Chapter 25: Ballpark

Ryota Mitarai

The Animator wandered down the hall, pulling open the door to the AV room. He slotted himself into a chair, opening a disk drive. Ryota slid in a copy of a new anime, the projector taking a moment to warm up. After a few seconds, the wall lit up. He smiled at the screen, relaxing back in the chair. Now that he was out and about in the school, he might as well use the facilities to their fullest.

After a few episodes, the door to the room flung open, startling him. The sudden light made the video impossible to see. He spun around, catching eyes with the intruder. "Ah, uh… Kuwata-kun? Do you need something?"

"Yeah." He replied with a robotic, female, voice. Ryota raised an eyebrow, before noticing something in his hand. He furiously tapped something out, before the voice came again. "You know, don't you?"

"I… I don't think… I do. Um… Can you tell me?" He blinked a few times to adjust to the light.

Kuwata-kun tightened his lips, before typing again. "Put me back." He scowled.

"I don't know what you mean." Ryota tilted his head.

"Put me back." The vocalizer he was using as a voice repeated. "In the program."

"Huh? Wait, what? You want to go back? Why?" He raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you're not in despair anymore, are you? You're better, right?"

He once again began typing. "Word Not Recognized." The box said, followed by a beep. They both shared a confused look, before he returned to tapping. "Duck you! You ducking know what and why!"

Ryota gave a concerned glance, before realizing what he meant. "I-I really don't… But, but no matter what, I don't think you can."

"Why not!?" He demanded in a neutral tone, thanks to the device.

"Well, because we're shipping the program out… It's going to help a lot of people… And, well… You just c-can't…!" The Animator objected.

"I don't care. Put me back in. And this time don't force me out." He turned up the volume on the box so it was as loud as a yell.

"I'm sorry, I can't! It's impossible!" Ryota threw his hands up.

"I don't care if it's impossible, do it." He demanded.

"Why do you even want to go back in there? I-I mean, it's just the island. Nothing else, there's nothing else in there for you!" He tried to turn the tide of the situation, loosening the grip of fear on him.

"It's not about the island." He paused, before typing again. "My best friends are dead. What did you think? That I wanted to ditch practice and relax on a beach? No, I just want them back."

"Ah! I! I didn't… I thought you were over them…" He mumbled, moments later realizing what he said, he clapped his hand over his mouth.

Kuwata-kun's face distorted, twitching. He clenched his fist, soon taking in a deep breath. Ryota held his breath, wincing his eyes shut. Instead of any blow, the robotic voice pierced his ears.

"I'm not."

The Animator took a few seconds to catch his breath, locking eyes with him. "Uh, well, what I meant… I just… Mioda-san's your friend, right? She's always talking about you."

It was his turn to wince, pulling his gaze to the floor and clenching his teeth. "Alright, man. Riddle me this. If one of your friends was murdered, but the rest were fine and dandy, would you just not care about them? Would you not feel guilty? Do you even understand people?"

"I…" He paused, not prepared for the loaded question. His mind first flashed to Nanami-san, how everyone would feel if he hadn't- No, that's them, not him. Ryota thought about the Imposter. If he were to find out they were killed, if it was his fault. "Of course I'd… feel bad, and care about them. But… But I also know… They wouldn't want me to continue wallowing in despair! They'd want me to go and be who I am! Because I can help people!"

"Shut up, that's not what I meant. You don't get it. Of course you wouldn't." He scoffed. "Nothing's gone wrong for you, has it? You're getting off scot-free. Your whole class is getting off scot-free."

"Scot-free!? How can you say that? Nanami-san… How can you say that about her?" Ryota studied his face. "And Mioda-san… Her face is like, in two!"

"Meanwhile three of us are dead, four of us ditched the school. And I'm at least on par with her at this point." He shook his head. "Not to mention Kirigiri lost her dad, Togami's face is busted all to- Word Not Recognised." The Baseballer dug his hand into his hair in frustration. "And a whole lot of trauma on top of it all."

"But-"

"And it's all my fault. If I just let them kill me down there then maybe things would be better for everyone." He continued. "In there everything's different. None of us need to worry about it anymore."

"You can't! I already told you it wasn't possible." Ryota stepped away.

"Why not?" His face betrayed the robotic bluntness of his voice.

"Well, the system has already been sent over. All the equipment too. A-And Kimura-san's already left with them, so we don't have any of her drugs." He muttered. "But most importantly, all the AIs have been wiped. There's nothing left… I'm sorry."

He took a few deep breaths, the box slipping from his hand and clattering on the floor. The boy's face looked vacant. Ryota stood looking into his eyes for a few minutes, he didn't seem to be there. After more time passed, and nothing changed, he slowly made his way to the door, leaving him standing.

As soon as Ryota shut the door behind him, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from the muffled room. He glanced back through the door to see him writhing on the floor, clawing at his forehead. He debated going in to help, but stopped himself. His breath caught in his throat and he sprinted away.

Hajime Hinata

Hajime rubbed a crick in his neck as he opened his eyes. He quickly remembered where he'd slept. "Ah, crap." His vision unblurred as he climbed to his feet.

"Oh… Hinata-kun's awake." Her voice came.

He looked to her bed seeing it empty, scanning the room until he locked eyes with her. "Huh?" She was sitting in front of her computer. "Oh no…"

"Hinata-kun… Come look at this." She smiled. "It's me!"

His nerves grew as he glanced between the both of them. "Right. Okay. I… She didn't want to be erased so I… I saved her. I-I wasn't replacing you or anything."

"Huh?" She looked at him, then back at the screen. "Oh… So I can't keep her?"

"What!? Wait… How long have you been here?" He looked at the bags under her eyes. "Nanami did you sleep!?"

"Yes!" She objected.

'She didn't.' The AI of her denied. 'I tried telling her to but she wouldn't listen.'

"Hey, no fair! She doesn't have to sleep." She crossed her arms.

"Okay let's sort out one thing at a time." Hajime tried to retake the conversation. "Nanami, what do you mean you can't keep her?"

"Huh? Well I thought you got her for me. That's why you got a Gala Omega Drive. But… If she's yours…" She sighed.

"Wait what? She's not mine. She's nobody's. I mean… She's a person enough…" He scratched the back of his head. "And why do you want to keep her?"

"She knows so much about games! I've never known someone who knows as much as me! And she doesn't get bored of me! Like… How a barrel roll was actually an aileron roll!" She began to breath very fast.

The girl on the screen made a similar pose. 'Exactly! The difference between an aileron roll and a barrel roll is that an aileron roll's centre of rotation is very close to the ship. A barrel roll has its centre of rotation around a point further away from the ship itself!'

"I know, right! Peppy's information must have been a trap, luckily Fox is smart enough to see past it to perform the right technique!" She replied.

"Uh…" Hajime stared blankly. "Alright, um… You two need some time apart. Nanami, you need to get to sleep."

"Huh? Why? I'm awake!" She slurred her words.

"Ah, clearly not. You… Need to get some sleep." He shook his head.

"Nuh-uh! I… I have class. I need to be a good class rep and go. It's… Monday." She mumbled.

"It's a holiday. New Year's is in a few days." He sat down. "Nanami, is… Is something wrong? You seem very opposed to sleeping."

"Nono… I'm alright. Nothing's wrong." She denied. He gave her a stern look, not trusting it. "Ah, uh…"

"Nanami, tell me. If something's wrong I want to help." He gazed deeply into her eyes.

"It's… Embarrassing…" She sighed. "I just… I'm not good at sleeping."

"What? What's that mean?" He asked.

"Well, uh…" The Gamer's hands fiddled, almost like she was holding a game he couldn't see. "When I do sleep… I have bad dreams… And I don't like them."

"Nanami, I… Are they about…?" He abandoned finishing the question. "Hey, you're… You're safe now. Nothing to worry about."

"I know… But… They don't feel safe… They're scary and I don't… Like them at all." She shook.

"I promise you they are. Come on, you can't just… Not sleep." He insisted, still rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes.

"Hmph… I know…" She pouted. "But… I don't wanna."

'I tried telling her but she just wouldn't listen. You can convince her Hinata-kun, I know it, I think.' The AI smiled, leaning her head.

"Yeah, yeah I know." Hajime mumbled. "Nanami-san, come on, you need to sleep." He heaved her up out of the chair, slowly making his way to her bed and setting her down on it.

She grumbled as he tucked the covers over her. "I don't… Hmm…" Her voice was cut off by a yawn. He slowly ran his hand up and down her shoulder. "Hinata-kun… I…" She drifted off the word as her eyes fell shut.

He looked down at her still form for a few moments as quiet breaths drifted from her. "I'm here. You're not having a nightmare today." He whispered, so not to wake her. As soon as he was sure enough that she was asleep, he removed his hand.

Hajime was still hesitant to leave, not wanting her to wake up and worry, worry that he'd left her again. He committed himself to staying by her side, he wasn't going to leave. She wasn't going to need to miss him again.

'Hinata-kun?' Her voice came. He fretted for a moment that he had woken her, before looking to the source of the voice. 'Hinata-kun shouldn't you go?'

"Huh?" He looked at her screen with a confused expression, keeping his voice down. "What do you mean?"

'Well, you know… I don't think it's good for you to be in here while she's asleep, I think.' She mumbled.

"Wh-What are you- I wouldn't!" He raised his tone in defence. "What are you saying?"

'I think… It's a bad thing for you if you're in here. You feel really bad, probably. So you being here will just make you worry more, right?' She stated bluntly.

"Well… If she starts having a nightmare I can be here to wake her up. Yeah…" He argued.

'Hm… I promise I will… How's that sound?' She offered with a smile.

"Ah… Alright… I guess…" Hajime looked down at her, his lip quivering. "Th-Thank you…" He spared not a moment longer, rushing out the door. His feet carried him only a few feet away from her door before they gave out, sending him toppling into a wall. He ducked his forehead into his hands, trying to steady his shaking. His breathless voice mumbled out "I'm here, I'm here Nanami, I'm here. What have I done? Oh God…" His body was too weak to move, only after a few minutes was he able to climb himself back to his feet, wiping a few tears from his eyes.

Juzo Sakakura

The man rested a leg, leaning against a wall. His job was growing slightly easier with each passing day. The mass of protestors had finally begun to shrink, now only a couple dozen remained each day. On paper it still seemed like a lot, but compared to the sheer number after her death this was nothing. Even then they were no less rowdy, many trying to bargain their way in yet.

Juzo's train of thought was interrupted by one of those just as they came to his mind. "Hey! Look 'ere!" The voice came, squeaky and high pitched.

"Piss off, you're not getting in." He cracked an eye to size up the man. His posture and size matched the tone, probably only five feet, compared to the mountain that was the former Ultimate Boxer.

"Oi! Hear me out!" He demanded in his grating voice. "I need to get in!"

The taller man fell out of his relaxed state, eyeing him once more. His face held a very thin whiskery mustache. It was someone he'd not seen here yet. Most of the remaining gate dwellers had an understanding with him, either from seeing him flatten one of them with a punch, or having been thrown out themself. "Not happening kid. Get out of here, I'm not in the mood for knocking someone out."

"Oh no, there's no need for violence on your part. I'm just here to… To avenge her, y'know. The rest of these cowards are too afraid to!" He grinned widely, reaching behind his back, pulling out a green wad of cash. "I'll pay handsomely, nobody has to know! You just need to open the gate." The boy thrust the yen into his hands.

"Oh, oh I get it." He looked at the money. "So you just want me too… Step aside? Let you and the rest of the morons with you storm my school? Just to murder one innocent person?" He asked with sarcastic incredulity.

His small eyes lit up. "That would be great!"

Juzo felt his jaw loosen, gears turning in his mind to understand the statement. "Uh, yeah, well, you know, I could… But that would be violating policy. And nowadays I've got this angel on my shoulder telling me to be more responsible, so I'm gonna go with them on this one." He paused, watching the dumbstruck expression on his face. "Oh, but I have an idea. You can fuck right off before you end up unconscious. And I'd hurry if I were you, I don't have much sympathy for you all."

The boy took a few steps backward, before stumbling on his back. It only took one last knuckle crack from Juzo to send him fleeing. He looked down to his hand, seeing he had still held onto the wad. "Huh…" It crinkled slightly as he shoved it into his pocket. "Murakami, Tsuyoshi, radio me if anyone else like that shows up." He called out to his subordinates as he made his way back to the school.

Juzo climbed the stairs until he reached his destination, slowly twisting the doorknob. "Yukizome?"

"Ah, Sakakura-kun!" She smiled, almost falling off her stepladder. "I've gotta say, it's good to be back. The classroom was a mess."

"Seriously? That's your opening line?" He asked, setting his jacket over a desk.

The Housekeeper crossed her arms, before hopping down. "Who would I be if I wasn't tidying a mess?" She clasped her hands together whining, before giving him a small smirk.

"Who knows…" He rolled his eyes, looking around the room. "It looks clean enough to me."

"Seriously!?" She asked with the same joshing tone. "I mean, there's food stains all over Owari-san and Mitarai-kun's desks! Er, wait, Imposter…-kun? That'll take some getting used to."

He glanced over the desk tops seeing nothing but a pristine shine, shrugging his arms. "Don't see it."

"You wouldn't know a stain if it was on you! I spent the last, like, month in your apartment. Don't think I forgot that." She jeered.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." He sighed. "How're you holding up?"

"What? Whaddaya mean?" She cocked her head.

"Well, we haven't really talked much since you came back. Figured it was polite to ask." He yawned.

"Oh… Yeah, I'm okay. No worries here. None at all." She grinned widely.

Juzo raised an eyebrow. "I don't buy it." He pointed around the room. "I know firsthand you clean when you're stressed."

"Or maybe I'm just doing it since it's my talent, y'know." She shook her head. "I'm fine I promise!"

"I think I'm immune to you saying you're fine. Don't make me beg, just talk to me, okay?" He begged.

"Fine… How am I… Supposed to talk to everyone?" She opened up with a sigh, finally letting her guard down. "Nanami-san I don't think I'll ever… Be normal with again. But even the others… I broke their trust… I hurt them…"

"Ah, jeez… Uh…" He coughed into his fist, looking away. "It's not your fault. If it is anyone's, blame me. I should've just been there sooner, if I was… Just a little faster."

"But it's not just your fault… If I'd gotten you instead of running in blind… It could've been much better… Nanami-san wouldn't have had to go through any of that!" She belted.

"Dammit… You really care about her, don't you?" He asked rhetorically.

"I care about all of them!" Yukizome defended. "But… Y-Yeah I do… And of course she…" She abruptly crouched into a ball. "She's just a kid and she… Went through that… And it was me who… I watched… She doesn't deserve it…"

"Hey… I agree…" Juzo paused. "But don't lump this on yourself. It's not fair to blame anyone but that bitch." He sighed, looking into her teary eyes. "You really should… Talk to her. I feel she wants to be able to forgive you."

"I know but… I don't want to get close to her… I-If that triggers bad memories… Oh god…" She ducked her head back down into her lap.

"Okay, okay… You can't see each other…" He scratched at his chin, though not actually doing anything it made him feel smarter. "Maybe you guys don't meet face-to-face? You could be on opposite sides of the school so she's safe. Let her have anyone there with her so she feels even more safe."

"That sounds… Good, but…" She sniffled, rubbing her nose on her sleeve. "But I just… I don't want to risk making things that much worse for her. I'll just… Keep my distance. So she never has to worry about me. It's a lot easier for her… Like you said, she can still spend time with everyone else. Sh-She was great when… I was in the Reserve Course… She can play as many games as she wants with them."

"But what about you?" He asked earnestly, reaching out his hand. "Please, there's a better solution."

"She… She al… Almost died…! I almost killed her… I… If I did I wouldn't… I…" Her body was beginning to noticeably shake.

"Hey, calm down. Nanami's okay. You're not a killer. Trust me, I know one when I see one. And I know… Nanami really missed you. I remember her asking for you, a few days after it… Happened. She still wanted you there then. So she still wants you there now."

"I just… Want to give her a hug and tell her it will be okay. And just… Not let go. I want her to feel like she's safe. I miss… Her." She mumbled, wiping a hand across her face. "Let's give her a few days… Maybe after New Year's… That phone call idea is… Really smart."

Juzo nodded with a small smile, helping her up to her feet.

Chiaki Nanami

She kept running, running through the tunnel. The floor was damp as traps tried their best to catch her. In the distance of her blurry vision she noticed a familiar door. Chiaki reached out for the handle, but the floor gave out. Suddenly she was falling, falling through air.

Until she landed in her bed. The memory clawed at her. Every day before she opened her eyes, even after all this time, what happened still felt like just another nightmare. Though the ache of phantom blades washed that away each time. She pulled herself up with a yawn.

"Ah… Right." Chiaki blinked herself awake, seeing the mess her room was in after Hinata-kun's visit-turned-sleepover. She glanced over to where he had last been. "Hinata-kun…?"

'Oh Nanami-san, you're awake.' Said a voice from her computer.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Nanami-san. Where's Hinata-kun?" She asked the screen.

'He left a while ago. You've been asleep for quite a long time, probably.' The AI mumbled, focused on her own virtual screen.

"He left?" Chiaki struggled down anxieties at the phrase. "Where'd he go?"

'Hinata-kun? He didn't say, I think.' She still kept her attention on the screen.

The Gamer knew better than to distract her from the game, not enjoying how it felt when she was on the other end. Chiaki sat up, reaching for her cane. It took her a moment to realize it wasn't there. "Oh… Right…" She tested her bad foot with a few taps on the ground. What would have been an aching pain the day before was simply tingly and numb. Hesitantly she got to her feet.

It felt strange, but she quickly got used to her feet again. She packed up with quite a few games, and held a Game Girl in her hand. It felt satisfying to be able to walk and game at the same time. Walking was annoying if it wasn't with a game in hand or a friend to talk with, both if she could. It was also what she was doing when she'd first met Hinata-kun, so it might be good luck to find him this time.

Walking outside, she stumbled through the snowy paths as she played. Her goal was abandoned as she got distracted by the game, wandering aimlessly through the school grounds. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a loud crack, followed by a distorted voice shouting "Hey!" The moment she did, something flew past her. It was so fast, entering and exiting her vision in less than half a second.

Chiaki paused, blinking a few times. After a few moments, she glanced around. She was in the middle of the baseball diamond. "Huh…?" Her first thought was that she should've been more careful. Though the cold nipping at her nose reminded her it didn't make sense for someone to be out in the first place.

A few snow-crunching footsteps approached her. They stopped and were replaced by a robotic voice. "What are you doing out here? You okay?"

She nodded, looking up at them. "Kuwata-kun? Your name's Kuwata-kun, right?"

He paused, tapping quickly at a small box in his hands. "Yeah, that's me." While it was talking he rolled his eyes. "You look like you're freezing. You oughta get inside."

Her head shook. "I'm looking for my friend. Hinata-kun… I don't know where he is. Have you seen him?" She chose not to point out his hypocritical ripped jeans.

"I haven't. Try to stay off the field, it's dangerous." He might have sounded concerned, if not for the cold voice of the box.

"Hm… What's with that?" She asked curiously, not knowing what the small machine was for.

The boy scowled. "It's a long story. Don't ask."

"Hmph… Alright." Chiaki looked at the bat in his hands. "You're the Ultimate Baseball Player, right? That's a cool talent."

He shook his head. "It's lame. Lame as heck." To punctuate his sentence, he tossed the bat away.

"Then… Why are you playing it?" Her confusion was rising.

"Because I-" The box started, though he mumbled something inaudibly. "It's none of your business."

"Huh… That must suck…" She mumbled. "I never even thought… That could happen."

"What are you talking about?" He took a few steps back.

"Well… To not like your talent. It must really suck." She felt an uneasiness crawling up her back.

"Yeah, well, lucky for you. You got something actually cool." He grimaced. "Duck baseball!" Chiaki raised an eyebrow, before realizing. She crouched down, bringing her head in. After a few seconds, she pried an eye open and climbed back to her feet. "What was that?"

"Hm…? You… Said a baseball was coming, I think." She mumbled. "It's scary… I'm glad games are fun. I'd be sad if my talent was boring, probably."

"Yeah, well, enjoy it." He groaned gutterally. "At least you're actually good at the thing you enjoy and not the crap you hate."

"Yeah…" Chiaki took a few breaths, looking beside him at the sky. She'd still enjoy games if she weren't good at them, it's something she'd thought about before. Would she enjoy something else if she was as good at it, though? It seemed impossible. Nothing was as fun as games. She didn't like the thought. It was disconcerting.

"Hey. Are you good? Is something wrong?" He snapped her out of her thoughts. She nodded quickly. "Good. Thought you were having a flashback or something."

"I don't get flashbacks…" She denied. "I just… Remember bad things… Vividly."

"Yeah, yeah, alright. Get going so I can keep going." He demanded.

"If you don't like baseball, why do you wanna play it so much?" Chiaki asked.

He winced, glancing to the side. "I was going to be a rad musician. But thanks to circumstances, that's not happening. So this is my only choice."

"Musician? How does that connect to baseball? That's like mixing a Rhythm game and a Sports game. Those are pretty different genres." She asked curiously.

"What are you saying? It's nothing like baseball. That's the whole point." He ground his teeth tightly.

"Wait, but… You're the Ultimate Baseball Player? Mioda-san is the Ultimate Musician. I don't get it…" The Gamer mumbled.

"Don't talk about her." He grunted, crossing his arms, before uncrossing them to keep typing. "And I don't want anything to do with baseball. Nothing at all. Music gets girls and fans. Baseball gets a shaved head and dirt. Even if it's my talent, I'm going to drop it." He paused. "Or… Was going to."

"You can do that?" She asked, confusion riddled through her voice.

"Why are you asking? You actually like your talent, right? So quit pestering me." He huffed, growing more annoyed.

"Sorry… I just… Hmph." Chiaki shook her head. "I'll go now… I should go find Hinata-kun." She reawakened her sleeping game and began walking.

"Hey!" Came the same distorted shout from before. She glanced back too see him typing into the box, his face tightened. "Nevermind. Get going." She sighed, continuing.