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 38: Summer festival.

Summer festival.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Good evening, Ao-kun.”

At the nearby shrine where we agreed to meet, Mizuki appeared in a yukata.

As she had said, she was wearing a white yukata with a floral pattern, and her hair was styled in twin buns. It was impossible not to be taken aback.

“That yukata looks cute.”

“Thank you very much. And Ao-kun, you look even cooler than usual.”

“Thanks.”

Since there were so many people at the festival, I thought about suggesting we hold hands so we wouldn’t get separated, but naturally, we were already holding hands, our fingers intertwined.

“Mizuki, if there’s any store you’re interested in, just let me know.”

“Okay.”

After walking for a while, Mizuki said she wanted to try takoyaki, so we headed to a less crowded place to buy some.

“Here you go, please have some.”

“No, I mean, we split the bill earlier, so you should go first.”

“Okay, ahh~”

I held out a toothpick skewered takoyaki to Mizuki’s mouth, and she took a bite.

“Ao-kun, that’s so mean.”

“I didn’t do anything. Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah, it was delicious. Ao-kun, it’s payback time. Here, ahh~”

She offered me a takoyaki in return, and I ate it. It was just right, not yet cold.

“Mmm, delicious.”

As I said that, Mizuki puffed out her cheeks. Did she not like that I ate it normally?

“Once you finish eating that, Ao-kun, let’s go to the food stall you want to visit. Is there any stall you’re interested in?”

“Well…,”

Just eating wouldn’t be very interesting, so something game-related would be good.

“Mizuki, ring toss or shooting game. Which one do you prefer?”

“Well, um… I guess it’s not good for me to choose. It’s Ao-kun’s turn to decide on the stall.”

Asked which one she preferred, Mizuki answered honestly, but then hurriedly tried to retract her words.

“Okay then, let’s go for ring toss.”

“Did you choose that because I mentioned it earlier? Or do you really want to play ring toss?”

“I wonder… Well, let’s go try the ring toss.”

We headed to the stall with the ring toss, and Mizuki and I tried our luck, but ended up empty-handed.

“It’s too difficult to line up the rings at that distance.”

“I thought the same thing.”

“It’s frustrating. Ao-kun, how about trying the shooting game?”

“Sure, I’ve never done it before and I wanted to try.”

Since Mizuki wanted to try the shooting game, we moved from the ring toss stall to the shooting game stall.

***

After enjoying the food stalls, we bought drinks from a vending machine and decided to head to a park away from the shrine.

“It was fun, wasn’t it? Ao-kun, was that really your first time playing shooting games?”

“Yeah, it was my first time.”

“For a first-timer, you did amazing. I’ll treasure this bear plush keychain you gave me.”

I was mesmerized by Mizuki holding the bear plush keychain so dearly.

“Want to try black coffee?”

“Isn’t coffee bitter?”

“Yeah, it is. Haven’t you tried it before?”

“No, I haven’t. It feels like an adult drink. If you don’t mind, I’d like to try.”

When Mizuki said that, I handed her a can of coffee, and she took a sip.

“I-It’s bitter…”

“Guess it doesn’t suit you, Mizuki.”

“You’re fine with it, Ao-kun? Do you like coffee?”

“Well, I think so. Anyway, we should probably head back soon before our parents get mad.”

Dad came home early today, so I overheard this morning and have to go home quickly before they start complaining again.

“Indeed. Shall we head back?”

“I’ll walk you home.”

“Thank you.”

We arrived at Mizuki’s house from the park, where we were supposed to part ways. However, for some reason, I now found myself inside her house.

“So, you’re Kougami Ao. You’re even more handsome in person than on screen. Here, have some tea.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I gratefully sipped the tea she brewed. Beside me, Mizuki seemed apologetic and sorry for the situation.

The reason this happened was when we reached Mizuki’s house, her grandmother came out and almost forcefully invited me inside.

I never expected to end up inside her house like this. It turned out it was just Mizuki and her grandmother living there; her parents weren’t around.

“Is everything all right?”

“Oh, no, just curious. You and your grandmother live here alone?”

“No, my father is at work. My mother and I are living separately for personal reasons. My grandmother is here for some reason.”

Seems like they won’t be coming back soon. However, knowing Mizuki has someone like her grandmother here when her father’s work keeps him late is reassuring.

“I was thinking of leaving, but since summer vacation has started, I thought I’d spend a bit more time with Mizuki. Oh, you can call me Kiyomi.”

Did Mizuki’s grandmother overhear the conversation between Mizuki and me?

“Not feeling lonely?”

“Yeah, well… Um, Ao-kun, happy birthday.”

Mizuki handed me a bag from her bag.

“Thank you… I’m really happy.”

“It’s homemade sweets inside. Let me know what you think.”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you after I eat them.”

It was birthday present from Mizuki. I ate it the next day and told Mizuki my impressions right away because it was so delicious.

***

When I got home, Dad still wasn’t back, which was a bit of a relief. As I headed to my room, I noticed a missed call from Kana and quickly called her back.

“What’s up?”

“Ah, finally got through. Since it’s summer break, I was thinking we should all do fireworks together~ What do you think?”

“Sounds good, doesn’t it? We did it last year too, right?”

“Yeah, we did. Let’s do it in my backyard this time. And make sure to invite Mizuki this time.”

“So, I’m supposed to invite her?”

“Yeah, she’s your girlfriend. By the way, how was the summer festival date?”

“How was it? I haven’t mentioned to you that I went to the summer festival with Mizuki…”

“Maybe, but I think I saw a couple holding hands.”

“So you were there…”

“Well, keep me posted, okay?”

“Got it. I’ll find out.”

After finishing the call with Kana, I let out a big yawn. I woke up early today and I’m feeling sleepy… I should take a bath and go to bed early.

TL: Look forward to the new chapterss hehehehhe~
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