The other day, for no particular reason, I hauled a cardboard box out of the back of my closet. Inside were all the books I’d bought and read when I was younger.
Incidentally, I tend to be quite a packrat, and I’ll keep stuff around unless it’s obviously garbage. Fortunately, I’m also someone who thinks really hard before buying anything, so the number of boxes around my house stays manageable, but when my eyes alight on the cover of a book I haven’t seen in a decade, it’s enough to make me want to say, “Argh, how dare you!”
And when I really thought about it, it occurred to me that the collected memories of reading all these books must have really shaped my thinking patterns. Of course, it’s not like I remembered every little detail of every book, but it’s definitely true that some of those memories did not evaporate, but rather sank into my mind where they quiver even now.
What impressed me most of all, and what is indeed a very important point, is the idea of timing. The fact that I read certain books when I did is what allowed them to leave such a deep impression on me; if I were to read them for the first time now, the impression would be quite different.
You could say that the sum of all the writing I read in the past is the distant ancestor to the writing I do now—and the writing I’ll do in the future. It might be the case that if I’d missed even one of those books, you might not even be reading this afterword.
So it was that I closed up the cardboard box with a feeling of deep gratitude, putting it back in the closet as I promised myself I would reread every one of those books someday, hoping that the new writing I read in the future will likewise become elements of my future self.
I get cold very easily, and I sometimes wonder if I wear a winter jacket more days out of the year than anyone else in the world. People tease me about it all the time, and all I can think to do is answer, “Maybe I was a cat in a former life.” The truth or falsity of reincarnation aside, if I am a reincarnated cat, then that cat also had its own former life—and if in its former life it had been a polar bear, would the cat prefer warm weather or cold? And what about if that cat were then reincarnated as a penguin? Or is reincarnation specific to humans? There was that TV show with the person who did pet fortune-telling based on the pets’ past lives, so I figure if they can do it, I can do it. I spent an entire day thinking about it.
I’ve been wondering since the beginning what would happen if the SOS Brigade had to do some kind of activity as the literature club. Quite some time ago, I wrote down a short note that said “literary anthology/literature club activities” along with an untitled short piece about Yuki Nagato, but while I remember writing it, I have no idea where on my hard drive it might be, and finding it would be a pain.
Other notes I jotted down around the same time include “the student council finally makes its move,” “counseling/computer club/shut-in,” “Haruhi’s disappearance,” and “baseball tournament.” It all seems so nostalgic now. There were many others, but they’re either spoilers or meaningless details, so I reluctantly omitted them, then spent the rest of the day clicking my way through the ocean of data looking for other fragments. Can I get someone else to do my searching for me, I wonder?
I always agonize over book titles and even chapter titles, and when I get really desperate I’ll just write some random English word. In this case, I translated the temporary title that had just hit me—“samayou kage”—into English. No desperation required!
Come to think of it, I didn’t think about the title The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya much at all. I’m pretty sure it took me about ten seconds to decide on it. I couldn’t think of anything better. I always start writing before I think of a title and only add the title once I’m done, but because I have accepted the reality of my unfortunate lack of copywriting sense, I’m always very slapdash about it. Maybe somebody else should do this for me. Please?
Thus it is that this suddenly strangely titled series has come to the conclusion of its eighth volume. This is thanks to the many professionals involved in the publication and circulation of the book, in addition to the readers who so kindly pick it up. Thank you so much. My thanks also goes to the many people who’ve supported this title in media other than prose. I shall see you again.
Farewell.