[Haruhi] K:BDH chapter 56

[Specular]

I don't have much to say about the current version of the draft, but here I go:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Though, when everyone came to the clubroom anyway, that issue was largely circumvented -- though thanks to the president of the computer research society stopping her to ask for her help with an upgrade the following week, she was the last to arrive, instead of the first.

IIRC, the president of the computer research society mentioned at some point that he won't be able to hold the position for long after his graduation. It occurs to me that if the members of the computer society recently elected a new president, said guy introducing himself to Yuki at lunchtime could serve as an excuse to explain her uncharacteristic tardiness in this chapter.

"W...what?" the figure on the left managed, eyes widening as he stared in confusion.  The other figure blinked, his mouth dropping open a short distance.  "You--"  He paused, looking around.  Probably because of the parlor's reputation, no one was within easy earshot.  "You're claiming to be the fiance of the legendary Kowa-Keigo Kyon?" he scoffed, looking doubtful.

fiance → fiancee/fiancée


If I may make a suggestion, one way to keep track of how a group of characters address each other is indexing the information in a table with addresser and addressee as its axes. For example, said table for Kyon, Haruhi and Mikuru in canon could look like this:

 
 
 
 

	Kyon	Haruhi	Mikuru
Kyon	-	Haruhi	Asahina-san
Haruhi	Kyon	-	Mikuru-chan
Mikuru	Kyon-kun	Suzumiya-san	-

[Rogh-sensei]

I don't have much to say about the current version of the draft, but here I go:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Though, when everyone came to the clubroom anyway, that issue was largely circumvented -- though thanks to the president of the computer research society stopping her to ask for her help with an upgrade the following week, she was the last to arrive, instead of the first.

IIRC, the president of the computer research society mentioned at some point that he won't be able to hold the position for long after his graduation. It occurs to me that if the members of the computer society recently elected a new president, said guy introducing himself to Yuki at lunchtime could serve as an excuse to explain her uncharacteristic tardiness in this chapter.

"W...what?" the figure on the left managed, eyes widening as he stared in confusion.  The other figure blinked, his mouth dropping open a short distance.  "You--"  He paused, looking around.  Probably because of the parlor's reputation, no one was within easy earshot.  "You're claiming to be the fiance of the legendary Kowa-Keigo Kyon?" he scoffed, looking doubtful.

fiance → fiancee/fiancée


If I may make a suggestion, one way to keep track of how a group of characters address each other is indexing the information in a table with addresser and addressee as its axes. For example, said table for Kyon, Haruhi and Mikuru in canon could look like this:

 
 
 
 

	Kyon	Haruhi	Mikuru
Kyon	-	Haruhi	Asahina-san
Haruhi	Kyon	-	Mikuru-chan
Mikuru	Kyon-kun	Suzumiya-san	-

I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't elect Yuki their new President.

[GeshronTyler]

I've been meaning to comment on some of your other posts, but at least I've gotten
to this already.

Spoiler: ShowHide

It was nice to have some backstory for Shinobu, but her personal story didn't really serve as an allegory for Haruka's situation for my part.  I do get the "even the best intentions can have unintended consequences", and that Haruka's background as a leader, and cultural influences would predispose her to deal with problems "on the quiet side".    I'm not surprised that Shinobu has  been running interference between the Kyon-tachi and Tsuruya-sama, but it is somewhat uncommon for the father to have caught on that more were involved than just his daughter and prospective son-in-law.


Sasaki I think will manage to adjust in no time at all, to be being one of the "Kyon Girls".  Nice touch I feel to have Tsuruya bring up the confrontation on the beach again.




[spoiler]"I ... wish I could help, somehow," Sasaki said slowly. "If ... it's not too much to ask.... Well -- I feel I must ask, though-- Playing the role of hapless victim is quite unpleasant. While I am grateful for your protection and aid, is there ... anything I can do to help?"

Sasaki wanted to pinch herself. Even if it had gone through her mind before, was she seriously asking to be taken in and given a role in a crime syndicate? It took her less than half a second to realize that yes, she was -- and it was perfectly reasonable, too. Her friends were already there, and she was going to be pursued by various enemies for some reason, anyway.

It was entirely logical to do everything she could to protect herself!

Well, something being  logical doesn't mean it's a good idea.    =)

A small voice in the back of her head noted that working in such a capacity might let her spend more time with Kyon, too, but that was fine, wasn't it? They were friends, after all!

Just a tiny little side benefit, sure, that's all it is. 

Spoiler: ShowHide

Tsuruya's eyebrows rose. "Hmm," she mused thoughtfully, one hand cupping her chin, as gaze turned distant. "Well," she said slowly, "I would need to check with Kyon-kun, and see if he thinks it's a good ideas, first."

"If what's a good idea?" the boy in question asked, stepping through the doorway, looking curious.

Tsuruya explained, "Sasaki-chan wants to join us, since she's involved anyways! What does Kyon-kun think?"

"You know," Kyon said, shaking his head and sighing, "Haruhi asked if we could include Sasaki in more of our business, too?"

Tsuruya's eyebrows rose, while Sasaki wondered ... what was Haruhi's role in things? "So, then," she prompted, giving Kyon a smile, "what is your thoughts?"

"Being entirely honest, it seems fair and reasonable," he answered slowly, one hand going behind his head as he stared at the blank television screen. "Um, my thoughts are that ... really ... explaining things to you is something that we must inevitably do. It's ... difficult to know where to begin, though. Well -- as far as things go, I'd be happy to bring you in."

This seems a bit awkward, at first it seems to me that Kyon was answering Tsuruya with his first line of dialogue, and then without transition, he's addressing Sasaki with the rest. 

Spoiler: ShowHide

"Is that so?" Sasaki asked, unable to keep from perking up. This was what she'd hoped for, after all!

"It's not going to be easy," he warned, frowning. "Even considering everything...."

"It is worse than you knows," Tsuruya said sternly, though her expression was surprisingly warm and gentle. "You have seen the tip of the icebergs -- and you must have absolute and unwavering trust for Kyon-kun!"

Sasaki couldn't help but wonder at that. "That's.... I've had trust in Kyon for some time," she said quietly. "But I thought that ... you were in charge?" she asked cautiously.

"It's complicated," Haruhi sighed, stepping in through the doorway from behind Kyon, making him start slightly. "We all look out for one-another, and that means sometimes any one of us may take charge in different ways to help the others out. Like for example, when I tell Kyon he should spend some time with his fiancee, because a debriefing of any kind can wait for the time being!"

I think it makes for a nice literary effect, the way Kyon, and then Haruhi just drop into the conversation.  Sasaki, complicated is one heck of an understatement.    I also liked the way Haruhi managed Kyon and Haruka, telling them to go off, find Yuki, and make out.  =)
No, I really don't think it will take Sasaki very long to come to the conclusion that it is perfectly "logical" to become part of Kyon's Harem.  And there's Haruhi, preparing the groundwork.  If Sasaki gets some time to wind down and reflect on her recent experiences, I'm sure she'll find quite a few instances that when taken in context are actually pretty unusual. 

I wouldn't have expected Sasaki to be interested in watching anime, but she's expressed loneliness, and a desire to find more points of contact with her aquaintances in other scenes, so it turns into a nice bonding scene with Haruhi.  Especially with her interest in Kyon's own taste in anime. =)

Spoiler: ShowHide

After the crazy week he'd had, and the new responsibilities he'd picked up -- important ones, though -- from Haruhi, Kyon was convinced he was finally going to have a single good day in the current week. Just one! Was that so much to ask for?

I find this bit somewhat unclear.  Is Kyon convinced  he _will_ finally have a good day, or is he _wishing_ for just one good day?

Spoiler: ShowHide

The previous night had gone pretty well, though -- his 'meeting' with Tsuruya had turned into a surprisingly intense and unabashed make-out-session, and one that expanded to include Yuki. The heiress didn't kiss Yuki the way she'd kissed Haruhi -- instead it was just a friendly peck on the cheek, but hugging.... Yuki seemed to really like that.

There was a pleasant pause for dinner, which was an interesting experience with Yuki and Tsuruya occupying his arms and taking turns giving him bites of his food -- that kind of thing he supposed he couldn't really complain about too much. Tsuruya's giggling, and Yuki's tiny, almost invisible hints of amusement set a perfect tone.

Yeah, he thought he could deal with more of that.

I like the way that Tsuruya and Yuki interact with each other in a different way than Tsuruya and Haruhi.  It begins to define the interpersonal relationships between the Kyon & the Girls as more than Kyon + Girls(Yuri).  I do see Haruhi being "equal opportunity" when sharing physical affection, though I don't know if all of the girls will accept her advances.  Haruka and Kanamae have already done so, but it remains to be seen how far Yuki, Mikuru, and Sasaki want to go.  Somehow, I don't think Mikuru will escape her clutches. =)  That could serve as another lesson in setting and accepting personal boundaries though.  I imagine Kyon and Haruhi serving as the foci for strongly intimate activities, sort of an love ellipse?  =)

Spoiler: ShowHide

And once he let his eyes open, he realized he'd woken up with the familiar, comforting warmth of two other people crammed into his tiny bed. Glancing cautiously to one side, he caught Haruhi's mop of dark hair, unbound with a ribbon at the moment, and to the other ... Kanae?

Kyon, you definately deserve nothing less than the Special Hell. =P

Spoiler: ShowHide

The slider yawned and stretched cutely, blushing the instant her eyes opened. "G-good morning, Sempai," she stuttered breathily.

Haruhi stirred, shifting a bit and half-flopping across Kyon. "I stayed up too late last night," she groused, before pressing her face into his chest. "Good morning, Kyon, Kanae-chan," she said, her voice muffled, her breath going through his shirt.

Oh ... boy....

"Ah..." Kanae sighed, looking a bit wistful, before hugging Kyon's arm tightly to her chest. That ... wasn't really something he was going to complain about, either!

"Huh?" Haruhi wondered, raising her head. "You sound a bit down, Kanae-chan. What's going on?"

"N...nothing!" the slider squeaked out, her eyes bouncing lower, to Haruhi's pajama top, and then quickly away. "Um, just, good morning!"

"Uh-huh," Haruhi managed, unconvinced, before squirming further across Kyon and raising the smaller girl's chin, grinning deviously. "You want to be able to ... excite Kyon, huh?"

"Y-yes!" Kanae yelped quietly, before covering her mouth, her blush intensifying further, somehow.

"I like you just the way you are, Kanae-chan," Kyon said, shaking his head, as he was pleasantly pinned at the moment.

"Try this!" Haruhi said eagerly, surprising him by squirming a bit more across Kyon, almost lying on top of him to kiss the slider.

He had the perfect view of Kanae's eyes widening, then suddenly going very distant as her expression turned almost deliriously happy, and she started kissing back enthusiastically.

Okay! Now that was a fine way to wake up! Haruhi being, well ... Haruhi, she wasn't content to let it rest there, and pulled Kanae gently with her as she slid back to her side of the bed until they were sharing space partially sprawled across him.

"Now," Haruhi began--

Before both of them vanished, and his door slammed open with a reverberating smash.

"Hah!" Nonoko cheered. "I got up early to-- Aww! Nii-san is already up!"

...I am not touching that last line of Nonoko's.  =P           I freely admit this scene is my favorite, though Taniguchi-baka's performance comes a close second.  I think Kanae's gotten a lot more inspiration for her doujinshi just now. 

Spoiler: ShowHide

Kyon hurriedly sat up to rearrange his blankets, his own face reddening. "Nono-chan..." he sighed, hanging his head.

Well, there was a limit to how nice his day could be, he supposed. Getting too caught up first thing in the morning.... Maybe he'd have a chance to follow up on that a bit with Haruhi and Kanae later; he did have priorities, after all.

Priorities.  Right.  I'm sure you have your priorities in the proper order, Kyon.

After turning off the alarm that he hadn't let go off in quite a while, his sister touched a fingertip to her lip and mused, "I thought I heard Haru-nyan...."

"You did!" Ryouko chirped from her perch on the desk, next to his phone. "Nono-chan~! Yay!"

"Ah! Achakura~!" Nonoko cheered, grinning. "Can we play today?"

"Maybe later!" the small interface replied.

...wait. If Haruhi and Kanae had teleported away -- Kanae's doing? Yuki's? He wasn't sure yet.... Still, if they went away before his sister could spot them, did that mean that ... Ryouko had watched that entire thing?

Daaww.  Hmm, maybe a new 3 Monkeys mode for little Achakura?  Hear no Echi, See no Echi, Speak no EchI?  ^_^ 

It could just be for the best that his sister interrupted! What a thought!

"Will Chuo be there?" his sister asked earnestly.

"Who's that?" Kyon asked, stretching as he finally climbed out of bed.

"Chuo Kuyou!" she said cheerfully. "The fairy that helped fight the dark kingdom army when I was Magical Radiant Nonoko!"

Kyon blinked at his sister in disbelief. "Suou Kuyou," he corrected her gently. "Her name is Suou Kuyou."

"Kyon," his mother chided, leaning around the door-frame in the hall to give him a disapproving look. "Don't encourage Nonoko's daydreams so much."

"R...right," he agreed, forcing a smile and running a hand through his hair again. "Well, anyway, Imouto, how about giving me a little privacy to change?"

"Okay!" she agreed, dashing to his desk and grabbing Asakura up, the small interface waving her arms happily. "I'm just going to go play with my 'imaginary friend' while you do that~!"

His mother rolled her eyes while Kyon just wondered when his sister had become so devious.

The WAFF, it is over 9000!  Yes, Nonoko is frighteningly precocious, and Ryouko only makes her more potent.  His mother is depressingly good at taking the fun out of things, isn't she. 

I just had a thought- I assume that Yuki has been "cleaning up" after the girls?  Kyon's mother hasn't made any unfortunate discoveries of "foreign" hairs when cleaning his bedding.  Or has it been simply dumb luck?  I don't remember if you were sticking to "Anime" hair coloring, but long hairs are going to stand out regardless of color.  Several different colored strands of hair?  That would just excacerbare things. 

Spoiler: ShowHide

As much as she had enjoyed her date with 'Shutaro', Mikuru was still hoping for another chance to spend some time with Kyon. Even as she thought it, she couldn't help but perk up when she spotted Kyon marching up the hill on the way to school. "Kyon-kun!" she called, waving.

He stopped, turning to look at her and giving a subdued wave back.

Is Kyon feeling down?  "subdued" gives that impression.  Perhaps a different word, "casual"? 

She caught up quickly, needing to pause and catch her breath after the jog up the hill. He smiled and took her bag. "Ah-- Thanks, Kyon-kun," she giggled, feeling her face redden a bit. "Good morning!"

"Good morning to you, too," he returned, managing a small smile.

The two started the daily hike, and Mikuru resolved that one of these times, she was going to ask if Yuki couldn't help her get in better shape, too. She didn't want to get into fights, but being able to handle the hill would be a nice change.

"How are you doing today?" he asked.

"I'm fine!" she said brightly. Then, realizing how she could pose it, she added, "I um ... really enjoyed going out with, ehe, Shutaro-kun. I'm hoping I can do it again, soon~!" If not, she was certain she was owed some time to snuggle with him one of these nights soon! "How about you, Kyon-kun?"

"A little stressed," he admitted, his smile faded. "Haruhi's given me some pretty daunting goals.... I can probably figure out how to ... break the masquerade to Sasaki -- or at least try. I'm not quite sure how to take care of that just yet."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, you shouldn't have to worry about that, though; that's my responsibility."

Well, okay, it seems his "good morning wake up" _has_ already worn off.  I'd have thought that little scene with Haruhi and Kanae would have pepped him up for the morning.  That seems like quite the mood swing.  I can see that "reality" could rear its ugly head on the way to school (an activity depressing in and of itself =P), but the transition between "What a way to wake up" and "Life, don't talk to me about Life" I find somewhat sudden. 

She bit her lip thoughtfully. She wished she could help with that.... Well, she had managed to handle the trip to Hinamizawa! Or, would once it came up. Oh, she'd forgotten to tell Haruhi that was handled, hadn't she?

She placed a reminder in her augmented reality field, then asked, "Um, Kyon-kun, do you think we could maybe have dinner tonight?"

A nice detail to slip in, to remind us that future has awesome stuff.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Though, when everyone came to the clubroom anyway, that issue was largely circumvented -- though thanks to the president of the computer research society stopping her to ask for her help with an upgrade the following week, she was the last to arrive, instead of the first.

So much for that particular 'habit'.

I like Yuki's viewpoint segment.  Perhaps "since everyone had come to the clubroom"?

Spoiler: ShowHide

That aside, as much as she had enjoyed spending time with both Tsuruya (unexpected, but incredibly pleasant) and Kyon the night before, she recognized an opportunity when she opened the clubroom door and found him already seated. Haruhi was to his right, and Kanae was to his left.

Since those two prime seats were taken, Yuki resolved to try something that she'd seen Mikuru do before. Since seats were limited, even if there were technically enough, and he'd wolfed down most of his lunch already, she set her bento on the table and then took the seat she'd planned on taking.

The slider gasped in response, looking envious. "Ah, Nagato-san...." she mumbled.

"Hmm, I'll allow it," Haruhi decreed, nodding. "That's insanely cute! Can you just imagine her sitting like that and reading a book?"

Okay, this comes at least 3rd for "best scene" this chapter. ^_^ Yuki's really making an effort to apply the various types of "courting" behavior she's observed, isn't she?  Poor Koizumi, the others make it really hard to maintain a "professional" demeanor, don't they?  At least he has a girlfriend of his own to commisemerate with him. 

I liked the "slice of life" segment with the "normal" classmates.  I agree that ignorance is bliss, for Yanagimoto and co.  I feel for Taniguchi, he just couldn't win that one.  Though, this "study group" Kunikida is supposedly attending worries me.  It sounds like his "Uncle" has drawn him deeper into things than he really should feel comfortable with.  Hmm, I wouldn't be surprised if Kunikida ends up coincidentally at a certain Pachinko Parlor. 

So, the last segment of the chapter has Tsuruya deciding to take care of things to her satisfaction.  With Yuki's back up, I guess she'll be safe enough, but as Shinobu warned, this isn't one of Haruka's better ideas, and Yuki's hardly the voice of reason either.  Her inclination would be to deal with threats and problems in a "firm" manner (preemptively, where possible =P), that achieves a long-term, if not permanent, solution.   I don't see this really having an entirely desirable outcome, but without Sasaki blocking her, she ought to have free reign.  Barring any other DE factions interfering, but I don't think there was any real cooperation between the Sumi-yoshi  and ... whats-her-face on the student council, more a taking advantage of circumstances.  Still, if Kyon does need to mount a rescue, it might be an opportunity to help Sasaki accept "illogical" events.

I was wondering, assuming that Haruhi and Sasaki's "awakenings" have parallels, if Sasaki might recall a familiar looking stranger(s) that helped her during time of crisis?  She said, I believe, that she had an episode where she had been "truly angry", and to avoid feeling that way again, began to supress her emotions.  Well, a behavior that many children have exhibited in times of emotional turmoil, is to run away from home.  Perhaps Kyon, and Mikuru (perhaps even Haruhi?) travelled back in time to bring a young Sasaki back home (because she happens to remember that someone similiar to them did so), and leave her with a message that helps to convince her to accept the strange, fantastic, and wonderfull into her life again?

An enjoyable chapter, I've been anticipating it for a while. 
[/spoiler]

[Brian]

I don't have much to say about the current version of the draft, but here I go:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Though, when everyone came to the clubroom anyway, that issue was largely circumvented -- though thanks to the president of the computer research society stopping her to ask for her help with an upgrade the following week, she was the last to arrive, instead of the first.

IIRC, the president of the computer research society mentioned at some point that he won't be able to hold the position for long after his graduation. It occurs to me that if the members of the computer society recently elected a new president, said guy introducing himself to Yuki at lunchtime could serve as an excuse to explain her uncharacteristic tardiness in this chapter.

It could, but I'm thinking the current president can probably stick around until the start of summer vacation.

"W...what?" the figure on the left managed, eyes widening as he stared in confusion.  The other figure blinked, his mouth dropping open a short distance.  "You--"  He paused, looking around.  Probably because of the parlor's reputation, no one was within easy earshot.  "You're claiming to be the fiance of the legendary Kowa-Keigo Kyon?" he scoffed, looking doubtful.

fiance → fiancee/fiancée

Oops. :p  Thanks for the catch!

If I may make a suggestion, one way to keep track of how a group of characters address each other is indexing the information in a table with addresser and addressee as its axes.

I probably should.  It's a pretty big table by this point, though.  :p

Okay!  Thanks for the feedback. :)

[Brian]

I've been meaning to comment on some of your other posts, but at least I've gotten to this already.

Other posts, or other fics?

Spoiler: ShowHide

It was nice to have some backstory for Shinobu, but her personal story didn't really serve as an allegory for Haruka's situation for my part.  I do get the "even the best intentions can have unintended consequences", and that Haruka's background as a leader, and cultural influences would predispose her to deal with problems "on the quiet side".    I'm not surprised that Shinobu has  been running interference between the Kyon-tachi and Tsuruya-sama, but it is somewhat uncommon for the father to have caught on that more were involved than just his daughter and prospective son-in-law.

It wasn't supposed to be a perfect allegory.  It was more, "People can do things they regret," and largely an excuse to cover Shinobu's backstory -- since I know there were a lot of questions about it.

Sasaki I think will manage to adjust in no time at all, to be being one of the "Kyon Girls".  Nice touch I feel to have Tsuruya bring up the confrontation on the beach again.

Yeah, I can imagine someone with Sasaki's stance and generally logical approach adjusting pretty quickly....

"Being entirely honest, it seems fair and reasonable," he answered slowly, one hand going behind his head as he stared at the blank television screen. "Um, my thoughts are that ... really ... explaining things to you is something that we must inevitably do. It's ... difficult to know where to begin, though. Well -- as far as things go, I'd be happy to bring you in."

This seems a bit awkward, at first it seems to me that Kyon was answering Tsuruya with his first line of dialogue, and then without transition, he's addressing Sasaki with the rest.

Okay, I'll work on that a bit.

I wouldn't have expected Sasaki to be interested in watching anime, but she's expressed loneliness, and a desire to find more points of contact with her aquaintances in other scenes, so it turns into a nice bonding scene with Haruhi.  Especially with her interest in Kyon's own taste in anime. =)

Step by step. :p

After the crazy week he'd had, and the new responsibilities he'd picked up -- important ones, though -- from Haruhi, Kyon was convinced he was finally going to have a single good day in the current week. Just one! Was that so much to ask for?

I find this bit somewhat unclear.  Is Kyon convinced  he _will_ finally have a good day, or is he _wishing_ for just one good day?

It's a PoV effect.  He strongly wants to believe.  I guess it doesn't work for you?

I like the way that Tsuruya and Yuki interact with each other in a different way than Tsuruya and Haruhi.  It begins to define the interpersonal relationships between the Kyon & the Girls as more than Kyon + Girls(Yuri).  I do see Haruhi being "equal opportunity" when sharing physical affection, though I don't know if all of the girls will accept her advances.  Haruka and Kanamae have already done so, but it remains to be seen how far Yuki, Mikuru, and Sasaki want to go.  Somehow, I don't think Mikuru will escape her clutches. =)  That could serve as another lesson in setting and accepting personal boundaries though.  I imagine Kyon and Haruhi serving as the foci for strongly intimate activities, sort of an love ellipse?  =)

In this kind of setup, the yuri is pretty strongly implied.  I can easily see Haruhi being more willing to go that direction, and Tsuruya and Kanae as well.  The others, well, I think I'll probably generally leave that to everyone's imagination, but it's probably inevitable any time there's more girls than Kyon and....

So, yeah. <_<;

...I am not touching that last line of Nonoko's.  =P           I freely admit this scene is my favorite, though Taniguchi-baka's performance comes a close second.  I think Kanae's gotten a lot more inspiration for her doujinshi just now. 

XD

Daaww.  Hmm, maybe a new 3 Monkeys mode for little Achakura?  Hear no Echi, See no Echi, Speak no EchI?  ^_^

Kyon: "A new mode might be good, yeah."
Yuki: "Recording mode, activate."
Kyon: "That's ... not what I had...."
Tsuruya: "Oooh~!  Can we watch together, Yuki-nyan?"
Kyon: "...I'm really tempted to have Ryouko record that, suddenly."

The WAFF, it is over 9000!  Yes, Nonoko is frighteningly precocious, and Ryouko only makes her more potent.  His mother is depressingly good at taking the fun out of things, isn't she. 

I just had a thought- I assume that Yuki has been "cleaning up" after the girls?  Kyon's mother hasn't made any unfortunate discoveries of "foreign" hairs when cleaning his bedding.  Or has it been simply dumb luck?  I don't remember if you were sticking to "Anime" hair coloring, but long hairs are going to stand out regardless of color.  Several different colored strands of hair?  That would just excacerbare things. 

Now that would be awkward.  I was more thinking that she wouldn't look that closely, and would just attribute it to his friends being over.

Is Kyon feeling down?  "subdued" gives that impression.  Perhaps a different word, "casual"?

He is, a little.  He hasn't figured out how to get everyone to Hinamizawa as Haruhi ordered him to.  He's been distracted.

And Mikuru forgot to tell him she has it covered.

Well, okay, it seems his "good morning wake up" _has_ already worn off.  I'd have thought that little scene with Haruhi and Kanae would have pepped him up for the morning.  That seems like quite the mood swing.  I can see that "reality" could rear its ugly head on the way to school (an activity depressing in and of itself =P), but the transition between "What a way to wake up" and "Life, don't talk to me about Life" I find somewhat sudden.

It's been very slow, but part of the recent overarching theme has been that Kyon is actually having a hell of a stressful week.  The constant Sasaki kidnappings, sister almost getting hurt facing extra-dimensional invaders, Haruhi blowing up at Tsuruya, tasks he can't figure out how to accomplish....

A nice detail to slip in, to remind us that future has awesome stuff.

Also a reminder that she forgot to tell Kyon. :p

I like Yuki's viewpoint segment.  Perhaps "since everyone had come to the clubroom"?

Sure.

Okay, this comes at least 3rd for "best scene" this chapter. ^_^ Yuki's really making an effort to apply the various types of "courting" behavior she's observed, isn't she?  Poor Koizumi, the others make it really hard to maintain a "professional" demeanor, don't they?  At least he has a girlfriend of his own to commisemerate with him. 

I liked the "slice of life" segment with the "normal" classmates.  I agree that ignorance is bliss, for Yanagimoto and co.  I feel for Taniguchi, he just couldn't win that one.  Though, this "study group" Kunikida is supposedly attending worries me.  It sounds like his "Uncle" has drawn him deeper into things than he really should feel comfortable with.  Hmm, I wouldn't be surprised if Kunikida ends up coincidentally at a certain Pachinko Parlor. 

Ah, Taniguchi. XD

I was wondering, assuming that Haruhi and Sasaki's "awakenings" have parallels, if Sasaki might recall a familiar looking stranger(s) that helped her during time of crisis?  She said, I believe, that she had an episode where she had been "truly angry", and to avoid feeling that way again, began to supress her emotions.  Well, a behavior that many children have exhibited in times of emotional turmoil, is to run away from home.  Perhaps Kyon, and Mikuru (perhaps even Haruhi?) travelled back in time to bring a young Sasaki back home (because she happens to remember that someone similiar to them did so), and leave her with a message that helps to convince her to accept the strange, fantastic, and wonderfull into her life again?

Hmmm.  I'd never really thought of that.  It'd be a good way to justify Sasaki's personality shift from canon.  I'll have to think aboutit!  Thanks for the suggestion. :P

An enjoyable chapter, I've been anticipating it for a while.

Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. :D 

And thanks greatly for taking the time to comment! :D

[OneMore]

Can anyone please give me a link to a PDF compilation if the fic? It is pretty handy to have at hand.

[Dracos]

I don't think there is one?  I mean all the chapters are on brian's site, but...

*waits to be proven wrong*

[OneMore]

There is - I have one on my hard drive now; it's somewhat outdated though (marked 25.04.2012), and I was asking for a more recent one. Specular from TVTropes forum made and posted them there, but I don't visit that site anymore.

And actually nevermind, I found it. Here it is, if you need it.

[Specular]

It seems I'm a little late. Anyway, here you can find the current version of the PDF. I will try to upload future versions into the same address so you can always find the latest version there.