Okkotsu and Rika walked along the road to school. There were few roads open to cars along this route, and most of it consisted of pedestrian paths, so even though they were both only eleven, they ordinarily would not encounter any danger.
As the cream of the crop among childhood sweethearts, the atmosphere surrounding them held none of the coy ambiguity of a tsundere romance. Only the warmth of pure love radiated from them.
Did this count as... dating too young?
By Chinese standards, Okkotsu and Rika were undoubtedly dating too young, and theirs was an especially serious case.
In reality, however, the concept of dating too young existed only in China. Neither the country Chinatsu currently stood in nor the countries of Europe and North America had such a concept.
"Yuta~ Our exams are coming up in a few days. Have you been reviewing? If there's anything you don't understand, make sure you ask me. You almost failed the last exam, you know~"
"Don't worry! I've prepared thoroughly this time. I'm sure my grades will improve a lot. We promised we'd go to the same middle school, so I'll definitely get my grades up!"
Yuta Okkotsu clenched his fists as he spoke. Though his voice was not brimming with confidence, it conveyed his determination to push himself and succeed no matter what.
They had long since promised to attend the same middle school, high school, and even university. Unfortunately, Rika was a top student, while Okkotsu's grades were decidedly average.
If things continued this way, keeping their promise to attend the same school would mean making Rika settle for a lower-tier school with a lower admission cutoff. But Okkotsu had his pride, too.
Lately, he had been working hard to improve himself, paying close attention in class and diligently