Haruhi>05. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Ⅴ

Kyon:
Walking home after school, side by side with a girl.
Sure that sounds like a typical scene out of some show about teen-age adolescence.
But I'd be lying if I said I'd never dreamt of doing that.
And right now, it looks like I'm making that dream a reality.
Yeah, so why am I not happy about it?

Haruhi:
That way.
Did you say something?

Kyon:
Oh no, nothing.

Kyon:
Pretty soon, we'll be in front of Nagato's condo.


Haruhi:
Apparently Asakura lived here in Number 505.

Kyon:
I see.

Haruhi:
What are you talking about, see what?

Kyon:
Oh no, it's nothing.
And by the way, how do you plan on getting in there?
You've got the code for the door or something?


Haruhi:
No I don't.
But I'm sure if we just wait around long enough...

Kyon:
Huh?!

Haruhi:
Well, what are you waiting for?!

Haruhi:
I'm telling you it was strange.
Transferring to Canada out of nowhere and they didn't even tell anybody their new address.

Kyon:
I know, I heard you already.

Haruhi:
Well, hang on, 'cause it gets even stranger.
Asakura didn't go to the junior high schools in this city before starting North High.

Kyon:
Of course, she didn't.

Haruhi:
I snooped around and found out that she came to our school from a city outside our school zone.
That's totally suspicious!
It's not like North High is a famous prep school--it's just a plain old public school you can find anywhere!
So, why would she wanna go to our school?

Kyon:
Dunno.

Haruhi:
I can't believe it. She lived really close to the school.
And she lived in a condo.
It's not a monthly deal like an apartment--this location's nice, so it's not cheap.
Did she commute from here to junior high in another city?

Kyon:
I said I don't know.

Haruhi:
It looks like we have to investigate how long Asakura's lived here, too.

Kyon:
What are you doing?
The place is empty.
It's not gonna open.

Haruhi:
Hmm...

Kyon:
I really think we're wasting our time here.

Haruhi:
Then, we're going to the manager's office.

Kyon:
Do you honestly think they're just gonna hand over the keys?

Haruhi:
No, I'm gonna ask the manager how long Asakura lived here.
Come on!

Kyon:
Let's just give up and go home.
Even if we find out, there's nothing we can really do about it.

Haruhi:
Move it!

Haruhi:
We're both friends of Miss Ryoko Asakura, who lived here and we heard she moved away suddenly.
And we're wondering if you could help us or something.
We need to get a hold of her, but she didn't leave us her address.
Did she happen to tell you where she was moving?
Also I was wondering if you could tell us if you knew how long Miss Asakura's lived here.

Kyon:
Wow, I wasn't really expecting her to be so lucid.

Manager:
Hmm... Huh?

Haruhi:
We want to know what Miss Ryoko Asakura's new address is and we want to know how long she lived here!


Manager:
Uh... that's right.
You mean Miss Asakura in Number 505.
Funny thing about that.
I don't recall seeing any moving van out front but the place was empty now.
That really surprised me.

Haruhi:
Wow, that's strange.
No moving van?

Manager:
Don't know where she moved to, either.
I don't know where to forward any of their mail or packages that might show up.
It's all a bit troubling.

Haruhi:
Do you know how long she lived in Number 505?

Manager:
I'm thinking, maybe since three years ago, I remember well because a pretty young girl came by with a box of old-fashioned sweets for me.

Haruhi:
What about her parents?
Did both of them work?
Do you happen to know what her mother and father did for a living?

Manager:
Not a clue.
Come to think, I only saw the girl every now and again.
And I never saw her parents, never even said hello to them.

Haruhi:
The condos here are pretty expensive, aren't they?
I doubt that anyone would take out a loan for a place like this just for their daughter to live all by herself.

Manager:
They paid cash.
They paid for the whole thing up front in cold hard cash.
I only thought the family was filthy rich.

Kyon:
Maybe she should be a detective.
She sure knows how to get the answers.

Manager:
At least, I wish I could say "good-bye" to her.
It's a shame, you know.
By the way, you're quite a looker if you don't mind me saying so.

Haruhi:
Thank you very much for all of your time, sir.

Manager:
Hey, boy.

Kyon:
Hm?

Manager:
That one's gonna grow up to be a heck of a catch.
Don't you let her get away now here.

Haruhi:
Yuki?

Kyon:
Wow, she actually eats food.

Haruhi:
I had no idea you lived in this building.
What a coincidence.

Kyon:
I really doubt that it's a coincidence.

Haruhi:
Have you heard anything about what happened to Asakura?
You know she transferred out today, right?

Nagato:
....

Haruhi:
I see.
Well, if you find anything out, let me know.
You got it?

Nagato:
....

Haruhi:
What happened to your glasses?

Kyon:
Don't look at me.
I don't know what to say.

Nagato:
Be careful.

Kyon:
Great.
What do I have to be careful of now?

Haruhi:
Let's go!

Kyon:
So what's next?
Where are you planning on going now?

Haruhi:
I don't know.

Kyon:
Okay.
Hey, is it cool if I go home now?

Haruhi:
You know, Kyon.
Have you ever realized just how insignificant your existence on this planet really is?

Kyon:
Now what's she talking about?

Haruhi:
It happened to me.
And I'll never forget it.
Back when I was in the sixth grade, my whole family went out to go watch a baseball game... at the stadium.
I didn't really care about baseball, but I was surprised by what I saw when we got there.
Everywhere I looked, I saw people.
On the other side of the stadium, the people looked so small like little moving grains of rice.
It was so crowded.
I thought that everyone in Japan had to be packed in there.
So I turned to my dad and asked him, "Do you know how many people are here right now"?
He said since the stadium was full, probably fifty thousand.
After the game, the street was filled with people and I was really shocked to see that, too.
To me, it seemed like there was a ton of people there.
But then, I realized it could only be a tiny fraction of all the people in Japan.
When I got home, I pulled out my calculator.
In social studies, I'd learned that the population of Japan was a hundred some odd million.
So I divided that by fifty thousand.
The answer was 1/2000(one two-thousandth.)
That shocked me even more.
I was only one little person in that big crowded stadium filled with people, and believe me, there were so many people there, but it was just a handful of the entire population.
Up till then, I always thought that I was, I don't know, kind of a special person.
It was fun to be with my family.
I had fun with my classmates.
And the school that I was going to, it had just about the most interesting people anywhere.
But that night, I realized it wasn't true.
All the stuff we did during class that I thought was so fun and cool, was probably happening just like that in classes in other schools all over Japan.
There was nothing special about my school at all.
When I realized that, it suddenly felt like the whole world around me started to fade into a dull gray void.
Brushing my teeth and going to sleep at night, waking up and eating breakfast in the morning, that stuff happened all over the place.
They were everyday things that everybody was doing.
When I thought about it like that, everything became boring.
If there's really that many people in the world, then there had to be someone who wasn't ordinary.
There had to be someone who was living in an interesting life.
There just had to be.
But why wasn't I that person?
So, that's how I felt till I finished elementary school.
And then I had another realization.
I realized fun things wouldn't come my way just by waiting for them.
I thought when I got into junior high, it was time for me to make a change.
I'd let the world know I wasn't a girl who was happy sitting around and waiting.
And I have done my best to become that person.
But in the end, nothing happened.
More time went by and before I knew it, I was in high school.
I thought that something would change.

Kyon:
The passing train gave me a moment to think about my response.
Should I voice an opposing viewpoint?
Maybe I should wax philosophical about her dilemma.

I see.

I must be getting melancholic if that's the best I could come up with.

Haruhi:
I'm going home.

Kyon:
The truth is, I'd get home faster if I went that way too.
But the way Haruhi was walking, oh, it was like her back was telling me not to follow her.
I had no other choice but to stand there all by myself until I couldn't see Haruhi's back anymore.

Kyon:
I wonder what the hell I'm doing.

Koizumi:
Hello, there.
I was thinking that perhaps today I'd make good on the promise I made you.
So I've just been hanging around out here until you got home.

Kyon:
You sound a little bit like you know where I've been all day.
Would you mind explaining that to me?

Koizumi:
If it's possible, do you think you might have a little time to spare for me right now?

Kyon:
Is it something to do with Suzumiya?

Koizumi:
It's something to do with Miss Suzumiya.

Kyon:
It's pretty amazing that this taxi showed up just when you needed it.

Koizumi:
Yeah, weird.
So, the other day you asked me to show you some proof that I'm an esper.
You still wanna see it?
The perfect opportunity I was talking about has popped up.
So I thought I'd have you join me.

Kyon:
Why do we need to go so far out of the town to do this?

Koizumi:
We're gonna have to drive a little ways if you wanna see my ability as an esper.
It's timing really, certain place, the right conditions.
So now we're heading out towards just such a location that meets all the requirements in exactly the right ways.

Kyon:
Do you still think that Haruhi's some kind of god or something?

Koizumi:
Let me ask you this; do you know what the Anthropic Principle is?

Kyon:
Nope, never heard of it.

Koizumi:
Okay, then. Here goes; Basically, this is the theory that the universe is the way it is right now simply because human-beings could observe it and determine that it was the way it is.
So, did you get all that?

Kyon:
I didn't get any of it.

Koizumi:
How about "I observed. Therefore, the universe is" or something along those lines?
In other words, on this particular world, there are sentient beings that are called humans.
Now then, by discovering the laws of physics and constants, human-beings can observe the fact that the universe actually exists at all.
When that happens, the existence of the universe becomes apparent.
Therefore, we can say: if the human-beings who observed the universe hadn't actually evolved as far as they did, then there wouldn't be any observations, and the universe wouldn't have anyone to acknowledge its existence.
So it wouldn't really matter if the universe existed or not.
The universe IS because human-beings KNOW it is.
Anyway, that's the reasoning from the human perspective.

Kyon:
You're kidding, right?
I mean, with or without humans, the universe is still the universe.

Koizumi:
Well, that's also correct.
Therefore, the Anthropic Principle isn't anything more than a speculative theory.
However, this theory does bring up an interesting dilemma.
Why was the universe created in such a way that human-beings could survive in it?
It would only take a slight change in the gravitational constant or particle mass ratio for the universe to not allow a planet like the Earth to exist.

Kyon:
Okay, you sound like one of those pamphlets from some kooky religion that's into science and technology.

Koizumi:
Actually, I don't really believe that humans were created by a god or some omnipotent being. With all I've seen, something like that doesn't make sense.
I say that, but I still have doubts.

Kyon:
About what?

Koizumi:
Sometimes, I get the feeling that we're all just a bunch of clowns standing on our tiptoes at the edge of a great abyss.
No, I'm just kidding.

Kyon:
Look, I don't understand the thing you just said.

Koizumi:
The reason I went into the whole anthropic principle thing was to draw comparison.
I haven't even gone to Miss Suzumiya yet.

Kyon:
That's another thing.
Why are you and Nagato and Miss Asahina all so obsessed with Haruhi?

Koizumi:
Well, I can't speak for the others, but I think she's charming.
Anyway, let's get back to business.
I was wondering if you remember the stuff I once explained to you about how the world may have, in fact, been created by Miss Suzumiya.

Kyon:
Although, it's annoying as hell, yeah, I do remember you saying that.

Koizumi:
She has the power to turn anything she wishes for into a reality.

Kyon:
Oh, come on, you can't seriously believe that's true.

Koizumi:
Miss Suzumiya was positive that aliens existed.
And then she wished that there were such a thing.
That's why Yuki Nagato's here.
She wanted to meet people from the future, so she wished for that, too.
And that's why Mikuru Asahina showed up here.
And as for myself, she wished for espers to be a reality and lo and behold here I'm at your service, sir.

Kyon:
Like I said, how do you know all this anyway?

Koizumi:
Hmm. Well, about three years ago...

Kyon:
I'm a little sick of hearing about the "three years ago" crap.

Koizumi:
Three years ago, without any warning, I just knew I had these powers and also knew how I should use them.
And I wasn't alone.
There were other people who had the same experience as me at the same time.
And get this--all of us knew that Haruhi Suzumiya was the reason for it.
I can't explain why.
It was just something that all of us knew.

Kyon:
All right, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
But I really can't see Haruhi doing that kind of stuff.


Koizumi:
At first, we couldn't believe it ourselves, either.
No one could wrap their heads around the possibility that thanks to one girl, the whole universe changed, maybe it was created.
And on top of all of that, it's like there's nothing here that's special enough to hold her interest, that's the scary thing about it.

Kyon:
Why scary?

Koizumi:
I told you if you had a power to create the universe at will, you'd also have a power to destroy this world, then you could rebuild it into whatever you wanted.
If that really happened, it would mean the end of everything as we know it.
Although if it does happen, we'd have no way of knowing that it even happened.
Then again, maybe something like that has happened before.
You never know.
Perhaps the universe has been destroyed and rebuilt lots of times already.


Kyon:
Look.
Why don't you just tell Haruhi what you really are?
I'm sure if she found out that espers're real, she'd be ecstatic.
Then maybe she wouldn't think about changing the world.

Koizumi:
Well, there's a problem with that.
If Miss Suzumiya finds out about us espers, and she starts thinking our powers are like some common occurrence, the world will be knee-deep in espers.
Every law of physics will get twisted up like a garden hose.
The entire universe will fall into chaos.

Kyon:
If you guys exist because Haruhi wished it, why isn't she aware of it?
I mean, don't you think that's strange?

Koizumi:
Not really.
There's a part of her that wished for aliens and espers and time-travelers to be real.
She's also got a practical side that thinks those things are impossible.
She's conflicted between the two.
Yes, she does and says things that are eccentric.
But in reality, Miss Suzumiya's just an ordinary human with a good sense of "what's real and what's not."
In junior high, her energy was like a sandstorm, but in the past few months, it started to calm down.
I'd prefer it if she stayed calm.
But now we need to face the fact that she's creating a new tornado.

Kyon:
What do you mean?

Koizumi:
Hate to say it, but it's your fault.

Kyon:
What do I have to do with this?

Koizumi:
What are you talking about?
You're the one that gave her the idea to form this strange club.
Because of the conversation she had with you, Haruhi decided that she'd create a club filled with all sorts of weird people, didn't she?
Therefore, you are responsible for this.
And because of that, a member from each of the three groups that are interested in what Haruhi Suzumiya's doing are now conveniently gathered together in one place.

Kyon:
So I'm a scapegoat.

Koizumi:
Well, actually, there's more to it than that.

Koizumi:
I hate to say this after dragging you all the way out here, but if you prefer to go back, it's not too late.

Kyon:
You gotta be kidding me.

Koizumi:
All right then.
So, could you do me a favor and close your eyes?
It'll only take a couple of seconds.

Kyon:
Hmm?
Do you have to hold my hand?

Koizumi:
Okay, open up.
The gap between dimensions, separate from the world we know, completely closed space.
And in the middle of this crosswalk is the wall for this closed space.
It's about five kilometers wide.
And normally there isn't any physical way of entering this space.
But that's one of the powers I have.
That is, when the conditions are right.
If you can picture a dome that's been plopped down over the city, we are standing in it.
As we're in here, talking, life goes on as normal in the world outside the space.
And normal folks wandering in here, well, that doesn't happen too often.
Now, closed space is created completely at random.
Sometimes they pop up every other day, sometimes you won't see one for a couple of months.
One thing's for sure though.
Whenever Miss Suzumiya gets emotionally unstable, it creates space like this, somewhere.
I can sense when closed space is created, and I know where to go to find a door to get in.
My powers aren't limited to finding these things and getting into them.
You could say that my powers somehow reflect upon the things within Miss Suzumiya's consciousness.
So if this closed space is a pimple that appears on Miss Suzumiya's spirit, we espers are the acne medication.

Kyon:
You know, your metaphors are hard to understand.

Koizumi:
Yeah, I get that a lot.
But then, you sure are something.
I mean, here you are, seeing all this, but you don't seem surprised.

Kyon:
I've seen a lot of strange things already.

Koizumi:
Well, it looks like it's starting.
Please take a look behind you.

Kyon:
Hmm...? Ah!

Koizumi:
When Miss Suzumiya's irritation level gets to a certain point, these giants suddenly appear.
I think it's a form of stress relief for her, with those things acting out on her behalf and destroying stuff.
I mean, she can't go causing riots or anything in the real world, so she creates a closed space and she's free to unleash her fury inside it.
Don't you think that's logical?
I mean that thing really shouldn't be able to support its own weight.
It seems to transcend the law of physics, doesn't it.
Even if you brought an army unit in and fired rockets at it, it still wouldn't stop that thing.

Kyon:
So you mean that thing just keeps tearing stuff off?

Koizumi:
Not quite.
Have a look over there.

Koizumi:
Other espers.
They're just like me--people that hunt down the giants created and powered by Miss Suzumiya.
Stay here.
It's time for me to go help out.

Kyon:
I can't believe this is happening!

Koizumi:
Sorry to make you wait.
Oh, there's something else I wanna show you.
The last thing, I promise.

Kyon:
I don't think anything's gonna top that.

Koizumi:
Once us espers get rid of the giant, the bubble of closed space disintegrates.
And it's quite a spectacle.


Koizumi:
So, now do you understand?

Kyon:
Uh, no.

Koizumi:
We have a name for that giant you saw.
We call them shinjin, a man that's made by god.
The shinjin are linked to Miss Suzumiya's mental state, and so are we.
Stop me if this starts to get confusing.
When a closed space is created, the shinjin rise up and take the form of giants.
That's when I get down to unleash my super-natural powers.
However, I can only use them within the confines of the closed space.
Right now, sitting in this cab, I don't have any powers at all.
You're probably wondering why I have been given these powers, right?
I guess it would've been okay for anybody to have 'em.
I just happened to be the one chosen.
And as for the shinjin, you can't leave them alone to do what they want.
The reason is that the more stuff the shinjin get to destroy, the bigger the closed space becomes.
The space we were just in, believe it or not, that was one of the smaller ones.
If we left that alone, it'd keep on growing, getting bigger and bigger until it covers the world.
If that happens, the world ends.
The gray void of the closed space will replace the world we live in now.

Kyon:
But, how do you know it would happen like that?

Koizumi:
I don't know how I know, I just know that I know, you know.
And the same goes for everyone else that belongs to the organization.
If we don't do something about all this, the world doesn't stand a chance at all.
It's such a bother.

Koizumi:
So, please keep an eye on Miss Suzumiya's behavior.
Her mental state's been stable for a while, but it looks like it's starting to get active again.
Things like today haven't happened in a long time.

Kyon:
Even if I do keep an eye on Haruhi, don't you think I'm a little out of my league here?

Koizumi:
Hang out.
Don't sell yourself so short.
If it were up to me, I'd let you handle all the stuff by yourself, because if there's anyone I trust, it'd be you.
But there's many different opinions among us and things are definitely complicated.


Kyon:
Koizumi tells me to keep an eye on Haruhi's behavior.
And for some reason, Nagato tells me to be careful.
Even though both of them warned me, I really didn't think anything would happen right away.
If I could see into the future, know that the very next day, I'd be in the middle of one of the hellish situations ever in my life, I'm sure I wouldn't have been as calm as I was right then.