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 31: I-I'm so sorry! It seems I can't see my surroundings very well once I'm in game mode.

I-I’m so sorry! It seems I can’t see my surroundings very well once I’m in game mode.

Who is that? Where is Mizuki… Wait, she said earlier that her grandmother had come back, right?

So, this person must be…

“Are you Mizuki’s boyfriend, Kougami Ao? Thank you for always being so kind to my precious granddaughter.”

“Um, well…”

While I was struggling to respond to this stranger who knew my name without introducing themselves, Mizuki appeared on the screen, having apparently taken the phone.

“I’m sorry, Ao-kun. Grandmother, please introduce yourself before you start talking.”

“You’re right. I’ve heard so much about you from Mizuki that I feel like I already know you—”

“He’s listening right now, so please don’t say more!”

“Oh, come on. Mizuki really—”

“Grandmother, stop!”

I don’t know exactly what’s going on over there, but it’s clear that Mizuki and her grandmother have a close relationship.

“I apologize, Ao-kun.”

Mizuki cleared her throat and apologized as if nothing had happened.

“No, it’s nice to see you two getting along so well. By the way, wasn’t your grandmother supposed to stay until the sports festival?”

“She was, but she’s decided to stay a bit longer. Oh, you should probably hang up now; I think the cupcakes should be ready.”

“Oh, I completely forgot. Thanks for reminding me. Well, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow.”

***

“We’ll have Saya-chan and Ri-kun join us as last-minute participants.”

It was the first Saturday of summer vacation, and we had gathered at a rented basketball court. Initially, it was supposed to be just the four of us, but we decided that having more people would be better, so we invited Rikuto and Hasekura-san to join.

“So, how are we going to split the teams?”

“Hmm, let’s do rock-paper-scissors in groups of three!” Kana suggested.

As a result of Kana’s suggestion, the teams ended up being me, Kana, and Rikuto on one side, and Mizuki, Kouta, and Sayaka on the other.

“Mizuki, Maeyama-kun let’s work well together,”

“Likewise, Sayaka-san,” Mizuki responded politely.

“According to Kana, Mizuki is really good at basketball. I’m looking forward to it,” Sayaka said, patting Mizuki on the shoulder.

“Please don’t expect too much,” Mizuki replied, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Tsuyuzaki-san, weren’t you pretty good in basketball during gym class?” 

“Hey Maeyama-kun?!”

Kouta, who went to the same school as Mizuki, was laughing as he tried to tease her, so I lightly smacked him on the back from behind.

“Don’t tease her,” I said.

“Yeah, yeah. So, do you guys have your strategy figured out?” Kouta asked, smirking.

“Of course! We’ve got Ao-kun, a former basketball club member, on our side,” 

Kana said this, but the other team also had a basketball club member. Kouta used to be in the basketball club and was better than me.

“I’m in the wind ensemble, so I hope I can contribute… Mizuki was in the badminton club, and Maeyama-kun was in the basketball club. I’m sorry if I end up being a burden,” Sayaka said, looking a bit worried.

“It’s okay. Let’s do our best together,” Mizuki reassured her.

“Alright, I’ll do my best,” Sayaka replied with determination.

──── First Game.

“Mi-chan, you’re scaring me~”

“I-I’m so sorry! It seems I can’t see my surroundings very well once I’m in game mode.”

Mizuki had been relentlessly taking the ball, which understandably scared Kana.

“Let’s switch Kana and Hasekura-san to balance the teams,” I suggested.

Kana, who had just moments ago looked like she never wanted to play basketball again, immediately brightened up and hugged Mizuki happily as soon as she was on the same team.

“We’re gonna crush Ao’s team!”

“Let’s take it easy, okay? But yes, let’s definitely win,” Mizuki replied with a determined smile.

──── Second Game.

“Kouta, you’re pretty good. As expected of a captain,” Rikuto, who went to the same middle school as Kouta, remarked.

“Wow, you were a captain, huh? By the way, our team has been losing all the games. Don’t you want to win at least once?” 

“Yeah, I want to win at least once,” 

Losing to Kouta repeatedly was frustrating. If we could just win one game…

──── Third Game.

“We won! Rikuto, Kougami-kun, we did it!”

While the three of us celebrated with high-fives, Mizuki and the others headed to the convenience store to buy ice cream.

“Should we go buy something too?”

“I’m going to the vending machine to get a drink. What about you two?”

“I’ll go to the vending machine too. How about you, Hasekura-san?” I replied.

“I’ll come along too,” 

Though we didn’t usually hang out together, we were having a good time.

“Hey, since Mizuki isn’t here, maybe I should ask…” Sayaka said with a mischievous grin as we bought drinks from the vending machine.

What is she planning to do…? I thought, feeling a bit nervous as I took a step back to keep some distance.

“Come on, you can tell me. Have you and Mizuki done anything… intimate?” Sayaka asked, smirking.

I nearly choked on my drink in surprise. “W-What!?”

“What?” Sayaka replied nonchalantly.

Her straightforwardness caught me off guard. I never expected such a question.

“Hey, are you okay?” Rikuto asked, noticing my reaction.

As I was buying my drink, Rikuto, who hadn’t heard Hasekura-san’s comment, gently patted my back.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

“Not really…” I replied, feeling overwhelmed in more ways than one.

“So, have you kissed her?” Hasekura-san pressed on.

“No, we haven’t. Why are you even asking this?” I said, still taken aback.

“Because I’m curious. You can share your love stories with me anytime. I promise I won’t judge, so feel free to give me updates,” she said with a grin.

Apparently, Hasekura-san loves talking about relationships. Her demeanor didn’t initially suggest that, which shows how little I know about her.

Wait, what does she mean by ‘updates’?

“I think a romantic place is best for a first kiss. Like an amusement park or an aquarium—”

(What is she talking about?)

“I just love romance talks. I want to experience it myself, but listening to my friends’ stories is so much fun—”

(I-I see…)

I had no idea how to respond. Meanwhile, Hasekura-san and Rikuto continued chatting away, turning the situation into a bit of a chaotic mess.

TL: Lots of sweetness coming on guys!
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