Chapter 13 Anxiety

Anxiety

With the company successfully contacted and the search for parks without surveillance cameras nearly complete, our extracurricular activities were progressing smoothly.

During today’s long homeroom, we reviewed the presence or absence of surveillance cameras in the parks we had visited over the past two weeks, investigated who managed each one, and decided whether to apply for camera installations.

“Um… This one’s managed by the ward, so we’ll apply. And this one… we won’t.”

Everyone was hunched over their papers, debating back and forth as they sorted through which locations required applications.

Meanwhile, Tachibana-san, Sugo-sensei and I separated from the group to practice presenting our explanation to the ward office.

“Therefore, we, Class 1-XX, have come to the ward office to submit an application for the installation of surveillance cameras.”

It had been decided that Tachibana-san would be the one to present our case at the ward office.

Since she was the class president and I was the vice president, our roles made sense. Plus, I had handled the explanation to the company last time…

But the biggest reason was—

“Iori did it last time, so this time, let’s have Tachibana do it.”

That offhand remark from Sugo-sensei had sealed the decision.

Everyone probably had their own thoughts about it… but even so, I had pushed back quite a bit in defense of Tachibana-san.

“Sensei, people have strengths and weaknesses.”

And—

“Sensei, I can do this better than she can.”

I argued.

I kept throwing those words at Sugo-sensei—right in front of Tachibana-san.

Sugo-sensei looked troubled.

But not because of my stubbornness.

—Tachibana-san was furious, a vein popping on her forehead, thanks to my words.

Looking back later, I realized I had spoken too bluntly, saying exactly what was on my mind. It was only natural that Tachibana-san took offense.

And so, to prove me wrong, she was now practicing for the meeting, a stack of documents in hand, facing both Sugo-sensei and me.

“Tachibana, don’t just stare at the documents. Look the other person in the eye.”

“…Okay.”

“Tachibana-san, you’re still too stiff. Even in a formal setting, being overly nervous won’t lead to good results, you know?”

“Shut up.”

And so, our coaching session with Tachibana-san became quite intense.

At first, our classmates complained that the two of us were unfairly skipping out on the sorting work. But after seeing how brutal the training was, the girls quickly sighed in relief, realizing they were better off.

The boys, on the other hand, kept shooting me envious glances, as if they wished they could trade places. Ridiculous.

And so, the work continued smoothly. By the midpoint of the second semester, we had secured an appointment with the ward office, selected locations for camera installation, and wrapped up our practice sessions.

The day before our visit, I stood alone in the hallway, making a call to a surveillance camera manufacturer to confirm the scheduled time and location.

I had already sent an email in advance, but in these situations, proper etiquette dictated calling before the recipient even had a chance to read it.

If they missed the email and failed to show up at such a crucial meeting, it would be an absolute disaster.

“Yes, understood. We’ll be counting on you tomorrow. No, come on, don’t joke like that. It’s not like that between us.”

Furui-san from the manufacturer was an easygoing and approachable guy—but for some reason, he was obsessed with prying into my relationship with Tachibana-san. I had told him from the start that it wasn’t like that, so why wouldn’t he just drop it already?

“Yes, yes. That’s right. Well then, see you tomorrow. Thank you in advance.”

The moment I hung up with a sharp beep, I let out a deep sigh and slumped my shoulders. Seriously, why did a simple confirmation call for time and location have to drag on for over ten minutes? Just do your job, ugh.

“Saito.”

As I grumbled to myself, someone called out from behind me.

Turning around, I found Tachibana-san standing there.

“Oh, Tachibana-san. I thought you’d already gone home.”

Recently—or rather, ever since I said those rude words—our chances of going home together had drastically decreased. That was on me.

So I hadn’t expected her to still be waiting after school.

“What’s up?”

“Want to walk home together?”

She looked up at me with a slight upward glance as she asked.

There was no reason to refuse, but… why today, of all days?

However, seeing her fidget, I realized she probably didn’t want to be alone, especially not today, with tomorrow’s big event looming ahead.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

I needed to support her properly.

And so, we set off on our way home.

We left the school, arrived at the nearest station, passed by the stop closest to my house, and got off at the next one. Tachibana-san had told me that Yuka-chan wanted to see me.

“Still, that all went by so fast, didn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

Walking beside me, Tachibana-san had her head down, anxiety written all over her face.

…To be honest, I was a little worried about tomorrow too.

Seeking cooperation from companies. Seeking cooperation from classmates. Carrying out all the necessary tasks.

To put it bluntly, everything had gone way too smoothly up until now. Sure, I had handled things well, but even so, for a rushed three-month project, things had progressed almost too perfectly.

…Something told me our meeting with the ward office wouldn’t be so easy.

And I had another reason to believe that.

Up until now, everyone we’d dealt with had been relatively easy to talk to.

Classmates who were still undecided about extracurricular activities.

A company that saw collaborating with high school students as a promotional opportunity.

But dealing with a local government office… that was a whole different story.

The people there were purely administrative workers—they didn’t prioritize personal gain.

If they didn’t see any tangible benefit, our request to install surveillance cameras would likely be rejected outright.

How much had Tachibana-san realized that?

“…It’s okay, Tachibana-san.”

No matter how much she understood, tomorrow’s negotiation rested on her shoulders. Easing her worries was essential.

“Don’t say things without any basis.”

“I do have a basis.”

“Like what?”

“I’ll be there.”

“…Huh?”

“I mean, I’ll be right beside you.”

She wouldn’t be alone. If anything happened, I’d back her up.

When I was a rookie in the working world, just having a senior beside me in tough situations made all the difference.

As I smiled and said that, Tachibana-san…

“What the hell are you saying?”

…gave me a horrified look. Why?

That was the most reassuring thing I had been told when I first started working. But it didn’t seem to have the same effect on her.

“…Pfft. Haha…”

Soon enough, though, she seemed to realize I was completely serious—and burst out laughing.

“You really say the cheesiest things in this day and age.”

“I meant every word.”

“Yeah, yeah. …Well, if something happens, you better help me, okay?”

Even as she teased me, a trace of uncertainty lingered on her face. But despite calling it cheesy, it seemed my words had reassured her at least a little.

“Of course. Leave it to me.”

I gave my chest a firm pat and declared it with confidence.

Just as Tachibana-san smiled, we arrived at the nursery school where Yuka-chan was waiting.