The Pure-Hearted Beauty Who Only Dotes on Me Despite Not Being in a Relationship—And How She Became Even Sweeter After We Started Dating - Chapter 24: If anyone still doubts it, I can explain right here what I love about Ao-kun.

If anyone still doubts it, I can explain right here what I love about Ao-kun.

The next morning, as soon as she arrived in the classroom and put down her bag, Mizuki came straight to me. Normally, she would go to her seat and be surrounded by classmates.

“Good morning, Ao-kun.”

“Good morning. It’s rare for you to come to me first, Mizuki.”

Usually, Kana had to drag her over, so I was a bit pleased that she came on her own today.

“I wanted to talk to you. There are always people around you, so it’s hard to get a moment alone with you at school.”

People around me? Isn’t it usually the other way around, with people flocking to Mizuki? The only ones who usually come to my seat are Kana or Kouta…

“What are you planning to do for the sports festival, Ao-kun?”

“I want to join the relay or other running events.”

After the tests next week, we had the sports festival coming up. I’m decent at sports, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Have you decided what events you’ll participate in, Mizuki?”

“I think I’ll be in the grade relay and the ball toss.”

When she mentioned the ball toss, I couldn’t help but imagine her throwing the balls. She would look absolutely adorable.

“Ao-kun, what are you thinking about?”

“N-nothing at all.”

“Really? You were grinning, you know.”

Grinning? Was I really doing that?

“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking of anything───”

“Good morning, you two.”

“Morning, Ao.”

I thought it was Kouta and Kana, but it turned out to be Rikuto and Hasekura-san.

“Good morning, Sayaka-san, Tabe-kun.”

“You two looked like you were flirting from a distance. Did you start dating?”

Hasekura-san asked us quietly. Mizuki, deciding it was fine to tell them, gave a small nod.

“Congratulations~. Rikuto, they started dating.”

“R-really? That’s great, Ao.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

As Hasekura-san and Rikuto talked to us, I noticed our classmates starting to whisper among themselves. I had a feeling this was going to spread.

“Tsuyuzaki-san, could it be that you’re dating Kougami-kun?”

A group of girls approached us, and one of them asked Mizuki directly.

Having decided beforehand to be honest if asked, Mizuki nodded slightly and answered with a smile.

“Yes, we are dating.”

“Really? I knew it!”

The girl excitedly relayed the news to her friends behind her, and soon a small crowd gathered around Mizuki, bombarding her with questions.

“I had a feeling something was going on. Tsuyuzaki-san, when did you two start dating?”

“Two days ago.”

“Wow, that’s so recent! How did it happen with Kougami-kun───”

“Okay, okay, Runa, Momoka, calm down a bit. You’re overwhelming Mizuki. Lower the energy a bit; you’re scaring her,” Hasekura-san intervened, rescuing Mizuki from the barrage of questions.

“Oh, sorry, Tsuyuzaki-san.”

“It’s fine. I expected this would happen.”

The news quickly spread, and soon the boys also found out. One of the boys, whom I hadn’t talked to much before, approached me while Mizuki was still engaged with the girls.

“Kougami, how did you manage to win over Tsuyuzaki-san?”

“Win over? It wasn’t like that. I just grew to like her while spending time together───”

“Wait, how long have you been close with Tsuyuzaki-san? It sounds like you’ve been close for a while,” another boy chimed in.

I realized I had no choice but to explain. However, I decided to keep certain details to myself to avoid provoking any negative reactions from the boys.

“Since around the end of the summer break in our first year. We started as casual acquaintances but have been hanging out more recently.”

“Whoa! So you’ve gotten pretty close, huh? Keeping Tsuyuzaki-san all to yourself.”

“I never intended to keep her. I knew she was popular with other guys, and I was aware that being close to her would draw attention.”

Initially, I hadn’t sought to befriend Mizuki for my own sake. She had wanted to be with me, so I stayed with her. But over time, my feelings changed, and I wanted to be by her side and support her.

“Tsuyuzaki-san, Kougami didn’t force you into this relationship, did he?”

Just as one of the boys muttered that I wasn’t a good match for Mizuki, she heard him. Interrupting her conversation with the girls, she turned to face him.

“I actually liked Ao-kun before he liked me, so there’s no way I was forced into this. I love Ao-kun.”

The classmates around us were stunned. I hadn’t expected her to use my first name or to declare her feelings so openly in front of everyone. It made me happy but also a bit embarrassed.

“If anyone still doubts it, I can explain right here what I love about him.”

“Wait, no, that’s really not necessary…”

Hearing her list all the things she loved about me would definitely make my face turn bright red. I needed to stop her before she made a public confession. She seemed determined, though.

“First, the first thing I love is───”

“Stop, stop. Mizuki, I appreciate you standing up for me, but a public confession is a bit much…”

“Alright, I’ll tell you what I love about you when we’re alone then.”

Mizuki said this softly, with a small smile just for me.

The bell rang, signaling the start of first period, and the teacher walked into the classroom. Most of the students were still standing around and chatting, causing the teacher to look surprised.

TL: These two so lovey dovey… me cri when me tl this novel…
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