Chapter 8

Well, that didn't go well. I made Asahina-san cry. If I weren't me right now, I'd beat myself up for such an evil act. I remember when I used to think that whoever would make Asahina-san cry would have to feel my wrath, the lone exception being Haruhi, of course. It never crossed my mind that I would cause her to cry.

No matter. There are more important things that I have to take care of at the moment. Like hiding my relationship with Nagato from Haruhi. I didn't forget though, that Haruhi was already suspecting me. As soon as I saw Haruhi's eyebrows rise when Nagato and I entered the clubroom, I made a mental note to call up Nagato as soon as I got home to try and do something about it while she isn't done with her plan yet.

So when I got home, I immediately called Nagato.

"Yo, Nagato, it's me."

"… Kyon."

"When we entered the clubroom this afternoon, I noticed that Haruhi was eyeing us strangely. I think she suspects. She also threw the idea out in the open earlier today, but she just laughed it off. But after seeing us enter the room together, she might already be suspecting us," I rattled off.

"I see. In that case, perhaps it is best that we do not contact each other until I am finished with the reprogramming of Haruhi Suzumiya's perception," replied Nagato.

"My thoughts exactly. I'm not saying that I want to do this, it's just that I think it's a necessary precaution that we have to do."

"Agreed. I also do not like this, but we must do it if we are to succeed in our plan," said Nagato.

"Okay. That's all good, I guess. Anyway, that's all I had to tell you Nagato. Tell me when you've succeeded with your plan, alright?" I said.

"Understood. Goodbye."

"Bye."

I dropped the call and I lay down on my bed. What a tiring day. The past two days have been so tiring because of all the events that happened. This even beats the time that Haruhi told me to pick up a heater from an electronics shop on the other side of town. Phew.

As if no one cared about my well-being, my little sister barged into my room, humming a tune to the words,

"Dinner time!~"

Dinner was another uneventful part of my day. I just spent the time eating and pondering on how far Nagato was in the execution of her plan. I hope she finishes soon, before Haruhi finds evidence of our relationship.

After dinner, I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and went to bed. Oh boy. I really have to get some sleep. At this rate, I'll be as worn out as my dad in three years.

Today is Thursday. It has been two days since Nagato told me how she felt. And even with all the complications this has brought upon us: the potential for Haruhi to go berserk, and Asahina-san crying, to name a few, I still felt quite nostalgic about this whole business. More than a year ago, she saved me from Asakura for the first time in my memory in that empty classroom. She admitted that even back then, she had begun to feel for me.

I smiled at the thought. I wonder how she's doing right now. I'm not supposed to contact her today, and I'm supposed to ignore her in the clubroom this afternoon. I climbed the steep hill going to North High in silence, thinking about how I would do just that.

All of a sudden, I remembered Asahina-san's reaction to her finding out about us yesterday. The memory filled my heart up with guilt. No matter. Today, I'll tell her that she still means a lot to me. Perhaps I could let her know that I'll make it up to her soon?

With all this in mind, I felt confident about going through school and the Brigade today.

After school had ended, I immediately proceeded to the clubroom, with Haruhi by my side, walking in silence. She had been like that all day: deep in thought. When I asked her if something was wrong, she only gave me a look that said, "Mind your own business."

We arrived at the clubroom in due time. Strangely, Haruhi didn't burst into the room as usual, so I took the opportunity to knock on the door to make sure that we wouldn't walk in on Asahina-san changing into her maid costume.

"Come in," a melancholic voice replied.

We opened the door, and I surveyed the clubroom. At the table, I saw Koizumi playing chess with himself once again, the chess tactics book beside him. He looked up at our arrival and greeted us:

"Good afternoon Suzumiya-san, Kyon," he gestured to each of us in quick succession.

Stop creeping me out Koizumi, we aren't at an annual company meeting held by investors.

"Sorry Kyon," he replied sheepishly. "Would you like to play chess with me?"

I decided to try to imitate his pattern of speech, just to irritate him.

"I must respectifully decline, Koizumi-kun," I said.

"As you wish," he said, without any trace of irritation.

I turned to the corner of the room and saw Nagato sitting by the window, reading a different novel from the one she was reading yesterday. I decided that at the very least, I should know what Nagato was reading. I focused on the book, and saw the title. Breaking Dawn. Strangely, the title fit our situation perfectly. It seemed that when Nagato confessed to me, or rather, informed me of her feelings, it was like I still had my whole life ahead of me with her. It was like us entering a whole new day at daybreak, ready to face anything that Fate decided to pit against us.

With the plan in mind, Nagato didn't even bother to look up at our entrance.

And then my eyes fell on the last person in the room. "Asahina-san, I'm sorry," was what I tried to convey to her with my facial expressions, but to no avail. She merely looked at Haruhi and said,

"S-Suzumiya-s-san. Would you like some tea?"

She then turned to face me. Her face flushed, and she immediately turned away from me. Damn, I gotta fix this somehow, or I'll never forgive myself. I wonder if I'll have the opportunity to at least apologize.. It had better be within the next two days, or else my friendship with her might permanently be ruined.

But then I remembered that the older Asahina-san and I were on perfectly good terms with each other. That means that somehow, somewhere along the way, the two of us made up. The thought gave me hope, and I smiled.

"What's so funny Kyon?" said Haruhi.

"Oh, so you've finally decided to speak?" I scornfully said. "Never mind, it's nothing."

Strangely, Haruhi just bought my crappy excuse for smiling. These melancholic stages of her mood swings can really cause her to go out of character, if you would excuse my terminology. If you ask me, she probably wouldn't last as a fan fiction character with all her out of character moments.

Haruhi then went to the computer, and started to play a game of Minesweeper. That's weird. Most bored people play Minesweeper. Since Haruhi is not most bored people, she does NOT play Minesweeper. With a feeling of impending doom, I got the feeling that, even though she said we'd be taking a break from club activities, she was planning something for today. She's just the type to manipulate things to suit her needs. After all, she even has the powers to do that to begin with.

Asahina-san began to serve her heavenly tea, but she didn't look at me when she placed my teacup on the table. Damn, I have to do this today or I might go mad! I need an opportunity, please! If any deity out there can hear me, give me the chance to apologize!

And then in a flash, a deity did seem to hear me.

"We've got something special for today! Let's have a spaghetti eating contest!" said Haruhi.

What the hell? A spaghetti eating contest? That's lame, even for you Haruhi.

"Shut up Kyon. This is a special eating contest, unlike any other. The participants will pair up, and eat out of a plate of spaghetti. The pair who almost kisses because they were chewing on the same strand of spaghetti the most times wins a special prize, straight from the Brigade Chief!" she declared.

Oh crap. Now drop the other heel Haruhi.

"So, here are the pairings. Koizumi-kun, you're paired with Mikuru-chan. Kyon, you go with Yuki," said Haruhi.

Oh crap indeed. Does she know what exactly is going on here?

"Hey Haruhi, what about you? Aren't you joining?" I pointedly said.

"Of course not! I'm the judge for this contest!"

And right on cue, I just had to check her armband. It now read "Super Special Awesome Spaghetti Eating Contest Judge."

Yare yare. How ridiculous. But, I guess that's Haruhi Suzumiya for you.

"Okay, someone will have to get the spaghetti from the cafeteria," said Haruhi. "Kyon, you—Nah. Uhm, Koizumi-kun, please get two plates of spaghetti from the cafeteria for our contest."

"At once, Suzumiya-san. But it would make things easier for us if you came along with me and carried the other plate," said Koizumi.

He then looked in my direction and winked at me. Ugh! Stop freaking me out Koizumi!

Strangely, Haruhi agreed as well. After all this time, Koizumi's ass-kissing must have paid off.

"Sure Koizumi-kun. To the cafeteria!" she shouted.

And just like that, they burst out of the clubroom, leaving me alone with Nagato and Asahina-san. I could feel the tension between me and Asahina-san in the air; it was so tangible that I felt as though I could reach out and touch it with my bare hands.

Somehow, I needed to catch her flatfooted so she would accept my apology. Something I had never done before ought to catch her attention. Instantly, I knew how to start my apology to her.

"M-Mikuru-chan," I said.

She gasped. I had never, ever called her by her first name before. Before she could respond, I said,

"May I please speak with you in private, outside?" I asked. "It'll only be for a short while, I promise. Nagato—" I called, unable to resist speaking to her "—we'll only be outside for a few minutes, alright?"

I didn't expect her to reply, but Nagato looked at me and nodded slightly. As for Asahina-san, she said,

"Okay, Kyon-kun."

So Asahina-san and I exited the clubroom, and I led her to a deserted classroom on the other side of the building.

"What is it Kyon-kun? Has Suzumiya-san done anything yet?" she asked.

"No, Asahina-san, it isn't anything like that. I just wanted t-to apologize to you," I stammered.

"For what?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"For springing this onto you all at once. But please do not worry about anything. I'm sorry because I love Nagato, but don't forget that you'll always be a special person to me as well. I will never ever forget you, Asahina-san, until the day I die," I solemnly declared.

I waited with bated breath for her reply, while she just stood there, looking like a doll.

"O-okay. I hope that doesn't happen anytime soon, Kyon-kun. Who knows what Suzumiya-san might do? I also wouldn't like it if you died," she replied. Then, she smiled, walked up to me, and hugged me.

"I'm sorry Asahina-san, but I'll make it up to you someday, I promise," I said while hugging her back.

"I know you will Kyon-kun," she whispered. She began to tear up, and my uniform's sleeve began to feel damp from her tears.

Who cares? As long as Asahina-san and I were on good speaking terms, my uniform's moisture content didn't matter in the slightest. The best part is, lustful thoughts involving her never crossed my mind anymore. That helped me settle into this whole thing with Nagato as well.

"I just want you to be happy," she added.

"Thank you, Mikuru-chan. Soon, I'll make it up to you. We could go out, if Nagato allows it."

"I'd like that," she whispered.

We stood there for a few minutes, then once we had composed ourselves, we then exited the classroom and proceeded back to the clubroom, chatting all the while about trivial things, such as the weather, what the good movies are lately, and what brand of tea she would brew next.

Thank goodness that's over. Now I just have to deal with Haruhi's silly eating contest, then I could call it a day.

A/N: I hope I properly wrote the part where Kyon apologized to Mikuru (hoping that they stayed in character).

Criticism is definitely welcome, and thank you in advance. :P