AuraTwilight wrote:The only reason why Yuki isn't in perfect health is because Haruhi acknowledges that illnesses have to happen, but we can be sure that Yuki won't die from it.
I wouldn't be so sure. Having alternate timelines gives the author the opportunity to do things he would never (and practically speaking,
could never) do in the story's "real life". Like killing off major (presumably unkillable) characters, taking away the powers from a nigh-omnipotent character, invalidating the future origin and current existence of a time traveler and paradoxizing the last year-plus, etc., etc... With the way the story is going, and all the potential resolution of foreshadowing granted by the Anti-dan and the alternate timeline, I'm starting to see why some (not me) are expecting Volume 10 to be the last.
Only reason I don't see this as the last is that, should the immortal Yuki get killed, the omnipotent Haruhi get depowered, and the walking paradox Mikuru get "resolved" (bye-bye...), there's a fairly obvious comparable character development for the hidden-behind-the-mask but always trustworthy Itsuki, and that's a fairly irrevocable revelation that cannot be spoiled in a "what-if"-ish betaverse "ending", but has to wait for the true last story.
Which only leaves the question as to what antithetical character development they're going to lay on betaverse Itsuki if it
isn't finally dropping that smile and turning on Kyon like we all know he's been dying to do since day one...