Chapter 9 Surveillance Camera

Surveillance Camera

On the day Sugo-sensei explained the extracurricular activities to our classmates, I decided to take action immediately.

“Tachibana-san, do you have a moment?”

My first step was to arrange a discussion after school with the class committee members. And the first person I had to secure was undoubtedly Tachibana-san. After all, she had been more or less pushed into the role of class representative.

“Sorry. I have plans after this.”

Despite her apology, her words lacked sincerity, rejecting me flatly.

“…Plans?”

“Why do I have to tell you that?”

Seeing Tachibana-san’s irritated expression, I realized I had asked something unnecessary.

It wouldn’t be wise to upset her any further. With that in mind, I stood there with my mouth slightly open, unable to say anything more.

“Well then, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

Without another word, Tachibana-san quickly left the classroom.

…It couldn’t be helped. Even though discussing the extracurricular activities was important for the class, it wasn’t something that should take priority over personal matters.

If she had plans, then there was nothing I could do.

Accepting that, I decided to check the schedules of the other committee members, including the secretaries.

“…Huh?”

However, when I looked up, the classroom was completely empty.

Maybe they had gone to their club activities, or maybe they had already gone home.

Either way, just like with Tachibana-san, getting their cooperation wouldn’t be easy.

Since staying alone in an empty classroom wouldn’t accomplish anything, I decided to head home. As I packed my things, my thoughts remained focused on the extracurricular activities.

Sugo-sensei had complained that the activity was a hassle, even to the committee members. But even now, I didn’t find it troublesome. If anything, I thought it was relatively simple.

That said, not being able to decide on what to do right away felt frustrating. Even if it was something random, once we made a decision, we could solidify our plan.

So, with no other choice, I spent my train ride home thinking about what we should do for extracurricular activities. I was confident that getting my classmates to agree would just depend on how I presented it.

“…I missed my stop.”

I had been so deep in thought that by the time I noticed, the doors to my station had already closed.

As the train sped away, I felt embarrassed by how absorbed I had been and quickly checked my phone for the next station. This was my first time heading in this direction, but according to my search, I could walk home from there as well.

Since I was already here, I might as well take a walk home.

With that thought, I got off the train at the next station and exited through the ticket gate. My usual station had fountains, bars, and commercial facilities, giving it a lively atmosphere, but this one was completely different. It felt like a station nestled within a residential area. Even outside, there wasn’t any loud music blaring from speakers. For a place in the city, it was surprisingly quiet.

From there, I started walking home.

Before long, as the number of houses decreased, a nursery school came into view. Although it wasn’t completely dark yet, the lights inside were already on.

“Alright, Yu-chan, say goodbye to your teacher.”

It looked like a child was being picked up at the entrance.

Watching the heartwarming scene out of the corner of my eye, I walked past them.

“…Huh?”

But then, I stopped in my tracks. The girl picking up the child looked strangely familiar.

“Tachibana-san?”

“Eh? …Geh.”

The one standing there was none other than Tachibana-san, who had left school early, claiming she had plans.

As the nursery school teacher turned away and walked off, the two of us stood there, awkwardly staring at each other, unable to break the silence.

“Saito. What are you doing here?”

“I’m on my way home.”

“This isn’t your usual station, is it?”

“Eh? How do you know that?”

“…I don’t!”

When I voiced my simple curiosity, she turned away. In the direction she turned, a young girl—likely her younger sister—stood holding her hand, seemingly ready to head home.

“I see. So that’s what your plans were today.”

Understanding the situation, I clapped my hands together. If she had left early to take care of her little sister, I couldn’t exactly blame her.

Tachibana-san still wouldn’t look at me. She kept her face turned away, slightly trembling. But before long, she let out a big sigh and turned back toward me. Her expression was a complicated mix of resignation, exasperation, and who knows what else.

“Yeah, so what? You got a problem with that?”

“No, no. I think it’s really admirable. Honestly, I respect you.”

Thinking back to when I was her age, all I ever did was play around. It’s a time in life when you just want to have fun. And yet, she was setting aside her own desires to dedicate her time to her family. I couldn’t think of anything more commendable.

“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”

“No, not at all.”

Still, it seemed my genuine admiration wasn’t getting through to her. Tachibana-san let out another deep sigh.

“Mi-chan, who’s this?”

A pure, innocent voice piped up beside her. The young girl—Tachibana-san’s sister, presumably—seemed to have taken an interest in me.

“I’m Saito Iori. Nice to meet you.”

That wasn’t my original name, but after spending months in this body, I could now say it without hesitation. Whether that was something to be happy or sad about, I wasn’t sure. Either way, it wasn’t exactly a point of pride.

“Iori.”

“That’s right.”

“Yu-chan, you need to add -san when talking to someone older.”

Perhaps realizing she had just exposed the fact that her family used nicknames, Tachibana-san’s face turned bright red. Still, she was quite the dependable older sister. Sugo-sensei had called her bad at expressing herself, but the way she taught a little kid proper manners was nothing short of admirable.

“Hey, Mi-chan. Mi-chan!”

But sadly, it seemed her little sister had no intention of listening to her advice.

“What?”

“Let’s go play at the park!”

“Eh, now? It’ll be dinner time when we get home, you know?”

Even so, seeing Tachibana-san act like an older sister was surprisingly refreshing.

“Please? I want to play with Iori!”

“Eh, me?”

Just when I was thinking about excusing myself, Tachibana-san’s little sister hit me with an unexpected request.

“Hey, don’t be selfish. He’s heading home too, you know.”

“Aww, Iori, you won’t play?”

…Ugh, looking at me with those teary eyes, how am I supposed to say no?

“Just for a little bit, then.”

“Ah!”

As I scratched my cheek with a wry smile, Tachibana-san looked like she was about to scold me.

“…Jeez. You’re so hopeless. Fine, but just for a little while, okay?”

Maybe she also found it hard to say no to a little kid’s pleading, because Tachibana-san managed to swallow her irritation.

“…Sorry. Once she gets like this, she won’t listen. Can you put up with her for a bit?”

“It’s fine. I really don’t mind.”

“…Thanks. There’s a park just ahead.”

“Got it.”

And so, just as Yuka-chan wished, we played at the park for a while. We built things in the sand, something I hadn’t done in decades. Once I started, I found myself getting more into it than I expected—not that it’s something worth mentioning out loud.

“Sorry about today.”

By the time we headed home, the sky had turned completely dark. Yuka-chan was starting to nod off, so I ended up carrying her while walking them back.

At first, Tachibana-san refused my help. But as a guy, there was no way I’d let two girls walk home alone at this hour.

“I really don’t mind. By the way, I didn’t know you had a little sister.”

“…Don’t you have any siblings?”

“Ah… I have an—no, actually, I don’t.”

“What was that pause just now?”

In my previous life, I had an older brother. But remembering that Iori, this body’s owner, had no siblings, I quickly corrected myself. I gave a wry smile, though I wasn’t sure if I had managed to cover it up.

“Still, it must be tough—having a little sister and being class president on top of that.”

I said it to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“…Yeah, honestly, it’s a struggle.”

To my surprise, Tachibana-san admitted it openly.

“From what the teacher said, extracurricular activities take up a lot of time. Seriously, I have the worst luck.”

“…Then you should’ve fought harder against it.”

“That would’ve felt like losing, and I hate that.”

So that’s why she gave in and took on the role—pure stubbornness.

It wasn’t the right choice.

If she really couldn’t handle it, she should’ve pushed back harder and made it clear she wasn’t suited for the position.

As a result, she was now struggling with both family responsibilities and class duties.

At the very least, if she had resisted more back then, even if she still ended up as class rep, she could’ve said, See? I told you I couldn’t do it!

“…Hey, Saito.”

“Hm?”

“What do you think I should do?”

She always says it’s painful to be around people she dislikes, never letting anyone see her weaknesses.

Yet, here she was, doing the complete opposite with me. That meant… she must really be at her limit.

I had no obligation to help her.

But I wasn’t the kind of person who could just abandon a struggling girl.

Besides, I was the class vice representative.

Supporting the class representative—Tachibana-san—was literally my job.

“…First, let me ask—what exactly are you so worried about when it comes to extracurricular activities?”

“I mean, the teacher made it sound like such a hassle!”

“…Well, sure, Sugo-sensei’s lazy attitude probably made it seem worse. But think about it. He said the class gets to decide the activity, right?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“That means there’s no strict guideline. In other words, anything can count as an extracurricular activity. We could just send two class representatives to do a charity fundraiser, or organize a school beautification project. As long as we decide, follow through, and submit a report, it doesn’t matter what we do.”

Tachibana-san stared at me, silent as realization dawned.

“People overcomplicate things just because it’s a school event. But this activity was designed to be doable within a month, even with busy schedules.”

“…I see.”

“Actually, the reason I called you after school today was to discuss what we should do.”

“Aren’t we supposed to decide as a class?”

“Eventually, yes. But do you really think we’ll reach a decision if we just ask everyone outright? No way. That’s why we need direction first. Instead of, ‘What do you want to do?’ it’s better to say, ‘We were thinking of doing this—what do you think?’ Don’t you agree?”

“That’s true.”

If it were me, I wouldn’t even ask, We were thinking of doing this. I’d say, Does anyone have a better idea?

A closed-ended question makes it easier for people to respond. An open-ended one forces them to come up with an alternative on the spot—harder to do, making it easier to steer things my way.

And if someone still proposed something else, that would just lead to a more meaningful discussion.

Before long, I noticed Tachibana-san looking at me, impressed.

“…So, back to the main topic.”

Wanting to break her gaze, I continued.

“Is there anything you’d like to do for extracurricular activities? Something that can be completed within three months.”

“…Let’s see.”

She placed a hand on her chin, lost in thought.

But soon, she seemed to have an idea.

“Hey, Saito.”

“Yeah?”

“…This might be difficult, but… can I say it?”

Her eyes weren’t the usual strong-willed ones—I saw hesitation in them.

“Go ahead. If we don’t share ideas, we won’t get anywhere.”

I smiled and nodded. She lowered her gaze and spoke quietly.

“I want to install security cameras in the park.”

Security cameras, huh?

“The park where we play with Yuka-chan doesn’t have any cameras?”

I wasn’t sure if she meant the park from earlier or another one. But judging from her widened eyes, I had guessed correctly.

“How did you know?”

“It was the only thing that made sense. There have been more reports of suspicious people lately. You’re worried about your sister, aren’t you?”

“…Yeah. That’s exactly right.”

She didn’t need to say more—I already understood.

Realizing that, she stayed silent.

Now, the decision was left to me.

Installing security cameras in a park—was it possible? Or impossible?

…Because of past regrets, I had stopped being overly optimistic. Acting on a whim always came back to bite me. That’s why I’d become more cautious—to protect myself.

And from that perspective, getting security cameras installed in a park…

“That’s going to be pretty tough.”

As soon as I said that, her expression darkened.

“But I don’t think it’s impossible.”

That was my honest conclusion after weighing the options.

“…Huh?”

“Let’s do it. No matter how difficult it is, I won’t let it fall apart. So, let’s make it happen.”

Tachibana-san turned away, her cheeks faintly flushed.

“T-Thanks…”

I hadn’t actually done anything yet to deserve her gratitude.