Chapter 97: What Does It Mean for the Divine to Exist in the Everyday World?
After the summer festival came the school trip, but before that, Ren first went to negotiate with a seller about a private beach.
It was a private beach located in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture, on the Izu Peninsula, covering an area of 30,000 square meters—a prime location that was truly rare to come by.
However, the seller was urgently in need of cash and had to sell the vacation estate along with the beach. Because it was a quick sale, they had to offer it at a low price: a total of 2.5 billion yen, equivalent to about 17 million US dollars, which was well within Ren's budget.
He promptly paid the amount, and the seller, even more promptly, handled the transfer of various documents and made all the necessary arrangements. Within two days, the private beach became Ren's property.
This gave Ren a place where he could relax and vacation during the summer break without worry. He still didn't want to deal with the crowds at public beaches.
Not only that, but he also took the time to visit Izu to conduct a final inspection of his private beach.
He had already visited during the transaction. The private beach was situated at the tip of the peninsula, shaped like a crescent, surrounded by small hills that completely blocked the outside view. There was only one road leading in.
There was no garbage accumulation, the sea was clear, and the resting area was a duplex villa less than 50 meters from the beach. The terrain was high enough to avoid any impact from tides. In short, Ren was very satisfied.
However, that was only based on his visual inspection. Now, he needed the System to conduct a thorough check to ensure there were no issues.
"Master, what is this place?"
This time, Ren had only brought Ram with him because the two sisters had different specialties. Rem was better at caregiving and was all-around capable with household chores, while Ram was more skilled at hosting guests or accompanying Ren for social outings. That's why Ren had brought her along first.
As for the others, he planned to surprise them later.
Looking at the beach, enclosed by fences and so vast that she could hardly take it all in with her eyes, Ram gained a deeper understanding of Ren's financial power.
"My private beach. We can come here for a few days during the summer break."
While explaining to Ram, Ren had the System inspect the beach and the surrounding hills, ultimately confirming that there were no issues.
"Yes."
Ram nodded with difficulty, feeling both anticipation and excitement. As Ren's maid, she shared in his fortunes and misfortunes. Seeing Ren's substantial financial resources made her feel a greater sense of pride.
After the inspection, Ren returned to Tokyo to prepare for the school trip.
This year's first-year school trip at Toyosaki was set in Hokkaido. It was a three-day, two-night trip that included mountain climbing, visiting a shrine dedicated to some unknown deity, and finally, free-time activities.
The educational purpose was merely to have them write a summary, making it hardly different from an actual vacation.
However, the schedule varied for each class. Some would climb the mountain first, while others would visit the shrine first. The school had staggered their times to avoid overcrowding.
This also meant that Ren and his group were separated from Karen, but Karen had her own friends in her class and wouldn't be bored spending time with Ikuyo and the others.
And Hitori was no longer alone now. It was truly wonderful that she wasn't hiding alone in a corner during her first school trip.
When they started climbing the mountain, she tightly held Ren's hand, while Yuno and Satou walked beside them.
"Gabriel, hang in there! We've only just started! You can't collapse already!"
Ren and the others intentionally stayed at the back of the group, but someone was moving even slower than them.
Vignette was encouraging Gabriel, who looked like she might drop dead at any moment. With just one glance, Ren could tell she had definitely pulled another all-nighter gaming.
Mafuyu walked in the middle of the group, observing the students. Everything seemed fine at the front, but when she looked toward the back and saw the three pink-haired beauties around Ren, she frowned slightly but didn't approach to say anything.
Although Ren and the others kept a low profile and wouldn't openly show affection at school, some things could be discovered through observation.
Ren, Yuno, and Satou—the three pillars of the class—were hard for Mafuyu to ignore, especially since their family situations were all quite unusual.
At first, she was just worried about whether they could make proper choices between academics and daily life. She tried introducing them to part-time jobs, though they all refused. Still, Mafuyu remained very concerned.
But as she continued observing, she suddenly realized that Ren's relationships with Yuno, Satou, and Hitori were quite unusual.
She initially thought they were just a small group sticking together for comfort, but their daily interactions seemed excessively intimate.
Yuno would often massage Ren's shoulders with a gentle expression, while Satou frequently argued and even fought with Yuno—always over Ren. Yet Hitori, Ren's official girlfriend, would turn a blind eye and do nothing about it.
This made Mafuyu wonder if she was overthinking things. That's why she hadn't rashly questioned them—teenagers at this age tend to be sensitive, and she was afraid of accidentally making things worse with good intentions.
As for Gabriel, she was purely a problem student. When she first enrolled, she was as gentle and kind as an Angel, but within days she had completely degenerated. Her hair often went unwashed and unkempt for three or four days, she had heavy dark circles under her eyes, and she spent all her free time gaming.
Mafuyu silently observed them, contemplating when to have a heart-to-heart talk. Seeing Gabriel's degeneration made her feel uncomfortable—what happened to that wonderful girl she used to be?
"Gabriel, can I ask you something?"
On Ren's side, he slowed his pace to wait for Gabriel to catch up lethargically before speaking to her.
"Speak. Any later and I might just destroy the world. Why are school trips mandatory anyway? I just want to stay home and game."
Gabriel pulled out a horn emitting a terrifying aura, making even Yuno and the others show pained expressions under the pressure. She had brought this horn out several times before, claiming that blowing it would destroy the world, though no one knew if it was true.
"Are there any real gods in this world?"
Ren asked curiously, "With Angels, dragons, and supernatural artifacts all existing, wouldn't some of Japan's so-called eighty million deities include a few genuine ones mixed in?"
If he remembered correctly, deities here could be arbitrarily appointed.
"There are, but whether you encounter them is another matter. Are you done asking? If so, I'm going to destroy the world now."
Gabriel resolved Ren's confusion, then raised her trumpet with an impatient expression, ready to sound it.
"One hundred thousand yen."
"This world is still quite beautiful, and I deeply cherish it."
The moment Ren spoke, Gabriel immediately shifted her tone and demeanor, speaking gently with a holy, smiling expression.
Could he now be considered a high school student who saved the world?
After transferring the money to Gabriel, Ren inexplicably thought: the trumpet in her hands was likely the real deal, but the way she casually brandished it made it seem utterly insignificant to her.
Moreover, it turned out deities truly existed—but were there any with pink hair?