Author's notes: Sorry this is so late, but my computer broke down... and I ended up with a writer's block from pausing too long
Noise of the everlasting summer nights
Repeat 154
Bookmark
by Synaps
I stood on my toes and watched as the book I had been holding slipped through my fingers and fell to the ground. It opened as it landed, spitting out the blue bookmark hidden within. I stared at it, noting how far the light blue piece of paper had travelled. 6,4 centimetres, just like every earlier repeat.
It happened each time. Summer doubled back on itself and I lost her grip on the book. The bookmark appeared mystically from the desk in the kitchen. As if it had been in the book the entire time.
I bent down to pick up the thick volume. It was one of my favourite books, The High Lord, and the sequel was due to arrive in... September. A month which seemed increasingly further away. Each repeat only brought more time before it would be published.
I was bored.
At first the repeat had interested me. I hadn't guessed things would play out the way they did. As such the surge of data had thrilled me.
-l-
The sun was shining in my eyes as I joined up with the rest of the SOS brigade. As always, Kyon was late to arrive. Of course, that was not his fault. The rest of the club had devised a system to always arrive half-an-hour early. If only to not annoy Suzumiya Haruhi, a noble mission in itself.
I watched the rest of the brigade converse as they waited. I listened in on them, if only because it was my job. They used the same sentences as they had each earlier repeat.
'I've grown tired of observing a static object.' I thought to myself as my disinterest grew.
Asahina Mikuru tried to ask a question beginning with the word "what" when, like before, Kyon arrived. Asahina instantly shut up as to allow Suzumiya Haruhi to yell at the boy.
Exactly 46,7 seconds after the announcement that we would be riding the boy's bikes to get to the pool I moved to sit on Kyon's bike. Like I had each time before.
I sighed quietly. Due to my status as an observer I was not allowed to change my actions even the slightest bit from the first time summer had played out. If I changed I would be unable to discern which results were contaminated. For instance, if I was to sit too close to Kyon it was likely to upset Suzumiya, whose reaction to this would change the situation completely. The scientific method was to change as little as possible for each try. The Data Overmind preferred the scientific method, craved it.
As such, I was stuck in the same course of action. On the millimetre, on the second, my movements would be the same. It was maddening.
-l-
I couldn't stop thinking about unnecessary things.
Currently my mind had been working over my predicament. No one in the SOS Brigade had even noticed the repeating summer, much less begun working on a way out. In all likelihood they would never notice. After all, how could they?
Which meant we were stuck in summer forever.
-l-
On the next day came the first positive thing that had happened for 84 repeats. We tried a different summer job.
This time we were handing out flyers. We were still dressed in frog costumes, but the simple change was enough to make me push the negative thoughts away.
If one thing could change, it was possible for something else to do the same. Maybe Kyon would notice that we were stuck in a loop. Maybe Asahina would notice she could not communicate with the future. One day it was sure to happen.
Or at least that was what I tried to hope. I did not yet believe in it.
-l-
I noticed my thoughts becoming more and more fragmented. It was becoming harder and harder to finish off a chain of thought. Furthermore, the lack of stimulation made new ideas near impossible to come up with.
I had read every single book in my apartment more than once. I had decided to take the risk and venture out, to visit the bookstore. I was still unsure about that idea. If I by chance met someone in the SOS Brigade it was likely to affect the timeline. Even if I didn't meet anyone I knew there was a risk of affecting events. Though I was not allowed to risk it, I couldn't help myself.
If I didn't I wouldn't be able to muster the energy to continue.
-l-
The trip to the bookstore seemed to have passed without any world changing events taking place. If it is indeed true I can visit the bookstore at the same time during the next repeat. If I only ever get one small wish granted...
-l-
The cricket hunt continued in a predictable manner. The sound made me think of Higurashi no naku koro ni. I couldn't help to notice that the situation was similar, even though the types of torture used were not the same.
-l-
As a human interface there are things which differ between me and humans. For instance, my mind does not choose between memories. My mind does not decide to not say memories deemed superfluous. I categorize them and place them in folders, but I do not delete them. All my memories are intact.
That is not a good thing.