CHAPTER 3

Today I just kept myself at my table and wondered about what happened yesterday. Pretty confusing and at the same time, intimidates me… especially if you want to think about this brunette behind me who dons yellow ribbons on her hair, which I had to sacrifice my first kiss in order to save the world… wait, I was just dreaming back then, didn't I?

Anyway, that doesn't have anything to do with Taniguchi and Kunikida who kept nagging me to spill out the beans. Oh, for crying out loud…!

"Come on now, Kyon… tell us what happened! Of all people, I can't believe you chose the double A plus-ranked girl from our class… Ryoko…!" After hearing that, I just can't take it as flattery – well not when it actually means bad news for me and the whole SOS-Dan. I can imagine the sequence which was about to happen right now… Haruhi gets mad, means more of these closed space monsters, and then Koizumi had to do more work… wait, I don't think I'd care for his added workload. But what about Nagato Yuki and Asahina-san?

"Didn't I explain? She was simply asking for me to help out on her class duties!"

"Oh, really? Then how do you explain the both of you hugging each other?"

Bah. As much as how I like to ponder in my thoughts, I really hate debating. "Well, you know, she was like, tired and I was just trying to keep her standing! So are you satisfied yet!?"

"Of course not!"

I sighed. Man, even with much excuse I thought would be plausible for Okabe, I still can't take it that there's still a man who refuses to accept any excuse when it involves a pretty girl and someone like me. Looks like he wants me to admit according to his expectations, huh? Now what should I fork out from my brain to shut him up?

At the same time I saw Asakura at her desk, giggling silently as her eyes met with mine. Oh, come on now! Nagato, I wish you could help me something about this!!! But…

"Can't you just reprogram her or something?"

"No. The implementation in which the Integrated Data Entity has put as part of Asakura Ryoko's physical body code will remain in order to test the outcome of their research into understanding human feelings, a subject which they believed has caused Haruhi to react towards you, which in turn explains why you were once considered as a 'irregular factor' whenever your presence near her is detected. And I, as such, have no authority to access and reconstruct Asakura Ryoko's code anymore."

"Then why did they choose Asakura Ryoko to begin with, and not you?"

At this point I saw Yuki's face looking down for a moment (while retaining her blank expression), before replying this:

"Personally, I'd rather volunteer myself to be tested upon."

Wow. Does this mean Yuki also wishes to experience human feelings, too?

"However, due to circumstances known only to my superiors, it was decided that they recreate Asakura Ryoko and let her be used as a test subject for that purpose."

I see. So how does this serve to their purpose on observing Haruhi, or rather, what does this experiment has to do with her?

"This experiment is to examine the changes in humans whenever they change in terms of what you know as 'emotion', and to emulate Haruhi's reaction without having to cause irregularities caused by herself. However, the data obtained with her sudden affiliation with you is causing great concern to the Integrated Data Entity itself; it was discovered that Suzumiya Haruhi's reaction would be twice as Asakura Ryoko's, and if Haruhi were able to generate such data, the whole world would be in despair."

… Man. So that's how fearsome human emotion is, to them.

Just as I recalled what Nagato had told me earlier about Asakura's "emulated emotions", Okabe went in to begin the class. And I glanced towards the back to see Haruhi's expression. Definitely not that kind of face you'd talk to her about how nice the weather today is… well, as if she ever bothers to listen to that anyway.

And as usual, class ends… and here I am walking in the hallway, cruising my way to the SOS-Dan's room with my usual lax self… and there you see a figure of Tsuruya-san with her usual hyperactive and cheerful self walking along the hallway…

"Ah, hey Kyon-kun! Ya look pretty washed out today aren't ya, nyoro?"

"… Ah, Tsuruya-san. Yeah, I think I was pretty worn out due to too much pressure on my attempt to put more concentration in class today…" Wow, did you hear your own words, Kyon? You did such a great lie, wonder why did that darn Taniguchi refuse to believe that! Bah, screw that thinking, I only pretended to concentrate harder today just to relieve my head from my already burdening thoughts… and without myself noticing it, I am falling down… goodbye, world, I want to take a nap for a while…

---CRASH---

"Nyaa?? Kyon-kun, hey Kyon-kun! Get a hold of yourself will ya… kya!" was the words I hear from her as I take my fall… but then the short shriek she gave out snapped me from what I was about to do – falling down to the floor in the hallway, about to take a nap. Then, I think my lips touched something… yet I managed to get a hold of myself back, not falling on her or anything like that. But…

"K… Kyon-kun!" Tsuruya-san said, with a somewhat disturbed look and some blush on her cheeks. Eh? Am I seeing what I am seeing right at this moment? And it seems that she was holding her forehead…

"Kyon-kun…"

Yes…?

"You… you…"

Uh-huh…??

"…kissed my… forehead…"

Err, I didn't mean to… but what's with that kind of expression I never saw from you, Tsuruya-san?

Silence.

"KYON-KUN! DOES THIS MEAN YOU ACCEPT ME AS YOUR LOVE? I'M SO MEGASSA HAPPY, NYORO!!!"

Oh. My. Goodness. What now? Tsuruya-san taking an instant liking to me? What, wait, does kissing her forehead mean that I accept her as a girlfriend or something? Is there even such a tradition!? Whoever has the knowledge out there please inform and enlighten this soul of a not-so-lucky and no longer ordinary first-year high-schooler!!!

"Err, Tsuruya-san! I-If you don't mind would you care explaining what's going on????" I asked for immediate explanation. And at this moment I'm being locked inside her hug and man, think about hyperactive people who have such a strong grip when it comes to hugging! I'm lucky that didn't strangle me out of oxygen, though… but I'm not feeling good over this…

And just what I had feared, the people who I fear the most if they saw this appeared before us. And to make it worse… both of what I had feared… appeared at the same time… man, I didn't even count the possibility of both appearing at the same time! Geez… oh shit…

At one end, Asakura was standing and staring at us, rather flabbergasted on the situation right in front of her eyes.

"K… Kyon…"

"Err…" I murmured. Yet Tsuruya-san kept ignoring her until another present made her stop and turn around. Crap. Crap. Crap. It was Haruhi! And… no… Asahina-san too? MORE CRAPS!

"Kyon…" Haruhi leered at me menacingly. Bad sign.

"K… Kyon-kun…" Oh no! Not Asahina-san too! No! Please, Asahina-san, it's not what you think!

Tsuruya-san, still unaware with Haruhi's and Asahina-san's shock, greeted them with the usual way. "Yo, Haru-nyan! Mikuru-chan! Kyon-kun has just made me his new girlfriend!"

And that won't go well with Haruhi… and Asahina-san. And not to mention Asakura who was still staring at us.

Without saying anything, Haruhi grabbed me away from Tsuruya-san with such a force I never felt before being tugged by her, and held me by my collar while saying, "Kyon! Explain this! How dare you make your move on Tsuruya-san without my knowledge as the leader of the SOS-Dan!!!" I'm nagged again…

"Eh… Haru-nyan?"

Without replying to Tsuruya-san Haruhi dragged me away while shouting directly to me, "KYON! YOU'LL FOLLOW ME TO THE SOS-DAN'S ROOM AND EXPLAIN EVERYTHING THERE! LET'S GO BACK, MIKURU-CHAN!"

So much for my unluckiness. Why everything has to turn out this way?

As Haruhi drags me to my Hell ­– no, I mean the SOS-Dan's room – I took a glance on the two behind. Tsuruya-san was still puzzled over Haruhi's sudden actions, and Asakura… I can tell by looking at her worried face. Worried over what, never ask me.

-----------------------END OF CHAPTER 3-----------------------