Thanks to the now infamous Chippendale incident, Asahina-senpai, like Haruki, had become a household name within our school. Nonetheless, after that single day off, he bravely reappeared once more in our club room. Was this a result of Haruki's "manliness training?"
Yeah, right.
Anyway, when our club activities didn't consist of Haruki's routine blackmail and/or molestation, there wasn't very much to do. So I brought along an old Othello board from home. It had been buried away deep within my house, long forgotten (well, until recently), so I thought that Asahina-senpai and myself could play a few rounds, and chat a little. You know, to pass the time.
The website was done, but it was pretty much useless without any visitors. We hadn't even gotten a single e-mail. The PC was only any good for surfing the Internet; if the Computer Club girls ever found out that their top-of-the-line PC was being used for nothing more than net-surfing, I'm sure they'd cry themselves to death.
Seated next to Nagato Yuuki (reading a thick book, as usual), I began my third round of Othello with Asahina-senpai.
"Suzumiya-san sure is taking his time." said Asahina-senpai, softly, as he stared at the board.
Seeing that he hadn't been too badly affected by the events of the day before last, I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe, with some luck, I could keep Haruki from breaking the poor kid any further. I want him to keep his innocence forever...
"There's a transfer student coming in today. I bet he went to go look for her." I said casually.
"Transfer student?" Asahina-senpai raised his head like a little bird. So cute.
"Haruki was really excited when he heard there was a student transferring into class 1-9 today" I said, placing a white piece on the board and flipping over a few black pieces. "I guess he really likes transfer students."
"Hmm..."
"Anyway... I'm surprised you came today, Asahina-senpai."
"Um... I did have my doubts," Asahina-senpai said a little uncertainly, "but I was still worried, so I decided to come."
Didn't he say that last time?
"What are you so worried about?" I asked.
Smack! He flipped one of the board pieces with his tiny fingers. "Uh, um... nothing."
I could feel someone's gaze on me, so I turned to find Nagato staring at the game board. His face was as static as ever, but underneath his glasses, his eyes seemed more intent than I had ever seen them before.
"..." His gaze was like a newborn kitten amazed at seeing a dog for the first time. I traced his line of vision to my hand, still holding an Othello piece.
"... Nagato-kun, you want to play?"
Nagato blinked, and with the tiniest of movements nodded his head. You wouldn't even have noticed it if you hadn't been playing close attention.
I swapped seats with Nagato, and moved to sit by Asahina-senpai. As I seated myself, Nagato picked up one of the pieces and inspected it carefully. He seemed particularly fascinated by the way the pieces stuck to each other magnetically.
"Um… Nagato-kun, have you ever played Othello before?"
He slowly shook his head.
"Do you know the rules, then?"
Same motion. A negative.
"Well, look. You're the white team, right? So your goal is to surround the black pieces with your white pieces. When they're surrounded, you flip over the black piece and it becomes white. In the end, whoever has the most pieces wins." I explained quickly.
He nodded his head and proceeded to delicately place the pieces on the board, though I noticed he seemed a little clumsy in flipping the opposing pieces.
Asahina-senpai also seemed to get a little more nervous after Nagato began playing. First his fingers began tremble, just a bit, then I noticed that he didn't dare lift his head to look directly at Nagato. Instead, he'd sneak furtive glances at him while Nagato was concentrating on the game board. I suppose Asahina-senpai couldn't concentrate while he was acting all jumpy, so white quickly took a clear advantage that round.
That’s weird. Why would Asahina-senpai be afraid of Nagato?
It wasn't long before white claimed a decisive victory. Just as the two were about to begin a new round, the perpetrator of all the chaos that had gone before returned to the room with a brand new sacrifice.
"Hey hey, everyone! Kept ya waiting!" Haruki yelled cheerfully as he dragged in a female student by the hand. "This is Class 1-9's new transfer student! Her name is-"
Haruki stopped and gave a "it's your cue" look at the girl, who turned and smiled at us.
"-Koizumi Itsuko, pleased to meet you."
The girl was slim and graceful, with a nice body and a fairly large bust. She seemed like a rich, elegant lady; one of those girls who could pose on the cover of a supermodel magazine and end up with tons of fans. If she turned out to have a good personality as well, she'd be even more popular than that.
"This is the SOS Brigade Club Room!" Haruki was saying. "I'm the Commander, Suzumiya Haruki! These are Subordinates One, Two, and Three. That makes you Number Four, so remember to get along well!"
What kind of introduction was that? The only names mentioned were yours and hers! What about me, Nagato, and Asahina-senpai? We're people, not numbers!
[Editor's note: I think either Discreet or Jintor already made a Prisoner joke.]
"I don't mind joining," Koizumi Itsuko said kindly, clearly not anticipating the danger she was putting herself into. "But what kind of club is this?"
If there were a hundred people in this room, that one question was the one that every single person would have asked. In fact, a whole bunch of people had already asked me that question, but I never found an answer. Anybody who could answer that question skillfully was probably a talented con-artist, anyway. But Haruki didn't seem concerned at all, a smile spreading broadly across his face.
"Then let me enlighten you to the purpose of the SOS Brigade," Haruki said, still grinning.
He took a deep breath, posed dramatically, and shouted: "To find aliens, time-travelers, and espers, and hang out with them!"
The world stood still for a second.
Well, not really. The only thing going through my mind was "Just as I thought", but the other three didn't seem to share my line of thinking.
Asahina-senpai was completely dumbfounded, his eyes widening as he stared blankly at the cheerful Haruki. Nagato Yuuki was in a similar situation; after turning his head to look at Haruki, he sat completely still like a doll that had run out of batteries. What was really weird though was that his eyes widened, just a fraction. For someone as stoic as Nagato, that was rather surprising.
Our newest member just gave an enigmatic smile. It was hard to tell what that smile meant, though - was she shocked? Was she amused? No clue. She was the first to regain her senses, though.
"Ah, I see." She looked at Asahina-senpai and Nagato, and nodded as though in comprehension. "As expected from Suzumiya-san."
After that mysterious statement, she continued. "No problem, no problem at all. I'll join up. I look forward to working with you all."
She smiled, showing her bright white, even teeth.
...Hang on, did you just accept Haruki's ridiculous explanation, just like that? Were you even listening!? Why aren't you running away in stark terror?
Noticing a (once again) bewildered me, Koizomi Itsuko suddenly approached and held her hand out.
"I'm Koizumi Itsuko, but please, call me Itsuko," she said, very formally, still smiling. "I just transferred in today, so I've still got a lot to learn. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Uh, likewise." I said, not quite sure how to react. "I'm-"
"She's Kyon!" Haruki interrupted. Dammit, that's not my name! "The four-eyes is Yuuki-kun, and the pathetic little weakling over there is Mitsuuru-kun!"
Crash! A loud noise thundered throughout the room. Asahina-senpai had been trying to stand up, but tripped over his chair, and had smacked into the Othello board with a loud thud. "Are you all right?" Itsuko asked, appearing at Asahina-senpai's side before I could even say anything. How had she moved so quickly?
"I, um... I'm fine," Asahina-senpai said, looking gratefully at Itsuko. Grr… looking after Asahina-senpai is my job! Mine!
"Great, now we have five members!" Haruki interrupted, climbing onto a chair and continuing his speech. It's not like you need to do that, you know... You're already taller than anybody else here.
"There’s no way the school can stop us now! So, as of now, the SOS Brigade is open for business! Everybody, let's work together and move forward! Forward, towards our ultimate goal, and the fulfillment of my Plan!"
You continue to go on about this plan, but I have no idea what it is, and certainly hope it stays that way.
...And what do you mean by “open for business”, Commander Haruki? We still need a sponsor teacher, you know, and I don’t think there’s anyone who’d want to get involved in something like this. Nobody normal, anyway.
As I glanced desperately around the room, I noticed Nagato had already returned to his seat and was once again reading his book. Nagato-kun, Haruki already counts you as a part of the SOS Brigade! Are you really sure that's OK with you?
---
Haruki had declared his intention to take Itsuko for a tour of the school and left, dragging her off behind him. Asahina-senpai said that he had a few things to do at home, and left as well. So it was just me and Nagato left behind in the empty classroom. I didn't particularly feel like playing any more Othello, and it's no fun just watching Nagato read, so I packed up my bag and bid Nagato farewell.
"I guess I'll be going then, Nagato-kun."
"...Have you read the book?"
I stopped dead in my tracks. Turning, I found Nagato Yuuki looking at me with his expressionless eyes.
"What book? ...Oh, you mean that book you lent me the other day."
"Correct."
"Oh. I haven't read it yet." I said, a little embarrassed. "Maybe I should just give it back to yo-"
"There is no need."
He never minces his words, does he? He just gets straight to the point.
"Read it today, "Nagato said flatly, ”As soon as you get home."
His voice had a commanding overtone to it. Besides the required reading for Literature class, I rarely read any novels, but... since Nagato recommends it, it should at least be an interesting read, right?
"Alright, alright, I'll read it when I get home" I said.
Acknowledging me with the tiniest of nods, Nagato returned to his book.
---
And that's why I was pedaling my bike as hard as I could, alone in the darkness.
I got home after my little conversation with Nagato and went straight to my room after dinner to get a start on the foreign sci-fi novel Nagato-san had lent me. Or shoved into my face. Whatever.
Just as I was beginning to drown in the sea of words, I decided to just flip through the book quickly to see if I could ever finish the thing. As I quickly leafed through the pages, a bookmark fluttered out onto the carpet.
It was a strange looking bookmark with a fancy border made out of abstract patterns. When I flipped it over, I found a line of words on the back:
“Seven o'clock tonight, waiting for you in the park outside the station.”
The words were neat and precise, as though they had been printed out from a word processor. I don’t know for sure, but it certainly looks like the sort of handwriting Nagato would have.
I've had this book for days now. Was this message asking me to meet with Nagato-san at seven o'clock tonight? Or was it meant for the night that he'd given me the book? Could it be that Nagato-san had been waiting in the park every night until I found the bookmark and turned up? That might be why he told me to read it tonight, because he was tired of waiting for me to find the bookmark. But then why wouldn't he just ask me directly? It's not like I'm that scary or unapproachable, is it? And I still didn't know why he would want to call me to the park...
I glanced at my watch; it was just past six forty-five. Even on a bike it'd take around twenty minutes for me to get to the station.
I thought about it for about ten seconds.
Shoving the bookmark in a pocket of my jeans, I dashed out of the room and down the stairs like a rabbit. I ran by my brother coming out of the kitchen with some ice-cream ("Hey, where you going, Kyon-chan?" "Mind your own business!"), unchained my bike, and set off, flipping on the light with my foot.
If Nagato wasn't there, I was going to have to laugh at myself. Very loudly.
---
Well, I didn't get that luxury.
I tried to remain in brightly-lit places, which meant that I arrived at the small park outside the station at around ten past seven. There weren't many people around at this time of night, which did nothing to soothe my worries. Leaving behind the noises of the trains and of distant cars, I wheeled my bike along and entered the park.
Under the lights of the uniformly-spaced lamp posts, I could just make out a faint silhouette of a person sitting quietly on a bench; Nagato Yuuki, barely visible in the gloom. If I hadn't been looking for him, I probably wouldn't have given him a second glance. He was so still that a passer-by could have mistaken him for a statue.
Nagato rose slowly as I approached, a bit like a string puppet. I noticed he was still wearing his school uniform.
"...Hey, Nagato-kun. Well... um, sorry if I'm late..."
A nod.
"Were you waiting for me yesterday, too?" I asked guiltily.
Another nod.
"Couldn't you have told me whatever it is you wanted to tell me at school?"
"This way." With those two words, he turned and strode off. He walks like a ninja; you couldn't hear a single footstep. I could only reluctantly follow behind Nagato, who was fading into the darkness the further away from me he got.
"Are you angry with me for making you wait?" I asked, stumbling to keep up with his longer strides.
"No."
I wasn't sure I could believe him, but I couldn't detect any sort of emotion from his voice.
"Uh, excuse me, but - where exactly are we going?"
"My home."
Wait, what?
I froze in my tracks, dropping my bike on the pavement. Why is Nagato bringing me to his house, after calling me out here so suddenly? Was this some sort of bizarre courtship ritual? Was he just asking me out? Aren't there supposed to be, well, preliminaries before this kind of thing?
Nagato sensed my hesitation, and looked back at me questioningly.
"Aren't we going a little too fast?" I said, backing away a bit. "In all sorts of ways, I mean."
"Do not worry. No one else is home."
That makes me worry even more!
I kept my eyes on Nagato's back, not quite sure why I was still following him. Maybe it's because he didn't seem to be the type to take advantage of girls. And he had ignored most of the stuff that had happened ever since Haruki took over his club room, which meant that anything he felt that was important enough to tell me had to be absolutely incredible.
A few minutes of walking and watching his hair billow in the wind later, we found ourselves standing outside a large apartment building fairly near the station.
"Here." Nagato took out a card and brushed it against the sensor; the glass door slid smoothly open. I hurriedly locked my bicycle by the entrance and quickly followed Nagato, who politely kept the door open for me.
I stepped into the elevator after him, running all sorts of scenarios through my mind. Was I making a big mistake? I should have at least brought my cellphone with me, but I had left in a big hurry and forgotten it. It was a bit of a scary thought, that Nagato had me pretty much at his mercy; I could only hope he wouldn't try anything.
Nagato seemed to have something on his mind as well but, as usual, said nothing, merely staring at the floor number as it slowly increased. The elevator finally arrived at the seventh floor and me and Nagato disembarked and walked silently down the corridor to room 708. He unlocked the door and held it open for me.
"Enter."
Are you serious?
I tried to stay calm as I stepped in and took off my shoes, but I jumped a bit when Nagato shut the door behind him.
There was no escape now. I felt like I was trapped on the ship of the Dread Pirate Roberts.
"Come in." Nagato said flatly, removing his shoes as well. If the apartment had been dark I would have had an excuse to make a break for it or lock myself in the bathroom or something, but, unfortunately, it was illuminated quite brightly. All that light actually made the room feel even larger... and emptier.
This must be one of those posh condominiums that cost a fortune to rent, especially considering how close it was to the station.
...Then why does it feel as though nobody lives here?
The living room had only a kotatsu and no other decorations or furniture. There were no curtains on the window, and no carpet over the ten tatami-sized wooden tiles.
"Sit down," Nagato said, before disappearing into the kitchen without bothering to see if I obeyed. I knelt down beside the table, wondering if I should just try to leave. Before I could make up my mind, Nagato returned bearing a tray. Moving like a marionette, he set it down on the table without a word, and diffidently seated himself across the table from me.
Silence.
He didn't even pour the tea. He just sat there, looking at me expressionlessly. Maybe he expected me to pour it for us? I reached towards the teapot, but Nagato-san suddenly had it in one hand before I could grab it, as though he had suddenly remembered something. He began to pour some tea into a cup.
"Erm... where's your family?"
"Not here."
"I can see that..." I said, glancing around the room. "Have they gone out?"
"I am the only one who has ever been here."
That was the longest sentence I had ever heard from Nagato.
"Are you... are you living on your own?"
"That is correct."
Woah, a high school student living alone in a high-class apartment? There must be a lot of complicated reasons behind this, and I didn't know whether Nagato wanted me to pry too deeply.
"Well, um, what... what do you want of me?"
Nagato ignored my question and pushed the cup of tea over towards me.
"Drink."
I looked at the teacup apprehensively. Was the tea safe to drink? Well, this was Nagato. He wouldn't put something into the tea to take advantage of me, right? Even though I didn't know him that well, I just felt that he didn't seem like he was that kind of person.
"You dislike tea?"
"Oh, no... it's just that... " My voice trailed off. I sat there uncomfortably under Nagato’s gaze. It’s not that I don’t trust Nagato... but a guy asking a girl to come to his house so suddenly, when there’s nobody else there? And the first thing he does is offer her some tea without any explanation? It’s too suspicious. It's way too suspicious. But there was no way I was going to say that to his face.
"Look, forget the tea," I said. "Could you please just tell me why you’ve brought me here?"
Nagato paused and returned to his seat, as though he were a rewinding videotape. He looked at me silently, still not opening his mouth. This time, though it felt like he was trying to figure out how to bring the subject up. Was he looking for the right words, or trying to build some sort of inner courage?
"What is it you can't say at school?" I prompted.
He finally moved his thin lips. "It is about Suzumiya Haruki." he said, straightening his back stiffly. "And myself."
He paused for a moment.
What, was that it? I don't understand his speaking style, but he should at least try to establish some sort of context.
"What about Suzumiya and you?"
This was the point where I first perceived any hint of a major emotion on Nagato's stoic face; he looked troubled, or hesitant. But you had to be observing him closely to even notice; his expressive face had only the most subtle difference from his expressionless face.
"It is difficult to convey completely through words. There may be errors in the transmission of data. Regardless, listen." And Nagato began to talk.
---
"Suzumiya Haruki and I are not ordinary humans."
And already he's weirding me out. So early in the conversation?
"I had kind of noticed that already," I said carefully.
"You misunderstand" Nagato continued, glancing at his hands in his lap. "I do not mean unusual in terms of deviation of universally accepted personality traits. I mean precisely what I said. I mean that he and I are not ordinary human beings like you."
What on earth is he trying to say?
"The Integrated Data Sentient Entity, which oversees this galaxy, has created Living Humanoid Interfaces in order to interact with biological entities. One of these interfaces is me."
"..."
"My task is to observe Suzumiya Haruki and upload all data obtained to the Integrated Data Sentient Entity."
"..."
"I have performed this function since my birth three years ago. In the last three years, no particularly unusual elements were discovered. The situation was very stable. However, recently an external factor has now appeared nearby Suzumiya Haruki that cannot be ignored."
"..."
"...and that factor... is you."
---
What is the Integrated Data Sentient Entity?
In the vast sea of information known as the universe, there exist many sentient entities composed entirely of concepts and data, that possess no corporeal bodies. They began as nothing more than pure data. As that data collected, the resulting entities developed sentience. Eventually, they developed enough sentience to actively seek out and accumulate further data.
Existing only as data, without physical form, they cannot be detected within the optical ranges. As old as the universe itself, they expanded alongside it, and therefore broadened the scope of all available information.
Since the formation of this planet - correction, this solar system - nothing in the universe has been unknown to them. This single planet in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way holds no particular significance to them, for many planets besides this one hold sentient organic life.
However, this third planet of this solar system gradually evolved bipedal organic life-forms which themselves learnt to seek information. The organic life forms on the planet referred to as "Earth" consequently began to grow in importance.
---
"It was previously believed that it was impossible for organic life forms, which have limited data collection and transmission capabilities, to be able to evolve to the state where they would actively seek knowledge." Nagato Yuuki said in a serious tone.
"The Integrated Data Entity has therefore taken an interest in all forms of organic life on the planet Earth. It hypothesizes that by observation, it may be able to aid data life-forms discover the solution to their own evolutionary dead end."
---
Unlike the Data Entities, which are complete existences from their genesis, humans begin their existences as incomplete organic life forms, rapidly evolving by acquiring and retaining information both internally and externally. This information is then used to further advance themselves.
The emergence of sentience amongst organic life forms is a common phenomenon. But it is only on Earth that life-forms have evolved to the point where they actively seek out knowledge. The Integrated Data Sentient Entity was intrigued by this, and decided to continually monitor the planet.
---
"Approximately three earth years ago, a data flare unlike any other appeared on the surface of the planet. An explosion of data erupted from a region on a bow-shaped archipelago, instantly covered the surface of the entire planet, and began to spread into space. And at the center of this data spike was a single individual. Suzumiya Haruki."
"Neither the cause nor the effect are known. The Integrated Data Sentient Entity is unable to fully process the new data being created. Furthermore, while humans are highly limited in the amount of data they can retain, Suzumiya Haruki was able to create a massive data flare on his own."
"Suzumiya Haruki continues to transmit torrents of information at completely random intervals. Furthermore, Suzumiya Haruki himself appears to be unaware of this. Over the past three years, I have conducted various investigations on the individual known as Suzumiya Haruki from all possible perspectives, but his true identity is still an unknown. Regardless, a sector of the Integrated Data Sentient Entity have determined that he is the key to the evolution of all data entities and have commenced analysis accordingly."
"As data life-forms, they are incapable of speech and thus unable to communicate or interact directly with organic life-forms. Humanity lacks the ability to fully communicate ideas without the use of words, and the Integrated Data Sentient Entity lacks the ability to vocalize thought. Hence, Humanoid Interfaces like myself were created in order to act as a communications bridge between data life-forms and organic life-forms."
---
Nagato delicately lifted his cup and sipped his tea. I guess for him, that was an entire year’s worth of words.
"..."
I didn't have any idea how to respond.
"Suzumiya Haruki may hold the key to auto-evolution. There is a high probability that he also possesses the ability to control data in his surrounding environment. That is why I am here. That is why you are here."
"Hold up." I interrupted, my mind blurred and confused. "I'll be frank. I really have no idea what you're talking about."
"Please, believe me."
I'd never seen Nagato-san so earnest looking before.
"There is a limited amount of information that can be conveyed through speech. I am merely a terminal, an interface for the Integrated Data Sentient Entity. I am unable to perfectly convey the thoughts of the Integrated Data Sentient Entity to you. Please understand."
Understand? How am I supposed to understand something I can’t understand?! That doesn't help at all!
"Well... Why me?" I asked. "Look, let's say I believe all this garbage about you being an alien created by a weird-thing-entity, but... why are you telling me this?"
"You have been chosen by Suzumiya Haruki. Whether he is aware of it or not, his consciousness influences the world around him. There must be a reason as to why you have been chosen."
"No, there’s no reason!"
"There is. You have been chosen by Suzumiya Haruki." Nagato repeated. "Perhaps for him, you play some pivotal role. You and he hold all of potential within your grasp."
"…Are you serious?"
"Completely."
For the first time, I found myself carefully studying Nagato Yuuki's face. I had initially been marveling that Mr Silence here had decided to speak at all, but then out came this winding, freakish flood of words and nonsense.
I had known he was a little odd, but I would never have guessed that he was absolutely crazy.
Integrated Data Sentient Entity? Living Humanoid Interface?
Give me a break!
"Look." I said, moving to stand. "You should probably tell this directly to Haruki. He'd be delighted. Me, I'm not interested in this kind of stuff at all. Sorry."
"The majority of the Integrated Data Entity speculates that if Suzumiya Haruki becomes self-aware of his abilities, unforeseen consequences may occur. Therefore, at this stage the situation may only be observed."
"But there's a chance I might tell all of this to Haruki! Why tell me?"
"He will not accept the data you feed him as completely accurate."
"Eh?"
"Clarification: He will not believe you."
...He's got a point.
"I am not the only Humanoid Interface placed on Earth by the Integrated Data Sentient Entity. The majority of the Entity intends to take a proactive role and observe the results. You are the key to Suzumiya Haruki. When crisis approaches, I will look to you first."
Sorry, look, Nagato-san -- count me out. Please excuse me, thank you for the tea, it was nice.
Nagato didn't move to stop me as I prepared to leave. He merely lowered his head and glanced at his teacup, reverting back to his normal, expressionless mode. It might have been my imagination, but I guessed he looked a little bit...
...lonely.
I slipped my shoes on, leaning against the doorframe. Aliens, huh? Nagato must have been picking up strange ideas from all of those sci-fi books he's been reading all the time.
I paused, one shoe on. If it was true, though... that meant that the sort of strange beings, the paranormal mysteries that Haruki was so obsessed with had been right under his nose the entire time.
...Yeah, right. It was just something about Nagato’s voice, the way he was so matter-of-fact about it. He made it sound so convincing, the way he deadpanned about... what was it? Some sort of 'data entity' that was watching Haruki? That just made me think of some sort of cloud of hovering binary code hanging around.
Weird things like that simply don’t happen. And what was that ‘not the only alien’ stuff? He made it sound as though they were waiting in the bushes, ready to jump out at any hint of weirdness. Yeah, right.
It sure was dark out tonight.
“Hey,” I said. Nagato looked up.
“If you’re going to make me come out at all hours of the night, the least you can do is walk me home.”
If he had been anyone else, he probably would have looked surprised. As it was, he said, in that same monotone he used for everything: “That is unnecessary. The crime rate in this city is not exce-”
“Humour me,” I interrupted dryly.
---
In a way that perfectly coincided with the way my life had been going lately, my little brother opened the door for me when I arrived home.
“Oh, it's you. Why were you--”
His eyes widened. “Ooh, I get it! You were out with a boy!”
No, it’s--
His face split into a grin. I’ve never been in favour of older siblings beating up on younger ones, but I think that’s about to change. “I’m telling!” he said delightedly.
I grabbed the back of his shirt as he tried to run off. “Chocolate ice cream!”
He had been taking a deep breath, ready to scream for our father, but that confused him.
“What?”
By the way, through all of this, Nagato was just standing there like a statue. Thanks for the help. You’re acting like you’re watching paint dry or something.
“From that stand across from the bakery. You pass it every morning on the way to school, you’re always staring at it. I’ll buy you chocolate ice cream every day for a week.”
“Including the weekend?!”
Fine, whatever.
He gave me what I’m sure he thought was an adorable grin. “Deal!”
What a little brat...!
---
When my dad asked me where I'd been, I gave a vague, non-committal answer and went straight up to my room. Lying on my bed, I mused over Nagato's speech.
If I believed what he had said, that made Nagato not of this world. That is to say, an alien. Wouldn't that be a surprise, though? The very thing we'd - well, Haruki - had been searching for, right under our noses.
My eye fell upon the thick hardback novel that I had thrown on the corner of the bed. I picked it up with the bookmark and had a glimpse at the cover art before placing it by my pillow.
Nagato probably never talks to anyone in his class, imprisoning himself within his own mind. Break out of your little shell! He ought to just put down his book, get out and make some friends, and enjoy a wonderful school life. That poker face has got to go, too. I bet he’d look kinda cool if he'd just smile.
I think I'll return the book to him tomorrow... actually, you know what? Forget it. Since I've already borrowed the book, I might as well try and finish it.
2008-12-08, 06:16
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