"Jeez. Can we just cut everything here before it blows up? Just state this is your personal opinion, and leave it at that."
I'll admit that I can't get across to you what I am thinking, so it doesn't matter either way(it's my fault, not yours). Even if we can't come to a mutual understanding, I'd rather leave it at that than complicate things further through miscommunication(not to mention clogging up the board). I have an unfortunate talent for turning a very simple issue into a complex one.
The only thing I'd like to add is that I didn't mean 'people may have lower standards' as an insult to anyone; all I meant is that I'm hard to satisfy, it's just a character difference as far as I'm concerned. Apologies if it came out wrong.
just to try to ensure this doesn't continue, this is what i have so far:
EDIT: Volume 9 excerpt, pages 80-82. Just added more at 8:34 board time, and may add more later, but this is what I wanted to get done for now(no more coming soon):
Spoiler:
NOTE: Points I have determined need a translator's notes are marked with an asterisk(*), and notes are placed in brackets [as such] at the bottom of the text. The conversation starts with Koizumi after they had been comparing their points of view on a Brigade activity they did earlier.
"Is that what you remembered?"
"It seems there're no major difference."
Koizumi said while surveying the monitor in earnest,
"From an objective viewpoint, it was as you have described in your commentary. However, if we look at this from a subjective viewpoint, your explanation and my explanation bring forth considerable inconsistencies."
He moved those surveying eyes onto me. Those eyes bother me.
"Well, this is the problem. Awhile ago, I told you that recently the frequency of the appearance of Closed Spaces has been increasing. To be accurate, the number hasn't had equal before or after Suzumiya entered high school. From the last year to this year, my the number of my part-time-job's missions, which had been on a declining trend, began to return to normal immediately after the end of Spring Break. Why would that be?"
I demanded nervously,
"What is it that you want to say?"
"It's not that I want to say it, I need to*. To come to a mutual understanding through a silent exchange would be better, but that's not possible.
It's related to cause and effect. In this case, the cause part consists of something that happened on the final day of Spring Break. The terms "Closed Space" and "Shinjin" would be inscribed under effects. Well then, what does this mean? This is the question I would pose to you."
"..."
I wrapped myself in silence ala Nagato. My head felt like it was in bits and pieces.
Koizumi, whose face revealed about as much as a primitive mask dug up from the Joumon era, made a smile with an incomprehensible meaning and said,
"From the fact that Suzumiya started a surge in the creation of closed spaces around the same time the new semester started, we can declare that the problematic point started on the final day of Spring Break. If we think about what happened that day, we just did the usual SOS brigade activities and there were no special happenings. The only that -was- different from usual, was one a unique, irregular element that came to interfere with the Freemarket**. What was that? You should already understand."
Sasaki?
"But why? All I did was come to the usual meeting place with a classmate from middle school. How does that turn into the effector of a mental stress on Haruhi?"
Koizumi opened his mouth as if in surprise, stared at me with those surveying and now also amazed eyes, almost like when my sister saw the locust sheddings Shamisen picked up for the first time, and stayed that way for a full ten seconds.
Facing me(who had started thinking that I'd better hurry up and wave my hand in front of his face), the psychic(ESPer) Modoki*** put on a face that was harmless to both man and beast, heartily swiveled his neck like an actor, and began:
"If you ask why..."
Making exaggerated gestures while facing me,
"About the Sasaki who styles herself as your best friend, could the reason that 8 out of 10 people find their eyes attracted to her at a glance is in truth because she is a charmingly beautiful -y-o-u-n-g- -w-o-m-a-n-?"****
He said this with the voice of a cold retainer who was announcing a decision to cancel the death sentence of a foolish ruler*****.
*: [This is a very strange idiomatic-seeming sentence in the original text, but I think what I've written gets across what Koizumi said].
**: [The Freemarket Koizumi speaks of is pretty much like a garage sale market, an activity they all went and did earlier that week/day(i dont know which, it was described right before this conversation)]
***: [Don't ask me what Modoki means, I couldn't figure that out--do tell if you know]
****: [The hyphens between words are just used to signify that Koizumi stresses that point vocally.]
*****: [i was unable to find a translation for 'shigyaku', and since "gyaku" means to turn around a situation and "shi" means murder/kill/etc. I imagine this means either overruling a death sentence or murder with the purpose of overthrowing. given that koizumi is announcing the old conflict of haruhi's jealousy which hasn't come up in awhile, i'm chose the former translation.]
and yes, since both of volume 9's endings end on a cliffhanger i -hope- volume 10 will build on what volume 9 did. after all, i don't think tanigawa has ever ended a volume on a cliffhanger before.
EDIT: added the substance of text that i actually WANTED to translate at 8:34, no more coming soon. koizumi's reaction to kyon's question at the end is GREAT =) it's like he is so shocked that kyon could be so ignorant. probably pisses him off to no end if he actually has feelings for haruhi like he does in the alternate universe--but oh, i forgot, he's gay,
right?
hmm, wonder if he is homosexual in the real world and yuki made him straight in the other world in an attempt to get haruhi away from kyon =p