Unknown, page 17
But with our five people, we could do anything.
No matter who our opponent is.
But that's no big deal.
There's another huge problem pressing on my mind. That would be what to get the brigade leader as a present. Or rather what I got her. So far nothing at all has come to my mind, but I'm not worried. If need be, I'll just ask the opinion of an expert.
And as I end my long, drawn out monologue, Haruhi placed the hair ornament in the brigade leader's desk and promptly went to the whiteboard. While she picked up the pen and was writing, silence filled the room. After she had finished writing, I could feel her triumphant smile glaring into the back of my retinas.
"Please read it Kyon."
Well, it is one of her orders after all. I quickly read, "Second Annual New School Year SOS Brigade Meeting…Hey! This is the first time I've heard about a meeting for today!"
"I had already told everyone and they didn't have any problems with holding one. Didn't I tell you too? Ah, sorry I forgot. Well, you're here now so it's alright."
I began to feel as though a bad bug had crawled onto my face as I was on stage. Perhaps it was near the back of my mouth. I clamped down and thankfully didn't taste any juice that would come from such a bug. I was rescued from eating such a rotten thing.
"So when is this meeting going to begin?"
Haruhi backhanded the corkboard and said, "As usual Tsuruya-san has invited us to go to her flower viewing part. It won't be an ordinary all-you-can-eat lunch though. I won't allow anything but the best SOS Brigade service plan. Therefore Kyon, Koizumi-kun, Mikuru-chan, Yuki…"
Koizumi had his broad grin, Yuki had her usual expressionless look, and Asahina-san had covered her mouth with her hands, but all three were looking at me.
"All of you will perform a side show! Something spectacular that will receive a thunderous amount of applause from everyone there."
Hey, wait! Isn't this supposed to be a huge flower viewing convention at the Tsuruya house? Don't you think some local celebrities or higher-ups would be there in attendance?"
"But doesn't that raise the quality of the spectators? Laughter is a worldwide trait. What type of art would the politicians and executives like? After all, laughing is the one thing that will remove your worries, regardless of gender, age, race, or nationality. Yes, art is how it should be!"
Please stop raising the tension around here and tell me where in the new word portion of the thesaurus you joke is. I highly doubt it's in Britannica. Sigh, you're already making cracks in my glass heart.
"Very well, side show it is! No, it has to be the main event! A big project designed to bring peace to everyone via new entertainment produced by the SOS Brigade that'll send everyone laughing so hard they'll convulse!"
Haruhi stated that as if her smile would compress the entire cluster of the Taurus constellation. Then after pausing as if she was drinking some water from the Red Sea, she loudly declared,
"Because we have such high expectations we have to prepare our show ahead of time. Let's start now!"
Postscript
It is I, Nagaru Tanigawa, who has been a bother.
Having filled the extremely big gap since the last novel, I’d like to start with an apology.
This story is a direct sequel to Dissociation, but there aren’t enough words in the Japanese language to apologize for how late this got here or how long it took. I’d like to give a giant shout of thanks to all of those involved in the production process, especially the illustrator Noizi Itou and all of the people involved in the Literature department. I’m sorry I’ve been such a bother to you all.
Thank you all very very much.
And from that, for all the readers who have waited a long time for this work without deserting, I’ve sent ten billion apologies and a hundred billion thanks via the maximum intracerebral electrical output I can produce in all directions. I hope that it brings you some good luck when it arrives.
Haruhi is also kneeling in apology for this author’s shortcomings as if she is hoping for forgiveness after receiving a body blow.
So this work, The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya (First/Final Parts) is an exact continuation from the previous work, Dissociation. For those of you who read Dissociation a while ago and have forgotten things, I’m sorry. Surely re-reading the story you will be a little happier when it’s put together. Ah, I didn’t want to make this troublesome for everyone who’s received this, but it seems like I’ve gotten overwhelmed with tears. It’s not so much due to obligations that I’m writing; it’s that I’ve gotten the privilege to write this down.
Well then as for why this work has been delayed for so long, there’s not really a reason for that. I’m somewhat embarrassed to confess there’s not one. There’s really no significance or any particular reason I wasn’t able to write. Honestly, everyday life also became a hindrance as well. I yearned for a real cause so that I might have been able to claim a few reasons. I had difficulties explaining It to others so that they would understand because it was a personal issue. I’d say it was a Herculean task.
Again, I can’t give an excuse. For example, my favorite computer kept putting up blue screens while I was in the middle of writing and it disheartened me or I kept wicked nightmares and would wake up without any sort of desire to continue writing or lastly I wasn’t affected by the switch from analog to digital television as I kept watching it were all excuses that I couldn’t say. Humans really have an abundance of reasons for excuses you know. Maybe some more interesting excuses will become joking matters. My guess would be that for most of my life my personality trait that I’d been carrying around in a bag would be “laziness.” I’d progress until I’d casually met my limit. That would probably be the cause of the delay.
Looking back into the half of my life I’ve lived, I’ve had a history of never being praised or doing anything spectacular. The only thing I can remember is a memory of failing over in agony like an idiot. I admire those who can continue to run forward into a concrete wall and shatter their heads into little pieces. I don’t have that courage in me.
I apologize for polluting your ears while you listen to me reminisce from here. Dating back several years from now I debuted as a novelist. The exact month that I debuted is a bit fuzzy, but I think it was around June 10th, 2003. At that time I’m sure I was an incomprehensible bother to the staff at the Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko and Dengeki Bunko editorial staff. Even now I fret over whether I forgot something or not. Now as I suddenly remember, I succumb to a desire to run into a concrete wall.
Thanks to all of their support, most of my novels were improved from their weak beginnings. By the time The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Let's Leave the School ① became famous, I had already fallen into the current situation. But how it is right now is enjoyable.
Immediately following The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, I had such a rush of ideas that were quickly written. With this break, it may have appeared to be that I had stopped writing. It was as if this me had reached his capacity and was barely grinding anything through. I was worried that people wouldn’t understand everything. I like to think this stance wasn’t mistaken.
Speaking of Disappearance, the theatrical animation version is something people should see. I was able to take place in the process of making the film with all the partners. I’m sure I was a bother to everyone, especially the people who work hard at making words into images at Kyoto Animation whom I owe a great deal of gratitude towards because they reduced the amount of weight on my end. Words of thanks can’t feel hap hearted for what I feel towards them after they made Melancholy into an anime several years ago. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. There is nobody else that makes images like they can. So adds to the mountain of apologizes I’ve made.
And so I’m pushing my pencil around aimlessly now. To all the readers, I hope you enjoy this book and that it brings you lots of happiness.
I think I may write a somewhat strange thing and character from here on. I hope to continue receiving your support. I think the character will have a damaged personality. Now I think I’ll finish the post-script.
Well then someday, somewhere, and somewhen I hope we’ll be able to meet again.
See you again!
Notes
[←1 ]
Sen Rikyu was considered the most influential person on Japanese tea ceremony, particularly in the tradition of wabi-cha.
[←2 ]
Oicho-kabu is a traditional gambling game in Japan similar to blackjack, while Koi-Koi is a famous card game in Japan.
[←3 ]
A relatively rare semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color.
[←4 ]
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher, one of the greatest in German Idealism: a philosophical movement that emerged in Germany in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
[←5 ]
Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centred on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".
[←6 ]
An artifact spirit, believed to originate from items that have reached their 100th birthday and thus become alive and aware.
[←7 ]
In Japanese mythology, Izanagi and his sister/spouse, both deities themselves, bore many islands, deities and forefathers of Japan.
[←8 ]
The terms “boke” and “tsukkomi” originate from manzai—a traditional Japanese two-person stand-up comedy. The “boke” role makes obvious mistakes, misunderstandings etc when they talk about a topic. On the other hand, the “tsukkomi” role would quickly point out the other person’s mistakes and laugh at them.
[←9 ]
“Chikuwa” is a kind of Japanese food made from mince fish, rolled into a tube, and steamed or broiled. “Chikuwabu” is a type of wheat starch made by mixing wheat flour, salt and water, kneaded, and rolled into a tube.
[←10 ]
a mathematical puzzle in which one has to find the simplest mathematical expression for every whole number from zero to some maximum, using only common mathematical symbols and four “4” digits.
[←11 ]
A spiraling punch moving in an upward arc.
Ultimatemegax;Yumeka;zyzzy, Unknown
