The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Read Online Free PDF Page B

absolutely pointless, unexplained group that’s existed for over half a year despite the fact that we don’t know why we’re here. I wouldn’t be surprised if nobody even opened their door for us.
    After we reached the bottom of the hill, we boarded the local line of the private railway and got off at the third station. We were near the cherry-tree-lined path where Asahina and I had taken a stroll. I saw a huge department store as well as a shopping district. A relatively busy place.
    With Asahina and me in her tracks, Haruhi headed straight into the shopping district.
    “Here.”
    The place Haruhi pointed to after she had finally stopped was an electronics store.
    “I see,” I said. Apparently, she intends to wrangle the equipment for filming the movie out of this place.
    How?
    “Hold on. I’m going to go negotiate.”
    Haruhi handed me her bag and walked into the glass-walled store.
    Asahina hid behind me, looking fearfully into the store illuminated by the lighting display, like a shy grade-schooler visiting a friend’s house for the first time. I was all pumped up to protect Asahina this time, observing Haruhi’s back as she waved and then began talking to a middle-aged man who looked to be the manager. If Haruhi even remotely looks like she’s about to do anything fishy, I’ll take Asahina under my arm and run for it.
    On the other side of the glass, Haruhi was talking while pointing to some item on display, then to herself, and then to the guy. And the guy was just nodding. I should probably warn him not to acquiesce so readily.
    Eventually, Haruhi spun around and pointed to the two of us, who were standing outside the glass door ready to escape at a moment’s notice. She then smiled like she’d eaten some weird ’shrooms and returned to her animated speech.
    “I wonder what she’s doing….,” Asahina—hiding behind me to the side—said questioningly as she repeatedly stuck her face out for a peek before drawing it back.
    If someone from the future doesn’t know, there’s no way I would.
    “Beats me. She’s probably telling the guy to give her his most advanced digital handheld video camera free of charge.”
    She’s a girl capable of saying stuff like that with a straight face. One slip and you’ll have her thinking that the world revolves around her.
    I sighed. “What a pain.”
    I recall posing a query to Nagato not too long ago.
    Haruhi believes her values and judgment to be absolute. And it’s certain that she has no idea that other people, actually most people, may think or feel differently. If you want to achieve faster-than-light travel, let Haruhi on your spaceship. She’ll just simply ignore the theory of relativity for you.
    When I mentioned this to Nagato, the reticent pseudo-alien responded with the following.
    “Your belief is most likely correct.”
    One of Nagato’s more meaningful sentences. A joke that wasn’t funny. That is the existence of Haruhi Suzumiya.
    “Ah, it looks like they’re done talking.” Asahina’s hushed voice brought me out of my flashback.
    As expected, Haruhi emerged from the electronics store looking very pleased. She was carrying a small box in her hands. I looked at the product photo next to the large logo of a well-known electronics maker. If I wasn’t mistaken, it looked like a video camera.
    “What kind of threats did you make? Hand it over or I’ll set fire to the place? Boycott the store? Send prank faxes all night? Go into a violent tantrum on the spot? Self-destruct without any warning?”
    “Are you retarded? I wouldn’t use those kinds of blackmail tactics.”
    Haruhi was merrily walking under the canopy of the shopping district.
    “The first step was a success. Everything’s going well.”
    I walked after her, forced to carry the box containing the video camera, as I watched her straight hair swaying across her back.
    “I’m asking how you got such an expensive item for free. Are you holding something over him?”
    Yeah, the