A/N: This chapter's sprawling out of control – according to my notes and my outline, it looks like I'm risking breaking somewhere around the ballpark of 10,000 words for this chapter if I go through with my plans. I've been really busy lately as well, and I'm going on a vacation this month, so I wanted to get something out before I go. So, have this short chapter. This was initially the starting point of the next chapter, but I've decided on something interesting, similar to the memorandums in volume 10.

Anyway, let's go!

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Monologue 1: On Yukinoshita Haruno

For some reason, I've been thinking more and more about Yukinoshita Haruno.

Like a question from a differential calculus exam, Yukinoshita Haruno was incomprehensible.

Actually, that's not quite right – she was more like an open book, a novel with a seemingly simple premise, easy-to-read language, as well as a transparent plot and message. Take The Little Prince, for example. The story itself is fairly simple, and the language easy to read, but hidden beneath the deceptively easy story are messages that aren't easily as apparent. The fox makes it clear: words are the source of misunderstanding, after all. As such, it was easy to misunderstand the premise of the story.

Yukinoshita Haruno was the same: you could see through her actions, but you can never be sure you were reading her right.

She certainly put up a façade, capable of getting along with everyone and anyone, but she never bothered to cover it up once someone saw through her disguise – as if taunting your understanding of her, she never went to any absurd lengths to protect her self-image. If anything, assuming you understood her was dangerous, and she was quick to remind you of that simple fact.

"You seem to understand everything, don't you, Hikigaya-kun?"

A mocking declaration, as if to tell me I was completely off-base when it came to understanding her.

It was the same with classic literature – no matter how much you read, no matter how much you tried to understand The Little Prince, you could never be sure you completely understood everything. Someone else was liable to come up with a different reading of the novel, or different interpretations of the same scenes. You only had to look at the musical, which was more of a play, which Hina Ebina put up during our Cultural Festival.

Like words whose meaning were never truly set in stone, you could never be sure you understood someone. Words themselves have no stable meaning. The same goes for literature. Not even the author can claim complete control over the meaning of his works.

—even so, I want to understand completely.

Those were my selfish words, the words Yukinoshita Haruno denied and doubted entirely. Her evasive slyness, her easygoing, friendly façade; were any of these aspects of her truly genuine? Was there ever any hope of understanding her? Judging from her actions, I doubt she believed it was possible.

Why does Yukinoshita Haruno do the things she does? Why did she ask me the questions that she did?

I look back at the preparations of the Cultural Festival – how, in one smooth motion, Yukinoshita Haruno's sweet words burdened Yukinoshita Yukino even more.

I remembered her slyly observing Hayama Hayato's planned double date, and the teasing words she aimed at Yukinoshita Yukino to prompt her to action.

—I mean, someone's always going to do it for you, right?

What's running in the mind of Yukinoshita Haruno? Was she doing this all for the sake of her sister?

See, she proves the point I've been making all along – siblings are nothing more than strangers you're forced to spend time with. They're the closest strangers you're aware of, obviously – but even this close proximity meant little. It never assured you would understand each other completely.

It definitely wasn't the case for Yukinoshita Yukino, who certainly understood Haruno on a deeper level than most of us – but even she couldn't claim to understand her completely. Yukinoshita Yukino, whose brilliance dazzled many, whose intellect was unmatched in our school, was confused and stumped by the riddle known as Yukinoshita Haruno.

Which leads me to the question: is the same true for Yukinoshita Haruno, I wonder?

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A/N: For those interested, this was initially the opening part of the new chapter. For those who are worried, don't be - this is vital set-up for the stuff I'm doing next chapter, for those who can already imagine what I have in store. Set up and all that. In retrospect, I probably should have started with this, since, well, you'll see. Apologies if I'm taking a long time getting the new chapter out, but I'm planning things out carefully. Are mini-chapters like this acceptable to everyone? I'm seeing a lot of potential with this in the future for what I intend to do.

Anyway, leave a review!