Well; I got some fast updates this time around! Here's the next chapter, my willing readers! Enjoy. :)
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I'm only a partial fan of the sea and the things that come along with it. When it comes to being in a ferry and being over water instead of inside it; then being around the ocean isn't actually so bad.
Why am I on a ferry, you ask?
Some time ago; Itsuki Koizumi had arranged for the entire SOS Brigade to come and stay at his uncle's island villa some time ago. Keiichi-san was his name; I think. It was there where we had all become abandoned in what Itskui called a "closed circle'; mostly because of a sudden storm that erupted around the island's perimeter. It wasn't long till Keiichi-san's mysterious "murder" occurred shortly after. Haruhi, being a self-titled super sleuth, deduced the murder as being a set-up by Koizumi and his colleagues. She was right; for once. She left the island free of boredom; just as Itsuki had planned.
There is only one reason I am on another ferry again. Haruhi Suzumiya had announced to us yesterday that we were going to be part of a monster hunt. We were on our way to some distant island; and she planned on searching out and capturing some elusive creature called the Kongamato. Whatever it was; it sounded like some sort of fictional kaiju. And all top of all of that; it had suddenly become an overnight trip. We had all brought sleeping bags, clothes and tents. It was basically an SOS Brigade camping trip; just on some deserted island that we probably weren't even supposed to be on.
And I can only assume that this "Kongamato" was one thing; and one thing only. Fictional. Which means it doesn't exist now; in the past; or ever.
But Suzumiya-san doesn't understand that at all. We still are on our way to this island. And her mind is still probably wrapping around thoughts of capturing this creature.
The sea breeze easily catches my hair as I absent-mindedly watch the water pass by below. I had got up relatively early to get to this stupid ferry; and Suzumiya-san took no time scolding me for being late; even though it was literally only by a few seconds.
"You look deep in thought." A voice says next to me; prompting me to turn. It is none other than Itsuki Koizumi. His smile and wavy brown hair are nothing to new to me. I can already tell he's got things on his mind that he will surely inform me of.
"Somewhat. Just can't wait for the monster hunt." I replied sarcastically; turning my attention back to the passing waves below. This ferry was moving relatively slow from my point of view; but the water still seemed like the most interesting thing to keep one's attention right now. I wasn't so much in the mood to lose card games again and be forced to buy drinks for everyone like the last time we'd all taken a trip like this.
"Ah, the topic of cryptids. That's always an interesting subject." Koizumi said; leaning on one of the support bars lined across the ferry. He still wore that same smiling expression; but I didn't become agitated with it as usual.
"You do realize that if Suzumiya-san decides she truly wants to find this "Kongamato"; then we will most certainly find it." Koizumi commented. I didn't even turn to face him as I spoke.
"And I'm just going to hope it doesn't eat me. I don't think Haruhi wants me eaten. Not yet, at least."
"Yes, I don't think so either. You two seem to have finally connected; haven't you? I always knew it was going to happen sometime soon." Itsuki commented; the sea breeze slightly catching one of his locks of hair for a moment. He leaned back; as if observing the sky.
And who told him of what was going on between myself and Suzumiya-san? In fact; who told anyone? I never mention this stuff; and somehow everyone knows it like it's been posted on the internet! My personal life is like an open book at this point!
"Well; you could say that. On the other ha-"I tried to say, before a familiar presence came beside me faster than I could react.
If there was a way to effectively describe it; it would be as such. It was like having someone on stimulants energetically jump right next to you; and then deciding to suddenly get as close as they want without asking.
And that was the case with Haruhi. One moment; I was watching the sea; minding my own business. The next; she had one hand locked around mine; leaning right on my shoulder like I was some sort of comfortable resting place.
It was awkward to say the least. I turned to Koizumi; who gave me the same smile he always gave me. I looked back at Haruhi; almost confused. It was strange to note the way she decided to show her affection. It seemed static and random; like the roll of a dice.
A random rolling of dice. That sounded exactly like how Suzumiya-san would act about almost anything.
"Aren't you excited about all this, Kyon?" she said next to me; anticipation glimmering in her amber eyes. I could feel her squeeze my hand even tighter. It almost felt like she was beginning to crush the bones inside.
God, her grip was strong.
"You mean about the whole monster thing? Can't you tell I've been trying to hide how excited I am about all this?" I said to Haruhi; my voice brimming with sarcasm. I had a feeling she probably wouldn't get it.
"Well don't get too excited! You should remember this isn't a game. The Kongamato is a dangerous and wild creature. If you're not on your toes; it'll grab you and swallow you whole before you can even turn and run!" Haruhi exclaimed at me; her face coming close to mine as she seemed to be oblivious to my sarcasm. This was probably her way of trying to scare me or at least warn me of the impending danger ahead. She sounded like the story teller at a campfire; trying her best to frighten everyone with the last part of whatever scary story she was telling.
"I'll try to survive." I replied to her; my voice nearly monotone at this point. Haruhi looked at me again; a glare in her eyes. She looked like she was about to say something; until the sight of Mikuru and Yuki caught her attention. The two of them had been in the interior portion of the ferry the entire time. I didn't know why Mikuru had stayed behind; but I could easily see Yuki's excuse as she and Asahina-san came towards us. Her eyes were glued to the novel in her hand. I can expect that was more interesting to her than anything else.
"Yuki! I said no books! We're here to go monster hunting!" Haruhi said to the usually silent girl. It took Yuki a few moments to realize she was being talked to, and I watched her look at Haruhi with indifference.
"How come you brought all those weird conspiracy books about aliens and monsters then?" I asked Haruhi; obviously in an attempt to undermine her. An attempt that I knew was probably doomed to fail.
"I'm the Brigade Chief; so I'm exempt! And for your information Kyon; they're research books that we need to find the Kongamato! Otherwise this will all be just a fruitless search. We're not here to have fun and fool around! We're here as the SOS Brigade; to find and capture that mysterious creature!" Haruhi replied in her usual tone; pointing at me with the same accusing finger.
Of course all those books of hers are for research! And Koizumi isn't an esper. Give me a break. I seriously doubt she really even reads them in the first place. For I know; she doesn't even have them with her in the first place!
"Now give me the book, Yuki. Rules are rules."
Yuki Nagato didn't make an attempt to change the look on her face as she slowly handed the book she was reading to Suzumiya-san. Even I didn't expect her to react so quickly. I always imagined Mikuru-chan being the one to listen to Haruhi that easily. But fortunately for her; she had found the sea passing by below to be something to occupy her attention for the moment. Itsuki was more of an observer to all these conversations; adding his input only when needed. And whenever he did add his input, it usually involved kissing up to Suzumiya-san's authority.
It only took Haruhi a few seconds to realize that the book Yuki had been reading was one of the very same ones that she had brought with her for supposed "research" on the Kongamato. Haruhi flipped through it: a stupefied expression on her face. She handed it back to Yuki; looking a little pissed she had been blatantly out of order with her command. Yuki took no real notice to all this; and she simply continued with reading the book after Suzumiya-san handed it back to her.
"I see the island is not so far away." Itsuki commented; causing us all to turn in response. Haruhi was the first to see it in the distance, and she ran over to the edge of the ferry to get as close of a look as possible. It seemed we were probably only a few minutes away from our destination at this point.
Come to think of it; how the hell did we get on a ferry that goes to such a random island like this? No one even lives on it. Isn't it a sort of nature preserve or something? Wouldn't we be trespassing? And where did Suzumiya-san find out about this place anyway?
But these questions go unanswered, as Haruhi's loud voice shouts back at me.
"We're almost there! Kyon! Go and get all the camping stuff! It's your job to carry it all!"
I sigh. I had a feeling I was going to end up becoming the pack mule for Haruhi and everyone else. It pisses off even more that no one seems to want to offer in helping me.
Well; I'll let Mikuru-chan slide. It seems that she was actually letting out her stomach's contents instead of staring down at the passing water. She'd been seasick this entire time.
The fact I ended up being the one to lug all of our gear and such was very demeaning and not at all fun. I felt like one of those laborers that had been forced to build the great pyramids. I was being commanded by the Pharaoh to pull these massive stone blocks along in aid of building the pyramids. Except I was carrying a heavy backpack that was crammed with camping stuff; and it was Haruhi Suzumiya who was declaring that I do it.
The sand of the beach we stepped off on was surprisingly soft. In fact; the entire surrounding island seemed untouched.
Now that I decide to think about it; the circumstances of us arriving on here in the first place were quite suspicious. Koizumi had literally gotten us onto a much smaller boat that we transferred on from the ferry. In turn; that smaller boat took us directly to the island. Itsuki gave our drivers a wave as we walked onto the sandy beach.
I guessing they're all probably related to the Agency in some way. That's just a completely wild guess; of course.
"Okay. We're all going to need to set up a base camp before we go out searching for the Kongamato! We need two sentries to keep watch as the rest of us set up camp! Any volunteers?" Suzumiya-san asked to all of us; sounding serious.
I was being asked to do a useless task instead of work? I couldn't let a chance like this pass by!
"You're helping me set up, Kyon! I'm not going to let you go and play around with Mikuru-chan while I'm not looking!" Haruhi barked at me; before I could even say a word about how much I'd rather diligently keep watch then set up our "base camp".
Wow. Only a week into our "relationship"; and Haruhi already thinks I'm going to be unfaithful. She would be surprised how much faith I have in her. More than she can even imagine.
"I'll keep watch…" Mikuru said softly. Haruhi nodded at her; before giving a silent order for Koizumi to follow. They walked about thirty or so feet away from us; finally stopping at the edge of where the large beach met with the trees in the distance. It seemed that the wilderness of this island was probably larger than we could cover in one day; since we'd have to be leaving tomorrow. I can only assume that once we've set up our things; Haruhi will lead us all on a monster trek.
The setting up of camp mostly consisted of Haruhi yelling at me to do the menial labor that came with putting up tents. I was the one stuck figuring out how to set up the two tents we had brought with us; along with being the one to unpack absolutely everything we had decided to bring. This certainly wasn't my idea of an ideal Saturday.
"You're doing it all wrong, Kyon!" Haruhi scolded me; mostly because I was having trouble getting the poles of the first tent to stand up straight. The sand below us wasn't necessarily the best thing to stake in anything. I was already imagining a strong wind coming up; easily blowing away our tents and everything inside of them.
"This isn't as easy as it looks." I replied; finally managing to get the pole deep enough into the sand to assure that our first tent wouldn't simply blow away in the wind. I checked my watch. It was about noon. There was still a whole day for this tent to survive for.
"Well, I've entrusted you to do it; so you better do it right!" Suzumiya-san said to me; watching like an overseer as I finished the set up of tent number 1. Yuki had been standing a few feet away from us the entire time; completely wrapped up in her book.
And not once this whole time had Haruhi assisted me; or told Yuki to come and assist me. It was a singular effort on my part.
I stood up from my kneeling position for a second; wiping off sweat from my forehead. It was quite a hot day; even though the summer clothes I had been wearing kept me from heating up too much. I observed my work for a moment, before feeling a tap on my shoulder.
"Hey Kyon!" I heard from Suzumiya-san, turning in response.
I had no time to react before Haruhi assaulted me with her lips. It was not so much an unwanted kiss; as much as it was a much unexpected one. Haruhi caught me in her embrace without even wondering if I had wanted it or not. The expression on my face was one of slight confusion as Haruhi pulled away from me. The look in her eyes seemed almost mischievous to me.
"What are you looking at? I was in the mood for that! And whenever I'm in the mood; you'd better be more prepared for it, Kyon! You're lucky you're not getting a penalty for the fact you weren't on your guard!" Haruhi said to me, her voice serious as she glared at me with a now playful expression.
I had actually enjoyed Haruhi's kiss; but I couldn't help but spark thoughts about me now having to be prepared for Suzumiya-san to kiss me whenever she pleased. She was already making it sound like some sort of game; and I would suffer consequences if I didn't give her exactly the kind of response she wanted from it.
Like I said; she's a strange girl. I can't imagine anyone else but her telling me something like this, or taking control of me whenever she felt she was "in the mood".
The construction of tent number two did not take long at all; mostly because I had figured out most of the process by setting up tent number one. Once the tent was up; I begun to unpack the various things out of the bag I had been forced to carry. And Suzumiya-san watched me the entire time.
I pulled out bags with my clothes, the food we intended to eat, and various books that Haruhi had dubbed "research material." There was a very large lined-paper notebook that said "research journal" on the front, in Suzumiya-san's handwriting. I pulled out all our sleeping bags, stopping for a moment as I found something I didn't really expect. It was an orange bikini; and it was the one I knew was unmistakably Suzumiya-san's.
"Is this to attract the Kongamato's attention? Or are we actually planning on doing something fun while we're here?" I said with a partial smile; as I turned to show Suzumiya-san that I was in my hand. She seemed to blush hotly at the sight; taking no time to roughly snatch the said clothing article from my hand and proceed to glare at me like I had wronged her.
"That's not important right now! Just finish unpacking everything else!" she commanded me; and I just obliged as usual. It wasn't like I didn't bring stuff to swim in. I had a feeling we were going to relax a little bit on this island while we stayed here; as much as Haruhi made it sound like we were going to be monster hunting the whole time.
After the unpacking process; Haruhi gathered me and Yuki as she led us both towards where Itsuki and Mikuru were "keeping watch".
Apparently; they had been talking to one another the entire time; and not keeping watch at all. It was quite obvious that Haruhi scolded Mikuru while failing to say anything to Itsuki at all.
"Mikuru-chan! I said to keep watch for the Kongamato!"
"I tried….but I didn't see it. I just got distracted talking to Koizumi-kun…" she replied; sounding scared that Suzumiya-san was already angry at her. I couldn't help but feel bad for the poor girl. I always felt bad for her in these situations. I just never did anything about it.
"It's true, Suzumiya-san. We got a little bored after a lack of activity involving your said monster." Koizumi added; seemingly in Mikuru's defense.
"Fine. But I don't want to catch you slacking off again! If you two want to have alone time; do it when we're not about to go on a monster hunt!" Haruhi said to both of them; her voice sounding overbearing as she pointed like she was announcing a guilty verdict. I could see Itsuki scratch his head nervously; and Mikuru was obviously blushing.
Haruhi is surely the one to talk. After all; she's not the one who nearly attacked me with her mouth without giving me any warning whatsoever. Of course; she'd just shoot down anything I tried to say that undermined her authority. That's the way it always was.
"Playtime's over! We're going to head into the wilderness ahead; and find that monster!" Haruhi announced to all of us; her face showing the usual expression.
The time had come where Suzumiya-san intended to lead us into the unknown; all to search for some fictional beast. The scary part was that for all we know; it could already be lurking in the trees ahead. Suzumiya-san could have already wished for the Kongamato to be real; and it could end up being the one hunting us as we were trying to look for it. I waited to see some sort of large, winged shadow to pass over us; but it never came.
These thoughts were very unnerving; to say the least. I sighed; realizing that there wasn't much of a choice now but for us to follow Suzumiya-san in her search for the Kongamato. We were about to look for a monster that wasn't supposed to exist. That all would change once Haruhi was added to the equation.
I just hope she cares enough not to let me get eaten. I still have a lot to do in my life before I plan on getting consumed by a giant pterodactyl monster. Like proposing to Suzumiya-san; for example.
Well; let's not get too far ahead. I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of insanity anytime soon.