Part 34: Hope and Delusion

After a few more minutes of walking through the courtyard, we finally arrived at the baseball field. Here, we see Suzuki standing on the pitcher's mound, doing some soft practice. 

On our way here, I quickly filled Sakakibara Daiki in on what needs to happen. Basically, I told him about the plan to spread a rumor about Suzuki planning to confess to someone. And that the reason we're coming to him is to convince him to get onboard with it and play along. Although I purposefully left out the part about Kurebayashi's bullying situation. 

I expected Sakakibara Daiki to be flabbergasted or just plain confused about all of this. But after I was done, he just nodded his head and said "Got it".

As we start to walk up to the mound, I look around the field for a bit. Kurebayashi is supposed to be here by now. We agreed earlier to meet at the baseball field but it looks like she's not here yet. Oh well, we better not keep Suzuki waiting. Hopefully, she just catches up mid way.

Halfway on our approach to the mound, Suzuki turns and sees us coming. His gaze first fell upon me but quickly shifted to Sakakibara Daiki, who he apparently knows.

"Yo, Daiki-kun! It's been a while, huh?"

"Good afternoon, Suzuki-senpai. Thank you for agreeing to meet us here."

"Hey, no problem at all! I didn't have much to do anyway."

I watch awkwardly from the side as they exchange pleasantries. The thing about meet ups that involve three people is that one person always gets set on the side while the other two get busy talking. How do I know this? Well, I've had my fair share of group assignments where I'm always just the third wheel that they needed to reach the required number of members.

"By the way, this is my classmate, Sugiyama-kun. He's actually the one who wanted to meet with you today."

After Sakakibara Daiki introduced me, I bowed my head and formally re-introduced myself. I may be a recluse, but I still know how to show proper respect to my seniors.

"My name is Sugiyama Jo. Thank you very much for agreeing to meet with us."

"Mmm! Nice to meet you, Sugiyama-kun. I don't think I've seen you around Daiki-kun before. Are you a new friend of his?"

"N-no, I'm just his classmate. I asked him for a favor to set up this meeting with you."

"Hahaha! I see you're still as reliable as ever, Daiki-kun!"

Suzuki gives Sakakibara Daiki three big slaps on the back. I'm sure that must've hurt but he doesn't seem fazed at all. If I were in his position, I would've probably coughed out my lungs.

"So, what's this all about? You guys need something from me?"

Thank god he asked the question. I was sweating bullets thinking of a way to bring up the reason for us meeting here. Although, I would really prefer that Kurebayashi be here as I explain things. I look around one more time for any sign of her. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to start things off without her. But how do I want to play this? Should I beat around the bush a bit or should I just get straight to the point? Guess I'll do some fishing first.

"Before that, do you mind if I ask you something about the accident last week?"

Suzuki looks at Sakakibara Daiki and back to me, seemingly slightly confused with what I said.

"Uhh, sure? Though I don't know what else there is to say about it. It wasn't even that serious and I'm pretty much healed up now. Yeah, it sucks that I'm gonna miss the practice match against Shinsei Academy. But not much I can do about that."

Looks like he assumed that literally everyone in the school already knew every detail about the accident. That explains why he looked confused just now. Sorry, Suzuki, but neither know nor care about what happened to you. So, pardon me for not being in the loop with your recovery progress.

"I'm glad your recovery is going well, Suzuki-senpai. But I don't think that's what Sugiyama-kun wanted to ask about."

"Oh? Sorry, I got too carried away there, hahaha! So then, what about my accident did you want to know?"

Nice save, Sakakibara Daiki! I'm pretty sure that if he hadn't stepped in there, Suzuki would've kept talking about himself. But how did he know that I wanted to ask about something not directly related to Suzuki? Was it his gut feeling?

"Well… I actually wanted to ask you about the girl that caused the accident."

"Oh! You mean Kurebayashi-kun? Yeah, she was helping us out that day. She ended up mishandling the pitching machine and sent a ball right at me. But she's a nice girl! And I don't hold anything against her."

"I see… Do you know what happened to her afterward?"

"Hmm… No, I didn't really see her again after that day. Why'd you ask?"

As I thought. Suzuki doesn't have a clue about the things his fangirls did to Kurebayashi. Forget about beating around the bush, it's time for some shock and awe.

"That girl's name is Kurebayashi Reina. And for the past week, she's been getting harassed and bullied by some of your fans."

I then proceed to lay out everything that happened. From the day it all started to the moment Kurebayashi almost got her head smashed in. I didn't leave a single thing out. I told Suzuki everything in excruciating detail.

When I was done, I could clearly see the pained expression on Suzuki's face. 

"I… I had no idea. I told everyone I was fine. I made sure to show them that there was nothing to worry about!"

"... I'm sure you got your message across."

"So then why?! Why would they still go after her?!"

Suzuki seems like a nice guy. But that makes him oblivious to the darker side of humanity. People like Miyoko don't give a damn about what other people say, even if it's coming from the person they admire. To them, the only thing that's important is to satiate whatever urges they have.

"I can't speak for Miyoko and the two other girls with her… But it's probably because they had hope."

"Hope? Hope for what?"

"They probably hoped that by taking revenge against Kurebayashi, they could grow closer to you. Even if it's just a superficial feeling."

"That's just stupid! How could they– No, how could anyone possibly think that way?!"

Suzuki's voice is starting to get louder and louder. He is also clearly getting more agitated. Sakakibara Daiki also seems to have noticed this as well as he positions himself slightly in between me and Suzuki.

"The mind of a devout fan is a messy place. It's filled with thoughts and fantasies about ending up with their idol."

I dart my eyes around as I speak. The situation is getting too tense for my liking and I could only keep a poker face for so long. I should start wrapping this up before my nerves give out.

"But these fans of yours know that they can't have you. Still, they cling to that hope. No matter how tiny of a chance it is, they hope to be able to go out with you."

"So… You're saying it's my fault? That I pushed Miyoko-san into doing the things she did?"

Suzuki's hands clench into tight fists. I hope he doesn't plan on landing a punch on me right now.

"No… You see, hope is eternal to a fan. But so is delusion and desperation. Their own warped views and selfish desires are what caused this mess."

"... Why are you telling me all of this? Do you want me to make her stop?"

"No, that would just make things worse for Kurebayashi."

Suzuki doesn't even retort to what I said. Looks like he understands that he can't control what Miyoko does. And if he tries to intervene, she'll just target Kurebayashi even more. I take a moment to let this reality sink in on Suzuki. Then, I offer him a lifeline.

"... But there is a way you could help."