My dear wife, I still love you more.

"terribly sorry."

Since they were in school, grades were a very important part of their education. In the eyes of girls, excellent grades were undoubtedly a plus. Even though Kenichi Hasegawa looked ordinary, after ranking first in his grade, many girls still actively approached him.

Of course, most of the ways people approached him were by asking him to solve puzzles. Some would then invite him after solving the puzzles, but he always refused.

Kenichi Hasegawa, despite his ordinary appearance, attracted many girls because of his excellent academic performance. This situation was observed by the other boys in the class, who couldn't help but feel envious and offered various opinions. However, they lacked confidence in their comments, as a student who struggles academically often feels psychologically inferior to a high achiever.

Chapter Thirty-One: Make-up Lessons

Kenichi Hasegawa achieved the highest score in the entire grade in the exam. Although others did not know that Kenichi Hasegawa had achieved perfect scores in all subjects, in their eyes, Kenichi Hasegawa was also a very impressive academic achiever.

Because of his exam results, many people, especially some girls, tried to communicate with Kenichi Hasegawa.

Under normal circumstances, Hasegawa Kenichi would have quickly integrated into their circle, and might even have become a key figure in one of them, thanks to his grades. Unfortunately, Hasegawa Kenichi really didn't have much interest in high school students. Like Tobe Sho, they liked to speak loudly and disregard the occasion. While not malicious, they always liked to belittle others to gain attention, and so on.

Among high school students, there are quite a few like Tobe Sho; there are one or two like him in almost every circle.

So when others approach him to talk or ask him questions, Kenichi Hasegawa will respond politely, but that's all; he has no desire to engage in deeper conversations with others.

Gradually, perhaps sensing Hasegawa Kenichi's coldness or the distance between him and them, these people stopped actively seeking him out.

After all, Hasegawa Kenichi wasn't handsome, and although he spoke calmly, he always gave off a sense of distance. Under these circumstances, the students naturally stopped communicating with Hasegawa Kenichi.

Kenichi Hasegawa, however, was quite happy to accept this situation. While dealing with his classmates all day wasn't tiring, it was a waste of time. Hasegawa preferred to use that time for studying, writing novels, or other similar pursuits. Watching his skills gradually improve gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"Good morning, Hasegawa-kun!" Mrs. Yuihama had a gentle smile on her face, and every move and word she made exuded tenderness.

"Good morning, Mrs. Yuihama." Upon seeing Mrs. Yuihama, Kenichi Hasegawa couldn't help but smile as well.

"Um, I heard from Yui that Hasegawa-kun got first place in the whole grade in this school exam. Congratulations to Hasegawa-kun!"

"It's alright. I was just lucky."

"First in the entire grade, that's not something you can achieve just by luck. Hasegawa-kun, you're really too modest," Mrs. Yuihama exclaimed, then hesitated before continuing.

"Mrs. Yuihama, is there something you need?" Seeing Mrs. Yuihama's expression, Kenichi Hasegawa asked.

"Actually, it's Yui. You know her exam results. Although she was lucky enough to get into Soubu High School, her grades are really bad. This time, she ranked last in the entire grade. So, so if it's possible, could you please ask Hasegawa-kun to tutor Yui? I know this request is a bit much. After all, Hasegawa-kun must have a lot of things to do, but, but... never mind, I won't trouble Hasegawa-kun." Mrs. Yui wanted to ask Hasegawa-kun for help, but in the end, she gave up on the idea.

"Well, on weekdays, I don't really have much time. But on weekends, if you don't mind, Mrs. Yuihama, I can tutor Yuihama. However, I've never done this before, so I don't know if it will be helpful." Although, if I tutored Yuihama every day after school, I could spend more time with Mrs. Yuihama.

However, Kenichi Hasegawa has his own plans, and he won't let other things disrupt them. His daily schedule is already arranged for kendo practice, other skill practice, and writing novels. He won't disrupt his plans to tutor Yui Yuigahama.

However, it's fine on weekends. Since it's the weekend, Hasegawa Kenichi relaxes a bit. Besides training, he has some extra free time to do whatever he wants, whether it's reading novels or playing games.

"Really? Thank you so much, Hasegawa-kun. Yui is a bit slow-witted, and if it weren't for our family's financial situation, I would have sent her to tutoring classes. It's so kind of you, Hasegawa-kun, to tutor Yui on weekends." Mrs. Yuihama bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

When Mrs. Yui bowed to apologize, Kenichi Hasegawa inadvertently caught a glimpse of fair skin from her collar and felt a little embarrassed: "Mrs. Yui, you don't need to do that. After all, I don't have anything to do on the weekend. Tutoring Yui-san will also allow me to review what I've learned before."

"Hasegawa-kun is such a kind person. It's so wonderful to have Hasegawa-kun as a neighbor." Mrs. Yuihama clasped her hands to her chest, her face full of gratitude.

Before you know it, the weekend is here.

At Mrs. Yuihama's house, Kenichi Hasegawa saw Mrs. Yuihama, who was dressed in pajamas and looked particularly gentle and virtuous.

Mrs. Yuihama was dressed in loungewear, with a gentle smile on her face, exuding a charm that made people want to be captivated by her.

"Yui's grades are really worrying me. Hasegawa-kun, I'm counting on you today."

"I will do my best."

"Yui, you must listen to Hasegawa-san and pay attention in class. Understand?" Mrs. Yuigahama said to Yui Yuigahama in a deliberately stern tone.

"Okay, Mom, I'll study hard!" Yui Yuigahama said sweetly, hugging Mrs. Yuigahama. The two of them, embracing each other, didn't look like mother and daughter, but rather like sisters. Mrs. Yuigahama's maturity and gentleness, Yui Yuigahama's innocence and cuteness—it was like a beautiful scene. Kenichi Hasegawa even felt an urge to paint this moment.

The tutoring session took place in Yui Yuigahama's bedroom. It's unclear whether Yui Yuigahama tidied it up specifically, or if that's just how her room is. In any case, the room looked quite clean and tidy. The room was predominantly pink, with a large plush toy sitting on the pink bed, exuding a cute, girlish style.

However, Kenichi Hasegawa only glanced at it casually and didn't pay much attention to anything else. After all, it would be extremely impolite to stare at a girl in her room.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Will My Useless Daughter Be a Stuck Hand in My Hands?

"Yuigahama-san, if it's alright, could you give me your previous exam papers? That way, I won't have to give you a special test," Hasegawa Kenichi asked Yuigahama Yui.

"Huh?" Yui Yuigahama was stunned for a moment, then blushed and became a little shy.

Seeing Yui Yuigahama's reaction, Kenichi Hasegawa couldn't help but frown. What was wrong with Yui Yuigahama's reaction?

Soon, Kenichi Hasegawa understood what had happened. Looking at Yui Yuigahama's test papers, he saw that almost everything was covered in diagonal lines, with only a few circles. Finally, he saw the scores—barely reaching double digits.

Kenichi Hasegawa frowned and looked up at Yui Yuigahama.

Yui Yuigahama lowered her head, her face flushed, and she dared not speak.

"Well, I think we should start with the basics." Kenichi Hasegawa sighed inwardly as he looked at Yui Yuigahama.

"Mmm-hmm." Yui Yuigahama nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. A good foundation is essential; if the difficulty level were higher, she wouldn't understand it at all.

"Well, let's leave aside science subjects like math for now and start with humanities subjects like Chinese literature and history. Most of these just require memorization and don't require too much brainpower or calculations, so improving your grades should be relatively easier."

"Mmm-hmm-hmm." Yui Yuigahama nodded vigorously.

"Alright, let's begin. Let's start here..."

"Hmm."

Yui Yuigahama seemed unable to speak; whenever Kenichi Hasegawa spoke, she would only nod.

Kenichi Hasegawa felt a headache coming on. The questions seemed so simple, requiring almost no logic—just typical humanities subjects that mostly involved memorization—but why were they proving more difficult than building a nuclear bomb for Yui Yuigahama?

Although he had only just begun teaching Yui Yuigahama, Kenichi Hasegawa had already realized that tutoring Yui Yuigahama and giving her extra lessons was an absolutely hellish challenge.

"Yuigahama-san, do you understand all of this?"

"Hmm, hmm? What?" Yui Yuigahama blinked her big eyes, which were full of confusion and innocence.

"Let's change to another course." Hasegawa Ken's eye twitched uncontrollably several times.

"Oh, oh, oh." Yui Yuigahama nodded quickly.

"Yuihama-san, let's start here. Look, here..."

"Oh oh oh!"

"..."

"..."

It was the same process again. Hasegawa Kenichi felt his head throbbing more and more. This was an absolute gem. Hasegawa Kenichi even began to wonder how Yui Yuigahama had managed to get into Soubu High School. Soubu High School was supposed to be a top-tier high school, so why was she able to get in with grades like that?

"Ta-da!"

There was a knock on the door. Hearing the knock, Yui Yuigahama let out a long sigh of relief. Kenichi Hasegawa also let out a long sigh of relief. Their movements were almost synchronized; they exchanged a glance, both seeing the bitterness on each other's faces. One simply couldn't learn it, and the other simply couldn't teach it. It was truly too difficult; for both of them, it was pure torture.

"It's been an hour, you must be tired. Here are some snacks I made, Hasegawa-kun, please try them." Mrs. Yuihama carried a plate with pretty pastries on it, red, green and yellow, brightly colored and quite appealing.

"Thank you, Mrs. Yuihama." Kenichi Hasegawa forced a smile and expressed his gratitude to Mrs. Yuihama.

Mrs. Yuihama glanced at Kenichi Hasegawa's pale face, as if he were racking his brains, and then at her daughter, who also looked dejected. A bad feeling crept into her heart.

"Um, Hasegawa-kun, Yui, her grades—"

"Well, she, she probably, probably didn't have a very good foundation before, so, so if she wants to catch up, she has to start from the basics, the very basics. If possible, do you still have Yuihama's middle school textbooks?" Hasegawa Kenichi forced a smile and politely asked Mrs. Yuihama.

"..." Mrs. Yuihama looked at Kenichi Hasegawa's face and listened to his words. She knew that things seemed to be worse than she had imagined: "I'll go and look for him."

"Well, it would be best to start from the first year of junior high school. If possible, also find some elementary school textbooks."

"Elementary school?" Mrs. Yui's eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment. A high school student, needing elementary school textbooks for tutoring? This is just too much! Mrs. Yui couldn't help but look at Yui.

Yui Yuigahama buried her head in her chest, her face flushed with embarrassment, and the two mounds of flesh that her intelligence had earned her.

"Um, if, if it's really, really that difficult, then, then there's no need to trouble Hasegawa-kun." Mrs. Yuigahama wanted to cry. Just how useless was her daughter? A high school student having to start from elementary school level lessons? Wasn't Yuigahama Yui completely hopeless? She was already beyond saving. What was the point of tutoring? She was already ruined!

If her husband hadn't disappeared without a trace, she would have felt an urge to start playing the trumpet again.

"Hmm, perhaps, I think, perhaps, Yuihama-san, could find something she enjoys and learn a skill she likes. For example, cooking, or making cakes. That way, it would be better if she could find a job or start her own business later." Although Hasegawa Kenichi felt that what he said was a bit excessive, it was a very sincere suggestion.

"Cooking? Cake?" Mrs. Yuihama's expression froze again upon hearing this.

Mrs. Yuigahama was quite virtuous; she did all the housework, even cooking, herself. She never let her daughter cook anything. However, occasionally she would ask Yui for help, such as putting bread or cookies in the oven and asking Yui to keep an eye on them. But the final result—

Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Mrs. Yuigahama felt that she was a terrible mother. Not only had she failed to help Yui with her studies, but she had also failed to help her with household chores and cooking, which are things a woman should be able to do. No, let alone outstanding performance, Yui wasn't even at an average level. It seemed that Yui was useless in every aspect.

Thinking about this, Mrs. Yuihama turned pale. Her daughter was so bad, what would happen to her in the future? Would she be able to find a husband? Would she even be able to get married? This useless daughter, would she end up being a burden on her?

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P.S.: I did a trial recommendation this week, and it seems like it was a pretty bad one. After all, the author spent ages looking for his own book, let alone others.

However, this is the first recommendation, and although the recommendation slot isn't great, it's still quite important. So, dear readers, please support it!

Chapter Thirty-Three: Mrs. Yuihama's Guilt

As he walked out of Yui's house, Kenichi Hasegawa couldn't help but wipe away a bead of sweat. Teaching Yui was truly incredibly difficult. Her brain seemed completely filled with mush. Hasegawa was even 100% certain that the two lumps on Yui's chest were indeed obtained in exchange for her brain.

However, Mrs. Yuihama had already agreed to tutor Yuihama, and even after discovering Yuihama's situation, Mrs. Yuihama only apologized repeatedly, but did not intend to stop Hasegawa Kenichi from tutoring Yuihama. It seems that Mrs. Yuihama still hopes that Yuihama can learn better.

With a sigh, Hasegawa Kenichi decided to go back and look at his elementary school textbooks and study materials to tutor Yui Yuigahama. Yes, it really meant starting from elementary school. She was already a high school student, yet she still had to start from elementary school again—it just felt unbelievable.

But it's alright, Japan's education system is relatively relaxed, so there isn't much knowledge in the textbooks. So if I work hard, I should be able to do it, right?

Meanwhile, at the Yuihama house, Mrs. Yuihama looked at Hasegawa Kenichi's slightly tired figure from the upstairs window, and couldn't help but clasp her hands to her chest, her face full of guilt: "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Hasegawa-kun. I know that with Yui's condition, and even with Yui's stupid brain, there's absolutely no hope for her to study. But, but Yui is so stupid, she can't do anything right. If, if I, as her mother, don't help her, she really won't be able to get married."

"After all, no one wants to marry a dim-witted, poor student who is completely inept at housework and cooking. I can't let Yui remain unmarried for the rest of her life. If I don't help her, even if she manages to get married, she definitely won't find a good husband. I... for Yui's happiness, I have no choice but to do this. I know I'm despicable, but please, Hasegawa-kun, understand the heart of a mother."

"If Hasegawa-kun and Yui can spend more time together, maybe, just maybe Hasegawa-kun will fall for Yui. Maybe they can develop feelings for each other. Even if they don't develop feelings for each other, boys and girls at this age are always impulsive. If they happen to do something impulsive while spending time together, given Hasegawa-kun's personality, he will definitely take responsibility."

"So, maybe I should buy some bets—"

"No, how could I have such a despicable thought? It's just, it's just that I'm really, really worried about my stupid daughter, Yui, if I don't help her."

"Although Hasegawa-kun is not particularly handsome, he is mature, steady, and a very responsible guy. No matter how you look at it, he is an excellent candidate. It would be really bad if we didn't help Yui and let her miss out."

"Hasegawa-kun, I'm so sorry, so sorry. I'm such a terrible person, to have such despicable thoughts. But, but, for Yui's sake, I can bear these sins. Although it might be hard for Hasegawa-kun, but, but afterwards, I promise I'll make sure Yui treats you well. I promise!"

Mrs. Yuihama closed her eyes and prayed, even confessing her sins and hoping to be forgiven.

Kenichi Hasegawa suddenly felt a chill and couldn't help but shiver: "What's wrong? Why do I suddenly feel a bit cold? My hair is standing on end. Could it be because I was too mentally exhausted before, and I'm not in the right state and I'm going to catch a cold? No way, I'm pretty healthy, I shouldn't catch a cold. Oh well, whatever it is, I'd better go back quickly, drink some hot water, and if I'm really not feeling well, I'll put on another layer of clothing for now."

Back home, he poured himself a cup of hot water, held it, and even put on a jacket. Hasegawa Kenichi sighed softly, "That Yui Yuigahama girl is really too stupid. I've never seen such an idiot before. She seems completely hopeless, yet we still have to tutor her. Honestly, it's a complete waste of effort. But Mrs. Yuigahama is so gentle. Her tone of voice is so gentle, and although her cooking isn't up to the standards of a professional chef, her desserts are delicious. And her house looks so clean and tidy. She's a perfect wife. I'm so envious. Yui Yuigahama's father, with such a wonderful wife, still acts so recklessly."