“I fear that the setting within Suzumiya’s movie is becoming the conventional reality of this world. Events transpiring within her movie are becoming reality. At this rate, they will become a normal sight in our world. Like Asahina shooting lasers or cats talking. If she wishes to shoot a scene with a giant meteorite falling, it may really happen.”
The four SOS Brigade members sans Haruhi were gathered in the café in front of the station. Koizumi proposed the establishment of an emergency joint headquarters for the purpose of dealing with Haruhi, and the rest of us agreed. It would appear that the situation was seriously deteriorating at a rapid pace. On the outside, we would have looked like a group of high-schoolers merrily engaged in idle chat (except that Koizumi was the only one smiling), but our meeting was about as suspicious as the evil ringleaders in a tokusatsu getting together to discuss how to seal away the good guys’ special attacks. I should mention that Shamisen was waiting outside by some shrubbery after being instructed not to talk or respond to anybody. The cat simply said “Very well” without any sign of displeasure as he obediently hid under the shade of an evergreen tree by the road and watched us go.
“What will happen…”
Asahina looked remarkably solemn. The poor thing looked especially worn out. She was the one who’d suffered the most as a result of Haruhi’s movie. There was no change in Nagato’s default blank expression. And she was still dressed in black.
Koizumi spoke as he sipped his café au lait.
“If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it would be that it is a bad idea to leave Suzumiya alone to do as she pleases.”
“We don’t need you to tell us that.”
I downed my glass of water in one go. I’d already finished the apple tea I’d ordered.
“Isn’t that why we’re trying to solve the problem of how to stop Haruhi?”
“That’s easy to say, but who could possibly cancel the production of this movie at this point? At the very least, I do not believe I would have a chance.”
Neither do I.
Once Haruhi’s engine is running, she’s going to keep on going until it’s turned off. Maybe she’s related to those fish that die if they stop swimming. Maybe we could trace her family tree and find tuna or bonito among her ancestors.
Nagato silently drank her cinnamon tea looking like she wasn’t thinking about anything at all. Maybe she really isn’t thinking about anything at all. Or maybe it’s because she already knows everything so she doesn’t need to think. Or she’s just a poor talker. After six months, I still have no idea what she’s ever thinking about.
“Nagato, what do you think? Any opinion?”
“…”
Nagato soundlessly returned her cup to the saucer and smoothly turned to look at me.
“Unlike the previous incident, Haruhi Suzumiya has not disappeared from this world.”
Her voice sounded like it was freeze-dried.
“The Data Overmind has determined that is sufficient.”
Koizumi gracefully placed a hand on his forehead.
“But this is a problem for us.”
“There is no problem for us. Rather, we welcome the outbreak of change in our subject of observation.”
“Really?”
Koizumi quickly gave up on Nagato and turned back to me.
“Then we need to decide what genre Suzumiya’s movie will fall under.”
Well, it looks like he’s going to stop making sense again.
“The makeup of a story can be roughly assigned to one of three classifications. One that takes place within the framework of the story, one that destroys the framework and creates a new framework, or one that destroys the framework and restores it again.”
And he’s making a speech or something. Huh? What’s this guy talking about? That would be the general reaction from the audience. Asahina, you shouldn’t be listening to him so earnestly.
“Incidentally, we exist within the framework, so we can only learn about this world through logically thought-out conjecture or observational perception.”
You keep mentioning framework. What do you even mean by that?
“For example, let us consider the ‘reality’ we exist in. I am speaking of the world we live in. On the other hand, the movie Suzumiya is producing would be considered fiction.”
No kidding.
“The perceived problem is that events within fiction are having an effect on ‘reality.’ ”
Miracle Mikuru Eye, doves, cherry blossoms, cat…
“We must guard against the infringement of fiction into reality.”
Koizumi always looked so cheerful when he talked about stuff like this. His sunny face was practically beaming. I resisted by having a gloomy expression on my face.
“Suzumiya’s strange powers are being actualized by using the production of this film as a filter. To guard against that, we must make Suzumiya understand that fiction is just fiction. Since at the moment, she has managed to unconsciously blur the distinction.”
She must really be on a roll.
“We need to use a logical process to prove that fictional events are not real. We must shape this movie into a rational, calm affair.”
“How are we supposed to justify a cat talking?”
“We won’t be justifying anything. That would merely lead to the construction of a world where cats talk. In our ‘reality,’ cats do not talk. We must emphasize that there is something wrong with a talking cat. Because a world where cats can talk cannot possibly be a part of our world.”
“But it’s okay for aliens, time travelers, and espers?”
“Yes, of course. Because they already do exist. That is considered normal in our world. There just happens to be a condition that Suzumiya must not know about it.”
Really?
“Let us pretend that there is an entity watching our world from afar. As far as this effeminate creature is concerned, the ‘real’ world would be, as you mentioned, one free of any paranormal or supernatural phenomena—a world where aliens, time travelers, and espers do not exist—which means that our current ‘reality’ would be viewed as a fictional world.”
So that’s the identity of your God, huh?
“However, that would be the perspective from the outside. You are already aware of the supernatural beings—such as myself and Nagato—that exist in this world. And in order to live in this world, you must accept reality from within the framework. Your concept of reality has changed in the past year.”
“I might have been better off not knowing.”
“Are you sure about that? Well, one thing is certain. Suzumiya’s current condition is similar to your prior one. In other words, her perception of reality has not yet changed. While she may say differently, deep down she does not believe in the existence of supernatural beings. She personally witnessed closed space and Celestials yet she believes that incident to be a dream. Dreams are fictional. Which is why this ‘reality’ still remains our reality.”
Which means what?
“Yes, which is why if fiction continues becoming reality, Suzumiya will recognize it as ‘reality’ and talking cats will become accepted as a part of ‘reality.’ It’s considered weird for a cat to talk, so the realization of talking cats would require the reconstruction of this world. Suzumiya would create a world where talking cats would not be considered strange. It would most likely not be a world out of science fiction. Based on her pattern of thinking, she would probably find that too much trouble. The world would simply fall under the laws of fantasy. Talking cats exist. That’s all that needs to be said. No need for any excuses as to why cats can talk. Because cats will have become talking animals to begin with.”
Koizumi set down his mug and rubbed the ceramic edge with his finger.
“That would be a problem. The principles our world was built on would be turned upside down. I happen to respect what the human race has accomplished through observation and experimentation. On top of that, nobody has ever observed a cat spontaneously talking without any outside influence, which means that nobody would expect it to happen. It would be regarded as a bizarre anomaly in this world.”
“What about you guys? Couldn’t you say the same thing about espers?”
“Yes, that is why we would be considered deviations that disturb the established laws of the world. We exist because of Suzumiya. Which means that the same can be said for this talking cat. An existence derived by Suzumiya for the purpose of appearing in the movie. It would appear that a link is attempting to form between the contents of Suzumiya’s movie and the real world. At least, that’s what we’ve learned.”
“So now we know. Anything we can do about it?”
“First of all, we must decide on a genre for the movie.”
I seriously want to tell him to cut the crap already. Sure, you may enjoy delivering pretentious long speeches, but try to consider how your audience might feel. This is about as bad as an address from the principal at a morning assembly. See, Asahina’s been looking kind of gloomy for a while now.
However, Koizumi apparently hadn’t done enough talking.
“If this were a fantasy world, cats talking, Asahina shooting beams from her eyes, and other such phenomena would require no explanation. Because in such a world, that would be how it always has been.”
I looked outside the window and made sure Shamisen was still there.
“However, if there were a reason for talking cats and Mikuru Beams to exist, that in itself would make this a different world. Cats were talking and Asahina was shooting beams in reality, but we weren’t aware of it. Their existence would be proven through observation. But in that instance, our world would be altered. From a world without supernatural phenomena to a world that includes supernatural phenomena. The real world as we knew it would become a falsity.”
I sighed. It didn’t look like he was ever going to stop talking.
“So basically, if cats can talk, there is a reason why cats can talk. Is that what you’re trying to say? But in that case, what about you, Nagato, and Asahina? Wouldn’t you and the girls be classified as supernatural phenomena?”
“From your perspective perhaps. It is a self-evident truth. From your perspective, the world has already changed. Your perception of the world has changed since you entered high school, has it not? You are already aware of the existence of beings like us, are you not?”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“Let us return to topic of the film. At this point, what Suzumiya is attempting to make would probably be classified as fantasy. Within the movie, the cat talks and Asahina and Nagato use magical powers without any explanation. That’s just how it works. That’s enough.”
“So we just have to give the cat-demon, time-traveling waitress, and evil mage a reason to exist?”
“But it isn’t so simple. In fact, things would worsen if we did give them a reason to exist. If an observer were to recognize the change within the world of the story between the start and end, it would be the same as accepting their existence. The world would change so that talking cats would be allowed to exist. I can’t say that I would welcome the addition of further complications to this world.”
Neither would I. Only Nagato’s people wouldn’t mind.
“I mentioned earlier that we needed to decide on a genre. I would like to offer the name of a genre at this point. This genre has the potential to disassemble all of the puzzles and supernatural phenomena with rational explanation and return this distorted world to its original state. The only genre where the world is restored at the end to its starting condition and all enigmatic phenomena are eliminated through rational means.”
“What’s that?”
“Mystery. Especially classic mystery. If you utilize the methods of this genre, phenomena that were hard to believe will become just that, phenomena that were hard to believe, without any need for bringing out supernatural elements. Talking cats and Asahina’s killer beams could be explained as being the result of some sort of trick. Our reality would remain unchanged.”
The café waitress came to take our cups, purposely ignoring Asahina the whole time. Once she left, Koizumi continued.
“A cat that can speak a human language obviously goes against the common sense of this world. Nevertheless, a talking cat exists here. Something that should not exist does exist. That is excruciatingly inconvenient for our world.”
He flicked a drop of condensation on his glass.
“To resolve this situation, we must devise a rational ending for the movie. A conclusion that addresses the presence of talking cats, time travelers, and alien mages and can be accepted by everybody—more importantly, Suzumiya—in a logical manner.”
“Does such a thing exist?”
“It does. A conclusion that can transform every illogical occurrence into a something ordinary in a relatively simple manner.”
“Name it.”
“It was all just a dream.”
“…”
Silence fell. Upon all of us. Eventually, Koizumi spoke.
“That wasn’t intended as a joke…”
I directed a scornful look at the gentleman twisting a forelock of hair around his fingers.
“You think Haruhi will accept that? Lies and truths aside, she’s pretty serious about winning that award. And you want to say it was all just a dream? I’m pretty sure she’s not dumb enough to want to make such a retarded movie.”
“How she feels is not relevant. This resolution was determined by our needs. Deeming that everything that happened within the movie was a dream, lie, or mistake is the best way to settle the matter.”
For you maybe. It might be better for me too. But what about Haruhi? She may have already thought up a spectacular, at least in her mind, last scene to use for an ending.
Besides, I don’t want to touch the subject of dreams again. The same goes for your boring, arbitrary expositions.
I stopped by a general store on the way home. I bought the cheapest litter box and a can of cat food that was on sale. I also asked for a receipt, just in case. Shamisen was washing his face with his paws as he waited. I walked off. The cat followed.
“Okay. Don’t say a single word at home. Behave like a cat.”
“I do not understand what you mean when you say to behave like a cat, but I shall do as you request.”
“Don’t talk. Always respond with meow.”
“Meow.”
Upon seeing me arrive home with a stray cat, my sister’s and mother’s eyes grew wide. I gave a made-up explanation that “his owner’s an acquaintance who went on a trip so I have to take care of him for a week” and received their ready consent. My sister was especially happy and began petting Shamisen all over. The cat-demon responded by obediently repeating the sound “meow.” Guess that’s not very cat-like either.
The night safely passed. I had to go to school again in the morning. I was worried about leaving Shamisen alone so I brought him along. As I urged him to get into the duffel bag, Shamisen responded, “Very well then, I suppose,” in an arrogant tone before entering. I let him out by the school gate.
Only a few days remained before the cultural festival, and the atmosphere of chaos at our school had been steadily growing, as though it were linked with Haruhi’s fervor. It made me wonder what the lack of energy up till yesterday had been about.
It was early in the morning, and I could already hear noisemakers and singing. There were also people around making signs and billboards. There was even a group of people wandering around in weird costumes that made you wonder what they were even planning on doing. As things stood, a slider or two could join in without feeling out of place. The only people without any motivation were the members of 1-5 probably. Maybe Haruhi sucked all the motivation out of the class.
I entered the classroom to find that Haruhi was already in her seat, scribbling furiously in a notebook.
“Did you finally feel like writing a script?” I asked as I reached my seat. Haruhi snorted as she raised her chin.
“No. This is a tagline for the movie.”
“Show me.”
I picked up the notebook and glanced over the page.
“Loaded with precious, punctiliously confidential, absolutely secret images of Mikuru Asahina! You’ll absolutely regret missing this! The most talked-about film of the year presented by the SOS Brigade! Crowds will come flocking!”
I’ll refrain from mentioning how uselessly sensational it is or how there are only two months left in the year, but all this really says is that Asahina will be involved. If someone can read this tagline and imagine what the movie will be like, I’ll respect that person for all the wrong reasons. Well, I’m the one filming everything and I don’t even know what the movie is about yet so I can’t really complain. Maybe Haruhi doesn’t know either? Whatever the case, I’m impressed she was able to spell “punctiliously” without looking at a dictionary.
“I’ll print off a bunch of flyers and pass them out on the day of the festival. Yep, they’ll work out great! Okabe won’t complain about being dressed up as a bunny if it’s the cultural festival, right?”
No, I think he’ll complain. This is a strict prefectural high school. Stop doing things that give our teacher stomach pains.
“Besides, Asahina will be busy with her class’s refreshment stand. Koizumi and Nagato probably have stuff to do with their own classes. The only people who don’t have anything to do that day are you and me.”
Haruhi looked at me with suspicious eyes.
“So you want to dress up in a bunny outfit?”
How did you come to that conclusion? You can handle it by yourself. I’ll stand behind you holding up a billboard.
“By the way, did you know? There aren’t that many days left till the cultural festival. The festival’s this Saturday and Sunday.”
“I know that.”
“Really? You seemed pretty relaxed so I thought you might have gotten the date wrong.”
“I’m not relaxed at all. At this very moment, I’m trying to come up with catch lines.”
“There’s something that needs to be done before you start thinking about advertising. When will the movie be finished?”
“Soon. We just need to shoot a few missing scenes, edit everything together, dub in voices and music, add visual effects, and it’ll be done.”
That’s a surprise. From my perspective as the cameraman, I’d have to say that there would be more scenes missing than not. Exactly what kind of movie does the director intend this to be? Plus the work that has to be done after the filming sounds like it’ll take far more time than we’ve spent so far. Though it could just be my misconception.
It was during the break between third and fourth period.
“Kyon!”
A ridiculously loud voice rang across the classroom, making everyone still there jump. I reflexively looked to see Tsuruya peeking through the door. I could barely see Asahina’s soft hair next to her.
“Come over here for a sec.”
I dashed over as if drawn in by Tsuruya’s smile. Haruhi was still following her practice of disappearing the second break began so she wasn’t in the classroom. She was probably wandering around school somewhere. How convenient.
As I went out into the hallway, Tsuruya tugged on my sleeve.
“Mikuru has something to tell you!” she shouted in a voice you probably could have heard on the opposite side of the building as she gave Asahina a smack in the back. “Come on, Mikuru. Give that to Kyon!”
With trembling hands, Asahina handed me a fluttery sheet of paper.
“This is… um, a d-d-discount voucher.”
“It’s for our class’s yakisoba café,” added Tsuruya to explain further.
I gratefully accepted it. It was basically like a coupon. According to the signed words printed on the paper, you would get a thirty-percent discount if you brought this paper.
“Please invite your friends to come along!”
Asahina bowed her head as Tsuruya laughed with a mouth as wide as a comic-book character’s.
“That’s all! See ya!”
As Tsuruya merrily walked off, Asahina moved to follow but immediately ran back to where I was. Tsuruya chuckled at the sight and stopped and stood in a waiting stance.
Asahina joined her fingers as she peeked up at me.
“… Kyon.”
“What is it?”
“You really shouldn’t trust what Koizumi says…. I realize that this makes Koizumi sound like a bad person… which isn’t my goal… but still…”
“You mean the stuff he says about Haruhi being God?”
I don’t believe any of that.
“I, well… have a different idea about that. Basically, that is… it’s different from Koizumi’s interpretation.”
Asahina breathed deeply before looking at me with upturned eyes.
“There’s no doubt that Suzumiya has the power to alter the present. However, I don’t believe she’s changing the structure of the world. The world was like this to begin with. It wasn’t created by Suzumiya.”
Well, well… A view that totally rejects Koizumi’s.
“I believe that Nagato also has a different view.”
Asahina entwined her fingers before her uniform.
“Um… It might be rude to say this…”
Tsuruya was grinning as she watched us from a distance. The look on her face was like that of a mother swallow urging her chick to leave the nest. I think she misunderstood what was going on.
Asahina spoke her words in an unsophisticated tone.
“What Koizumi is saying is different from what we believe. It would be improper to tell you to well… not trust him… but, um…”
She waved her hands frantically.
“I’m sorry. I’m bad at explaining things, and there are restrictions on what I can say…. Um…”
She went through a cycle of hanging her head and looking back up at me.
“Koizumi has his own circumstances and theories. The same goes for us. And probably for Nagato as well.”
Asahina gazed at me with a face so determined, she must have mustered all the willpower in her body. She’s still cute when she looks serious. As I shook from the emotion of being able to see her face up close, I answered confidently.
“I know. How could Haruhi possibly be God, right?”
If the money I throw in whenever I visit a temple goes to her, I might as well set up Asahina as the founder of a new religion. It’ll probably attract more believers too. I’d give it a double seal of approval.
“I find your view a lot easier to understand than Koizumi’s.”
Asahina had a little smile on her face. If sweet peas could smile, it’d probably look something like this.
“Mmm. Thank you. But I don’t hold anything against Koizumi. Please understand that.”
After delivering that odd statement with upturned eyes, she dashed off as though she were running away. With a wave of her small hand, she chased after Tsuruya like a spot-billed duckling following its mother.
It would probably be a good idea to get some work done. And with that thought, I headed to the club room to fiddle with the computer, wondering why such an admirable thought had popped into my mind, to find somebody already inside, wearing a pointy hat and black mantle while reading a book.
Before I could say a word…
“Mikuru Asahina’s tenet is believed to be as follows,” Nagato began, as though she had read my mind.
“Haruhi Suzumiya is not the Creator. She did not create this world. The world always existed in its current form. Supernatural entities such as ESP, temporal deviations, and conceptual alien organisms were not born as a result of Haruhi Suzumiya’s wishes. They always existed. Haruhi Suzumiya’s role is to discover such entities without being aware of their identity, and she has wielded that power for the past three years. However, her discoveries do not lead to self-recognition. She is able to detect abnormalities in the world, but she is by no means able to recognize them. That is because elements exist to prevent such recognition.”
Her lips, never smiling, spoke the words plainly. Nagato stared into my eyes and said the following before shutting her mouth.
“That would be us.”
“So Asahina, for a reason different from Koizumi’s, would also be inconvenienced by Haruhi finding mysterious phenomena?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Nagato returned her eyes to the open book. She didn’t seem very interested in our conversation.
“She has come to this space-time to protect the future space-time she belongs to.”
I have a feeling she just said something really important in passing.
“Haruhi Suzumiya is considered a variable to Mikuru Asahina’s space-time, and in order to maintain the stability of the future, it is necessary to input the correct values. Mikuru Asahina’s role is to regulate those values.”
Nagato flipped the page without making a sound. She continued without even a blink of those hard, black eyes.
“Itsuki Koizumi and Mikuru Asahina have differing roles in mind for Haruhi Suzumiya. They can never accept the opposite side’s interpretation. As far as they are concerned, a divergent theory would shake the very foundations of their existence.”
“Wait. Koizumi said that his ESP showed up three years ago.”
Nagato immediately responded to my query.
“There is no guarantee that Itsuki Koizumi is telling the truth.”
I recalled that handsome smiling face in my mind. No guarantee indeed. Koizumi’s theory just happens to conveniently explain everything that’s happened to me. Who can say if he’s right? The fact of the matter is, Asahina told me not to believe him. But the same goes for Asahina’s theory. Nobody can guarantee that Asahina’s answer is correct.
I looked at Nagato. Everything Koizumi has said may have been a downright lie. Asahina may not have realized that her view was a lie. But this composed alien didn’t look like she’d be able to lie.
“What do you think about all of this? Which one’s correct? What was that potential-for-autoevolution thing you were talking about anyway?”
The black-garbed bookworm was completely devoid of emotion.
“Any truth I may tell you will be unable to grant you solid proof.”
“What’s that?”
However, that was when I saw a truly rare sight. Nagato had a hesitant expression on her face. As I stood astonished, she responded.
“There is no guarantee that I am telling the truth.”
And with that, she set down her book and left the club room, leaving the following words.
“Not for you, at least.”
The bell began to ring.
I don’t get it.
Normally, you wouldn’t, right?
Koizumi and Nagato don’t talk in a way that can be easily understood by other people. It makes me wonder if they’re doing it on purpose. They should at least put a little effort into trying to summarize what they’re saying to something simpler. Or they’ll be speaking to deaf ears. Nobody will bother to listen.
I walked along with my arms crossed as a group of people dressed in stateless medieval outfits ran past me and turned the corner. Nagato, in her black outfit, could probably join in without looking out of place. Maybe some class or club doesn’t want to yield to Haruhi and is filming their own fantasy movie. Lucky them. They’re probably having a fun time filming their movie without having to deal with any of the problems plaguing me. And they probably have a director who actually has common sense when it comes to issuing commands.
I sighed and returned to the 1-5 classroom.
Haruhi was the only one who believed filming was going well, as the expressions of gloom on the faces of Asahina, Koizumi, and myself gradually escalated.
A number of things appeared to be happening as the filming progressed. The next thing we knew, the model gun fired water bullets instead of BBs, Asahina shot dangerous crap from her eyes every time Haruhi brought a different-colored contact (the gold one shot out rifle darts and the green one shot out micro black holes), which would lead to her being bitten by Nagato, the cherry blossoms that had bloomed fell to the ground the next day, the white doves at the shrine turned into passenger pigeons, which were supposed to be extinct, a few days later (Koizumi told me this in secret), and the Earth’s precession was a little off (according to Nagato).
Everyday life was falling apart around us.
I dragged my exhausted body home to be met by the whiskered animal opening his mouth.
“So I simply need to keep my mouth shut around that hyper girl.”
The calico was sprawled on my bed in a posture resembling the Sphinx.
“So you do understand.” I gently grabbed Shamisen’s long tail. The cat slid the tail out of my grasp with a swish.
“You all were behaving in a manner that suggested as much. I also had a premonition that allowing her to hear me speak would be inconvenient.”
“That’s what Koizumi says.”
A cat talked. Meaning that you would need a reason to explain why it wouldn’t be strange for a cat to talk. The simple way to put it is that you would apparently need to reconstruct the world in a way so that talking cats wouldn’t be considered strange. What would that world be like? What would the cast be like?
Shamisen yawned and began grooming his tail.
“There are many kinds of cats. Isn’t it the same with humans?”
“It’d be nice if you went into detail about what your ‘many kinds’ exactly entailed.”
“What would be the point in knowing that? I doubt you could ever fully become a cat, much less understand the mentality of one.”
I’m fed up with every last one of them.
I was planning on taking a bath when my sister came to my room to inform me that I had a visitor.
I wondered who it might be as I went down the stairs. The one who had finally come all the way to my home was Koizumi. I went outside into the night to deal with him. It’d be a bad idea to let him into my room with his endless talking. And I sure as hell didn’t want to be faced with the prospect of being doubled up on by him and Shamisen in some incomprehensible discussion of the abstract.
As expected, Koizumi began babbling by himself about some kind of theory. He even said the following.
“Suzumiya has no interest in detailed background explanations or subplot. She simply goes with whatever feels more fun, and that’s enough reason for her. There is no rational resolution, careful composition, or fancy foreshadowing. You could say that she has created a rather transient story. She hasn’t given any thought to a resolution. It is possible that the movie may end unfinished.”
And that would be a problem, huh? Based on what you’ve said, if the movie ends halfheartedly, this messed-up reality will become our new reality. We have to force Haruhi to accept a conclusion in her mind, and that conclusion must conform to reality. And we’re the ones who have to come up with such a conclusion. Haruhi doesn’t think, and even if she were to, the result would always be chaos. If that’s the case, we might as well do the thinking for her. Still, why do I have to rack my brain for such a reason? Anybody out there who can shoulder this curse for me?
“If such a person were to exist…”
Koizumi shrugged.
“That person would have appeared before us long ago. Therefore, we must do something about the situation. I’m especially looking forward to your efforts.”
Efforts toward what? Start by explaining that to me.
“We have a problem with the world becoming fiction from a logical standpoint. Asahina may also have a problem with it. Her people follow their own logic. I’m not really sure about Nagato, but observers merely need to take in results. They will simply accept whichever theory wins out in the end. They have no problem with the Earth being blown to pieces, as long as Suzumiya remains.”
The outdoor lamp illuminated Koizumi’s business-like expression.
“The truth is that our Agency and Asahina’s factions are not the only ones with theories centered on Suzumiya. There are many others. I would love to give you a digest of the disputes and bloody battles to the death going on under the surface. Alliances and betrayals, sabotage and deceit, destruction and slaughter. A battle royal where each group must fight with all their strength to survive.”
Koizumi had a tired, cynical smile on his face.
“I do not believe that our theory is absolutely correct. However, I must accept it or I will be unable to continue in my current situation. I just happened to be initially placed on that side. I do not have the option of changing sides. A white pawn cannot switch to the black side.”
Use Othello or shogi.
“It has nothing to do with you. Nor Suzumiya, for that matter. It is better that way. I especially hope that Suzumiya never learns about it. I do not wish to cause her grief. By my standards, Suzumiya has a lovable character. Of course, you do as well.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Merely a slip of the tongue. There is no reason. Besides, I may merely be joking. Perhaps I’m being possessed by bizarre delusions. Or I’m simply trying to earn your sympathy. Whatever the case, it isn’t amusing enough to discuss.”
Yeah, definitely not amusing.
“I might as well tell you something else that isn’t amusing. I’ve come up with a theory regarding why Mikuru Asahina… excuse me, Asahina was sent to accompany us. As you know, Asahina appears to be a helpless, beautiful girl. I can understand why one would reflexively want to offer her help. You would probably accept everything she does in a positive way.”