June 16, 1999 -- After school, School Library

[all_onis_are_true]

[Souji was definitely missing.

Hiroshi was unnerved. Souji was not the sort of guy to just up and disappear. Did something happen? Maybe if he looked through the newspapers, he'd be able to find some information that would be relevant.

For some reason, however, he found himself digging further back. A bit of a desperate maneuver, perhaps, but he was beginning to find a worrying trend. Souji was hardly the only mysterious disappearance. For such a small town, an abnormal number of people seemed to disappear. Some turned up dead. Others were never found again.

And then there were the other incidents. Murder-suicides, seemingly rational people convicted for murder. All from a tiny town like this.

He shook his head. Well, all towns had crime, right? Why should this one be any exception? It's only rational. But a weird, nagging feeling in the back of his head couldn't help but poke at things. Yeah murders happen... but here? And why so little investigation?

He leans back in his chair, trying to grasp the implications of things. Maybe this would be something legitimately of interest to the club... Ah, right. He should be heading over there now, huh.]

Comments

[flatview]

[ and OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE ]

Hiya, Hiroshi-kun!

[ a familiar blonde entity pops up with a few dusty books in her arms ]

Whatcha doing in here?

[itwasfeyt]

[Have a Maya Fey, suddenly standing over your desk and leaning down to look at you.]

Hiroshi! We need to talk!

[all_onis_are_true]

[He jumps a bit and shushs her. Geez, it's a library you know.]

Nui. I was searching the newspapers to see if there was anything that might lend us some insight on Souji's disappearance.

[all_onis_are_true]

[DOES NOBODY AROUND HERE KNOW HOW TO ADVERTISE THEIR PRESENCE BEFORE APPEARING IN HIS FACE. He shushes her as well.]

M-Maya! What is this about?

[flatview]

[ blinks ]

Insight? What, do you think this is some sort of conspiracy?

[all_onis_are_true]

Eh? Well, no, not as such. I just thought maybe some sort of news might have emerged, or any indications that the police have started searching for him yet. Although...

[He looks at the mess of newspapers, thinking.]

[itwasfeyt]

I can't say here!

[Just gonna grab his wrist and pull him along.]

I have to take Hiroshi to the supply closet! We'll be right back!

[all_onis_are_true]

The supply -- what?! Maya, if you would just explain -- ow!

[And so he is dragged!]

[independent_dollmaker]

[Brief silence in Maya's wake.]

Well, that was unusually bold of her.

[kouyouensei]

[Somebody's unhappy. Well, lots of people are unhappy, for lots of reasons. The world is a rather unhappy place. A person unhappy about being stood up on an appointment at the library... might go to another library. Thus Haruhi Suzumiya slams her schoolbag onto the table, so hard that the books slip out - not textbooks, though many are oversized, like atlases; most are astronomical in theme.

At least she's wearing her own uniform today, so she probably waited until her classes were over to come here. Why is she here? She takes books out of the sparse astronomy section, reading them a few minutes at a time or sometimes putting them back as soon as she reads the cover - it's all really mechanical, without her brow furrowing enough to seem like she's processed anything.]

[all_onis_are_true]

[At least he heard her coming in. Sort of hard not to.]

Suzumiya. Dare I ask why you are here today?

[kouyouensei]

Good afternoon, Yamane.

[She is polite enough to close and put away her book to face him fully... which matches her more morose expression.]

I've got this astronomical research project that could help us to track down more ghosts, or something. [But... why come to this dinky library? On a Wednesday?]

[all_onis_are_true]

Dare I ask how astronomy can help us locate GHOSTS?

1/2

[kouyouensei]

They obviously prefer darkness! The fewer stars, the more apparitions! I'm sure that's an ancient Chinese proverb!

[kouyouensei]

Seta-kun thought it was a good idea.

[all_onis_are_true]

...

[Souji... Suzumiya must be very worried too. They were rather close.]

I see... ah, any progress?

[He just doesn't have the heart to shoot her down right now.]

[itwasfeyt]

No talk! You and me! Closet! Now!

[And they're off, out of the classroom and down the hall, Maya ignoring everything Hiroshi says before they get to the supply closet and she shoves him inside, shutting the door behind them.]

[kouyouensei]

Nope!

[Dear god. He encouraged her. Now she leans a little closer to him conspiratorially, tapping the book with her knuckles.]

He was gonna come meet me at the library back in the city, day before yesterday, you see. That's where you get the real heavy-duty scientific stuff. I figured... if I came here and acted casual I could eventually ask the librarian if he checked anything out on his own. But hey, Yamane, you're the one who should have a real library card here; maybe I'll allow you to do that for me!

[all_onis_are_true]

[Hiroshi, being who he is, doesn't really make the same connections that Alice does. All he knows is he's been dragged in a closet, and now he's confused.]

All right, so we are... in a closet. May I ask what is going on NOW?

[all_onis_are_true]

[This is SUCH a pretense. And oh God, his poor library card. Still...]

...wait, are you assuming nobody else does?

[kouyouensei]

Maybe some of the others do, but you're right here!

[all_onis_are_true]

Ah yes, ease of access. How did I not see that one coming.

[itwasfeyt]

[she turns to face him, giving him the full force of her angry, puffed cheeks.]

No... I'm going to be asking the questions here! What are you planning, Hiroshi?!

[kouyouensei]

Well? Whaddya say?

[She interlaces her fingers into that "please" gesture; the frantic nature of the movement suggests that on a better day she would be reaching into his pocket already]

[all_onis_are_true]

Huh? What do you mean, "What am I planning?" Planning for what?

[Is EVERYBODY going insane lately?]