"... at least a Category Two. However, worst-case simulations depict a landfall as strong as a Category Four. The central government has already issued the heavy rain alert in the Kansai region and..."
Koizumi had turned on the TV, but he wasn't listening to it. Instead, he was thinking about Haruhi and Kyon, hoping that the latter was healthy, but also hoping that Haruhi wouldn't get too stressed over this.
Nagato idly listened to the news feed, staring at some point in the ground. Although she hadn't experienced any typhoon, she shouldn't have any concerns. Architectural methods were modern and up to the task. Safety regulations were up to date. Citizen awareness was through the roof. This all culminated in an infimal death toll.
But she kept mulling over it. There was something innately wrong in this situation. The students of North High were stressed. Her club members were anxious. And worst of all was her master.
The Data Overmind was quiet, repeating the same order over and over. Observe and attain all available data. They had no idea what it was, but they loved the chance of procuring this phenomenon, which for Nagato, made no sense. Storms in planets with an atmosphere were widespread, and those on Earth were weak at best. So what was it? Why did humanoid interfaces, specialised in human interaction, have to monitor a tropical storm?
"Sorry for the wai~t." Asahina cooed as she entered the living room, carrying a tray with a teapot accompanied by some cups.
Nagato glanced at her, though it seemed the maid was already accustomed to Yuki's stare.
"Thank you very much, Asahina." Then, Koizumi snapped out of his thoughts, turning off the TV. "And where's the little sister?"
She placed the tray on the coffee table while answering. "She wanted to get some snacks, so we'll be alone in the meantime."
"We have some time to discuss the situation, then." Koizumi prompted, crossing his arms.
"The typhoon is a problem." Nagato intervened before he could say anything. "Unknown data is being collected. Threat level could be high."
Asahina blinked a few times, not expecting the alien to say anything. When the August fiasco occurred, she didn't say anything either. Kyon was also the one who told her about returning to that December night. Since then, Nagato seemed to have mellowed out, but not to the point of taking the initiative.
"Umm… I thought Kyon's sickness was what we needed to talk about." Mikuru asked though Koizumi would have said something similar if she hadn't.
"Do you mean that the sickness is due to the storm?" Koizumi questioned her, sharpening his gaze on the alien.
"Causality is possible, not definitive." Nagato stared at the teacup until Asahina filled it.
"Maybe that's why I can't contact my superiors. But classified information shouldn't be affected by weath- Oh, I'm sorry."
"Nevertheless, the storm will take a few days to arrive. Suzumiya's, and therefore Kyon's current state, takes priority. Let's try our best, shall we?" Koizumi concluded, hearing footsteps coming from outside the living room.
Nagato waited until Koizumi took his cup of tea to get her own, choosing the light blue cup. She had also heard Haruhi coming, her steps faster than usual. Yet, when she crossed the living room doorway, she had a calm expression that didn't match her tense shoulders.
"Well, I suppose it was food poisoning. He just needs to drink a lot of water and rest." She nodded at her own explanation, satisfied.
"As expected of our brigade leader." Koizumi sighed, relieved.
"That's good to hear." Asahina joined him, gaining a small smile.
"Where's the little sister? She has to know too." Haruhi's question answered itself.
"I'm a little sister. I have appeared!" Kyon's sister appeared with an unopened bag of tea biscuits, placing it on the coffee table and barely restraining herself from jumping into the couch. "I don't remember Kyon eating anything weird, though… Well, he was out on Saturday."
"Two days ago? Food poisoning doesn't take that long." Koizumi said. "So it was something he ate at home… But in that case, shouldn't you be feeling ill too, sis?"
Kyon's sister pondered for a moment, opening the snack package in the meantime. "Maybe it was something he ate yesterday night. Our parents are out on a business trip, so we have to make our own meals. Well, maybe yesterday he was acting a bit weird too."
"Kyon messing up cooking? I think that sounds right." Haruhi mentioned, not too sure of her theory. "If your parents aren't home, and Kyon's like that, I suppose somebody else will have to cook."
Koizumi shifted in place awkwardly, knowing where this situation was going. "Are you proposing we should ready some meals until Kyon gets better?"
"The Leader has to care for one of her member's families. Besides, Kyon will get better in a day or two. So what do you say, lil'sis? Do you want to taste some of the Suzumiya family special meals?"
Kyon's sister nodded effusively, eyes gleaming in joy.
"I suppose we can cook dinner a few days." Koizumi muttered.
"Dinner? Sis needs somebody to give her a lunchtime bento. We don't even need to mention that Kyon needs special care for his sickness. So the obvious answer is that I'll stay and cook both breakfast and lunch. And when we return after classes, you guys make dinner. How about it?"
Everyone already knew that Suzumiya's questions were actually statements. She had already made up her mind. So it didn't matter if you disagreed. But, of course, that was only directed to the brigade.
"Wait." Kyon's sibling held up her hand. "Does this mean sleepover?!" She could barely hold back her excitement.
"Yeah!" Haruhi shouted, matching her enthusiasm. They high-fived each other while the sister talked about getting her room and her everything ready.
"That includes dinner!" Haruhi added. "So who wants to join in making the best meal ever?!"
Kyon's sister jumped up from the sofa as she raised her hand. It took them a while to realise Nagato's held up her hand, who had been as silent as ever.
"Oh, Yuki, you want to help as well?" Haruhi's eyes widened if ever so slightly. "Sure, let's make a rare Yuki-Haruhi team up!"
The bibliophile glanced at Koizumi before following her brigade leader. The quizzical look didn't disturb him much, though he could only guess at what it meant. With Nagato, he couldn't quite put together her thoughts. Regardless, Asahina and Koizumi had been quietly left behind, the latter giving an out of place giggle as he shrugged.
"Let's give Kyon a visit then, shall we?"
"Can you start by washing the rice, Yuki?" Haruhi mentioned, getting a hold of the rice cooker while the alien turned towards the sink. "Hey, sis, you barely got anything in the kitchen. I think we can scrape by for tonight, though."
"Kyon was supposed to buy food yesterday, but he wasn't feeling terrific. So he was going to buy today, but…." She explained before trailing off.
"No emergency provisions for the coming storm." Nagato added, idly looking at the kitchen sink. She turned the cold water valve on before once again glaring at the drain.
"Oh yeah, it's better to be safe than sorry. We can go out and buy you enough food for at least a week." Suzumiya plugged in the rice cooker and waited for Nagato, giving her one or two looks. "Is something wrong?" She asked her.
The alien glanced at the drain, noticing the water's odd movements around the drain. Rather than flowing down it, the water bubbled and spurted out of the gutter. The pipes had air inside them, pumped by something unknown. She reached out, but the air weaved around her, immediately stopping. Awareness. Realising she had taken a bit too long to answer, she looked back and responded. "Cold water or hot water?"
"Cold water, just give it a quick rinse." Haruhi knew something else was on her mind, which wasn't too out of character for her favourite bookworm. In any case, she didn't push it this time.
"Understood." She rinsed the rice, observing the slightly coloured water going down the drain. No anomalies this time.
"Let's start by cutting some veggies, okay lil'sis?"
While Haruhi and Kyon's sister were embroiled in the task, Nagato received an unexpected request from the Data Overmind. They were observing her actions. Taking one grain of rice, she placed it on her right-hand palm and pressed it with her opposite. After muttering a low incantation, she stopped applying pressure with her left hand, revealing six small microbots. She had already transmitted her instructions to them. Immediately, they jumped off her hand and into the drain. The plan was simple; since she could not act without restraint due to Haruhi's proximity, the microbots would determine the source of the air flow.
The Data Overmind's "requests" were more akin to orders rather than a kind plea. Sparse, cryptic and bizarre. She only knew of one occasion where she had opposed them, and that was when Kyon protected her on that fateful December night. Unlike then, however, the Overmind was wary, seeking something. And unlike most times, the Overmind was unified with a single goal. Moderates, Innovative, Compromise, Pragmatists and Radicals factions; all wanted a slice of whatever was brewing on Earth. Or, perhaps, it collectively sought its destruction.
Asahina knocked on the bedroom door a few times. "Kyon? It's me. Oh, and Koizumi too. We're coming in, okay?"
They heard a response, but it was rather far away to recognise what he said. When Koizumi pushed open the door, there was barely any time to take in the scene.
"Hey." Kyon greeted them, sprawled on the floor beside his bed.
Both of them rushed to help him, but Koizumi was the first to hold him up.
"Are you okay, are you hurt?" Being unable to help, Asahina barely contained her worry with a barrage of questions and kindness.
"I would prefer if you didn't scare us like that." Koizumi continued with one of his classic smiles, sitting him on his bed. "I won't lie. You've looked better before."
"Coming from you, now I'm afraid that I'm at death's doorstep."
"Don't joke about that." Mikuru interjected, adjusting his bed pillow, stretching the fabric and fixing the padding. "You look tired… you need to lay down and rest."
Asahina clearly remembered that night when Kyon almost bled out in the cold December pavement. A close call, but the experience still lingered in her. Whether or not he meant to provoke that reaction from her, he couldn't return to laying down after a whole day of inaction.
"Suzumiya is worried about you." Koizumi started. "In the past, I would be much more preoccupied with her. I'll admit I prepared against any unexpected sickness, yet somehow this situation goes above and beyond. I had the small hope that Suzumiya might have prevented you from getting sick."
"She's not involved in this." Kyon's voice was low, throwing Koizumi out of his field of comfort. He avoided the esper's eyes out of tiredness or perhaps embarrassment of the situation.
"I feared as much." Koizumi crossed his arms, feeling uncomfortable just standing around. "I believe everyone is already aware of that—even Suzumiya herself. To make matters more complicated, our dear Nagato doesn't have any answers for us yet. If closed spaces aren't involved, I'm afraid I'm not very useful either. And as far as I know, Asahina can't contact her superiors, isn't that right?"
The time traveller didn't answer. She was too focused on the freakish statuette on Kyon's desk. Her TPDD was reacting, like a TV remote being able to work on a DVD player. She could feel an electrical current warping towards her, beckoning to unite with her brain. Those pulses felt soothing but not calming like those moments of impossible warmth before dying of hypothermia.
Kyon snapped her out of her trance with a simple nudge.
"Hm? Yeah, I don't have any orders from the future. The signal is there, but it's like they don't want to answer."
"Haven't you noticed?" Kyon asked, restraining himself from saying more.
"Eh?" Asahina blinked a few times, looking back at the desk.
"So that's the source." The ESPer turned around, observing the statuette. It was idle, not doing anything like a regular figure, but he knew better. You didn't need to see the strings of a marionette to know someone was moving it.
"Are you okay, Asahina? That thing messes with your head." Kyon asked while she sat down beside him. "It doesn't matter what I do. That thing doesn't want to break or leave. It reappears nearby regardless of where I am. Always staring like an animal."
Koizumi crouched before the odd statuette, having his eyesight directly in front of it. Its smile was grotesque, like it was laughing at everyone in the room, with its eyes rolled up staring at the sky. But he looked past that. It's what whoever made the figurine wanted you to focus on. He inspected the material used, similar to terracotta but much more porous and rough to the touch. The relief on its clothing was simple, a rough sketch, with much more attention delivered to the odd cyclical depictions of wind on its limbs.
"Where did you find this?" Koizumi asked, looking back at Kyon.
The latter didn't have time to answer. Instead, the bedroom door slowly creaked open, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. Nobody had closed it when they entered it, so perhaps the wind from somewhere in the house had forced it open.
"So cold! I'll close the door." Mikuru said but was stopped by Koizumi before she could move.
"Wait." He merely spoke, his eyes carefully inspecting the bedroom. "Don't you smell that? When we entered your home, I felt a pungent smell entering my nose for a few moments. It's suddenly here as well."
Kyon held back any comment out of tiredness rather than concern. Asahina continued with a few curious sniffs before speaking up. "I don't smell anything weird."
"...neither do I." Kyon added, not having enough energy to say anything else.
"Strange." The ESPer rubbed his nose, glancing at the rustic statuette. "Very strange."
Ignoring his words, Kyon slowly got up from his bed. "I'm going to the bathroom."
After a few moments of silence, Koizumi helped him up and led him out of the bedroom. Asahina watched them leave, wondering about the events that had transpired in the last few hours. She couldn't help but feel of little use to the group. There had to be something only she could do.
Her eyes inevitably fell on the odd statuette again. Was that the cause of all the ill she had suffered through all day? As far as she could remember, there was nothing that could interfere with her TPDD. Besides, this was the first time she had ever seen the weird idol. The first time she had felt it probing her mind as well. Was it unrelated, or was it stronger the closer you were?
Whatever the reason, her connection to the future was thin and messy because of it. They had to know what it was. Of course, they knew. But would they tell her? The answer was no, but trying was better than sitting idly.
With her mind on the right track, she got up from the bed and headed out of the room. Before doing so, she noticed the pile of clothes on the corner of the bedroom. Like they were plugging something. She reached out to grab them but stopped herself short. At the moment, the only thing she wanted to do was to get out of the sight of that disingenuous figurine.
"Koizumi! There you are." Haruhi beamed, restraining a yell. "We need to buy food and some other basic goods. You are still free, right?"
He was standing outside the second-floor bathroom, staring in gloom at the ceiling. That depression disappeared from his expression as soon as he heard the brigade leader. "Of course, leave it to me. Is there a list of what I need to buy?"
"Don't worry. The list is all here." Haruhi tapped her forehead. "I'll go with you. Mikuru and Yuki will be with Kyon, so there's nothing to worry about."
"That's a relief." His smile was quite forced.
She inspected his face with a pout before speaking up."It's been a while since I've seen that expression painted on your face. Are you busy at work again?" Her words had hit the bullseye.
"You could say so, and sometimes it gets tiring. Rarely nowadays. Whatever the reason, the only thing I can do is pull through." Koizumi admitted, being vague enough not to lie.
"I can't have you underperforming, you know? If you need to take a break, tell me." Expressing kindness was something that she found much more manageable with fewer people. Regardless, Koizumi genuinely knew that she had changed.
"In any case, should we get going? It will get late if we idle around."
"Yeah, I need to go home and get some clothes as well… By the way, where's Kyon?"
He pointed to the closed bathroom door, Suzumiya simply scoffed.
"It was a matter of time, I guess. I'll tell Yuki to… Well, Mikuru, I'll tell her to watch over him. Yuki's supposed to watch over the food. I think she needs something else to think about. Being so absent-minded is weird for her."
Koizumi tried to remember, but she didn't look any different to him. "I haven't talked with her much today. I suppose she's thinking about the typhoon like the rest of us."
"Oh yeah, that's true. But it's weird. It's like everybody is too worried. People were barely even fazed when Danas passed by, like, three years ago. A category three that spawned tornados, tornados!" Her reasoning was making her angry.
"I agree. Perhaps so much information is making people anxious over nothing." Koizumi agreed with her, more out of commitment rather than acceptance. The more she believed that the typhoon would be weak and petty, the better.
Suzumiya, however, was oddly shrewd and pressed again. "Oi, what's with that answer?"
"Erm, excuse me?" Koizumi, once again, was caught off-guard.
"Since when are you just a yesman?" His heart stung as she spat out those words. "You know, I didn't choose you as my second-in-command just because you agree with me."
She chose him out of sheer convenience, or that's what Koizumi thought. Perhaps she thought of that at first, too, but a brigade leader can also change her opinion. And though her words hurt, Koizumi had other problems at hand. For example, the reason for Suzumiya's odd observant state. Previously she would ignore any strange occurrence, yet today she was different. So what was it with today?
Haruhi averted her gaze to avoid Koizumi's downtrodden expression. "Don't look at me like that. I don't mean it in a bad way. I asked before if you were tired for a reason. I just want you to know that you can rely on your commandant more. And in exchange, I want you to know that I, well, prefer it when you're yourself."
"I'm sorry, you're right." The ESPer wanted to believe her words. But how could he, when they were keeping the fate of the world behind her back? He was merely on the brigade because of circumstances; he was chosen for what he was, not because he was himself.
He didn't have time to elaborate on his apology as Kyon appeared from the bathroom. Instead, Kyon wanted to groan and complain that he didn't have any alone time, but he was too tired for that.
"What's with the heavy talk all of a sudden? You know I can hear you, right?" Kyon spoke up, shuffling by the two of them as he returned to his bedroom. He paused, realising a bit too late that he wasn't supposed to say that.
"I, you… You're not supposed to listen; no, you CAN'T listen to my conversations!" Haruhi's face attained all shades of red as she yelled.
"I'll admit it was a bit rude, Kyon." Koizumi joined with a warped smile.
"How am I not supposed to listen… Whatever, I'm sick, give me a break."
"Yeah, you better go rest! Because after you're all nice and well, you're going to make up for it ten-fold!" Haruhi turned on her heel and headed towards the staircase. "Let's go already, Koizumi!"
After Koizumi and Suzumiya left for the shops, the living room was quiet, with Yuki somewhere in the kitchen. Kyon had returned to his bedroom, so there wasn't much else to do. Only Asahina and Kyon's sister remained, the former helping the latter with some school homework. If she had a sleepover, she couldn't have homework. Or so Suzumiya said.
Mikuru took a sip of her lukewarm tea, answering some questions from time to time. No answers from the future, but at the very least, she knew they were picking up her frequency. As she stared off, daydreaming, she heard a tiny mosquito flying by.
Breaking the monotony, Nagato silently entered the living room, carrying a small bowl with white rice. "Dinner is ready. I require assistance."
"Oh, uh, sure!" It was odd for Nagato to ask for help, much less for Asahina's help. But, somewhere deep, the time traveller hoped this meant that the alien was finally warming up to her.
She didn't expect that Kyon's sister would fall unconscious right into her lap.
"Do not move." Nagato placed the rice bowl on the coffee table, kneeling in front of Asahina and the sister's unconscious body.
"W-What are you doing? Why did you…?" Mikuru stuttered to find the right words.
"Do not talk," Nagato muttered, having an instant effect on her. "Air currents are currently being affected by an unknown, conscious entity. The scope of this entity is currently unknown. I must inspect your bodies to confirm my theory. Please stay still."
Nagato placed her hand above Kyon's sister's head, hovering still above it for a few moments before moving it through her body until it reached her chest.
"Test concluded." Nagato looked up, staring at Asahina's worried expression. "Your turn. Please relax. It won't hurt."
"W-Wai-"
Asahina throat suddenly closed up, bursting into panic for an instant before she fell unconscious. A few moments later, she felt a bolt of electricity surging through her as she woke up. She instantly reached for her neck, but she could breathe normally even if a bit panic-stricken. Nagato was sitting beside her.
"Test concluded." She simply stated. "There's only one individual left to confirm my theory."
"You didn't tell me I wouldn't be able to breathe!" Asahina didn't yell, but the anger in her voice was quite apparent.
"You talked when I advised against it. However, I should have been more clear on the methods used." Nagato blinked a few times before turning and meeting her eyes. "I am sorry."
The sudden surge of information travelling through Asahina delayed her answer. "You… You fixed my…."
"The interaction between your body and the entity hampered your brain waves. Your connection to the future should now proceed smoothly. The entity's power isn't strong enough to sever the connection. Useful data."
"Thank you." The time traveller simply answered with those few grateful words.
"The absence of Itsuki Koizumi and Haruhi Suzumiya will hamper my theory. However, your negative contact and her sister's minute reaction to the entity skews my theory towards one definitive solution."
It was hard to follow through, but Asahina understood what it meant. "We've been in contact with an entity? But I felt like this ever since I woke up. And I think Suzumiya and Koizumi had looked restless before we came in here."
"I never specified when we came into contact with the entity." Nagato got up from the sofa and took the rice bowl. "Stay here. She will wake up soon. I will nurse and test the remaining member."
The alien ignored Asahina's complaints, leaving the living room and closing the door behind her. The air was flowing slowly, from the front door to upstairs. She muttered a spell, sealing the front door from the outside. The air continued to flow.
Nagato cocked her head in defiance of the entity's power. An energy wave pulsed through her, reconfiguring the whole entrance with the Data Overmind's approval. Although the airflow stopped, she felt that the entity still maintained power. Being severed from the outside world didn't weaken it in the slightest. It simply split it up.
She continued her way, climbing up to the second floor. The entity opened Kyon's bedroom, a distinct air current making its way inside. Nagato once again flexed her power, isolating the second floor from the outside. Once again, even though cut off from the atmosphere, the entity continued to be in both places at once. Indifferent by the entity's non-existent resistance, she entered his room.
"Oh, hey. When did you…?" Kyon was sitting on the bed, staring with a stern expression at the statuette.
"Rice for you." She answered without moving.
"Ah, thanks. Haruhi did say she was going to make food. Did you bring some chopsticks?" He asked, feeling more relaxed with her presence.
"No." Nagato placed her eyes on the statuette. "Do not move. There is a test I wish to perform in your body."
Kyon tensed up, taken aback by Nagato's seriousness. The room glowed blue, a sign that Nagato had placed it under data jurisdiction. She casually put the rice bowl on the desk beside the statuette, taking it into her hands.
"Wait, I don't recommend touching that thing." Unfortunately, Kyon's advice didn't reach the alien.
"Please, do not talk."
Nagato brought the statuette to her eye level before her powers made it float with ease. The rock composing the figurine broke down into even pieces, hovering in place for a few moments before reassembling itself back into place. With a twitch in her expression, Nagato placed the statuette back into the desk.
"Troublesome." Nagato looked back at Kyon, who clenched his hands into fists. "There will be no need to test you."
"Is that good?"
Nagato stood in silence for a few long seconds. The data sent to the Data Overmind was simply a formality. Because she concluded the answer herself. The entity continued to live in separated spaces. The population of Nishinomiya felt enhanced distress, wrongly attributed to the typhoon. All brigade members felt an even worse malaise, more than likely due to their connection to Haruhi Suzumiya. Nagato herself felt the same at around 4:15 in the morning of that same day. How could all of this be happening to a large population within a small timeframe? All tests led to the same conclusion.
"An entity is currently inhabiting the troposphere around the locality of Nishinomiya. We are currently breathing it. Currently, its effects range from eating disorders, breathing issues, shortness of breath, depression, anxiety and headaches."
The room glowed blue as Nagato dropped down her data authority around the house block. That, however, didn't phase Kyon in the slightest. He maintained his breath for a few long seconds before realising what that would entail. The whole air was out to kill them. There was no way out of this besides leaving the town, and even then, how long would that last? And what would happen to everyone else?
"That's… That's not good at all."
"It is not." Nagato followed up.
"I guess that's why Koizumi said he smelled something weird. Is this why I'm feeling like this?" Kyon tried to come up with an answer to no avail before biting the inside of his cheek and focusing his vision on Nagato.
"Our connection to Haruhi Suzumiya is enhancing our symptoms. We are reacting to the entity in different ways. In Itsuki Koizumi's case, his sense of smell adjusted. In Mikuru Asahina's case, her brainwaves were disrupted. In your case, your immune system is actively fighting the entity." Her words weren't the ones Kyon wished to hear. "My reaction was minimal due to the overview of my peers. Haruhi Suzumiya's case, so far, is unknown to me. I am unsure how her data-creation abilities will react against this type of entity. She is stable at the moment."
"So what do we do? We're breathing some type of living gas. That somehow thinks. Maybe it will just disappear just like it appeared."
Nagato waited to answer, mulling over the answer. "If the entity continues in its stability, your immune system will adapt and stop its offensive. The populace might start to settle down. However, that won't be the case as days progress."
There were a few things that would change in the coming days. But most were inconsequential, except one. Only one major event would hamper the whole of the Kansai region. Kyon's eyes widened as he realised the answer. "The typhoon…"
"The entity will strengthen itself with the tropical storm. I do not know if this is what it seeks. But it is sentient. And sentience entails a survival mechanism."
"And when the typhoon gets closer, it will get stronger. So I will get even more ill." He crossed his arms, slowly coming into terms with what that entailed.
"More than likely. The populace will also become more restless. Brigade members will gain stronger side-effects."
The conclusion was evident for both. "So we have to get rid of it."
Nagato nodded. "I can get rid of the air in and around Nishinomiya, but that would entail also wiping out the entire Kansai region from the subsequent blast wave. Therefore, to obtain a more specific destruction method of the entity, we should investigate the nature of its inception."
A slight breeze made its presence known, making Nagato's uniform flutter ever so slightly. The door was closed, and there was no connection to the outside. It had to enter through the gaps in the door. She turned back to the figurine.
"I feel its presence. I do not know if it understands us. Regardless, we should drop the subject. We will resume at a later date."
"The same happened when Koizumi asked. Two times is too much of a coincidence." Kyon sighed. And with his next breath, he coughed once, then another time before it turned into a coughing fit. The entity was making him react negatively.
Nagato kneeled in front of him, placing her hand in his chest. A pulsing, soothing sensation travelled through Kyon's body, stopping his cough.
"Eat and rest. Haruhi Suzumiya believes you have food poisoning. Coughing will worry her." Yuki got up, glancing at Kyon's tired eyes before placing the rice bowl on his lap. "I cooked it."
"Oh, uh, thank you." But, alas, Nagato's piercing stare made it a bit hard to answer appropriately.
After a moment of silence, she spoke up again. "Try it." Her calm voice was almost commanding.
"Eh, with my hands?"
"Oh." Nagato dropped her expression and headed out of the bedroom, returning almost immediately with a pair of chopsticks. She placed them gently on top of the rice bowl.
Kyon's stomach didn't feel like it could eat much but seeing Nagato's eagerness, he felt pressured into eating it all. He took a mouthful. It was simple white rice, so there wasn't much flavour or technique behind it. Even then, Nagato cooked it, so that added enough emotion to his meal. "It's good."
The alien simply nodded, stared at the rice for a few seconds and left the room.
Idly eating, Kyon stared at the ominous statuette. It wasn't going to move. He knew that. But there was an unknown, itching curiosity that grew bigger the longer he looked at it. The questions of its origin. The person who created it. The reason for its existence. The longer he observed it, the longer he breathed, the more he felt enthralled by it. And he might be sick and tired, but he still had enough common sense to realise that it wasn't normal.
After eating half of the rice, he put the bowl on the desk, turned the figurine around so that it wasn't looking at him and went back to the comfort of his bed. He could only hope that the next time he woke up, the typhoon would magically disappear along with whatever was infesting the air.
And then, it got worse.