The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa Page B

concert wave glow sticks.
    “That’s good enough,” said Haruhi. “We’ll add visual effects to this scene. Kyon, make it so there are beams shooting out of Yuki’s wand later.”
    How am I supposed to add in effects like that? I don’t have the ability. If you’re planning on borrowing staff and equipment from Industrial Light & Magic, though, that’s a different story.
    “That’s when Mikuru should scream! And then fall down in pain.”
    After a moment of nervous hesitation, Asahina murmured, “… Eek,” before suddenly falling straight onto her face. Nagato stood next to a fallen Asahina like the Grim Reaper come to claim her soul. I stood filming the whole scene while Koizumi stood next to me, still holding up the reflector board.
    The stares from all of the families around us were starting to hurt.
    Having been granted a brief respite in a most compassionate act by Haruhi, we sat in a ring on the ground.
    Haruhi was replaying the film I had shot with a deliberate look on her face as she nodded to herself.
    A number of children had scurried in between Asahina and Nagato and were asking questions like, “What show is this for?” Asahina shook her head with a weak smile while Nagato completely ignored them, becoming one with the land.
    I had no idea what kind of scenes the footage I was taking would be used for since Haruhi refused to tell us, but the super-director informed us that we would be going to a nearby shrine next. Break’s over already, huh?
    “There are doves there.”
    That’s the case, apparently.
    “We’re going to film Mikuru walking with doves flying all around in the background. I’d prefer doves that are completely white, but I’m willing to take any color at this point.”
    I was pretty sure we were only going to find typical park doves. With her arm linked in the already worn-out Asahina’s arm (so she wouldn’t be able to run away), Haruhi walked through the forest park toward the street. Koizumi and I divided up the equipment and followed like local Sherpas trailing a film crew doing a piece on the jungle. We eventually arrived at a large shrine in the middle of the mountains. I hadn’t been there in a while. Not since a field trip in grade school.
    Haruhi stood in front of a sign on the grounds that said
Do not feed
while spreading bread crumbs like she was trying to make flowers bloom on a wilted tree. I guess she can’t read.
    All at once the ground was covered by a swarm of doves, endlessly dropping from the sky. The sight of the shrine grounds covered in doves was quite disturbing. Asahina was standing alone within the carpet of doves. The waitress stood, lip trembling, with her feet being pecked. I was filming the scene from the front. What the hell was I doing?
    Offscreen, Haruhi raised the Eagle or Tokarev or whatever kind of gun it was she had taken from Asahina and flipped off the safety. I was wondering what she was doing when she suddenly fired at Asahina’s feet.
    “Ahh—”
    Never thought I’d actually get to see doves getting whacked by a peashooter. The act of violence, enough to make the SPCA come flying in, sent the symbols of peace fluttering and shrieking.
    “This is it! This is the shot I wanted! Kyon, make sure you’re filming this!”
    I suppose that since the camera was running, I was technically filming. Asahina was hunched over with her hands over her head within the swirl of doves flying in all directions.
    “Come on, Mikuru! You’re supposed to walk toward us while the doves are flying in the background! Stand up!”
    It didn’t look like we’d have time to shoot such a scene. As I gazed through the viewfinder, I could see that in the background, a priest from the shrine had come flying in the SPCA’s stead. He was wearing a hakama, so it’d be safe to assume he was affiliated with the shrine. I was preparing for a stern lecture or two when Haruhi, without a moment’s hesitation, resorted to drastic measures.
    With the CZ or SIG or