Unknown, page 6
"You could say it's something like that."
"Why can't you develop some little passion to learn Kyon? I'd be happy as the Brigade Leader if my members improved themselves like that. All right, have you looked at this problem from a different perspective than yourself?"
"I've done that too."
"Then investigate it! Quickly go look it up!"
"If I had those materials, it wouldn't be a problem would it?"
"Hmm, not arithmetic huh? Then that problem can't be solved in that manner. What formula are you using?"
"Well, it's not math-based at all. Wait, why are you answering as if that's the case?"
"You were copying homework answers from everyone during summer vacation weren't you? Then that means you likely didn't study that subject well."
"Well, not really. But putting that aside, you should think about what the person asking the question is saying before answering."
"Alright then, then it's modern literature. You should really say that earlier Kyon. In this case, you think about what the author's words are trying to say right? Something like that?"
"That's the closest you've come yet."
"What a dumb problem. Regardless if it's short stories, editorials, or even sentences themselves one shouldn't have any problems understanding words. If a person has a problem understanding what an author is saying, then they haven't reached the boundaries of what they know. Assuming I'm right, that person's results would likely be littered with Xs and 0s. They should work on improving the thinking pattern that caused their problem to begin with. I'm able to understand these styles of writings without any problem, right? Then these would be acceptable questions after all."
"Well, you shouldn't go that far into someone else's mind. In this case, the person's style and the person asking are the same one."
"It's like that eh? Instantly solved."
"Please tell me then."
"Alright then," Haruhi came closer to me until she was at the tip of my nose. For a moment I thought I could feel the heat radiating off of her, but that wasn't so. She then let loose a simple comment.
"Then listen to the writer themselves!"
And so at lunch I left Taniguchi and Kunikida eating their lunches to go on a different path. I was going to do as Haruhi said. I was going to find this sender and straighten out this message for myself. Her motives would soon be revealed to me as soon as I find this sender. It could be a confession or it could be the start of a scuffle. Regardless, I was going to find out what it was going to be from this female freshman companion.
And so I wandered around the first year classrooms looking for any sign of Yasumi. It's not that I want to disregard her instructions to meet at 6 PM or that I want to breach this code of manners. It just ended up like this. As much as I trust my intuition, there still exists the possibility that another knifing incident would occur. Just the thought of that might instantly send me to the bathroom.
And so I suddenly stopped walking around.
"What class was she in again?" If I remember correctly she didn't write it on that Brigade trial quiz. I might have been too preoccupied with looking at her name and missed it.
"So it looks like a mistake to look at lunch huh?"
New students were flocking around the corridors that I became so familiar with last year. It was like I was in another world. There were different color slippers and different classes in this hallway now. I'm sure they weren't happy with a strange second-year student gazing around in the classrooms like they were some rare animals.
I began listening to try to hear Yasumi's voice in the various conversations going on in the classrooms. I was hoping to straighten out this misunderstanding. We're in the same club and do the same activities, so this should be alright, but…
"…Where is she?"
Yasumi was nowhere to be found. I had been hoping that her childish appearance would set her apart from everyone else, but that didn't appear to be the case. She could be the kind of person that goes to the cafeteria to eat her lunch, but I soon reached my limit of what I could do. It's not good for someone to loiter around the school during lunchtime without a reason. I looked up at the sky. As I was in the courtyard, my eye accidentally went to the literature clubroom.
What's this? The thought finally hit me. She could have brought her lunch to the clubroom and ate there. Damn it! I could have brought mine and we could have eaten together.
After school, Haruhi usually accompanies me when we walk to the clubroom together and as such we usually find that Nagato is already there. Hell, she's there now. It's her natural position in this school after all. I immediately greeted her with my usual one-hand wave and gave up thoughts of going back and getting my lunch. Put it on my tab. After all, this is the one person I should ask about a problem that I don't quite understand.
"……"
As usual she was in the nook of the room reading her book as I came in, just like she is every day. She didn't even move her eyelashes in surprise. Seeing her reading her book in the clubroom during lunchtime gives off such a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. It's such an ordinary scene that one would be hard pressed to say that she's an alien lifeform.
But that's not what I came here for. I even left my lunch box behind for this. I went and spoke to Nagato.
"Nagato."
"What?"
I took a stab at my first question.
"What kind of person is she?"
"She is nothing."
As to be expected from Nagato. She was able to instantly figure out the main protagonist in my problem. I continued. "Wouldn't you say that's way overdoing it? The person named Yasumi Watahashi is an ordinary student here, right?"
"There is no student by that name at this school."
Alright, that reply got me. Not just mentally, but I physically took a step backwards. She's nothing? What does she mean by that…My head isn't up to this type of multitasking Nagato.
Wait. I see what she meant.
"So it's an alias right? Someone snuck into North High after school with that name to join our club."
"That would be one way you could verbalize that concept."
Good grief. I thought that this "Yasumi Watahashi" was more than what she appeared to be. It was clear from the beginning that she was a weird person. The way she unexpectedly popped in and performed amazingly was nothing short of some hambaked plot from a novel.
So that leaves me with which group she's a member of. The first one that comes to mind would obviously be…
Alien?
"Different."
Time Traveler?
"Different."
Esper…seems unlikely. I don't get that feel from her.
"That would be so. She's neither an esper nor what you would consider a slider."
That's a rather unusual reply from Nagato. For once she preemptively answered what I didn't know and predicted my next question before I could open my mouth.
"So this Yasumi that's been going around in such an uproar, this very suspicious girl, you say she's an unqualified high schooler?"
Nagato moved her head from staring at the internal binding of her book and looked me in the eye for the first time today. Unintentionally, I couldn't help but stare at her eyes that glistened with gold around dark toffees.
I could sense her abdomen moving up and down as her tender voice spoke, "I cannot reply to that question at this instant."
Why? Why is it now that you are refusing to answer as if you're placing those words in some reserve somewhere.
I replied, "Is that of your own volition?"
"What do you mean?"
I backed down by instinct. I couldn't dig too deeply into her reasoning. There are things that she may not be able to say at this time, place, or occasion that I wouldn't understand. But it means that this amusing chatter between us is going to end.
After that surprising incident, there's one more thing I need to know. Can Nagato give her opinion? Especially to myself? Especially when this has a chance of being advance notice of a disastrous situation?
"If I ask you something now, who would be the one to reply? Would it be you or the Integrated Data Thought Entity?"
"If there is a high probability of a positive outcome then it would be myself. However there will be times and cases where my knowledge is restricted to a certain amount."
I know why that is but it doesn't feel like it would be proper to say so. Someday I'll reach my limit and I'll be able to offer some type of revenge for you. Until then I'll be supporting you in any way I can with my hands stuffed in my pockets.
Speaking of which, there's something in there. That love letter (or really an insufficient summons of a message) from Yasumi Watahashi.
"So on this sheet of paper…" I felt awkward showing this summons from Yasumi to Nagato. It felt wrong somehow after what she's done.
Nagato obviously didn't feel the same way. She took one glance and immediately responded. "It will be alright if you proceed."
Really? That's alright then.
"She holds no ire towards you. Rather I would theorize that she would be able to assist you in some manner."
As if by reflex I had to groan. To tell you the truth, I was also heading to that conclusion. This was the disorganized freshman who had cheerfully passed through Haruhi's irrational enrollment trials. The person with the baggy uniform that appeared to overtake her body who fulfilled Haruhi's request of odd jobs around the clubroom with a smile on her face. The girl with such a young face who was always in motion just like her wavy hair. Such were my thoughts about this girl. She would be an ideal underclassman. Maybe I was mistaken about my suspicions around her?
Of course that's forgetting that letter she left in my shoe locker.
After that session where I listened to Nagato's "So"s and "Different"s, I bid her farewell and began on my way back to the classroom. On my way I heard the chime that signaled the end of our break time. Good grief, I had completely missed my chance to eat lunch. I'll just have to take it to the clubroom after school.
Then after our final homeroom I was in a study session with Haruhi who was happy due to our new club member. Haruhi, and myself being dragged along by my shoulder, had vigorously turned the shell of the Literature Club's room into a place she was satisfied with. Gradually I had adopted some of her energy into my routine as well, but with this newcomer my will was starting to waver some.
As usual, Haruhi energetically opened the door of the clubroom. There was the usual maid-uniform-clad figure of Asahina-san and, the person who I'm not sure moved her eyes one millimeter while reading during lunch break, Nagato. Those two plus the only other male (not here yet) Koizumi I don't have to worry about. Just as long as he doesn't have some gigolo act after he's elevated to a class committee member. Though he wouldn't abandon the SOS Brigade, we shouldn't give off the impression that this is some type of school harem love game. That guy hasn't even shown what he's really like. You could say he's the one person in the Brigade you wouldn't want to see angry.
Wait, someone has slipped my mind already. "Has our new member not arrived yet?"
Yasumi's small figure was nowhere to be found. If she wasn't part of this school then there's no way she'd be there now. However, she should be wary of Our Excellence Haruhi Suzumiya's wrath.
"Ah…" Asahina-san placed her hands together apologetically to everyone. "I'll go ahead and get today's tea ready for everyone. I know how much of an important thing it is to everyone here, so I quickly rushed here after school ended."
My eyebrows couldn't help but twitch. Asahina-san continued with such an excess of emotions and gestures, "I was truly in a rush. Bowing over and over and in such an apologetic mood too. Being absent or leaving early two days in a row is such a bad thing to do! And then while you're apologizing all I can do is stare…Ah, I can't help it…"
Asahina-san blushed and began to hug herself while wiggling back and forth. It appears that she finds Yasumi's appearance to be that cute indeed. "Her eyes look just like those of a cute animal when I look at them! So, so cute!"
While staring at Asahina-san's spoken monologue, I began to think about things. Yasumi's request was to meet here in the clubroom today at 6 PM. Just what is my companion planning? Will we go somewhere in the school building after we meet? Is there something that we can't do while we're in the middle of club activities? She's a mysterious girl, this Yasumi. Quite the mystery indeed.
As I was thinking Haruhi seemed to remember something displeasing, "I heard something from her during lunch today while I was on my way to the cafeteria." Haruhi sat down at the brigade leader's exclusive chair and disorderly placed her bag on the desk. So what did you hear?
"She's taking a break from club activities today. We finally get a new member who isn't such an idiot, one who you fawn over like a mimosa, and she's taking a break. It almost brought me to tears."
So that's why I didn't run into her during lunchtime. This healthy and robust girl was trying to keep a low profile. "Did…Did she give a reason?"
"Ah, Kyon. There was no reason for me to delve that far into her life. If I did that, then I'd be no better than a peeping tom. Besides, she worked so hard to get into the SOS Brigade. It's not like she's going to quit anytime soon. It's sudden, but we all have things we have to do sometimes. Even though I'm the brigade leader, my principle is to be tolerant with my subordinates."
That's unusual for you to bring up a principle I've not heard before. But since that's the end of our conversation, I sat my bag down by the desk and grabbed my usual steel chair. When I took a glance at the clubroom scenery for the first time, I got an uncomfortable feeling.
There behind the brigade leader's desk near the window was something I hadn't seen before.
While I noticed it Asahina-san spoke in her soft, freshly baked tone, "Maybe we can take this as an apology since Yasumi-san brought this to the clubroom. It was some time ago that she brought it."
Some time ago? Surely we haven't missed it for that long. Oh well, it's all good.
It was a small mouthed ceramic vase. Inside the vase was a single elegant flower.
Haruhi turned her head and looked towards it as well. "I've not seen a flower like this. Hey, you said Yasumi-chan brought this, right?"
"Yes she did." Asahina-san affirmably nodded, "She said that she found it hiding where people hasn't looked in a while and thought it to be interesting. She was near the mountain yesterday looking for it. It's such an unusual looking thing that she brought to decorate the clubroom. It's like she brought a treasure for me."
Yesterday huh? Maybe she was on her way to that mountain when she stopped by my house. It would have been dark when she headed to the mountain afterwards. If she went to Mount Tsuruya (assuming she went to the one in the neighborhood) then there wouldn't be any lights up there while she was looking around by herself. That's quite dangerous for a freshman high school girl.
"Hmm…" Haruhi folded her arms together as she looked at the flower, “Well, that’s alright then. I did ask to bring something interesting. It looks like Yasumi-chan might have done just that. With such a nice follow-up I can tell she’s got the heart of a true SOS Brigade member! She was the only one to make it through my Brigade examination trials, so she’s got to be the real deal. With just a little bit of formatting, I think she’ll be the perfect successor for when we graduate.”
Come on now, how can you tell she’s going to carry out your style of leadership just by passing those tests? She's the only one who was able to withstand Haruhi's demerits and make it until the very end. While it seemed unlikely Haruhi would get her long-awaited new club member, this girl somehow made it through.
But when she got in, Haruhi welcomed her from the bottom of her heart. For many different reasons I'm sure she's become attached to Yasumi. Just take one glance at her and you'd see she thinks that way just by the angle of her eyebrows. Ordinarily I'm perplexed by these types of hints, but I've developed a bit of skill when it comes to knowing things about Haruhi.
Basically Haruhi thinks Yasumi has some potential in her that she's not able to see just yet. Asahina-san thinks there's more to her than meets the eye as well. Honestly, I think there's more too. Reaching into my pocket I'm reminded of her letter. Someone who joins the SOS Brigade just for something like that would be a strange type of person.
Asahina-san seems to be walking on cloud nine as she prepares her tea more vigorously than usual. It seems that having a female underclassmen like Yasumi has really brightened her day. Well to be honest all four of us, that is Haruhi, Nagato, Koizumi, and myself, aren't that great of underclassmen to her. Yeah that's an understatement. She has the violent Haruhi, the silent bookworm Nagato, and the formally polite Koizumi to watch over in this clubroom. As for me, I'm often forgetful that she's a year ahead of me.
But now she has Yasumi with her middle-schoolish face to fawn over. Despite that, this female student who looks two grades younger than reality has such a gentle nature. The next day will come and she'll be happily making tea for all of us again. That stagnant heart of mind gets going when I think about the excitement of seeing her prepare tea for us. I'd love to be able to stare at this SOS Brigade mascot girl forever.
While I was trying to figure out what plant she used to make today's tea I glanced at my watch. It still wasn't Yasumi's requested 6 PM yet. Unfortunately, I hadn't thought of an excuse I could use to go back into the clubroom after activities were finished. Damn. I need to think of one.
"Well hello everyone. I'm sorry for being delayed." And there with a smiling face right out of a commercial for some new acne medication was Koizumi. "I've been troubled many times since the beginning of spring with some small things. Thanks to the head of this year's student council, there's not many people there willing to carry out tasks. While they're not things I'd like to talk about, I can't leave when we're discussing things like the reorganization of the Culture Club."
Koizumi nonchalantly entered the clubroom talking about why he was late, disregarding that no one had asked. He set his bag by the desk and went towards the window, ignoring the Chinese Checkerboard on the table.
