Part 35: No Telling When Love Will Strike

"You want me to what?!"

"I said I'm going to have you seem like you're going to confess to someone."

"Yeah no, I heard you but… What? Why?"

Suzuki's face looks like 50 shades of confusion right now. I did my best to explain the plan to him and how he just needs to play along with the rumor. But I think I messed up somewhere along the way. Now, he thinks I want him to actually confess to someone.

"Look, I'm all for helping you out. But I'm not going to confess to someone out of the blue."

"No, that's not what I meant… Okay, let me start again."

Before I could dial it back and explain the plan from the beginning, Sakakibara Daiki gave me a light tap on the shoulder. He then steps forward, a look of utter confidence on his face.

"Excuse me, Suzuki-senpai. But if I could explain the plan further…"

Sakakibara Daiki proceeds to go through the plan once again, but with a lot more detail and more well-spoken than when I told it. After he was finished, Suzuki's look of confusion transformed into one of understanding and enlightenment.

"I see… That's actually not a bad plan. Did you come up with it, Daiki-kun?"

"No, I couldn't have thought of something like this. It's all Sugiyama-kun's idea."

Suzuki turns to me with piercing eyes, as if sizing me up. I haven't been paying much attention to his physical stature, but he's actually a tall and buff dude. He looks more like a college student than a 3rd year high schooler.

"So then, what did you want me to do again?"

Suzuki asks Sakakibara Daiki. However, he doesn't answer. Instead, he takes a step back and allows me to retake the conversation with Suzuki. Geez, thanks man. I know you think you're doing me a favor here, but I actually would have preferred if you had just taken over the conversation completely. I'd have been much more comfortable just standing on the side.

Come to think of it, I only explained the plan once. In a terribly confusing way, might I add. But somehow, Sakakibara Daiki managed to understand all of it and come up with a better way of explaining it to Suzuki. This is looking pretty sketchy, but I'll let it slide for now. I've got to focus on getting Suzuki on board with the plan first.

"So, basically… We just need you to play along with the rumor."

"Play along, huh? How exactly would I do that?"

"Well… If someone comes to you and asks if the rumors about you confessing to a girl were true, say yes or just don't deny it."

Suzuki crosses his arms and looks to be deep in thought. I've laid all my cards on the table. There's literally nothing more I can say or do to further convince him. It's now all up to him.

"If I may, senpai. Do you have someone you like?"

Sakakibara Daiki suddenly asked, making both me and Suzuki instantly turn to him.

"That's an unexpected question. Why'd you ask, Daiki-kun?"

"Well, I just thought of this now. But if you have someone you like in this school, then a rumor about you confessing to another girl might end badly for you, right?"

I didn't even think about that. Sakakibara Daiki does have a good point. If Suzuki likes someone, then he wouldn't want her to hear about him confessing to another girl. Damn, how did this possibility slip my mind?! If this turns out to be true, then the plan is already ruined at this point.

"... Yeah, I do have someone like that."

"I'm surprised. I thought you only had baseball in your mind. We even used to joke about girls having to compete with baseball just to get a shot at you."

"Ahaha! Yeah, you got me there. I also thought I'd just focus on baseball and get a sports scholarship in college. But…"

Suzuki turns towards the dugout on the edge of the baseball field, where a lone girl is sitting. By the looks of it, this girl is a manager for the baseball club.

"But you really can't tell when love is going to strike."

Suzuki said with a longing expression. Looks like he has his eyes set on this manager. Well, looks like this is it.

"Are you planning on confessing to her, senpai?"

"Nah, I don't think she'll say yes if I do."

Please, who do you think you are? You're the most handsome and liked guy in school! Any girl you confess to is bound to say yes. This pissed me off more than it should. But some people are painfully unaware of just how attractive they are.

"Why would you say that, senpai? Does she not like you?"

"No… Or I don't think so? I'm really not sure. And I'm kind of scared to find out, to be honest."

Sakakibara Daiki walks up to Suzuki and gives him a slight pat on the back. Even though Suzuki is our senior, this action from Sakakibara Daiki managed to make Suzuki feel at ease and more relaxed. Usually, it should be the other way around.

"So then, would you like to find out how she feels about you?"

"Uhh… Yeah, I guess. It would be great to know."

Sakakibara Daiki comes closer to me and leans in to whisper something.

"You heard him. How about altering the plan a little bit to help out Suzuki-senpai as well?"

It takes me a brief moment to realize what he meant. Honestly, it's so simple that I want to slap myself for not thinking about it sooner.