Chapter 162: Time War

Peeking in from outside the door, trembling, a beautiful girl cautiously glanced into the office. She had chestnut long hair and a cute doll-like face, along with a chest of quite impressive size that was completely disproportionate to her petite figure.

She could truly be called the epitome of a baby-faced girl with a large bust.

Because she was so distinctive, Xia Zhi naturally recognized her at a glance.

She was another suspicious target he had discovered during his "screening" process; he didn't know if she was from the Time Traveler faction or the Esper faction.

She was Mikuru Asahina of Class 2-2.

He blinked his eyes, walked past Asakura Ryouko without a care, and looked at the petite girl outside the door, revealing what he thought was a very gentle, MAX-friendly business smile: "Oh, I'm here... Student, is there something you need?"

"Uwaah—"

Accompanied by a small scream, like a timid whimper.

Even though she had encouraged herself over and over before coming, when Mikuru Asahina saw that figure's gaze fall upon her and saw the terrifying expression directed at her, her pupils suddenly contracted, and her face showed an expression as if she were about to burst into tears.

Mainly because it was truly too terrifying, and the end of this corridor was also too quiet. Even though it was break time, there were no other students present.

—This was actually Asakura Ryouko's doing; she used Information Manipulation to drive away the idlers.

But precisely because of this, Mikuru Asahina, who had come looking for him at this time, had to face the terrifying existence inside the office alone on this empty corridor.

This naturally caused her immense psychological pressure.

"?"

What was the situation again?

Xia Zhi raised his eyebrows slightly in confusion, looking at Mikuru Asahina's expression of shrinking back, almost about to cry, lightly scratched his cheek with his index finger, and then looked at Asakura Ryouko beside him, discovering that she also looked displeased that the conversation had been interrupted.

It was just that the girl pressed her lips and didn't say anything in front of "outsiders."

Of course, Xia Zhi could roughly understand what Asakura Ryouko had wanted to say just now.

This was really easy to speculate.

In fact, on the very first day he had impersonated a teacher and entered North High, Asakura had already shown signs of wanting to contact him.

At that time, she had disguised herself very cleverly, appearing like other girls, simply interested in him as a person... until they became a bit more familiar, she was preparing to test him today.

The young man shook his head and refocused his attention on the timid Mikuru Asahina.

He saw Mikuru's body still trembling uneasily, not daring to speak, so he slightly narrowed his eyes.

Since she had come to find him on her own initiative... shouldn't it be a showdown, then a normal conversation to form an alliance? Like the representative of the Alien faction; that was the normal development, right? No matter how you looked at it, coming on her own and then being afraid on her own was incomprehensible.

He couldn't help but fall into a slight contemplation.

And this thoughtful, deep expression seemed to further stimulate Mikuru Asahina; she was already very afraid, and now she was terrified beyond measure.

"Actually, it's like this, Teacher Xia Zhi, I, I am... I am..." The petite girl with a baby face and large bust stammered, her small face still pale with nervousness, wearing a grief-stricken expression.

She was like someone being held at gunpoint, afraid that if she didn't speak now she wouldn't get a chance, forcing herself to speak.

However—

She had stood there for half a day but still couldn't organize the words below. Even though she was already stammering anxiously with a trembling tone, she just couldn't say the words below.

Mikuru Asahina was in a complete panic, just standing there repeating those few words.

Her mind was a complete blank; she had no idea what she was thinking. The excuse she had prepared earlier was completely forgotten under extreme tension. At this moment, she might not even remember her own name... the more nervous she was, the emptier her head became, and the emptier her head became, the more nervous she was.

"Student, why are you so afraid? Did something happen outside?"

Seeing her like this, Xia Zhi could only frown, showing an expression of just the right amount of confusion and concern on his face, while standing up from his seat as if he had realized something: "Don't rush, tell me slowly, don't panic or be nervous..."

While trying to comfort the girl who seemed frightened by something, he also wanted to stand up and walk over.

At least on the surface, at this moment he looked like a good teacher who truly cared about his students.

However, this approach obviously wasn't very useful.

Mikuru Asahina did not feel reassured by his words and actions; instead, it had the absolute opposite effect.

Her petite body trembled like chaff in a sieve, and she watched the figure like a Magic God approaching bit by bit with eyes full of dread.

"Actually, it's like this... Teacher Xia Zhi!!"

Perhaps because fear increased slightly, exceeding Mikuru Asahina's psychological threshold, and also forced out her potential, she finally remembered the excuse she had prepared earlier. She closed her eyes and shouted loudly: "I want to—join the Literature Club!!"

"..."

"..."

The voice reverberated on the empty corridor.

A brief silence.

Xia Zhi had a strange expression: "Wait, is it that simple?"

"Y-yes!"

Once she had started, the following things didn't seem so difficult. Even though this second-year girl's tone was still trembling, and her whole person was like a trembling little deer, at least she could now speak her words normally—

"I want to transfer from the Calligraphy Club to the Literature Club. May I... join?"

"I am the Literature Club's Club Advisor, but I only supervise. If you want to apply to join, you need to go find the Club President." The young man lightly exhaled and waved his hand as he spoke.

While transferring to the school to become a teacher, under Nagato Yuki's Information Manipulation, he also simultaneously became the Literature Club's Club Advisor, which was convenient for later operations.

"In other words... Teacher Xia Zhi, you don't oppose it, right?"

Mikuru Asahina cautiously glanced at his complexion, and asked while gritting her teeth to confirm: "As long as I get the Club President's agreement, I can join the club?"

"Yes, that's how it is. As long as the President also agrees, you can join the Literature Club."

Xia Zhi sized up this second-year girl, then nodded.

The other party's meaning was also clear; she was also here to form an alliance. After getting the agreement of this "Otherworlder," she would go get the agreement of the "Alien." The Literature Club was just a surface pretense.

However...

"For such a simple matter, was there really no need for you to be so nervous just now?" He looked at Mikuru Asahina suspiciously.

"I... I... this is because I'm very timid and don't dare to actively talk to strangers..." The latter immediately stiffened, then explained with a grief-stricken face. And miraculously, according to the bio-wave display, this sentence was undoubtedly her true feelings.

—They actually pushed a severe social phobia out to be the representative?

——What a strange train of thought? And it clearly contradicts my initial guess; this Asahina classmate really doesn't seem like any kind of powerful character.

Xia Zhi was somewhat doubtful of his previous inferences and guesses.

After confirming his reply, the girl didn't dare stay for even a moment, hastily said something, then glanced at Asakura's figure in the office, bit her lips tightly, turned around and walked away quickly.

As if afraid that staying a moment longer would get her put into a bowl and eaten.

「……」

「……」

Xia Zhi watched the girl's figure hurry away and disappear at the end of the corridor; Mikuru Asahina might indeed just be timid, but her performance just now shouldn't be entirely because of that—there was likely some other factor involved, otherwise her fear couldn't be explained.

He had even checked because of this just now, confirming that the one he had activated was the "Friendly Aura" for making friends, not the "Fear Aura" for enemies...

Otherwise, how could it have produced a counter effect?

If favorability could be quantified and visualized, perhaps above Mikuru Asahina's head, red negative values like "-1", "-1" would keep popping up.

——What is going on?

——Not being charmed is one thing, but why, when she actively came to my door and faced me, did she have to act so timidly?

His mind rapidly turned over various thoughts, and he also glanced at Ryouko Asakura behind him, feeling that Mikuru Asahina's glance toward her before leaving was very complex, seemingly containing some meaning... Could it be that she came specifically to stop Ryouko Asakura from recruiting him?

"...... Why are you here?"

A voice devoid of the slightest emotion came from beside him.

Xia Zhi glanced over and saw Nagato Yuki standing expressionlessly not far away in the corridor; she pushed her glasses with her finger, and the eyes behind the lenses calmly stared at him, giving the impression of an unremarkable doll.

Just after looking at him once, her gaze shifted away, and she independently stared at Ryouko Asakura standing in the office.

She came looking for him too, as expected...

The youth wasn't surprised at all, merely watching with interest.

"I just came to ask how to strike up a conversation with Haruhi Suzumiya." Ryouko Asakura didn't feel guilty at all; she simply walked out calmly and confronted Nagato Yuki in the corridor.

"You were sent to assist me; such unilateral action is not allowed. You should act according to my instructions." Nagato Yuki naturally wouldn't believe such a claim, nor did she care about Ryouko Asakura's explanation; she gave the warning in a mechanical and cold tone.

"...... I understand."

Ryouko Asakura fell silent for a moment, choosing not to clash head-on with Nagato Yuki at this time, and silently nodded.

She looked at Xia Zhi, smiled and waved at him, then tidied her long straight hair, and walked toward the other end of the corridor.

「……」

「……」

Nagato Yuki watched her pass by her side and leave, her face still without any expression.

Only after Ryouko Asakura's back also disappeared did she turn back and look at Xia Zhi again, as if wanting to say something.

But in the end she said nothing, merely nodded mechanically, and silently turned and left.

Facing this scene, Xia Zhi stroked his chin thoughtfully.

It seems that even within the Information Integration Thought Entity, they are not a monolith; indeed there are different ideological tendencies. Although Ryouko Asakura is Nagato Yuki's backup system, she should be different from the faction represented by Nagato Yuki, but rather a representative of another faction...

This is definitely good news for him.

He just needs to observe a bit more; after all, there is still some difference between playing both sides and being a fence-sitter. Before figuring out exactly what the "Asakura Faction" and "Nagato Faction" are, he decided to hold back for now.

What deserves more attention right now, as expected, is still Mikuru's problem...

Could it be that in some sense she actually "knows herself"?

That's why she acts so afraid of herself?

Vaguely, he seemed to grasp a clue; after thinking carefully, he also believed this seemed very likely, and could explain the current scene... So, is this Mikuru Asahina classmate actually a representative sent by the "Time Traveler" faction?

This is getting interesting...

To the "Time Travelers", what does this Otherworlder of mine count as?

——Someone who appeared from now on, still exists in the future, and became part of their history?

——Or an existence that should not exist, suddenly appearing now and disrupting their original history?

————————

————————

On the other side.

Mikuru Asahina almost ran back to the safe zone she had confirmed, then as if drained of strength, nearly collapsed.

She panted, her eyes lifeless, as if the brief conversation just now had drained all her strength.

"I can't do this... I really can't do this..."

Like a soliloquy, yet also like giving up on herself, this doll-faced girl wailed sadly.

The next moment, a voice came from somewhere unknown—

"You did well, Mikuru... No matter what, the results of this sortie were quite good; not only did it express our willingness to join, but it also successfully prevented his meeting with Ryouko Asakura this time..."

In the communication, the superior praised and affirmed Mikuru Asahina's action this time.

Normally, receiving the superior's recognition, this doll-faced girl would definitely be happy, but now she couldn't be happy at all.

"I really can't... can we switch to someone else?" she said with a tear-streaked face, submitting an application to the person on the other end of the communication.

"No can do, Mikuru... You know."

The person on the other end of the communication directly rejected her application.

"Why... such an important mission, entrusting it alone to someone like me, is that really okay?" Mikuru Asahina cried out unwillingly, her expression as if she had seen the end of the world.

「……」

「……」

The person on the other end of the communication fell silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Mikuru, but this matter can only be handled by you; it is a settled matter. And replacing you is a prohibited matter."

The superior sighed: "This is an absolute Fixed Point that cannot be changed, and also a position we must hold... In fact, if not for Haruhi Suzumiya and the others' involvement in this history, we might not even have been able to Retain this position."

"Is there really no other Method?" Asahina said, her face full of Despair.

And the response given by the superior on the Opposite Side of the communication was—

"There is no other Method. Even though we can conduct Time Travel, there are still heavy Restrictions on its use. After Haruhi Suzumiya caused a huge Time Fault, we find ourselves Unable to return to a past any further back..."

"But that Monster has no such Restrictions or concerns. He can replace events occurring on the Time Axis, or return to the past of the Time Axis to modify history. He can almost control all historical events of the present, past, and future, Influencing events from any point on the Time Continuum..."

"In this Time War, we have already lost too much."

(Chapter End)