Chapter 801 - Sunrise

“Wait until we see the sun peeking out from out there.” I pointed into the horizon which then made Nao follow it with her eyes and repeat the same words she just uttered pertaining to the glistening ocean. She then nodded her head energetically, looking forward to what awaits us in less than an hour.

Honestly, I only saw that kind of scene through a television. Or more specifically, from a movie that was aired on TV. Who knows? Most likely, they only simulated it rather than capturing the real thing.

In any case, that’s unimportant. Today, we’re going to greet the new day together.

Whoosh~

The sound of the bristling wind echoed through our ears along with the sound of tidal waves hitting the beach. From what I saw, the tide was still high. As the day and the sun eventually greets us, that will slowly subside, showing us the beauty of this place in its full glory.

While waiting for Shio to park the car, Nao, who was already excited, rolled down the window.

As soon as that happened, a cold morning breeze quickly filled the interior of the car, making the girl shudder from that biting cold. Unlike Shio, this girl was wearing a rather thin shirt that’s why I quickly moved to hug her before rubbing her shoulder and back to stave off the cold. Following that, I rolled the window up before reaching for the wool hoodie that she failed to put on before we left. She settled on my lap as soon as she climbed inside, after all.

“Here is fine.” Shio said upon stopping the car somewhere close to the stairs down towards the beach. After turning the engine off, she then turned to us.

Upon seeing me hugging Nao, Shio first stared at me as though saying ‘I also want a hug later’ before instructing us on what to do. “Ruru, I’ll carry our food, get the other things we brought from the trunk. Nao, come with me. Let’s look for a good spot.”

With that, we had no choice but to separate from each other.

I watched the two women walk towards the beach and even though I was only looking at their back, there’s no doubt that they’re more than just excited for this day. Their hearty laughter was so heartwarming that those who heard them couldn’t help but shoot a glance.

And before someone could get an idea to talk and hit on them this early in the morning, I quickly picked the things we’re going to use and followed them.

Well, even if they tried to do so, the two would just ignore them. And if they still tried while I was with the girls, there’s no way I would be silent about that.

Of course, to not ruin our day. I’ll be civil and not resort to intimidation and violence right away. That could only be done when being civil was proven not enough.

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Less than an hour later, the three of us were sitting on a mat, waiting for the sun to rise. There’s a huge blanket covering the three of us since the morning breeze was still too cold. On our hands, a cup filled with fragrant tea that I prepared and put in a thermos to retain its heat.

Not minding the curious glances of the other people also waiting for the sun to rise, Nao and Shio’s heads rested on my shoulders while taking a sip of their tea once in a while.

We’re not locals and no one around knew us personally. We came here to relax and enjoy this situation, not to be worried about strangers’ perception of us.

Too bad though… It’s not the time for them to wear a swimsuit. It’s still technically spring season so… that kind of event had to wait until summer.

At the moment, the sky over the horizon had already turned red and the first ray of sunlight had torn across the sky as it began to brighten up the day.

While our eyes were peeled to watch the changes in the sky as the sun slowly rose to occupy its place up there, Shio, Nao and I talked about the things that happened between us and things that will still happen for us in the future.

Our worries, our apprehensions, our hopes and our aspirations.

Through this, I was reminded that no one was as optimistic as me for our future. No matter what, the idealistic and unrealistic scenario that we’re all going to live comfortably together has to happen first before they can all be convinced.

Nonetheless, the two women expressed their conviction to stand with me whatever the case may be.

Nao repeated her words about living with me after graduating high school. Even though it’s still a year away, she already presented her plan with her parents.

Shio worried about our secret relationship in school and her growing love for me. Maybe it’s not apparent yet but there would come a time that one of us might forget ourselves and become too intimate in front of everyone. Much like my relationship with a lot of girls, dating your student was morally unacceptable. And that one was even more common than open and complex relationships.

In any case, Shio pointed out that she had no plans to take a step back. Perhaps, not at the moment. And I’ll take her word for it.

By the time the sun had already reached the point of basking us with its warm glow, Shio, Nao and I began eating our breakfast.

The local sightseers and the tourists who came to watch also started to leave or do the same as us.

Once we’re done eating, we walked for a bit around the beach, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun as well as the coolness of the seawater as we walked on the sands barefoot.

Before the whole neighborhood woke up, we then returned to Shio’s car and began our return trip to our city.

Shio and Nao only had that one as their plan for today. To watch the sunrise with me and spend the morning there.

It’s another two hours of drive considering there would be traffic now that the day started for everyone. That’s why before Shio entered the highway, I spied a small hotel and suggested that we rest for a few hours… I would pay for it, of course. I couldn’t have Shio shouldering every expense. She already did that for our food and fuel for this trip

At first, Shio was saying she’s still fine but with Nao parroting my words, it successfully convinced her.

As soon as we reached our room, Shio dropped to the bed and pulled me with her. In less than a minute, her exhausted body relaxed as she began sleeping soundly.

Watching us from the side of the bed, Nao shook her head while having a warm and gentle smile on her lips.

“Ruki. You know? If not for your current self that indiscriminately loves all of us, there’s a huge chance that I will give way to Shiori-nee. She deserves this happiness with you. I saw how much dedication she put into preparing for this trip.”

Nao said before climbing up the bed to join us and settling down behind me. A while later, I felt her arm slipping from my side, hugging me from the back.

“That’s extremely fortunate, Nao… If I’m not like this, you know what will happen, right?”

“You’ll be picking Akane.”

“Mhm… But let’s not talk about that anymore. Keep this a secret from her but Shio also said the same thing as you when you’re asleep in the car. I’m glad to see you two getting along this well.”

“You’re the one who made this possible, you playboy. Promise me you’re not going to change your mind again and cut us off.”

She’s still worried about that… Well, it’s understandable. It’s only been more than a month since we reconnected again. The wound of yesterday might be easy to cover up but it wouldn’t heal as quickly.

That’s why I have to do better and make them all feel special. Every passing day.

“I promise. I’m going to see this to the end with all of you. That’s why, keep holding onto me, Nao.”

After saying that, I fixed my position and laid my back on the bed, allowing Nao to snuggle closely to my side, the same as last night.

As my head turned to face her, instead of answering with words, Nao welcomed me with her lips, conveying her answer through it.

A while later, the two of us also fell asleep from listening to Shio’s peaceful snoring.

It was around three hours later that we all woke up at the same time and a few more minutes after that, we’re back on the road, refreshed.