The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa Read Free Book Online Page B

seems quite appropriate for Suzumiya. It’s wonderful.”
    Don’t smile at me. It creeps me out.
    Asahina was reading the sheet of paper clutched in her slender, violently trembling hands.
    “Wha…”
    A soft cry escaped from her mouth. She turned to me with eyes seeking salvation. Except upon a closer look, her eyes seemed very sad, even reproachful. Like a kind, slightly older female relative scolding a young child whose prank had gone too far…. Oh. I remembered. That’s right. After the incident six months earlier, I’d revealed their true identities to Haruhi.
    Gah. Crap. Is this my fault?
    I frantically spun to look at Nagato, the human-contact-purpose humanoid interface clad in a black mantle and black hat.
    “…”
    She was silently reading her book.
    “I see no problems of consequence,” Koizumi later asserted optimistically.
    I failed to see the humor in this situation.
    “While these circumstances may not invite humor, there is no need for pessimism.”
    “How do you know?”
    “For the simple reason that this is merely casting for a movie. Suzumiya does not actually believe that I am a boy esper. I only play the role of a boy esper named Itsuki Koizumi within the fictional context of the movie.”
    Koizumi sounded like a tutor talking to a pupil with a really bad memory.
    “You can say that the Itsuki Koizumi that exists in reality, myself, and this particular Itsuki are entirely different people. Nobody would confuse a character in a movie with the actor playing the role, right? Even if someone out there were to get the two mixed up, that person would not necessarily be Suzumiya.”
    “That’s not very reassuring. There’s no guarantee that what you’re saying is right.”
    “If she were for mixing reality and fiction, then our world would have become the stuff of fantasy long ago. As I mentioned before, Suzumiya is still a person who can think rationally.”
    I know that. But since Haruhi’s rational reasoning is half-possessed, I’ve been dragged into many bizarre incidents. And Haruhi, the key to all of this, doesn’t have a clue about what’s happening around her.
    “For we must not allow her to discover any evidence of what is happening,” Koizumi continued calmly. “There may come a time when we have no choice but to reveal the truth. But not now. Fortunately, Asahina’s faction and Nagato’s faction are of the same opinion. I would prefer that the current situation never change.”
    So would I. I don’t want to watch the world turn into a huge mess. That can’t happen until I’ve beaten the game that comes out next week or I’ll have lingering regrets.
    Koizumi was still smiling. “You should worry less about the world and be more concerned about your own safety. Nagato and I can probably be replaced, but you have no understudy.”
    I took care not to let these feelings of frustration affect me and pretended to be engrossed in pressurizing the gun I now had back in my hands.
    Haruhi called it a day after assigning Asahina her costume and announcing the cast. Actually, she apparently wanted to drag Asahina around in her waitress outfit and hold a press conference for the upcoming film, but since Asahina was seriously on the verge of tears, I made Haruhi give up on that idea. It’s not like this high school has a journalism club, news club, or advertising club to begin with. Once I brought that up, Haruhi’s lips pouted into waterfowl status.
    “I suppose you’re right.”
    Amazingly enough, she agreed.
    “It’s better to keep the details under wraps until the very last second. Kyon, that’s rather clever of you. We can’t have people ripping us off.”
    This idea isn’t exactly at the level of a Hollywood or Hong Kong film. Who would want a storyboard that’s still bubbling in your mind?
    “So, Kyon, have the gun ready for use within the day. Filming starts tomorrow. You also need to learn how to use the camera. Ah, that’s right. You’ll need to move the video