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 60: If you don't like it, just say no.

If you don’t like it, just say no.

The next morning, just before I left for school, my mother called out to me, trying to hold me back.

“Today, it seems Dad will be home early, so he suggested we go out for dinner together after a long time. So, make sure to come home early.”

Recently, I’d been feeling reluctant about dining out with Dad. I wanted to refuse, but I knew if I did, I’d probably hear about it from tomorrow morning onwards, and that seemed more troublesome.

“Got it. I’ll come home early.”

“Take care.”

“See you later.”

Thinking about the evening ahead made me feel a bit gloomy. I pushed thoughts of dinner aside and headed to the meeting place with Mizuki.

Arriving at school with Mizuki and entering the classroom, Hasekura hurried over. His face was beaming—had something good happened?

“Mizuki, Kougami-kun, thanks for the advice yesterday. I confessed to Rikuto on the way home yesterday.”

“Is that so? How did it go?”

Mizuki was curious if the confession had gone well, and asked Hasekura.

“We’re officially dating now! I’m really grateful to both of you for pushing me forward.”

Hasekura hugged Mizuki tightly, and while it was unimaginable for me, he shook my hand vigorously, thanking me.

“Congratulations. That’s wonderful.”

“Yeah, I’m glad I gathered my courage.”

As she said that, Rikuto entered the classroom, and Hasekura said goodbye and left.

“Ao-kun, do you have time after school?”

“Sorry, I have plans to dine out with my family today, so I need to go home early.”

“Dining out with your family… You seem rather unwilling.”

I thought she would say “That’s nice,” but Mizuki looked at my expression and said so.

“Well, maybe… I don’t know.”

“Then, instead of breaking our promise, would you like to go on an after-school date with me? You don’t have to force yourself to do something you don’t like, you know?”

The moment she proposed skipping family dinner for an after-school date, I couldn’t help but smile with happiness.

“Isn’t it usually important to spend time with family, though? Shouldn’t I just go even if I don’t want to?” I asked.

“Even if you say that, if Ao-kun is going to feel uncomfortable, I think it’s okay not to go. Ao-kun, you’re too kind. You can be more selfish, you know,” she said to me.

“If there’s something you want to do, you should do it without worrying about what anyone else thinks,” she added.

“And if your family asks why you broke the promise, just tell them I dragged you out. We can face the consequences together,” she said, extending her hand towards me. It felt like this could be a catalyst for change, so without hesitation, I took her hand.

“After-school date, huh? Let’s go,” I said.

“Yes, let’s go. Let’s have fun without thinking about the rest,” she replied.

After school, I texted my mom that I was going to have dinner with a friend and wouldn’t be home. Her reply was understanding and kind. She never asked who the friend was or if I had already made plans.

My mom always believed in doing what makes you happy, though she would say no to things that were not acceptable. She never imposed her ideals on me.

“Did you text Hinano-san?” she asked.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to worry about it,” I replied.

“That’s right. By the way, where are we going? Since I usually choose, Ao-kun, please choose where you want to go,” she said.

“Right… then───”

***

“Hmm, isn’t this too difficult…? Ao-kun, isn’t there some trick to this game to make it easier?”

“There might be, but let’s whisper since there are attendants around. Mizuki’s just… not used to it, so she’s finding it hard.”

I couldn’t outright say she was bad at the crane game, so I phrased it differently.

Deciding to visit a place we don’t usually go, we ended up at the game center, where Mizuki seemed unfamiliar with crane games.

“Indeed, that’s true. Ao-kun, could you show me how its done first?”

“Sure. Maybe it’ll be easier to understand if we play together rather than just watching.”

I stood behind her, guiding her hands on the joystick.

“Timing is crucial, right?”

“Yeah, press the button when it’s over this spot.”

“Got it.”

Pressing buttons to move the crane forward and backward, left and right, we successfully snagged the stuffed cat the crane had been targeting.

“There, got it! Ao-kun, high-five!”

“Nice, we did it.”

We both high-fived, retrieved the prize from the chute, and I handed it to her.

“Here you go.”

“I-Is it okay for me to have this?”

“It’d be awkward if I took it. Besides, you were the one who wanted it in the first place.”

“T-Thank you very much. I’ll treasure it.”

She hugged the small cat plushie with a delighted expression.

“It’s almost 6 o’clock. Would you like to come over to my place for dinner? Dad’s coming home late, so I’ll cook something myself…”

“Is that okay?”

I had been planning to make something simple at home, but Mizuki invited me to her place for her homemade cooking.

“Sure, I’d love to. But if you come over, you should let Hinano-san know, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll let her know.”

I texted my mom that I’d be having dinner at Mizuki’s house. Her reply came: “That’s fine, just make sure you don’t cause any trouble for the Tsuyuzaki family.”

“What would you like to eat, Ao-kun?”

“Maybe some hamburg steak.”

“Alright, I’ll make hamburg steak then.”

Leaving the game center, we headed towards Mizuki’s house. Right now, I wanted to fully enjoy my time with Mizuki and maybe, even if uncertain, try to convey my feelings to Dad.