- Chapter 8: Archeological Expedition -
I did have one serious concern about the groupings, but I couldn't voice it in front of everyone. I had to wait until the expedition was underway, then casually get close to Koizumi as we walked.
"Koizumi," I said. "What if Goro Mishima strikes at the tree climbing group? Both you and Nagato are with us."
"Don't be concerned. He would not risk harm coming to Miss Suzumiya."
"So anyone who's with Haruhi is completely safe? Why the hell didn't you say that before?"
"Hmm. I wouldn't say completely safe." He balanced himself as he negotiated the first step of the slope. "However, I think that given his vow to prove to you how untrustworthy I am, it is logical to conclude that he will strike at a group you are with."
"You're making my head hurt. Is it that he won't hit the group Haruhi is with, or that he will hit the group I'm with?"
He shook his head. "You're jumping to conclusions. I never said he would avoid the group Miss Suzumiya is with. I merely meant to reassure you that if he does target them, he will at least do nothing that might harm Miss Suzumiya."
"And you think I don't care what happens to Taniguchi, is that it?"
A knowing smile came over his face. "Merely that you care somewhat less about what happens to him than you do about what happens to Miss Suzumiya."
I really wanted to punch him now. "Let me set you straight. I don't want anyone on this trip hurt, not even that perverted turtle Yanami. Understand?"
"Understood." That smile most satisfyingly fell vanquished from his face, and he shrugged his shoulders. "Do not worry. If he is to strike this morning, it will be our group, and Miss Nagato and myself are prepared to fend him off."
I nodded. It did make sense that Mishima would go for my group.
"Okay, everyone! This looks like a good spot!"
That sounded like something Haruhi might say, but while Ishigaki might have given Haruhi a run for her money when it came to enthusiasm in that moment, she thankfully lacked her friend's authoritarian attitude. At the same time, it was reassuring that the person leading the expedition had some idea of what we were doing.
We had walked up a mound of rock the size of a large house that stood not far from the lake. "When Suzumiya invited me on this trip, she mentioned there are rocky areas like this. The chances of us actually finding anything are slim, but I thought while we're here it'd be fun to look."
"If nothing else, it has been a very pleasant hike," Koizumi agreed.
"Yeah, and I wouldn't be so sure about our chances," Tsuruya said, winking at me. "Kyon here is mega lucky at finding buried stuff."
She was referring to the rod-like artifact she dug up under my directions in the Valentine's Day aftermath. Fortunately, I knew I could trust Tsuruya not to actually blab about it to the others.
"Well, we'll see." Ishigaki pulled three flashlights out of her backpack, handed one to me and one to Tsuruya, and kept the last for herself. "We don't have sonar equipment, so we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way and look into any crevice we find. Just shine the flashlight in there, and if you see anything that looks like more than a cubby hole, let me know."
We silently broke up into groups. Nagato stood close to me, her stony face indicating quite clearly that she would not be moved away from me, and Yanami tagged along with her. Koizumi, possibly interested in getting to know more about a friend of the girl who held the world in her hands, partnered up with Ishigaki, while Misses Asahina and Tsuruya stuck together.
Needless to say, this was awkward for me. I would have liked to pair off with Miss Asahina, but she was avoiding eye contact with me, probably still upset about last night. And I certainly couldn't turn away Nagato, even if it meant having to tolerate the slimy little turd who Haruhi had declared to be under her divine protection.
The duos of Koizumi and Ishigaki and Asahina and Tsuruya looked relatively focused, but our little trio had no strong leader to set a direction for our search. We wandered towards an edge that had a drop of a couple meters. Yanami, looking lost in thought, headed right for it. I laid a hand on his shoulder to pull him back.
He jerked away from me, whirling around to stare at me with wide eyes.
"Easy," I remonstrated him. "Don't go breaking your neck."
He looked around, at last realizing his position, and nodded at me. Then he glanced to my right, where Nagato was standing, pointing at some location beyond him. Without a word, he turned away and moved on, looking in the direction Nagato indicated.
Great. Two mutes on my team. I mean, Nagato is great in so many ways, but even she could be improved by talking just a little more. Having to puzzle everything out can be exhausting sometimes.
I was about to move on myself when... a hand caught my sleeve.
That was very familiar. That same hand had caught my sleeve once before, when the universe was altered by Nagato. Her human incarnation had caught my sleeve as I attempted to leave her apartment. I'd been wanting to experience that once with the real Nagato.
This wasn't quite what I had in mind, though. Turning around, I saw a very concerned, even troubled expression in Nagato's eyes. "He fears you," she said. "Why?"
Oh boy. It looks like Nagato's grown sharper at reading human emotion. Of course, I could just tell her that Yanami is a jerk planning to defile her, and he's afraid I'm on to him... Aagh, but that would pretty clearly fall under Haruhi's "no meddling" rule, wouldn't it. Better play it vague.
"Well, ah, he and I had a little altercation yesterday. We didn't exchange blows or anything, but I'm much bigger than he is, so..." I shrugged. "I, uh, guess he feels a little intimidated."
It was a simple enough half-truth, but that steady look of concern in Nagato's eyes made me feel uneasy delivering it.
"I wish for you and Tetsuya Yanami to get along." She continued to stare at me, as though willing for me to make it happen.
"Um, well... The trouble with that is... I just don't like him, Nagato." I scratched the back of my neck. "I'm sorry, but I think the best me and him can do is live and let live."
"I see." Her eyes were now downcast. "You wish that I did not bring him."
"Whoa, hold on... I never said that. If he's your friend, and you like being around him, then..." I trailed off. I didn't want to go against Haruhi's advice, but I didn't want to argue in Yanami's favor, either.
Nagato was silent, her eyes still regretful.
I tried again: "Look, what I think about him doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
Why did I feel like such a creep here? Just because I didn't want Nagato getting lovey-dovey with Yanami? Or because I told her that I didn't like him? I didn't see anything wrong with either one.
"Look," I said, giving it one more try. "Why don't you ask Haruhi what she thinks of him? Her opinion matters a lot to you too, right?"
There was a faint nod. "...But her liking Tetsuya Yanami will not change the fact that you do not like him."
All right. I had given it a shot. If Nagato's relationship with Yanami ended because of this, I wasn't going to tear myself up over it. "Well, you can't send him home now, or Haruhi will get mad at us both. Just try to... er..." Her silence was gnawing at me. I needed to change the subject. "Hey. Are you keeping an eye out, or whatever, for Goro Mishima?"
Nod. "I am cognizant of all information within a 214 meter radius of this location. He is not nearby."
"Could he be going after Haruhi's group?"
"Possible." Pause. "But the Data Integration Thought Entity considers the risk acceptably miniscule."
"Your boss considers it acceptable, huh? What about you?"
She looked in what I'm pretty sure was the direction Haruhi's group were in. They were vague about where they were climbing. "...The probabilities I have calculated support my remaining with you in case Goro Mishima has set a trap for our group. Also, I personally wish to ensure that you and Tetsuya Yanami are safe. However..."
"Hey, everybody!" Ishigaki's voice cried out. "I've found something!"
The lot of us casually coalesced to where Ishigaki was squatting down. She was shining her flashlight into a crevice.
"The entrance is narrow, but if we move this rock aside we should have plenty of room to get in," she said, her tone analytical and focused. She waved the flashlight around a bit more. "It looks like it goes down about ten meters."
I took a peek with my own flashlight. "How are you planning to go down without going splat all over the rocks, then?"
"Don't you think I came prepared?" She pulled a rope out of her pack. "I just need a good sturdy rock to tie this to. Would the rest of you mind moving that rock while I'm working on that?"
For a few seconds we all just stood and watched her tug at various rocks to test their stability. "Whoa, hold on a minute. Bad idea."
"Huh?"
"What if you lose your grip while you're climbing down? What if the knot slips?"
She answered in a dismissive laugh, "I know what I'm doing."
Koizumi stepped forward. "I must agree with Kyon. This is much too dangerous. Imagine how Miss Suzumiya would feel if we allowed you to be hurt."
Miss Asahina raised her hand. "Um. I really don't think it's such a good idea, either."
Believe it or not, it wasn't until they both chimed in like that that it occurred to me that Ishigaki getting seriously hurt or killed on an SOS Brigade trip could be an "end of the world" scenario.
"Look, I'll admit this isn't professional climbing gear," Ishigaki said. "But I've never fallen off a rope in gym, and I don't plan to start now. If anyone thinks there's a chance of my knot slipping, go ahead and pull on the rope until you're satisfied that it won't."
"It's not only that," Koizumi countered. "There is no telling what animals are living in the cave. Poisonous spiders could be lurking in the shadows."
"I've got my flashlight," she pointed out. "And if you want to be a gentleman, I wouldn't mind you coming down with me to make sure I'm safe."
"I'm afraid that is -"
"I will go down first." That was Nagato, interrupting Koizumi, strangely enough.
"Miss Nagato?"
She was looking at the crevice. "I will make sure it is safe for Yui Ishigaki to proceed."
"Hey, not that I don't appreciate the effort, but I'm not looking for anyone to sacrifice themselves for me," Ishigaki protested.
Nagato looked away from the crevice. At me. In her eyes was a definite message of appeal.
I didn't understand why Nagato wanted to enable Ishigaki's little adventure, but I knew there had to be a good reason. "Nagato has gone exploring caves before, on a family vacation," I said. "She knows what she's doing."
"Still, I..." Ishigaki shook her head. "Okay, I guess I haven't actually gone into a real cave before. You can take the lead, Nagato. Just... don't check the whole thing out without me, okay?"
Tsuruya gave her flashlight to Nagato. After we got the opening cleared and the rope secured, Koizumi, Tsuruya, and myself took hold of the top part of the rope for backup. Nagato, with her usual stiff movements, lowered herself down the rope into the cave. I noticed Yanami biting his lip and squirming as he watched her descend.
"How is it down there?" Ishigaki called down after a minute.
"Safe," came back the answer, soft-spoken but echoing against the walls of the cavern.
"Alright, I'm going in." She eagerly grasped the rope and shimmied down so fast she might have won an Olympic medal for it.
"I'm going in after them," I told Koizumi and Tsuruya.
"Hmm." Koizumi smiled. "I wouldn't have thought this to be your sort of thing."
"It's not. I just want to make sure Nagato and Ishigaki are safe."
"Hey!" Tsuruya snapped. "Shouldn't you be more worried about Mikuru?"
"Huh? She'll be up here with you guys. She's not in any danger."
Tsuruya still looked discontented, but she didn't let go of the rope as I climbed down. Miss Asahina was still avoiding eye contact with me, but right as I lowered myself to the point where I could no longer see the others, I heard her call out, "Be careful, Kyon!"
That should have given my heart a burst of hope. But it felt like nothing had changed since the night before. If I even tried to think about getting a makeup kiss from Miss Asahina, all that came to mind was the image of Haruhi with her arms folded and a smug grin on her face.
Meanwhile, the rope fibers were cutting into my hands, and my arm muscles were positively screaming as I lowered myself down. I was beginning to believe that the human body was not designed for climbing. On the other hand, Ishigaki had no trouble with it, and she was human. So far as I knew.
As I reached bottom, I threw my flashlight's beam around a bit, and a dozen creeping things skittered for the shadows. "Gyah! Nagato, I thought you said it was safe down here!"
"Hey hey, calm down," Ishigaki said. "They're just a bunch of centipedes, spiders, and beetles. They shouldn't even come near you, and if they do, Nagato's confirmed none of them are poisonous."
"Great, so all I have to worry about is one crawling up my pant leg and biting me."
"Didn't I hear you say you were coming down here to protect us?"
"Just because I want to keep you two safe doesn't mean I can't be grossed out by things with fangs and a dozen spiny legs."
"Well, just try not to scream like that. You could have made me drop my flashlight." She started heading deeper into the cave. I followed. "Wow, this cave is bigger than I thought. Someone could live in here."
"Yeah..." I was starting to worry about that. Could this be Goro Mishima's trap? I didn't see how he could have anticipated us going in here, but it would explain Nagato's strange behavior.
"Hmm, what's..." Ishigaki gave a little gasp. "I think I found something!"
Oh, great. Either this is part of Goro Mishima's trap, or... Well, any which way, this has got to be bad news. "No kidding. What is it?"
"Well, unless I've got my weapons terminology mixed up, it's a tachi and a tantÅ, complete with their stand!"
"As in... swords?" I stepped forward and shone my flashlight to confirm what she was looking at. "Great. So we've probably found the hideout of a psycho killer."
"I don't think so. They seem really old. Looking at the design, these could be from as far back as the Heian period!"
I'll have to take your word on that. To me they just look long, sharp, and dangerous.
"Confirmed," Nagato said. "Late 11th century."
"Wow! Are you into archeology too, Nagato?"
She might have given an honest answer, so I cut in, "Look, even if they're centuries old, these are still deadly weapons. We should report them to the police."
"The police? That's silly. These are rare archeological finds! We need to report them to a museum. Oh, wow." She was waving the flashlight over them. "I'm going to be famous. Um. I mean, we're going to be famous."
Hopefully not as the first people to be killed by a pair of museum pieces in nine centuries.
"Hold my flashlight for a minute." She handed it off to me, took out her phone, and took a couple photos of the swords. That done, she turned her phone back into the portrait position and went into her contacts list.
"Calling the museum?"
She turned and smiled at me. "Even I don't have a museum of archeology in my contacts. I'm texting the photos to Suzumiya."
Her fingers tapped for a few more seconds. There was a pause.
I cleared my throat. "We should be climbing back up..."
Ishigaki's phone rang.
She answered it. "Hey! How goes it? I know! Aren't they incredible? I never really thought we'd find anything in a place like this, but I guess it just goes to show, you never know what you'll find when you look! This is just turning into the best trip ever! Which museum should I call? I was thinking the - Huh? Why?"
At this point, Ishigaki's chatter finally paused enough that I could make out what Haruhi's piercing voice was saying in reply. "Because if we have archeological teams and news crews swarming all over the place, we won't be able to do the fashion show rehearsal!"
"Well, I guess that's true, but what are we supposed to do with them until then?"
"Nothing! They've been doing fine on their own for nine centuries; another twenty-four hours won't ruin them. It'll be just the same as if you found them tomorrow morning."
"I guess. Well, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have found them in the first place, so I guess it's your call. Hnn? No, what?" She took a step back, looking a little uncomfortable as she took notice of my eavesdropping. "Really? That's great! No, I think that'd be a great way to unwind. We'll see you soon. Bye." She hung up, then looked up at me. "Suzumiya says -"
"I heard. If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't have believed it, but postponing a report of a major archeological find in favor of a high school fashion show rehearsal is just business as usual for Haruhi."
"Well, she does have a point or two. Anyway, it's her trip, so if nothing else we should humor her, right?"
It's always her trip. We're always humoring her.
"So, did you hear the other part too?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Onsens," Nagato said.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, that's right!" Ishigaki beamed. "While they were up a tree, Suzumiya's group spotted hot springs! Two of them! So there's one for the guys, and one for us girls!" She gave my arm a light slap. "Hey, didn't you say it would be great if we could bathe before the fashion show? What are the odds?" The grin looked about to burst on her face. "You and me both got our wish!"