Chapter 11 A Thirty-Five-Year-Old Getting Yelled At
#22MotoKanoA Thirty-Five-Year-Old Getting Yelled At
“Hey, what was that just now?”
After our classmates had left, as if waiting for the perfect moment, Tachibana-san spoke to me from behind. Her expression made it clear—she was furious.
“Sorry. Now that I think about it, I made it sound like this was all my idea… I didn’t emphasize your contribution enough.”
“That’s not the issue.”
“Huh? Then what exactly—?”
“Why did you start explaining everything in short homeroom without my permission?”
Raising her voice, Tachibana-san snapped at me. Ah, so that’s what this was about.
“Well, I figured we should strike while the iron’s hot. Best to act quickly.”
Scratching my head, I gave a wry smile.
“Strike while the iron’s hot… Do you even have any guarantee that surveillance cameras can actually be installed in the park?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, after making such a big show in front of our classmates, failure isn’t an option anymore!”
This time, Tachibana-san’s voice carried genuine anger.
“…It’ll be fine. Even if it doesn’t work out, no one’s going to treat you coldly over it.”
“Why would you say—ah.”
As if realizing something, Tachibana-san lowered her gaze.
“Wait, is that why you deliberately left out my name when presenting the idea?”
“Well, no, that wasn’t my intention. I honestly just forgot. A complete fluke. But hey, if it succeeds, I’ll make sure to credit you properly.”
“I don’t need that.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t just give away credit for your own accomplishments so easily. No matter the outcome, that’s just a loss for you.”
This world is full of cunning—no, downright nasty fools who claim credit for things they never did. I had no intention of becoming one of them.
Maybe because I had raised my voice for once, Tachibana-san fell silent.
“It’s fine. We won’t fail. Just leave it to me.”
“…I can’t trust confidence that has no basis.”
“I do have a basis.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
I was about to explain, but when I met Tachibana-san’s sharp gaze, I chose to return it with equal intensity instead.
“Well, whatever.”
…So it doesn’t matter? I let out a wry smile.
“…Anyway, there’s something else I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“I said I wanted surveillance cameras in the park, but I don’t mean every park. It’s not like I want them installed all over the place.”
In other words, as long as a camera was installed in the park she and her little sister used, that was enough for her. She wasn’t interested in pushing for cameras elsewhere.
“Think about it logically. ‘As part of a school extracurricular activity, we’re planning to install surveillance cameras in a park.’ Now, if that park is outside the school district… doesn’t that sound odd?”
“Why?”
“If it were within the school district, it would still make sense. But an out-of-district park, and not just any park—one specific park? The school has no reason to get involved in something like that.”
“…Oh.”
“That’s why we need to survey both in-district and out-of-district parks, compile a list of those without surveillance cameras, and submit an application for all of them. Otherwise, there’s no way to justify installing one near your house. But if we include it as part of a broader request, it won’t stand out as unnatural.”
Tachibana-san seemed to grasp my explanation, but she quickly shook her head and glared at me.
“W-Wait a second. Are you seriously planning to involve the school in this?”
“Of course. That’s a given.”
“A-A given…?”
Her expression said it all—she hadn’t expected this to turn into such a big deal.
“Actually, getting adults involved is absolutely necessary. At the very least, we need Sugo-sensei’s support. Are you planning to handle setting up a meeting with the local government all on your own? Normally, adults don’t step into things kids do. Especially not in cases like this—because money is involved. And when money is involved, trouble follows. Not securing the support of a trustworthy adult is basically guaranteeing failure.”
“…But going that far…?”
“Aren’t you worried about Yuka-chan getting kidnapped?”
When I appealed to her emotions, Tachibana-san’s expression twisted. It was the face of someone struck by anxiety. …Honestly, I felt a little guilty.
“What we’re doing isn’t wrong at all. If an abduction happened in a park without surveillance cameras, it would be a huge scandal. People would be scarred for life. Some might never reunite with their loved ones. Preventing that from happening is the right thing to do. That’s why, even knowing how difficult it would be, our classmates still agreed to support the idea.”
“…Yeah.”
“So instead of trying to keep others from getting involved in our plan, we should be doing the opposite. We should be pulling in as many people as possible to make sure it succeeds.”
“…You don’t seem like someone my age at all.”
“H-Hey, I-I’m totally your classmate, okay? Want me to show you my insurance card?”
Panicking, I hurriedly reached into my wallet, about to pull out my insurance card.
“…Pfft.”
But apparently, my reaction must have looked pretty ridiculous, because Tachibana-san burst into laughter.
“Alright, fine. I’ll believe you’re my classmate.”
“…Gee, thanks.”
As Tachibana-san turned away, still laughing, I muttered a half-hearted thanks, feeling somewhat bitter.
She kept giggling for a while, as if my flustered reaction had hit the perfect spot.
“…Anyway, I should probably head home now. Is that okay?”
Feeling awkward, I scratched my head as I asked her.
“…Just heading home?”
“Huh?”
The unexpected question caught me off guard, and I let out a weird sound.
“…Oh, well, I was planning to check out the nearby parks to see if they already have cameras.”
Tomorrow, I’d ask Sugo-sensei to start reaching out to the right people. But at the same time, we needed to check which parks lacked cameras and decide on potential installation sites. If we set an appointment about a month from now to avoid seeming disrespectful and used a long homeroom period for the survey, our investigation period would be tight.
“I’m coming too.”
“…Huh?”
Tachibana-san’s offer came out of nowhere.
“I said, I’m coming too.”
“Uh, I mean, one person is enough, though?”
I only said that because I was concerned for her safety.
“What about picking up Yuka-chan?”
“…Ah—alright then, let’s start in that direction. You’re coming with me. After that, I’ll pick up Yuka.”
“No, seriously, I can handle this alone.”
“I’d be worried if it were just you.”
“Ehh…?”
I had acted on my own without consulting her, so I’d lost some trust… but still, was it really that bad?
Maybe my expression gave it away, because when she saw my face, Tachibana-san burst into laughter again.
“Come on, we’re wasting time. Let’s go!”
“Whoa—!”
Before I could even process her words, she grabbed my hand and started walking. With no choice but to follow, I ended up going on a park survey with Tachibana-san before picking up Yuka-chan.