(In case you missed it, new content starts at Part 3, chapter 16, and the story finishes at Part 3, chapter 22)

Part 3, Chapter 22

I wish I could say I was of cooler head than to pass out with a little blood spilled. But I think everyone is entitled to a little nap after implementing "self-termination". Yuki's words.

I couldn't decide if it counted as murder or suicide. I still can't. Probably murder.

They explained to me later that I'd hit my head on the fall, even as Tachibana tried to reach out and catch me.

Apparently, they needed to create a paradox. They'd figured out that the Thing worked like Kuyou Suou, and existed in all timelines, with some rules and differences. It existed in all spaces and times at once, when he wanted. When It was accelerating entropy, It had to exist in Closed Space like Haruhi's either at the water fountain, where the Thing erased Taniguchi and Ryoko, or in the old building. It existed in both closed spaces to make the entropy happen even faster.

He was there, mostly to taunt us to waste our energy attacking him, probably. Which was why he tried to monologue. He probably thought he'd cut off all time travel, but he'd only stopped Fujuwara's chronometer at fifteen minutes of stored time. The thing was designed to kill Haruhi's not Sasaki's, after all. You don't send an anti-biotic to kill a virus.

Apparently, the infinity blade kept that Thing trying to untangle and destroy the rest of the Data Overmind long enough for the time loop of paradox to stick, where there is an eternity of me killing the Thing that was Kunikida, or killing myself before I could kill it. It was trapped in that paradox, because it existed in all timelines, where both events happened.

"Or, that's how they describe it to me, more or less." Itsuki shrugged from the hospital room couch. "No telling how long that keeps, but theoretically, it might keep the Universe-Killer trapped until, well, the universe dies. Or so the others said. I don't get the what they are talking about, most of the time."

I rolled my eyes, "You probably orchestrated half of it." I squeezed Yuki's hand, where she sat in the chair next to mine. She squeezed back, but didn't lift her head. She'd laid her head on the bed next to mine. She was tired, and she was one of the largest intact fractions of the Data Overmind left.

"Feh, don't give him all the credit. He's got as big enough head as it is." Haruhi entered, holding the door open for Tachibana, who looked sourly at me with a armful of snacks and drinks. The two of the three girls who'd entered approached my bed, while Tachibana distributed snacks to Itsuki and Yuki, who finally lifted her head.

"Damn, why do I keep having to pay for snacks? I practically saved your life, Kyon, with my quick thinking. And I did all the same running you did. And I brought Itsuki and Sasaki to meet you after you did your first murder."

I didn't say anything, but something must have shown on my face, because she blanched, saying, "Ah, sorry. Here, you like coffee, right?"

She started to hand me a canned coffee, but realized I only had one hand, with Yuki taking one. She fumbled a bit, and opened it, before handing it over. "Anyway, I think we did pretty good. No major deaths."

"And only one maiming," I said, trying to joke as I motioned to Kuou Suyou, who raised her stump, which was wrapped in fabric.

Koyou said, "Right." I wasn't sure if she was indicating that she agreed, or just telling us which hand was lost.

The laugh in the room wasn't completely forced, but it was enough to get us through the next few hours.

We were incredibly lucky, but it turned out that our universe wasn't without its faults. Time travel was now deemed impossible, by the Time Travelers. The universe just didn't register the same physics they understood. It was likely a remnant of the paradox or possibly of the Thing. No verdict yet.

The Integrated Data Thought Entity was a fraction of what it was. And if I understood Koyou Suou correctly, she wasn't operating at peak energy levels either, let alone that she lost a hand. Though whether that was actually an inconvenience to the inscrutable alien, I couldn't tell.

Itsuki said that Closed Space for Haruhi would open and close randomly, but that there were no more Shin-jin. He said he wasn't sure if it was Haruhi's doing, or just another side effect. Sasaki's closed space was as empty as ever, but both sides of the Esper pool avoided the permanent overlap of Haruhi-Sasaki space near the school, where an eternal paradox balanced precariously.

Haruhi and Sasaki still argued, but both of them have been trying to spend most of their time studying up their two sides of the scientific coin, though I couldn't understand why at the time. When I asked what they were doing, really, Sasaki just smiled, and said, "Well, competing to end entropy first." Haruhi motioned, "The last enemy of sentient life in reality, after all." I left them to it.

Finals completed with me in the hospital. The Christmas Party happened at a restaurant that Itsuki had rented for the night. I had make up finals in January to make. I'd really hoped I'd gotten out of those.

I got a phone call one afternoon, lounging at my favorite kotatsu. I answered it, laying back from where I'd been studying. I didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"Kyon! Ha! How's its going?"

I blinked, "Tsuruya?"

"Well, yeah! Hahaha, I bets you are wondering where I gots your number! From Mikuru, of course."

"Oh yeah?" Crap, I'd forgotten all about Tsuruya in the chaos. "What's up? You still around? Fight off Ragnarok?"

"Wahahaha!" She laughed so loud, I had to hold the phone away, disturbing Yuki who'd been lying next to me while I studied. "You got its in one, Kyon! I knew you would."

"Well, your clue wasn't exactly subtle. Was it… Did you succeed?"

"Aw, well, you can never keep a winter wolf down forever but we have a few centuries more. You handle your problems?"

I glanced down at Yuki, who looked up at me balefully for waking her up. She said we had a little less than a thousand years to figure out how to stop entropy before the universe collapsed. "They're handled for now. Where are you?"

"Ha, Layover in Canada. Should be back home in a day or so more. Want any souvenirs?"

"Um… Maple syrup?"

"I'll see whats I can do. See you soon! We can catch up! Swap stories."

"Sounds good. Have a good flight."

"Thanks! See you soon! Ha!"

Yuki continued to stare at me, "Ragnarok is a fictional mythological event of Norse origin indicating the end of the world."

"Yeah. Tsuruya said she stopped it for a few centuries more."

"Hmm."

"Hey, may the next thousand years keep coming, right?"

Yuki groaned, as if I'd said a bad joke but for years, I could never get her to explain what exactly I'd said.