Chapter 84: Accompaniment is the Best Confession
Atami Sun Beach in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture was the destination for Ren and Anon.
"Ren, has it been a long time since we last went out together like this?"
After getting out of the car and putting on her sun protection jacket, Anon held her handbag with one hand while linking arms with Ren, her tone carrying both nostalgia and sudden realization.
"It has been a while. I originally thought you'd stay in the UK for three years or even longer."
Childhood friends had already done almost everything possible and imaginable during their younger years, so after entering adolescence, the number of times Ren and Anon played together had actually decreased significantly.
Since Anon went to the UK until now, they hadn't gone out together just the two of them.
"Don't tease me about that. Recently I ran into some junior high classmates and almost avoided them out of embarrassment. Luckily you taught me to be thick-skinned—they actually admired and even looked up to me because I'd been abroad, completely ignoring that I only stayed for about a month."
Mentioning her overseas trip made Anon look genuinely fearful. Fortunately, her "gold-plating" had been successful—she could at least call herself a returnee. As for why she returned so quickly, better not ask.
"I wasn't teasing you. But that's all in the past anyway, it doesn't affect us having fun together now. Let's go."
With that, Ren and Anon headed toward the beach. Having finally come here, Anon's first priority was taking photos for her social media. She could post dozens of times a day, possessing an exceptionally strong desire to share.
The June temperature wasn't too hot yet, so neither Ren nor Anon planned to swim in the ocean. They didn't even change clothes, simply taking off their shoes before walking barefoot on the soft sand, occasionally getting their ankles wet in the cool waves.
The Sun Beach they visited stretched over four hundred meters, plenty long for a leisurely stroll.
Ren took the opportunity to satisfy his beachcombing urge. Though lacking the skill to find creatures buried in sand, he managed to quickly catch two or three crabs with swift hands. Anon, meanwhile, slowly sifted through sand searching for shells.
Eventually they reached the rocky shore at the edge, where waves had washed up numerous discarded shells of almost every variety.
"What are you planning to make?"
Ren had no particular interest in collecting such things. Watching Anon carefully selecting shells, he asked curiously.
"I want to collect some beautiful shells to make you a bracelet, Ren, and give some to friends too."
Anon explained without looking up. Coming to the seaside had naturally inspired her with a gift idea for Ren—though worthless monetarily, it would carry her heartfelt intentions.
She originally considered folding paper cranes for room decoration, but upon seeing the shells and various conches, she changed her mind.
"A bracelet? That could be displayed on the counter as decoration."
Learning it was a gift for him, Ren joined the selection process. He even found a shell fragment shaped like a star—absolutely cool.
Only after filling an entire pocket did Anon stand up satisfied. The processing would still take considerable time, as some broken shells were quite sharp and needed to be smoothed down properly.
This simple task ended up taking them a full hour. By noon, Ren and Anon arrived at the open-air restaurant by the beach and found a seat with an ocean view.
"Ren, no looking around."
The number of visitors had increased by midday, including many who had changed into swimwear. Being the one with the least impressive figure among everyone, she was particularly sensitive about this and immediately grew vigilant, warning Ren not to let his eyes wander.
"I was just thinking about finding an opportunity for all of us to come to the beach together someday. I'm quite interested in swimsuits and such."
Ren smiled in response. He hadn't been looking around randomly—he just felt slightly regretful while watching female passersby in swimwear. Summer events were always his favorite in games, where he'd unlock swimsuit outfits in almost every game to enjoy a refreshing summer.
The beach.
He was even more interested in real-life experiences, but never had the chance. During busy periods, he couldn't even visit the swimming pool all summer, let alone come to the seaside.
"Ren, you're a pervert~"
Anon's face flushed red upon hearing this. While she could fulfill Ren's fantasies, she hadn't brought any swimwear with her this time.
"It's only human nature."
Ren remained unfazed, being unusually honest while already making plans. Public beaches like this were definitely out—too crowded. If they were going, it would have to be a private beach.
Though he didn't own one currently, he could buy it. Even if he could only use it a few times a year, it would be worth it.
So during lunch, Ren started searching related content on his phone. Surprisingly, you could find anything online—not just private beaches, but even Spark Lances were available, though their authenticity was questionable.
After setting their meeting time, Ren and Anon continued their outing. They built a sandcastle together, and Anon pulled Ren into taking photos which she shared with fans to showcase her fulfilling real life.
On their way back.
She kept interacting with fans on her phone, occasionally blocking users who expressed admiration for Ren when she felt jealous.
"Should we head back tonight? Or tomorrow?"
In the evening while shopping for souvenirs, Ren asked for Anon's opinion. With two days in the weekend, there was no need to rush both coming and going.
"Let's make it tomorrow..."
Anon replied with slightly reddened cheeks after glancing at Ren. Even if Ren wanted to leave now, she wouldn't agree.
Having come this far, how could she let Ren return empty-handed?
"Just one room is fine."
When they reached the hotel after dinner, Anon proactively booked only one room at the front desk, while Ren upgraded it to a presidential suite.
"Ren, let's get one thing clear first—we'll always be childhood friends first, and lovers second."
Settling in the hotel room's living area, Anon sat on the sofa hugging a cushion shyly as she carefully stated her terms.
Ren maintaining a Harem was already an unchangeable reality that she had accepted. But she needed to clarify one thing: after being with Ren, their primary relationship would always be childhood friends, with romance coming second.
Because the status of childhood friend was something no one else had, it was her greatest advantage. She didn't want to become lovers with Ren and lose this childhood friend attribute.
If she couldn't compare in terms of figure, then she could only compete with these attributes.
"Alright, but are you sure you don't want to wait for me to prepare gifts and a confession?"
Anon had proactively booked a single room, which definitely wasn't to save money. This surprised Ren somewhat.
"You can save those things for my birthday. I'm already deeply moved by what Ren did for me today—that kind of financial authority usually only exists between married couples."
Anon had already obtained everything she wanted. Ren unconditionally supported her spontaneous ideas, and confessions no longer seemed as important as this companionship. In fact, the companionship they'd shared since childhood was the best confession itself, though they had never realized it before.
"Then let's continue looking after each other from now on, Anon."
"You too, Ren. And you're not allowed to complain about my figure!"
That night, Ren learned that being bitten by canine teeth truly hurt.