Chapter 2

"The world is full of as many horrors as it is of wonders."

A week had passed and things were mostly normal although Ray had now been constantly accompanying Haruhi home after school as her illusion of absolute safety had been broken.

One day came where in the club room just after school Haruhi was lit up again with her usual boundless energy as she was planning for the upcoming summer and was hopeful that the SOS-dan would spend more time together once it came whilst Ray remained observant of his surroundings and was in fact reading one of the books Nagato seemed to read often, grinning slightly as some of the science fiction in the book was in fact, reality.

Ray also brought up however another fact, something that had eluded Haruhi's mind. He said "A vacation together would be nice and all but we should be putting some thought into what this year's newsletter will be, Kyon told me about your issues with the student council president and it would be best to avoid another confrontation with him."

Haruhi almost wanted to brush him off but realized that the guy he was talking about would probably try to find any excuse to harass the SOS-dan and suddenly a fictional lightbulb lit up over her head as she looked at Ray with a bit of a mischievous grin on her face, something which gave Ray a momentary shudder.

Haruhi then said "You know, student elections are coming up soon, perhaps you should run for president against that moron if he decides to run again, it would really help with keeping the SOS-dan free of his meddling." Ray laughed at the suggestion, him running for class president? The very thought made him laugh with genuine humor. He was amused that Haruhi even considered the chance someone as withdrawn from the school body as Ray could become Student Council President and furthermore he would probably be going against Koizumi's organization's resources though then again if Haruhi wished it, they probably would just hand the position over to him as after all the current SCP was placed there rather than genuinely elected though Ray now understood more of Haruhi because in point of fact.

He was bored as hell.

Haruhi shot him an annoyed glance as a result of his laughter until he said "Sure I'll run for president, might be fun, let me know when these elections come about and in the meantime I'll join the student council and annoy the hell out of him before the actual elections in the meantime."

Both Haruhi and Koizumi did not expect this response, Haruhi thought his laughter meant no and Koizumi was reluctant to assign someone without ties to his organization such a high position in the student body though then again, what Haruhi wanted, Haruhi got.

Later the day the SOS-dan was checking out a new manga store that opened up near the school and Koizumi approached Ray whilst Haruhi was busy looking at some of the books.

Koizumi then said "Are you seriously considering her suggestion? You do realize the position is just for show." Ray had a smirk on his face as if he had the edge over Itsuki's entire organization as he said "No it really isn't just for show, you merely wanted to give Haruhi an antagonist to keep her life from getting boring but let's get to the point, that guy is a few years too old to be in school and Haruhi's naiveté is the only thing keeping her from realizing it. I have the upper hand right now because in point of fact, she trusts me and respects my decisions to a degree and this gives me a shield against your organization. After all you wouldn't want to upset the girl would you? It's the very thing that has kept Kyon in the thick of it and now her focus seems to be shifting, ordinarily I'd expect her to ask Kyon or you to run but since I'm here I might as well ruffle some feathers in your group."

Koizumi's fake smile dropped, Ray was directly antagonizing him and perhaps the entire agency. It was to be expected though as the two had a bad history and although they never met, they each faced the collateral damage of the other's actions. Ray having seen war at a young age and Koizumi having to be more active in dealing with potential intrusions and it was almost like Haruhi had wished him to be here as there could be no other explaination for him knowing the things he did in a relatively short time but what bothered him the most is that in closed space there was no such indication that Haruhi was manipulating him, perhaps Sasaki was causing this? Koizumi pondered at the possibility and the even more grim possibility of breaking a promise to Kyon. The promise not to harm Sasaki.

Ray however noticed his train of thought via intuition and said "If you even think of harming Kazahana Sasaki, you'll regret it.".

Ray's tone of voice and what seemed to be killing intent in his eyes immediately caused Koizumi to turn from concerned to absolutely terrified, he was told he had a way of getting information and if he was one to resort to torture he would likely take his time in exacting revenge but also this confirmed something in his mind, that he somehow was related to Sasaki and perhaps was a member of the branch that supported her though as he recalled, he was antagonistic against that organization just as much as his own.

As time passed Haruhi remained oblivious to the darkening conspiracy surrounding her, summer was a week away and Ray had indeed joined the Student Council though he was notified that if he did become president he would have to leave the literature club (And in extension the SOS-dan).

Ray however remained optimistic about his chances and surprisingly got along well with some of the members there until he realized actual competition was coming along as in class, someone returned, someone who's very presence reminded Kyon what it was like to fear for his life.

Asakura Ryoko.

She reintroduced herself to the class with a cheerful personality which Kyon immediately knew was concealing her malice and bloodlust, he recalled rather quickly nearly being stabbed to death by her and more specifically, actually being stabbed by her during the time Nagato altered reality slightly so as to try to be more human (and effectively her means of relieving the stress caused by Haruhi's antics).

Ray knew exactly who she was and correctly deduced that she wasn't supposed to be here, that his own presence was perhaps becoming difficult to the integrated data thought entity and now he was genuinely concerned. He could kill any human opponent going against him but against someone like Asakura Ryoko he was helpless without some sort of assistance and was reconsidering his decision to remain human until he realized that Sasaki had given him extremely complex equipment before and perhaps technology that was specifically created to fight TFEIs would become available to him if Asakura made a move against him.

Class passed without too much incident, general surprise from Haruhi and absolute terror from Kyon aside as Ray cautiously glanced here and then at Ryoko when nobody else was paying much attention, ready to act in self defense if she suddenly threw a knife at him.

Later on during lunch Ray was approached by Asakura Ryoko who had also now just joined the Student Council, Ray continued to keep in mind that summer was only five days away and he could properly prepare outside of school.

Ryoko spoke, saying "I hear you joined the literature club and there are rumors that you plan on running for president." Ray replied with a lack of interest in his speech, saying "Both are correct, planning on running against me when the time comes?" The question was both about the student council elections and also intended to ask if she was planning to become confrontational with Ray.

Ryoko smiled as she replied "Actually I'm quite interested in running for the position, I can't really agree with everything Soichiro is doing."

Haruhi wanders into the classroom, seemingly intent on approaching Ray until she notices Ryoko and vice versa, this seems to provoke a reaction in Ryoko as she suddenly moves her head close to Ray, causing his eye to twitch in annoyance as she says "I'm also interested in you specifically." loud enough for Haruhi to hear but not so loud as to be suspicious.

As she moves back into a normal standing position Ray replies, rather honestly "I don't have as much interest in you as you have in me.". Ryoko grins as his response, realizing it was to avoid arousing Haruhi's jealousy in the potential situation that her focus had indeed shifted from Kyon to Ray.

Kyon, who was not far from them, felt both concern and relief, concern that Ryoko might be targeting Raymond and relief at the possibility she has lost interest in Kyon.

Later on in the SOS-dan clubroom Haruhi directly addresses Raymond, saying "Ray, what did Asakura want when she talked to you?" Ray brushed off Haruhi by raising his hand in a waving motion as if waving off her question, saying "She intends to run against me for Student Council President, might be very interesting as she was quite popular last time she was here, most likely she will provide a good challenge. On a side note, I'm actually putting some thought into the elections that are going to take place after summer as whilst the President can't be an official member of any club, the vice president can, interested in being my running mate?"

Kyon was the one who laughed this time as he heard this, Haruhi being vice-president of the student council? That move would likely decrease his chances and if somehow he succeeded, would put the entire school at jeopardy of being considered part of the SOS-dan by Haruhi.

Haruhi however ignored Kyon's short laugh and said "Sure, it'll annoy the hell out of the current Student Council President." Ray grins and says "Better get used to calling him his name soon because if Asakura is going to be running, he lacks any real chance." Haruhi grinned at the prospect, even if Ray didn't win, Asakura was seemingly more tolerant of the SOS-dan and although she was only Class President at the time she was however going to run for student council president until she moved (Rather suddenly). Her return had actually less impact on Haruhi than the SOS-dan expected, even Ray was caught off guard and he thought he knew Haruhi the most considering he had information she herself did not have.

Haruhi then said "Either way, if Soichiro runs and loses either to you or Ryoko I'll rub it in his face when I get the chance." Ray took a glance at the clock, it was almost time to be heading back as the incident with the failed kidnapping had caused Haruhi's parents to become more careful in their daughter's life, something Koizumi did not oppose like before as it would do little to ease their situations and could cause problems.

As time passed Haruhi went out, saying she was going to get something and demanded the SOS-dan remain in the club room until she returned to which they complied. Kyon spoke, saying "Are you serious on having her run as your vice presidential choice?" Ray nodded and said "It would let me keep an eye on her activities more closely and intervene if she oversteps her bounds. I've no intention to be antagonistic towards her but there are certain things I cannot let happen any more, true friends correct one another and her treatment of Mikuru is unacceptable." Kyon feels a bit of optimism as Ray seems to be backing him up now regarding Asahina-san though at the same time the Elder Asahina-san had mentioned to him that bad things will continue to happen to her if Kyon keeps being nice though quite honestly, he didn't care if Haruhi wouldn't approve of him sticking up for her, Haruhi was effectively a spoiled brat to Kyon's eyes now though at the same time he does consider her a close friend.

Haruhi returned not long after the conversation went silent, oblivious to their discussion as she entered rapidly and began to hand everyone schedules regarding their Summer Vacation.

Ray read over the schedule and realized that for the first three weeks there was nothing planned, likely because the others had plans with their families or the like.

Haruhi then spoke to Ray, saying "I know everyone else's plans for summer but do you have anything, I'd like to know so we don't end up with a confused schedule?" Ray replied, saying "Actually I hadn't planned for summer that much, I've been out of contact with my family for a while and don't really have much to do other than what you're planning."

Haruhi knew Ray was here alone from all the talks they had when he escorted her home though she didn't expect him to have had no contact with his relatives.

Ray on the other hand, had lied about having no plans, he had big plans for summer on the days the SOS-dan wouldn't be together, it was something he had to do in order to advance his benefactor's plans and recently Sasaki had become suspicious of the way Ray acts around Haruhi, choosing not to invade Ray's thoughts Sasaki had always relied on his external responses, actions and words like any other ordinary human though recognizing the possibility that he was getting too close and worried that it could affect his ability to deal with a crisis.

For Ray however that was not an issue, his feelings were in fact a benefit to his mission, something Sasaki did not recognize as several times she had mentioned that emotions only cause problems and several times Ray has refuted this.

Event - Last Day

Summer was tomorrow, school was boring as usual regarding the education part but Ray was concerned at Asakura Ryoko's actions.

Not because she could possibly win the student council president position but more so that she was interacting with Ray intentionally. Asakura's intentions were actually harder to read than Nagato Yuki's intentions but Ray had figured it out, since lethal action was out of the question Ryoko seems to be intent on seeing if Haruhi will react with jealousy if she attempts to form a personal relationship with Raymond though it is highly unlikely she will succeed as Ray isn't interested as can see through the façade and knows that Asakura Ryoko is quite literally incapable of comprehending what needs to be present for a relationship and taking mental note that it's more likely Yuki and Kyon would become involved than for Ray to fall for Ryoko's discreet advances though Ray had noticed a slight change in Haruhi's reactions to Ryoko's presence and she was very perceptive and most likely noticed Ryoko's actions for what they are meant to mimic though if so then she would notice his own lack of interest in Ryoko. Granted that Ryoko was highly attractive but to Ray she wasn't as much as Haruhi and further he judged people based on their personalities and not their appearances and for some reason Haruhi's eccentric personality was enough for him, perhaps in some cases opposites attract outside of the laws of magnetism (actual magnetism, not the social interpretation of the word) though at the same time Ray felt he had to approach this carefully as although Haruhi had now recovered from the incident, she was not the kind of person to fall for direct advances or confessions and the only way was to convince her discreetly that ordinary humans can be interesting and if she was so immature that she couldn't accept that, then victory in Sasaki's missions would enable him to be more direct in the fact that Haruhi's interest in the supernatural would definitely apply to a Shinjin.

As the sun began to set Ray was walking Haruhi home as usual, she had been open recently and talked about things she usually doesn't talk about though these were in fact the same things she had told Kyon at the early times of the Manga and Anime's timelines, about how her father took her to a baseball game once and it was then she realized she wasn't as unique as she thought she was.

Past the train they ran into someone Ray thought was extremely familiar before it hit him without the need of his benefactor to tell him.

Kazahana Sasaki's younger self, accompanied by Tachibana Kyoko and Fujiwara though Suoh Kuyou was nowhere nearby, a fact which kept Ray's mind at ease.

Sasaki noticed the two and Haruhi noticed the others though paid little attention. Ray had no inclination to introduce himself or speak up as he never knew Sasaki's younger self though he glanced at Tachibana Kyoko momentarily and the elder Sasaki gave him what he needed to know.

This was the moment she prepared him for, this was the moment where they would kidnap Haruhi although they were acting far sooner then before as Ray's past of shearing through both organization's foreign operations had made it easier for Haruhi to be exposed which meant they had an opportunity sooner than the unaltered timeline.

The younger Sasaki seemed to have a discontented face, perhaps aware of what might happen, Kyoko and Fujiwara had intent in their eyes as what seemed like minutes was actually a passing second as the two groups passed by eachother.

As the distance between them grew Haruhi began to notice Ray's entire body expression, yet alone his facial expression had changed, as if he was ready to punch someone and a van in the distance began to slowly approach as Ray's arms seemed to constrict as if ready to do something.

Then it happened, as quickly as the van's side door opened and a masked man tried to grab Haruhi, Ray grabbed his arm instead and slammed him onto the pavement in less than a second as the van passed by, having failed it's mission. The man got up and pulled out a knife as Haruhi distanced herself from him though Ray remained firm and took a fighting stance with his arms ready to react.

The assailant slashed only for Ray to quickly grab his hand and twist it backwards with enough force to break his wrist and at the same time reacted fast enough to disarm the now screaming man of his knife which Ray twirled around and held with a reverse hold. Ray didn't wait as he quickly sent his unarmed hand in several quick jabs in the masked man's arm causing it to go limp, the same technique he once used on Haruhi when she tried to drag him into the SOS-dan's Clubroom when she recruited him. Ray then shifted his entire body weight into his left leg as he made a 360 degree kick which hit the assailant's ribcage hard enough to send him flying 3 feet to the left (from Ray's point of view) and thus into the building with enough force to break three ribs, the move ended with Ray in a lethal combat stance, eyes focused on the now pain engulfed assailant as the van began to make a turn, possibly to try and abduct Haruhi once more.

Ray shouted "Haruhi, keep yourself as far from the street as possible, duck in that alley!" Haruhi didn't even hesitate, doing as Ray asked and was no longer in sight as the van came to a stop and more masked assailants came out as Fujiwara took place in front of them with an annoyed look on his face as if Ray was an animal compared to him.

And an animal he would allow himself to be as the men charged with the intent to beat or stab him to death. Ray let fighting instinct and compressed training take hold as the men attacked, effortlessly dodging or countering their attacks, one held a Katana and tried to slash him with it only for Ray to grab the hilt of the blade and with a quick forward push, prevented the blade from moving further in addition to knocking it out of the man's hand.

Now armed with the katana Ray ducked to avoid another sword slash and threw the knife into the heart of an assailant nearby, killing him. Ray then deflected a sword blow with his katana and quickly took initiative to decapitate the attacker with one blow, spilling blood over the pavement, and onto Ray's jacket as well as coating his new sword with blood.

Haruhi peeked from a corner, unseen by the assailants or Ray and witnessed him fight not only with ease but with lethal efficiency as if he were a trained killer. Several deflects and counter kills later Fujiwara drew a pistol and Ray felt his arms move of their own volition, intercepting a bullet fired from said pistol, it was not the elder Sasaki's doing but rather the younger Sasaki's doing as she then punched Fujiwara from behind with enough strength to disorient him. Ray's sword was still intact and he was about to move in to kill Fujiwara when the elder Sasaki's voice said something only he heard.

"Not yet, he needs to know exactly what's happening before he dies."

Ray then realizes Sasaki has a personal vendetta against Fujiwara and decides to instead throw the sword like a javelin at the van's driver who remained inside.

Though the driver ducked to avoid the blade it still was able to cut some of his hair, a near miss which nearly gave him a heart attack. The younger Sasaki then hit Fujiwara again, knocking him out though Kyoko remained uninvolved, staring at Ray with interest, fear and respect. Ray shot a look at the younger Sasaki which she took correctly as a cue to "Get out of my sight".

Event - Revelations

It was the only time Koizumi and Kyoko had done something in unison, they had both used their influence combined to clean up the incident as much as they could, keeping the police from harassing Ray and the others too much, usual questions and the like occurred, Self Defense was claimed and recognized.

Later at the café the SOS-dan frequented, Haruhi called Ray to meet him there once more, it was summer though the SOS-dan's activities had yet to begin.

Sitting in opposite booths from eachother silence persisted until tea was served, Haruhi spoke directly though not loudly, saying "It was you who saved me that day at the convention, wasn't it?"

Ray was silent, he realized as the investigations passed that Haruhi saw him kill though he didn't think she was perceptive enough to piece together that his lethal efficiency was the same as it was back then. Not wanting to lie to her and in fact her face was practically shouting that she was absolutely sure of what she had asked, Ray spoke, saying "Yes, I noticed the situation back then quickly and managed to keep you safe. I'll be honest here, I didn't just simply transfer my way into Japan, I struggled against two organizations who would seek their aims accomplished by any means necessary and you somehow fit into their plans."

Haruhi was shocked at the revelations, a conspiracy, a lethal one at that, was surrounding her somehow, she wanted to know more though Ray noticed her reaction and said "The less you know the better, once everything is safe though I'll tell you more of it." Haruhi replied "I'm not sure I can accept that, based on what you said then this is the second time they've tried something, the first time being the convention. If they're willing to go to such extremes then they will probably try again."

Ray shook his head as he also held it with his right hand, saying "They won't stop until either they get what they want or someone intervenes and puts an end to it. The reason I left the safety and comfort of my old life in the US was because someone is doing just that and for the moment, I am their sword."

Haruhi felt mixed emotions at this point, the person who was her closest and most trusted friend turned out to be a ruthless killer but at the same time she was interested in the conspiracy though not enough to jeopardize her own safety beyond what already has been compromised.

Silence persisted for a while, the two merely drinking their tea, after Ray had finished his cup he said "I meant what I said last time Haruhi, I do consider you to be my closest friend. I also intend to keep this conspiracy from harming you and when the time is right, I'll tell you everything. This is what I meant by the world is filled with darkness but also know that keeping you in a good mood is my intentions as well. I know eventually the world will reveal it's secrets to you but if you learn everything now it will change you, hell it probably will change you regardless-"

Haruhi interrupted him, saying "No, It won't. I won't let it change who I am, I've been looking for something interesting for a long time and now that it shows up I'm not going to let it get me down just because it's dark. I consider you my closest friend also, however far this goes, I'm here for you just as much that you're here for me. Friends don't abandon eachother."

Ray felt relief as Haruhi finished talking, he never figured her to be optimistic even in the face of adversity though at the same time he couldn't help but feel in the end her carefree life was stolen from her and replaced with something terrible. Perhaps Koizumi did have the best intentions in keeping her ignorant of the things that go about the world's true nature.

As time passed Haruhi finished her tea and the two found themselves on the same route back to her house. After getting her home with no incidents he found himself walking back to his own residence only to encounter Sasaki and Tachibana Kyoko halfway to his own house.

Ray had no façade when he spoke, saying directly to Kyoko "I don't care how much influence you have, stay away from Haruhi or I'll hunt you down and put an end to your antics myself." Kyoko was about to speak when Sasaki spoke first, saying "I do not approve of what Kyoko's group has been doing, I told her not to do anything too far but also your own actions are to be minded." Ray replied "If you want to avoid bloodshed then you keep your pets in check, any time they threaten Haruhi I will end that threat as quickly and efficiently a possible, if that means taking lives then so be it."

Ray then felt a presence behind him, a cold presence which as he turned was Suou Kuyou, a canopy dominion interface.

Ray turned his eyes on Kyoko and said "If you think I am defenseless just because I'm an ordinary human, you are wrong." Sasaki then said "Kuyou will only make sure you don't kill anymore, It-" Ray interrupted her and for a moment, his eyes were filled with extreme killing intent as he said "I don't give a damn what your view of the world is Kazahana Sasaki, you are naïve and so is Haruhi, the world doesn't play by your rules and it never will. There will always be death, there will always be suffering and even people of your level of power can't stop it and the way the two of you operate, attempting to do so will only cause more pain and suffering. You want the truth? The future isn't a place you want to be in Sasaki, it is a place of horror and if that bastard Fujiwara ever does manage to get out of prison then I could care less for what you think, I'll end him just like I'll end anyone else who threatens Haruhi's life!"

Sasaki was shocked by the tone of voice and Ray's final statement, she replied "Haruhi's life is not at stake here. Kyoko assu-" Ray wasn't considerate, his façade gone entirely as well as his will to listen to Sasaki's younger self's naiveté as he interrupted her once more, saying "Kyoko is a liar and a manipulative individual, almost as much as Fujiwara, Haruhi will die if her power is transferred unwillingly or unknowingly. I can only assume that is the direct intent of the Canopy Dominion."

Before Sasaki could reply to this information Kuyou spoke, saying "Suzumiya Haruhi is a threat to our existence as well as the stability of what you perceive as reality. Regardless of whoever is adversely affected by her death it must occur. Humanity continues to show a lack of logical action and it has caused you to fight yourselves in many long and costly wars. If you continue to defend Suzumiya Haruhi then you will eventually be killed along with her."

Those words chilled both Sasaki and Kyoko with fear whilst Ray only remained silent and reactionary as a red hued katana materialized around his waist along with knowledge from the elder Sasaki that Kuyou intends to strike and the only solution is her destruction, the blade she had made Ray (it's sudden appearance further confusing and scaring her younger self and Tachibana Kyoko whilst Ray knew immediately why it appeared) was designed specifically to slice through both the physical and energy properties of data based life which meant it could permanently kill TFEIs and Canopy Dominion Interfaces.

Kuyou immediately noticed the weapon and said "That weapon is beyond the technology of Humanity, explain it." Ray decides to be honest as he draws the sword, red electricity running visibly through it's crimson red Murasama Blade, Ray speaks, saying "Fine, the truth then. Time Travel is involved here, and none other than Sasaki is the one who sent me back. I don't know how long it took her to realize the reality and abandon her naiveté but she did enough to use her power actively to change history and in that unaltered history, we were at war and the science on permanently killing you exists in Human technology, I'm going to assume this is an example." Ray used his full knowledge and physical abilities as a human to strike in Kuyou's direction who merely dodged it though Ray found his arms moving of their own volition like last time and deflected what appeared to be a hidden blade protruding from Kuyou's hand. Ray realized that the only way he could win this fight was if he allowed himself to become a living weapon if only momentarily and after deflecting another attempted flank strike he made a verbal statement, saying "For this fight, I'll discard my normality." Ray suddenly felt a surge of electricity in his body as the elder Sasaki infused him with nanotech modifications which made his speed, reaction time and physical durability on par with Kuyou Suou.

Ray quickly began to fight as if suddenly superhuman, moving at speeds fast enough to inflict a cut or two on Suyou who formed some type of Nanite Blade similar to Ray's weapon and the two dueled with their blades, each matched in speed and strength though Ray's technique began to give him the advantage as he was used to fights and how they always become close calls as well as several techniques Suyou does not know as they were sword skills Ray developed on his own, not being any style associated with martial arts or traditional swordsmanship.

Several parries later and Ray sent a two-strike slash combo at Suyou which managed to sever her right arm which Suyou then noticed that she was unable to regenerate it though was able to close the wound. With an even stronger advantage Ray pressed on, the passage of time becoming irrelevant in his mind as he was focused on killing the primary threat to Haruhi's life until finally he was able to duck to avoid a slash and then quickly rose with his blade high, cutting Suyou in half from top to bottom.

Suyou's body exploded into a fit of green energy which did not damage the surrounding area though did cause a kinetic push which knocked Kyoko off her balance.

As Kyoko got up Ray felt his surge of energy leaving him, after all he only needed the strength to defeat Suou on his own and now was no longer augmented by nanotech. Ray looked in the younger Sasaki's direction as his sword began to dissipate and said "Grow up, this is how the world works and by your own admission you lack the power to bring back the dead. If you can't take the responsibility of having so much power then pass it on to someone who can, a willful transfer isn't lethal according to your older self."

Ray began to walk after his sword was no longer present, having dissipated into a white flash of energy before no longer existing, Ray walked between Kyoko and Sasaki who were both lit with fear as Ray continued his route home.

"There is no guarantee that this is the only time data based life will become threatening, Ryoko and the IDTE in general are still a factor. Without Sasaki's direct help I'll construct a permanent solution to my weakness. If I use the materials and chemicals at my own disposal which weren't generated by Sasaki, I'll still be using human means to accomplish some power, at least enough to survive." Are the words going through Ray's head as he lays down in his bed before shifting his thoughts on the upcoming trip to Okinawa that Haruhi had planned for the SOS-dan, it would be there as well that he would get in touch with a friend of his he knew from before reaching Nishinomiya, someone with the means to increase his abilities.

To be continued...

Afterword:

As of this chapter, the character Kuyou Suou (The Canopy Dominion Interface shown in the later stories of the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi) is dead, even for her species and unlike Asakura Ryoko, can't be regenerated because of irreparable data corruption, in short Mankind in the future developed methods on corrupting the actual data to prevent their opponents from reconstructing their lost interfaces and the elder Sasaki knew the secrets of this technology thanks to her ability as a Shinjin to simply wish the knowledge to be present in her mind (and thus enabled her to make a lethal weapon Ray could use against Suou Kuyou.).