Knock knock.
It was the sound of knocking again. This time, I was sitting in front of the chief's desk, grappling with the FTP software. Behind me was Haruki, throwing misguided and out-of-nowhere requests this way and that, and making me answer those unreasonable demands.
So that knock was the ringing sound of salvation for me.
"Come in!"
Haruki again said in a big voice, and the door opened. Judging from the sequence of things, it was probably Asahina-sempai who had came.
"Ah, sorry I'm late!"
Giving a humble apology as he came into sight, a wingless angel, it couldn't have been anyone but Asahina-sempai.
"I had tests until fourth period......"
As the butler costume was being cleaned, Asahina-sempai had to wear his maid outfit instead. Why he can't just go through his normal routine of making and serving tea in the school uniform, I don't know. Regardless, after he had served us our tea, there was another knock at the door.
"Coming!"
Asahina-sempai shouted cheerfully as he headed towards the door. Wait, if someone sees him in that outfit, they might get the wrong idea about him. Of course, before I could say anything, he had already opened the door.
"... I... um..."
From the angle I was at, I couldn't see Asahina-sempai's face, but his voice sounded almost terrified. On the other side of him was another guy, who looked like he was having a hard time deciding how to react to what he was seeing.
"I'm looking for the 'SOS Brigade.' That's who you are, correct?"
"Y... yes."
"I'm here to make a request..."
"Then come in!"
Haruki shouted. Well, it looks like we have our first client.
His name was Kimidori Emori, a second-year student who seemed as though he were rather timid and neat.
Presently, he was sitting without raising his face with his eyes fixed on the surface of the tea that Asahina-sempai had poured. Sitting beside him like an escort was Asahina-sempai.
"So, as for you." Haruki said, making a face like an interviewer's and twirling a ball pen. Occupying the space in front of the two second-year students, he continued in an arrogant tone,
"What you're saying is that you want our SOS Brigade to look for your missing girlfriend?"
Haruki crossed his arms, holding the pen with the top of his lips. Although he was acting like he was deep in thought, I knew he was just holding back. He could probably burst into laughter at any moment.
How could this happen? Even though I was sure that no one would come, here was our first counselee. It'd be typical of Haruki to jump for joy in this situation.
"Yes." Kimidori-sempai said, talking toward his teacup.
Nagato, Itsuko and I were watching the situation from the sidelines. Before the pair of second year students, Haruki went,
"Hmm."
He hummed artifichially and gave me a look.
I was thouroughly resenting myself. I should have never made that poster! What could I have written? "Accepting consultations for problems you can't tell other people." Was that it? All the same, it never occurred to me that there was anyone who would take it seriously; wasn't I thinking normally?
Whether or not he took it seriously, Kimidori-sempai saw the poster about the SOS Brigade's activity objectives, and seems to have mistaken us for a counseling office for general problems or an odd job service business. Certainly, that would be the case if you interpreted it literally. Ah, I finally remembered; the contents of my fabricated activities were "students' school life problem discussions, consulting duties, and progressive community service participation." Presently, not one of those could be related to the SOS Brigade. Aside from disturbing a grass-lot baseball tournament, we haven't done a thing.
However, having seen the poster I had written, Kimidori-sempai had discovered our existence, worried over it and came here; this seems about right.
So, what could be troubling you?
"She hasn't come to school for many days now."
Kimidori-sempai wouldn't meet anyone's eyes, and looked intently at the teacup's rim as he spoke.
"Although she's rarely absent, she didn't even come in on a test day, which was strange."
"Have you tried calling him?" Asked Haruki. His mouth stopped looking like it was going to burst out laughing, and he started biting on the bottom of the pen.
"Yes. She doesn't answer his mobile or house phone. I tried going to her home, but it was locked. Nobody would come to answer the door."
"Hu-hu-humm."
A person who delights in the misfortune of other people is a real good-for-nothing, but Haruki's cheerful aura made it seem like he'd break out into a song at any moment. {Note: Nazonazo...} In short, this person wasn't even a bum. End of discussion.
"And your girlfriend's family?"
Kimidori-sempai was still talking to his tea. It seems it wasn't in his nature to be able to talk to others while making eye contact.
"I heard from before that her parents had gone to another country. I don't know their contact address."
"Ehhh? Could that country be Canada?" Haruki asked.
"No. If I remember correctly, I think it was Honduras."
"Ho-ho~.Honduras, huh? I see."
What is it you're seeing? I doubt you even know where that country is. Um... was it somewhere below Mexico?
"There's no sign that she's even in her room. Even when I visited her late in the evening, it was completely dark. I'm worried."
Kimidori-sempai said indifferently, as if he were reading from a script, and covered his face with his hands. As Haruki pursed his lips, he said,
"Mm. I can't say that I don't understand how you're feeling."
Liar. You couldn't possibly understand the feelings of someone in love.
"In any case, it's amazing how you've come to the facilities of our SOS Brigade. First, tell me your reason."
"Yes. She often mentioned it, so I had remembered."
"Eh? Who's your girlfriend?"
"Ya{MEOW!} is her name."
At Haruki's question, Kimidori-sempai murmured the young female student's name. I feel like I've heard it somewhere before, but I also feel that it isn't an acquaintance of mine. Haruki also drew his eyebrows together,
"Who's that?"
In a voice like a gentle breeze, Kimidori-sempai answered,
"She said she was neighbors with the SOS Brigade..."
"A neighbor?"
Haruki looked up at the ceiling. Kimidori-sempai turned to Asahina-sempai and me, who had tilted our heads to the side, and then to Itsuko and Nagato, but her eyes didn't meet anyone's, and he returned to staring at his teacup. And then,
"She's serving as the Computer Club's president."
Was what he said.
I had completely forgotten. {Note: Hence why you were going on about it earlier in the story...} It was that pitiful president? I had taken pictures of her "sexual harassment" of Asahina-sempai (against her will), and Haruki, using that as a pretext, acquired their latest model computer (by force), and she was bullied into doing the wiring in tears; it was the Computer Research Club's pitiable upperclassman. No, there was no need to pity her, is there? If she has a boyfriend with such a good atmosphere, it's more than even. Come to think of it, I wonder where I put that disposable camera.
"Okay, I got it!" Said Haruki, accepting the task easily. "We'll take care of everything. Kimidori-san, you're in luck! As client number one, you get your case solved for free as a bonus!
Detective Haruki is on the case!"
If you're going to be taking their money, it won't be a school service activity. However, is this really some kind of case? This president something-or-other isn't just simply becoming hikikomori, is she? I don't know how she could be complaining, having someone like Kimidori-sempai as a boyfriend, but I think it'd be better to just leave her alone to recover by herself.
Of course, I didn't say that; Kimidori-sempai left his girlfriend's address on a piece of paper, and exited the clubroom in a pace like that of an apparition that had materialized.
After waiting for Asahina-sempai to return from seeing him off, I opened my mouth.
"Hey, is it really okay to be accepting this so easily? What do you have planned if we can't find a solution to this problem?"
But Haruki just twirled his ball pen in a good mood.
"Who the hell do you think we are? Of course we can! She's probably just hiding away with a two-month-late case of May Sickness. We'll just march right up to the president, hit her two or three times, and drag her out, kicking and screaming. This plan is foolproof!" He seems to really mean that. Of course, I was thinking the same thing, as well.
"Are you and Kimidori-sempai close? You seemed rather nervous around him."
I asked Asahina-sempai, who was again pouring us some fresh tea.
"No, I haven't talked to him before today. He's in the class next door, so I only see him when we have joint lessons."
It would've been better if Kimidori-sempai had told the teachers or police rather than us. Or maybe he already tried that, and was ignored. That would explain why he'd reach out to us. I'm sure that's it. I think.
There wasn't any sense of urgency as we idly sipped our tea. Haruki was unreasonably elated, and seemed to be thinking about accepting grander and grander commissions, and then resolving them; I think he even muttered something about "piercing the heavens," whatever that means. Although how little of the first semester remained was lamentable, these were the circumstances that were likely to force a second round of the flyer distribution project. Just forget it.
Nagato closed his book with a thump, and we proceeded with the investigation.
{Note: "We proceeded with the investigation." isn't something Haru
ki would say, but what he would say isn't necessarily something Kyonko would want to. So I left that out. Just to let you know.}
The club president's solo dwelling was a studio apartment. Because of the location, I figured the main residents were college students. In this three-story building that looked neither good nor bad, in a color that just looked well enough that you couldn't say if it was new or old. Its appearance was exceptionally normal. {Note: Never before has there been so much said about something so...} Ordinary.
Holding in his hand the note where the address was written, Haruki dashed high up the stairs. The rest of us followed behind in silence.
"Here, right?"
In front of the steel door, Haruki confirmed the name on the nameplate. The name that Kimidori-sempai had said was his girlfriend's was inside the plastic case.
"I wonder if we can open it somehow."
Haruki pushed the button on the intercom after trying to turn the knob a few times. You're supposed to do it the other way around!
"How about we come up from the veranda at the back? It'll be a cinch to get in if we smash the glass!"
I only wish he was joking. This room is on the third floor, and we aren't a group of aimless juvenile delinquents. I have no desire for a criminal record just yet. {Note: So... she intends to have one in the future?
}
"I guess so. Let's just go to the building manager and borrow a key. If we say we're friends who came because we were worried, I'm sure she'll lend it to us."
Pretending to be someone's friend is your specialty. But this club president never even gave her boyfriend a duplicate key. That's like harvesting just the stem of the eggplant and throwing the fruit away.
Ka-chick.
I turned around at the cold sound, and there was Nagato gripping the knob in silence.
"............"
Nagato was looking at me intently, with eyes like liquid helium. Slowly, Nagato tugged at the door, and the entrance to the room was agape. The air inside was stale, but for some reason there was a chill accompanying it, lurking at our feet - or so I felt.
"Oh."
Haruki's eyes were round, and his lips a semi-circle,
"It was open? I didn't notice. Well, that's okay. {Note: Um... yeah, you know the door was locked. Seriously, I'm of the opinion that Haruhi/Haruki is either very oblivious or merely feigning ignorance... and I'm leaning more towards the latter} Come on, let's get going already. I'm sure she's just hiding under the bed. Just drag her out and capture her! If she resists, feel free to take her life. We'll soak her head in beeswax and deliver
that to the client!"
Apparently, he doesn't feel even remotely guilty for plundering her computer. {Note: Dropping the reference to Salome, as I can't think of a male equivalent... plus it was a rather morbid remark.} In high spirits, he pushed all of us into the room, and then saw it was uninhabited. Not even a cockroach. Haruki looked inside the bathroom and under the bed. There wasn't even a human shape anywhere. This was one-fourth the space of Nagato's room --and just his guest room, at that-- but compared to that dreary nothingness, the level of life was four times greater. A bookshelf, a closet, a desk that looked like a low dining table, and a computer rack had been left in precise order. We confirmed through the open window that only a washing machine was hiding in the veranda.
"How strange."
Haruki tilted his head in disbelief while hopping on the bed.
"I figured she'd be curled up in a ball in some corner of the room, hugging her knees. Could she have gone to a convenience store? Kyon, where do you think a hikikomori would go?"
So it's been decided that the Computer Club president is a hikikomori, then? Could she be traveling around Central and South America on tour? Or was she seriously hiding her whereabouts? We should've asked her homeroom teacher for the story before coming here.
I was looking at the computer-related books lined up in the bookshelf, when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder.
"............"
Nagato was looking down at me without any expression, and then shook his chin sideways.
"We should leave."
Nagato whispered to me. It was the first time I'd heard Nagato's voice today. Haruki and Asahina-sempai didn't notice, but Itsuko brought her face close to my ear.
"
Don't worry, I'll hold you close if anything bad happens. I feel the same way."
Don't talk so seriously, it's creeping me out. But Itsuko continued, with a forced smile and eyes that you couldn't laugh at.
"I feel a strange discomfort in this room. It's only similar, and it feels fundamentally different, but..."
{Note: ... in bed! Sorry
}
Haruki had taken the liberty of opening the refrigerator, "Warabi-mochi, found it! The expiration date was yesterday. It'd be a waste, so let's eat!" he said, while tearing up the bag. As Asahina-sempai was flustering about, Haruki mad him taste the proffered convenience store pastry to see if it was edible.
I also spoke in a low voice, naturally.
"Similar to what?"
"Closed space. This room has a similar smell as that place. No, smell is just a metaphorical expression. Feeling is also good, such that it is a feeling that exceeds the five senses."
"You're
a Jedi?! an esper?!" was a reminiscent tsukkomi I had to restrain myself from breaking into. Actually, this person was seriously
a Jedi an esper.
Nagato murmured in a voice that hardly shook the air.
"A dimensional fault is in existence. Phase transformation is being executed."
I can understand that.
That's just what I wanted to say, though. If Nagato were to unexpectedly look sad or something, I'd probably be scared stiff right where I stand, so it would be in my best interest not to say it. Ah well. {Note: Foreshadowing, much?}
At any rate, it would be best to withdraw quickly. After signaling to Itsuko and Nagato, I turned my face to the translucent-mochi-devouring Haruki.
2008-07-07, 21:04
