Words cannot describe that joy I feel when I continue to write this. And it's all thanks to you guys. You guys are the reason I push myself. I also think this story is that much better because of you guys (and girls! Can't forget the girls).

Anyway, I think one of my reviewers asked how far I am in the story. To be honest, I think I'm about 3/5th done at this point, but anything can change. I do have the story mostly planned out, but things can change based on whether I feel something should be added or cut. The truth is, I don't want this story to end either, but I know that someday it must. Until then, let's just keep enjoying the ride.

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 17

It's good to be back in the clubroom. I never thought I'd say that, but it was true. The events of last week are now a distant memory, and the Brigade was once again free to meet up here. Seeing Asahina-san in her maid outfit and drinking her tea completely enveloped me in absolute joy. I missed it way too much. It felt way too weird to not meet up after the end of class.

Unfortunately, Haruhi was true to her word that we'd be busy getting ready for Kyoto. Today, all five of us were using our own respective computers. For what reason? Well, our first order of business was to watch videos…every single one that contained something to do with James Randi. Haruhi gave a brief speech about how "it's important to learn as much as possible about the enemy before going to battle." Those are her words, not mine. I'd never say anything so idiotic.

And so, here I was constantly looking up videos about the guy, slowly becoming more and more bored. Glancing at Haruhi, I could see the fiery intensity in her eyes as she continued to watch whatever was on her screen. I wished I could be that excited about this. It didn't help that most of these videos were in English. Despite all the English classes I took during my years going to school, my English could best be described as semi-fluent. Well, that was being a little generous. I knew the basics, but my lack of actually practicing the language outside of class meant that nothing else ever stuck in my brain.

I began to wonder if anyone else was having the same problem. I figured that Haruhi and Koizumi probably understood all this better than I could. I knew that Haruhi's incredible brain would likely pick up on foreign languages better than most, and Koizumi likely had extensive training in any language his Organization needed him to learn. Nagato, on the other hand, I had no doubt her comprehension was perfect. Looking at her staring at the screen, I noticed that she barely ever moved unless it was to select the next video (she never used the mouse to do this, by the way). I don't even think she blinked. I then looked at Asahina-san. Poor Asahina-san. She looked even more confused than I did. I could tell she was trying in earnest to watch each and every video she could find, but I knew she couldn't make out any of what was being said.

After about ten more minutes, I looked at Haruhi again, finding her now leaning on her left hand while continuing to watch whatever she was watching. See? Even you are getting bored. Do we really have to do this? How the heck is this going to help with our goal to publicly humiliate an eighty year old foreign guy? It sure as hell isn't going to help me any. Could you at least enlighten me, just once, about the reasoning behind all this?

I then suddenly noticed her eyes divert themselves directly at me. I tried to turn my head and look at my screen as soon as possible, but it was too late.

"Stupid Kyon! Keep your eyes on the screen. Quit slacking!"

Yes your majesty. Wouldn't want to lose that precious point you awarded me that other day. I should protect it with my life. Who cares if Koizumi has something like 20,000 points? It's quality that counts, not quantity. Yeah, that's right. My point is better than all your points, Koizumi! Take that...Dammit, what the hell am I thinking? I'm so bored that even my thoughts are becoming completely incoherent.

After few more minutes, I looked at Haruhi yet again. This time she had a look of excitement again, even to the point where she was grinning. However, I also noticed that she was clicking furiously on my mouse. In other words, it was now painfully obvious that she wasn't watching videos anymore and was probably playing a game. Hypocrite! You force us to watch these stupid videos even when you can even do it yourself. I swear that it drives me absolutely…

"You seem distracted."

I was startled by the comment, causing me to snap to my front where Koizumi was seated. "Huh?'

"I just noticed that you seemed a bit preoccupied," said Koizumi with a smile that appeared to go the extra mile to annoy the hell out of me.

"I'm just bored because I can't really make out what's being said in these videos."

"Is that so? Perhaps I can be of assistance."

He then got up and walked over to my side of the table. He then leaned in to look at what was on my screen, getting way, way too close to me while doing so.

"Hmm…the description says that this video is about how the JREF worked the BBC to conduct an experiment to see if there was any truth behind homeopathy. Interesting…"

He then returned to his seat before asking a question, no doubt a prelude to another of his long line of boring expositions. "Do you know what homeopathy is?"

"Isn't that the practice of diluting some kind of medicine to ridiculous amounts, thinking it's supposed to work better?"

"That's a pretty general explanation. However, there's a bit more to it than that. Now bear in mind that I don't necessarily believe any of this is true."

So why are you talking about it. Who cares?

"The first principle of homeopathy is that "like cures like." In other words, if I was to be poisoned with, say, arsenic, the cure would be more arsenic."

Makes perfect sense. No wonder why people buy into it…

"The second principal is that the more you dilute that substance in water, the more potent the substance becomes. For instance…"

It was at this point that I completely lost interest and began to zone out. I looked at Haruhi once again. By now, she was obviously still playing the game, but a look of obvious frustration was now on her face. Obviously, the game's difficulty must have gone up significantly, causing her to lose patience.

It was then that I heard Koizumi chuckling. I looked at him again to see that his smile had grown even more irritating than before. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

Liar! Something is amusing you, and it appears to involve me. What the hell was I doing to…? Just as I was thinking that, I noticed my eye moving toward Haruhi again. It then hit me like a ton of bricks. Looking back at him straight in the eyes, I then shook my head in denial. I leaned in a bit and lowered my voice.

"It's not what it looks like."

"What's not what it looks like?"

"Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong," I said growing increasingly irritated.

"I didn't say anything," said Koizumi, showing a mild hint of self-satisfaction that seemed to put the annoyance level of his smile over the roof.

You didn't have to. Your face says it all. It doesn't matter what he thinks. I was only staring at Haruhi because I was bored, and everyone else was just sitting there watching videos. She was the only one doing something different. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

At the point, I made a conscious effort not to stare at her anymore. Instead, I tried staring at Asahina-san. Yes, doing that always makes me feel much better. Seeing her in that cute maid outfit while clumsily trying to use the computer was so incredibly cute. Yep, as much as I'd hate to admit it, Haruhi was right to buy that costume for her. Now that I think about, didn't Haruhi once say that she would wear it? Imagining her wearing that…DAMMIT!

"I need to use the bathroom," I said, desperately needing an excuse to go out and get some fresh air.

"Don't be long," commanded Haruhi. "You've been slacking enough as it is."

I ignored her remark and left the clubroom, heading directly for the roof. Being up there should definitely help clear my head. Wait…no. Bad idea. Being on the roof will remind me of what happened last night, considering it also happened on a roof. Then instead, I'll walk outside and lay down by that tree. That'll be relaxing. After all, Haruhi likes to…on second thought, forget the tree. I know. I'll go out to the athletic field and sit on one of the benches for a while. I'm sure that won't remind me of her at all. Well, there was the time during the athletics festival that…dammit, isn't there any place I can go that doesn't remind me of her in some way?

I ultimately gave up and just decided to wander the halls for a while. Whether I liked to admit it or not, I found myself increasing compelled to stare at Haruhi. Even during class, I found myself turning to take quick glances at her several times, even when doing so seemed suspicious. I rubbed my face, trying to relieve my building stress. This compulsion was starting to really get to me. It had to stop. It's not like I'm in love if her or anything, right?

Eventually, I returned to the clubroom, only to find that Haruhi was now on her feet and pacing around the room. She turned to me and glared at me in annoyance. "About time! You were missing out on an important discussion!"

"About what?" I asked as I took my seat.

Haruhi slammed her hand down on the table, obviously trying to be dramatic. "We need funding for our trip to Kyoto! I wanted some ideas for how we're going to achieve this. After all, we need to purchase train tickets, reserve hotel rooms, as well as for food and other expenses."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked. Please tell me you're not going to try and take advantage of Asahina-san again, are you? She gets abused enough as it is.

"As popular as Mikuru-chan is, I'm not certain that exploiting her cuteness would be enough this time. We definitely need more than what we took in on the last fundraiser we did."

Haruhi was referring to the so-called "SOS Brigade's Belated Asahina Mikuru Handmade Valentine's Day Chocolate Amidakuji Contest" that was held earlier this year. Even though that was a huge success (seeing Asahina-san in a miko outfit was incredibly awesome), I had to agree that the money we made would still be short of what would be needed.

"You have any ideas, Kyon? I already asked the others, but they haven't been able to come up with anything."

I have not the slightest clue. If I knew how to raise a huge sum of money in a short amount of time, I'd already be living in my own place comfortably, away some certain unwanted distractions. The deafening silence in the room raised the tension I felt quite a bit. I could tell that Nagato, Koizumi and Asahina-san were definitely not going to be of any help in this department, so it was likely up to either myself or Haruhi. Looking at her, I could see that she was becoming increasingly concerned. Obviously, if we didn't have the funds for the trip, it wouldn't happen.

Think…think…there must be something we could do. I briefly contemplated selling the pictures of Asahina-san that were still secretly hidden in the computer, but quickly decided against it when I realized that it would be a huge embarrassment to Asahina-san…not to mention that Haruhi would likely kill me if she ever found those. Okay, so what should we try instead? I continued to rack my brain for ideas. I delved as deep into my sub-conscious as I possibly could. A good idea was in there somewhere. I'm sure of it. Maybe I could ask Taniguchi for ideas. Then again, I somehow doubted that he would be of any help. Then again, as many of those magazines he probably reads, maybe there was something in there…hey there was something in that magazine I remembered reading recently.

"How about…" I almost said before stopping myself. Wait! Forget it. That's a bad idea.

"How about what?" asked Haruhi with obvious curiosity.

"Forget it. It's a bad idea," I said, hoping she'd drop it.

Unfortunately for me, she didn't. She circled around the table and leaned in close to my face. "If you have an idea, spit it out! I'll be the one who decides if it's a bad idea!"

Please don't make me say it. I'm begging you! To my chagrin, she continuously stared me down, making me increasingly nervous. The pressure she put on me, eventually became too much, so I eventually gave in and reluctantly told her my terrible idea.

"I…I was thinking…maybe we…could hold some kind of…tournament…"

"What kind of tournament?"

I swallowed hard before answering. "M…mud wrestling…"

Haruhi's expression quickly changed the moment those words left my mouth. She initially glared at me with a deadpan expression, but her eyes slowly narrowed as the idea sunk into her head. She continued to stare at me like this for at least a solid two minutes, her face uncomfortably close the whole time. Perhaps she remembered the article in the magazine she caught me reading, and now thought I was some kind of pervert. Whatever she was thinking, I just wished she stop staring at me already.

"Look, I told you it was a bad idea. Would you stop looking at me like that and just say no already?"

After I said that, Haruhi straightened up and put her hand under her chin, apparently entering deep thought. What, she not actually considering my idea, is she? Please, no! Forget I said anything!

To my dismay, Haruhi revealed a devilish grin before pointing directly at my nose. "Great idea, Kyon! A mud wrestling tournament is bound to bring in a ton of people and not just the fans of Mikuru-chan!"

I hung my head in despair. Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut? It was incredibly embarrassing that the Brigade was actually going to take part in something like this.

"Hmm, looks like we'll have to see if Tsuruya can help out, too. That'll even it out," said Haruhi, continuing to think out the details of our newest "plan." "We should also get some judges together to determine the winners of each match. I seriously doubt that those two idiots would say no."

Those two "idiots" that she's referring to were obviously Taniguchi and Kunikida, although it's a bit unfair to call them that. Kunikida is clearly not stupid.

"And we'll probably need a third judge…" said Haruhi as she continued to think. "I know! I bet Sakanaka will help! Having a girl in the judges panel will makes things more fair and balanced! Perfect!" She then stood up on her chair to make her final announcement. "Alright, everyone! This Friday, we're going to hold the Brigade's First Annual Stupendous Spring-time Mud Wrestling Tournament!"

First Annual? You mean you actually plan to have this thing held next year, too? Are you insane?

"For the next few days, we'll have to work hard to prepare for this Friday. That includes, of course, a huge marketing campaign that'll sweep through the school like a huge tsunami!"

And no doubt it'll cause just as much chaos. I had a serious question, however.

"Where the hell are we having this thing, anyway?"

Haruhi blinked at me, as if the answer should have been obvious. "We're going to have it out in the school's athletic field, of course. Where else would it be held?"

You're kidding, right? Of course you're not. You've never let a thing like school officials and rules stop you from anything. No doubt the fact that the school failed to notice the last fundraising event has emboldened you more.

I looked at Asahina-san. She was cowering fear at the thought of this tournament. What have I done? There's no way she could stand up to the likes of Haruhi, Nagato, or Tsuruya-san. No matter who she's paired up with, she's toast. I'm so sorry, Asahina-san. You must hate me for all the suffering I'm causing you. If you never forgive, I'll understand…

"Oh, and one other thing. In case you we're wondering, you and Koizumi will be competing against each other, too."

"WHAT?!" I responded with absolutely baffling dread and horror. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am," answered Haruhi with obvious annoyance. "Having you two wrestle will give something for the yaoi fangirl crowd to enjoy. Did you think only us girls would be involved? That's pretty sexist of you, Kyon."

While I certainly couldn't argue with her logic, the idea of wrestling with Koizumi…I think I'm going to be sick…

"I think it's a great idea, Suzumiya-san," said Koizumi. You bastard! You said that just to mess with me, didn't you?! You're so going to pay for that!

"Any other suggestions?" asked Haruhi.

"Can we do something else? Please?" I pleaded.

"Great! You're all dismissed so I can get started preparing. We're going to be busy all week, so be ready!"

Shoot me now. Seriously, if you can read this, come track me down and put a bullet through my cranium. Hell, I'll even give you directions to Haruhi's house so you can do it. Call me up and we'll make arrangements. Just make sure you don't miss, okay? I don't want to feel a thing…

After we were all dismissed, we all began to walk home together, likely to walk to the usual meeting spot before parting ways. While doing so, I noticed Koizumi walking right up next to me, giving me the feeling that he had some things to discuss with me. I slowed down my pace a bit to put some distance between us and Haruhi and lowered my voice.

"What do you want?"

"Quite an interesting development, this tournament."

Look, if that's all you want to talk about, I'm walking away from you. I don't want to think about that stupid tournament.

"I'm just kidding," said Koizumi with his ever annoying smile. "I actually wanted to update you on a few things. I'm sure you've been curious yourself about last night."

To tell the truth, I was. In fact, I had planned on asking Koizumi about it eventually. I never got a chance to see either Oruki or Naru-san in the morning. My only guess was that they had gotten home so late that they were still passed out when Haruhi and I woke up. I guess now's as good a time as ever for an explanation. "So what happened?"

"Well, their reactions to the closed space were definitely different from yours. The closed space was a considerable distance away, so I had ample opportunity to elaborate on what I told them last Saturday. Naru-san seemed to absorb everything I said like sponge, while her husband…preferred to be difficult."

"Is that so?"

"It's almost as if he blames us for what's going on, even though his daughter is the one who wished for all of this."

"Oruki always seems to have trust issues. I'm sure he'll get over it."

"Yes, 'trust issues' is a good way to put it. I almost couldn't get him to enter the closed space. It was only when Naru-san pleaded with him to come that he relented."

"So what did they think of…those things?"

Their reactions were quite similar to the ones they had on Saturday. Seeing Suzumiya-san's mother act so pleasantly to the sight of such creatures was quite amusing. Oruki-san…" Koizumi trailed off a bit, a look of concern on his face. "I'm growing increasingly concerned about him."

"What's going to happen, then? Do your superiors know about all this?"

"Of course," he answered, barely keeping his smile. "They were not happy to hear about what happened. One of them wanted to have me reassigned. Fortunately, the others realized that doing so now would likely be a poor decision considering my role in the Brigade."

I would agree. I believe that everyone in the Brigade is important to Haruhi, each in their own way. If Koizumi were to suddenly disappear, it's likely that it could cause serious backlash that the Organization would rather not deal with. As protective as Haruhi is of all her members, it's likely that she'd drag us all to the ends of the earth to find Koizumi. And for some reason, this thought bothered me a bit. And no, it's not jealousy, okay?

Koizumi continued his explanation. "In any case, I've been given the burden of responsibility should anything happen as a result of Suzumiya-san's parents knowing the truth. Of course, I would be most appreciative if you could assist me in any way you can. Bringing the two of them to the closed space was supposed to help ensure their cooperation, but I'm still uncertain."

"Fine, I get it. I'll try talking to them when I get a chance, okay?"

"I appreciate it," said Koizumi just as we gathered at the meeting spot. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Kyon-kun."

Just before he left, I yelled out to him. "By the way, Koizumi, I intend to kick your ass this Friday! You hear me?" Koizumi turned to me one last time. If he was intimidated, he didn't show it. He just gave one last annoying smile before walking off. Bastard, I'll show him.

I felt a fist hit my arm from behind. I assumed it was Haruhi. "That's the spirit, Kyon! The more aggressive you are, the better the show we'll have for all the paying customers!"

I secretly wondered who she thought would win…better not ask. I'd rather not know.

When the two of us returned, Naru-san was up and about, informing me that Oruki wanted me to mow the lawn today. I was even permitted to use the gas powered mower this time, much to my relief. She also leaned into my ear and told me that the "giant, blue people" were really cool, and that my "smiling friend" was awesome. Again, I wasn't jealous of him.

To be honest, I actually never used a gas powered mower before, so I had to have Haruhi show me how to get the thing running. That was embarrassing. Anyway, mowing the lawn this time was a breeze, and I was finished in half the time that it took last time. After putting the mower away, I went inside to go and relax.

When I got inside, I saw Haruhi sitting at the dining room table doing homework. I also saw her mother standing next to her talking about something. My curiosity getting the better of me, I snuck up to the door to the dining room to listen.

"I need you to do me a big favor," said Naru-san.

Haruhi continued to work on her homework, only half-acknowledging her mother. "What?"

"I want you to wish for ghosts to appear."

What?! What the hell does she think she's doing? Don't tell me she's trying to do what I think she's trying to do.

Haruhi finally took her eyes off her homework and gave her mother a strange look. "You want me to what?"

Naru-san bounced excitedly as she explained. "I have a feeling that if you wish for ghosts to appear, we'll finally get some!"

"Mom, you can't just wish for ghost to appear. It doesn't work that way."

Thank god that Haruhi is not all that impressionable, or else we'd all be over run with stupid ghosts all over the place.

"I understand what you're saying, Haru-chan, but I really, really have this strong feeling that if 'you' wished for ghosts to appear, they would."

It was at this point that I realized I had to step in, for the sake of the universe. "Uh…Naru-san, can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

"Huh," answered Naru-san innocently, her charming smile still in full display. "Okay!" She then happily followed me out the door.

Just as we were outside, safe from Haruhi's prying ears, I placed my hands on Naru-san's shoulders and scowled at her sternly. "You can't do that!" I hissed.

Naru-san expression immediately changed, looking like a puppy who was being yelled at for peeing on the floor. "I can't?"

"No!" I yelled, very adamant that she understands what I'm trying to tell her. "Please, do not try and manipulate your daughter into using her powers. Please!"

Naru-san pouted in sadly. "That's no fair! I finally have the chance to see some real ghosts, and I can't take advantage of it!"

I did feel pretty bad that I had to upset her like this. As sweet as she is, scolding her was a bitter experience. "Please understand that it's way too dangerous to try and get her to activate her powers. Do you understand?"

Naru-san looked at me with a quivering frown. "Can I at least have her make me one tiny, itty-bitty, little ghost?"

"No."

Naru-san hung her head in sadness, obviously disheartened to hear me put my foot down. She eventually nodded her head and walked back into the house. I was relieved to know that she finally understood. When I went back inside, I was called over by Haruhi. I was a little worried when she did. I hoped she wasn't suspicious over what happened.

"What was that about?" she asked.

I thought as quickly as possible to come up with an excuse. "Uh…I was just asking her to…stop messing with you."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow at me. "Dummy, I don't need you to do that. I've been dealing with her a lot longer than you have."

I was relieved that she bought it. "Well, I'm heading upstairs." To be honest, I was still feeling very uncomfortable around her, and I needed to get away from her.

"You're not going anywhere," she commanded as she pointed to a chair opposite of her. "You're going to finish your homework. I told you already that as long as you live in this house, you're not allowed to slack on any of it."

Cursing myself for my misfortune, I reluctantly grabbed my school books and sat down across from her. I tried my best to do my school work, but the fact that Haruhi was right in front of me made for an enormous distraction. I really didn't want to be near her right now. It was so annoying finding myself looking up at her every five seconds.

Unfortunately, Haruhi caught me glancing at her. "What are you looking at?"

"N…nothing," I lied, trying again to continue my homework.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Haruhi, looking concerned. "You've been acting weird all day."

"Don't worry about," I spoke, doing what I could to ignore her.

Haruhi immediately got up and walked around the table. She then grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me to her face. "Don't lie to me! The last time you acted weird, you were hiding something! What are you hiding now?"

Please let me go. Being this close to your face is freaking me out. I don't know why, but I was almost in a state of panic. I had to think of an excuse. Anything!

"Hurry up and answer!"

Her breath smelled surprisingly sweet…no, stop! Think, damn you. Think, think, think, think, think, think, think, think…I got it!

"I'm just getting worried that I won't find a place to live before the end of the month."

Haruhi blinked, surprised by my answer. "Oh…is that it?" She then let go of me and sat back down in her seat. "Idiot! You're overreacting. Do you need more time to look?"

After letting my relief flow through me and taking a deep breath, I sat down and answered. "I think I'm going to have to take the whole weekend and look."

"Fine, we'll just have to look some more this Saturday."

That's no good. If Haruhi came with me, she'd just ruin everything all over again. Besides, I really needed time away from her. I had to come up with an excuse. "Wait, won't you have some things you have to do for the Brigade? You're going to have to buy some train tickets and make other preparations, aren't you?"

Haruhi stared at me for a bit and sighed. "You're right…" She then rested her head on her left hand. "I've got too much to do this weekend. Fine, just don't slack on it, okay? Anyway, even if you don't find anything, it's not a big deal. I'm sure if you talk to my dad, he'd probably give you an extension or something."

"What makes you think that?"

"When my dad first said you could only stay a month, he didn't know you. But now he's gotten to know you a lot better. Besides, you always do whatever we tell you to do, you act politely enough, and, heck, my mom adores you. As long as you pay the rent at the end of the month, I'm sure he'd let you stay."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'd hoped she was right, but I knew I couldn't count on Oruki letting me stay here longer, especially after what recently happened. "I'll talk to him later, but it's best that I don't take any chances." I then noticed that I hadn't seen Oruki since I got home. "Where's your father, anyway?"

"Mom said he still wasn't feeling well. It's weird. He's almost never sick."

How much longer was that guy going to hide away in his room? For someone who acted pretty tough a week ago, he certainly wasn't acting very macho now.

Anyway, I eventually finished my homework, despite certain distractions, and I went upstairs to find some sanctuary. Needing a diversion badly, I eventually picked up Nagato's book again and began to read it. I had hoped that it would help clear my thoughts, but instead all it did was remind me of Haruhi even more. Seriously, every other damn haiku seemed to remind me of her in some way, shape or form. I almost shut it in frustration, until I came across a very strange haiku.

When confronting her.

He held on the stage's edge.

He then let it go.

It was an incredibly bizarre haiku. It didn't make a bit a sense and was completely out of place among all the other haikus in the book. Why would the author of this book think that haiku was any good? I certainly didn't understand its symbolism.

I heard a knock on my door, removing my attention from the book. It was dinner time, and I was more than happy to get up and eat something. The rest of the day was uneventful, with the exception of Oruki who still didn't appear at the table. I went to bed shortly after I'd finished dinner, hoping that sleep would allow me refuge.

And no, I'm not going to summarize today's events. I don't want to think about any of it. I'm going to sleep. Leave me alone…

Well, I wonder what that haiku was talking about. ;) Anyway, as always I hope this chapter was enjoyable. I have more updates for you soon.

See ya!