Hey people! Guess who's in college? Me! And guess who just wrote a new chapter for all my great readers? Me again! I'm always in this game, at least until the stories come to a close. But that's still a while from now! So for now, enjoy this new chapter people!

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It bothered me sometimes how quickly time flies. I mean, call me crazy, but it was almost as if time went a little too fast in the last week of my summer break.

In all honesty, even I was kind of surprised how fast time went. One minute, we were still in the summer, and in the next, it was the night of August 31st again. Thankfully, I didn't have to be worried about having to repeat the same week over and over again.

Nevertheless, school was just on the horizon. Maybe it's just me, but everything seemed to just speed by whenever Haruhi and the rest of her merry bunch were involved.

I sighed as my ceiling suddenly became the most interesting thing in my room. My alarm clock had successfully gone off when it was supposed to and woken me up, and now all I was doing was waiting. Waiting for the inevitable. This was the first day of school since summer break ended.

I didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to change out of these clothes, nor did I want to eat some breakfast and head out the door. I really didn't want to go on that usual hike of mine either. And if there's one thing I really, really didn't want to do; it definitely had to be sitting in front of…you guessed it, Haruhi.

To make things easy to understand, this summer hadn't been too great for me, mostly because of some events which have collapsed my usually decent mood. All these things involve our infamous Brigade Chief, and I've started to get these terrible feelings in my stomach every time Haruhi's face comes up in my thoughts.

I'll be honest with myself. I'm jealous.

That is the simplest way to put it. I'm jealous of Koizumi, despite how stupid and utterly moronic that sounds.

Why am I jealous? Well, there's only one reason, and I witnessed the proof of it at a concert during the last week of our summer break.

Haruhi gave Koizumi a kiss. It was a small, almost innocent kiss on the cheek, but it was a kiss nonetheless, and something tells me it was specifically for my viewing. When I saw Haruhi kiss him, she gave me an expression that probably meant something along the lines…

"I'm sick of following you and getting nowhere. Now it's time to move on, idiot!"

Well, that would be Haruhi's way of putting it if she shouted it in my face. The only problem is that Haruhi hadn't really been all there since summer started. And when I say something like that, I really mean it. She'd changed drastically, and frankly, I'd become a little afraid at the possible consequences of her changes.

Why should I be afraid? What effect does all this have on me? It's not just me that it will affect. Haruhi's goddamn changes could affect the whole world, if not the universe.

And I was the cause of it all, wasn't I? All because I decided to break up with her. A guy can't break up with someone and hope she won't inadvertently destroy the world these days. And now to top it all off, she's blatantly attempting to make me jealous by trying to look interested in Koizumi. I'm not an idiot. Haruhi isn't romantically interested in Koizumi. Frankly, I was surprised she would be romantically interested in anyone, let alone me.

I sighed. There's not much to think about at this point. I'd probably develop some sort of brain disease with all the thinking I was doing. And I'd be late to the first day of classes if I didn't get my ass up. I guessed I had no choice in the matter at this point.

After wolfing down some breakfast, I was out the door as usual, getting my arms into the sleeves of my blazer even as I walked out the door. Today was still a bit warm for September, but that's usually the case for the beginning of fall.

I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a lot on my mind at this very moment. I mean, there's a ton of stuff rolling around in my thoughts. School was coming back, which meant a re-emergence in the SOS Brigade and its daily meetings. On top of that, I realized that I was going to be piled on with schoolwork again, and that's not something I was looking forward too. Even still, there has to be some positives to the upcoming year, right?

Nope. I couldn't think of any at all. Damn. That sucked.

What's Haruhi trying to pull? I haven't seen her or anyone else from the Brigade since that concert night. That's probably from my sullen mood after her actions that night.

As I began my daily hike which I'd almost been missing over the summer, I felt like I had too much time on my hands to just think. With no Haruhi to yell in my ear, and no Koizumi to start spouting out random psychobabble, I actually felt like I was at some sort of serene peace. Everything was calm and ordered. There were no variables like Haruhi to come and ruin the peace.

Yes. I could enjoy a life like this. I could enjoy the calmness that comes without Haruhi. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just go back to my old life. The one where I believed in the real world and its set laws. The one where eccentric high school girls couldn't create inter-dimensional spaces where blue giants ran amok just because they were a little discontent or bored. The life where aliens, time travelers and espers didn't personally explain their existence to you.

That's the life I think I was missing. It's stress free.

"Yo! Kyon!"

An expected response from a person I could only expect to find me this early on my route to school.

I stopped in my tracks, and Taniguchi could be seen running up the hill, waving like a deluded idiot. A small smile sneaked its way onto my face. I guessed if I focused on him, I could forget some of the stress from over the summer.

"Morning."

"What the hell is up with you? Already pissed off that school is starting again?" he said, breathing a little hard after finally catching up with me.

Nice guess, Taniguchi. You managed to get a quarter of it right.

"A little bit."

A stupid grin came up on Taniguchi's face. I already had a good feeling what was coming next.

"You're still reeling over Suzumiya? Damn, Kyon! She's just a crazy girl. Get over it."

"Stop making things up. That's not part of the problem."

"I'm not stupid. You're still not over the girl."

Damn you! Are you a mind reader too? Of course not. You're too thick-headed to be an esper.

"It doesn't matter anyway. I'd like to get through the rest of this year with as little pain as possible. With things like the sports festival already on their way, I get the feeling that there's only more craziness in store for me." I replied dryly, my hands in my pockets as the two of us headed to school side by side. Taniguchi certainly seemed like he was in a good mood.

"Yeah, on the topic of craziness…" he began, with a nervous tone of voice.

I raised an eyebrow. What was it now? It's probably another inane comment.

"It's nice having Tsuruya as a girlfriend and all, but she's a little…"

Now he's complaining about having a girlfriend? Was he just trying to piss me off right now? Damn it! I didn't think that.

"…energetic."

Curse this teenage mind! Now he's putting lots of unnecessary thoughts inside my head. Get out! I don't want to see Tsuruya-san and this idiot doing it in my brain!

"I hope you're not talking with some sort of undertone."

Taniguchi raised an eyebrow at me like I was a mythical hydra from Greek myth. Obviously, I said something insulting. Or maybe it's just him.

"I wish! I'm not talking about that. I'm being serious. She's got a lot of freaking energy, Kyon! I mean, the girl bounces off walls! She can't seem to get enough of me whenever I'm around. It's like I'm her drug, and it's kind of scaring me a little bit."

"Well, lucky you."

It would be safe to say that Taniguchi's revelations were enough to make me feel a little worse. Not that I'd been feeling any better. It seemed like my depression was coming in constant cycles. One minute, I was in a decent mood, and another, I felt like trash. I couldn't help but wonder if any of this could be Haruhi's doing. It's probably just another way for her to screw me over.

When I arrived in class, I could already see that people all around were becoming reacquainted with each other, as if summer break had been more like a few years. It's as if we've all been separated by some sort of apocalypse, and now there were heartfelt reunions all around. Well, that could be a little bit of an exaggeration. I just ignored the people around me, and probably the greetings they said as well.

Maybe I'm acting like a bit of an ass today. I guessed trashy moods do that to you.

I felt so melancholic, to tell the truth. This is mostly because Haruhi wasn't present in the room, despite the fact that I arrived a little earlier than usual today, perhaps so I could ignore her before she tried to say something to me. I'm acting like a bit of a hypocrite though, because now I felt like I almost want Haruhi to be sitting behind me, so I could focus myself away from her, instead of on nothing.

While the rest of the class continued chattering about, I just sat there, a bored look on my face. This is probably what Haruhi felt like when I first met her. Staring out the window, unsatisfied with the world and its set rules and laws. Then one day, without even knowing it, she changed those set rules. She cheated in the game of life, and she still doesn't feel satisfied with her results.

But I'm stuck with whatever roll of the die I get. It's a like a tabletop RPG gone wrong. And I got all the terrible stat point assignments.

It was then I spotted Haruhi.

When I decided to turn my gaze onto the open door into the hallway, I saw none other than Haruhi, her hands on her hips, and a piece of paper in clutched in one of them. In front of her, stood Okabe-sensei. They looked like they were going on about something or another, with Haruhi consistently pointing at the piece of paper in her hand. Okabe-sensei looked unconvinced about whatever Haruhi was trying to tell him, and he rubbed his chin while reading the note she pretty much shoved onto him.

After a few more minutes of discussion that I couldn't hear, the both of them entered, Haruhi being first as she passed my seat without even giving me a second glance. I could easily tell she didn't plan on sitting in her usual seat, and I wondered if this was another ploy of her's to just make me jealous.

Okabe-sensei took his place at the podium in the front of the room, while Haruhi stood next to him, hands behind her back. Her expression looked relatively calm.

"I've got an announcement for you all."

Heads turned, and attentions were caught when Okabe-sensei spoke. I only paid attention because it involved Haruhi, to tell the truth.

"Since Asakura Ryoko's leaving, we've yet to have a class representative. This has gone on for about a year. It seems like Suzumiya-san here would like to take the position."

My expression seemed to break as if it were a mirror that someone decided to whack a sledgehammer with it. The bored look on my face disappeared, replaced with one of sudden confusion.

What the hell? Haruhi becoming the class representative? Why did she want the position? Don't tell me this is some sort of plot of hers. Don't tell me she's planning on turning this entire class into an expanded SOS Brigade.

"All it will take for her to become the new representative is for the class to agree on it via a majority vote. I suggest voting for her. She seems very prepared for the position."

Prepared? Of course she's prepared! Prepared to take over the world! Damn it! Now I sounded paranoid!

"If you don't mind, Okabe-sensei, I can explain it to them." Haruhi said out of the blue, with a very concise tone of voice. Once again, this Haruhi seems very out of place in the world she created. I didn't like the way she sounded. She's changing way too much, if you ask me.

"I'd like to hear this. Especially since my vote could end it for you, Suzumiya." Taniguchi says from the back, a grin on his face. I wondered if he's just looking to be punched in the face half the time.

"It's simple. If you make me the new class representative, then not only will I make our class the most successful during the sports festival and the cultural festival, but I'll also get us all on a field trip to Mt. Fuji in less than a month's time. In fact, I could probably have a few other classes to come with us, including Asahina-san's class."

There were some obvious inconsistencies in Haruhi's sentence. First of all, she's speaking with coherence and common sense. Those things are almost never expected from her. Secondly, she just called Asahina-san…Asahina-san. Haruhi always calls her Mikuru-chan. This is obviously a problem, if you asked me. Haruhi's lying about something, or she's trying to hide something.

Or this was all a plot to make me jealous. That's probably it.

"You've got my vote!"

Figured Taniguchi would be persuaded so easily if Asahina-san was included in the equation. Or maybe it's because he knew that Tsuruya-san was also in Asahina-san's class. It's probably that, because I got chills wondering what a mad Tsuruya-san would look like if Taniguchi ever dared to cheat on her or something. Probably not a pretty sight.

It wasn't long before the rest of the class agreed with Taniguchi. It's no surprise that Haruhi was able to convince them all so easily. She's a master persuader, and it seemed like she's caught this entire class in her grip. Surprisingly, I felt out of the loop. I never raised my hand or said anything for the entire duration of the voting. Something told me that Haruhi was disappointed by this, despite the fact that everyone else in the class voted for her.

After Haruhi's victory, my day went by fairly quickly. I believed that I focused on my classes more than anything else, and that's mostly because I wanted to just get my mind off of Haruhi or anything related to her. Similarly, she refused to say anything despite still being right behind me. I personally was glad she didn't talk to me.

I was heading to the clubroom now, with my mind unable to focus on anything else besides the SOS Brigade. When school ended, my thought process shifted, and Haruhi suddenly became my focus. I cursed myself for thinking about her, but I headed to her infernal clubroom nevertheless. The power of habit was strong enough to make me do such a thing.

When I opened the door, I spotted only two people inside. Koizumi was in his usual seat, his arms crossed, but an eerie smile on his face. Nagato was all the way in the corner, reading yet another novel. Nothing seemed out of place or out of the ordinary, expect for the absence of Haruhi and Asahina-san.

"Good to see you." Koizumi said as I took my seat. He was always one to speak first in any conversations between us. I wasn't much in the mood to talk, but I knew he would go on without a response from me, so I gave him one anyway.

"If today was any good, I'd agree with you."

Koizumi just continued to smile, and I tried my best to ignore the expression. Come to think of it, everything about him is pissing me off right now. I wonder why the hell that is.

"I'm guessing you heard about her new position."

"Suzumiya-san? If you're referring to her becoming your classes' new representative, then yes, I have. It's an interesting turn of events."

"Don't sound so unassuming. You must be enjoying your time with her. I haven't seen you for awhile, so I wouldn't actually know." I shot back at the esper, with poison in my tone of voice. I was really hoping that would just piss him off.

Instead, Koizumi just kept his smile, pushing aside his hair. Stop doing that, you self-conscious bastard!

"It's not really like that. As you might have guessed, Suzumiya-san is acting out of impulsion, and part of that it also due to her changing mindset. Believe me when I say that the kiss she gave me meant nothing. It meant nothing to her, and it certainly means nothing to me. It was all to get your attention. That is what this is all about."

I guessed that already. I still don't believe you one bit. You've got some ulterior motive. I'm not an idiot, Koizumi.

"Well, you can enjoy your time with her. But when she decides to piss you off, don't say I didn't tell you anything." I replied, crossing my arms.

"I'm not going to worry about that. I think if anything, Suzumiya-san would be content if I pretended like I actually cared about her as a significant other. When she requests it, I will be sure to satiate her desire. Otherwise, the consequences of not doing so could be very serious."

You sound like a perverted sicko to me, Koizumi. You think you know Haruhi? You don't know her one bit.

"Do whatever you want. See if I care."

Koizumi said nothing to me after that. He did give me a look, however. It was a look that said something along the lines of…

"You're lying. You do care."

And though he can go to hell with it, he was right.

The door opened slowly, and I could hear the footsteps of two people entering. Haruhi came first, with Asahina-san following her in her normal school clothes instead her maid outfit, surprisingly. Haruhi had a piece of paper in her hand, and an excited expression on her face.

"I have an announcement for all of you!" she stated out loud, her eyes bright.

What is it now? I don't want to know, to be honest.

"There's going to be some changes around here. And the first one is as follows. From now on, the SOS Brigade is going to participating in mandatory community service every day after school. We're going to be going to the community center soon, where we're in charge of watching all the little kids for a few hours. If we can do that for two weeks straight, then the school has agreed to fund five classes for a trip to Mt. Fuji in October. And this is all possible because of my new position as class representative."

After hearing that, my mind just went blank. I had no response, and I certainly didn't have any protest in my mind. All those things would be useless at this point. From what I could hear, Haruhi sounded dead set this time. And when she was this serious, there was very little on the planet that could stop her. Well, that's also a bit of an exaggeration.

Never mind. Without thinking, I laid my head down and tried to go into a sleeping state that never came.

Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why do I keep coming back to her and this clubroom? Why does such repetition plague me so? And why do I keep asking why?

Like so many other things, I'll never know. Damn it all…