The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (13 page)

Where I had just been.

But Nagato wasn’t there. Haruhi, Asahina, and Koizumi had also disappeared. I was alone. And it was pitch-dark. The room had been illuminated by the setting sun a moment ago, and now it was suddenly the middle of the night. I looked out the window to a very small number of twinkling stars. Time must have zipped by.

The room didn’t look much different from before. Bookshelves, a table, and one ancient computer. That was when I realized. I hadn’t returned to the original world. None of the SOS Brigade stuff was around. No brigade chief desk or Asahina costume collection. Just an empty literary club room… but…

A drop of sweat from my forehead got into my eye. I used the sleeve of my blazer to wipe it away.

Something was wrong.

Why did something feel wrong? I knew where I was. This was certainly the literary club room. Taniguchi’s line suddenly came to mind: Are you supposed to be a broken record? Where? That wasn’t the question here. Yes. “Where” wasn’t the problem.

“This is…”

I suddenly realized why something felt wrong. As soon as I came to that realization, my body temperature shot up like a rocket, or that’s how it felt at least, but that wasn’t it. The temperature had been like this to begin with. This wasn’t a hallucination caused by a sudden spike in my body temperature.

I couldn’t take the heat anymore so I took my jacket off. Pores all over my body began releasing sweat. I removed my sweater
and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt and the pent-up heat in the room was still too much for me.

“It’s hot,” I muttered.

“Almost like—”

Almost like it was the middle of summer.

Which meant there was one question I should be asking.

When
was I?

If you’ve ever walked through a school at night, you know how creepy it feels.

I slung my jacket over my shoulder as I slipped out of the clubroom. I tried to avoid making any sound as I descended the stairs, acting all ninja-like, and slowly checking every corner before moving on. That really tired me out mentally. I still didn’t know when or where this North High was, but I knew I couldn’t be seen by a teacher on night watch. I wouldn’t be able to explain myself. I’m the one who needs an explanation.

The humid air had me sweating as I made my way through the building before I finally reached the entrance.

“Well, what’s going to happen now…?”

And with that, I opened my shoe locker to find that it contained someone else’s indoor shoes. They certainly weren’t mine. I immediately dismissed the possibility that someone had placed his shoes in the wrong locker. It was the middle of summer. I’d been sent to a different space-time. My mind was able to connect the dots. In this world or time, this shoe locker was someone else’s, not mine. I wasn’t as surprised as I should have been, either
because I’d grown accustomed to weird stuff happening or because I was numb after everything I’d been through.

“Guess I don’t have a choice.”

I didn’t have time to gripe about how lame I would look if I went outside wearing indoor shoes. I needed to get out of the school building. The school entrance was locked securely at night, as expected. I made my way to a nearby window, unlocked it, and opened it very carefully. I could smell grass on the night breeze as I placed my foot on the window frame and jumped through to land on the paved ground. I was near the spot where Haruhi had woken me up when we were in closed space.

After ten seconds of staying still, I made sure that no one was watching and began to move.

It was just as hot outside. A smothering, humid heat that was typical of summer in Japan. I’d just come from a frigid winter so my sweat glands were in full gear. I used the winter blazer to wipe the sweat dripping from my face as I headed for the school gate.

It was a simple job to climb over the gate while avoiding the iron spikes, which had me thanking our school’s sloppy security. Once I landed outside school grounds I picked up the jacket I had thrown over beforehand and stared at the stars as I planned my next move.

First I needed to figure out what month, what day, and what time it was. There was a huge difference between its being the past or the future.

I figured I might as well start on my way down the hill. There should be a convenience store on the way. A high school student bursting into someone’s home to ask what day it was would probably be reported to the proper authorities. So I should probably head for a place where I could learn the time and date.

“Still, it sure is hot…”

I was basically stuck wearing winter clothes and my legs were
all sweaty, which made those long pants very uncomfortable. I really hated the inventor of polyester at this point. Besides, this uniform didn’t feel that warm in the winter. Seriously, this was one half-assed uniform.

This line of thought suggested that my mind had recovered its ability to function properly. Personally, I’d prefer fanning myself in the summer heat as I griped to waiting in the winter chill for spring to come. Besides, my first summer as a high school student had been a memorable one. Though I’d been exhausted, drained, and disgusted at times, in retrospect, they had all been pleasant experiences. I even got to see Asahina in a swimsuit. The SOS Brigade hasn’t done any winter activities yet.

I spent the fifteen-minute descent thinking about how the hot pot might have tasted before I finally spotted the light I’d been looking for. The convenience store I occasionally dropped by on my way home to buy a snack. So I could at least be sure that I’d been sent to a time that wasn’t before the store first opened or after it went out of business.

I impatiently waited for the automatic doors to slide open, and as soon as I stepped inside I looked up at the wall. It took a while to get used to the feel of air-conditioning. In the meantime I stared at the analog clock on the wall.

Eight thirty.

PM
obviously, since it was night.

What about the date, then? What year, month, and day was it? An assortment of newspapers was on display before the counter. Any one would do. I pulled out a sports paper that happened to be in front and spread it open super-fast. I didn’t care about headlines. I’m pretty sure that even a shameless tabloid wouldn’t be printed with a fake date at the top of the page.

My eyes darted around before locking on a spot, which was when I saw it…

A set of identical numbers universally considered to be lucky.

From what year? I carefully checked the number on the paper. The guy behind the counter was giving me an irritated look. I couldn’t care less.

I kept rechecking the four-digit number. I subtracted the year on the sports paper from the year of the December I had just come from. Simple arithmetic. A child could do it.

“So that’s how it is, Nagato…”

I looked up from the newspaper and sighed deeply as I looked up at the ceiling.

Tanabata Day, celebrated nationwide.

It was July seventh, three years ago.

Tanabata three years ago. What happened on this day?

On the Tanabata “this year,” which was rather rhapsodic, we had finished writing our wishes on the cards and afterward Asahina had invited me to travel back in time with her to this moment. I was then reunited with the adult version of Asahina and directed to head to East Middle School at night. That was where I ran into a seventh-grade Haruhi plastered to the school gate and found myself drawing a message to outer space with lime on the school grounds.

After that, the high school Asahina, Asahina (Small), lost her TPDD, which was something like a time machine, so I took her to Nagato’s apartment, where the two of us were put to sleep for three years and returned to our original time…

“Which means that…”

This was simpler than subtraction. I just had to remember what I could. Yeah, I finally had what I needed. The circumstances necessary for returning this crazy world to the way it had been.

I mean, right?

My legs weren’t shaking because of fear. That’s right. They were shaking with excitement.

Three years ago. Tanabata. East Middle. Pictograph. John Smith.

I went through the various factors in my mind before finally reaching a conclusion. A simple and clear conclusion. I’ll say it again.

“Which means that…”

They
would be
here
.

The enthralling and voluptuous adult Asahina—Asahina (Big)—and Yuki Nagato in standby mode.

There were two people in this time who could give me help.

I instantly dropped the newspaper and shot out of the convenience store. Then I began to think as I ran.

During my first trip to three years ago—now—Asahina had said that it was around nine
PM
when I woke up on the bench in the park in front of Kouyouen Station. I could make it there in thirty minutes if I ran. The problem would be if the changes to the world had affected this time as well. If that was the case, I couldn’t possibly be here. I absolutely had to make contact with Asahina (Big) or Nagato in her apartment. Or both, possibly. Which meant there were two places I needed to go, but for now I should head there.

I could go find Nagato in her apartment later. But I’d only be able to find Asahina (Big) at that time and place.

The grown-up Asahina, who was dressed like a teacher. The future Asahina, who gave me the Snow White hint before leaving immediately afterward. I could still remember, as though it had happened yesterday, her poking the cheek of the sleeping beauty Asahina (Small) with a smile on her face.

That Asahina would be able to recognize me. I’m sure of it.

The park wasn’t very far from the station, yet there were barely any people passing by. Maybe because it was night. That would be why it’s such a convenient place for suspicious people who pop out after dark. Like a mecca for weirdos—that was how I had felt on that Tanabata. I still feel the same way.

I couldn’t make my appearance just yet so I walked along the concrete wall to try to blend into the night. Though the wall itself was only waist-high, there was a wire screen that went up to my head or so. Still, there were trees and bushes all around so it was simple enough to find a place to hide out at night, if not during the day. In fact, I should be more concerned about any people walking behind me giving me funny looks.

I tried to remember the location of the bench I had woken up on as I moved along the wall. I needed to find a suitable spot.

It was almost nine
PM
.

I was literally peeping through the cracks, I guess. I stuck my head through the bushes to find the scene I had been searching for.

“… That’s it, huh?”

It was like watching myself act in a movie, or some kind of dream where I had a third-person perspective.

“Still, this is pretty…”

The bench, under the light from the lamppost, stood out in the darkness as though it were in a spotlight. Even from this far away there was no mistaking it. Both people were wearing North High uniforms. Everything was just as I remembered.

Asahina and I from the past were right there.

That version of me was lying on the bench asleep with his head in Asahina’s lap. I’d be lying if I were to say that any dream I’d had in that situation was PG. My head was resting on the most
valuable item on the planet. If that didn’t lead to a healthy respite, then there was no such thing as sound sleep in this world.

Asahina was peering into my face, which was resting on her thigh, as she blew into my ear and tugged at it. Lucky bastard… wait, that’d be me.

For a moment I was tempted to drag “me” out of there so I could take his place, but I suppressed that urge. “I” hadn’t run into a different me at the time. In that case, we’d have a little paradox on our hands if I were to run out there right now—I think? In any case, there wasn’t any reason for me to screw up the space-time continuum any further.

I restrained my body’s attempt to move against my will as I continued to play a Peeping Tom (or a voyeur, to be more concise). My ability to control myself under these bizarre circumstances spoke well of my character, relatively. I felt like bragging to someone.

And with that in mind I continued my observation when Asahina’s lips moved like she was saying something and “I” twitched slightly before sitting up. I couldn’t hear their voices from my location but I could still remember. Asahina had just asked if I was awake.

Asahina and “I” appeared to be engaged in small talk, but soon enough Asahina leaned over with the side of her body coming to a rest on “me” with a soft plop—

The bushes behind the bench rustled and that person came out.

I could never forget the long-sleeved white blouse and tight, deep blue miniskirt that made her look like a teacher.

Around the end of May, she had used a letter to set up a meeting and give me the Snow White hint. She also told me about the location of her star-shaped mole. And on this day, Tanabata, she put Asahina (Small) to sleep and instructed me to go to Haruhi before turning and leaving…

The adult version of Asahina.

Her height and body had developed a few more years. An Asahina who came from a future beyond the first Asahina’s future. Asahina (Big).

She looked the same as she had then.

This was the verification I needed. It was on that Tanabata day three years ago. Everything was as I remembered.

Asahina (Big) said a few words to “me” before squatting down to poke Asahina (Small) in the cheek and gently pat her back. Then she stood back up and turned to “me” to say something.

—It was her role to guide you to this point. It is my role to guide you from here on.

—Uh… What’s going on here…

That was how the conversation went.

“I” stood dumbfounded as Asahina (Big) finished what she needed to say and began walking out of the park without any sign of reluctance. She made her exit from the illuminated spot. For the first time I noticed that she was headed for the park exit on the opposite side from East Middle.

“I” was still spaced out, staring down at the face of the sleeping beauty Asahina (Small) while appearing to be lost in thought. After a few seconds of trying to remember what I had been thinking about, I gave up on jogging through my memory. I couldn’t afford to lose sight of Asahina (Big).