Unlimited Ambition

I nodded in a mocking manner: "So, Yuki, and Mikuru... are they spies for the organization, just like you?"

To be honest, this is the question I most want to know.

"They are similar to me in identity, but they do not belong to the organization. They are from other factions. And their true purpose is also unclear."

"I see..." I nodded. "Then, one last question. How will you gain my trust? How will you convince me that what you say is true?"

"Well..." Koizumi Itsuki paused for a moment, "My previous explanations—"

"I could make up a story a hundred times more elaborate than this," I interrupted him, then raised my coffee cup—which, of course, was paid for by this squinty-eyed man, had gone cold because we'd been so busy chatting. A hot dog that looked delicious had also gone cold.

“If you can heat this up again, I’ll believe you,” I said.

After that, Koizumi Itsuki was taken aback for a moment, then genuinely laughed: "I'm very sorry, you seem to have misunderstood my ability. To be honest, my ability is rather complicated and can only be used under special circumstances. So... I'm sorry."

"So, you have no evidence to prove that everything you're saying is true?" I asked.

“证据么……的确有，在今后适合的时间，我会给你看的。相信我，你不会等太久。”

"Is that so?" I chuckled. "You can't reheat cold coffee and hot dogs?"

"indeed."

"Then let's order another hot dish. Of course, it's your treat." I mimicked Koizumi Itsuki's manner with ease, smiling and squinting my eyes. And I successfully made his smile disappear for a few seconds.

Chapter Ten: Their Own Purposes (Part Two)

Around noon, I was interrupted by a phone call from Haruhi and almost got hit by a speeding car. After that, we went back to the ice cream shop we had met before. Then, led by Haruhi, we went to another restaurant and ordered lunch—of course, I paid the bill again.

After dinner, Haruhi took five toothpicks and drew red lines again. I secretly prayed that this time it wouldn't be Koizumi Itsuki with his squinty eyes.

There's still red in it...

"Um, mine is red too." Mikuru-senpai on the other side also raised the toothpick in her hand and said this outright. At the same time, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"...Hmph." Haruhi looked at the colorless toothpick in her hand with a bitter and resentful expression, as if she were looking at her father's killer.

"Be serious, and absolutely do not do anything strange!" Springtime said, still worried about him as he left.

Of course, it's basically ineffective.

And so, Mikuru and I walked down the street, doing things that any ordinary couple would do: chatting and laughing, eating ice cream with gusto, and browsing boutiques. Afterwards, I bought her a hair clip that wasn't too expensive, but looked quite nice, and put it on her myself. Taking advantage of Mikuru's inattention, I easily took her hand and wouldn't let go.

That's pretty much it. It feels just like a real couple. Like Sasaki and I a couple of years ago…

I wonder how she's doing now. Sigh...

Thinking about this, my mood suddenly turned terrible.

"Take a rest for a bit, you look terrible." Mikuru was quite caring. She pulled me to a bench by the roadside.

But I quickly realized that Mikuru seemed to have ulterior motives. Her face couldn't hide anything. And she was muttering to herself: "What should I say...? What if he doesn't believe me...? Besides, I'm not very good with words..."

"If there's anything you want to say, just say it without hesitation," I said, then gave a gentle smile.

"—No, please don't get too close!" Unexpectedly, Mikuru raised her voice, contrary to her usual behavior. She also moved to a slightly farther position away from me.

Perhaps we've been a little too hasty. I thought to myself, while a perfectly appropriate look of confusion appeared on my face.

"Um...no, I don't mean I hate you, Kyon. It's just that, well..." Mikuru stammered, unable to explain clearly. She looked like she was about to cry.

"No, don't worry about it too much. I was just a little too cocky." I said this while showing a slightly disappointed expression.

At that moment, cherry blossom petals drifted down onto my shoulder. Mikuru felt a wave of dizziness. She couldn't help but want to get closer to me.

"You have something to tell me, don't you?" I asked at that moment.

Mikuru looked slightly disappointed: "That's true..."

Then, Mikuru's first words revived a new moment that had been dormant for a long time, and my mind, which had been in arduous cultivation for 4.6 billion years, rippled at that moment: "I come from the future."

From the future—time travel—a method to reverse time?!

"What you've been searching for will suddenly appear out of nowhere"—no, calm down, calm down. We still don't know what's going on. We must stay calm. Let's get the information out of them first.

After that, I still looked confused. I listened as Mikuru finished speaking.

"The specific year and time are just my thoughts, so I can't reveal them to you... In short, in the future of the rescue mission, humanity has developed a machine that can travel through time. Of course, some problems have arisen as a result, such as some people attempting to go back in time and change history. Our job is to correct the time-space distortions caused by this."

Mikuru paused for a moment, then said, "About three years ago, we detected a violent spacetime turbulence, which created a huge spacetime rift. After that, we were surprised to find that the history before that was completely irreversible. After extensive investigation, we came to some conclusions. The root cause of this problem is Haruhi Suzumiya."

……

Okay, three years ago, it was Haruhi Suzumiya again. I almost rolled my eyes. Then I said, "This morning, I heard Koizumi mention something similar. The two keywords are the same..."

"Keywords?"

"Three years ago, there was also Haruhi Suzumiya."

"……Oh."

"So, what exactly is your purpose?" I continued to ask.

"Um... I'm sorry, my position is a bit... like a handyman, an intern... so I don't know much."

“如果把这件事情告诉春日，会产生什么样的变化呢？”

"I have no comment."

"So what's the principle behind your time travel?"

"I have no comment."

How old are you exactly this year?

"Hehe... I'm sorry, I have no comment."

"Can I push you down now?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry, I was just kidding."

Does Mikuru possess the method to reverse time...? Even just a simple journey through time would be fine. I don't ask for much.

But how can we get our hands on the time travel method she possesses?

...Before that, let's try to increase our favorability.

And so, Mikuru blushed as I teased her for the entire afternoon. When I finally met up with Haruhi, she looked furious: "Hey you two, did you even bother looking properly?"

I'm sorry, really no. We spent almost a few hours on our date. Half an hour of that was talking about you and what happened three years ago. Besides that, looking up paranormal events and stuff... I'm sorry, I forgot.

"Oh well, I never expected to get anything right away anyway," Haruhi consoled herself. "We'll meet again at the same time and place tomorrow. Latecomers will be fined!"

...Fines, fines again. I have no idea when you turned into this gold-digging woman. I thought to myself, rubbing my forehead.

After that, we parted ways. Haruhi and the others went their separate ways, heading towards what should be their residence.

Besides that, there's something else that's been bothering me a little.

Nagato Yuki.

This child has been following us ever since we parted ways. And not openly, but by tailing us.

"By the way, does Yuki-san live around here too?" I asked Kasuga casually.

"Why are you asking this question?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little angry.

"It's nothing, just asking casually." As I said this, I sensed that Yuki had slipped into an empty trash can in that instant. Her speed was completely abnormal.

"I'm warning you. Don't you dare lay a hand on any of my group members. Or you'll be sentenced to death!" Haruhi was still fuming.

"Hehehe...that's really strict." I replied casually.

"What are you doing?! I'm being really serious!" Kasuga said.

And so, I drifted further and further away from spring. After some time, until I could no longer see her at all, Yuki poked her head out with the lid of the trash can on her head, startling the passersby.

“Wright Baldwin… what a formidable opponent.” Yuki’s voice remained completely devoid of emotion. Then, she brazenly emerged from the trash can, slammed the lid back on, and ran off at almost teleportation speed.

Back home, I was still thinking about what had happened. Two people had confessed their so-called truth to me today. As a third party, Yuki couldn't possibly remain indifferent. Her previous stalking might be proof of that.

Then I'll meet with her briefly. To be honest, I'm also eager to know more information. That way, it will make things easier for me.

But where exactly is she? Nagato Yuki?

I don't have her phone number. Our interactions have been very limited. The only slightly unusual thing was the book she practically forced into my hand yesterday—that one!

I immediately realized the crux of the matter and then quickly found the hardcover book that I had casually placed on my bedside table.

Could it be some kind of code or secret code? I thought to myself as I shook the book. Then, a bookmark fell out. It read: "Meet me at the school bus stop at 7:30."

really.

A confident smile crept onto my lips. I glanced at the time: 7:15—then got dressed and left the room. I made up some excuse to tell my mom I was going out. Then I rode my bike there.

Under the moonlight, a gentle breeze stirred the hem of her skirt, and she lightly smoothed her wind-blown hair. She looked as beautiful as an elf.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." I tried to put on a sincere smile.

Chapter Eleven: Having Good Feelings

To be honest, I felt quite fond of her the first time I saw her. I don't know about others, but when I looked at her, I felt completely captivated.

Nagato Yuki.

If possible, I would like to know more about you.

Such a lovely girl.

I truly don't know how to praise your beauty. The moon in the sky pales in comparison, and even an angel fallen to earth cannot describe a fraction of your beauty. My love, my soul, the deepest desire of my heart, my most longed-for beloved…

That's my impression of her.

Sometimes, when I'm awakened in the middle of the night, it's not CC, Misaka Misaki, or Yu who appears in my dreams. It's this girl.

I really, really, really want her.

At this moment, there was no one around, only the two of us.

“No, it wasn’t long,” she replied, then after a moment’s thought, she praised me for some reason: “You’re very punctual.”

I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "You flatter me."