Suzumiya = The Fool
Koizumi = The Magician
Asahina = The Pope
Nagato = Strength/Fortune (or perhaps Justice)
Kyon = The Fool's dog (not a card, but a thing on a card) If a card...the Wheel of Fortune.
The party members had problems. Plausible problems.
Yes, that every single person of that age has.
The teenage idiot who lives in the country hates living in the country. The idol feels sexualized by the media. The rich girl feels pressured into taking over her parents' business.
Woooooooow. Shocking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlashFumo
And they were directly controllable! The P3 party members were all AI and were being hit by family tragedies left and right.
I loved the AI even if it was frustrating. It felt more immersive. But I did say gameplay had improved.
And before P4 I kind of got the impression that being extraordinarily fucked up was a prerequisite for having a Persona... flawed characters in "unrealistic" scenarios, who spend their nights fighting eldritch abominations as part of a government-sponsored squad are infinitely more interesting than normal high schoolers with stable lives who are pretty much the Scooby-Doo gang with a giant teddy bear instead of Scooby-Doo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlashFumo
Oh, and Rise >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Fuuka.
I won't argue with this. It's true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ithekro
Suzumiya = The Fool
Koizumi = The Magician
Asahina = The Pope
Nagato = Strength/Fortune (or perhaps Justice)
Kyon = The Fool's dog (not a card, but a thing on a card) If a card...the Wheel of Fortune.
In Persona 3/4, the Magician arcana has a tendency to go to the Perverted and Moronic Yet Tragic Hero-type character.
That is definitely not what Koizumi is. Nor is either Asahina The Hierophant, who is generally knowledgeable and wise. Maybe Adult Mikuru, but...
Nagato works as Strength, though... and you have no idea why Suzumiya as the Fool is fitting, but yeah, it fits.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Igor
"It's like the number zero... empty, but at the same time, holds infinite possibilities."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyon
"Only a genius can turn imagination into reality."
Spoiler for September the Fifth, Day 4: Hallway- The Ponytailed Girl, Again/Hallway- The Pretty Girl, Again:
The Ponytailed Girl, Again
[Note: I’m combining the Missing Shoes scene with this one. No point in it now, really. Stupid Day 4.]
"I guess I’ll just go home."
"There’s little I can do now with the meeting being canceled. And besides, my feet hurt in these visitor’s slippers."
"*CRASH*"
"Is the onomatopoeia for the noise I just heard echoing from the top of the stairwell."
"…I’d normally just go on my way, but recently in my life, I’ve begun to suspect that nothing happens by coincidence. I’ll see what’s up, and if it’s nothing that needs my attention, I’ll just go back home."
"Hell, I might just go back home anyway."
"As I approach the source of the noise, I hear a voice I recognize. It’s the girl I decided was named /"Girl A/", from this morning."
Girl A "It was just an accident! You have no right to get so concerned."
"Another voice responds to her, another girl. /"Girl B/", I suppose."
Girl B "Recent events have given me every right to be concerned about you."
Girl A "…Yeah, you’re right. Sorry."
Girl B "…So, why did you fall down the stairs?"
Girl A "Um, well, I don’t know how to say this without worrying you further, but I sort of get the feeling I’m not used to using my legs."
Girl B "…I will not ask anything else, as any further explanation you give me will probably just make it worse."
Girl A "Um, yeah. So, um, what should I do with this?"
Girl B "Sigh… just dump the bigger pieces in some trash bin, I suppose. We’ll have to grab another monitor…"
Girl A "Why do we have to steal a computer again? Couldn’t we just ask your contacts for one?
Girl B "They seem, ah, unwilling to trust me. And since I was told that if we ever hope to make contact with the other side, we will need some sort of terminal to interface with. He says he could have used our cellphones, but since they no longer work..."
Girl A "Why is that, anyway? It makes no sense. We’re still in Japan, and the service provider obviously still exists, so my phone shouldn’t be displaying /"No Service/" like that…
Girl B "Who knows? Perhaps it was simply some sort of, ah, /"deus ex machina?/" "
[Note: I can practically see Itsuko making the awesomeface right here.]
Girl A "…You think you’re clever, but that both isn’t clever and doesn’t make any sense in context."
[Note: Ara ara~.]
Girl B "Fine then. Let’s just go get another monitor, then."
Girl A "A flatscreen would probably be easier to carry… maybe we can convince the Computer Society to lend us one, or something…"
Girl B "Ohoho~, an idea in the vein of our fearless leader, eh?"
Girl A "What’s that supposed to mean? Shut up."
"I hear footsteps, and the voices fade"
"…What on earth was that about?"
"When I checked upstairs, I found a few shards of curved glass clearly from a broken CRT monitor."
"I’ll repeat it. What on earth was that about?"
"…This is none of my business. I think I’ll just go home."
"When I tried to get my outdoor shoes out of my locker, stuffed in alongside them were... my indoor shoes."
"I decided not to wonder about what that meant."
The Pretty Girl, Again
"I guess I’ll just go home."
"There’s little I can do now with the meeting being canceled. And besides, my feet hurt in these visitor’s slippers."
"*CRASH*"
"Is the onomatopoeia for the noise I just heard echoing from the top of the stairwell."
"…I’d normally just go on my way, but recently in my life, I’ve begun to suspect that nothing happens by coincidence. I’ll see what’s up, and if it’s nothing that needs my attention, I’ll just go back home."
"Hell, I might just go back home anyway."
"As I approach the source of the noise, I hear a couple of girls arguing about something."
Girl "It was just an accident! You have no right to get so concerned."
"One of the voices I don’t recognize, but the other belongs to Yamada, the extremely pretty girl from this morning."
Kitsuko "Recent events have given me every right to be concerned about you."
Girl "…Yeah, you’re right. Sorry."
Kitsuko "…So, why did you fall down the stairs?"
Girl "Um, well, I don’t know how to say this without worrying you further, but I sort of get the feeling I’m not used to using my legs."
Kitsuko "…I will not ask anything else, as any further explanation you give me will probably just make it worse."
Girl "Um, yeah. So, um, what should I do with this?"
Kitsuko "Sigh… just dump the bigger pieces in some trash bin, I suppose. We’ll have to grab another monitor…"
Girl "Why do we have to steal a computer again? Couldn’t we just ask your contacts for one?"
Kitsuko "They seem, ah, unwilling to trust me. And since I was told that if we ever hope to make contact with the other side, we will need some sort of terminal to interface with. He says he could have used our cellphones, but since they no longer work…"
Girl "Why is that, anyway? It makes no sense. We’re still in Japan, and the service provider obviously still exists, so my phone shouldn’t be displaying /"No Service/" like that…"
Kitsuko "Who knows? Perhaps it was simply some sort of, ah, /"deus ex machina?/" "
Girl "…You think you’re clever, but that both isn’t clever and doesn’t make any sense in context."
Kitsuko "Fine then. Let’s just go get another monitor, then."
Girl "A flatscreen would probably be easier to carry… maybe we can convince the Computer Society to lend us one, or something…"
Kitsuko "Ohoho~, an idea in the vein of our fearless leader, eh?"
Girl "What’s that supposed to mean? Shut up."
"I hear footsteps, and the voices fade"
"…What on earth was that about?"
"When I checked upstairs, I found a few shards of curved glass clearly from a broken CRT monitor."
"What the hell could a girl as pretty as Yamada be doing stealing computers? And what on earth did that conversation mean?"
"I’ll have to ask her when I see her next…"
"It looks like I’ve stumbled across something strange yet again… could this be connected at all to the intruder from yesterday?"
"The events of my life continue to affirm that nothing happens by coincidence."
"…I should probably follow them, but if Yamada and her friend are connected to the intruders at all, it’d probably be better to have Nagato with me."
"I’ll head home for now."
"When I tried to get my outdoor shoes out of my locker, stuffed in alongside them were... my indoor shoes."
"I decided not to wonder about what that meant."
>.> The alarm is going off in my girlfriend's house, and I'm the only one here. And I don't know the code.
__________________
By the book, by hook, by rook,
Shadow takes all, my pet;
My what a strange duet.
Shadow takes all.
Spoiler for September the Fifth, Day 4: Hallway: A Familiar Laugh:
A Familiar Laugh
"Well, I guess I’ll just go home. There’s not much I can do with the meeting being canceled, after all."
"So, I’ll just deposit my hard-fought-for indoor shoes in my locker, and be on my way."
"On the way there, I hear raucous laughter from one of the unused classrooms on the first floor. I can pick out two distinct laughs, one male, one female."
"The girl’s laughter brought back old memories. It’s not a laugh you ever forget."
"That classroom sounds like it’s a lot of fun… and recent experiences have convinced me that there is no such thing as a coincidence. If an event like this is just handed to me, I should probably go check out what’s up."
"Still… I get the feeling that this decision, for some reason, is a big one."
"…"
1) Go inside.
2) Dangerous things should be left alone.
Postgame
"When I turned the doorknob, I heard a ripple. At the time, I didn’t notice. Looking back, I wish that I had."
Kyon "Tsuruya-san?"
"A long-haired girl laughs alone in the empty classroom. Desks are pushed against the walls, and chairs are stacked neatly in the corner."
"This room hasn’t been cleaned in a while. It’s dusty."
"Is that why I’m tearing up?"
"Tsuruya-san’s laughter cuts off when she notices me."
Tsuruya "Hahahahahahaaa… Ah! …Kyon-kun! What’re ya doin’ here?"
Kyon "Nothing, really… are you by yourself? Wasn’t there another person in here?"
Tsuruya "Eh? Ya hearin’ things now? Ya might want to get yer ears checked our or somethin’, ya know."
"Hey now, my hearing is fine. I’m certain there was a guy in here… where’s he hiding?"
Tsuruya "So what brings ya ta this empty place, anyways?"
"I could ask you the same question. Was this some kind of rendezvous? Could Tsuruya-san be hiding a boyfriend from me? If so, why? It’s none of my business."
Kyon "Not much, like I said. I came in here because I heard the sound of your laughter."
"…Speaking of which, what’s there to laugh about in an empty classroom?"
Tsuruya "Oh, ya know. Life and stuff."
Kyon "Life?"
Tsuruya "Sure, life is funny. For an example, the one day I come ta school late this week, my indoor shoes get stolen and I’m forced to wear these thingies instead."
"She shifts her feet, which are clad in visitor’s slippers. "
"Exactly how is that funny!?"
"And—wait."
"The second-year’s shoes I gave Girl A this morning. The first character of the name on the shoes was /"Tsuru./" "
"Oh. I feel terrible now."
Kyon "I’m sorry, Tsuruya-san… it was me who stole your shoes."
Tsuruya "Eh? Why? What could a boy like you possibly want with my indoor shoes? …Do you have a shoe fetish, Kyon-kun?"
[Note: Imagine her with a mischievous grin right here. Or the awesomeface. It’ll help.]
Kyon "Gah, no, it’s not that, um… it’s a long story."
Tsuruya "I got time."
Kyon "Um, well, this girl was trying to steal my indoor shoes, since I don’t think she had any for some reason, so I, uh, grabbed… a random pair of girl’s shoes… that were lying around…"
Tsuruya "Sure it is! It’s so silly! It’s so… like ya."
"How exactly is that like me at all?!"
"I should probably make up for this somehow. Those slippers do not look comfortable to run around in all day."
Kyon "I could probably find her and convince her to give you your shoes back."
Tsuruya "Nah, nah, it’s okay. I’m sure they’ll be there on Monday, anyways."
"That’s right. Tomorrow is the weekend already. It sure came fast."
Kyon "At least come to the shoe lockers with me to see if they’re there."
"That’d mean Girl A has already gone home."
"Tsuruya-san agreed to come look, and, sure enough, the shoes were there."
Tsuruya "Oh good, ya weren’t lyin’."
Kyon "Wh--?"
Tsuruya "I was kinda thinkin’ you had kept them for your, how should I say, personal needs…"
"I don’t have a shoe fetish!"
Tsuruya "But I’m glad ya were tellin’ tha’ truth. I hate liars."
"She sticks out her tongue at me. That doesn’t fit your character at all, Tsuruya-san."
Kyon "Well, now that I’ve recovered your indoor shoes for you…"
"Not that I actually did anything."
Kyon "I guess this is farewell for today, Tsuruya-san."
"I was about to walk off waving my hand nonchalantly at her, but…"
Tsuruya "Hey, boy."
"She interrupted me."
Tsuruya "So, ya think ya can just leave a girl behind when we’re going the same way anyways? C’mon, let’s walk home together."
"And suddenly, she’s beside me, wrapping her arms around my left, pulling me towards the gate."
"…Wh-what? What is this? Tsuruya-san, what are you doing? What are people going to think with you doing that? What will your boyfriend do if he sees me this close to you?"
Tsuruya "Eh? What’re ya talkin’ about? I don’t have a boyfriend. ‘Least not yet, heh."
"Okay, that’s good to know, but what if Haruhi sees me like this? What will she do then? I’ll probably be killed."
"Tsuruya-san, like usual, just laughs."
"I’ll probably be killed."
Hijack Avoided
"I’ll leave possibly dangerous situations alone. I don’t know what she’s up to in there, and if she’s with her boyfriend or someone like that it would be rather awkward to interrupt them."
"I’ll just deposit my shoes in my locker and head home like I originally planned."
"Hmm? I thought I heard a noise."
"...It’s probably nothing."
Spoiler:
"A long-haired girl laughs alone in an empty classroom. Desks are pushed against the walls, and stairs are stacked neatly in the corner."
This line seems curiously 3rd person, more like an omniscient narrator then Kyon talking to us. On purpose or no?
Also,
Spoiler:
Tsuruya "Hey, boy."
I got an Evangeline vibe from this line, for some reason... I can just see Tsuruya calling Kyon "Boya" and making him run errands for her.
__________________
By the book, by hook, by rook,
Shadow takes all, my pet;
My what a strange duet.
Shadow takes all.
Last edited by scify; 2009-10-11 at 11:17.
Reason: fix'd the stairs and the PoV
Spoiler for September the Fifth, Day 4: Hallway- Pitiful:
Pitiful
"Well, I guess I’ll just go home. There’s not much I can do with the meeting being canceled, after all."
"So, I’ll just deposit my hard-fought-for indoor shoes in my locker, and be on my way."
"When I round the corner to the left of the clubroom, a small body runs straight into me, knocking me back about half a meter. I manage to keep my balance. The owner of the small body, however, ends up sprawled on the floor."
[Note: I realize that Kyonko is taller than both Yuki and Mikuru, but it’s more the impression she gives off that makes her seem “small”. Also we need a CG here, one that we’re going to use for a basis for a LOT of other ones. For some reason, they’re going to have a tendency to run into each other like this. Why? Because it’s hilarious.]
Girl "Owwww…"
"It’s Girl A, from this morning. I reach out my hand to her, but the minute she notices who is offering her help, she scoots away several meters. It’s kind of cute, actually."
Girl A "You…! What do you think you’re doing, hogging the hallway like that?"
"I could ask you what you’re doing running like that in the hallways. You’re liable to trip over your… visitor’s… slippers."
"She isn’t wearing visitor’s slippers, but instead is wearing ordinary indoor shoes. What’s more, I get an impression of newness from her uniform…"
"Hmm? She pulls down on the hem of her skirt, almost absentmindedly. The look in her eyes is telling me I should probably stop scrutinizing her. "
"…Right."
"I’ll just…"
[DECISION POINT HERE]
1) Say goodbye.
2) Apologize.
Not a Jerk, Really
Kyon "See you around, then."
"I’m just going to go home and pretend this never happened. It’s too much trouble otherwise."
Girl A "Wh--? Hey! Is that how you treat a girl you just knocked down?"
Kyon "Goodbye~."
Girl A "Jerk!"
"She calls after me as I walk off."
"…Do I deserve that? She was the one who stole my shoes in the first place, leading to this situation, and, furthermore, she was the one who just ran into me."
"Do I really deserve that?"
"I don’t, by the way."
Measure for Measure
"Regardless of whether she got new indoor shoes or not, I kind of get the feeling I was a bit too mean this morning."
"Although she was the one who was stealing my shoes in the first place. In fact, she probably stole those ones she has now, too."
"For that matter, she was the one who just ran into me, so her being knocked onto the floor is entirely her fault."
"In fact, why am I apologizing at all?"
"Can’t I just pretend this never happened and go home already? Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m going to do."
Girl A "*ahem*"
"…And while I was ruminating on whether or not to just walk away, she got up by herself."
Girl A "You know, you’d think a person would say that they’re sorry when they knock a girl down."
Kyon "Hey, I could have fallen over too, at the speed you were running."
"In a hurry to go somewhere?"
Girl A "…I guess you’re right. Sorry about that."
Kyon "Whatever, it’s okay."
"There, now if she’s going to be reasonable it should be easy to escape without much trouble."
Kyon "I was just on my way home, so I’ll be seeing you—"
Girl A "Hey, hold on a minute."
"Dammit!"
Kyon "…What?"
Girl A "Don’t think I’ve forgotten that you left me stranded with no shoes this morning!"
"Not this again."
Kyon "You were trying to steal my shoes!"
Girl A "Yes, but, um, only because someone had stolen mine!"
Kyon "Who on earth would want to steal someone else’s indoor shoes?"
Girl A "I was trying to steal yours!"
Kyon "There couldn’t possibly be another person out there who’s that strange. Besides, why were you so intent on my shoes? If you were really just trying to replace your stolen shoes, there was no way you would have picked ones that clearly belonged to a guy! If you were really just trying to replace your stolen shoes, there was no way you would have picked ones that clearly belonged to a guy!"
Girl A "Well, I, uh. …You know, you’re probably the only person who might believe me if I tell you."
Kyon "Oh?"
"I can’t see any possible answer that would make sense, but given that she’s so willing to steal indoor shoes, I don’t expect an answer that would make sense."
Girl A "…I’m actually your gender-reversed alternate from another dimension who somehow wound up stranded in this one, and that’s why I was trying to take your shoes in particular."
"…A long time ago, I would have believed her immediately. Last year, I would have laughed."
"Right now, I’m aware that there’s a large possibility that what she says is true."
"If so, exactly what does that mean?"
[Note: I’m kind of wondering if it’s a good idea to drop this suggestion on him this early, but that’s why I post these things here in the first place.]
Kyon "Are… are you serious?"
Girl A "…No, no, of course not."
"She sticks her tongue out at me."
Kyon "H-hey!"
"I was actually scared for a minute there. Still, who comes up with crap like that, other than Haruhi? Maybe this girl is a cousin or something."
Girl A "Hah. You’re entirely too gullible. I thought so."
Kyon "…Exactly what was the point of that?"
Girl A "I don’t know. Actually, in repayment for stranding me without shoes—"
Kyon "There were visitor’s slippers! And explain what you have on now!"
Girl A "I’d like you to help me carry a computer monitor out to the gates."
Kyon "…Why should I? I have no obligation to repay you for anything, whatsoever."
Girl A "…Please, I really need the help. …I’ll even pay you…"
"She pulls out her wallet, which is, oddly enough, exactly like mine. Except that it’s pink."
"…"
Girl A "Um. Seventy yen?"
Kyon "…Sigh. Okay, I’ll help you."
"If she’s trying that hard I can’t just leave her alone like this."
Girl A "Thanks a lot!"
Kyon "It’s no trouble. Where is this monitor?"
Girl A "Um, well. It’s in the Computer Society clubroom."
Kyon "Wait. Why on earth would they let anyone take any of their precious hardware? Unless…"
"You’re stealing that, too?!"
Girl A "…"
Kyon "You are, aren’t you? You kleptomaniac! I should change your name to /"Thief!/" "
Thief "Hey, hey, that’s not fair! I have a legitimate reason for stealing this monitor!"
Kyon "Like you had a legitimate reason for stealing my shoes?"
Thief "…! Okay, you’re right. But this is seriously important. I’m not just some random thief."
Kyon "Fine, fine. Let’s just stick with /"Girl A,/" then."
Girl A "…?"
"Inside the Computer Society clubroom, which is suspiciously empty…"
Girl A "One of the empty clubrooms has this ancient computer we figured we could use, but I, uh, tripped and fell down the stairs, and smashed the monitor to bits, so…"
Kyon "So you’re stealing one from here? Also, they never miss a club meeting. Why are they in here?"
Girl A "My friend managed to… distract them, shall we say. I was on my way here to quickly grab the monitor, but I ran into you instead."
"She glares at me. I choose to ignore her."
Kyon "…These monitors are all flatscreens… they’re light, even for you. Why do you need my help carrying it?"
Girl A "That’s just it, I don’t. I want you to carry it for me while I keep on the lookout for the Computer Society… they’ll probably be on their way back soon, since I messed up the timing."
Kyon "…You know, I could be doing that. Why do I need to carry the monitor?"
Girl A "Hey, you already agreed to help me. You’re not going to back out now, right?"
"She looks up at me, doe-eyed."
Kyon "Sigh, fine, I’ll carry it. I expect to be paid that seventy yen in full, though."
CSP "That bitch, I can’t believe she—hey! Where do you two think you’re going with that?!"
"The minute I step outside the door, too."
Girl A "Oh crap. Run!"
Kyon "You don’t even need to tell me!"
CSP "You fools! Stop gawking and get after them!"
CS Minions "Yes, president! Right away, sir!"
"…It would appear that being in the Computer Research Society doesn’t allow them much time to exercise regularly, as Girl A and I managed to leave them far behind."
"So, in this way, we made it to the gate earlier than I thought we would."
Kyon "Pant… pant… I think we… lost them…"
Girl A "Yeah… heh… somehow… pant… mind if I… hold onto you… for support…? I think I’m gonna… pant… collapse…"
Kyon "Yeah… go right… ahead… but don’t complain if I… pant… fall over too."
"It would appear that we’re a little out of shape too. Funny. You’d think a thief would be used to running away."
Girl A "Shut… up…"
"A few minutes pass while we catch our breath. We must look like such lunatics, having run out of the school at top speed, only to stop at the entrance."
"…Didn’t I do this just the other day?"
"I wonder what Girl A could even be up to, stealing a computer like this. She says she has a friend helping her, too."
"…I suppose they could be planning to sell it somewhere, but she said that the computer itself was old… And if they need to use a computer for something, wouldn’t it be easier to just go to a library?"
"I glance at her sweating face. …She’s actually kind of cute, now that I think about it. Although, from this angle, something about her seems… familiar? What was it she said earlier?"
Girl A "What are you looking at?"
Kyon "Nothing. So, now what do we do?"
Girl A "Dunno… It—er, Kitsuko should be here, but… I don’t see her anywhere. …I guess she had to run off herself, or something."
Kyon "…So, should we wait here, or can I just go…?"
Girl A "We all promised to meet up later, so I guess that’s where she’ll be… Yeah, you’re done. Thanks for your help, by the way. Here’s your seventy yen."
Kyon "Thank you very much."
"Girl A picks up the monitor with a little difficulty. It must be kind of awkward for her to carry something like that."
Girl A "Well, now that our transaction has been completed, I’ll be on my way. See you."
Kyon "Hey, hold on a minute."
Girl A "…What?"
Kyon "If we’re going the same way, I’ll carry that for you for a while."
"Ignoring her protests, I relieve her of the monitor."
Kyon "Where are you heading?"
Girl A "That café near Kitaguchi Station… "
Kyon "Right, let’s go."
Girl A "…Why are you still helping me? For that matter, why did you even help me in the first place?"
Kyon "Well, you asked, right?"
Girl A "I demanded. It was a completely unreasonable demand, and you could have just walked away."
Kyon "How should I say this… I’m used to taking orders from unreasonable women."
Girl A "That can’t be the only—"
"Her voice is cut off by a shout from the direction of the school."
CSP "There they are! Get them!"
Kyon "Oh crap. Run!"
Girl A "You don’t even need to tell me!"
"And we ran out the gates and down the hill, carrying that monitor and looking like idiots. I’ll be surprised if someone (like that poor Computer Society) doesn’t report us to the police."
And the question about PoV that I posed, Kaisos?
__________________
By the book, by hook, by rook,
Shadow takes all, my pet;
My what a strange duet.
Shadow takes all.
Actually I do know some good reasons for Suzumiya to be "The Fool", the card's description and use was almost enough...but the purpose of the Fool's dog sold it.
Spoiler for September the Fifth, Day 4: After School- Walking Home:
Walking Home Alone
"I once heard that it’s actually easier on the human body to go uphill than it is to go down, but despite knowing that, I can’t help but feel as though the opposite is true."
"I’m walking home now, alone, and at an earlier time than I usually do. This marks a monumentous end to my hectic first week back at school."
"…Am I wrong for expecting something more?"
"With all that happened this week, what with the ripple noises, the temporal distortions, the mysteriously appearing food in my fridge, and the intruders (Haruhi’s /"mutant/"), I half thought there would have been something more… sinister at work. But so far, nothing has really happened."
"…I wonder. Could all of those things be connected somehow? Is there something building up in the background that I’m not aware of…?"
"It’s possible. I should probably call Koizumi or Nagato tomorrow and talk about all this, though I don’t think they’ll want to hear about my fridge."
"Or is all this just my imagination, and I just want something big to happen?"
"…A few years ago, that definitely would have been true. But now, I don’t know."
"What do I want? What do I want out of life?"
"I wrote on my tanzaku that I wanted to be rich and have a big house with a garden where I can give a dog a bath. Simple wishes for 16 and 25 years in advance."
"…But is that all I want out of life? Is it wrong to want more than simple financial stability?"
"I find myself thinking things like this a lot lately. It’s probably because I never saw myself taking care of the well-being of the universe when I first started high school."
"Have I said this before? I’m ruminating."
"I guess all I want is for my situation to be understood by someone else. I’d like some help here, actually. All this is too big a burden for me, and the other three are little help."
"I sigh out loud."
"And with that, I had arrived at the bike racks without realizing it."
"One step at a time. First thing I’ll do is contact either Nagato or Koizumi tomorrow, and try to figure out what the root of the weird things this past week is. Then on Monday, I’ll try to smooth things over with Haruhi. We’ll take things from there."
"No point in getting worked up over something that hasn’t happened yet."
"Unless, of course, it’s already happened. Or, alternatively, is happening right"
*KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH*
Walking Home With Haruhi
Kyon "Did you know that it’s actually easier on the human body to go uphill than down?"
Haruhi "Really? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?"
Kyon "You’d think so, yeah, but it isn’t, for some reason."
"I’m walking home with Haruhi, an unusual occurrence. It also marks a monumentous end to my hectic first week back at school."
"And so, to make sure nothing goes awry, and I really don’t have a Sunday dinner guest, I should make sure to deal with this."
Kyon "So, what’s really up? You’re not one to cancel a club meeting just because the faculty yelled at you."
"A grumpy look."
Haruhi "Who gave you the right to be so perceptive? …It’s like I said earlier: Everything I try to do recently just… backfires. It’s depressing."
Kyon "And that’s not entirely true. The backfiring, I mean. Wasn’t everything we did over the summer a big success?"
"Actually, that backfired more than anything we’ve done so far, but…"
Haruhi "I guess… but still, the past few days, they’ve been so… unfulfilling. There’s all this stuff going on, but it’s not leading anywhere. There’s no climax, you know?"
"I don’t know, but I can sort of understand, yeah."
Haruhi "And then, when I think like that, I start thinking about what I really want out of life. Maybe it’s just back-to-school blues, but…"
"If Haruhi Suzumiya starts having an existential crisis, I don’t know what will happen. Let’s try to keep that from happening."
Kyon "Well, what was it you wrote on your tanzaku again? That you want the earth to rotate backwards? And that you wanted the whole world to revolve around you?"
"Isn’t that what you want out of life?"
"Another grumpy look."
Haruhi "Those are things that are supposed to happen sixteen and twenty-five years from now! What on earth am I supposed to do in the meantime? Also, I’m surprised you of all people even remembered my wishes."
Kyon "How should I say this…? They’re the kind of wishes that are hard to forget."
Haruhi "Hmmph."
Kyon "…You know, Haruhi, I’ve been thinking."
Haruhi "What?"
Kyon "What if the gods don’t just grant wishes for no reason? What if they only grant them to people that deserve them, to people who work hard for their wishes?"
[Note: I stole this from Umineko, sue me, but I think it’s a fairly universal concept.]
Haruhi "…"
Kyon "So if you really want the earth to rotate backwards, I’d say you should aim to make that happen."
"Another grumpy look—no, wait, it’s a smile."
Haruhi "Stupid. That’s not the Tanabata wish I can actually aim for, is it?"
"No, I guess it’s not."
Haruhi "…Thanks for trying to cheer me up, though."
"No trouble at all. The safety of the universe, and my emotional-well being, depends on it."
"That’s my only motivation here."
"Without either of us noticing, we had arrived at the bike racks at the bottom of the hill, and this is where our ways part, I suppose."
Haruhi "I’ll see you on Monday."
Kyon "See ya."
"…"
"I should make absolutely sure she’s fine."
Kyon "By the way, about our search for evidence of the mutant turning up nothing… I said before, right? They’re not careless enough to let you find them in one day."
Haruhi "Stop trying to comfort me by spouting out sappy lines, Kyon. Later."
"Geh. I’m rather proud of that one, thank you very much."
"At least she’s back to her usual self."
"I seem to have to do keep doing that a lot recently, that is, cheer her up. Maybe it really is just back-to-school blues, as I’ve been feeling much the same way recently."
"Especially in how there are weird things going on with seemingly no point to them."
"I’ll have to contact Nagato or Koizumi tomorrow and bring this up, but there’s no point in worrying about things until they happen."
"Unless, of course, they’ve already happened. Or, alternatively, are happening right"
*KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH*
Walking Home With Tsuruya-san
Kyon "Did you know that it’s actually easier on the human body to go uphill than down?"
Tsuruya "Huh, really? Never woulda guessed."
Kyon "It’s true."
"I’m walking home with Tsuruya-san, who I’ve only really met once before this."
"Exactly what am I supposed to talk about?"
"For that matter, she’s still attached to my arm. The rest of the students in the Going Home Club are staring at this blatant public display of affection. This is extremely awkward. Please let go of me, Tsuruya-san."
Tsuruya "Nope~."
"Worth a shot."
"I am extremely, extremely glad that Haruhi went home early. I do not want her to see me like this. Of course, since rumors have a way of getting back to her somehow, I’ll have to find a way to defuse this eventually."
"Argh, and why is the only thing I can think of in this situation is how Haruhi is going to react? I can’t believe myself. I’ll never get a girlfriend like this."
Kyon "So, um…"
Tsuruya "How’re things in tha Brigade?"
Kyon "Uh, well, as strange as they usually are."
Tsuruya "Mikuru-chan said somethin’ about hunting all over tha school for a /"mutant/" o’ some kind…"
Kyon "Aha. Ahaha. That’s just our Brigade Chief being paranoid of rumors."
"Is she trying to push her breasts up against my arm like that? This is making it hard to think."
Tsuruya "Ah, yeah, rumors can be troublesome. This one probably started with that lunatic running all around the school. I tried to use my /"senpai’s authority/" to stop him, but, well, he wouldn’t stop."
"Ahaha you certainly have a lot of authority Tsuruya-san wait what?"
"I stop short."
Kyon "You actually met him?"
Tsuruya "Eh? Why so serious all of a sudden?"
Kyon "What did he look like? Please, I have to know, Tsuruya-san."
Tsuruya "Um, well, he was pretty tall… about Itsuki-kun’s height, and… he didn’t really look like anything, ta be honest with ya."
"Someone nondescript. Hmm."
Kyon "So you wouldn’t recognize him if you saw him again?"
"Tsuruya-san, in thought, unconsciously leaned against me. Gah."
Tsuruya "Hmm, probably not, nah. I don’t have a good memory for faces, ya see."
Kyon "Ah, that’s okay, Tsuruya-san."
"That’s too bad, but I guess it’s better that I don’t get uninvolved people involved in this. Speaking of which, can you let go now, Tsuruya-san?"
Tsuruya "But if ya’d ask me what tha girl looked like, hooo boy, she’s pretty distinct. My memory of her is as clear as day, nyoro~."
"Tsuruya-san ends her sentence in an extremely cute fashion as she explains about the girl wait. What girl?"
Tsuruya "Obviously pretty short. Still taller than Mikuru-chan, but bless her, everyone’s taller than Mikuru-chan. Not much in tha chest department, though she made up for it by having this reaaaally cute ponytail. …Though, her personality didn’t seem too pleasant, the way she glared at me like that."
"…A short, petite girl with a ponytail and an unpleasant personality."
"There’s lots of those, I’m sure, but one person I’d never seen before until this morning comes to mind. A person I even gave Tsuruya-san’s shoes to."
"…God dammit."
"Goddammit!"
"She was with the intruder. So that’s why she was trying to steal my shoes!"
"Wait, on second thought, that doesn’t make much sense either. …Still, I’m going to have a few things to say next time I see her. Thank you very much for that, Tsuruya-san."
"At that moment Tsuruya-san’s grip on my arm got even tighter, cutting off my circulation. As a result, the sensation of a pair of small, fluffy pillows pressing against me got even more intense."
Kyon "Ghhhh! I—what? What’s wrong?"
"For Tsuruya-san had dropped her usual smile, and was focusing on a point about twenty meters behind us."
Kyon "Tsuruya…san?"
Tsuruya "Eh? Oh! Sorry, Kyon-kun! Nyahaha! Got distracted there for a minute!"
"She then noticed my hard-to-describe expression."
Tsuruya "Oh, am I squeezin’ ya too hard? Sorry, sorry."
"Her grip loosens. Thank god, I was either about to lose my lower arm or my sanity."
Tsuruya "Welp, c’mon then, time’s a wastin’! Let’s go!"
"She pulls me forward, and I have no choice by to comply."
"In due course, we reach the bike racks at the bottom of the hill. This is (un)fortunately where I will have to separate with Tsuruya-san."
"I tell her this, and she finally loosens her hold. I feel as though a great weight has been lifted from me."
Tsuruya "Ah, that’s fine. I usually get my driver to pick me up here anyways. Ah, here he comes now!"
"In any case, now that I’ve actually met one of the intruders (Girl A) I have to inform Nagato of this. I’ll be sure to call her first thing in the morning, when I’m fully rested."
"I’ll have to figure out a way to explain away Tsuruya-san’s weird behavior when Haruhi inevitably finds out, also. And is that a limousine?!"
Tsuruya "Er, yeah, haha, my family’s pretty well-to-do. Didn’ ya know?"
Kyon "No, no I did not, actually."
"I would not describe a family that possesses enough limousines to spare one on picking their daughter up from school as simply /"well-to-do/". In fact, I get the feeling I may have to worry about rumors making their way to her father, or perhaps her Family, as well.
"What have you gotten me into, Tsuruya-san?"
Tsuruya "Welp, I guess I’ll see ya around, Kyon-kun."
Kyon "Uh, yeah, yeah, see ya."
"I give a quick wave and turn towards where I park my bicycle every morning. I don’t want her driver to get a good look at my face."
"A tap on my shoulder. By reflex, I turn around."
Tsuruya "Ah, that’s right. Almost forgot~."
"She stands on the tips of her toes, and reaches around my neck, pulling me downward."
"…! Her face is… so… close…!"
"And then, closing her eyes, she"
*KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH*
Walking Home With Girl A
Kyon "Did you… know that…. it’s actually easier on the human body… to go uphill than down?"
Girl A "Yeah, I… I heard something about that once. Something about how… your limbs are actually better at it… Or something."
Kyon "…Something like that."
"I’m walking home with a girl I’ve pretty much never met before. A fitting end to a weird, weird week."
"I’m also carrying an LCD monitor, and panting really hard. The reason for the latter is that we’re now at the bottom of the huge hill that our school sits on top of, having run down here in retreat from an angry Computer Research Society."
"…I’m beginning to regard events like this as normal. Someone help."
Girl A "God… I hate that hill."
Kyon "So do I. Every day, up and down…"
Girl A "The city should just get it over with and install an escalator."
Kyon "My thoughts exactly.:
"My kingdom for an escalator!"
"Of course, then it would have been much easier for the Computer Society to catch up to us."
Girl A "Speaking of which, here they come now!"
Kyon "Tenacious, aren’t they…"
"Girl A runs inside the bike compound, runs straight to my bike, oddly enough, and… unlocks it?"
Kyon "Hey, how did--?"
Girl A "You’re slow. Get on."
Kyon "Yes, mistress. Who’s pedaling?"
Girl A "You, of course. You think my feet can reach those pedals?"
Kyon "Good point."
CSP "Death to those who would shame the Computer Research Society!"
"I shove the monitor in the basket in the front of my bike; I’ll have to keep it steady with one hand, I guess. Girl A hops onto the seat, her arms on my shoulders."
Kyon "We’re gonna be going fast, so you might want to hold on tighter than that."
Girl A "Hmm? Sure, I guess that’s fine."
"She folds her arms around my body, and I can feel a softness pressing against my back. So, she has breasts after all, huh…?"
CSP "You will pay for what you have taken from us!"
"And now is not the time to be thinking about that!"
"We clear the compound just as the President and his goons reach it. A narrow escape!
CSP "Nooooooooooooooo!"
"His cry of anguish resounds in our ears as I pedal in an effort to gain a lot of distance. Closer at hand, Girl A is trying not to laugh."
Girl A "Pffffffffhahahahahahaha!"
"And failing. And, for some reason, I start laughing too."
Kyon "Hahahahahahahaha!"
Girl A "Ahahahahahahaha!"
"We must look even loonier than before."
Kyon and Kyonko "Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
"What a rush."
---
"The Computer Society President sat in the middle of the bike racks in tears, utterly defeated. His minions, gathered around him, offered him words of encouragement. But he paid them no heed."
"Eventually, however, he got to his feet, brushed the dirt off his clothes, wiped his eyes, and lied to everyone that he was perfectly fine."
Spectacled Minion "So, uh, what do we do now, President?"
CSP "Nothing. We wait."
Fat Minion "Wait?"
CSP "Don’t you see? They’ll have to return to school on Monday. We can get our revenge then."
"A sick, boiling laugh rose up in his throat."
CSP "Mwwwaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahhahaahaha! Glory to the Computer Reseaaaaaarch Societyyyyyy! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Fat Minion "A-Are you okay, boss?"
"Lightning struck. Even though there weren’t any clouds in the sky."
---
Kyon "…That’s probably what’s happening right now."
Girl A "Hahaha, that’s great. I love it!"
"It didn’t take long to get to Kitaguchi Station with that kind of adrenaline going through our veins."
Girl A "Seriously though, thanks for the ride, and all your help. I kind of wish I had more to offer you than seventy yen… "
Kyon "It’s not really out of my way… although, you could answer a question for me, I guess."
Girl A "Sure. One question in payment, then."
Kyon "Could tell me where you got that new uniform from, just to satisfy my curiosity?"
Girl A "…New uniform?"
Kyon "The one I saw you in this morning was rumpled, as though you had slept in it. Also, you seem to have new indoor shoes that came out of nowhere."
Girl A "…Ah, you… noticed. Um. A friend of mine has connections, so she managed to get this to me today."
Kyon "The same friend you’re giving this stolen monitor to?"
Girl A "Uh, yeah, actually."
"An underground network of thieves, huh?"
"Girl A really seems to have trouble carrying the monitor by herself."
Kyon "You know, I could carry that for you the rest of the way…"
Girl A "Oh, God, no. I mean, I’d be grateful, but the people I’m meeting, um, don’t take to strangers that well, so…"
Kyon "You’re sure?"
Girl A "Yes, yes, it’s fine."
Kyon "Well, see you around, then."
Girl A "See you around!"
"I realize as I watch her struggle with the monitor towards the café, that I never actually asked her name. I never thought of it, simply because… I somehow got the feeling I’d known her a long time?"
"I’d have called out to her, but… /"one question/", huh?"
"I’m a moron."
"The only thing left to do now is go home, and first thing tomorrow I’ll contact either Nagato or Koizumi, and try to figure out what the root of the weird things this past week is. I don’t doubt that they’re all interconnected."
"And given the way she suddenly showed up, Girl A and her Thieves’ Guild are probably some part of this too."
"And then on Monday, I’ll also have to smooth things over with Haruhi and try to avoid the attention of the Computer Research Society. …I wonder how much that monitor cost, anyway?"
"I certainly have a lot of things to"
*KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH*
__________________
By the book, by hook, by rook,
Shadow takes all, my pet;
My what a strange duet.
Shadow takes all.
2009-10-10, 18:54
