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 50: Until dinner is ready.

Until dinner is ready.

“Mom, I got a perfect score on my school test!”

I wanted her to be interested in me, to notice me. But Mom was always focused on her work.

“Yeah, well, you don’t need to report every little thing. I’m working on important documents for a meeting, so don’t bother me.”

“S-sorry…”

I wanted her to praise me, even a little. But it was just the norm, so of course, she wouldn’t praise me…

To avoid being a bother and to not get on her bad side, I tried to talk to her as little as possible.

Over time, I began to think that my mother cared more about her work than about me.

I usually ate dinner alone. Dad came home late, and Mom would prepare my dinner and then leave immediately for work.

I really wanted to eat together. But work was important, so I couldn’t be selfish.

I kept striving in my studies and sports, hoping that if I excelled, she would eventually take an interest in me.

But as time passed, my mother showed no interest in me, and the distance between us grew.

“Do you think my mother doesn’t care about me at all…?”

As she finished her story, she looked so sad that I gently held her hand.

Despite all her efforts, her mother never acknowledged them.

“Whether she cares or not, you’d have to ask her. But what do you want from her, Mizuki?”

“What I want… I want her to see me. I want to know if she distanced herself because she doesn’t care about me, because she hates me… I need to hear it from her.”

Mizuki had wanted to ask many times before. Does my mother love me? Why does she keep her distance?

“Then let’s go ask her. If you’re scared, I’ll go with you.”

“Yes, I’d appreciate it if you were there, Ao-kun.”

Now she knew what she wanted to do. All that was left was to act.

Next Saturday, Mizuki’s mother was supposed to return home, so we decided that would be the day to ask.

“I’ll let my mom know you’re coming, just in case. Not that she’ll be interested in my friends… she’ll probably just ignore you.”

“Yeah, please do. I don’t want to intrude suddenly.”

I had met Mizuki’s mother once before, but we had only exchanged brief greetings. She seemed strict, so I felt a bit nervous about meeting her again.

Just as we decided to head home, we heard the door open.

“I’m home. Mizuki, for dinner… oh, is this the rumored boyfriend? Nice to meet you, I’m Mizuki’s father, Tsuyuzaki Akihito.”

It was Mizuki’s father, just back from work, looking sharp in his suit.

I quickly stood up from the sofa and gave a slight bow.

“Thank you for having me. My name is Kougami Ao.”

“Nice to meet you, Ao-kun. Why don’t you stay for dinner? I was planning to cook one of my special dishes tonight.”

I had imagined Mizuki’s father to be more intimidating, but he greeted me warmly and casually.

“N-no, I couldn’t possibly intrude on your family dinner…”

“Don’t be shy, join us. Unless, of course, your parents are expecting you for dinner… what do you think?”

I was curious about his special dish, but I felt hesitant.

“Ao-kun, my father’s cooking is really good. Why not stay and try it?”

“Alright, I’ll stay. Let me call my mom first.”

I called my mom, who was likely at home, and she told me to stay for dinner if it wasn’t a bother.

“So, what did she say?”

“She said I could stay. Tsuyuzaki-san, thank you for having me.”

Mizuki’s father chuckled softly.

“Just call me Akihito. If you say ‘Tsuyuzaki,’ it could refer to either Mizuki or me.”

“Alright, Akihito-san, I understand.”

While Akihito-san was preparing dinner for the three of us, Mizuki showed me to her room.

“This is my room.”

Although it wasn’t my first time visiting a girl’s house, being in her room made me quite nervous.

“It’s such a Mizuki-like room. Oh, I have this book too.”

As I looked around the room, a book on the shelf caught my eye.

“Really? That’s my favorite book.”

I hadn’t talked much about books with Mizuki before, so I was happy to find out we shared a favorite.

“Let’s chat here until dinner is ready.”

Mizuki sat on her bed with her phone in hand, leaving me standing and unsure of what to do.

“Ao-kun, why don’t you sit down?”

“Uh…”

I felt it wasn’t appropriate to sit on her bed, so I sat on the floor. Mizuki then poked my shoulder from behind.

“Would you sit next to me?”

“Are you sure…?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

With her permission, I sat on the bed, and Mizuki immediately hugged my arm tightly.

“Kana-san just sent me a video of her cat. Do you want to watch it together?”

“Sure, is it Sugar-chan, Kana’s cat?”

“Have you met her?”

“Just once. I saw her when I visited with Kouta.”

“I see. How did you become friends with Kana-san?”

“I think we started talking because she became friends with Kouta.”

If Kouta weren’t Kana’s boyfriend, I probably wouldn’t be as close to her as I am now.

“It’s similar to how I became friends with Kana-san.”

“Yeah…”

After watching the cat videos Kana had sent, Akihito-san called us down for dinner.

TL: Ok… this father is very chill
Please rate this novel 5 stars~