"Then, how about we mention the manager you like as the subject of the rumor?"
"H-huh? What're you talking about?"
"I mean… We could make the rumor about you confessing to her. That way you—"
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!"
I couldn't even finish what I was about to say when Suzuki suddenly yelled. I must say, the cool and reliable image of Suzuki just shattered a bit for me with that scream of his. I wonder if any of his fangirls would think the same way if they heard that as well.
"You can't do that! What if she gets mad at me?! Or worse, what if she ends up hating me?"
"Calm down, Suzuki-senpai. Let's hear what Sugiyama-kun has to say first."
Sakakibara Daiki manages to pacify the rampaging Suzuki with just a few words. Just a thought, but I think he'll make an excellent politician with that silver tongue.
"It's like this… If you confess to this manager you like in person, then yeah, you'll risk an outright rejection."
Suzuki nods his head in agreement.
"But if your confession came from a rumor, then there's no direct threat to you. She won't get mad or reject you because you didn't exactly confess your feelings. But people are bound to get even more curious and ask her what she really thinks of you."
Suzuki somewhat nods a little in slight agreement.
"That way, you can get an idea of what her feelings are and help Kurebayashi out as well. It'll be a two birds with one stone kind of thing."
"I see… You're saying that I should make a double play with two runners on base, right?"
"Uhh… Yeah, sure."
The look on Suzuki's face lets me know that he's now more on-board with the plan than before. Men really are just simple creatures. As soon as you know what they want and give them a way to achieve it, they're willing to do what you want them to.
I should know since I'm a guy as well. If someone were to offer me a quick and peaceful death, I'd do almost anything.
"That works for me! I'll be counting on you, Daiki-Kun! Man, this is getting me excited all of a sudden!"
Hey now, why is he the one you're counting on? Wasn't I the one who explained things to you and brought up this entire thing? Meh, not that it matters. It's not like I want the praise of some 3rd year I barely know.
"Well, I gotta get changed and head home. If you guys need anything else from me, you got my number."
"Got it. Take care on your way home. And we're counting on you, Suzuki-senpai!"
Suzuki walks away while giving a thumbs up to us; a big smile on his face like he's just won the lottery.
"That sure was tiring, huh, Sugiyama-kun?"
"Yeah… He's got quite the wild personality."
I honestly don't see what makes girls fawn over him. Sure, he's tall, athletic, and really handsome. But he's got the personality of a neanderthal.
Whatever. I'm just glad that's over with. Now we can execute the next phase of the plan. Though there's one thing I need to clear up first.
"Say, you knew a lot more than you let on."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Earlier, you said that Asamura didn't tell you anything before she ran off. But the way you handled things with Suzuki made it seem like you knew almost everything about our plan."
Sakakibara Daiki stays silent for a moment before walking towards the pitcher's mound. With a confident and beaming smile, he faces the home plate; his eyes staring at a seemingly distant place.
"Sugiyama-kun, did you know that I was on the baseball team before?"
"... No, I didn't. It was only after I saw you interact with Suzuki that I connected the dots."
"Ahaha! Suzuki-senpai was actually the one who trained me in pitching when I first joined. He worked me to the bone, but we became good friends because of that."
He steps off the mound and begins to walk towards me. The golden glow of the sunset has passed, leaving only a faint purplish gleam that seems to make everything look a bit eerie.
"Anyway, I only stayed on the baseball club for 2 months before quitting. Suzuki-senpai was pissed! But he later learned to accept my decision."
"Okay… So, why are you telling me this?"
"I guess I just felt like sharing. You're a very interesting guy, Sugiyama-kun. I know we've only talked to each other recently, but I feel like we can be good friends."
"Right… Just to be sure, you're not just saying this to change the subject, are you?"
"Ahahahaha! No, I'm not. I really meant what I said. But still, you don't hold anything back, huh?"
He continues to laugh for a few more moments before finally recovering and composing himself. Was what I said that funny to him? Or was he laughing because he didn't expect me to say what I said?
"Anyway… Going back to what you said earlier. Yeah, Asuka actually texted me everything."
"So, why did you act like you didn't know anything?"
I actually realized that midway through our conversation with Suzuki. I've been going through it over and over in my head, but I can't think of any reason why he would act dumb. There's nothing he could possibly gain from doing so. He's not involved in any of this and he's only a temporary replacement for Asamura. So why? What's his motive?
"I guess you could say it was a test for you… And for myself."
"You speaking in riddles now? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Haha! Sorry, but that's all I have to say about that. Don't worry though, I'm not gonna ruin anything for you guys. I really am just a stand-in for Asuka right now."
Looks like he doesn't plan on telling me his motives. Not like I can even do anything to get it out of him anyway even if I wanted to. I let out a defeated sigh and muttered under my breath.
"Fine… Let's just go. I'm done here."
"Mm! Great work today, Sugiyama-kun."
As we made our way across the baseball field, I saw a familiar figure running across the courtyard. Well, running is a generous term for what she's doing. It's more appropriate to say that she's lumbering towards the baseball field. I forgot that Kurebayashi isn't exactly the best at running.
I didn't expect that she would still come here even when it's now way past the time we agreed on. But, better late than never, I guess. At the rate she's running, we'll probably run into each other at the fence bordering the baseball field.
I continue to walk across the field. But after several steps, I notice that Sakakibara Daiki has stopped. He's staring ahead with a serious, clenched-jaw look on his face. It almost looks as though he had just seen someone who he owes money or something.
Regardless of his reason for stopping, I'm now caught in an awkward position. Do I stop as well and just wait for Kurebayashi here? Or should I just keep walking to meet up with her ahead? Before I could even make a decision, Kurebayashi has already entered the baseball field and is now making her way towards us. Seems I'm staying put then.
"Sugiyama-san! I'm terribly sorry for being late."
Kurebayashi calls out to me as she makes her way across the field. I don't want to yell back, so I just stay quiet until she is within talking distance. Still, I give her a small thumbs up to let her know I at least heard her.
"I was occupied by a sudden request from my homeroom teacher. I hope I'm not too late…"
As she finally manages to come up to me, panting and talking at the same time, her voice and demeanor suddenly becomes a lot softer. Her gaze, initially on me, shifts towards the person standing just a few centimeters behind me.
"Sakakibara-san…?"