Huge spoiler for Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi (Book #4), but it might be a bit hard to figure out that connection without some good guessing anyhow. Still, fair warning.
Four hours have passed since severance from normal time-space. No abnormalities have appeared beside the creation of this dimension. Processing power still converted entirely into deciding on course of action.
Kyon yawns. The thirty-ninth repetition of said action since entering this dimension. Perhaps he is tired?
Gesturing to the bed in the corner of the room results in Kyon's denial of physical exhaustion. Then another yawn.
Yawning. Human physiology dictates that yawning only occurs as a bodily response to exhaustion, medications (All reports indicate Kyon is not under the influence of any abnormal substances), or as an early indicator for cardiac arrest. Since none of the others apply...
Who was it that said nice guys finish last? Whoever it was that started that horrible cliché, they did a good job. Being a normal human, I can only go so long without sleep (How I wish for just an ounce of the energy that Haruhi has...) and need to rest. Too bad I somehow convinced myself that Nagato needs the bed more.
Hey, she's sick, alright?
Come to think of it, it seems a bit odd that Nagato would have trouble just curing herself. I mean, I know she said it could have unknown consequences and all, but would just taking medicine do the same thing? Besides, having a healthy body should be the top priority for someone like Nagato...
Glancing at Nagato, it seems as if any semblance of weakness are gone. Almost as if she was never sick, and- wait. I notice her move. A subtle, little movement. Just enough for her weight to be shifted to the right a bit... towards me. Almost like she was getting ready to pounce...
No, she just stands. And walks towards me, gliding along in that graceful little ghost-walk of hers... wait- why is she getting so close? The hand at her side extends forward, and now I am thoroughly confused as to what is happening, since her hand is now under my shirt.
If anyone knows why Nagato is currently feeling my chest, please tell me. Preferably before I get embarrassed. Wait- too late for that.
As quick as the hand went in, it comes back out. By now I am blushing, probably to the point of glowing. Nagato appears unphased, like always. But what the hell just happened?
"No cardiac arrest imminent."
As if that explained anything. Did Nagato seriously think I was going to have a heart attack?
"You yawned."
Of course. I am tired, after all. The only reason I didn't take the bed the second Nagato suggested so was because I knew she was sick. Or was she really even sick?
"..."
Nagato looks uneasy after that last comment... But there's no way Nagato actually lied to me. Couldn't be.
"I may have... enhanced the truth."
Why was it hard to tell Kyon such things? Falsified data is just a statistical fact, after all. It should be no harder to say nor accept than any other incorrectly reported finding. And this was a necessary one, as well. So why did it hurt?
Hurt. Perhaps this is what is referred to as "emotional pain"? Emotions are hard to understand, but all forms of culture suggest that "lying" is harmful to relationships with others. And Kyon was a friend.
"You... "enhanced the truth"?"
Words would not fit this situation. A nod will suffice.
"Why would you do that? What reason would you have to just lie to me?"
No harshness. Kyon appears confused, but not hostile. Perhaps this situation is still handleable? At the least, truth should not cause any more harm.
"I was ordered to commence any actions I felt would elicit a response."
A pause. Then Kyon turns away, a look on his face that is not entirely recognizable (Perhaps pain? Is he hurt by the lies as much as the lies hurt to say?) and goes to the bed in the corner of the room.
"I'm turning in for the night."
In that voice, all the coldness of the world was contained.
To say I have some things to think about would be an understatement. If Nagato will lie to "elicit a response", then what has she lied about in the past? All the times when I felt Nagato was human, when I saw Nagato's weaknesses...
Were they all lies?
As Haruhi peels her cardigan from Kyon's shoulders, a second cardigan is still in place.
I always thought it was Nagato's, but for what reason? Nothing, as it seems now?
A message appears on the screen in the dull, muted grey of the Closed Space: "Besides that, I myself also wish for you to return."
Just to manipulate me into creating some sort of data explosion from Haruhi? That's how it seems now.
Nagato did all this for one person, created a stable, normal world for one person... Kyon.
As much as I try to, I can't come up with a reason for that. Nagato tried to do something for me that no one else in the world would or could do. Am I just overreacting here? Is Nagato simply trying to manipulate me, or does she just not understand emotions (As much as she is obviously trying)?
And why the hell did she decide to feel me up?
I don't much like this chapter, but it's been entirely too long since I updated and my tinkering doesn't seem to be improving anything whatsoever. Sorry for the bad update times. Finals were a hassle, but they're out of the way now so I plan on getting another chapter out to you tomorrow if possible. As always, reviews are the lifeblood of any writer-to-be (Even if I am using another author's world).