Epilogue

Epilogue
I began to contemplate what I should do next.
The end-of-term assembly was over, and I obtained my term report card from Okabe-sensei, thus
my high school life for this year had come to an end.
Today was December 24th.
The vanished Class 1-9 and its students had all been resurrected, including Koizumi, who didn't
appear much in this story. Asakura had disappeared from Class 1-5 over half a year ago;
Taniguchi continued his giddy mood of being in love; the seat behind me had once again been
occupied by Haruhi; and there was no longer any flu epidemic in class. When I saw Nagato in
the assembly hall, she wasn't wearing glasses. After the end-of-term assembly, I bumped into the
sisterly duo of Asahina-san and Tsuruya-san, who waved and greeted me simultaneously. I also
confirmed this while on my way to school this morning - Kouyouen School had now been
restored as a prestigious private girl's school for the rich and famous.
The world had been restored to its original state.
Yet, the choice to keep this world remained with me. I still had to go back with Nagato and
Asahina-san - back to the morning of December 18th. If I didn't, the world would never be
restored. Only by going back could restoration be possible. The thing is I still hadn't decided
when I should go back. I had yet to explain all this to Asahina-san. She'd probably hear it from
her future adult self. I did see her in the past few days, but I did not mention a single word to her.
"Damn!"
After moaning meaninglessly, I embarked upon the corridor leading to the club room complex.
Like a racing car, I would have to follow the golden rule of coming back to the starting point. It
didn't matter whether I was lagging by two or three laps, that wasn't for me to decide anyway.
The road and the scenery of the first lap and the final lap were the same, yet they carried
different meanings. All I needed to do was to be careful not to get myself eliminated, and safely
reach the finishing point so the checkered flag could be waved.
......Forget it, it's pointless trying to say anymore.
It was no use trying to justify my actions as it was I who made the decision to return to this side.
It was different to Haruhi's thoughtless rampages, this decision was my own free will, I have thus
chosen to be spun around meaninglessly.
In that case, someone needed to carry that responsibility and see things through to the end.
That person wasn't Nagato, it wasn't Haruhi either, but myself.
"Serves me right......"
I began to lapse into self-pity and made a cool pose. It didn't matter if someone saw me, since no
one would bother looking anyway. As I was thinking that way, I exchanged glances with an
anonymous high school girl who was walking by. Very quickly she turned her eyes away and
scuttled off. I said softly to her back a greeting which she probably couldn't even hear,
"Merry Christmas."
If this were the last episode of a soap opera, shiny white snow crystals would begin falling, and
the protagonist would catch one in his palm and exclaim, "Ah!" Or something like that. Looks
like there's no hope of a White Christmas this year. Today's weather sure was surprising, it was
actually a fine day.
As a result, I became one of the main characters. A bystander would have already disappeared
into the far corners of the galaxy by now, and become a relic of the past.
"So, now what?"
It was only now that I realized this. I really didn't know what to do. There's no doubt about it, I
belong here. I realized that long ago. From the day Haruhi dragged me to the Literature Club
room and I heard her declare indefinite occupation of the place, I had become part of this bunch
already.
Like the other members of the SOS Brigade, I would stand on the side actively protecting this
world. No one made me do this, I raised my hand out of my own will.
In that case, there's only one thing I need to do.
It was easier to get up after falling on something instead of falling flat on the ground, though
both involve falling. Let me rephrase this, I'll have to go back and pick up my other self who had
fallen down. From the outcome, I can say it's for my own good.
I walked up the stairs while focusing on today's upcoming activities. Haruhi and Asahina-san
were in charge of buying the ingredients. I was spared the pain of being a human shopping cart,
thanks to my being hospitalized. I didn't think this had anything to do with Haruhi being
merciful, on the contrary, she's probably keeping the menu secret until the final moment, where
she'd surprise everyone - that's what I thought anyway. Maybe she'd even use her experience
from the lone island to hold a cheap and big "Hotpot in the Dark Christmas Party."
I wondered what ingredients were being used. As Haruhi was the chef, she'd probably prefer
something stimulating and exciting. Who knows, she may have come up with an experimental
hotpot, never before seen in the history of human cuisine. Still, no matter what was being boiled
in the pot, it should be edible once cooked. Even Haruhi wouldn't be dumb enough to put
something she couldn't digest into the pot. Though it'd be another matter if she had the stomach
of a monster. Haruhi might be eccentric, but I'm sure her stomach's made of the same stuff as a
normal human's, right? The only thing beyond human standards would probably be that brain of
hers.
However, before having the hotpot party, I still had to dress up in a reindeer costume and provide
some sort of entertaining performance. You can't even imagine how it feels to have to think of
what the show would include.
"Yare yare,"
The sigh of depression that I sealed away just last month, had once again come out of my mouth.
Now don't be so picky! They may sound the same, but what I say may have different meanings if
you interpret it differently.
I gave myself an excuse for reusing this phrase, while jotting a must-do predetermined event
down in the diary in my head.
This predetermined event was something I had to do if I wanted to continue staying in this world.
I have to find a time in the near future to go back and restore the world.
As I approached the club room, I could smell the food coming to my nose. That was enough to
make me full. Where did this sense of satisfaction come from? I was supposed to go back to pick
up the mess some time later, yet I was already feeling so satisfied before I even made my move.
Now wasn't I a bit too easy to satisfy!?
Ah well, it's not too bad. Before then,
There was still time. The one in charge of the operation would be the me in the future, though it
was neither the me from the distant future, nor the me from the next moment.
I grabbed the doorknob of the Literature Club room and asked the world a question,
Hey, mind if you wait for a while? Before I go back to have you restored, can you just wait a
little longer?
At least......
Until after I've tried out Haruhi's hotpot. It shouldn't be too late to go after that, right?
Author's Notes
Author's Notes
In place of my own views, I'm going to write about one of my memories, so please bear with me.
I had a classmate in sixth grade, who could pretty much be called a genius. He was the leader of
the class, with a bright mind, good family background, and he was really good at creating a
cheerful atmosphere for everyone. The reason this extremely popular classmate, with a dazzling
saintly glow above his head, befriended me was because we shared the same interests. We both
loved fishing and reading foreign suspense novels.
Whenever the class needed to be split into teams, I would always end up with him, with him
being the team leader, of course. Once, when the school was having a festival, each class was
required to send a representative to perform for the whole grade's leisure. Our team was at a loss
on what to perform, as our wits came to an end, he would say, "Let's write a play." And he would
then begin writing the script. I will never forget how hard I laughed and even rolled on the floor
when I read that script, I never knew something that funny would exist!
Our performance faithfully kept to his comedic script. After watching our play, the whole sixth
grade laughed, even the teachers were laughing. Our team eventually won the gold prize, we
were even given a wooden shield sculpture as a reward. I can still vividly remember what sort of
character I was playing.
Later on, we both entered the same junior high. But he would go on to enroll in some high school
far away, and followed by some university even farther away.
I kept thinking to myself, could I ever make everyone laugh uncontrollably like he could? I also
wondered whether his script had changed my life......
That thought had taken root in my mind and became entrenched in my memory.
......Looks like there's still room for more. Might as well write a second reminiscence.
When I was in high school, I was briefly a member of the Literature Club. As I was also a
member of another club which I took priority in, I could only go to the Literature Club once a
week. The Literature Club only met on Mondays anyway, since the only members were myself
and a girl one year my senior. When I knocked on the door for the first time, I saw her in her
glasses, looking very knowledgeable. That was the sole member, and also the president of the
Literature Club. I had completely forgotten what my upper classman had said to me back then,
she probably never even said a single word.
After joining for a while, we began to work on a periodical published by the club. I really don't
feel like recalling just what I wrote in it, I just know that it wasn't novels. I was in charge of the
cover illustration as well, which I'm not keen on recalling as well. It wasn't possible to fill up the
pages in the periodical with just the two of us, so sempai called up some of her friends to write
some articles. Though they were all people I didn't know, one of their names left a deep
impression on me, to which I still remember to this day.
As sempai was approaching third year, she decided to quit the club to concentrate on her studies.
At the same time there were five new members coming in. I wasn't too sure why there were that
many coming in. I was having so much fun in the other club that I soon stopped going to the
Literature Club.
The next time I saw sempai was on her graduation day. I have no recollection of what we said
then. We probably just had some friendly chatter, and then she faded from my memory. The last
I saw of her was her back as she walked off.
As to what that sempai's name was, I could never remember. She probably doesn't remember my
name as well. But, I'm sure she would still remember that a person like me existed in her club
back then.
Because I too remember a person like her existed in the club back then.
......After wasting the whole Author's Notes section on two seemingly fictional and inappropriate
reminiscences, I sense how low I must have fallen. In perspective, excavating some old funny
memories was nothing, there were other things that were giving me such a headache that I think
I'm going to collapse......though I realized all things would eventually get sorted out, but it was a
useless act, kind of like being a football that had fallen into a stream, wondering where the river
would take it. Might as well put my energy somewhere.
Finally, I would like to thank the publishers, everyone involved in the publishing of this book,
and to all readers my most sincere thanks. May we meet again.