Disclaimer: I don't own either of the series.
I honestly don't know what possessed me to head out and meet with Suzumiya's club on a day off. On a Saturday, I'd usually still be asleep at nine in the morning. It's a bad habit I've had since I was little. I'd stay up late, then in the morning I wouldn't be up until noon.
I made it at the designated spot a good five minutes before everyone was supposed to be there. Oddly enough, it seems that I was not the last one. Suzumiya gave me a quick glare before I parked my bike by a closed bank. It didn't really matter.
It was closed.
Then, at nine on the dot, Nagato came running down the street. By the time she reached us, her face was flushed from exhaustion.
That's right. She's probably worried about the SOS Brigade, and not getting enough sleep for it. I've never wanted to tell off Suzumiya so bad, but the possible repercussions made me hold off. Right now, Nagato looked like she needed help standing up.
"Late. Penalty!"
She said this while looking at Nagato, a superior smirk placed firmly onto her face.
"What? But, I'm not late..."
"Doesn't matter if you weren't late. The last person here gets penalized. That's my rule."
"S-so, what's the penalty?" I swear to God...
Wait.
What the hell do I swear on? My eyes?
No. That's a bit arrogant.
"You have to buy everyone something to drink."
"I, don't have any money with me..." Nagato trailed off. She couldn't make eye contact with Suzumiya. Suzumiya looked ready to go off on a tirade, but I shook my head and put a few hundred yen into the palm of Nagato's hand. She looked up at me, eyes betraying wonder and gratitude.
"I-I can't take this, Miss Suzumiya said I have to pay for the-"
"It's okay; it's not much money. Don't worry about paying me back, either. I'm just doing this as a favor." I smiled at her then. She blushed and looked away. Suzumiya glared daggers at the two of us, and I saw from the look on their faces that Sempai and Koizumi were confused about something.
Of course.
How could I have been so stupid. If Nagato suddenly had a personality change and couldn't remember anything about her Data Integration Thought Entity, there'd be an inquisition. Koizumi made it entirely too clear that all three factions were in communication with one another. Questions would be asked, then...
I didn't want to think about it. Instead, I followed the group into a nearby café, where Suzumiya made some sort of outlandishly expensive order. Sighing, I handed Nagato more money, which she tried to refuse. I responded by putting my hands in my pockets. I wasn't taking any of it back.
I sipped at my drink (a simple Coke), while Suzumiya explained what was going to happen. We were going to split into two groups and search the city for...something. If we found something, we'd make contact with the other team via cell phone and continue the investigation.
Except we weren't investigating anything. The thought made my head hurt.
We drew lots to decide on the teams. In the end, it was Nagato, Koizumi, and Suzumiya on one team with Sempai and I on the other.
So, I basically got a free date. After some of the things I had done that week, it hardly seemed appropriate.
Suzumiya turned to us and explained in no simpler terms that this was not a date for either of us.
Sure. But I wasn't about to spend my time wandering around looking for nothing when I could take this grand opportunity to have a little fun with a pretty girl, of course.
We wandered out and split up, with one final warning that this was not a date. Rolling my eyes, I turned to Sempai.
"So? Sempai. Is there something you wanted to do today?"
"Um, not really. Didn't Miss Suzumiya want us to find something?" She asked all this with such a dear expression on her face. It warmed my heart.
"She did. But we have an alien, a time traveler, and an esper already." She giggled a little. "And unless you just want to run back and tell her, I don't think we have anything to report."
"I guess so." She suddenly had a pensive look. "Why don't we just walk for a while? You spent a lot of money paying for our drinks, Kyon."
"It wasn't too much." I neglected to mention the rather nice child support check that came in from the Tohno Mansion every month. If anything nice came about as a result of the car accident, it was that. The thought made me feel a little sick. "Seriously. If you want to do anything, I don't mind."
"Then, um..." She looked a little nervous. As long as she didn't want a car or something, I seriously didn't care what she asked for. "Can we go shopping for a while? I'm not going to buy too much, I promise!"
I quirked an eyebrow, inadvertently displacing my glasses. I readjusted them promptly. "No problem. Lead the way."
And so I was off to go shopping with the prettiest girl in school. Somehow, the situation made me feel nostalgic. The way Sempai was acting, it reminded me of a girl I knew at my old school. What was her name?
Everyone called her Sacchin. But that wasn't her real name. It was...
Sempai pulled me out of my daze. "That's such a pretty bag..." Her voice was barely above whisper. I turned to look at the bag she was eyeing in the store window. It was a quaint little thing, made of red leather. Unassuming, but very chic.
My personal opinion of a woman's purse made me feel uncomfortable.
"Sure. How much is it?" My voice startled her out of her thoughts. She refuted me, saying that she didn't really need the bag. That I didn't have to buy it for her. I laughed and strode off into the store.
I came face to face with various older women curiously staring at the teenage boy in their shop. I started to sweat a little, but I strode right up to the counter and bought the bag. I walked out amidst piercing eyes.
"Here you go." I handed it to her and her eyes lit up in joy. She jumped up and hugged me, much to consternation of several of our classmates that happened to pass by. I gave a nervous smile and waved back. If nothing else, this would be difficult to explain away.
Suzumiya didn't like it when we spent time together. What would happen if that irritation manifested in a more physical form? I shuddered.
About two hours later I was loaded down with all sorts of trinkets that happened to catch Sempai's eye. I figured that not being able to buy a lunch for one day wouldn't really kill me. Good things have to come to an end though.
My cell phone rang, and Suzumiya demanded that we be back at the meeting spot by noon. I checked my watch. That was in about ten minutes, and we were roughly a mile away. I told her as such, but she would have none of it. Suzumiya hung up, and I looked at Sempai with what I guess was a resigned expression on my face.
"I'm sorry Kyon. I-I'll pay for our lunch, don't worry!" She added the last part rather hastily. We both walked rather briskly to the station that was our meeting spot. If anyone could ruin a peaceful mood, it was Suzumiya.
"Results?" Ten minutes late. Not too bad, I guess.
"We didn't find anything."
"Were you even looking? Are you sure you weren't off playing?" I wondered if she could turn her anger into a physically oppressive force. If she could, my eyes would surely be no match.
Sempai shook her head, but I barely noticed. Instead, I turned my gaze towards Nagato, who looked rather exhausted. She noticed that I was looking at her, and ducked her head down. A blush settled over her face, and I approached her.
"Hey, Nagato. Did you guys find anything?" I said that with a touch of humor. Of course they hadn't.
"A-actually, we did." My eyes widened. What?
"Really?"
"We found these women fighting in an alley. One of them was dressed up in a white sweater with a lavender skirt while the other was wearing a nun habit."
White sweater...lavender skirt...?
"As we made to approach, they just jumped backwards and then they were gone." She looked down. "I-I know it sounds unbelievable, but-"
"It's alright Nagato. I believe you." A smile spread across her face and I felt the sudden desire to take her into my arms right there. I settled for smiling back.
"Hey! You two!" Suzumiya ruined our moment in an instant. I turned my eyes towards her, only to be reminded of the impossibility that lay just beyond the lenses of my glasses. Her apparent perfection was a paradox unto itself.
What is a being that can only die at certain times, under certain conditions? What-
"We're eating here. This is a good place." Her voice broke me out of my reverie. She looked expectantly at me. I glared back and made my way towards the counter to order. From what I remembered hearing, it was three number ones, a salad for Sempai, and a chicken sandwich for Nagato.
Eventually, our order was called and Nagato arose from her seat to assist me.
It was nice. She was nice. But whenever I thought that the change was for the better, I saw the desperate face of the first Nagato Yuki staring into my cursed eyes in terror right before I ended her life with a few waves of my arm. No matter how much warmer the human Nagato was in comparison, she was a constant reminder of how much I had fallen.
We returned to the table with the trays in hand. The meal was anything but peaceful with the boisterous voice of Suzumiya spouting her so called grand design along with Koizumi agreeing with her like any typical yes-man.
"Kyon! Hey, Kyon!"
I looked up from my meal, clearly irritated. "What?"
"I asked you what you thought about what we found!"
"The two girls fighting?" I pondered the situation for a while. The description that Nagato had given me of the first woman was strikingly similar to the foreigner that I had encountered a few nights ago. However, I could not make a judgment based on clothes and didn't really want Suzumiya tracking her down.
The nun, however, was entirely new. I had no idea what a nun would be doing fighting in an alley with a foreigner. I had no idea what a nun would be doing fighting period.
"They were probably just having some sort of disagreement. You know how it is."
The word for her new expression was 'indignation.' "They disappeared into nowhere!"
I grimaced. Something inside me was telling me that this was the wrong path to pursue. That following those two women any further was going to lead to danger. My skull pounded, and I knew that I had to convince Suzumiya against going after any leads. "N-no, you're probably mistaken. There was probably a door or something in the alley that you didn't see. Maybe they just left the other way, and you didn't notice."
"What do you take me for Kyon?! I know what I saw." She 'harumphed' and crossed her arms.
"And even if you were right, it's absolutely none of your business. Those two women were having a disagreement. They left via mysterious transport. That's great. But it doesn't mean it has something to do with you." She looked as if she had been slapped.
Mission accomplished?...
From the look on Sempai and Koizumi's faces, it seems that I had done something wrong. I felt a familiar energy surging around Suzumiya, and I whipped my glasses off and onto the table. The lines of everyone eating in the restaurant filled my vision and my head threatened to split apart. There were points everywhere, and trying to block them out of my mind only marginally helped. I forced myself to look up at Suzumiya.
She was a welcome sight. Nothing marred her features. The black spokes that radiated from her were a marked contrast to her perfection.
Why...why wasn't she making her move? It was getting hard to breathe. I caught glimpses of everyone's faces. They appeared concerned. I was being too blatant. But I had to, I couldn't let myself be--
There. A line lashed out at me and I sliced it by imitating the motion of covering my eyes. I opened a single eye and saw faint lines begging to appear on Suzumiya, which meant she wouldn't be able to pull a trick like that again any time soon. She looked somewhat winded.
"G-glasses..." I managed to wheeze that out, though I wasn't going to be able to stay conscious much longer. Nagato gingerly placed my glasses on my face. I took a few deep breaths. In that moment, I took a look around the table.
Everyone's expression told a different story. Suzumiya wasn't even paying attention to me. She was too preoccupied with what I assumed was a very unnatural sensation for someone like her.
Koizumi looked worried, but I sensed some suspicion there too. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the anemia medicine that I had been taking for the past few years. I popped a pill; his eyes widened and the suspicion was gone.
Sempai looked at me with simple worry. I smiled weakly in response.
As for Nagato...
She was clinging onto my sleeve for dear life. Her head was rested on the side of my arm, and I could feel some tears beginning to build up there. I raised her head with a hand and looked her in the eyes. She choked back some tears.
"I-I was just worried, I thought-!"
"It's alright. Just a mild anemia attack. I've had it for about five years now. I'm fine." I said that to reassure her. The moment was yet another symbol of just how different this Nagato was. Reluctantly, she removed herself from my arm. She still looked distressed.
I was just glad that Suzumiya didn't seem to be paying attention. There would be hell to pay otherwise. It seems that Sempai and Koizumi had thought the same, for they had moved to obscure Nagato and I from her vision.
Were Koizumi less blatantly two-faced, he'd make a great friend.
Suzumiya tried to put up a front. "Well, in light of recent events I believe we should cut this meeting short. This is my decree." She seemed to stagnate for a second. "SOS Brigade, DISMISSED!"
I happily left her there alone. I was surprised to find that Nagato was apparently following me.
"Do you want something Nagato?"
She stared at me for a good long while. After what was probably a minute, I became uncomfortable with the situation. Having pretty girls stare at you was usually a good thing, but when you had killed that pretty girl once before...
Suddenly, she was in my arms and I had no idea how she had got there. We stayed like that for a while, with me just holding her. It took me some time to figure out why, but it came to me.
In a world where you couldn't remember anything about yourself, who would you turn to?
Naturally, the first person to help you. I was Nagato's support. Her knight with devil eyes. She was depending on me to keep her safe and happy. I was supposed to be a pillar of unwavering strength, but my anemia kept me anything but.
I pulled her out to arm's length and looked her in the eye. "Why are you crying?"
"Shik-Tohno, I-"
"Shiki. If you want to call me that, I'm fine with it, remember?"
"S-shiki, I thought you were..." She closed her eyes. I took her glasses off and wiped away some tears. I noticed something odd about the lenses.
Nonprescription. They neither helped nor hinder her eyesight. Similar to mine, without the magic powers. I looked at her while she gazed back up at me curiously.
"You look cuter without glasses."
She looked up at me incredulously before blushing and turning her head. I laughed and handed her glasses back.
It pleased me to note that rather than putting them back on she stuffed them in her pocket.
"My aunt's making dinner right now. Do you want to come over?"
Her eyes widened. A look of pure joy danced across her face and she nodded without skipping a beat. Wordlessly, we walked towards my home. I knew then. I knew what she wanted. Why she was so keen on coming to my house rather than returning to her apartment.
She didn't want to be alone.
Perhaps it would've been better if we had just gone over to her apartment for dinner. It was hard to be lonely with Miyako buzzing around you, but that didn't make it a very pleasant experience.
I noticed, though, that Nagato seemed to be happy. My little sister peppered her with questions, and she answered them all without skipping a beat.
"You're really pretty."
"T-thank you."
"Kyon has good taste."
Nagato immediately turned away so that I couldn't see her face. I decided to ignore the comment.
"My name is Shiki, Miyako."
"I know that Kyon." She giggled and skipped out of the room to go help with dinner. I followed her moving form exasperated.
I turned to Nagato, desperate for comprehensible dialogue. "She's a bit of a pain sometimes."
She giggled softly into her hand, which as far as I'm concerned was a rare sight. "I thought she was nice."
"I suppose so."
We continued like that until my aunt called us for dinner. She looked up from the table and caught sight of Nagato. Her mouth made a small 'o.'
"And who's your friend, Shiki?"
Nagato bowed low in what I thought was excessive respect. "Nagato Yuki, ma'am."
"You know Yuki, you're the first person that Shiki's brought over since Arihiko still lived around here." She smiled fondly at the thought of my first friend. "It's nice to see that he's still making friends."
Nagato shot a surreptitious glance at me but I met her eyes before she could turn away. I smiled. She blushed and smiled back.
Then, I saw the face of a girl about to die. The moment was ruined. I turned back to the dinner table before she could see the look of horror on my face.
What in the world was I doing? Here was a girl who I had killed. Who I had saw fit to set my eyes of death upon. Whose entire life was cut away from her by a homicidal madman with a knife and some special eyes.
I pushed the thought away, trying to focus instead on the progress that Nagato was making. Everyday, she seemed more and more comfortable with herself. If I could not bring the old her back to life, then I could nurture this new Nagato Yuki as best as I could.
This Nagato Yuki, who is a human being.
This Nagato Yuki, who is capable of emotions.
This Nagato Yuki, who is my friend.
Dinner was amiable, if not embarrassing. My aunt quickly got the wrong impression of our relationship, and it was mistake that neither Nagato or I was suited to fixing. Miyako backed up my aunt, and began to speak of marriage before I clamped a hand over her mouth. Poor Nagato was entirely red.
The next day at school I was faced with a peculiar letter signed by one Asahina Mikuru. It read, "I'll be waiting in the clubroom during lunch."
Confusion wracked my brain as I wondered why Sempai couldn't just talk to me in the cafeteria. Embarrassment, maybe? Was I that much of an eyesore to the crowd she hung out with?
I dismissed the thought. Sempai was not so malicious.
I opened the door to the clubroom. There was Sempai alright.
Except taller.
And bustier.
"So you're Sempai's sister, right?"
"What? No, Kyon, think!"
Sempai. Time travel.
Duh, Tohno.
"Look, I'll prove it to you!" And she began unbuttoning her blouse. It was a hypnotizing sight and I couldn't tear my eyes away. I was staring so intensely I was afraid that my glasses might fail under the strain.
Disappointingly, she stopped after the second button. Then, she thrust her cleavage at me.
"Look. I have a star-shaped mole here, right? It isn't fake. Want to touch it to make sure?"
A tempting proposition, but it wasn't something I would be willing to do to the Sempai that I knew.
"Do you believe me now?"
Unfortunately, I've never studied Sempai's body long enough to learn of minute details like that.
"Oh...I see, so it?...Ah!" She seemed panicked. Her face turned red in an instant. "I made a mistake! Forget what I just showed you!"
"That...would be difficult. Sempai, please button up your shirt."
She did so.
"Does the Sempai of today know you're here?"
"No, I didn't know at the time. And she is my past.
"Anyway, I'm sorry but I don't have much time. Do you know about Snow White?"
I briefly recalled the fairly tale in my head. It was quite the uplifting story. I vaguely remember reading it to Akiha and my first friend. I smiled remembering how they'd argue over who was Snow White. More often than not, it was my friend, because her eyes were-
Ba-dum.
My head began to pound. Why couldn't I remember?
I looked up at Sempai, who had a worried look on her face. "It's nothing. Yeah, I know about Snow White."
The worry didn't leave her face. "Kyon, if you're feeling bad maybe I should-"
"No, it's okay. Get what you need to say out."
"Okay, I'll finish quick then. Just remember, one day you'll be in a harrowing situation with Miss Suzumiya. When that happens, you must remember the story of Snow White." Her face was downcast. "I can't tell you anymore, Kyon. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Sempai. Snow White, and something dangerous happening with Suzumiya. That's great. That narrows things down a lot."
"Kyon, when the situation happens, Miss Suzumiya won't be against it. But for me, you, and everyone else it will mean terrible things."
"I've got it." Honestly, I still didn't understand how Snow White was relevant to what sounded like such a disaster.
"Well then Kyon, I'll-"
"Wait. I have a question." A thought suddenly gripped me and refused to let go. "You're calling me Kyon, now. Does that mean that Sempai will never stop calling me Kyon?"
She giggled. "Ha ha, well, she isn't aware that your name is Shiki. Maybe you should tell her to call you that."
"It'd be futile. You're still calling me Kyon and you knew my name before I told you."
"You're right, aren't you? Well, I'll see you later then, Kyon."
She opened the door to leave. Standing right there was Nagato, grasping a paper bag with an anxious expression on her face. She caught sight of Sempai and the look quickly turned to one of confusion. "Shiki, is this?-"
"I'm Asahina Mikuru's cousin, Asahina Keiko. It's nice to meet you." She bowed low. Crafty.
"It's nice to meet you too. I-I'm Nagato Yuki, ma'am." Nagato bowed even lower. I needed to teach her the difference between respect and total obedience one of these days.
"So, Nagato here calls you Shiki, Kyon?" She looked back at me with an amused expression on her face. A look that I've never seen on Sempai. "Glad to see nothing's diverging."
She moved past Nagato and closed the door behind her. What did she mean by that? A multitude of questions swirled within me, but I knew there would be no point in going after her. I looked at Nagato, who was staring at me with a quizzical look.
"I wish I could tell you what happened, Nagato, but it's something private about Sempai." I said this and regretted it to a point. I really didn't want to lie to this girl anymore. But I knew that the future Sempai wanted me to keep things secret. "Sorry."
"It's okay Shiki." She sat down and I saw that she had two paper bags rather than one. "I wanted to see if you would eat lunch with me." Her voice became quieter and quieter until I could hardly hear her. I smiled and accepted the bag lunch she was offering to me.
"Thanks. Of course I will. You want to eat here in the clubroom, right?"
"Y-yes."
"Alright then." I opened up the bag to reveal a great looking bento. I broke the chopsticks and dug in. It was utterly delicious.
"Nagato, you are probably the best cook I have ever known in my life. This is the best meal I've ever had."
"Y-you flatter me." She tried to play it off, but she stuttered too much.
I knew then. That this truly was not the Nagato that I had killed but a new entity born of her remains. One that was not a slave to a higher power, who could transcend the artificial boundaries placed upon her by the so-called Data Integration Thought Entity.
I had not really killed Nagato.
I had freed her.
Those connections were shackles binding her to the Data Entity, and when I cut them her human self was allowed to shine through.
There wasn't anything I could do about Asakura. I wasn't sure what I had done, but by the end she was lying in pieces. She was dead, and I would be forever sorry about it. I would never forgive myself for killing her.
"You knew Asakura Ryouko, right Nagato?" I asked this uncertainly. Would she remember her?
"...Yes." She said this with some regret. Were they friends? The thought only served to poison the taste of Nagato's cooking. "She lived next door to me. She used to cook for me sometimes. It's too bad that she moved away." She ducked her head down.
"What was she like, Nagato?"
"She was always happy, smiling. Never looked down on anyone. There was always light in her eyes. She always listened to me. Ryouko really cared."
I was the scum of the earth for tearing this girl away from her only friend. If I had only exercised some restraint, then the two of them could be laughing and eating in the cafeteria instead of Nagato coming to here to eat with me, growing depressed.
"...I'm sorry, Nagato."
She looked up at me with questioning eyes. "Why?"
"That Asakura is gone."
"That...that isn't your fault."
I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell. I wanted to break something. I wanted to take my glasses off and destroy this clubroom.
But for her sake, I didn't. I remained strong.
I stood up and walked around to her side. She looked up at me before I caught her in an embrace, causing her to give a little yelp. I didn't let go for a long time.
"They said she moved to Canada! Canada! Does that even make sense?!"
"Considering Canada exists, yes." If Canada is a euphemism for hell, the more cynical part of my mind thought. More and more, I felt myself slipping. As if I wasn't me, and the me within me was struggling to get out.
Does that makes sense?
"Then I asked for her contact information. Said I wanted to stay in touch."
"Suzumiya, I don't remember you ever speaking to her."
She ignored me and plowed on. "And guess what? They didn't even have that! Isn't that strange, Kyon?"
"Not really." I lowered my glasses a little to watch for an incoming attack. It never came.
"Since I was there, I asked for Asakura's old address. We'll go check it out after school. We might learn something."
I made a noncommittal grunting sound. I didn't really want to be reminded of Asakura. If Nagato was asked to participate, I'm not sure how she'd react...
"You're coming with me!"
"Why?"
"And you call yourself a member of the SOS Brigade?" She screamed it so loud I'm sure everyone in the building heard it.
I looked at her coldly. I don't think she wanted me to answer that.
"After school, then." I waved her off and made for my next class.
Nagato was waiting for me when I returned to the clubroom after school. I was sure she didn't want to be part of any of Suzumiya's snooping.
And besides. She lived next door anyway.
I honestly didn't want her sitting alone in this clubroom for more than she could help, though. While the original Nagato had no problem doing nothing but reading books, I wasn't so sure if the same hobby extended to this one.
And sure enough, she was just waiting there, reading a book on physics with her mouth set in a little pout. One of us would really have to go out and expand the clubroom's library. It lacked any sort of entertaining fiction.
"Yo." Nagato looked up, a little smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile back, despite how angry I was at Suzumiya. "Nagato, Suzumiya wants to go 'investigate' why Asakura moved."
Her face fell. Was this subject taboo for her? I didn't want to make her uncomfortable if I could help it.
"She just wants me to come, I think, but are you interested too?" I said this as gently as I could. I wanted Nagato to know that she had a choice here. That just because I was asking her, she didn't need to come along with me. It was cute how complacent she was where I was concerned, but I didn't think it was healthy.
"Um..." She looked down. The problem with a human being having all the normal memories of Nagato Yuki was that they probably weren't particularly social memories. It was only natural that she didn't have the sort of easy confidence that an alien would among lesser beings. "I'm worried about Asakura too, actually. She didn't even tell me..."
There's a good reason for that.
I pushed the voice out of my head. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that I had no idea how I had killed Asakura. One moment she's charging at me with a knife, and the next she's lying on the floor in pieces. The same with Nagato. Death threat, then we're suddenly in a desert. A brief memory of tracing those lines. Then, we're back in the classroom and she's completely normal.
My legs really hurt the day after. I'm still not sure why.
"So, you want to come with us?" She looked up at me and nodded. No room for arguing then.
Sempai and Koizumi hadn't arrived yet. I picked up a marker and wrote "SOS Brigade Self Activity Day -Haruhi" on a spare flyer and stuck in on the door. The incident had nothing to do with them.
It had nothing to do with Suzumiya either, I thought.
We met Suzumiya at the school's front gates. She turned to look, an angry expression dominating her face, before she caught sight of Nagato walking close to my side. She rounded on her.
"What are you doing here?" The way she said it was too forceful, and Nagato flinched. She ducked her head, refusing to meet Suzumiya's tempered gaze. "You know, I think I was wrong about you."
We both looked at her, the same question on both of our tongues. I lowered my glasses. Sure enough, the lines surrounding her were restless. I softly pushed Nagato behind me. "What do you mean, Suzumiya?"
"I mean that I let Yuki stay in the SOS Brigade because she had a role to play." I stared harder. Lines began to criss-cross her body, and I started to feel a little weak. "She was the the cute, silent girl. But I think I was wrong about her. She's just a shy girl. A dime a dozen."
My blood boiled. The lines became a stark darkness against Suzumiya's skin. My skull pounded. My blood rushed. My breathing was heavy and labored.
I should kill her. I should kill her for what she's saying.
Yes. That's right.
No, I need to think this through rationally. I can't just kill her, as if her life didn't matter.
Of course you can. Because it doesn't matter. And Yuki will appreciate you all the more for it.
She doesn't want that. She doesn't want any people to die. I have an obligation to protect her.
And you're failing. That bitch Suzumiya is insulting her. The only way you can end this is by killing her.
N-no. I can resolve this peacefully.
Do you want to see what happens when you cut all those lines around Suzumiya? Here, let me show you-
I hurriedly pushed my glasses back up. Nagato and Suzumiya were looking at me. Suzumiya was looking at me indifferently. She didn't think I mattered. Nagato, however, was holding on to my sleeve again. I shot her a smile.
"S-sorry. Just my anemia again." The lie didn't make me feel better, but it seemed to reassure Nagato, who was holding on to my sleeve less tightly. She didn't let go.
"Alright, alright, whatever! We'll continue this conversation tomorrow!" Suzumiya said this in a huff. "For now, we're going to Asakura's apartment. Hurry up!" And she was running down the street.
I walked the unfamiliar route to Nagato's apartment. She walked ahead of us and punched in the code to open the gate. Suzumiya gave her a questioning glance. "I live here."
That placated her, and we continued in towards Asakura's room. I began to sweat. My head throbbed painfully. What right did I have to do this? Any of this?
We stopped in front of room 505. The nameplate was missing, meaning no one lived here. Suzumiya jiggled the knob, and I wasn't surprised to see that it didn't open. I had a thought then. Something outrageous.
A mere whim. I lowered my glasses.
While the other two weren't looking, I slipped out my knife and stabbed the lock mechanism's point. Because I had killed the 'existence' of the lock, the rest of the door appeared to stay the same. I replaced my knife. No one needed to know that I had that.
I reached out to the doorknob and pulled it open. Within was a perfectly empty room. There was no sign that it had been lived in at all. It seemed that Nagato and Suzumiya had gone on without me. They didn't notice I had left. That was good.
I sneaked in, trying not to trip some sort of security system. I checked all the rooms. It was perfectly identical to Nagato's apartment without any furniture. I sighed. There was nothing here at all.
I met back up with them, the excuse of 'bathroom' sliding easily from my tongue. Lying was becoming more and more natural to me. It made me want to hurl.
Suzumiya had interrogated the manager, learning a few of the circumstances around Asakura's move to Canada. The manager hadn't seen any movers, but I knew that was natural. I didn't see the need to enlighten Suzumiya, though my conscience said otherwise when I thought of Nagato's crying face. Asakura had moved to the apartment three years ago. That didn't really tell me anything. And apparently, Asakura had paid with a large sum of cash without needing a loan. So she was rich.
What does any of that have to do with you, Suzumiya?
They exchanged goodbyes. The manager rounded on me. "Lad. That young lady will definitely grow up to be a beauty. Don't let her get away."
Then Nagato sidled up to me and grasped my sleeve. The manager drank in the scene before laughing heartily and turning away. I didn't need to hear any more.
Nagato and I followed Suzumiya as she walked to nowhere. We were just getting farther and farther away from home. "Suzumiya, where are we going?"
"Doesn't matter."
She stopped so suddenly Nagato and I nearly bumped into her.
"Say, have you ever realized how insignificant your existence is on this planet?"
Was that supposed to be some sort of insult?
"I have. It's something I'll never forget."
Her face eerily reminded of the Nagato of before. The thought that she had returned made me squirm uncomfortably.
"During elementary school when I was in sixth grade, the whole family went to watch a baseball game at the stadium. I wasn't particularly interested in baseball, but I was shocked once we got there. There were people everywhere I looked. The ones on the other side of the stadium looked like squirming grains of rice packed together. I wondered if every last person in Japan had gathered in this place. And so, I asked my dad. Exactly how many people were in the stadium? His answer was that a sold-out game meant around fifty thousand people. After the game, the path to the station was flooded with people. The sight stunned me. So many people around me, yet they only made up a fraction of the people in Japan. Once I got home, I got a calculator and did the math. We learned that the Japanese population was a hundred million and some in social studies. Divide fifty thousand into that and you only get one two-thousandth. I was stunned again. Not only was I just one little person in that sea of people in that stadium, but that sea of people was merely a drop in the ocean. I had thought myself to be a special person up until that point. I enjoyed being with my family, and most of all, I thought that my class in my school had the most interesting people in the world. But that was when I realized it wasn't like that. The things that happened in what I believed to be the most enjoyable class in the world could be found happening in any school in Japan. Everyone in Japan would find them to be ordinary occurrences. Once I realized this, I suddenly found that my surroundings were beginning to lose their color. Brush my teeth and go to sleep at night. Wake up and eat breakfast in the morning. People do those everywhere. When I realized that everyone did all these things on a daily basis, everything started to feel so boring. And if there were so many people in the world, there had to be someone living an interesting life that wasn't ordinary. I was sure of it. Why wasn't that person me? That's all I could think about until I graduated from elementary school. And in the process, I realized something. Nothing fun will happen if you sit around waiting. So I figured I would change myself in middle school. Let the world know that I wasn't a girl content with sitting around and waiting. And I conducted myself accordingly. But in the end, nothing ever happened. Before I knew it, I was in high school. I thought something would have changed."
By the time she was finished, she was out of breath. Nagato seemed to be considering her words thoughtfully, but I was too angry to really ponder them. What Suzumiya had just said were the words of a high school girl who thought herself perhaps a cut above the rest. One who could judge others as boring and inconsequential. Visions of my Sensei flooded through my head, and I could hear words long since memorized coming back in a new light. In an instant, I was emboldened by the ideals of the one I saw fit to call 'teacher.'
"You're wrong."
Suzumiya looked at me with a disbelieving look on her face. Her brow twitched. She was angry.
"People aren't all the same! We're all living beings. Do you think of everything in such black and white?!" I was one a tirade now. Even Nagato seemed slightly scared. "NO ONE is insignificant. NO ONE is fit to be dismissed as nothing, as a dime a dozen." Nagato perked up slightly at this. Good. I was angry but I didn't want her to be frightened.
"Every emotion you feel, every thing that you think- that's YOUR thought! YOUR feeling!" My glasses slipped, and I found myself face to face with a fragile world ready to split at any moment. "Every living thing has the potential to influence the lives of all others! We are many, but that doesn't mean that we are insignificant. That does not mean we are replaceable.
"It doesn't matter that we do similar things. As people, we are entirely unique. Perhaps, no, yes, we are all similar. But do you consider yourself insignificant?!" I rounded on her. She flinched, frightened. "Right now, there's probably someone else who wants what you want. To be special. To be different. To see something extraordinary, and maybe live it out.
"Do you know who that is?"
"N-no."
"That's everybody. Everyone thinks they're special somehow, and they're right. They're special because they're here. Because they're alive." I threw an arm into the sky. "And you desire even more? Be thankful for what you have.
"Because at any given time, someone can take it all away from you."
I turned to walk home. Surprisingly, Nagato came after me, clutching onto my sleeve in that light way that she did. "Shiki..."
"I'm okay, Nagato. She just said something really stupid." I smiled at her. "Do you want to come over for dinner again? I don't really want to leave you here."
"Y-yes." She blushed, but didn't look away. Our eyes met, and stayed locked. "Thank you, Shiki."
I felt good. I felt like I had gotten through to Suzumiya.
I didn't realize what I had set into motion. Just exactly what it is I did.
When Nagato and I had finally made it to my house, we found Koizumi waiting for me outside. She seemed confused, and to tell the truth so was I. There were no more matters to be discussed, where there?
He shot a questioning look at Nagato, who simply cowered somewhat and moved a little behind me. Koizumi shrugged his shoulders and smiled like we had been friends for ten years.
It was so fake I wanted to hit him.
"Hello. I'm not entirely sure what Nagato is doing with you, but I came here to show you something."
"She's here to eat dinner." I said that plainly, with no room for argument.
Koizumi looked at me incredulously. His mouth was somewhat ajar, and his usual facade was completely gone. Then, he laughed long and hard. It was disconcerting.
"So, that's the game that the Data Integration Thought Entity is playing, huh?" I felt my chest constrict. There was no game. The Data Integration Thought Entity wasn't even a factor in her life anymore. It seemed that Koizumi didn't realize this. "Miss Nagato, you and I both know how dangerous this course of action is. Cease at once."
"W-what are you talking about?" Nagato looked up at him fearfully, while Koizumi kept that terrible grin on his face.
"Completely reprogrammed, I see. No matter." He gave a 'casual' shrug of his shoulders. "At the very least, take some precautions to make sure that Miss Suzumiya does not become too angry, won't you, Kyon?"
I decided to ignore him completely. "What is it you wanted, Koizumi?"
"Oh, yes. Could I have a bit of your time? There's somewhere I want to take you."
"Suzumiya, right?"
"Indeed."
"It'll have to wait. Nagato came all the way here to have some dinner and I don't want to disappoint her."
Koizumi's eyes hardened. "This isn't a game, Kyon. You know very well what Suzumiya is capable of. You're just a normal human being. There are things you must be made aware of in order to do your job."
"Normal human being, huh?" I lowered my glasses and took a look at the death worming its way through Koizumi's body. The red point in his chest seemed to glow. "I guess I am. And like a normal human being, I'm going to go inside my home right now and eat with my friend."
A hand wrapped around my forearm roughly. "Kyon. I am prepared to take you there by force if need be."
Koizumi's hand flew towards my neck in what I recognized to be an attack meant to disable, not kill. Dozens of suppressed techniques flooded my head. He was far too slow, and I managed to bend over backwards and place my foot onto his chest. His continued momentum meant that he had already done half the work, and he went soaring over my head. His body hit the sidewalk with a sickening crunch.
He got up and, to my horror, smiled. His face spoke of mild hysteria. Judging from the way it was twisted, his left arm was broken. "You've surprised me yet again, Kyon. Your anemia and lack of background in martial arts should have made it impossible for you to do that." He looked up at the sky.
"Koizumi. I'm sorry for that, but leave me alone. Suzumiya can wait." I said this while the familiar feeling of guilt was already making its way towards my mind. This incident was a slip-up. Something I never should have done. "Look, I'll go call the hospital, and-"
He raised a hand to silence me. "It's okay, Kyon. Go on and have dinner with-" He paused. "-Miss Nagato. I can attend to my own wounds." He hobbled down the street. Nagato watched all this silently.
I don't want to drag her back into that world. It doesn't suit her.
We walked into my home. Miyako jumped up and hugged Nagato. Nagato bent down and patted her head. My aunt greeted her and told us that dinner would be ready in a minute.
I wished that it could always be like this.
The next day, I found Nagato waiting for me as I began my trek to school. I couldn't say that I was too surprised. After all, she didn't live too far away. The thought that she would come over here just to spend some time with me in the morning filled me with a genuine happiness.
We talked about anything but the SOS Brigade on our way to school. I found that it was good to get your mind off Suzumiya's machinations as much as possible in order to remain sane. Unfortunately, talking with Nagato led my mind to thought after thought until they rested firmly on the joyful face of Asakura Ryouko.
Dissociating the two was extremely difficult.
Nonetheless, it was enjoyable. I wouldn't mind doing it more often. Then, someone clapped me on the shoulder, with the familiar exclamation of "Hey, Tohno!"
I looked up to find a tall guy with orange hair looming over me. His shirt was ruffled up, and it seems that he had gotten earrings since I had last seen him.
"Yo, Arihiko." His face fell comically.
"Yo, it's been like months since we've seen each other! That all you got to say?"
"Pretty much, yeah. I thought you had moved away?"
"My 'rents sent me over here to live with my cousin for a while." He quirked an eyebrow. "Actually, that's similar to your arrangement Tohno."
"I've been living with the Arimas for years, Arihiko. My little cousin considers me her big brother now, and I'm pretty sure my aunt considers herself my mother." I took a breath. "It's more like being adopted, really."
"I see." He turned to look at Nagato. "Tohno! And who is this vision of beauty?"
Nagato bowed low. "Nagato Yuki."
"That's a beautiful name." Nagato looked a little uncomfortable. Arihiko never was one to be subtle. "Tohno, you going out with her?"
I considered my words. "Um, no, not really."
"Then, Miss Nagato. How would you like to go out with me this weekend?"
Nagato looked up at me. As if she was asking me if she could go.
'No' almost jumped out of my mouth. I rolled with it by faking a cough.
Sure. Why not. She could do what she wanted, it was her life-
I was cut off in mid-thought. She was grasping my sleeve again, with her head resting on my chest. What did she mean when she did this? I'm wasn't sure. I rubbed her back to console her, since she seemed obviously distressed at Arihiko's attentions.
"Ah, Tohno you bastard." He looked at me with teasing distaste in his expression. "You've done it again. They can't keep their hands off you."
I frowned at him. "I don't know what you're talking about Arihiko." Nagato had removed herself from me, though she kept that ever present light grip on my sleeve.
If this was her way of rejecting potential suitors, it was entirely too cruel.
"It's obvious that the gorgeous Miss Nagato is completely in love with you." I opened my mouth to object, but no sound would come out. "I can't come in between such a beautiful relationship."
"Arihiko, go to school."
He grinned. "Maybe some other time. I'm going to hit the pachinko parlors. You want to come with?"
I smiled. He never changes. "You know I never come with you."
"You're so uptight Tohno." He turned in the direction of a shadier part of town. "Later, then."
I watched his retreating form. It was good that Arihiko was back. He was another reminder that yes.
If I want to, I can live a normal life without aliens, time travelers, or espers.
"An interesting person." Nagato said offhandedly.
I just smile at her.
Throughout the day, I got the impression that Suzumiya was trying to ignore me.
And to be honest, that suited me just fine. I reflected a bit. This year would be much less nerve-wracking had I not been put into a class with Suzumiya.
If I had never met Asakura Ryouko, or Nagato Yuki.
But, to an extent I'm thankful. I'm thankful that I got to meet people like Nagato and Sempai. I wasn't sure if it was worth it, but I wasn't regretting the situation.
The bell rang. I met up with Nagato and we made our way to the Literary Club clubroom. Suzumiya awaited us, her face silently telling me to shut up before I had even said anything. We sat down in our respective spots and I calmly watched Sempai make tea.
It really was delicious.
"Shiki."
Nagato called out for me with my name, a blessed recluse from a world in which everyone called me 'Kyon.' "Yeah, Nagato?"
She trembled a little then held out a plastic bag to me. I accepted it with a 'thank you' and she turned completely red. I opened it to reveal a book. It wasn't particularly thick, and the flavor text seemed to hint that it was quite entertaining.
"This is great. I've been looking for something to do in my spare time."
"If you have time to read books then you have time to help the SOS Brigade!" Suzumiya blurted that out rather unexpectedly. Everyone in the room turned to look at her, and she averted her gaze.
It's funny. I would never have pegged her for one willing to back down.
We turned back to whatever it was we were doing. I looked up at Koizumi. His arm was in a cast, but his ever-present smile did not waver.
"Koizumi."
"Mm?"
"Do you want to play Othello?"
"Sounds fabulous."
And we went and played Othello. I don't know why we had gathered that day. There was really no point. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened recently, and Suzumiya didn't seem to have the drive to find anything of interest.
It was the empty facade of a normal life. Here were Koizumi and I, playing board games and acting like best friends as if I hadn't broken his arm but a day ago. There was Suzumiya, surfing the Internet on a computer of unexplained origin.
Sempai, tidying up the room.
Nagato, who had given me a present out of the blue like an old friend.
I lowered my glasses. The lines of death snaked through the room, and rather than getting fearful, I got contemplative. Why exactly hadn't I done anything yet to stop all this? It would be a simple matter of severing all of Suzumiya's lines. I had eventually figured out, from remembering some of Asakura's comments, that they were the representation of Suzumiya's connection to the world.
If I cut them, she'd just be a normal human being, like what had happened to Nagato.
But I hesitated. For Nagato, the lines were just shackles binding her as a slave to a higher being.
What were they for Suzumiya? The risks were too high. I wasn't fit to play with human lives.
I lied awake in bed that night, thinking about some of the things I had said to Suzumiya a few days before.
I actually felt pretty bad. I knew what it felt like to have your views completely ignored, seeing as that is what she basically did to me.
Then, a thought occurred to me. I had not refuted someone who had simple ideals.
Rather, I had refuted someone who could make their ideals a reality by order of a mere whim. Someone who could bend reality to their preference.
Someone who could make it so no other perceptions matter.
I took off my glasses just in time to see countless lines engulfing the world that I knew...
"...Kyon."
Someone was slapping my cheek, trying to get me awake. I groaned. How annoying.
"Wake up."
My body hurt all over. What in the world happened?
"I told you to wake your ass up!"
A pair of hands began to strangle the life out of me. My head hit a hard surface.
I jumped up, and dropped into a ready stance before seeing that it was only Suzumiya. I calmed down and tried to relax my aching body.
"Finally awake?"
I nodded an affirmative. I looked down. I was wearing my blazer. I could feel the familiar weight of the Nanatsu-yoru in my pocket.
"Kyon, why are we here?"
You should be telling me that. "I don't know. Why are we at school, Suzumiya?"
"I wouldn't have asked you if I knew!"
"Never mind that, now. Let's just get out of the school. We might run in to someone we know."
"You don't seem very surprised."
I didn't dignify that with an answer. I couldn't stop wondering where we really were.
Gray skies. A barren world lacking a moon.
Did she create this? Was this what she wanted? Sempai's future self had hinted heavily at it.
We kept walking until we suddenly hit something. I could feel an invisible wall refusing us access to the outside world.
"Wha-? What the hell is this?!" Suzumiya pounded on the invisible wall while I lowered my glasses. Sure enough, there were a number of lines I could cut to break it.
"Back up." She looked at me questioningly, but did as she was told. I put my glasses in my pocket and pulled out my knife. I opened it with a deft flick of my wrist. Suzumiya jumped back in surprise.
"Kyon, what the hell do you have a knife for?!" She asked me this as if having a pocket knife was the most scandalous thing in the world. It didn't really matter. I was in bed when this happened. If I manage to fix things, we'll probably just end up back in the real world. She'll assume this was all a dream, and there won't be any awkward questions about my eyes.
I brought my arm down in a quick arc, tracing the longest line on the invisible wall. At first, nothing happened. Then, the wall turned opaque. Cracks formed on it like a spider web, and it soundlessly shattered into thousands of pieces.
The barrier had fallen. We were free to go through.
I looked back at Suzumiya. She didn't look surprised at all now. In fact, she looked absolutely delighted. "Kyon, what was that?"
"Don't ask." I manage to pass those words through my lips though the air seemed to be getting thinner. My skull was pounding. I thought I would eventually get used to using my eyes, but it only seemed to be tougher on my body every time. "It was nothing. C'mon, let's go find someone."
She grabbed onto my arm. Didn't she realize what a serious situation this was? We were locked in some strange, gray world. Then, I broke something with a knife and suddenly she's ecstatic. If she didn't keep the danger at the forefront of her mind, I don't think we'd ever get back.
Suzumiya looked up at me with bright eyes. "Kyon, you lied to me didn't you? You really are something else!" Her mouth was set in a small grin. If she was like this all the time I would honestly have no problem with her.
"Not really. I just broke the wall with a knife. It was made of glass or something."
"But you just slashed at it. Then, bam. Suddenly it all broke!"
"What's your point-"
I was cut off by the arrival of a large, blue giant. It was an incandescent being that seemed to be made entirely of blue light. It ignored us completely, opting to smash the surrounding buildings instead. My muscles tensed. I could see points and lines on it, but it was so large...
"What is that? Some kind of alien?" She sounded like a kid in a candy store. I don't make a lot of requests, but then I just wanted her to shut up.
The blue thing seemed to stare at us. Or rather, it seemed to look right at me. Did it consider me a threat?
"I don't think it wants to hurt us, Kyon. I don't think it's evil. Just a guess."
As if to mock her, it swung a fist in our general direction. I swept Suzumiya into my arms and ran as fast as I could. It smashed the street corner we were standing at. I watched in awe as pavement and drainpipes flew into the air.
I set her upon the ground. She looked breathless, for some reason. "Stay right here. I'll take care of this."
She looked up at me and gave me a brilliant smile. Was this what she wanted? Did she want me to save her?
This time, I had no choice but to grant that wish.
I ran along the wall of a building right before the giant smashed into it, jumping into the air and landing on a nearby lamppost. All the major lines were too high up to attack on the ground. I would need to scale the beast.
My body was burning, but it didn't feel bad. For once in my life, I was in perfect control of myself. I was only working to save Suzumiya, without any outside interference.
This world seemed to be enhancing my natural physical abilities by severalfold. Something had been cut loose from me.
As if I had been restrained by an archaic support for years, and suddenly it was taken away. As if pure energy was running through my body, compensating for my years of weakness.
I felt the corners of my mouth turn upwards. In Suzumiya's ideal world, I was in perfect health.
The giant raised a hand to attack me, and I exploded from the wall of the building, torquing my body to fly further up, eventually grabbing hold of its thumb. In an instant, I flipped myself up and severed the digit without even thinking. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I ran along its arm, slicing along the lines while deftly avoiding the assault the giant was providing with the other arm.
I was at the shoulder, then. As the arm fell to the ground, the giant roared soundlessly in pain and clutched at the wound with its one hand.
This was my opportunity.
I jumped onto his other arm, employing the same technique as before to cripple it. Only this time, he couldn't retaliate. The remainder of his arm suddenly convulsed and I was thrown up into the air. Panic suddenly surged through me. I needed to find a way to end this during free-fall, or the giant would smash me into the ground.
I concentrated hard with my eyes. In this world, there was no strain. I had perfect control, as if it was death who was frightened of me rather than the other way around.
There.
A singular point made itself known to me on the top of the giant's head. This was its 'existence.' I threw the Nanatsu-yoru down as hard as I could.
It disappeared into its head.
The giant seemed to scream in agony and I caught the edge of a tall building as it tumbled to the ground, no longer having the means to live.
My fingers couldn't keep their grip. Did Suzumiya actually want me to die now? My question was apparently answered as I slipped and fell from five stories up.
No.
Some unknown force took hold of my arm, and in the instant before I impacted the street I stabbed its point of 'existence,' the small explosion buffeting me non-lethally onto solid earth.
I just sat there for a while, panting. My eyesight was so blurry I couldn't make anything out in front of me. I wiped the blood away and forced myself to stand. My knees gave out and I stopped trying.
Was that it? After my victory, did Suzumiya stop compensating for my weakness? I noticed lines from seemingly nowhere reaching out to me during the fight, carrying the vague aura of Suzumiya. One support had been removed for another, and now I was left with none at all.
Suzumiya was still here, and she was the only one who could fix all of this.
"Kyon, that was amazing!" She looked upon my fragile form as if I was some sort of superhero who had saved her from a dastardly villain. My burning eyes gave me the opposite impression of myself.
"Bring...bring us back..." I gasped that out in spite of my lungs feeling as if they were about to collapse.
"But, why Kyon? Why would you want to go back to that boring world? I'm having fun right now."
Fun? FUN?
"The...SOS Brigade. What about them?"
"That doesn't matter anymore. After all, this is too fun. We don't need to look for anything mysterious now." From the look on her face you'd never be able to tell I was probably critically injured.
Snow White...
An image of Nagato's joyful face entered my mind and refused to leave. No. I wouldn't.
I shakily got onto my feet. Three blue giants were zeroing in our position, and I didn't think I could take them out in this state. I grasped my knife firmly in my hand.
"What is it?"
"Shut up. Shut up, and look at the world around you!"
She gazed upon the hellish wasteland. The pale imitation of the real world, complete with violent perversions of the human form. "I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I think it'll all work out in the end."
I shook my head furiously. "What about our friends, Suzumiya? What about Sempai, and Koizumi, and Nagato?"
"I'm sure we'll see them here later..."
"NO! I want to see our friends! I want to see the people that I got to know. Not your perception of our friends!
"I want to see Sempai laughing and making tea in the clubroom!"
I focused harder than I've ever focused in my life. My vision left me, save for the lines of death that I so hated.
The lines of death that governed this world.
"I want to see Koizumi and that damn smile of his!"
I cut the lines that foretold this world's death faster than Suzumiya's eyes could see. I was perfectly focused. I slashed until a vortex began to swirl in response. I could hear the earth itself begin to break apart. I could hear magma roar beneath my feet. I could hear Suzumiya's world cry out for respite, but I wouldn't listen to the whims of a false god.
My life was fading fast. I lashed out against the restricting shackle that was my body. I could feel something within me burn out, reducing my total thoughts one by one as if I was being forcibly erased.
"And as for Nagato."
Time seemed to stop as I gazed into the empty void. There, I could see the final point.
The point which marked the 'existence' of this world.
"I just really want to see her again."
I pierced the point.
Everything went white.
"This is a most unusual turn of events."
"How did he do it?"
"I do not know. The mirror world created by Suzumiya Haruhi simply ceased to exist."
"That is indeed quite troubling."
"That's all nice and well, you two..." I smirked. They turned to look at me. They had probably thought that I wasn't awake yet. "But it isn't nice to talk about someone when they're right there."
"Tohno Shiki." They knew that name. How grand. "You have been judged by the Burial Agency to be a blight upon this world. Pray now, for the Powers that Be have judged it time for your execution."
I took a better look at them. One was entirely cloaked in some sort of robe. I noticed with a smile the priest collar around his neck. He moved forward and unclasped my feet. The other one was a woman. Probably French. She was dressed in a nun habit, though she grasped short swords in each hand.
"Oi." I said this casually. "You. The chick. We're still in my town, aren't we?"
"How did you-"
"A few of my friends spotted you a while back ago. You're not much of a secret society." I yawned. "Anyway, be a sport and let me go. It'll be better for you in the long run."
The girl looked absolutely indignant. I had to hold back a bark of laughter. "How dare you! You can't even move your hands."
"What's your point?"
And then I did a backflip and kicked her in the jaw. She went flying and I grinned as the man charged at me with one of those short swords. I didn't move, instead choosing to block with my bindings.
Crack.
I flicked my knife out and cut every line of death on his body. Stupid, stupid guy. Should have just let me go.
I would've just stabbed a point then. No need to suffer.
I turned to the girl, who was nursing her chin and looking at the remains of her partner in shock. "Tha-that was-"
"Some retard who thought that metal doesn't break when faced with magical swords." I gave her a heart winning smile. "Now, be a good girl and tell me the way out of here. I promise you'll have a quick death."
"Death?" She looked at me incredulously. As if the concept of dying was some sort of great joke to her. Then she laughed. She laughed so hard I was almost worried she was going to die before I could take a crack at her. "I can't die."
"Feisty." A grin ran its way along my face. I loved the ones that thought they were immortal. It was so satisfying to see the looks on their faces when their arms came off. "Babe, come over here and let me cut your jugular. We'll see who can't die then."
Her eyes hardened. No more fun times? Alright then.
"So, what's your name?"
"Executioner Ciel."
"Shame, that isn't nearly as ubiquitous as Mother Theresa."
I killed about a dozen of those short swords thrown at my head. I noticed that she was running along the walls, which would usually be impressive.
If I weren't so much better at it.
I joined her on the wall, smiling amiably. "Great day for a run, eh?"
"SHUT UP!"
I flipped off the wall on its point. It fell apart in a shower of gravel, with Ciel still on it. I made my way towards her, making sure to lean back a bit more.
Women love a confident man.
"You can't die, eh?" I fingered the edge of the blade my dad left me. "I know about this really great industry you'd make a killing in. It's called snuff, and-"
She charged out from beneath the gravel and assaulted me with assorted punches and kicks. I dodged each one with no problem, bobbing and weaving as her limbs flailed at me in what I considered to be slow motion. Time itself seemed to bend to my will. Everyone's so slow nowadays.
I blame television.
"Well, you're a great girl and all but this isn't working out." A punch flew over my head. "I think it's time to cut you loose."
And with that, I suddenly dropped down and cut the line dividing her legs from her upper body. It all hit the floor with a wet 'squelch.' Tears were streaming down her face.
"Tell me, has that ever happened before? No? How about this?" I severed both her arms. She didn't really need them, anyway. I taught her that lesson like five minutes ago.
"T-tohno Shiki-"
"Nanaya Shiki. Christ, woman-" I looked down at her head and torso. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're Christian right? That was uncalled for. Ha ha ha." I kicked her head so hard that her upper body went flying into the wall. Her scream was like delicious candy. Blood practically covered the room, though I noticed with great satisfaction that none of it had landed upon me.
"Anyway, you haven't been able to die 'til now because nobody's really shown you what it is to kill."
I extended my arms out in a grand gesture. "Allow me to demonstrate."
I plunged my knife into her left breast, where her largest point was. She looked up at me in disbelief before her eyes went completely blank. Her body parts began to fade away. Curious. She had taken longer than usual to disappear.
I went up to the door and sliced the lock in half. I strode out, eagerly anticipating what was waiting for me upstairs.
I opened my eyes. The familiar sound of my alarm clock had pulled me from my slumber, and for that I forever hated it. I groped around for my glasses then placed them on my face. I looked down at my hands.
"Ah!"
They were stained crimson. My eyes darted around the room. Keeping noise to a minimum, I sneaked my way into the bathroom down the hall. I washed my hands, and the red washed away as if it were never there at all.
It was easily chalked up to Suzumiya's dream world. I didn't think it was blood. Blood didn't dry that shade of red.
Not the kind you're used to, at least.
What was that? I thought I heard a faint whisper on the wind.
But I was indoors, and regardless it was a perfect day outside.
My head hurt. Did I really want to go to school? Thoughts of the previous night ran through my mind. I could not dismiss that as a dream. Even if Suzumiya would, I knew that those events had actually happened. That the world as I knew it was that close to destruction.
And ironically, I saved it.
I always thought that my eyes were a curse. I've never thought of them in terms such as 'gift' and 'blessing,' but I began to rethink my position.
No.
No matter what, it was still wrong to kill. That world of Suzumiya's wouldn't have been the same, but it would have been a unique world with unique people.
Was it okay to keep her paradise from coming to fruition?
I thought of Nagato, and it felt as if a burden in my heart had been lifted. Yes. It was okay, if it meant keeping Nagato from being hurt anymore.
I returned to my room and threw on the clothes that I had been wearing last night at Suzumiya's whim. They showed no signs of the damage they had sustained being thrown about and torn by gravel.
I always felt that this uniform wasn't right. I wanted one of those gakuran back, like I used to have at my old school. They felt right. I wasn't sure what brought about that train of thought, but I thought of myself in a blazer side to side with my younger self in a gakuran.
It was difficult to reconcile the images. The latter was just so much more natural.
I opened the drawer that I had been keeping the Nanatsu-yoru in. I knew my aunt would not mind, for I was old enough to responsibly carry a blade. Yet, I could not bring myself to show her it. I thought about why I had been taking it to school every day. Did I expect another situation to arise where I would need it?
I couldn't lie to myself. Yes. I did.
It was a familiar weight sitting in my pocket. I wasn't sure whether the familiarity was a good thing or a bad thing. Nonetheless, I collected all my other effects and picked up my bag.
Time to get the day started.
"I finished Hyperion."
Nagato looked up at me, clearly confused. "What?"
"Hyperion. You lent it to me a while back when we first met, remember? Thanks. I liked it."
I didn't want to stress Nagato over something she couldn't remember, but the book was a constant reminder of how I had treated her back when I had first met her. It was a great tale, but I needed it out of my room if I wanted to have some piece of mind.
"Oh...oh yes, I remember now. I was wondering where that went." She smiled and took the book from me. "Thank you." She put it back in the clubroom's bookshelf.
"You lent it to me. I should be thanking you." Actually I should be on my knees begging for your forgiveness but for the sake of your blood pressure I won't.
I saw something out of the corner of my eye and reacted immediately. I pulled my glasses from my face and took the ruler lying on the clubroom's table. With two easy swings, the lines heading towards Nagato and I ceased to exist and I judged it safe to replace my glasses.
That was when I noticed Nagato looking at me strangely. Then, I realized what I had done and went white. We stared at each other for what could have been the entire lunch break. Her eyes were widened. She opened her mouth to speak first.
"Do, you, um, take martial arts Shiki?" She asked this hesitantly. I didn't blame her, for I must have looked quite the fool swinging at the air with a ruler like that.
Vague memories of my early childhood surfaced and I actually remembered having some sort of martial arts instruction. It wouldn't be a lie to respond in the affirmative, right? "Um, I used to. Martial discipline and all that. Thought I saw something."
Silence again. Then, she started giggling, softly at first, before it became a full blown laugh and she was clutching her stomach with tears in her eyes. The sight nearly gave me a seizure. Against my will, I began to laugh too. Soon, we were clutching onto each other for dear life, trying to make the humor somehow go away.
The door opened, and Koizumi strode in before freezing in his tracks at the sight of us hanging on to each other and laughing like maniacs. For his sake, we stopped and just smiled at each other, completely out of breath. Her faced was flushed and she closed a single eye cutely as I wiped her tears away.
This was totally worth destroying a universe for.
"Am...am I interrupting something?" Koizumi looked dumbstruck. As if the sight before him was completely impossible. "Kyon, what are you-"
"No, no it's okay." I beckoned him in. "What do you need?"
"Well..." He looked down at his broken arm, trying to keep the smile on his face. I got the message instantly. "Regardless, I must be grateful to you."
"For what, Koizumi?"
"The world remains unchanged. Miss Suzumiya is still here. You've done well."
He paused. I knew he wasn't finished yet.
"I cannot, however, advocate your relationship with Miss Nagato. It is something that the Agency as a whole believes to be foolhardy."
Nagato looked confused, but spoke up anyway. "Koizumi, Shiki and I aren't-"
"Your face is red and it appears that you are on a first name basis with him, Miss Nagato." His eyes sharpened and I saw hints of the personality he was so adamant Suzumiya would detest. "Do not deny the agenda of your-"
"Koizumi. Your business is with me, not her."
"Incorrect, Kyon. This a matter between the Agency and the entirety of the Data Integration Thought Entity." Koizumi was utterly serious. "Miss Nagato here is the proxy by which we'll communicate."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." Nagato averted her eyes and stared at a spot on the ground. She was frightened.
"Absurd." Koizumi rounded upon her. "Even with reprogramming, an Interface is incapable breaking ties with the Thought Entity. For it is that which makes them what they are."
An image of my knife came to me, along with a grinning face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
"Kyon, Miss Suzumiya relies on you as the one person she wished to be with in her new world. You cannot break this trust. She cannot be allowed to see you with another woman, lest this entire incident repeat. Except this time, you may not be given forewarning."
"I'm not involved with Suzumiya that way." I thought of the impossible stunts I had performed back in Suzumiya's world in my attempt to escape. I chalked it up to her design.
"Really, now?" Koizumi's plastic grin was back, but there was an element of genuine mockery lying somewhere in the subtext of his words. "I am aware of the task you had to perform to succeed in convincing Suzumiya to shatter that world Kyon. I am aware of 'Snow White.'"
I stifled a gasp. Sempai and Koizumi were under the impression that I had kissed Suzumiya in order to escape that world. They did not know of my eyes, and were not there to see what had actually happened.
That meant that future Sempai had informed Koizumi of the 'Snow White' clue. Which meant that the only reason that she had known about it in the first place was because Koizumi had told the present Sempai, who would grow up and tell me. It was misinformation in the form of a time paradox.
My secret was being kept because of a time paradox.
I tried to ignore that as best as I could. "Koizumi, ignore that. It was just a kiss."
"Yes, but is quite possible that Suzumiya had interpreted it as something more." Koizumi began to wave his hands around. I hated it when he did that. "This is not a game. This is for the greater good."
"Whatever, Koizumi." I walked out of the classroom with Nagato at my heels. I knew that Koizumi wouldn't follow me for fear of any physical retribution. It was ridiculously ironic given my anemia.
"Shiki, what did he mean by all that?" Nagato asked an innocent question begging some not so innocent answers.
I took a deep breath. "Would you believe me if I told you that Suzumiya was God? That she had the power to change the anything at will?" The look in Nagato's eyes told me she probably didn't. "Well, I don't either. Koizumi's part of a religious cult that believes it, though."
It wasn't entirely a lie. Suzumiya couldn't change anything at will and I was pretty sure that Koizumi's Agency could be considered a cult. More importantly, I didn't want Nagato to find out about her origins.
If someone told me out of the blue that I was some sort of alien Humanoid Interface who had been cut from her master by someone with magical eyes I would probably call the police. Nagato, though, might actually believe me and return to the darker side of the SOS Brigade.
The thought of Nagato before I had severed those lines suddenly returning and feeling no affection for me at all was something that I couldn't bear. I didn't want her to go back to being like that.
It was selfish of me. Entirely selfish. But what kind of existence is that? To be one part of a collective of minds? To be a whole, rather than an individual?
"He believes the same things that Suzumiya does. In aliens, time travelers, and espers." I took a breath. "He believes that you are an alien sent by a Data Entity to stabilize Suzumiya. He believes that Sempai is a time traveler sent to observe her. And he believes himself to be an Esper chosen by Suzumiya herself.
"As for me...well, he believes that I am the key to her. That I am the only one that can actively control Suzumiya. And to do that, I can get close to no one but her."
"So, you believed him? You kissed Miss Suzumiya?" Her voice was trembling. I took her into a guilty embrace.
"No." I whispered that into her ear. For once, I could be completely honest with her. "I didn't kiss her. But he has to believe I did, or things might get out of control in the SOS Brigade.
"Nagato. If he questions you about anything, play along. You're Nagato Yuki, a Humanoid Interface sent by the Data Integration Thought Entity to observe Suzumiya Haruhi to him. I don't want to think about what he'd do to you if he realized you weren't."
She buried her face into my shirt and I rubbed her back as consolingly as I could. It was all a lie. A facade.
But I was happy with it. Nagato was safe, and the others were under control.
In another time, I never would have done something like this. In my confusion, I had created an utter mess of things. I needed to maintain a constant balance, or I would have no choice.
To ensure the safety of Nagato Yuki, I would have to kill the powers binded to Suzumiya Haruhi.
And what that would do to her, I had no clue.
We ran into Sempai, who immediately hugged me and then thanked me in a manner a little too similar to Koizumi. Thankfully, Nagato didn't question it. I think she had surmised that Sempai also had to 'play along.'
What has Tohno Shiki done? What has this poor fool done to selfishly protect the secret lying beneath his glasses? As I sat in the final class of the day, that was all I could think about. I hated lying. I didn't want to lie anymore.
A/N- My experimentation with directly adapting novel scenes. I don't like how it turned out, and will try to refrain from doing so in the future. The disappearance of all the Humanoid Interfaces aside from Kimidori Emiri is going to make for quite a few lulls in action until I can introduce her since I can't think of a way to bring the Agency (despite Shiki breaking Koizumi's arm, but he had an excuse) or Mikuru's buddies into the fray.