Koizumi's words kept coming to mind as I followed Asahina and Tsuruya to the super market. If Asahina gains her memories she might gain more than just that. Since she already has her memories, there should be more to her than just her old world memories. Here she is acting as an exact replacement of her illusion self. I almost forgot she was the same Asahina from the old world. She didn't make one mention of the reality or what she's found out about it. I believe the perfect time to talk with her would be as we're working at the super market.

"Here we are, you two go to the back room and change into your uniforms." Tsuruya said handing Asahina and I a bundle of clothes and directing us to the back room.

"This is a real surprise I didn't expect us to be working together like this." Asahina said as we entered the back room.

"She just sort of asked me too." I replied wondering if I should bring up the reality.

"I'll go change first, wait out here." Asahina said stepping into a booth and pulling the curtains around her.

I stood around with my uniform in my arms, listening to the sound of rustling cloth as Asahina changed.

"Are you still going to introduce me to your club?" She asked from behind the curtains.

That's right, I completely forgot! I had brought along Uru instead.

"Do you want to meet them?" I asked.

Asahina stepped out of the booth in the uniform I had seen her in just the other evening. I took my turn and stepped into the booth myself and started to change.

"Is Koizumi in your club?" she asked.

"Yes he is. Why do you ask?"

"I'd rather not join then." Asahina said nervously.

She had asked me not to mention her to Koizumi. Is there something about Koizumi that Asahina avoids?

"It'll be much easier for you to stay in the reality if you join our literacy club. We're actually going to have a meeting over the weekend. With your help we might be able to do more about the connections. Why not just let Koizumi know you're here?" I asked.

She didn't answer immediately. I waited until I had finished changing, but still, no answer. It was a tight fit, but it was as almost as good as my host outfit, I'm sorry to say…

"Let's get started." Asahina said, apparently talking about work and not about why she mistrusts Koizumi.

Laughing at my uniform Tsuruya quickly assigned us work, restocking the shelves that apparently kept emptying themselves so we could have shelves to restock. This was as pointless as a job got. I'm sure this would take a while, all the more time to discuss matters with Asahina.

"Kyon… this reality. Can you tell me one more time what it is?" Asahina asked.

"Sure, Haruhi created this place so I can rebuild her. It's made on top of the old reality and its inhabitants are illusions that are more detailed according to how important they are and how we interact with them."

I thought that's the answer she had wanted, but she looked on to me to continue. Wondering what I should say next, I kept going on with how to get back to the old world, keeping pace with the cans I was putting on the shelves.

"We need to get back to the old world, so reality can continue as it normally would, and not a small confined space as Haruhi had made it." I said.

Asahina stopped to think for a moment before stocking her next can.

"This is what Koizumi told you?" Asahina said.

"More or less of the same, is there something wrong?"

Asahina looked down.

"You've probably heard me say this before but… You mustn't put too much trust in Koizumi."

I remember vaguely, she had told me that before, but I didn't really regard it much at the time. I can say that I've almost forgotten, and the memory of it is still very hazy. It disturbed me. I've been with Koizumi as long as I can remember in the reality. By saying he's not to be trusted can mean a lot of things. Is he going the betray me? Is he making things worse for the both of us? For everyone?

"You do know what you mean when you say that?" I said trying to be as less defensive of Koizumi as possible.

"I don't have anything personal against him, no!" Asahina said dropping a few of her cans in denial. "Not in the way you're thinking, Koizumi would never do anything bad to any of us… I just think his methods are…"

"I understand. I didn't really get what you meant the last time you mentioned it. You said something about his interpretations being different from yours." I said. "I need you to be more precise in telling me this time. Is it about that?" I asked.

"Yes… it is…" she said. "But… it's hard to explain."

"I understand." I said once more. "You have your limitations right? Classified information and such." I laughed weakly.

"No, it's not that. I've been cut off from my superiors from the future, and from the past. These are emergency procedures and I am allowed to disclose any classified information related to the emergency. Even so… it's hard to pick out what is relevant and what isn't."

We had forgotten about the cans, but that was hardly of any importance right now. Perhaps this was it, the reason I had taken this job. To help Koizumi and I, or… just me… get back to the old world.

"Go on then, tell me." I said, trying to keep the eagerness out of my voice.

"I do not know much about this reality myself, or at least, Koizumi's interpretations of it." She took a deep breath.

"This reality is not separate from the old world. To be precise… We never left the old world to begin with.

I kind of understood what she was trying to get at. I was getting worried that I might not catch every she was trying to say. This might be really important. This is too much pressure for me. I'm just here to rebuild Haruhi. I don't care what the reality is. The conditions for leaving have been made clear to me. Does it really make a difference?

Asahina noticed that I was trying my best to keep up with what she was saying. She paused to let me suck it in, but it wasn't necessary.

"It's alright, go on."

Asahina nodded and continued.

"Koizumi's version implies that the old world and this reality are completely separate, and we must create a bridge in order to cross it. The links being connections that Suzumiya make as we interact with the illusions in the reality."

"You know better than I do." I shrugged.

"I believe that the connections are already made." Asahina said. "They were all present from the beginning."

This hit me hard. I dropped a few of my cans and hastily dropped down to pick them up. What was she saying? Already made? Then I should already be back in the old world.

"Present from the beginning? I don't understand, then why are we making connections to begin with?" I asked.

"When Suzumiya put you in this reality, she didn't create anything at all, this reality is merely a part of the old world that Suzumiya has placed boundaries on and isolated." Asahina said.

Down the aisle Tsuruya was visible at the register. She waved to Asahina who waved back and quickly put a few more cans onto the shelves.

"The people in this reality are the very boundaries that Suzumiya had set up." Asahina said. "Nagato, Tsuruya, Asakura, Mori, Koizumi, myself and even Suzumiya herself act as the walls that keep you sealed in the reality."

This doesn't make any sense at all. If these people are the ones keeping me in the reality then why make connections with them? Why interact with them? How are they supposed to help me out?

"Making connections are correct though. If you work towards converting those walls into doors, then you open up a part of the old world within the reality. As you have done with me and Nagato, Koizumi pretty much revealed himself on his own."

That clears up most of my doubts. I find this explanation more precise than what Koizumi told me.

"But still why can't you trust him?" I asked.

"Koizumi would rather have you creating connections with the illusions rather than Suzumiya. I don't know why, but it would be much better for you to only make connections with Haruhi as she had intended it."

"It is possible to go back by only making connections with the illusions don't you think?" I asked.

"I don't think there are any more connections to make." Asahina said.

"What?"

"You have already done Nagato and I. Suzumiya is the only one left to do."

"Can you go further?"

"Kyon, I'm not an illusion. I'm the Asahina Mikuru from the old world." She said her hand on her star birth mark area.

"Alright I understand."

"Nagato as well, you might not think it, but she's not an illusion either."

That doesn't really surprise me. I have considered that a few times. So there really isn't anyone left is there?

"So it's just Haruhi huh?" I asked.

Asahina nodded, and then smiled.

"I'm glad you understand. If you can, please try and make connections with her. I know you're still… bothered by what happened then, still, please just try. This is classified information… but the true Suzumiya isn't as bad of a person as you think."

"Fine fine… I'll try…" I said finally.

"Hey there guys. I see you're almost finished." Tsuruya suddenly said.

She was leaning against one of the shelves. I didn't notice her. She could have listened to our entire conversation.

"Chatting's great and all but work is work. We need to get it done." She said.

Asahina and I quickly got back to work, putting everything unrelated out of our minds.

…

I've been thinking the rest of the time I was working stacking shelves or reorganizing merchandise. Maybe it was time I actually have a go at making more connections with Haruhi. Asahina might think that I've been avoiding the new Haruhi on purpose, but that's not true. I just haven't had the opportunity to spend some real time. With Koizumi handling her at the host club and being around our ever so growing literacy club, it was hard to catch a few moments for ourselves so that I can get the proper chance that I needed.

The mystery hunt on Saturday, that would be a good time to catch Haruhi by herself. I could always suggest we split into groups. Not sure I that'll work when the whole point of the search is actually having fun in a group rather than looking for mysteries with our partners. It seems like a long shot, but I won't be surprised if it does work out that way.

I can't really remember the last time I was partnered with Haruhi on the mystery hunt. We there the only ones that made it that day. I had enjoyed the day despite having no choice but to search with Haruhi. She didn't rabble on about mysteries as much as she usually did with the brigade around. That's probably because no matter whom I'm paired up with; if I'm in the group we were bound to ignore our duties for inevitable debauchery. Even Haruhi was distracted as she was tempted to ask me to buy her more and more food. She eventually gave up the search due to lack of members and what I believed to be a full stomach and went home.

This time the focus will be something similar. I'm sure if I do something like what Haruhi and I did on that search, ignoring the search and eating all day, I was sure something would happen of some sort. I expect, this time, Haruhi would be more interested having fun instead of having the search on her mind. Sometimes I wonder if the old Haruhi had been so too.

But then my thoughts were interrupted by Asahina's scream coming from the back of the store. Dropping whatever what I was doing I ran as fast as I could to the source of the commotion. I turned the corner of one of the shelves and saw Asahina kneeling on the ground with Tsuruya in front of her standing between Asahina and someone else I couldn't see around the corner of the shelves in a cautious stance. Some of the stuff from the shelves was knocked down onto the floor. I could tell there had been some sort of fighting. Tsuruya still had the shadow of her cheerful expression on her face, but her eyes were deep with nothing more than cold fury.

I ran even closer to Asahina and checked to see if she was alright. She was shaken but just fine. I turned and looked past Tsuruya at someone I hadn't seen in the reality before or in the old world for that matter.

To Our Beloved Readers: As I get closer and closer to the ending I find it easier to paint myself into a corner. Of course that'll happen over my dead body. The story is in full speed and I always leave my options open with every chapter. Look forward to the next one!

Thanks for Reading: LordPlagus777