Ren plucked the floating [Anger] from above the girl’s head and was just thinking that women’s emotions really were unstable, when he suddenly heard her call his name.
A second later, she almost lunged at him.
His gaze moved over her from top to bottom.
The girl had a round, pretty face, an excited expression, and eyes fixed straight on him.
Her neck stretched forward, bringing her so close that he could even smell the saliva on her breath.
That smell felt a little familiar.
“You are…”
Ren stared at her face, thinking hard.
Then he suddenly noticed the [Joy] symbol popping up above her head.
Women really were fickle.
Good thing he had been quick enough to collect [Anger] earlier.
“I’m Yanami Anna!
Your childhood friend!
I even came to your house to play when we were little, and you treated me to ice cream!”
Anna introduced herself loudly, but halfway through, her voice suddenly dropped.
“So Ren doesn’t remember me anymore.”
[Joy] was instantly replaced by [Sorrow].
Ren had not even reached out to collect it yet.
Still, [Sorrow] was not bad either.
So he first grabbed a handful of air above Anna’s head, then pretended to smile.
“Oh, so it’s you, Yanami.
Long time no see.
I didn’t expect you to grow up this cute.
You’re so cute I didn’t even recognize you.”
Ren said…
I’m…
Cute?
And he said it twice?!
Anna’s eyes lit up, and her cheeks turned red.
“N-No, wait, I mean, it’s fine.
You went abroad when we were still really little, so of course you wouldn’t remember me right away.”
Abroad?
Ren froze for a moment.
The things that remained buried deep in memory were always vague and intangible.
It was like remembering a person.
Years later, it was often not because of her beauty.
In fact, you might have already forgotten what she looked like.
Forget brushing past her on the street.
Even if you sat face-to-face with her, you might not recognize her.
But there would always be something that reminded you it was her.
Maybe it was the scent of the shampoo she used back then.
Maybe it was the smell of her usual laundry detergent.
And for Ren, it was the familiar smell of saliva he had just caught.
In surprise, he unconsciously stared at Anna’s blue hair and finally remembered the little demon girl who used to bring a boy to his yard every afternoon after school.
That little demon girl was always pestering him to play.
Sometimes she would even hug him and lick him, leaving saliva all over his face.
Others might have found it cute.
But how could Ren, who had the mind of an adult, possibly enjoy playing with a little kid like that?
So he had teamed up with the security guards and tricked that little demon girl into believing he had gone abroad.
That lie had lasted almost ten years.
He really never expected to run into her here again one day.
“Oh, so it was you,” Ren murmured.
A shadow instantly fell over Anna’s face.
So Ren had been lying to her just now.
Only now had he truly recognized her.
Then what about calling her cute?
Was that fake too?
Her mood suddenly dropped again.
But then, Ren suddenly laughed happily a few times.
The next second, Anna felt herself crash into a slightly firm embrace.
“Eh?
So enthusiastic?”
The [Sorrow] above Anna’s head instantly turned back into [Joy].
After so many years, she once again felt her white moonlight in the flesh.
Unlike her own soft chest, his chest muscles were so firm!
And he was still as handsome as before.
Blond hair and golden eyes.
He looked almost like a foreigner.
His ancestors definitely had European blood!
“So it really is you, Anna-chan.
Sorry, I lied earlier.
I really didn’t recognize you.
But after all these years, you really have become beautiful.”
Ren rubbed Anna’s head.
Although he was doing it to collect emotions, he was not lying.
Anna really was quite pretty.
She had wavy blue hair, soft and fluffy in style, with smooth fair skin and bright, charming eyes.
And that little demon girl really had grown up.
She was full of traits that appealed to men.
But speaking of that little demon girl, where was the little boy?
“That guy, the one who used to come with you all the time when we were kids.
What was his name again?”
“You mean Sousuke?”
So he forgot him too.
Anna felt a little more balanced, but at the same time, a little annoyed.
“Don’t even mention him.
Just thinking about him makes me mad.
Do you know what he did?
He ran off to England because of some vixen!”
“A vixen?”
“No, I mean…”
Anna hurriedly waved her hands.
She did not want her white moonlight to know that she had once treated Hakamada Sousuke as his replacement.
“She’s…
just a transfer student who’s a little pretty.
She only showed up recently, but she already stole Sousuke’s soul.
She came in April, you know, and now she even dragged him all the way to England.
That’s why I call her a vixen.”
“I see.”
Ren looked straight into Anna’s eyes.
There was a trace of panic inside them that she could not quite hide.
“I see.”
“Eh?
Why did you say it twice?”
“Mm, just think of it as a habit of mine.”
Ren spoke lightly.
“That’s such a cool habit.
It feels kind of Sherlock Holmes-like.”
Anna blinked.
Ren did not respond to such an obvious line of flattery.
Instead, he calculated how many emotions he was still missing.
[Fear], [Love], [Desire], [Disgust]…
He was missing quite a lot.
Well, he would collect however many he could.
So he continued.
“So, you mean he chased a girl all the way to England?
That’s pretty romantic.”
“Romantic?”
Anna only thought Sousuke was an idiot.
“Mm.
London is the center of romance, you know.
Have you ever seen Regent Street at seven in the evening?
After the sun sets, the whole street turns orange-red.”
“An old gentleman in a trench coat might step out of a church nearby, take off his top hat, and escort a young lady to a bar.”
“If they pass through the square, maybe they’ll stop when Big Ben rings and kiss under the sound of the bell.”
Anna could not help thinking that rich kids really were different.
She had never even been to London.
“Uh, when you say it like that…
it does sound a little romantic.
But Sousuke probably wouldn’t dare go into a bar.
He’s still underage.”
“But they can still kiss.”
Ren glanced meaningfully at Anna’s pink lips as he spoke.
Anna froze.
The air fell silent for one second.
Then Ren suddenly asked, “Do you have a photo of that girl?”
“Mm, I do…
Eh?”
Anna had not yet recovered from the way Ren had just looked at her.
When she suddenly heard him ask for Karen’s photo, she instinctively agreed.
But the moment she did, she regretted it.
Although she was very unwilling to admit it, that vixen’s looks really had stolen away the childhood friend she had spent years with.
So how could she possibly show that girl to her white moonlight now?
“I-I-I don’t have one.”
Anna almost stuttered.
“You’re contradicting yourself.”
Ren tried his best to curl the corners of his lips.
He was not very good at fake smiles.
Anna’s expression clearly stiffened.
After a short pause, she took out her phone, opened LINE, and showed him the hand-holding photo Hakamada Sousuke had sent after successfully confessing yesterday.
The pink-haired girl in the picture was Karen.
She had the face of a temptress, a terrifyingly large bust, and a seductive aura.
No wonder Anna called her a vixen.
“Mm, not bad.”
Ren gave a simple comment.
“Ren…
do you like that type too?”
Anna lowered her head and spoke quietly.
Each word came out with difficulty, as if she were spitting out stones.
“No.”
Ren shook his head.
He stared into Anna’s eyes, his expression serious.
“If I had to choose, I’d definitely like you, Anna-chan.
You’re clearly a little prettier.”
“Especially your eyes.
They’re bright and really beautiful.”
Anna suddenly raised her head.
At that moment, she felt as if she had already fallen in love.
As long as she was just a little braver, as long as she rushed in like Sousuke had, it felt like her white moonlight would be hers right away.
She had fantasized about this countless times.
Now that her dream was right in front of her, she had to consider whether this might be the only chance in her entire life.
“Um, I…
I actually…
always…
ever since we were little…”
Her voice was soft and broken.
Anna felt like her tongue must have been fighting itself.
But that could not be helped.
Confessing was terrifying.
She really had no idea how Sousuke had managed to find the courage yesterday.
Besides, they had only just met again after so many years.
Was it really okay to confess right away?
Would she really not be rejected?
Anna clenched her teeth.
Even though she was scared, she was still struggling.
Say it!
Ren already said he would choose you, didn’t he?
Hurry up and say it!
Ren easily plucked away [Love], [Fear], and [Desire].
Listening to her slightly hurried breathing, he could not help thinking that women really were easy to fool.
Young girls were even easier.
So from now on, he should focus on girls.
As for being loved by men, other than his father, there probably would not be a second person.
He didn’t swing that way after all.
After deciding on his future plan, Ren’s mood improved a little.
But there was no way he would accept this sudden confession.
After all…
“But unfortunately, I can’t choose anymore.”
“Eh?”
“I already have a fiancée.”
Her heart skipped a beat again.
Anna’s eyes instantly widened.
“…Hah?”