“Erm… Can I carry him?”
“Why, Sure.”
Asahina-san clumsily picked up the puppy and began cradling it in her arms. Rousseau yipped happily and licked Asahina-san on her face. Now if this was the kind of treatment every dog could have, then I wouldn’t mind being reincarnated into one during my next lifetime.
“This is Rousseau eh? He looks like one of those battery-operated toys! What kind of dog is it?”
Haruhi said as she patted the little puppy on the head. Even though it was being cradled tightly by Asahina-san, Rousseau still behaved well and remained silent. It seems that it originated from a good breed.
“A Scottish Highlands White Terrier,”
Koizumi responded faster than Sakanaka-san, mentioning a kind of breed that seemed more like a sacred race to me. Revealing a knowledgeable face, Koizumi flashed a charming smile as Sakanaka-san said, “you’re pretty knowledgeable,” while looking fondly at her own dog, who was cradled in Asahina-san’s arms.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?”
Yup, really cute.
With a coat of thick, snow white fur, and a set of deep black eyes that were almost concealed behind that thick fur, Rousseau looked just like a plush doll all right. Rousseau’s upbringing must have resembled that of a noble’s, while that tri-colored cat of mine, who was probably lazing off in my room right now having nothing better to do, resembled a peasant. But let’s not forget that Shamisen is in a totally different class from him. At the very least, that cat once spoke before.
Nagato was behaving eerily like Shamisen, staring straight at the white terrier, not blinking for a full ten seconds. But after a while, Nagato shifted her glance elsewhere, as if she had lost interest in the dog. Sigh.
“Now hold it right there, Mikuru-chan. Just how long are you planning on hogging him all for yourself? I wanna play with him too, you know?”
Since Haruhi had said so, Asahina-san had no choice but to part with Rousseau. Maybe it was just me, but I noticed that Rousseau seemed to enjoy the spotlight, as he jumped eagerly into Haruhi’s arms. Is there a theory that dogs tend to get more excited when surrounded by strangers? Even though Haruhi’s method of handling Rousseau was pretty rough compared to the way Asahina-san cradled him, Rousseau didn’t even whine. He even wagged his tail furiously, as if enjoying the whole experience.
“You’re such a cutie, aren’t you, JJ?”
‘Hey, Haruhi, stop giving stupid nicknames to other people’s dogs’ was what I was about to say, when Sakanaka-san beat me to it and said:
“Ahaha~ Suzumiya-san, you’re using the same nickname for him as my father does.”
I was pretty sure Haruhi didn’t like being labeled as sharing the same taste as Sakanaka-san’s dad. However, the look on her face suggested that it didn’t bother her one bit, as she happily carried the puppy, who shared the same name with a certain French philosopher, high in the air.
“So JJ found out something unusual during one of his walks, did he?”
Even though Haruhi was questioning the dog, Rousseau did nothing but simply wag his tail. It was his owner, Sakanaka-san, who replied her question by nodding her head.
“Yeah, that’s the case. Even though I’m not sure how unusual this is, other dogs besides Rousseau have also detected it, and have begun staying away from that area, as if mighty fearful of it. That’s how the rumor of spirits originated.”
Even though I felt that Sakanaka-san and her friend’s guesses seemed kind of farfetched, I had no right to say that out loud, having known time travelers, aliens and espers. Who knows, maybe Sakanaka-san’s spirits did exist, after all.
But come to think of it, Asahina-san, Nagato and Koizumi had physical bodies, and could be seen via the naked eye. Those “things” that only dogs and not humans could detect, were they really spirits?
After that, even though Sakanaka-san invited us for a cup of tea in her house, Haruhi, who was eager to uncover paranormal events, declined. As Sakanaka-san went to get a change of clothes, her mum came out to greet us guests. No matter how I look at it, Sakanaka-san’s mum resembles an elder sister more than a mother, be it in terms of speech, fashion, or gestures. She gave me the impression of a perfect lady.
Sakanaka-san’s mum looked curiously at Asahina-san’s miko outfit, before asking us why had we come here. Upon hearing our explanation, Sakanaka-san’s mum laughed and said, “that girl spoils Rousseau too much. I’m sorry for all the trouble she’s caused.” Haruhi then responded as usual, saying it was no big deal. Being able to speak so politely in front of such a graceful woman, you’re truly great, Haruhi. Me? I was so nervous that I found it hard to even bow, and even felt as if my dirty pair of sneakers would defile their doormat.
Sakanaka-san’s mum then told us that we had to stop by one day as guests, for all the trouble her daughter had put us through. As if on cue, Sakanaka-san finished changing into a casual outfit, and promptly came out to meet us.
“Sorry for the wait.”
After leaving our bags in Sakanaka-san’s house, the six of us plus one dog proceeded to exit the front gate, heading towards the scene of the crime. Was I the only one sighing? I guess so.
For some reason, Haruhi had Rousseau’s leash in her hand, as she led the way and sprinted forward.
“Let’s go, JJ!”
‘Can’t you drop that stupid nickname?’ I wondered as I began following her sprint. J.J. Rousseau didn’t seem to mind that the person holding its leash was a total stranger he had just met less than an hour ago, as he happily ran along with Haruhi.
“Erm, Suzumiya-san, that’s not the way! We’re supposed to go this way!”
As I saw Sakanaka-san chase after Haruhi, who was laughing all the time, I suddenly wondered: Would the two of them wind up as good friends after all the smoke had cleared?
Sometimes I wonder if dogs have genetic mutations or weird sicknesses that make them like to go for walks. Rousseau was no different, as he joyfully trotted in front of Asahina-san, who was smiling and trying to catch up. Even though her smile was always ravishing, for some reason I felt that her current smile was even more charming than before, a smile that would only appear in a fantasy world.
Now since Haruhi didn’t know where to go, she couldn’t possibly lead the way, so she had no choice but to hand over Rousseau’s leash to Sakanaka-san. All of us followed behind, as if taking a relaxed stroll.
“Which way should we go? Can’t you go faster, JJ? Hurry, hurry!”
Haruhi, who was standing right beside Rousseau, ushered him on with her words of encouragement.
“That won’t do, Suzumiya-san. We’re supposed to go for a walk, not a run.”
Sakanaka-san gently replied as she held onto Rousseau’s leash.
Nagato was silent, as always, while Koizumi was busy studying a map of the area.
Curious about what Koizumi was doing, I said:
“What’s up? Spot anything mysterious on the map?”
In response to my question, Koizumi withdrew a pen from his pocket, and said:
“I’m marking the places dogs do not dare enter. I don’t think it’ll be necessary for us to go and search every one of them. Just a rough estimation on the map would do.”
Oh well, I’ll leave this up to you then seeing that you seem to be developing a weird liking for drawing and shapes lately. After seeing Sakanaka-san’s dog look so healthy, I’m not worried about anything, even though there are places that dogs really don’t dare enter. All I want to do now is enjoy my walk with Rousseau. Speaking of which, I had a sudden urge to keep a dog as a pet. Of course, I didn’t expect for one as expensive and as high-classed as Sakanaka-san’s. A normal, mixed breed would be enough. It appeared that Haruhi had the same thought in her mind too, as she hopped along with Rousseau like a feisty little bunny, the word ‘Spirits’ totally driven out of her mind, it seems.
The only one clad in casual clothing was Sakanaka-san. Behind her, four school uniform clad high school students and
a miko followed. I wonder what other dogs would think of this, as we followed Sakanaka-san and Rousseau on their everyday path.
Sakanaka-san walked elegantly as she led the way. Is this what she’s like in school? Or is this part of her true personality? Based on my calculations, it seemed that we were headed due east, and unless I’m atrociously mistaken, we should wind up near a river soon, the one which had cherry-blossom trees growing by its edges. Riverbanks are really the best places for taking dogs out for walks after all.
As I was busy thinking about trivial, unimportant stuff like those above, Sakanaka-san abruptly stopped.
“He’s stopping at the same place again.”
I quickly turned to Rousseau. He had all four of his paws planted firmly into the ground, and no matter how hard Sakanaka-san tried to pull him along, he wouldn’t budge an inch.
Aww~ was what his owner said, apparently disappointed. I believe everyone present felt the same too.
“Huh?”
Haruhi said as her eyes bulged wide, apparently remembering what we were truly here for.
“I don’t see anything suspicious.”
Even though we were in the middle of a residential area, due to the fact that we were approaching the riverbank, there were more trees growing here. I could see a huge mountain in the distance. From what I’ve heard, even though wild bears have yet to appear, there were sightings of a wild boar once, in this area. But if that was true, why hadn’t I heard about it before? I had frequented the riverbank often, and to top it off, this place was situated near the train station. If wild boars were really sighted, wouldn’t it have caused some sort of ruckus? Why didn’t I know anything about it till now?
Sakanaka-san was still holding on to Rousseau’s leash, even though it was clearly obvious he wasn’t going to go in any further.
“He’s always been fine with this path, right until one week ago. We would go up the stairs, walk along the riverbank, make a huge U-turn, and come back here, before back-tracking all the way back home. We’ve been using the same route for as long as I can remember. It all started a week ago, when Rousseau suddenly refused to budge, just like he is now.”
Asahina-san squatted down and began scratching behind Rousseau’s ears. Upon seeing this, Haruhi began tugging upon her own ear.
“That river seems mighty suspicious. Maybe someone dumped toxic waste into it! I wonder if there’s a factory further upstream.”
How did you come up with such an idea? We North High students should know that there was no such thing, because if we followed this river upstream, we would end up walking along the familiar path to school. And since I’ve been walking up that darned path for a whole year now, I know that there’s nothing there but trees. There’s not even a restaurant along the hill, never mind a factory.
“Nope,” Sakanaka-san said. “Rousseau has no qualms about going further upstream or further downstream. It’s just this specific spot that troubles him. The same goes with Higuchi-san and Minami-san.”
“I see.”
Haruhi silently observed Rousseau while he keenly licked Asahina-san. Without warning, she suddenly sprang like a flash of lightning at Rousseau, and proceeded to pick him up in her arms.
“If that’s the case, JJ, let’s have you first bring us to this suspicious spot! When we reach that specific spot, bark loudly twice to let us know!”
Haruhi took Rousseau’s leash from Sakanaka-san’s hand, before proceeding to drag Rousseau along.
Haruhi took Rousseau’s leash from Sakanaka-san’s hand, before proceeding to drag Rousseau along. But the distance she managed to cover was probably as short as the leash in her hand, because Rousseau started to howl pitifully the moment Haruhi began dragging him along.
Hearing Rousseau howl like that, Sakanaka-san stood still, as if fixed to the spot. She had a pained expression on her face, which resembled the one Rousseau had too. It was pretty obvious that she didn’t want to see her beloved dog in such a condition.
“I don’t want Rousseau to be mad at me.”
Sakanaka-san said as she took the leash from Haruhi’s hands, before proceeding to comfort Rousseau by slowly patting his head.
“I’ve heard stories of dogs being mad at their owners. When a cold war erupts between a dog and its owner, the dog would inevitably feel rejected, and soon die of a broken heart. If that were to happen, I don’t know how I would continue to live on. So…”
Sakanaka-san is really a dog lover, to say the least. No matter how you look at it, she has clearly pampered Rousseau. If I brought Shamisen to her house for one night, I’m sure it would resemble Heaven for him.
Even Haruhi had nothing to say. All she could do was to look at Sakanaka-san with her mouth opened wide. Asahina-san, on the other hand, seemed to agree with what Sakanaka-san had said, as she furiously nodded her head. I really envy you, Rousseau. To think that you managed to win Asahina-san’s heart in such a short period of time!
“We can’t drag him to somewhere he isn’t willing to go.”
Koizumi said as he opened his map wide, and proceeded to say:
“This is where we currently are.”
Using a red pen, Koizumi made a small mark on the map.
“This is the exact spot that dogs start to sense danger. Even if we were to move along this path, I believe that Rousseau would feel uneasy all the way. In other words, he isn’t afraid of a specific spot but rather, a specific area. We won’t be able to pinpoint anything even if we were to venture further forward.”
So what are you suggesting?
Just as I was about to open my mouth to ask, Koizumi smiled warmly and said:
“Let’s head back for the time being, and have Rousseau enjoy a stroll on another path.”
We ended up following Koizumi’s suggestion, and backtracked all the way to the crossroads. From there, we proceeded to the left, due north. Since we were fast approaching the train station, the crowd was thicker, but apparently Asahina-san was more worried about Rousseau than about her outfit, as she totally ignored the stares of the crowd.
Koizumi was leading the way, something he rarely had a chance to, with his map in his hands, his elegant smile ever present on that smooth face of his.
“We should head here next.”
Taking a turn, we now found ourselves moving east, as we continued to follow Koizumi’s lead.
After five minutes or so…
“Auu~”
Rousseau abruptly stopped and refused to continue forward.
“So it’s really that river eh.”
Looking in the direction Haruhi was pointing, we found ourselves once again gazing at the river bank and cherry-blossom trees.
After confirming our exact location based on a couple of signboards and number plates, Koizumi once again marked another spot on the map.
“I think I get it now, but just in case, can we go to yet another place?”
I’ve got no idea what Koizumi has figured out, and so I just silently follow him, walking northwards. Fortunately, we didn’t have to backtrack this time, because Koizumi had conveniently chosen a place that could be reached via a couple of back lanes and alleyways. If we continued in this direction, I knew that we would soon reach the sea. However, I personally feel that the sea is far too much of an exaggeration, and I doubt Koizumi had the patience to track all the way towards the ocean.
After about 5 minutes, Koizumi turned east, and we continued walking along the new path.
3 minutes later,
“Auu~”
Rousseau stopped for the third time, and howled pitifully again. Seeing the doll-like Rousseau howl like that, even I felt troubled. Sakanaka-san immediately rushed forward to pick him up. I understood her feelings perfectly, and even my heart was swayed by her actions.
Asahina-san looked as if she was about to cry, while Nagato looked indifferent than usual. Koizumi, however, revealed a very confident smile, as if he had understood everything, and said:
“I see.”
Placing a final mark on his map, Koizumi turned towards us, as if ready to announce that it was time for us to do battle. Even though I knew that what he was about to say couldn’t be good news, I still found myself unable to ignore him.
“So what’s happening?”
I wanted to know the truth behind everything. It was as simple as that. Even though I wanted to totally ignore what he wanted to say, I found my curiosity getting the better of me. There! I said it! So hurry up and tell us what you know!
“Take a look at this map.”
As if on cue, all of us peered at the map in Koizumi’s hands.
“These red marks indicate the specific spots Rousseau refused to ventured further within. There are a total of three spots, our current location included. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll name them A, B and C, with A being our first location and C being our current. Studying the three dots, do any of you find anything odd about them?”
Huh? Are you trying to give us after-lesson classes or something?
I had already given up on anything beyond my basic curriculum, and thus refused to answer his question. Haruhi, on the other hand, immediately answered without first raising her hand.
“If measured in a straight line, the distance between A, B and C are the same.”
“You’re sharp, Suzumiya-san. That was the reason why I had us go along these routes.”
Koizumi said happily, just like a teacher getting a perfect answer from one of his students.
“What’s important is that these points do not seem odd if viewed individually, especially point B. No matter how you look at it, it seems like a regular point. However, if I connect them like this…”
Koizumi once again took out his red marker, and began drawing on the map. With B as the center point, Koizumi traced an arc from A to C, making a small ripple form on the surface of this 1: 10000 scale map.
“Oh I see.”
Haruhi came to a conclusion before anyone else could.
“Kyon, don’t you get it? What does this curve look like?”
Volume 8 - The Indignation of Suzumiya Haruhi Page 15