…………….

“We have completed the installation of the solar panels.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

After announcing the completion of the work from the rooftop, a voice of gratitude came from below.

The work was completed more quickly than expected because there was no need for any preparation.

The solar panels fit perfectly without a single millimeter out of place and the electricity was connected without any trouble.

In addition, the storage battery was installed underground, so it was an easy job of just carrying the new one there.

Although they did have to direct the crane to bring the panels up to the roof.

Looking around from the rooftop with a great view, you can see the tip of the crane to the left.

Originally, they were going to call someone to operate it, but Diya-san came and did it while humming a song.

“Diya is actually a hard worker and quite capable.”

Diya herself seems unaware of this, laughing and saying, “Making an effort to be popular isn’t even hard.” Her positive attitude is something to aspire to.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Sakurazaka-san, who had grabbed the ladder, appeared from below, perhaps concerned about why I hadn’t come down yet.

“I’m sorry. The view from up here is just so beautiful.”

“Nature is abundant here, and there are no buildings to obstruct the view.”

He smiled, seemingly genuinely pleased. Based on this expression alone, he didn’t seem like a bad person. But…

“Oh, that’s right! My work is done, but would you mind helping me with the ‘Real Base Building Guide for Surviving Zombie Attacks’?”

When I made the request, Sakurazaka-san opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“Um, has Diya told you about this?”

“Yes, we’ve already discussed it, and we have approval for the collaboration.”

“I see. Well…there are issues with the timeline and everything…”

He muttered with his face downcast.

It was now up to his decision, so I waited while admiring the beautiful scenery by the lake.

“Can I ask for your help then? I really need to finish it by the end of March, so I would appreciate it if you could lend me a hand.”

“That’s great. Um, I hate to bring it up after asking, but I have some things to take care of tomorrow and the day after. Could we start after that?” I asked

“That’s no problem at all.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

As I repeatedly bowed and apologized, he smiled and said, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Hey, instead of lovey-dovey stuff, why don’t you two come over and help me here!”

Reacting to the loud voice, both Sakurazaka-san and I peered down together.

From the window of the crane, Diya-san raised her fist in anger.

“Sorry about that. We’ll be there soon. Shall we go, Iwaro-san, since that noise is bothering us?”

“Yes.”

There was still plenty to do.

Next, we needed to line up the numerous storage sheds in the yard along the fence.

“Well then, excuse us for now.”

I got onto the truck with an empty flatbed and stuck my head out the window.

“Good job today. I’ll see you again from the day after tomorrow.”

“Take care!”

Sakurazaka-san bowed politely, while Diya-san waved her hand with a carefree spirit.

They seem to have completely different personalities, but their relationship is really good.

“Good job today.”

After bowing, I start the engine.

The work here is done for now. We lined up the storage sheds along the southern fence, which turned out to be more physically demanding than expected.

We had them roughly positioned by the crane, and then I and Sakurazaka-san lifted and made adjustments. Even though they were empty, they had considerable weight.

“But Sakurazaka-san was quite strong.”

I have confidence in my physical strength despite my appearance, but he was also able to carry the load without giving in to fatigue.

There might be well-trained muscles hidden beneath his clothes.

Although I won’t be able to assist because I’ll be with senior for the next two days, the focus during that period is on steady work.

I’m curious about what we’ll be doing, but for now, I need to concentrate on assisting senior with his work.

I have heard to some extent what kind of help I’ll be providing. It seems that my senior was hired for a background check, but there’s something that’s bothering him, and he’s going to take a trip to investigate it.

At first, I thought it would be an easy job, but the more my senior dug into it, the more his’ doubts grew, he confided in me.

Normally, it would end up with my detective maniac senior over-analyzing and getting too deep into it due to the influence of novels, a scenario I’ve experienced too many times before and find quite tiresome.

However, this time, my senior was confident that it wasn’t the case.

Unfortunately, I have to agree.

“I never expected that Sakurazaka-san would be the target of the background investigation.”

“I was surprised to learn that Diya is the niece of my senior in college, but I never expected her to be the one who requested the investigation on Sakurazaka-san.”

The fact that Diya had specifically requested the investigation on Sakurazaka-san made it seem more than just a coincidence. It was understandable that their senior colleague would use the word “destiny” to describe the situation, even though it seemed out of character for them.

“Frankly speaking, there was a sense of distrust or questioning towards Sakurazaka, so I decided to take a chance.

 While there is some guilt about investigating the client, if it turns out there’s nothing to find, we can devote ourselves to helping him.

Let’s show our apology through action.