With the final battle filmed, filming was over for the day. Haruhi wanted posters for the movie with Nagato and Asahina posing beside each other, forcing the rest of us to stay on one side of the elevator. Why she didn't do this before we left the rooftop is beyond me.

"Could you scoot over a little? Your shoulders digging into my arm."

"Aww, is Kyon a little uncomfy? Need a pillow to help you feel better? I got ganged up by five people! I was tackled onto a concrete roof! My back's probably out of place! All thanks to you, jerk! I don't want to hear it!" Taniguchi, when will you learn that your pain and suffering is my joy and pleasure?

"You and this entire club are complete wackos! I could've been killed! And you!" He pointed a finger at Haruhi, still handling the camera. "You're paying for any medical expenses I have to go through after this! I could take you to court, you know!"

Haruhi brushed off his threats with a flip of her hair. "Hmph. If anything, it's your fault for being so pathetically frail that you can't handle a couple of girls falling on you. Though I'm guessing that's not a common occurrence with you, is it?"

"Can't you both wait until we're out of here? It's too cramped in here." I really didn't care for their petty argument, as long as it was somewhere else.

Both of them turned away from each other, Haruhi resuming her impromptu photoshoot with Asahina.

"Hmm, Mikuru you're not standing out enough from Yuki. If you don't be bolder, people aren't gonna know you're the main character." Haruhi mulled for a second, then suddenly perked up. "I've got it! Show some leg for us! That'll get people excited for sure!"

"Noooo! I couldn't do that! It's too embarrassing!" Asahina covered her hands with her face, shielding her eyes from Haruhi's intensifying glare.

"Oh yes you can! And yes, you will!" She marched over and started trying to lower Asahina's leggings.

"But the d-"

"Quit whining! If you want to succeed, you have to take some risks."

I tried to intervene. "Isn't this your movie? What're you risking?"

"If this film doesn't make it big, my entire reputation will be on the line!"

"I think that affects Asahina more directly than it does you."

"This is big money we're talking about! We can't feel sorry for other people! You know what they say! A bird in the hand is worth the other guys' grass!"

"What?" She just broke my mind.

Asahina's voice barely registered underneath all the bickering. "I uhh… think they need to use the elevator."

Sure enough, outside the elevator were a bunch of confused strangers, presumably waiting for us to get off, but too scared to intervene in the quarrel before them. Among them were some who had cameras taking pictures of the blushing Asahina.

Haruhi took offense, for all the wrong reasons. "Hey, no pictures unless you're paying! That's private property! This is real film business! Get lost!"

"Well, we're in the elevator they need to use. How about we get lost?"

She rolled her eyes but complied. "Fine. We'll finish the shoot in the clubroom on Monday. And all you perverts! Delete those pictures now! That stuff's the official property of the S.O.S Brigade!"

After Haruhi terrorized each and every person to prove they had no pictures of Asahina, we found our way outside, and were greeted by Koizumi's driver waiting for us.

"Hey, I thought Koizumi gave you the rest of the week off?"

The driver smiled at me. "I got a call from the one with the yellow ribbon to pick up some of her friends. And I'm always eager to service any acquittances of the young master."

Typical Haruhi. Giving orders to people she has no right to give orders to. "Well, I hope she wasn't too demanding on you. You could always say no, you know?"

Before he could respond, Koizumi seemingly materialized behind me and swiftly interrupted. "Don't sweat it, it's all been taken care of. Just let Mr. Arakawa do his thing." He looked over at me in a reassuring manner, though I didn't feel reassured.

"I'm just telling him he doesn't have to listen to Haruhi. She's enough of a bother as it is without involving other people that don't need to be involved."

Koizumi chuckled before taking on a more serious look. "Actually, speaking of Suzumiya, she seemed somewhat bothered by something ever since we left the clubroom today. You haven't done anything weird to her, have you?"

"Hearing that from you is almost like a slap in the face."

"What's that mean? Oh well, whatever it is you better resolve it quickly. Don't want any closed spaces opening up, do we?"

"It can't be that serious. Besides, she's always irritated about something."

"I hope you're right. Perhaps I'm reading too deep. Well, I'll leave you to it. Mr. Arakawa, I think we're ready to go. Have fun, Kyon!"

As Koizumi and the others stepped into the car, I was surprised from behind by a hug that almost choked the life out of me. I couldn't mistake the sensations on my back, however. Asahina released me and stepped back, blushing slightly.

"Kyon, I don't want to make any assumptions, and I'm not saying you are, and what you do personally in this time plane is none of my business, but if you and Ms. Nagato really are-"

"Hurry up, Mikuru! We've got a whole lot of stuff to do tonight to plan for tomorrow!" Tsuruya's voice pierced out from the car.

"Oh, Coming! Good luck Kyon!" She bowed down before scampering off to the car, leaving me with several questions. Like, what are they doing tomorrow? And how can I be there?

I waved goodbye to the others as the car drove off into the distance, then started my way to the hotel's entrance, where Haruhi and Yuki were waiting for me.

"What's up, Haruhi? You missed your ride with the others. How are you getting home?"

She looked at me with a smile that told me I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. "I'm gonna be joining you and Nagato at her house for a bit!"

I looked at Nagato, who confirmed this with a single nod. "You can't be serious."

"That's right! I want in on whatever it is you two do around here!"

"Can we wait for a more convenient time to do this? I've got stuff to do at home."

"Let's go already! What do you have to do right now, go to sleep?"

"That's the plan."

Haruhi didn't hear me as she'd already made her way back towards the doors of the building. "Yuki! Open the doors! We're wasting precious time out here!"

Nagato looked straight at me, waiting for my call.

I sighed heavily. "Go on. Even if we don't let her in, we'd be stuck out here with her."

As Nagato went to unlock the door, I turned towards the direction of my house. It wouldn't be too far to walk. It's only about seven blocks. I could be asleep in my bed in nine minutes. Fifteen with a nice, quick shower. And a meal wouldn't do me too bad either.

"Kyon! You coming or what?"

I made my way inside the apartment, steeling myself for whatever Haruhi had planned for the night.

Nagato prepared the tea in the kitchen, that left me and Haruhi in her living room. Alone. Quite awkward to say the least.

She started off first. "Did you and Nagato know each other before the club?"

"No. We started hanging out a few days after the club was formed."

"What did you guys talk about? There couldn't have been anything interesting to discuss until we started club activities."

"Usually just the other members."

"Like me?"

"Your name comes up sometimes, but…" I didn't really want to say anymore, lest I give something away.

"What do you say about me?"

"Nothing offensive I promise. We don't trash talk anyone. Too much." I add, remembering Koizumi existed.

She remained silent for a while, the sound of clinking glass in the kitchen the only sound in the room.

"Kyon, you're…I'm glad you're in the club." Haruhi took a deep breath, then looked me dead in the eyes, intensely.

"What's this? Gratitude? From Haruhi Suzumiya? Someone call the Prime Minister."

"I'm being serious. Besides you guys, I don't hang out with anyone."

"Obviously. You're looking for people with special talents or weird powers and the like."

No, I mean…I don't have a lot of people who talk to me on a daily basis. Willingly, that is."

I stared at her for a while, trying to decipher what she was feeling between those big eyes of hers. "Well, if willingly means against our wills, then sure, you could say that."

"Kyon, most people who tried to talk to me either get frustrated or just try to avoid further contact after the first impression. You don't do that."

A short chuckle went out my nose. "I'd accept the praise if it were true. You say it everyday, 'All you do is complain. Why are you even here'? To which I respond, 'Because you forced me to be here', and then you pull me by my shirt wherever else you want me to go."

At that Haruhi was mute for a time, saying nothing and letting the drone of an outside vehicle fill the air.

Now, believe me, getting praise from Haruhi is nothing to be laughed at, but of all people, me? Either all her marbles fell out and went down into the sewers, or she's drunk. I'm the only normal person in this club. Of all people, she should be hanging with Koizumi.

"Ugh, you're making this way too difficult. I mean, yeah, you complain a lot and it's annoying. And you're a major buzzkill sometimes…"

"Only further proving my point-"

"But you're still here!" Haruhi's voice rose to a volume she didn't even expect, quickly covering her mouth with her hands.

"I'm still here?"

"Yeah! I mean, if anyone else had listened to a word I said, they'd be gone in a few days unless they wanted sex or something weird. But you!" Haruhi planted her hands on the table and leaned in slightly.

"You just go along with it, even if it doesn't make sense or you would rather be somewhere else. Even if you're opposed to my plans, you eventually come around! The fact that you can listen without judging is so unique! I could tell you anything and you'd just say 'Yeah, alright', and accept it! It just makes you…"

She realized she had begun raising her voice again, as she slunk back from over the table and once again sat on her knees.

"You were saying how absolutely perfect I was?" I teased.

"Shut it, you. I'm not kidding."

"You know. It kinda makes me wonder if I'm just as crazy as everyone else in this club."

Haruhi looked at me quizzically. "What do you mean by that?"

"I always think about how I got involved with people like you and Nagato and the others, when I might just be as weird myself. I guess my power is to attract weirdos."

Haruhi let herself fall backwards onto her back, releasing a sigh as she did. "I never took weird as an insult. Why wouldn't you want to be weird? If you aren't, you're just…normal. Like everyone else. That seems even worse. Don't you think?"

This is ironic, now that I think about it. Haruhi looked for people who stand out and just found a flat voiced bookworm, a timid (albeit hot) girl, and a transfer student whose appeal ended there. I wanted nothing more than to live a dull, boring life and instead, I got the mega-powerful alien, the time-traveler, and the stalker. Who happens to be an esper.

I realize Haruhi was still waiting for an answer. "It's all about perspective. One person gets exactly what the other one wants but they hate. There should be a name for that."

"I just call it life." Haruhi sat back up, staring at me with a smiling face. "Kyon, I like you."

"Yeah, I like me too."

She groaned, but there was a laugh in there. "Stupid. Seriously, I really like…like you."

"I suppose the feeling's mutual then."

Haruhi beamed at me, a breath of relief coming out of her. "I've wanted to say that for a while honestly, but it-"

"Felt too campy? I get it. Sort of unsaid bond we have. I know what you mean, and I hope we can be good friends long into the future."

Her brow crinkled in what appeared to be confusion. "…what? Wait, what?"

"Was that too far? I figured. Never was good at this introspection stuff. But I do honestly look forward to a lasting friendship with you, whatever that entails. I mean, if we can get past that movie, there's nothi-"

"Did you actually miss the point or are you friend-zoning me?"

"Huh? What's that?"

Haruhi let out another groan, this time of legitimate frustration. "You're as thick as a wall, you know that?"

"Actually, he is on average only 6 inches in width, whereas many walls can reach up to three feet in radius." Nagato had appeared out of nowhere, with a tray of three teacups filled with green tea and a teapot on it. Beside all these was a book with a picture of a bed on it.

Haruhi facepalmed. "It's called symbolism, Yuki. You take things way too literally."

"I think you mean personification, Haruhi."

"Isn't that the thing when you rhyme a lot?"

"No, that's just rhyming. What you're thinking about is pentameter."

Nagato piped in. "Metaphor."

Haruhi pulled tightly on her hair. "Ugh! I don't care! Can we not debate literature outside of school please? I'd like to think you guys do more than this during visits!"

"Speaking of literature, Nagato, what's that book for?"

Nagato had taken an interest in human activities and had gotten a book for sleepovers- which we were suddenly having thanks to Haruhi's enthusiasm-suggesting what games to play and the like. The pillow fight was a one-sided barrage of pillows being whirled around while me and Haruhi hid behind anything in the room. Which wasn't much being as there was only a table in there. Scrabble, of course, was Nagato's personal favorite, having memorized every possible combination of words, phrases, and languages. I didn't even know the game had accents. And then there was spin the bottle.

It only lasted one turn, but the look on Haruhi's face after she was practically frenched by Nagato? Priceless. Of course, Nagato didn't see the problem with the intimate gesture. I didn't mind too much myself.

"I wish I had taken a picture. Never getting that chance again in a million years."

Haruhi blushed furiously from across the table, not daring to look at the bottle in front of her or Nagato, who nonchalantly sipped her tea as if the last five minutes hadn't existed. "I've got a feeling this isn't what you do when you normally hang out here."

"Well, you usually aren't here. What did you have in mind?"

Her blush fading, she pondered for a second. "To be honest, kind of tired. And hungry. We did a lot."

"I have prepared a meal for tonight which will be ready in 40 minutes."

The thought of food teased my mind. "Really? What is it?"

Nagato went into the kitchen for a second, then quickly returned. "You will like it. It is cheese related. You will like the cheese."

"Well that's not creepy at all." Haruhi looked towards the sleepover book on the table. "What's next after all the other stuff according to that thing?"

Nagato grabbed the book and quickly opened it to a specific page. Really quickly. I could feel the wind from each page turn from across the table. "When activities die down, make time for introspective talks and discussions about each other's psyche and personal lives."

Haruhi waved her hand dismissively. "Eh, pass. What's next?"

Nagato took another look at her book. "A board game. Money related. Very calming and peaceful. Its name appears to be an abbreviation of Monotonous Polygon."

Haruhi yawned. "Sounds boring but sure, why not."

Nagato went to get the game, and with her in the kitchen, me and Haruhi were once again alone. I took the time to poke some more fun at her.

"You wanna go join her? She's all yours." I cocked my eyebrows. Much to my delight, Haruhi's face went flush again.

"Annoying as ever, I see. By the way, none of this leaves this room. Or you'll face a punishment worse than death!"

"Hey, your secret is safe with me. I have no problem if that's your- "

"Shut it!"

I put my hands in the air defensively. "Alright, alright. I won't say anything."

Haruhi puffed her cheeks in a pout, which was quite possibly the cutest thing on this planet. "Aww, I'm just teasing, sourpuss. Lighten up."

She turned her head upwards with faux indignation. "Your punishment will be to clean my feet everyday if you continue on!"

"Oh, is that your kink?"

I felt a kick to my leg underneath the table. Oh, so that's how you're gonna play it? I return the favor with a kick of my own.

"Attacking your brigade leader is a serious offense!" Haruhi once again gave me a kick, this time closer to some precious jewels of mine.

"Watch it!"

Haruhi eyed me mischievously. "Or what? You gonna cry for mommy?"

"That's enough out of you." I began to send a barrage of kicks under the table. She reciprocated in kind.

Haruhi didn't let up. "If you think I'm gonna let you win this thing, you've got another thing coming! Along with severe penalties if you do manage to win!"

"How's that fair? You're basically forcing me to lose!"

"Haha! I know! Oh! Yuki! Got the game?"

Nagato placed the board onto the table, along with many figurines, houses, fake cash and other assortments. I immediately recognized it as a popular western property game.

Haruhi's face scrunched up as Nagato began to place down the all the pieces and money. "Hold on a second. That looks waaayyyy too complicated to setup. How's it supposed to be a game with all these pieces? 'Calm and Peaceful' is right. You'll go to sleep just setting the whole thing up."

I picked up a tiny car with a man inside. "I think me and Koizumi tried playing this once. I believe you're supposed to move around the board and whatever roads you land on you can buy? We roll dice to see how far we move, but it takes a while to get interesting. You sure you wanna play this, Nagato?"

She nodded slowly. "Trust me. It is good."

"Whatever you say. If anything, this'll at least help wind things down for the night."

"You can't buy that! It's mine!"

Not anymore! I'm buying it off you for 1100 bucks! And you can't say anything since you mortgaged it off!"

"Since when were you so adept at financing? You probably don't even know what mortgage means!"

"I know what it means, alright! That you're a sore loser!" She cackled hysterically.

Damn you, infernal woman. Constantly showing me up in every game we play. I did need the money. I had spent most of mine buying houses and hotels. No one had landed on my spaces however, so I wasn't doing so good. Unlike Haruhi, whose spaces I seemed to land on every other turn. I took the die and rolled them, hoping for some sort of luck.

"Lucky 7. 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5…Chance! Now we're talking!" I lifted the card, my smile quickly fading. "Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Good grief."

Haruhi reveled in my misery. "Back behind bars, jailbird! Don't worry, me and Yuki will come visit you sometime. This is fun!"

"Very." Nagato had gone bankrupt after her third turn. She didn't seem to grasp that you can't buy something you can't pay for. but she'd been content watching me and Haruhi play by ourselves.

"Actually, let's just call it a draw now. It's not going anywhere at this rate." With two more moves, I'd be out on the streets without a penny to my name. Curse my poor money-management skills.

"Aww! Why? It was getting interesting!" Haruhi of course, whined like a child being put to bed. "There's no reason for us to stop! It's not like we have school tomorrow."

Suddenly, my empty stomach made itself known, grumbling loudly as it yearned for something to eat.

"I will be right back." Nagato grabbed something from the oven and placed it on a platter.

"I made cheese sandwiches for the sleepover." She revealed to us-

"Wow!" We exclaimed in unison. Before us were hundreds of generously sized sandwiches, still steaming. Beside those were at least ten different dips, accompanied by many smaller finger foods, fruits, and assorted snacks. She then brought out a different platter, this one having a large pizza with almost every topping you could imagine. Sausage, Pepperoni, Ham and Beef, even Mushroom and Garlic, all covered in a thick, warm tomato sauce with hot gooey cheese all over. I had to keep myself from drooling.

Nagato lifted a sandwich to each our faces. "The pizza will be for the morning." Why would you show it to us!? That's just torture. "You may eat the sandwiches now. If you want."

"You're really into this whole cheese thing, huh. And I like them cold myself." I took a bite of the sandwich, the flavor easily recognizable as mozzarella. Haruhi took one as well, dipping hers in a white, creamy sauce. Her face lit up as she chewed.

"Wow! These are delicious! You're right, Yuki! We need to start serving these in the clubroom! And we could get Mikuru to do it along with the tea!"

My stomach whole-heartedly agreed. We had a light-hearted discussion about what new foods and drinks could be served in the clubroom. There was even talk of a possible outdoor sandwich stand, which would use Asahina's bunny outfit, of course. But the night was starting to wear on me, and after eating around the table for half an hour, re-counting all my failures of the night, I decided it was time to turn in.

"Alright you two. It's nearly one in the morning. Stay up if you want, I'm retiring for the night."

Haruhi scoffed at me. "Already?"

"You can do what you want. I, however, am getting some shut-eye."

"Tch. I guess it is pretty late. I'll be with you in a bit." Haruhi went back to eating her food until she almost choked on it. "Not as in with you like-! Just in the room… to sleep. On my own. That's what I mean."

I waved my hand to dissipate her worries. "I got ya. Guess I'll see you in the morning."

I walked inside the room, slid the door closed and prepared to get some much-needed rest. I remember when I time-traveled in this room. Hopefully Nagato doesn't forget us in here for another three years. Unlikely, but still.

As long as I got some rest from Haruhi. She's such a handful.

I actually had fun today. It got off to a rocky start, but this turned out to be really enjoyable. Maybe we should do this more often? Perhaps this could be a weekly thing? Or maybe bi-weekly. Who knows? I'm thinking when instead I should be sleeping.

I laid down inside my tatami and prepared to go to sleep, until I felt myself being violently rolled up into a sushi-like form. I heard a giggle from behind me. Asukura? Oh God, No!

"Wah! Nagato? Someone? Help!"

"All your base are belong to us!" Haruhi shone a flashlight in her face, shaking it around in corny fashion. She doubled back and laughed, apparently amused by my cries for help.

"Hahaha, Whew! 'Nagato? Someone? Help!' gahahaha!" Her imitation was not exactly flattering.

"Come on. I'm trying to sleep. That's not really funny."

"Yeah, to you! To me, that's hilarious! Ahaha! Nagato's right! That is fun to say!"

I struggled to unroll myself, which only resulted in me being tossed out of the bag. Haruhi laughed even harder at this. I would've been angry, had her laughter not rubbed off onto me. Soon, we didn't even know what we were laughing about, we just couldn't stop.

After we finally quieted down, we got into our separate tatami and reminisced about everything that happened the previous day, concluding with my sudden assault on Taniguchi. Of course, Haruhi had wilder and even crazier plans than what we'd done before, but I'll worry about that when we get there. I'm just gonna enjoy this moment of peace while it lasts. Once I heard the soft snores from across the room, I closed my eyes and let myself be overcome by sleep.

There are many ways for people to wake up. Some wake from a terrifying nightmare. Some by the beautiful morning sunrise. Others by an unforgiving alarm clock. And still others wake up for no reason other than waking up.

An elbow to the face is not what one thinks of when thinking of an early morning wake-up. I had the pleasure of having such an experience this morning. Spoiler alert: It's not that pleasurable. I tried to move my hand to my eye, only to find out it was stuck underneath someone's body.

"Alright, whoever-" I stop mid-sentence. Mostly because I was surprised to see a still sleeping Haruhi laying atop my arm, back towards me.

I thought we had slept pretty far away from each other to avoid any awkward situations like this. I propped my head up, moving carefully so not to wake her, and checked across the room. Sure enough, her sleeping bag was still far across from mine, but it looked as if she'd somehow rolled over here in her sleep. It's a stretch, but it's the only explanation I can gather.

Haruhi started to shift her position, turning her body about until she finally settled in place while facing me. Now if this wasn't already strange enough, our faces were now mere inches apart. I could feel her every breath against my lips. Now if only she would move just a tiny bit closer I could…

I rub my eyes with my free hand. I must be really out of it right now to be thinking like this. I could see it was early day by looking at the thin walls of the door. I could be up and out of here in literal seconds, had someone not used my arm as a pillow. Still working me even in her sleep.

Laying here like this, it was now that I realized I had the rare and somewhat bizarre opportunity to actually study Haruhi's face. I'd never gotten a good look before and I wondered if she also had any hidden blemishes like Asahina.

If only her hair wasn't in the way. I brushed aside the obstructive fibers, stopping midway as I felt her soft cheek, warm to the touch. Even for a girl, they were smooth. As if she put baby powder on them. I wouldn't be surprised if she actually did. I also had gotten a waft of fragrance from her hair. After a few seconds, I identified the smell as coconut. Not a particularly popular smell, but that's just like her. Never one to go with a trend. She didn't use lipstick, but she definitely didn't need it, her lips a rich crimson on their own. It was quite mesmerizing, actually going in depth about her quite unique facial features. Her brown eyes fit in so naturally to the surrounding see of white around them. So full, yet completely endless in their scope.

Eyes? It was at this moment I realized my hand was still on her face, and I had brought my own closer to hers. It must've woken her up. But she didn't react as I thought she would. She instead stared back at me, her eyes growing wide on her face as she realized what I was doing.

"Uhh, hey?"

"…hi." She replied, somewhat confused by the situation she found herself in.

"You woke up."

"Yeah."

"…hit me with your arm."

"Oh."

Really didn't know how to explain this. I couldn't think of anything that could make this strange moment less weird. How about a joke? Maybe? Can't get worse than this.

"So, you come here often?"

Haruhi chuckled. Actually, it was more of a sharp exhale through the nose. That's still something to me, though.

"Depends. See anything you like?"

"That's surprisingly…flirty coming from you. Are you always like this when you wake up?"

"Wanna find out? If you liked it, you… could continue." Haruhi's blush went deeper with every word. I was just as embarrassed, as well as shocked. And confused. And every other emotion you could think of. Would we remember this later on? Would we want to? Only in my dreams has a scenario like this even felt possible to imagine, but I'm not passing up the opportunity. I pulled my face closer to take her up on her offer.

"Pizza time." The monotone voice broke the tension that had settled around us, as well as scaring the daylights out of both me and her. I whirled around, throwing Haruhi off of me. She tried to catch herself, but only succeeding in throwing the blankets all over us. I struggled to find an exit, being kicked and punched the whole time. When I finally escaped the flailing cocoon, I saw Nagato sitting in a chair. She had a book in hand, apparently reading the whole time we were…Oh no.

When Haruhi emerged from under the covers, she saw I was in no shape to speak, and took the mantle for me. "Nagato? What's up?"

Nagato gave a quite colorful response. "Nothing much. What is up with you?"

After several seconds of nothing but air exiting my mouth, I finally formed words. "Didn't expect that from you, but let me just ask. How long have you been there?"

Nagato didn't answer right away, going back to her book, keeping us in suspense for another minute. An answer came after a page turn.

"…an hour."

"Hglk!" I nearly choked on my own spit. "An hour?"

"The pizza will not be as good if re-heated a third time. Come eat as soon as you are finished." She closed her book and left the room, leaving us in stunned silence.

I turned back towards Haruhi, who hadn't moved from her spot. Probably still reeling from the events that had just transpired. Knowing how this would end, I sheepishly smiled as I attempted to pick up where we left off.

"So, we were finishing?" I was elbowed for the second time that day.

Still one of my better mornings.