01x05 - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Three

[bunniefuu]

FIRE HYDRANT

...is quite common in school life dramas...

...and I'd be lying if I said I'd never dreamed about such an experience.

And now I am presently living out my dream...

Wonder why I'm not the least bit happy about it.

That way, okay?

Did you say something?

No, nothing.

We're getting close to Nagato's apartment.

Looks like Asakura lived in room in this building.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya V

I see.

See what?

No, nothing.

Anyway, how are you planning on getting inside?

Do you know the code for that?

No.

It'll be a battle of attrition.

What's this!?

Get in here already!

Anyway, it's definitely strange.

She suddenly transferred to Canada...

...and no one knows her new address.

You already told me that.

And that isn't the only thing that's fishy.

She didn't seem to have attended any of the local middle schools either.

Well, I guess.

I did some snooping and found out she transferred from a school in the suburbs.

Isn't that suspicious?

North High isn't famous or anything.

Just your typical prefectural high school.

Why would she go out of her way to attend here?

Dunno.

Yet her residence is this close to school.

And it's a condo at that!

It's not a rental apartment.

In a nice location like this it must be insanely expensive!

Has she been commuting to her middle school in the suburbs from here?

Like I said, I dunno.

Looks like we'll need to find out when Asakura began living here.

It's empty now.

The door won't open.

I'm thinking this is a waste of time, even for me.

Let's go to the manager's office.

I doubt he'll let you borrow a key.

Not that.

I'm going to ask him when Asakura began living here.

Let's just give up and go home.

What can you possibly accomplish with that information?

No!

We're friends of a former resident, Ryoko Asakura-san.

She suddenly moved...

...and we don't know how to contact her.

Did you happen to hear where she moved to?

And I was wondering if you could tell me when Asakura-san came to this place.

So she can phrase questions like a normal human being.

I was wondering if you could tell me where...

...Ryoko Asakura-san moved...

...or when she began living here!

Asakura-san in room , right?

I was shocked when I found the room empty...

...when I hadn't seen any movers come by.

Must have slipped past me.

No movers came...?

Didn't hear where she moved either.

If they get a package later on, I won't know where to send it.

It's quite troubling.

When did she begin living here?

Three years ago, I suppose.

I remember since the lovely young lady brought me a box of confections.

What about her parents?

Do you know what line of work her father and mother were in?

Let's see...

That's right.

I saw the young lady a number of times...

...but I don't recall ever meeting her parents.

But this is an expensive apartment, isn't it?

I can't see them taking out a loan on a place just for their child.

No, no.

No loan.

She paid a lump sum up front in cash.

I suppose she was filthy rich.

Impressive interrogating.

You should become a detective.

She could have at least said goodbye.

What a pity.

By the way...

...you're a fine-looking girl yourself.

Thank you very much for your help.

Lad.

That young lady will definitely grow up to be a beauty.

Don't let her get away.

Oh?

Guess she actually eats food.

Do you live here too?

What a coincidence.

It's obviously not a coincidence.

Then did you hear anything about Asakura?

You know that she transferred, right?

I see.

If you learn anything about Asakura, let me know.

Understood?

What happened to your glasses?

You're making me uncomfortable.

Be careful.

Be careful of what this time?

Let's go.

Where are we going now?

Doesn't matter.

No plan.

Can I go home now?

Say...

Have you ever realized how insignificant your existence is on this planet?

What are you talking about?

I have.

It's something I'll never forget.

During elementary school...

When I was in sixth grade...

...the whole family went to watch a baseball game...

...at the stadium.

I wasn't particularly interested in baseball...

...but I was shocked once we got there.

There were people everywhere I looked.

The ones on the other side of the stadium looked like squirming grains of rice all packed together.

I wondered if every last person in Japan had gathered in this place.

And so...

...I asked my dad.

Exactly how many people were in the stadium?

His answer was that a sold-out game meant around fifty thousand people.

After the game, the path to the station was flooded with people.

The sight stunned me.

So many people around me...

...yet they only made up a fraction of the people in Japan.

Once I got home, I got a calculator and did the math.

We learned that the Japanese population was a hundred million and some in social studies.

Divide fifty thousand into that...

...and you only get one two-thousandth.

I was stunned again.

Not only was I just one little person in that sea of people in that stadium...

...but that sea of people...

...was merely a drop in the ocean.

I had thought myself to be...

...a special person up until that point.

I enjoyed being with my family...

...and most of all...

...I thought that my class in my school...

...had the most interesting people in the world.

But...

...that was when I realized it wasn't like that.

The things that happened in what I believed to be the most enjoyable class in the world...

...could be found happening in any school in Japan.

Everyone in Japan would find them to be ordinary occurrences.

Once I realized this...

...I suddenly found that...

...my surroundings were beginning to lose their color.

Brush my teeth and go to sleep at night.

Wake up and eat breakfast in the morning.

People do those everywhere.

When I realized that everyone did all these things on a daily basis...

...everything started to feel so boring.

And if...

...there were so many people in the world...

...there had to be someone living an interesting life that wasn't ordinary.

I was sure of it.

Why wasn't that person me?

That's all I could think about...

...until I graduated from elementary school.

And in the process, I realized something.

Nothing fun will happen if you sit around waiting.

So I figured I would change myself in middle school.

Let the world know that I wasn't a girl content with sitting around and waiting.

And I conducted myself accordingly.

But in the end, nothing ever happened.

Before I knew it, I was in high school.

I thought something would have changed.

The train gave me time...

...to decide if I should make a witty comment...

...or quote some philosophical anecdote...

...to fill up the silence.

I see.

My inability to say anything else...

...made me a bit melancholic.

I'm going home.

As for me...

...it would be faster to go home that way...

...but I got the feeling that...

...Haruhi's back was silently yelling, "Don't follow me!"

So until Haruhi was out of sight...

...I just stood there.

What am I doing?

Hello.

I wanted to fulfill my prior promise.

I've been waiting for your return.

You sound like...

...you know where I went.

Could I have a bit of your time?

Suzumiya-related?

Suzumiya-san-related.

This taxi sure passed by at a perfect time.

The other day...

You wanted proof that I was an esper, correct?

An opportunity has arrived...

...so I thought you might want to come along.

Is there a point in traveling so far?

I can only demonstrate my powers as an esper...

...in a certain location...

...under certain conditions.

Our current destination...

...happens to fulfill those conditions.

Do you still think Haruhi is God or whatever?

Are you aware of the anthropic principle?

Never heard of it.

The condensed version is as follows.

''If something must be true for us...

...as humans, to exist...

...then it is true because we exist."

That's the theory.

No idea what you're talking about.

I observe...

...therefore the universe exists...

...would be another way to put it.

Basically...

...humans, the intelligent life forms of this planet...

...discovered the laws of physics and other physical constants...

...and through those discoveries, became aware for the first time...

...of the existence of a universe bound by those observations.

Therefore, if the humans on Earth who observed this universe...

...had not evolved to our current level...

...there would be no one to make those observations...

...and consequently, the existence of the universe would remain unknown.

In other words, it wouldn't matter if the universe existed or not.

The existence of humans permits the existence of the universe.

This would be the reasoning from a human basis.

That's just ridiculous.

Doesn't matter if humans are around or not.

The universe is the universe.

Precisely.

Which is why the anthropic principle is merely speculative theory.

However, it brings some interesting facts to our attention.

Why did the universe happen to be...

...created to accommodate human life?

If there was a slight increase or decrease...

...in the gravitational constant...

...or particle-mass ratios...

...the universe would most likely not have facilitated the development of such a planet.

You sound like one of those brochures...

...for one of those new pseudoscience religions.

Quite frankly...

...I do not believe that...

...an omniscient, omnipotent God...

...created humans.

However, we have our suspicions.

About what?

Perhaps we are just clowns standing on tiptoe...

...at the edge of a cliff?

I kid.

I don't understand a thing you're saying.

I brought up the anthropic principle...

...to draw a comparison.

I haven't gotten to Suzumiya-san yet.

So tell me already.

Why do you, Nagato, and Asahina-san...

...all like Haruhi so much?

I believe her to be a charming person.

But let's set that aside.

Do you remember?

I once said that the world may have been created...

...by Suzumiya-san.

Annoys the hell out of me...

...but I guess I still remember.

She has the ability to realize wishes.

Don't make that kind of an assertion with a straight face.

Suzumiya-san is...

...positive that aliens exist.

She wished it to be so.

That is why Yuki Nagato is here.

Similarly, she wished for time travelers to exist.

That is why Mikuru Asahina is here.

And I...

...am also here for the sole reason that...

...Suzumiya-san wished it so.

Like. I. Said.

How do you know that?

It was three years ago.

Screw three years ago.

I'm sick of it.

One day I suddenly...

...became aware of certain powers within myself...

...as well as how to use those powers without knowing why.

Other people with the same powers...

...experienced similar awakenings.

Furthermore...

...we also knew that Haruhi Suzumiya was the cause.

I cannot explain why.

We just ended up with that knowledge.

Let's just say I give you the benefit of doubt.

I still don't see how Haruhi can do all that.

We found it hard to believe ourselves.

How could a single girl have transformed the world...

No...

...perhaps even created the world?

And that girl finds this world...

...to be a boring place.

This is a terrifying situation to behold.

Why?

Didn't I tell you?

If she's capable of creating this world at will...

...she could undo the world we know...

...and create her desired world from scratch.

That would be quite literally...

...the end of the world.

Of course...

...we would have no way of knowing if it happened.

In fact...

The world we believe to be unique...

...may actually be the latest in a string of reincarnations.

Then reveal your true identity to Haruhi.

Once she knows that espers really exist...

...she'll be ecstatic.

She might stop thinking about changing the world.

That would pose another problem.

If Suzumiya-san...

...believes the existence of espers to be a common occurrence...

...the world would really end up that way.

The laws of physics would be bent.

The entire universe would erupt into chaos.

If Haruhi wished for you people to exist...

...why hasn't she noticed yet?

Isn't that odd?

Her desire for aliens, time travelers, and espers to exist...

...contradicts with her common sense...

...which says they cannot exist.

She is indeed eccentric in her speech and conduct...

...but she is...

...a normal person with rational reasoning.

Her sandstorm-level of energy during middle school...

...has alleviated substantially the past few months.

I would have preferred that she continue to calm down...

...but once she came here...

...a tornado touched down.

What do you mean?

It is your fault.

What did I do?

You were the one who gave her the idea to form this questionable club.

Your conversation...

...gave her the inspiration to make a club made up of strange individuals.

The responsibility is yours.

As a result...

...low-ranked members from the three forces interested in Suzumiya-san...

...have gathered together in one group.

That's a false charge.

Well...

That isn't the only reason.

It may be a bit late to say this after coming this far.

You can still back out now.

Just a bit late, yeah.

Could you close your eyes for a bit?

It'll only take a few seconds.

What are you doing?

You're freaking me out.

That's enough.

The void within a dimensional fault.

A place separated from our world.

Closed space.

The middle of this crosswalk happened to be...

...the "wall" of this closed space.

Its radius is approximately five kilometers.

You cannot gain entry through ordinary, physical measures.

One of the powers I possess...

...is the ability to enter this space.

Picture a dome-shaped space rising from the ground.

We would be on the inside.

Right now...

...everything's happening as normal on the outside.

An average person will be unable to stumble into this place...

...most of the time, at least.

Closed space occurs completely arbitrarily.

There have been instances where they occurred every other day.

There were also times when months went by without incident.

Only one thing is certain.

This space is created whenever...

...Suzumiya-san becomes mentally unstable.

I am able to detect the emergence of closed space.

As well as gain entry.

Furthermore, my powers are not limited to those.

You could say that...

...I've been granted powers which reflect Suzumiya-san's rationality.

If this world is like a pimple resulting from her unstable state...

...I would be the medicine that treats it.

Your metaphors are hard to understand.

People often tell me that.

In any case, you are quite impressive.

Not a hint of surprise after witnessing this situation.

I've already been through a lot.

I see that it has begun.

Please look behind you.

When Suzumiya-san's irritation passes a certain point...

...these giants appear.

They wreck their surroundings...

...to relieve her stress, I would assume.

We can't allow them to run loose in the real world.

That is why closed space is created...

...and the destruction only transpires within.

Quite a rational method, don't you think?

The laws of physics would dictate that its legs be unable to support its own weight.

It would appear that it is not bound by logic.

Mobilizing an army...

...wouldn't be enough to stop it.

So you just let it rampage around!?

Please watch.

My colleagues.

Like myself...

...they were granted power by Suzumiya-san.

Giant hunters.

Well...

I must join them.

This is just ridiculous, man.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

There is one last sight for you to see.

What else could there possibly be?

Once the blue monster is defeated...

...closed space is destroyed.

It's quite the spectacle.

Do you understand now?

Nope.

Those blue monsters...

We call them divine ones...

"Celestials."

"Celestials" are linked to Suzumiya-san's mental state.

As are we.

Only when closed space is created...

...when "Celestials" are created...

...am I able to use abnormal powers.

And those powers can only be used within closed space.

For instance...

...I currently have no power.

As for why we are the only ones with such powers...

I would assume that any person would have sufficed.

We just happened to be chosen.

We cannot leave the actions of the "Celestials" unchecked.

For the greater the extent of destruction the "Celestials" wreak...

...the more closed space will expand.

The space you just saw...

...was one of the smaller ones.

If we leave it alone it will continue to expand...

...eventually covering the entire world.

And in the end...

...that gray space...

...will take the place of our world.

Why do you know this?

I just ended up with the knowledge.

The same goes for everyone in the "Agency."

If we did not act...

...the world would surely be destroyed.

Quite a quandary.

Please take note of any trends in Suzumiya-san's behavior.

Her mental state has been stable for a while now...

...but recently, there have been signs of activation.

Today's duties were the first in a long time.

Even if I do take note...

...what is that going to accomplish?

Well...

You never know.

I would prefer to leave everything to you, myself.

There are those among us...

...with complicated intentions.

Koizumi told me to note trends in Haruhi's behavior.

Nagato told me to be careful for some unknown reason.

Regardless, I didn't expect anything to happen soon.

If I had the power of foresight...

...and had known that an extraordinary ordeal would occur the very next day...

...I wouldn't have been so laid-back.