Haruhi>18. Endless Eight Ⅶ

Kyon:
Wrong... Wrong... Wrong...
Something's wrong. That's what it felt like anyway.
The game on TV was between schools from other town.
No, I had nothing to do with either school, but I found myself rooting for the losing team anyway.
And it was right about then, I suddenly got a feeling Haruhi was gonna call.

Kyon's sister:
Hey, Kyon, your phone's ringing.

Kyon:
I know, you don't have to tell me.

Haruhi:
Hey, you're free, right? Good!
Meet us at two o'clock in front of the station.
And don't be late!

Kyon:
I didn't even have a chance to say anything.

Yeah, what?

Haruhi:
I forgot to tell you: make sure to bring your swim trunks and lots of money.
Oh, and bring your bike. Definitely bring your bike.
I guess that's it, over and out!

Kyon:
That's two for two.
That was weird. It was like I knew what Haruhi was gonna say before she said it.
Yeah, no. Actually, it felt like we had the exact same conversation once before.
Kind of like deja vu or something.

Summer's almost over.



Haruhi:
You are late, Kyon!
Where's your motivation, huh?

Kyon:
Yeah, yeah.
I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting for me.

Mikuru:
Ain't no worries. I just got here, too.

Haruhi:
Okay, now that we're all present and accounted for, we can go!

Kyon:
Where to?

Haruhi:
Hm? To the public swimming pool! Where do you think?

Kyon:
That figures, considering the stuff I brought.

Haruhi:
We've got lots of summer vacation-y things to do during our summer break!
But we've only got so much time because once it's gone, it's gone for good!
So, we're gonna do everything we can while we can during our only summer as tenth graders.
And for starters, we're gonna ride the bikes to the pool!

Kyon:
Okay, but did everyone ride their bikes?

Koizumi:
No, the only bikes we have today are the ones you and I brought.

Kyon:
Huh?

Haruhi:
All right, Kyon. You can't let Koizumi beat you.
Come on! Full speed ahead!


Haruhi:
Why's it taking so long, you guys. Hurry up and park the bikes already.
Hm? Seriously, Kyon, we're trying to have fun in here, so stop acting tired.

Kyon:
Whose fault is that, huh?


Haruhi:
Ah! Can you smell the chlorine?
That really makes it feel like summer!
Come on! Let's go for a swim! You and me are gonna have a race!

Mikuru:
Ah! Miss Suzumiya, wait!

Koizumi:
Doesn't that look like fun?

Kyon:
Sure does.

Koizumi:
In a way, it makes me smile. It's such a peaceful scene, don't you think?
I mean, look at them, seeing Miss Suzumiya enjoy the day in a normal fashion, it's charming, isn't it?

Kyon:
Well, she called me up and told me what to bring, then she demanded I meet her without telling me what was going on, is nothing charming or normal about it.

Koizumi:
Well, if you want my opinion, none of what you said is anything to make a fuss over.
I mean, as long as Miss Suzumiya's laughing and having a good time, we don't have to worry about any Earth shattering events, do we?

Kyon:
Man, I hope you're right.

Something wrong?

Koizumi:
Nothing. Just my imagination, I guess.
With everything that's happened since we met, you could say I've become a slightly paranoid.


Haruhi:
Oh, I lost again.
Yuki, one more time! Come on!


Mikuru:
Ahhh!

Haruhi:
xxx xxx!


Haruhi:
Hmm, food, this is delicious!


Kyon:
Geez. Now I know why they call it a public swimming pool--seems like everyone in town's here today.
I wonder why Haruhi chose this place.
Hm?

Geez. Now I know why they call it a public swimming pool--seems like everyone in town's here today.
I wonder why Haruhi chose this place.
Hm?... Ugh... Something weird's happening.
Ugh... Yeah, that's right. She shows up and says:

Kyon and Haruhi:
These two guys are my brigade members.
They do what I say, so if you want something, you can ask them!

Haruhi:
It's time for some fun! Let's go play water soccer!

Kyon:
Yeah, we're coming.

Oh well, sometimes deja vus happen.



Kyon:
What is that?

Haruhi:
I came up with this schedule of how we're gonna spend the rest of our summer vacation.
I realized something, we've only got two more weeks of summer vacation left to go.
So, we're gonna start picking up the pace!

Kyon:
Two weeks to do all that?

Haruhi:
Mikuru, is there anything else you wanna do?

Mikuru:
Hm? Umm... I think I'd like try goldfish scooping.

Haruhi:
Okay! Goldfish, scooping, it is. Perfect!

Koizumi:
Pardon me, but could I see that for a moment?

Haruhi:
Okay, sure.

Koizumi:
Thank you.

Haruhi:
Oh, you done with it?

Koizumi:
Mmhmm.

Haruhi:
Okay, then, we start the list tomorrow!
Does anyone know if there's a Bon festival happening anywhere, or a place where we can see fireworks?

Koizumi:
I can check around for those.

Haruhi:
Don't forget about the goldfish scooping.

Koizumi:
I'll get right on it.


Kyon:
Stuck with the bill again.

Haruhi:
Well, that's it for today. See ya!

Koizumi:
I'm off, too.

Mikuru:
I'll see you later.

Kyon:
Nagato!
Uh... it's nothing important or anything, so how have you been?
Is everything okay?

Yuki:
It is.

Kyon:
That's good to hear.

Yuki:
Yes.

Kyon:
Uh... Well, guess that's it. Sorry to keep you. G-Good-bye.

What was that? Why'd I wanna talk to her?



Kyon:
The next morning, I was waken from my peaceful slumber by a call from Haruhi.
She said they found a Bon festival. It was happening tonight at a park somewhere.

Haruhi:
You're late again, Kyon, seriously. What's with you?
Anyway, we're buying yukatas and you're coming with us.

Kyon:
So, we went to a clothing outlet.
And Haruhi picked up yukatas for Miss Asahina and Nagato, then she marched them straight into the changing rooms.
And after making us wait about an hour or so, the three of them finally appeared.

Haruhi:
What do you think?

Kyon:
Aah!?

Haruhi:
We look pretty hot, don't we.

Koizumi:
Yes, the three of you look wonderful in them.

Haruhi:
Of course we do! I picked all of them out myself!
Especially, Mikuru's.
Just look at you, you look so darn cute in that! I'm like a fashion genius!

Mikuru:
Uh-huh...

Kyon:
Miss Asahina, please spin around. Spin!



Mikuru:
Wow! This is amazing!

Haruhi:
Yeah, this place looks super fun!

Kyon:
A Bon festival, huh? Yeah, I guess it figures there'd be so... crowded...
Whoa... there's that weird feeling again...

Haruhi:
Look, Mikuru, over there! They've got goldfish scooping just like you wanted!
Come on! I bet you're gonna catch a ton!

Mikuru:
O-Okay.

Koizumi:
Do you wanna go scoop some fish, too? We could have a little contest.

Kyon:
I think I'll pass.
How about you, Nagato? Wanna get some food? Huh?
What's up, Nagato? Don't tell me you're actually into that stuff.
I got it.

Yuki:
No.
That one.

Stallkeeper:
It's yours for 800 yen.

Kyon:
I wish she would've let me buy that for her.
It's the least I could do after all she's done for us.

Haruhi:
I caught thirteen! But I only kept one 'cause I don't have any place to put 'em all.

Koizumi:
Wow, that's an amazing haul.

Haruhi:
Go ahead and have one, but only one.

Kyon:
Okay. Thanks.

Haruhi:
Huh? Yuki, what's with the mask?

Yuki:
I bought it.

Haruhi:
Oh, okay.
Anyway, let's go shoot off some fireworks!
It's the perfect way to end the day!


Kyon:
It was summer, and summer vacation.

I won't let you (destroy) it!

And I guess that's why I wanted to forget about it.
But the truth was, I couldn't ignore it any longer.

Haruhi:
Cool. Tomorrow, we're gonna go catch some bugs.

Kyon:
Hey, Haruhi, I don't wanna spoil your fun, but have you finished your homework yet?

Haruhi:
You gotta be kidding. That stuff's totally easy. You can finish it in like three days.

Kyon:
Three days!?

Haruhi:
You have to get rid of that junk first, so you can spend the rest of your summer having fun and not worrying about it.
It's the only way to get the most out of your vacation.

Kyon:
Oh, why does she have to be so smart?
The folks upstairs weren't terribly fair when they were divvying up the stats for us.

Haruhi:
Anyway, tomorrow we're gonna go catch some bugs!
And the prize for whoever catches the most is gonna be...
Yeah, I know... Whoever catches the most gets to be Brigade Leader for a day!

Kyon:
You.

Koizumi:
That sounds like a lot of fun.
Are we allowed to catch just any random bug?

Haruhi:
Oh. Umm, no. Only cicadas!
Yeah, I'm calling it the SOS Brigade's Cicada Catching Contest!



Kyon:
The next day, it was beautiful, sunny and bright.
In fact, it was the perfect day for us to have our SOS Brigade's Cicada Catching Contest.

(Mikuru:
xxx is my head! xxx xxx on my head! No!)

And even though everyone caught bugs the best way they knew how, the winner of the contest ended up being, you guessed it,

(Haruhi:
Ta-dah!

Kyon:
Oh...)

Haruhi.

Haruhi:
It's important to follow the spirit of catch-and-release with these guys.
I mean, if we let 'em go this time, they might come back and return the favor someday.

Kyon:
What could a cicada do for me even if it did come back?

Haruhi:
Hurry! Go back to the mountains!

Kyon:
I sort of feel like Pandora when she opened her box.



Mikuru:
W-Welcome to our store.

Kyon:
We met the next day even though we had no idea what was going on.
Then, we were forced to wear frog costumes and hand balloons out in front of the local supermarket.


Mikuru:
Ah...

Haruhi:
Awesome job today, guys!

Kyon:
What's with that special treatment?

Haruhi:
You're the best!
And the manager's super grateful for all the hard work.

Kyon:
Who cares how grateful he is? What about our pay?

Haruhi:
That's it.

Kyon:
Huh?

Haruhi:
I've had my eye on that little guy for a long time now.
The manager said we can have it 'cause Mikuru looks so cute in it.

Kyon:
We worked in the sun, sweat pouring down our foreheads, for that?

Haruhi:
We'll keep him in the clubroom as a souvenir.
And, Mikuru, you can wear him whenever you want.
Just help yourself. You have my permission.



Kyon:
And later that night, my peaceful slumber was interrupted by a phone call.

Mikuru:
Ahh...

Kyon:
Argh!

Mikuru:
Kyon...

Kyon:
Miss Asahina?

Mikuru:
Yes, it's me.
Something really bad... I don't know what, what, what... do, I do...

Kyon:
Uh...

Koizumi:
Hello, it's Koizumi.

Kyon:
What are you doing with Miss Asahina in the middle of the night!?

Koizumi:
We have a situation over here.
You think you could come meet us right away?

Kyon:
Abso-freakin'-lutely!


Kyon:
Miss Asahina! What happened? What's wrong?

Mikuru:
Oh, Kyon. I... I can't... I can't go back to the future anymore!

Kyon:
Huh?


Koizumi:
I'll explain it the best I can.
We're stuck in a time loop that, as far as I can tell, has no end.

Kyon:
It's hard to believe you're actually serious with you sitting there smiling like that.
I mean, come on, do you have any idea what you just said, huh?

Koizumi:
Of course, I do, much more than I want to. Believe me.
I was having a little chat with Miss Asahina earlier.

Kyon:
Next time, call me, and you stay home!

Koizumi:
And that was when the two of us came to the conclusion that something seemed a little off about the current flow of time.
Well, actually it was Miss Asahina who discovered it.
And thanks to her, my suspicions were confirmed.

Kyon:
What suspicions?

Koizumi:
That we were stuck in a time loop.
We're reliving the same period of time over and over again.

Kyon:
I know, you already said that.

Koizumi:
We've been forced to repeat every day between August the seventeenth through the thirty-first.
In other words, we're in the middle of what seems to be an endless summer vacation.

Kyon:
Well, at least it's summer vacation, right?

Koizumi:
It's a never-ending endless summer vacation.
In other words, in this world, the future doesn't exist anymore.
All time stops at September the first.

Kyon:
Seriously, who's gonna believe that?

Koizumi:
Well, for starters, we were sort of hoping you would believe it.

Kyon:
What about those closed spaces you were talking about before?
Could it be that we're trapped inside one of those thing?

Koizumi:
Uh-uh.
This isn't the same thing.
A specific section of time has been torn away.
At exactly midnight on August the thirty-first, everything resets.
And then, time reverts straight back to the morning of August the seventeenth.
That's the process.

Kyon:
What about our... Wait. What about the whole world's memories?

Koizumi:
Their memory is reset.
Everyone's memory starts over from the beginning.

Kyon:
Perfect. It's another problem involving time.
Although, I guess I shouldn't be surprised especially if there's a time traveler around.

Koizumi:
Oh, no. Miss Asahina didn't have anything to do with what's happening.

Kyon:
Okay then, what's causing it?

Koizumi:
Miss Suzumiya is.
Oh, I'm sure she doesn't even realize it.
But somewhere inside her subconscious, there's a desire to have summer vacation last forever.

Kyon:
What the heck? You mean she still hasn't had enough fun?

Koizumi:
That's what I think anyway.
Or it's possible she feels there's something else that needs to happen before our summer vacation can end.

Kyon:
Oh, man. The trouble she gets us into is always galactic in scale.

Well, what do you want me to do about it?

Koizumi:
If I knew that, we'd have this problem solved by now.

Kyon:
You seem like you're enjoying this an awful lot. What's up with that?

Koizumi:
Please don't take that the wrong way. It's nothing.
However, this explains the feelings of deja vu I've been having, and the ones you've been having as well.
And now that I think about it, those feelings were probably the residuum of our memories from all the instances where time was reset.

Kyon:
Are we the only ones, or can other people feel this happening, too?

Koizumi:
It doesn't seem that way. But then again, you and I are exceptions to the rule.

Kyon:
But what about Haruhi? Does she even realize what's been going on around here?

Koizumi:
No, I don't think she knows it's happening. Besides, it would be very bad for us if she did know about it.
However, there's someone who doesn't seem to be affected by the time loop or these feelings of deja vu.
As a matter of fact, this person remembers everything that's happened.

Kyon:
Are you gonna tell me who it is or what?

Koizumi:
I think you already know who it is.

Kyon:
Well, is that true?

Yuki:
It is.

Kyon:
You can remember everything?

Yuki:
I can.

Kyon:
You wouldn't know how many times has been repeating the past two weeks, would you?

Yuki:
This would be 15,527 times so far.

Kyon:
15,527? What do you mean 15,527?
Nagato, what are you saying?

You're being totally serious, aren't you?

Yuki:
I am.

Kyon:
You gotta be kidding me!
We've been doing the exact same things that many times every single time?

Yuki:
Not necessarily.
Throughout 15,527 repetitions, we did not attend a Bon festival the 2,391st time and 11,054th time.
We went to a Bon festival but did not go to a goldfish scooping booth 437 times.
We had part-time jobs 9,052 times, and performed six different types of jobs.
In addition to handing out balloons, we worked as movers...

Kyon:
Yeah, got it...


Koizumi:
Bye.

Kyon:
15,527 times, that's what she said, times two weeks, that's, uh... 'bout 595 years!
And she's the only one who remembers everything we've done.
She had to repeat those same things over and over again.
Nagato, what's it like to relive the same things that many times?



Kyon:
The next night, we went stargazing.
We're on the balcony of Nagato's apartment, and Koizumi brought a telescope.

Haruhi:
I wonder if they're real.

Kyon:
What do you mean?

Haruhi:
Martians.

Kyon:
I kind of hope they aren't.

Haruhi:
Whenever us humans get around to landing on Mars, I'm sure that Martians will pop out from wherever they're hiding and say "Welcome to Mars!" or something like that.
Umm.. This is boring. I know, I'm gonna look for UFOs now.


Kyon:
I wish I knew what else she wants to do?

Koizumi:
That's the big question, isn't it?
If we knew the answer, we'd be well on our way to solving this thing.
I have an idea we can try if you want.
What if someone were to suddenly grab Miss Suzumiya from behind, and then whispered "I love you" right into her ear?

Kyon:
And who's gonna be doing this?

Koizumi:
Can you think of anyone better suited to play that role?

Kyon:
I'm supposed to tell "I love, love, lo-" forget it!

Koizumi:
All right, then, how about if I do it?
I'm just kidding. I don't think I can pull that role off anyway.
Besides, it would just confuse Miss Suzumiya, and we wouldn't want that.



Kyon:
So, anyway, the next day we went to the batting cages.

Hey, Nagato.
You knew about this time loop thing way before Miss Asahina, didn't you?

Yuki:
Yes.

Kyon:
Then, how come you didn't say anything about it?

Yuki:
My function is to observe only.

Kyon:
Ugh... Understood...



Kyon:
We chugged along doing all kinds of summer vacation things.
More fireworks, goby fishing tournament, the test of courage, movie watching, beach going, uh, we kept going and going and going.
And the whole time, all I could think was that none of that was gonna be enough for Haruhi.
But what could I do about it? Nothing.
So, we ended up, like we always did, at August the thirtieth.



Haruhi:
That's it. We've done everything on our list.
Hmm, but now I'm wondering if we really did enough.
Oh, well. Yeah, I guess we did la lot... unless there's something else you guys wanna do.
Okay then, we pretty much did everything we set out to do this summer, so I guess that's good enough.

Kyon:
No, it's not. You're still not satisfied.

Haruhi:
Well, that's it. We're done for today.
I set tomorrow aside just in case, but I guess you can all take the day off now.
'Kay then, see you guys at the clubroom on Monday.

Kyon:
W-Wait, Haru...!

Haruhi:
Well, that's it. We're done for today.
I set tomorrow aside just in case, but I guess you can all take the day off now.

Kyon:
There's that feeling again. And it's stronger than all the others.
I can't let Haruhi leave.
If I let her walk out the door, we'll end up reliving the past two weeks again and again for a thousand more times.
But what should I do? There must have been a clue in something Haruhi said. But what was it?
What's she been saying all this time?
I don't know. I can't... remember...



Kyon:
It's August the thirty-first.
I haven't done my homework.
Whatever, doesn't matter.
There's no point doing it.
I mean, we're just gonna keep reliving the last couple of weeks.
Whatever happens next, whether tomorrow comes or not, a different version of me will have to do with it.