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 49: Visiting her house.

Visiting her house.

How strange. Sure, Mizuki can be proactive sometimes, but something like this still feels too soon…

I sat up abruptly to find Mizuki folding the futon.

Was that… just a dream…?

“Ao-kun, good morning. Did you have a scary dream?”

Mizuki, noticing my sudden movement, looked concerned. The dream wasn’t just scary; it was something I couldn’t easily talk about.

“Well, it was… somewhat scary.”

“If you’re scared, would you like me to stay by your side today?”

As she said this and approached me, I worried that the dream might become a reality.

“N-no, I’m fine.”

“I see…”

Looking disappointed, Mizuki turned away and left the room.

For breakfast on the final day of the three-day weekend, I took the lead in cooking, with Mizuki helping a bit. Since Hasebe-san was heading home today, she was also awake.

“Yawn… I’m so sleepy… Thanks for making breakfast, Mizuki-chan and Ao-kun, even mine.”

Still groggy, Hasebe-san sat down.

“It’s no trouble at all. By the way, Hasebe-san, what about the café during the three-day weekend?”

“The café is closed. We decided to take a break since we’re open every day. Oh, let’s eat.”

After answering my question, Hasebe-san clasped her hands together and started eating.

“What is this? Ao-kun, are you good at cooking?”

“I’m fairly good at it.”

“Then, why not work part-time at our place?”

A part-time job at ‘Hitode’… If I could, I’d love to, but they probably wouldn’t allow it. I could try to do it secretly, but if I got caught…

“No, I’m busy with my studies, so I can’t take on a part-time job…”

“That’s too bad. But if you ever want to, just let me know.”

“Yes…”

As I nodded, Mizuki, who was eating breakfast beside me, looked at me with worried eyes.

“Mizuki, is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

I thought maybe I had some rice stuck around my mouth, so I brought my hand up to my face, but there was nothing there.

“No, it’s nothing. The Shinkansen departs at 11:30, right? I checked the bus schedule, so I’ll message it to you later.”

Though she seemed to have noticed something, she said nothing and started talking about the return trip instead.

“Thank you.”

***

“Come visit us again. Take good care of Mizuki, Kougami-kun,” Kiyomi-san said, giving my shoulder a gentle pat. I nodded firmly.

“Understood. I’ll come by again if I can. Thank you for having me.”

I gave a slight bow, and then Mizuki, Hasebe-san, and I walked to the nearby bus stop.

The bus was fairly empty, so we were able to find seats. We had about a 30-minute ride ahead, followed by a train ride and then the Shinkansen.

Returning from the countryside to the city required using various modes of transportation.

“Hasebe-san is asleep… Mizuki, if you get sleepy, feel free to rest your head on my shoulder,” I said as we took our seats on the Shinkansen, with Hasebe-san by the aisle, Mizuki in the middle, and me by the window.

“Alright, I’ll do that if I get sleepy.”

About 30 minutes later, while listening to music through my earphones, I felt Mizuki lean against my shoulder.

With both of them asleep, I started feeling drowsy too. I turned off my music, closed my eyes, and decided to take a nap.

After arriving at our Shinkansen stop, we boarded another train.

“Ah, we finally made it!” Hasebe-san exclaimed, stretching her arms.

Sitting for so long had left me a bit tired. Now we just had to get home. Hasebe-san was headed in the opposite direction, so we parted ways there.

“See you both later,” she said.

“Yes, I’ll visit the shop again soon,” I replied.

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting. You come too, Kougami-kun.”

“Of course, I’ll come with Mizuki.”

After saying goodbye to Hasebe-san, it was just Mizuki and me.

“Our stay was fun, wasn’t it? How about you, Ao-kun? Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes, I did. It was great. I’d love to watch the stars together like that again.”

“Me too.”

It took a lot of effort to convince my dad to let me stay over at a friend’s house, but thanks to my mom, I was able to stay with Mizuki.

When he asked why I needed to stay over, my mom suggested I say it was for “studying.” I used that excuse, never expecting it would actually work.

“You know, Mizuki, I’d like to meet and introduce myself to your parents…”

“Introduce yourself… My father might be willing to meet you, but my mother probably won’t. We haven’t had a proper conversation in years.”

Seeing the sadness in her expression, I regretted bringing it up.

“You mentioned you live separately from your mother. I don’t know if it’s okay to ask, but can you tell me why?”

“It’s okay. It’s a long story though, so would you like to come over to my place?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, it’s fine. My father isn’t home yet, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you came over.”

“Alright, then. Let’s go.”

“Okay, let’s head over.”

***

“This place is really spacious. It feels like a mansion a young lady would live in.”

“It’s not that big. I don’t think it’s much different from your house, Ao-kun.”

No, no, it’s entirely different from my house. The ceilings are high, and the rooms are huge.

“I’ll make some tea. Please have a seat, Ao-kun.”

“I’ll help.”

“Ao-kun, please sit and wait. I can’t let a guest help.”

Under her firm insistence, I complied and sat on the sofa.

This place is so big… it’s almost unsettling.

As I fidgeted, Mizuki brought a cup of tea and placed it on the rectangular center table in front of me.

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Thank you.”

She sat beside me, took a sip of her own tea, and then placed the cup back on the table.

“You wanted to know about my mother…”

“Yes, but you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want you to know, Ao-kun. The main reason I work so hard is because of my mother.”

TL: This mom seems sus…

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