- Chapter 5: Our Troubled Evolution -

Haruhi never returned to class. Asakura came back alone and said, with a tender concern that made me feel sick due to my intimate knowledge of what lurked beneath that pretty face, that Haruhi had gone home for the day and wouldn't be persuaded otherwise.

Classes started, and once I recovered from the multiple terminal shocks I had endured, I remembered that my original goal in coming here was to find Koizumi. My first thought was that this would be pointless, given I'd just discovered that no one could see or hear me. But maybe Koizumi could. After all, he'd hidden from me that espers can manipulate people's minds, so why not the power to see ghosts, too? For that matter, he could have powers in this altered reality that he didn't have in the world I knew.

He could also have no powers at all. But my only hope lay with being a naive optimist.

I headed down to our ever-dishonest esper's homeroom. I realized that I was really reaching here, but it couldn't hurt to try.

Koizumi's class was full of people coughing and sneezing into face masks, even more than mine was. There seemed to be more students absent than present.

This was crazy. Even the worst of outbreaks doesn't infect everyone. What was wrong with this world?

"Hey, Koizumi," I called to him.

No reaction.

Well, of course not, genius. Would you interrupt a class lecture to call across the classroom to a ghost that only you can see?

I walked over and stood by his desk. "Koizumi," I said. "I don't know if you can tell, but someone has used Haruhi's powers to alter the world. But there's no use my explaining any further unless I know you're listening. So... if you can hear me, write my name in your notebook."

He sneezed. Then he started writing in his notebook.

I looked. Mathematical symbols.

Well, it was a long shot anyway. Plus, I hadn't figured out what to do about Haruhi being dead in the unaltered universe. I couldn't count on Koizumi having any ideas on that front.

What was I saying? If Koizumi didn't have any ideas, then I certainly had no better than a cherry blossom's chance in a blizzard of coming up with anything.

I guess the situation was just so far gone that I didn't see how even Koizumi could figure out a solution. The last time the world was altered, I needed to use Nagato's escape program so I could back in time and undo it. No chance that Mishima would have left me an escape program, so I guess I had to either find a time traveler – if Mishima had left any – or somehow find Sasaki, free her from Mishima's influence, and get her to put things back as they were.

The time traveler one I could at least check out now. I headed for Miss Asahina's classroom next.

She wasn't there. At least, the desk she had occupied in the unaltered universe was empty, and since Koizumi, Haruhi, and Other-me were all still at our old desks, it seemed reasonable that Miss Asahina would be too.

Maybe she was out sick. What was up with epidemics happening every time the world got altered, anyway?

That and cold weather. Was I actually back on that same day that Nagato altered the world? If so, why? Haruhi was still at North High, so this obviously wasn't a reset to Nagato's alterations. Also, apparently I'd had some fight with Haruhi that led to me quitting the SOS Brigade. That might be the most unbelievable part of all. Why would I walk away from the one thing that made my life fun?

What I wouldn't give to hear one of Koizumi's absurd theories right now. Or even one of Haruhi's outright insane suggestions. I needed something to work with here.

There was still one last Brigade member to check on. I stopped by Nagato's classroom.

She was there, in her usual seat. I guess that meant Miss Asahina really must be out sick. All right, not really, but I needed to cling to some optimism.

As I got closer, I noticed there was something different about Nagato. She was wearing glasses again. And her face was so... inexpressive. Not that Nagato was ever dramatic with her facial expressions, but this was on another level. It was like if you took one of those London guards and turned him into a statue. Even the most subtle sparks of emotion were missing from her eyes.

Well, I shouldn't be so dramatic about it. Even if she was definitely different, at the same time, I could tell that she was still Nagato. That was a reassuring constant.

"Hey, Nagato," I said. "It's me, Kyon. Can you hear me?"

I watched for even the slightest nod of her head. An acknowledging blink of her eyes, even.

Nothing.

I heaved a sigh and walked out of the classroom. It was to be expected, really, but I couldn't help but feel I should have been able to count on Nagato.

With no more ideas coming immediately to mind, I wandered through the school halls. My hopes were slipping away with each failure. Still, if I had learned anything from the time I spent in the Nagato-altered world, it's that there's no situation so hopeless that there can't be a way out you're overlooking. I turned to the last refuge of all that is good and right, and poked my head into the SOS Brigade clubroom.

Empty.

I don't know what I'd hoped to see. A new member, maybe, with the ability to detect ghosts. If I ever get out of this, I'll have to suggest to Haruhi that the SOS Brigade recruit a ghost whisperer.

I tried searching through the books in the clubroom for a helpful note from Nagato, but my hand just passed right through them. I really was a ghost here.

Could it be that that was it? That I was... dead? That Mishima had killed me moments after Haruhi, and now I was wandering through some sort of purgatory?

No, that idea was too tempting to be true. Given the choice, reality would rub your face in the dirt every time. I had to reasonably assume that this ugly world I was now in was reality not just for me, but for everyone I knew and even remotely cared about.

I wandered back towards Class 1-5. Maybe I could overhear some clue as to what possessed me to get into a fight with Haruhi and quit the SOS Brigade.

I arrived moments before lunch break. Other-me took up his usual spot with Kunikida.

That was a relief. I'd been fearing that he was having lunch with Asakura, too.

Alright, I was also relieved that at least Kunikida was still my friend in this reality. Between leaving the SOS Brigade and cozying up with Asakura, the next reveal could have been that my best friend in this reality is Fujiwara. The fewer things that were changed, the better.

Taniguchi came over to our desks. Chalk up one more person I can still have lunch with.

But he didn't sit down. He just stood there, looming over Other-me and Kunikida, before saying, "Hey, Kyon. I hear you and Asakura are making time at your place tonight."

His tone wasn't teasing. In fact, he sounded more serious business than I'd ever heard him. Kunikida was looking at him nervously, while Other-me wasn't looking at him at all.

"You listen too much to rumors," Other-me said. He sounded even more serious business. Like he was being forced to live on a diet of plain oatmeal and rice milk.

"Huh, so you deny it?" Taniguchi pressed.

"I neither confirm nor deny. Go stick your nose somewhere else."

Kunikida spoke up: "Um, Taniguchi, Kyon isn't in such a good mood. Maybe -"

"Oh yeah, I'll bet he isn't in a good mood." Taniguchi slapped his hands down on my desk, forcing Other-me to look at him. "Dating the most popular girl in school must put you in a real unhappy place, huh?"

Other-me made a show of casually sweeping together some rice with his chopsticks. "And that is your concern, how, exactly?"

"Because you knew I liked her, man! You knew, and you stole her from me!"

I know you can't hear me, Taniguchi, but seriously, you're not missing out on this one. Even Kuyoh Suoh was a step up from that choice of girlfriend. Hell, Delilah would be a step up.

"She's a person, not a possession," Other-me said. "She goes out with whoever she likes."

"Man, you don't get it. Of course she can go out with whoever she likes. But you didn't have to go out with her. You stabbed me in the back. You had Suzumiya, plus Yuki Nagato and Mikuru Asahina, but you wouldn't be satisfied until you had the girl I wanted, would you?"

"I never 'had' any of the girls in the SOS Brigade. Suzumiya least of all." But Taniguchi was already stomping off. Other-me, realizing that this last comment probably hadn't been heard, gave a shrug and resumed picking at his lunch.

"Mmm," Kunikida fidgeted. "You know, Kyon, maybe it would be better if you just apologized."

"To that moron? What for, and why bother?"

"I'm not saying Taniguchi is right..." He held his hands up defensively. "But you can see it from his perspective, can't you? You took his chance to be with a girl he really likes."

"Like hell I did. Asakura would never go out with a guy like him."

"You know that, and I know that, but Taniguchi doesn't."

"Well, he'd better learn. You can't just call 'dibs' on a girl. It doesn't work that way."

"I think even Taniguchi knows that. If you had just given Asakura a chance to reject him, I don't think he would have minded you having her."

"How generous of him."

Kunikida shrugged. "I'm just saying, if you don't do something to make up with him, he's going to keep bothering you."

"Kunikida, this is high school. People are going to bother us."

So, Other-me is on the outs with Taniguchi too. Great. Is there any part of my life he hasn't screwed up? Maybe I should go home and see if my house is still standing.

Huh. That's actually a decent idea. If nothing else, I can see if Shamisen is still talking in this reality. Maybe cats can see ghosts. If so, Shamisen could be my one ticket out of here.

It's an idea, anyway. Better than just being a spectator around here.

I made a few stops on the way home. The Dream Cafe. The park bench where I was always meeting the elder Miss Asahina on Tanabata. The place where the SOS Brigade Band had their outdoor concert.

None of them were noticeably changed. I don't know what I was looking for, anyway. Maybe I was going by gut instinct. Maybe I just wanted to put off testing what might be my last hope.

I reached my front door at last and, unthinking, tried grasping the doorknob. My hand passed right through the door. It was undeniably disheartening to confirm that I really could move absolutely nothing in this world, that no matter what I did, it would have no effect. I was just an observer, a ghost from another world.

But at least it made getting inside easy. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and stepped forward. When I reopened my eyes, I was inside, as I expected, and nothing looked the least bit different.

I looked around the house room by room. No one was home but my mom, who was napping before work as usual. I tried to stir her, but as with everyone else, my hand just passed right through her shoulder, and all my words to her fell upon unhearing ears.

My own mother couldn't hear me. If I were the needy type, I'd be starting to feel depressed at this point.

Of more concern to me was Shamisen. I started peering under beds, in closets, and even in the tub, all the while calling Shamisen's name, and yes, all while having already confirmed that his food and water dishes and litter box were no longer in their usual spots. No soft-bellied male calicos came crawling out of the woodwork.

I was going to check my mom's room for a third time, only to promptly back out with a flush of mortification when it became obvious that she had woken up and was getting changed into her work clothes. Alright, it wasn't the first time I'd accidentally seen my mother in a state of undress. But I was now at the age where a guy has to be careful about when and where his sexual urges get triggered. My mom's figure definitely paled against any number of girls at North High, but there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks.

So, what had happened to Shamisen? I couldn't let myself panic here. Maybe he had been wiped out of existence, but it was more likely that he'd only "disappeared" in the same way as Haruhi did when Nagato changed the world. In other words, maybe one of the other members of the SOS Brigade had adopted him instead.

I already know where Haruhi and Nagato live, so I can check there, and if that comes up empty, I could try following Koizumi and Miss Asahina home from school to see where they live. Gah, I sound like a stalker. Alright, first things first...

I heard the front door open.

At first I thought it must be my sister, back from school. Then I heard my own voice, delivering the perfunctory announcement: "I'm home."

Oh, right. I guess without any SOS Brigade membership, and no friends other than Kunikida, there's nothing to stop me from racing home as soon as class is dismissed. What a pathetically empty life.

My mother came down the stairs in her work clothes, hitting about four steps a second. "Hello, Kyon. I've got to run, so you'll have to make yourself dinner, okay?"

Other-me sighed. "Mom, I keep telling you, I'm getting home in the afternoon now. You don't have to worry about dinner getting cold if you make it before you leave."

"Don't whine, dear." She brushed past him. "Why don't you get back together with that brigade club you were in?"

"None of them would make dinner for me."

Nagato would. Haruhi, too, if she thought it was necessary, and I think my resorting to microwaving whatever happened to be in my fridge at the moment would meet her definition of necessary. Koizumi would probably be willing, but I'd just as soon keep the image of Koizumi in an apron out of my head, please and thank you and have a very good day sir.

"I'm not asking you to make them your personal chefs." My mother was shooting me a stern glare. "You've been grouchy and sullen ever since you left that club. I don't like you wasting your afternoons sitting and playing video games."

"Fine. I'll join another club."

"Alright," she said, sounding unconvinced. And how could she not be? Other-me sounded like his sole interest in the world was getting his mother out the door. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

Other-me didn't answer her as she went out the door.

We both stood there stiffly, like cardboard cut-outs, until the sound of my mom's car had faded down the street.

Then Other-me took out his cell phone. "Asakura. Yeah, the coast is clear. My mom's at work, my dad's on a business trip, and my sister's over at a friend's house." Oh, no. Please, no. "Yeah, come on over."

Are you kidding me? You're actually going through with this? You're going to meet here alone with that psycho?

Okay, so I met with her alone in the classroom before I found out what she was, but... Damn, how is it that Haruhi always seems to know what I'm thinking?

I'm me, and I still can't figure out what this idiot is thinking.

Asakura showed up, oh, about 15 minutes later. I don't know; my phone still wasn't showing the right time, so I wasn't bothering to look at it. I was just sitting on my front lawn, freezing my butt off while waiting for Asakura. That sounds pretty pathetic, but it's not like I had anything better to do.

She was wearing her dark red coat and orange scarf, which looked very cozy right now. I was still stuck in this freezing weather with just my school uniform. Reason number 412 to hate Asakura's guts.

I stood up to block the front door. "Sorry, Asakura, but my parents have strict rules. No psychopaths in the house."

She walked right through me and knocked on my front door. Other-me answered it in two seconds.

Well, it had been worth a shot.

"Mmm, that was fast," Asakura said. "Eager, are you?"

"Just bored," Other-me answered. "Come on in."

They say life is full of unlimited possibilities, but I knew that there was absolutely no possibility that I was going to like what was going to go on here over the next hour or so. But like a mouse staring into the eyes of a snake, I was compelled to watch. I followed them up to my room.

They weren't talking. It was tempting to suggest that I had no more chemistry with Asakura in this universe than I did in the old one, but my brain warned me that that was giving Other-me too much credit. Ordinarily Asakura always kept the conversation going, even if no one else was feeling talkative.

Other-me sat down on my bed and studied the floor. Asakura closed the door behind her and took off her coat and scarf, revealing she had changed out of her school uniform into a light purple tank top with ruffles and a pair of low-riding pants. It was an alarmingly flirty outfit.

"That contest between the SOS Brigade and the Computer Club really has you upset, doesn't it," she said in a sympathetic tone.

Oh yeah, the computer contest. How did the SOS Brigade manage to lose that in this universe, anyway? The fact that I wasn't in the SOS Brigade shouldn't have made a difference. It was Nagato who won that battle, not me. Hell, I probably delayed our victory by debating ethics with her.

"It's stupid," Other-me said. "The whole time I was in that insane club, Suzumiya treated me and Miss Asahina like slaves. I was as patient with her as anyone could possibly be, I forgave her over and over again, and she just kept pushing me farther and farther until I finally couldn't just stand back and do nothing anymore. If I hadn't spoken out against her when I did, I'd be as damned as her. I gave her every chance I could, but she just wouldn't listen.

"And now, I feel guilty because I didn't stop the Computer Research Society from taking a computer from the SOS Brigade that was rightfully theirs to begin with." He sighed. "I'm being pretty ridiculous, aren't I? Or are you going to say I'm being unfair to Suzumiya and should support her?"

Asakura cocked her head. "No, you're right. Everything you've said is true."

"There's a 'but' coming, isn't there."

She presented a gentle smile. "You haven't done anything wrong. Maybe the reason you feel bad is because, in spite of everything, you feel sorry for Miss Suzumiya."

"That's ridiculous. Who could feel sorry for someone who has everything she wants except for a computer that she hardly got any use out of anyway?"

"But who doesn't have any friends," she added.

That was a pretty suspicious observation. If Other-me still didn't know Asakura was anything other than a normal human (and given that a little attempted murder wasn't coming between us in this universe, that seemed a pretty reasonable assumption), then from his perspective, she shouldn't have known that Nagato, Koizumi, and Miss Asahina weren't her friends. I mean, being in a club with someone doesn't make you friends, but it would be pretty unnatural to assume they weren't.

Other-me didn't seem to notice, though. He shot back: "She doesn't deserve to have any friends."

"And you feel sorry for her anyway. You're a compassionate person." Her smile brightened, as though she were complimenting that quality. Maybe she really was, but if so, it was a hollow compliment. Asakura didn't even understand compassion, so she sure couldn't have genuine admiration for it. "You just need to accept that you can't do anything about this situation. Miss Suzumiya has chosen this path for herself, and nothing you can do can make her turn away from it. You've tried already."

Good grief. Tell me I'm not buying that load of bull. How could anyone be so condescending as to feel sorry for Haruhi? Haruhi wouldn't admit she was in pain if she were being burned alive, and if she lost a bet and had to be Taniguchi's maid for the rest of her life, she still would say no one is in a position to feel sorry for her.

"You think Suzumiya's chosen to have no friends, huh?" Other-me said. "Well, I wonder."

"Believe me, I know her type. She'd rather just be left alone than bear the responsibility of having friends. And in any case," Asakura persisted. "...her having no friends is hardly your fault."

"Well, I can agree on that." He sighed. "You didn't just come over here to talk about Suzumiya, did you?"

She giggled. "As a matter of fact, there's been something on my mind. Do you remember what I said to you the first time we met after school?"

"Well, of course. You said that you really liked me and wanted us to start dating. If I ever forgot that, you'd have to give me the death penalty, right? Or something like that."

"I don't mean that. Before I confessed how I felt, there was a question I asked you."

"Oh, yeah... Something about, if you're dirt poor, isn't it better to try to change things than to let things keep going as they are? I didn't really get it, to be honest."

Uh oh. I remember that conversation. In my own universe, Asakura followed that question by trying to kill me. I guess in this version, as brought to us by Mishima and Sasaki, she asked me out instead. But why is she going over that again now?

"That's fine. You responded just as I hoped." She gave a playful wink. "And truthfully, things have been changed by our dating. They've become significantly more interesting. But they've fallen into a rut now."

"Well, I never claimed to be an exciting guy to go out with."

"It's not your fault. Any alteration of the status quo, no matter how radical, eventually becomes the new status quo. I just need to do something to change the status quo again."

She was talking about Haruhi. Like some sort of cosmic bully, Asakura wanted to provoke a reaction out of Haruhi. She tried to do that by killing me, and now she was saying she'd succeeded in doing it by dating me. But now she had grown bored of that, so she'd have to move on to...

Is this it? Does Asakura kill me now, with Nagato not around to stop it? Is that why I'm a ghost in this altered world? And why I was sent back in time to this day? Because in this version of events, I die on this day? No longer able to live as far as my second year at North High, left to be nothing but a memory?

If so, Other-me was oblivious to his doom. "Something to change the status quo again? Like what?" Then he glanced up. "Gyah! A-Asakura!"

His shock was understandable: Before both of our eyes, Asakura was lifting her tank top over her head, exposing her lacy bra underneath. "Please, dear Kyon," she said with a sweet vulnerability that would undoubtedly reduce any man to putty if he hadn't seen her with a bloody knife in her hands. "...call me Ryoko."

I am forced to confess, even knowing what I knew, I found it a struggle not to stare. Asakura clearly had a beautifully formed pair, and she was somehow projecting an air of alluring innocence, as though there were absolutely nothing wrong with her taking her shirt off in the presence of a guy her age. If Taniguchi were here now, he'd be positively catatonic.

Other-me had neither the sense to run from the psycho lady nor the suaveness to properly exploit the situation. "I... Damn it, what's going on?" he blurted out.

"Do I have to come right out and say it? Kyon, I..." She looked away bashfully. The gesture was so phony that I wanted to smack her upside the head, shapely breasts or no. "I want to take our relationship to the next step."

The very idea of reaching second base with Asakura was enough to make me nauseous, but Other-me looked more like he was going to start dripping sweat. "You mean... I... Don't you think it's a bit soon for that?"

"We've been going out for over six months. Don't you like me?" she pouted.

"It's not that..."

"I see," she cut him off before he could explain further. "You're just a little nervous. Don't worry... we'll take it slow, and help each other through it."

Without further ado, she reached behind her for the clasp of her bra.

I threw my hands up over my eyes, because no. Just no. It's not that I'm prudish. Hell, I could easily name a dozen girls who I'd be very happy to watch undress if they wanted to show me. But not Asakura. I would rather have my underwear stuffed with hot coals than have the first woman I ever see naked be Ryoko Asakura.

I heard a strangely familiar rush of air. I resisted the urge to peek and see what it was, but then I heard a familiar voice:

"Stop."

It was such a relief to hear Nagato's voice, I took my hands away from my eyes, forgetting the risk of what I might see. Fortunately, Asakura was no more naked than before, because Nagato had caught her wrist in an iron grip. For the first time in a while, I felt a burst of hope. Nagato could settle Asakura's hash in any reality.

"How very rude," Asakura was smiling at her. "I realize you are still having trouble grasping human social standards, but even you should know better than to intrude on a personal encounter like this one."

"Nagato, what the hell are you doing?" Other-me burst out. "You've just completely blown your cover in front of Asakura!"

Nagato didn't answer, so Asakura gave Other-me a flirty look over Nagato's shoulder. "Oh, I already know all about Miss Nagato. You see, I'm a humanoid interface, too."

"That's not something to joke about, Asakura."

"No joke. No one said 'humanoid interface' before me, did they?" She winked.

Other-me was staggered. "How can you say that, smiling like that?"

"Why not?" The smile disappeared, and she suddenly looked hurt. Her eyes melted into the blue orbs of a wounded innocent. "This doesn't change your feelings for me, does it?"

"Huh?" He looked pretty rattled by her reaction. The fact that she was still down to her bra probably didn't help matters. "No... that's not what I meant..."

"Leave," Nagato said to Asakura.

"Why should I?" She turned an offended look upon Nagato. "This is Kyon's house, and he invited me here."

"You are my backup. I do not permit you to have sexual relations with anyone connected to Haruhi Suzumiya."

"I won't be your backup for much longer, you know. Everyone is pleased with the effect my experiment on Kyon has been having. The consensus is rapidly changing in favor of my way of doing things."

Nagato held a steady stare, like the hero of a kung fu flick. Except I don't think there's ever been a kung fu hero who wore glasses.

"You have no concern over that? No reaction? You're just going to stand there like a mindless android? No wonder you object to sexual relations." She heaved a sigh. "Very well. Let me go, and I'll be on my way."

After a moment, Nagato's grip loosened. Looking perfectly solemn now, Asakura picked her shirt up off the floor and put it back on. Other-me just stood there, looking on with confusion and disbelief, as Asakura walked to the door.

As she brushed past him, she said softly, "See you tomorrow, Kyon. I'll explain everything then."

He nodded. The idiot still had no clue Asakura was bad news. Mishima must have altered me something fierce to make me that gullible and blind.

Nagato did her stiff walk, following after Asakura, but Other-me stepped in front of the doorway, blocking her way. She stopped and looked up at him. It wasn't the expectant look she used to give me, before the universe was altered, like she needed me to give her instructions. It was just a blank look, waiting without expecting or hoping for anything.

"What do you think gives you the right to barge into my house and interfere in my personal life?" he demanded.

Nagato looked back at him, still just waiting.

"Is it that boss of yours? The Information Whatever thing? He told you to bust in here and meddle with my relationship with Asakura, and you just did it?"

She saved you from getting intimate with a fully certifiable psychopath, you idiot.

"It is the duty of both myself and Ryoko Asakura to simply observe," Nagato answered. "Ryoko Asakura's actions with you are unnecessary and are aggravating Haruhi Suzumiya's condition. They cannot be permitted."

"Don't give me that. Suzumiya doesn't even know what Asakura and I are doing here, so how can it possibly make a difference to her?"

"Haruhi Suzumiya readily perceives your information, even when you do not share it with her."

She was right on the money there, much as that power of Haruhi's irked me. It wasn't enough to stop Other-me, though. "If you're so worried about Suzumiya's condition, why don't you try forcing me to rejoin the SOS Brigade? Or even ask me to?"

"I have no jurisdiction over your actions."

"I see." He looked down at her with new disgust. "The lives of us humans mean nothing to you. You're willing to let Suzumiya suffer through anything, without lifting a finger to help her, even if it means she'll destroy the universe. But if one of your fellow aliens breaks one of your precious rules, you'll do whatever it takes to stop her, no matter what the collateral damage. Like an input-output machine. Involvement from a humanoid interface leads to drastic action, everything else leads to you just standing and doing nothing.

"Even Asakura means nothing to you. All she wanted was to have some... some love in her life, some fun, but you couldn't even allow that. Because it's not in your instructions, right?

"Asakura was right." He stepped away from the door, not even glancing at Nagato as he went to sit at my desk. "You're no different from a mindless robot. I should never have played along with your stupid games."

That did it.

It wasn't even the last straw. More like a whole barnful of hay, coming on top of a whole bunch of idiocies. "You sanctimonious asshole!" I exploded at him. "What right do you think you have to talk to her like that? She's done more for humans, and suffered more, than you ever will! While you're having your fun with Asakura, Nagato is devoting her every waking moment to watching Haruhi and keeping you safe! If Asakura tried to kill you, she would have taken five spikes to her chest to protect you! She lived through the same summer vacation a hundred thousand times over just because it was her duty! She sat in that one little apartment for three years, just waiting for the time when she would have to fight to save you and Haruhi over and over again. Who the hell are you to cast judgment on her?"

It was so useless. He couldn't hear me. To him, I wasn't even real. But I wanted to throttle the ungrateful bastard.

"Damn it, if you don't look up in the next five seconds and apologize... to..." I faltered as I glanced in Nagato's direction. "...her?"

Now that I thought about it, there was no reason for Nagato to even still be in the room. But she was still there, standing in the doorway... and looking directly at me. Not at the asshole me of this reality. At me.

I realized that I was jumping to conclusions. She had to be looking at something else, something behind me. After all, I'd already confirmed earlier that Nagato couldn't see or hear me, just like everyone else.

But it was just too hard to shake the feeling, so I took two strides in a direction perpendicular to the one Nagato was looking in.

Her eyes followed me.

Heart pounding now, I stepped up to the bespectacled alien. "Nagato," I said. "Can you... see me? And hear me?"

Very faintly, she nodded.