Setsuna instructed an Angeloid to pour Mikuru a cup of tea and serve her some snacks.
It helped calm the girl, who was panicking because the entire future world had effectively ceased to exist.
"See? Here, you can observe Haruhi Suzumiya up close, and I can provide you with food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Isn't that great?"
He patted Mikuru.
"Eek—"
The girl jolted.
"I-Is that how it works?!"
"Of course. Your mission is to observe Haruhi Suzumiya, isn't it? From now on, Haruhi will be traveling all over the place aboard the Astral Express and visiting the Starsea Empire. If you want to observe her, you'll have to travel with us."
"Besides, this world belongs to the Starsea Empire now, so you're already a citizen of the Starsea Empire~."
Setsuna pinched Mikuru's cheek.
Her fair, tender face still carried a hint of baby fat, making it wonderfully pleasant to the touch.
"Huh?"
Mikuru stared blankly at him, her mind struggling to keep up.
"Or would you rather I send you back to Earth right now?"
"No, no, no!"
"I... I have to observe Haruhi Suzumiya. That's classified information..."
"And I... I can't keep living on Earth anymore. Waaah..."
With every connection to the future severed, dumping Mikuru on Earth would be no different from forcing her into a survival challenge. She was completely unprepared for anything like that.
"Then it's settled. Welcome to the Astral Express crew."
The little gray-haired girl stepped forward and shook Mikuru's hand.
"I... Is there anything I need to do here?"
Realizing she had no other choice, Mikuru asked cautiously.
"Nothing much. Herta might want to study you a little, but don't worry. It'll only be routine physical examinations. The Starsea Empire doesn't permit human experimentation on companions."
"I don't have any missions for you at the moment. If you've got nothing else to do, you can help Pom-Pom clean the train cars."
"Oh, and remember to come to the parties."
Setsuna casually teased her again.
"O-Okay..."
Mikuru trembled and hurriedly agreed.
She was timid and prone to tears in the first place. In the original worldline, Haruhi Suzumiya had treated her like a mascot, constantly bullying her by forcing her through endless cosplay and outfit changes. Setsuna hardly needed to put in any effort to handle her.
"That's right! Having a baby-faced, huge-breasted maid accompanying us on our travels would be perfect! Don't you think?"
Haruhi suddenly realized.
She conjured up a maid outfit and dragged Mikuru away to change.
"Waaah... No, you can't, you can't, no..."
Several minutes later,
Mikuru appeared before everyone dressed in a classic maid outfit.
Haruhi patted her proudly.
"Commander, look! Isn't this right?"
"Works for me."
Setsuna snapped his fingers and handed Mikuru over to the Angeloids.
"Excellent. Go on, show her around and have her learn the ropes."
...
"Waaah—"
Led by the Express crew and the Angeloids, Mikuru toured the Astral Express while they explained the new knowledge she needed to understand this world.
As for the future inhabited by the so-called "future people," Setsuna wasn't particularly concerned about it.
Whoosh—
He projected a holographic interface and checked the mission objectives displayed on it.
"Hmm, most of the remaining objectives are just rescuing people? The Angeloids and Sophon can handle the ordinary humans. As for the others..."
Aside from the special case of Haruhi Suzumiya, there were also several aliens and espers.
A considerable number of them had been dispatched by the Data Integration Thought Entity to monitor Haruhi Suzumiya, each with different motives.
Ryoko Asakura's faction, for example, was highly radical. To induce Haruhi's evolution, she was willing to resort to murder. Emiri Kimidori, by contrast, belonged to the conservative faction and opposed taking excessively extreme measures.
"Once we've dealt with them, we can head back."
"..."
Yuki Nagato, whose face was as expressionless as ever, turned her gaze toward him.
"They are all humanoid interfaces created by the Data Integration Thought Entity for contact with organic lifeforms. Are you interested in them?"
"That includes you."
Setsuna gently stroked the great goddess' head.
Nagato did not dodge, nor did her expression change.
"But we are merely interfaces created by the Thought Entity."
She reminded him in an even voice.
"Our sole purpose is to monitor Haruhi Suzumiya and humanity and collect data on their evolution."
"Bringing multiple humanoid interfaces for contact with organic lifeforms from different factions together may produce unforeseen complications."
"Huh?"
Haruhi Suzumiya leaned her head over, understanding the words individually but not what they meant together.
"Commander means he wants to find these people? But they're actually just lifeforms created by aliens?"
"Even Yuki Nagato is like that?"
"—Yes."
Nagato nodded.
"But... if you came here under orders from aliens to observe me and the Starsea Empire, that's kind of weird."
Haruhi scratched her head.
"Does that mean when we're all hanging out together in the future, you'll still have to keep reporting everything to that Data Integration Thought Entity or whatever it's called?"
"That is my mission. I am required to observe your behavior and the evolution of humanity."
There was no fluctuation whatsoever in Yuki Nagato's voice.
"Mm..."
Haruhi puffed out her cheeks, looking somewhat unhappy.
"Aliens are great and all, but if you're like this, how are we supposed to have fun together from now on?!"
She tilted her head up toward Setsuna, seemingly asking for his opinion.
"Do whatever you want."
Having received his approval, she closed her eyes and made a miraculous wish.
Hum—
An invisible energy field spread outward at an unimaginable speed.
Whoosh—
Yuki Nagato suddenly felt her body grow heavy.
Her original connection with the Data Integration Thought Entity was severed in an instant, leaving her with a bizarre sensation.
Before, she had existed as an informational thought entity controlling the body called "Yuki Nagato." Now, she had become herself.
As the words implied, she had transformed from a humanoid terminal created by the Data Integration Thought Entity into a genuine human being.
It was just like Murasamemaru, who had obtained a physical body not long ago. One had originally been a spirit entity, while the other had been a thought entity.
"This?..."
Yuki Nagato looked somewhat lost as she clenched a fist and examined her new body.
"All that stuff about Thought Entities and whatever else is way too complicated! Isn't it more fun to just live as a normal person?"
Haruhi looked immensely proud of herself.
"Oh, right. Your coworkers can come too."
The moment those words left her mouth,
Pop, pop, pop—
Ryoko Asakura and the others, who had originally been gathering intelligence on Earth, lying low, or tracking Haruhi Suzumiya's whereabouts, suddenly found their vision blurring.
When they opened their eyes again, they had been dropped into a completely unfamiliar environment.
They stared in bewilderment at Haruhi and Nagato standing nearby.
They likewise discovered that some special power had granted their bodies genuine physical form, while their connections to the Data Integration Thought Entity had been severed.
"What is this?..."
The group was even more confused.
"I did it!"
Haruhi planted her hands on her hips and thrust out her chest.
"...A little crude and straightforward, but very convenient."
Setsuna nodded.
"Once everyone's here, get ready to depart!"
...
"Uh..."
The people in the train car stared at one another in bewilderment.
Ryoko Asakura, Emiri Kimidori, and several other humanoid terminals sent to Earth by the Data Integration Thought Entity had somehow been dragged aboard by Haruhi Suzumiya.
There were also several others who likewise qualified as aliens, though they were actually members of another organization.
"???"
"Who am I? Where is this? Why am I here?"
A blue-haired, blue-eyed girl, likewise dressed in a sailor uniform, voiced the questions of her soul.
Ryoko Asakura, an observer dispatched to the Solar System by the Data Integration Thought Entity, was also Yuki Nagato's "backup program."
Immediately afterward, she noticed something different about herself as well.
Her connection to the Data Integration Thought Entity had been completely severed, and she had transformed from an informational lifeform into a genuine human being.
When she saw Yuki Nagato and several of her colleagues, her expression became even more astonished.
"Nagato? And that's Haruhi Suzumiya?"
"How did we?..."
Whoosh—
Nagato began chanting an incantation at extraordinary speed. Even after Haruhi had turned her into a human, she still retained some of her ability to manipulate information.
Complicated streams of information appeared before her, transmitting an ocean of data to the others.
"Traces of large-scale information manipulation detected. Haruhi Suzumiya has once again distorted this world according to her will."
"Through information manipulation, she transported all of you here."
"What?!"
Ryoko Asakura was dumbfounded.
"The Astral Express? What? Where is this?"
"And the Starsea Empire?... Uh, are they aliens from some star cluster? They've been causing quite a commotion on Earth recently."
Ryoko Asakura looked around the train car.
"That's right! I want all of you to come play with me!"
"You're all aliens, right? Can you tell me about where you come from?"
Haruhi greeted them enthusiastically.
"The Commander just happened to say that there were still some things left unfinished in this universe, so I thought I'd help him out."
"Hmm... But you're all aliens who were monitoring me and the Starsea Empire anyway, so why don't we all come aboard and have fun together?"
"???"
At first, Ryoko Asakura thought Haruhi was merely acting cute like a child.
But after Yuki Nagato explained the situation, she quickly came to understand a shocking fact:
"You want us to play with you, just like humans?"
"That's right!"
Haruhi nodded.
"The Commander was looking for you anyway. If you're people the Commander has his eye on, then you must be special too, right?"
"In that case, everyone can come to the Starsea Empire together in the future!"
"!!!"
This was the wish she had made to the world, and the world had distorted itself accordingly.
She wanted to find every humanoid interface of the Data Integration Thought Entity, give them physical bodies, and reunite with them in the Starsea Empire.
"Ah..."
Stunned beyond words, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Within this universe, Haruhi Suzumiya was undeniably a "god." She could interfere with nearly everything here.
Winning over Haruhi Suzumiya was equivalent to conquering the entire world.
"Not bad. You saved us a lot of trouble."
Setsuna rubbed little Haruhi's head, then looked toward the others.
"As you can see, the Starsea Empire is currently conquering this universe."
"From now on, this place will become Starsea Empire territory. Aside from the Solar System, every alien civilization in the universe must accept imperial rule."
"Naturally, that includes the Data Integration Thought Entity and every other civilization."
"Hmm..."
Yuki Nagato tilted her head slightly and stared at Setsuna.
She wanted to say something, but her connection to the Data Integration Thought Entity had already been completely severed.
Being unable to receive orders from the Thought Entity left her extremely uncomfortable.
"Then what about us?..."
Ryoko Asakura pointed at herself.
"You can either continue traveling with the Astral Express or return to the Starsea Empire."
Setsuna answered.
"The Astral Express will continue trailblazing into other universes. If you want to return to the homeland, the Angeloids will arrange a ship to take you there later."
"And while you're at it, come help me with some research. I want to study you."
Herta raised her hand.
"Whether you're consciousness-based lifeforms or humans transformed from consciousness-based lifeforms, you're all extremely valuable research subjects."
"Oh, Commander, it'd be even better if you could capture the Data Integration Thought Entity and bring it back. I want to study Them."
Herta displayed intense interest in an alien civilization whose form of existence did not depend on matter.
The things found in Haruhi Suzumiya's world were enough for her to write dozens of research papers.
"..."
Nagato lowered her head and thought for a moment.
"I will continue observing Haruhi Suzumiya and monitoring her influence on other worlds. My mission will not change."
"Fine."
Setsuna did not mind adding a few temporary crew members to the Astral Express.
"I want to come too."
Ryoko Asakura smiled as she looked at Haruhi and Setsuna.
She had noticed that Haruhi was evolving in some unbelievable direction. Not only could she suppress her own abilities, she could now actively use information manipulation to distort the world.
"All right. Himeko, arrange compartments for them."
"While aboard the Astral Express, you must follow the rules. Pom-Pom and the Angeloids will explain the precautions and regulations of both the Starsea Empire and the Astral Express crew later."
Setsuna turned his head and gestured.
"Understood."
Himeko led the group away to tour the train and temporarily settled them in.
"This may be a little sudden, but I hope you'll enjoy life here..."
"Oh, and Ryoko Asakura in particular, please don't get any dangerous ideas."
...
Two days later.
The final cleanup operations in Haruhi Suzumiya's world had all been completed.
Sophon led the Angeloids in taking control of the entire world. At the same time, an Angeloid boarded a small spacecraft with a chattering group of little girls.
"Huh? We're going somewhere else to attend school? Dad said the Tsuruya Group has been acquired by the Starsea Empire. Is that really true?..."
A little girl with green hair and golden eyes looked around curiously, touching the starship's bulkheads and poking at its components.
"Yes. All of you will receive certain special privileges from the Starsea Empire, including the right to live in the imperial homeland."
The Angeloid answered gently.
Because Haruhi was still quite young, aside from aliens and future people such as Nagato, Ryoko Asakura, and Mikuru, all the ordinary humans were still little girls.
In the original storyline, the Tsuruya family and Tsuruya herself had served as sponsors of the Organization, but at this point she was still nothing more than an ordinary young heiress from a wealthy family.
"This is Astral Express Crew One. We're bringing back another group of children. Please have the capital prepare to receive them."
"Understood."
Chen Hai had already arranged living quarters for them in advance and registered their identities one by one.
The Starsea Empire had abundant experience raising little girls and could cultivate them from scratch into outstanding scientists, mages, or any number of other extraordinary professions.
Whoosh—
Once preparations were complete, a small spacecraft departed Earth, passed through a teleportation anchor, and vanished in a flash of white light as it jumped into another world.
"Hmm..."
After watching the Angeloids complete their mission and seeing Earth reduced to an ordinary vassal world, Setsuna returned to his seat in the observation car.
Whoosh— He opened the holographic interface and marked Haruhi Suzumiya's world as conquered.
"All right, this world is completely taken care of."
"Crew Four said the scale of this place was enormous, and they weren't wrong, but conquering it wasn't especially complicated."
He pulled Haruhi into his arms, sat her on his lap, and teased her for a while.
Most of the time spent conquering this world had gone toward taming Haruhi Suzumiya. Once she was dealt with, everything else naturally fell into place and was resolved in short order.
"Mm!—"
Haruhi squirmed around for a while.
"Commander, where are we going now?"
"You said you could take me to see other worlds, right?!"
"Mm."
Whoosh—
Setsuna projected the Hyperdimensional Star Map and selected the direction of another crew.
"Come on. Let's go find Elysia."