And low and behold, I have written another chapter to the story that's slowly becoming my most successful thus far. Sorry for the wait. With college, it seems like I suddenly got a lot busier. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, and wait eagerly for the next one! ;)

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Initially, I was unprepared. They came fast and without warning. Their senses were sharp, and their aim, even sharper. I had absolutely no chance to react before they struck.

The sensation of being hit by a barrage of various balls was actually more painful then what I had expected. Like I said before, I was unprepared for this attack. I had been minding my own business, wanting to stay away from any and all little kids for a long as I possibly could. Unfortunately, the little monsters found me, and they happily unleashed their fury on me in the form of just about any kind of ball you could think of. Dodge balls, soccer balls, basketballs, you name it.

"Dammit!"

After I uttered that uncensored exclamation, the only thing I could think of possibly doing was protecting my body from any further damage. Although most of the projectiles aimed at me already made their mark, I curled my arms around my head, and closed my eyes shut. I hoped the suffering would end sooner rather than later.

I'm starting to hate kids right now. Ever since last week, Haruhi has actually been serious in making us go to the community center after school, where we're all obligated to watch over all the little kids who have their after school programs there. It's a tiresome and terrible job, mostly because all that really happens to me there is that I get beaten up by people half my size. And to top it all off, it seems like all the kids here find pleasure in physically harassing me whenever I'm in sight.

After a few seconds, I realized that the storm of balls had subsided. Slowly, I stood up straight, and narrowed my eyes in annoyance at a sight not too far away from me. Don't ask me why, but just seeing Haruhi was beginning to piss me off.

"But I want that ball!"

"No fair! It's mine!"

"No! It's mine! I saw it first!"

Haruhi was towering over two little kids, and she was bouncing an orange ball in her hand. She looked displeased, and I guessed that she was probably starting to get sick of this stuff by now. I think working here is the worst kind of torture since the iron maiden.

"How many times do I have to tell you two? It's everyone's ball. If it came from here, then everyone has to share it. And if you two don't figure that out in the next five seconds, then I won't let either of you use it!" Haruhi said as she stared down the two kids in front of her, the orange ball now underneath her arm. She looked dead serious, which was pretty surprising considering that I haven't seen her like this for awhile now.

Then again; when the hell did Haruhi care about sharing and stuff like that? I imagined her telling these kids something along the lines of…

"Alright, you two! You're going to have a battle to death for this ball! The one who comes out with their opponent's skull gets the ball as a trophy!"

Well, that might be just a little graphic. Nevertheless, maybe I was just starting to miss the old Haruhi a little bit. This new Haruhi was so much less...it would be hard to put into words.

She's less…Haruhi…

There's just no suitable adjective to describe her change in personality.

This is stupid! Why have I convinced myself into this pointless depression? Is this really all over Haruhi Suzumiya? Didn't I dislike this girl for most of the time I've known her? Haven't I insulted her and berated her quite a bit, even though most of all of it was in my head?

I sighed. Who gives a damn? In my perspective, it seemed like nobody did except me. Not Koizumi, not Nagato, and definitely not Haruhi. From what I could see, she seemed genuinely happy. If anything, I should probably be happy for her.

But I'm not. I'm not happy at all.

Next morning, I really wasn't in the mood to learn. I would have rather ventured through a dreamland of rabid foxes than have to sit in this uncomfortable desk. The teacher's voice was pissing me off, the breeze from the open window was pissing me off, and the fact that someone's not sitting behind me was really, really pissing me off.

You heard me right. Haruhi's seat was moved. She's now closer to the front, right in the seat of the former Ryoko Asakura.

And now at the beginning of the period, Haruhi checked the attendance while Okabe-sensei was already doing it, just to make sure nobody cuts while the class is on her watch. And she's memorized the seating order as well, and I've guessed that Haruhi will just make life difficult for you if you don't sit in the correct seat.

But in all honesty, her becoming our class representative was the least good thing to happen this year. Giving Haruhi an actual position of authority is like giving Genghis Khan the Gurren Lagann. It's just not a good idea.

Visions of Haruhi conquering the world with her armies streamed through my head as ramen made its way down to my stomach. I was sitting with Taniguchi and Kunikida again, and it's safe to say that it's been some time since I've eaten with these two. The summer seemed so long, yet it went by so fast. Still, I barely saw either of them in its duration.

"This school is going mad!" Taniguchi exclaimed with food in his mouth. I looked back at him in disgust, raising an eyebrow and wondering what the hell he was going off about.

"You mean with Suzumiya?" Kunikida asked, and he managed to be polite enough to finish what was in his mouth before deciding to talk. I do believe Kunikida could be more successful in this school if he kept his distance with Taniguchi.

"Of course I mean with Suzumiya! She's gone wacko! I mean, this is really something. Suzumiya's gone way over the hill this time."

"What do you mean? I haven't seen her do anything strange. In fact, she seems more normal than usual. And she's going to plan that trip for our classes. I've been wanting to see Mt. Fuji for awhile."

"The fact that she's normal is what's so weird! Suzumiya never acts like this! She's always ranting about aliens or how boring regular people are. When was the last time you heard her mention something weird, Kunikida? When?"

"I don't remember. Wouldn't that be a good thing anyway?"

"You would think so. But she's probably planning all this! She's probably waiting for us to turn our backs and let our guards down."

And this is coming from the idiot who voted for her first? How much more contradicting can you get?

"I think Suzumiya's just trying to fit in with everyone else. Maybe she finally realized what high school's all about." Kunikida said in a soft voice that greatly contrasted Taniguchi's much louder one.

Taniguchi was fiddling with his chopsticks, gritting his teeth. I ate in silence, but it was easy to hear the whispers around me. Most of them pertained to Haruhi, but I heard my name multiple times.

Taniguchi threw out a pompous laugh. My blood unexpectedly boiled.

"Suzumiya's not trying to fit in. She's just trying to make everyone else do her bidding. All she cares about is her stupid ideals and that idiotic club of hers. There's no-"

I had enough of Taniguchi's idiocy at that point. He had thoroughly pissed me off on a day where I was already at my limit. And so, because he decided to open his mouth like that, I decided to shut him up when my bento box went flying into his face. Whatever Taniguchi might have said next was drowned by the rice I couldn't finish.

"What the hell was that for?" Taniguchi shot at me, exasperated as he threw aside the bento box. Around us, the stares were already beginning.

I didn't really want to give him a response, but on a day like this, I felt like he almost deserved it.

"For being an idiot.

Taniguchi just kind of looked back at me like I was a ghost. Maybe he was just in disbelief that I'd tell him something like that, or maybe he was actually contemplating the possibility of it being true. All I knew was that I probably had to say that sentence sometime before I severed contact with this guy.

Those words felt good. Too good. I wondered why at first, but something told me it was because of the shadow that formed over me. In an instant, I knew why everything had suddenly felt this way. It was because it was too good to be true.

"What do you think you're doing?" an obviously angry Haruhi said from right behind me. In my anger, I had forgotten that she'd only been out of the room for a brief moment to deliver the attendance records, and that she could be back in any moment. She probably came back just in time to see Taniguchi get hit in the face with that bento.

I didn't say anything. To tell the truth, I couldn't actually think of anything to say.

"Are you going to answer me, Kyon? Stop acting like a baby and say something!"

Surprisingly, Taniguchi was just as quiet as Kunikida had been this entire time, and with the appearance of Haruhi, the rest of the class had also silenced themselves.

"What's there for me to say? You're just going to say you saw what I did if I lie."

It was the truth. Haruhi was waiting for a lie, but I wasn't going to give her one. Instead, I leaned forward and buried my head in my arms, much in the same way she would do during class. The anger was melting into annoyance now. I waited for Haruhi's judgment, but I got a surprising response.

"Just don't do it again, Kyon. If you do, the consequences will be severe."

Haruhi made sure to be very clear with me, because I could hear her at ear level, which means she had leaned down to say what she had said. Normally, I would have expected her to just pull me by my collar and scream in my face, but this time, that was not the case. From my seat, I could hear Haruhi walk out into the hallway.

With my head buried in my arms, I felt something go down my face that I haven't felt in a long time. It was a tear, and I wondered why the hell I could even think about crying at a time like this.

What was wrong with me? Did I want a reaction from Haruhi? Did I want her yelling at me or being physical like she usually was? Did I truly miss those things about Haruhi? The psychological tension is killing me!

Damn. The sad truth was that I think I did. Once Haruhi had left, Taniguchi and Kunikida said nothing from then on, and I spent the rest of the lunch break with my head in my arms, not crying, but otherwise feeling like absolute garbage,

Don't ask me why I was going to the clubroom now. I myself didn't even know why. It's like I've been compelled there every day by a curse that I can never break free of. It's an unholy repetition that would probably haunt me even after I die. Already my mind was playing images of my ghostly self commuting to the clubroom for an eternity. It's a frightening thought, but it kept my mind off the previous scene I made today. No doubt it would be passed around the school soon enough.

When I arrived, Nagato was the only one in the room, reading a novel. Besides the absence of Koizumi, Asahina-san and Haruhi, the clubroom seemed ordinarily boring. I sighed as I took a seat. Maybe talking to Nagato could take my mind off all this stress.

"Hey Nagato....I was wondering…"

She didn't look up, but I got the feeling she was listening to me. So I pressed on with my question.

"Just how many books have you read?"

This was a kind of question I had never asked this alien before, and part of me doubted the fact that she would even answer in the first place. Still, she reads all the time, so the curiosity to know just how many books she's read would have bubbled up in the back of my thoughts since the day I met her.

The light-haired alien put her book down for a moment on her lap, registering the question. Despite my mood today, Nagato's answer was suddenly becoming the single most exciting thing ever, and I was almost dying to know it.

Unfortunately, something else just had to ruin everything. And that something else had already pissed me off one too many times.

Haruhi slammed open the door and walked through before I could hear Nagato speak, with a slightly shaken Koizumi behind her. She had him by the hand, and just that sight was mentally killing me.

Thanks for the entrance, idiots! I was just about to hear something important!

"Before you start talking about aliens, can I at least get a break from you during school? Today has been difficult enough." I said in the most controlled voice I could muster. The sight of Haruhi still holding Koizumi's hand was painful, and the innocent smile he was wearing was just making it worse.

"You should know that club's not all about that stuff anymore. We're going to focus on community service instead. And it's not my fault that you like to throw things at people, Kyon. It's my job to make sure you stay in line!" Haruhi stated, finally letting go of Koizumi's hand and approaching me. It seemed like these days, anytime Haruhi was around me; she always had a disappointed face on.

I let the words she said go back and forth in my head. I let them coalesce in my thought banks, and then I sighed. The inevitable had finally arrived. I stood up.

"Well, I guess I'm going then."

I grabbed my bag, and I could feel Haruhi's grip on my arm. All of a sudden, the tension in the room rose.

"Suzumiya-san! I brought all the supplies from the Gardening Club…" Asahina-san announced as she entered the room, stopping right by Koizumi when she saw what was going on. I didn't give her a smile or wave, mostly because I was preoccupied with the girl in front of me.

"Where do you think you're going?" Haruhi asked me, anger seething in her voice.

"I'm going home. I'm done with this club. There are better things to do with my afternoons." I replied point blank. This time, I was being dead serious. I didn't want to come to this club if I was going to be forced into constant community service like this, be it Haruhi-run or not.

I stepped back, and slung my bag over my shoulder. Haruhi was looking up at me, as if she was unable to say anything at all. I walked past her, my face filled with melancholy.

I got only a few steps before the shouting started.

"What the hell? Sit your ass back down, you idiot! I didn't give you permission to just leave! Get back in that seat!"

Haruhi's commands sounded fierce and violent. She sounded like she would probably back them with her fists. I didn't care. I ignored her, and I headed for the door again.

"Are you deaf? Get back in that seat! You're not quitting my club, you moron! I won't allow it! I'll hunt you down and drag you back if I have to!!! Sit your ass back down now!!!"

She really sounded mad now. But I was too far ahead to go back. If I went back and sat in my seat, it would just prove that the world really did revolve around her. All this time, everyone else has catered to her needs, from Koizumi and his esper organization, to Nagato and her Data Entity, to Asahina-san and the rest of the future humans. Everything has to be done Haruhi's way, on her terms.

But I was sick of it. There's no freedom with her. I'm not dumb. I know this has all been an act of her's, even though she probably doesn't realize it. It's all been done just to make me jealous. And I'll give Haruhi a hand for it. It certainly worked at making me jealous, but it didn't achieve its intended goal. I was not going back to a girl like this. I've had enough.

When I got to the hallway, Haruhi proceeded to yell some more, and though I never turned around to face her, I sensed that she was starting to cry a little bit. Her voice was cracking the farther I walked. I just ignored her, and before I knew it, I was out of the hallway and going down the stairs towards the exit. I remembered hearing a loud echo of Haruhi calling me an idiot before I left. How these things just bounced off me that day, I'll never know.

Later that night at home, I drove through my homework in an attempt to forget about the day. Unfortunately, some things are hard to forget.

When I was in the middle of my math homework, my phone started ringing next to me. The sound just reminded me of what I did on this very day. Koizumi was calling, and even as I picked it up, I knew what he was going to say. I let him talk first.

"Kyon-kun. It's good you're awake. I hope you know just how much you've put at stake. You should be trying to apologize to Suzumiya-san as quickly as possible. The closed space occurrences for the last few weeks has been difficult enough, and things are just getting worse by the minute." He said over the other line, sounding a little breathless.

"I don't see what there is to apologize about. I didn't even do anything wrong."

Koizumi was silent for a moment, and I could tell her was surprised by what I said. He was probably shocked, more like it.

"You don't seem to understand. The closed space Suzumiya-san is creating is highly unstable. The giants are developing some sort of intangibility, and they're becoming nearly impossible to neutralize. The spaces are just going to grow faster, and it won't be very long before they encompass the world. If you don't apologize to her for your mistake today, then you're spelling out doom for all of us."

"I didn't make a mistake." I said to him. I wasn't joking.

"In her eyes, you did. Try to just understand that she's only acting like this to get your attention. As I've told you, you're just a normal human, unlike the rest of us. When you decided to end your ties with Suzumiya-san, she subconsciously decided to win you back by conforming to the normality you always long for. This is beyond her control."

I know all this, Koizumi. I still don't find any error in my thinking.

"The closed spaces are going to keep growing if nothing is done. I hope you figure out what you're going to do, Kyon-kun." Koizumi stated with his voice serious. I almost had a weird urge to smile, but I didn't. Something about all this seemed so ironic.

"I'll find a way. For now, I should get some sleep."

"Very well. I'll trust that Suzumiya-san will control herself long enough to keep the world existing for another few days."

Koizumi hung up. I closed my phone, and lay down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I've really caused a lot this time, but it doesn't seem to want to sink in. Haruhi is angry at me, and she has perfectly good reason. I quit her club, and that was probably the worst thing I could have done to her.

Koizumi's words echoed in my head. I looked to my side, where my phone was within arm's reach. I could call her and make up some apology. I could fix everything right now.

But I didn't. Instead, I glanced over to my open window. My eyes widened for a moment, and I got up out of bed. There was something bright green, like a huge ribbon, moving through the black sky. It was brilliant and dazzling, like the very Northern lights that you might see if you were lucky enough to live somewhere near them.

But I knew that Japan never had phenomenon like this. Suddenly, I could feel an uneasy squeeze on my heart, and fear began to descend on me. As I watched the infamous Northern lights fluctuating in a Japanese sky out the window above me, I wondered just how serious Haruhi might be taking all this.

She's causing crazy stuff like this now? How many other people have noticed this already?

I looked back at my phone. I could call Haruhi and apologize. I could tell her I was stupid for quitting, that I didn't know what I was thinking.

But instead, I decided sleep was a good idea. And what do you do when you have a good idea? You take initiative on it. Whether or not that was the right or wrong choice at the time; I'll never know.