for a bit, you look like a interesting person. Relative of Suzumiya-san is also friend of mine."

"How do you know Haruhi?"

I had to ask this or she would be more suspicous. Sasaki doesn't know that I know she met Haruhi yesterday.

"I met her yesterday; my close friend from middle school introduced me to her."

We arrived at the café.

"So John, what do you think of Suzumiya-san?"

"I can't really say, she's very energetic girl who seems to be interested in unique things."

"My middle school friend, Kyon is close friends with Suzumiya-san, do you know him?"

"Yes, I know Kyon."

"I helped him through cram school back then, we talked a lot back then."

Sasaki was staring at me with a curious gaze.

"Why do you staring at me like that?"

"Your eyes."

"My eyes?"

Why did we change the topic to my eyes?

"John, do you know the saying that you can look into person's soul when you look through a person's eye?"

"Yes."

I answered shortly; I was trying to figure out how to get Sasaki to consume this tablet.

"Well when I look at your eyes. At first, it looks like any normal person's eyes, but when you look closer..."

Sasaki seemed to be thinking of the right words to use.

"What if when you look closer?"

"I don't know, if look closer I just get a feeling that you've had some really bad experience. Your eyes look kind of...sinister."

She looked at me with worried eyes.

"Well, here comes the drinks. So my eyes look sinister?"

"Yes, but I can see even beyond that, deep inside, inside that sinister layer, I can see that you are really happy. Seeing other people happy makes me happy."

She smiled brightly. Then began looking outside the window. I could drop the tablet right now. But what she said made me curious.

"How can you tell? What class did you take to know all this?"

"No, no class, I just can tell, that's all."

She turned to stare at me. Her eyes look strangely similar. I've seen those types of eyes in two people in my life. One was Haruhi and other was her. Her eyes shined if the whole universe was inside her.

"So if you know Suzumiya-san, then you should know Asahina-san, Koizumi-kun and Nagato-san as well?"

My instincts were telling me to lie, but for some strange reason I told her the truth.

"Yes."

"Do you think they are normal human beings?"

Somehow I couldn't help but answer truthfully.

"No they are definitely unique."

...What am I doing? answering all these questions? I should drop the tablet in her drink already.

"I knew it, I can tell."

Then she asked me a surprising question.

"Did, you have girlfriends where you came from?"

"Yes."

"How was that like?"

When my memories reached her I suddenly gained control of my words.

"I would not like to talk about that."

Sasaki looked bit surprised. Then she stared at me with amused look.

"It's ok if you don't want to talk about it."

Sasaki said, still smiling warmly.

Sasaki then looked at the clock then said.

"Ok, I have to go now. Got to get home before six. Ya I know, my parents make up most stupid rules."

"Oh.. ok."

Sasaki then took out a piece of paper and wrote down her cell phone number then handed it to me.

"Here, let's keep in contact ok? See ya."

I realized then that I forgot to put the tablet in. Moreover she had finished her drink.

...This is strange, I don't usually make this kind of mistake.

When I was walking towards Nagato's apartment. The image of Sasaki's eyes kept coming into my mind. Then it was followed image of Haruhi's eyes then finally her eyes.

When I entered Nagato's apartment, Nagato spoke first.

"Did you use it?"

"…"

"It's ok, deadline is in a week."

Ok, I have to get myself together, tomorrow I will have a chat with Sasaki again and make her forget.

Then I realized that Nagato was not reading her book but was staring at me. I guess Nagato usually don't have people in her apartment often. Does she get lonely?

Thinking this I opened up the fridge. I found things that weren't there before. There were three bottles of milk.

"Wow, awesome! Thanks Nagato."

Nagato just nodded then returned to reading her book.

We'll, I still have six days till deadline. I can deal with that, for now I'm going to enjoy my milk.

………To be continued.

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Author's notes: ...I don't care if my predictions would be wrong for upcoming volume 10...it's my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.