The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Read Free Page B

items had been brought in by Haruhi from God knows where when the SOS Brigade was first formed. Don’t tell me that she’d been preparing for this event. In any case, the stove has proven useful when Asahina’s making her special tea, though I have to wonder if we’re even allowed to cook on school grounds, especially when we’re in the ancient clubhouse. The answer would obviously be no. Fire is banned in the building.
    “Sure.”
    Haruhi paid no heed as she smiled like a grade-schooler who had no certification but cooked like a pro.
    “It’s more fun to do these things in secret. If any student council members or teachers barge in, I’ll treat them to some of my fabulous hot pot. They’ll be so overwhelmed by themagnificent taste that they’ll tearfully accept the SOS Brigade! That’s how it’ll go down. To the letter. It’s perfect!”
    Haruhi is ordinarily loath to engage in any activity that requires effort, but once she’s set her mind to doing something, she’ll do an extraordinary job of it. Her cooking is probably as good as she says. But a hot pot? When was that decided? From our conversation, her only concern was that we skip the crab. So she pretended to ask for our opinions while deciding everything herself—well, nothing new about that. No point in worrying about it…
    That all happened yesterday. I finished giving Taniguchi an abridged rundown of those events as we arrived at our high school.
    “A Christmas party, huh?”
    Taniguchi passed through the school gate with a half-smile on his face.
    “Sounds like something Suzumiya would do. A hot-pot party in the clubroom, eh? Well, you’d better not let the teachers find you. That’ll be a pain.”
    “Why don’t you join us?”
    I had already told him that we were holding a party, so I gave him an invitation. Haruhi shouldn’t have any problem with Taniguchi. He, Kunikida, and Tsuruya make up the trio who fill in when we need some more people.
    However, Taniguchi shook his head.
    “Nah. Sorry, man. I don’t have time to chow down on some lame hot pot that day.”
    What’s with the creepy laugh?
    “Now, look here. Only losers who aren’t popular gather together on Christmas Eve for a hot pot. I’m sorry to say that I’m no longer one of those men.”
    Get outta here.
    “Right on. I’ve got a red heart-mark on the twenty-fourth in my planner. Sorry. I feel for you, man. Really, I mean it.”
    What the hell. While I was busy playing along with the wacky antics of Haruhi and the SOS Brigade, stupid Taniguchi managed to land himself a girlfriend.
    “Who is it?” I asked, trying my best to not sound jealous.
    “A first-year from Kouyouen. A safe bet, right?”
    Kouyouen Academy. The all-girls school in front of the station at the bottom of the hill. It was built at the starting point of our long and painful climb, so I would see girls in black blazers parading by every morning. The place was famous for its rich high-society girls, but I was more envious of how they didn’t have to trudge up this killer slope. I mean, I wasn’t envious of Taniguchi at all.
    “What’s your beef? You’ve got Suzumiya, yeah? A hot pot… She’ll be doing the cooking? Though I’m not sure you can call a hot pot cooking, but it’ll still fill you up. I’d love to be in your shoes, Kyon.”
    Jerk. He brought up Christmas Eve because he wanted to brag?
    “Well, I need to plan out where we’ll be going. Tough decisions to make.”
    I was dumbfounded. And speechless.
    Nothing significant happened after school that day. Koizumi and I were forced to put up the new decorations that Haruhi had brought to the clubroom while she stood and pointed. Asahina was the tea-serving mascot in a Santa outfit. Nagato was silently reading a hardcover with a Santa hat on her head again.
    That was it for the day. We didn’t decide on the contents of thehot pot. The only apparent decision was that I would be the one to go out and buy everything needed. What kind of hot