My dear wife, I still love you more.

"Okay, go outside and close the door. Hasegawa, stop for a moment, I have something to tell you." Hiratsuka Shizuka's gaze returned to Hasegawa.

Looking at Hasegawa, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but feel a little angry.

Yui Yuigahama was curious about what Hiratsuka Shizuka wanted to talk to Hasegawa about, but she didn't say much and left, closing the office door behind her.

Hiratsuka Shizuka subconsciously glanced around the office. There was no one else in the office; only she and Hasegawa were there.

Hiratsuka Shizuka breathed a slight sigh of relief and slumped into her chair.

"Um, Ms. Hiratsuka, is there something you need?" Hasegawa found Hiratsuka Shizuka's behavior rather strange and didn't understand why she wanted to see him. Besides, Hiratsuka Shizuka was a teacher, and it was really inappropriate for her to act like this in front of her students.

"Hasegawa, I want to beat you to death right now." Hiratsuka Shizuka gritted her teeth and glared at Hasegawa.

"Huh? Hiratsuka-sensei, why, why did you want to kill me? I didn't offend you, did I?" Hasegawa was completely bewildered, not understanding why Hiratsuka Shizuka would say such a thing.

"It was all your stupid idea to pretend to be my boyfriend. Hmph, now my parents actually believe it. They even called me first thing this morning to ask about it." Hiratsuka Shizuka huffed.

"Well, but, didn't you agree to this 'pretending to be my boyfriend' thing, Mr. Hiratsuka? And you said you were going to die, so I had no choice but to come up with this plan to help you through this difficult time. How come it's my fault now?" Hasegawa gave a wry smile, feeling that Hiratsuka Shizuka was being a bit unreasonable.

"Who told you to behave so well at my house before? My mom actually took a liking to you at first sight, even though you don't seem to have anything outstanding about you." Hiratsuka Shizuka said, looking Hasegawa up and down, then shaking her head as if Hasegawa was something terrible.

"I was just trying to make things easier for Hiratsuka-sensei, wasn't I? Is this my fault too?"

"Of course it's your fault, you rascal. It's like you've given my mom some kind of magic potion, and she's completely convinced it's you. Now look what's happened, she wants you to come to my house this weekend." Hiratsuka Shizuka sneered, looking like she was watching a joke.

"The weekend? I'm going to your house? Hiratsuka-sensei, don't joke around. Didn't we say before? It's just once. After that, there won't be another one." Hasegawa frowned.

"That's why I said, you bastard, why did you act so good in front of my mother? Were you trying to win over your mother-in-law? And you actually managed to bewitch her." Hiratsuka Shizuka said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, Hiratsuka-sensei, I can't help you this time." Hasegawa shook his head; he wasn't going to continue pretending to be Hiratsuka Shizuka's boyfriend. Doing something like this once was enough; why a second time? And after the second time, would there be a third? Besides, if he kept doing it so many times, he'd eventually be exposed. Who knows what would happen then?

"No, just this once, just this once," Hiratsuka Shizuka said quickly.

"No, Hiratsuka-sensei, you already said it would be the last time. Besides, even if you get away with it this time, there will definitely be a next time. What will you do then? What if your aunt pressures you to get engaged or even married? Hiratsuka-sensei, why don't you just be honest?" Hasegawa earnestly advised. At this moment, Hasegawa really felt this was too troublesome. If he had known, he would never have come up with the crazy idea of ​​pretending to be her boyfriend.

"Confess? Are you trying to kill me? You bastard. You have no idea how terrifying my mother is!" Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but exclaim, a faint fear even rising on her face.

"Um, Auntie is that good? But it seems like Auntie hasn't practiced karate before?" Hasegawa looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka with suspicion.

“My mom has never practiced karate, of course, but, but she, she’s terrifying. You have no idea how terrifying she is.” Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn’t help but shudder.

"No matter what, she's still your mother. Even if she gets angry, the worst that can happen is she beat you. Just bear with it." Hasegawa was still a little skeptical, but he still tried to comfort her.

"Heh, if she just beat me up and left, what am I afraid of? You have no idea what she's like—whatever, anyway, you absolutely have to go this time. If you don't go, I'll drag you down to hell with me before I die. Absolutely." Hiratsuka Shizuka said, gripping Hasegawa's collar tightly.

Chapter Ten: Mutual Destruction?

"Calm down, Mr. Hiratsuka, calm down," Hasegawa quickly tried to comfort him.

"Calm down my ass. Tell me, are you going to agree or not?" Hiratsuka Shizuka grabbed Hasegawa's collar even harder, pulling him up in front of her.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, are you really planning to lie like this forever? You can't keep up the lie. You'll be found out sooner or later. Really, so it's better to be honest now. After all, things haven't gotten out of control yet." Hasegawa tilted his head back, worried that if he didn't lean back, he would kiss Hiratsuka Shizuka's face because they were so close.

"It's gotten out of control now," Hiratsuka Shizuka said with a mournful cry.

"Huh? No, really? We've only met once, it can't be that bad, can it?" Hasegawa asked suspiciously.

"Isn't it all because you behaved too well before?" Hiratsuka Shizuka glared at Hasegawa again.

"Uh, did I do too well?"

“That’s right, you did too well, that’s why it turned out like this.” Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded vigorously. She wouldn’t say that a large part of the reason was that, despite her age, she had never been in a relationship, didn’t even have a boyfriend, and always failed at blind dates. As a result, her mother had completely lost faith in her.

That's why her mother is so eager now that there's a young man who seems decent enough.

"Um, calm down, calm down. Hiratsuka-sensei." Hasegawa pressed down on Hiratsuka Shizuka's hand that was gripping his collar, making her let go of him.

"Can you tell me what exactly happened? Why do you say it's reached a point where it's out of control?"

"Heh, what else can happen? My mom thinks I've found a great boyfriend, so she's planning to gather all the relatives over this weekend so you, her chosen son-in-law, can show off in front of them." Hiratsuka Shizuka chuckled, her eyes filled with despair.

If possible, she wouldn't want things to be like this. Although this was supposed to be a family gathering, it only involved the closest relatives, and there wouldn't be many people. But, but this kind of situation was still incredibly disheartening.

She originally just wanted to find someone to pretend to be her boyfriend to get through this difficult time, but who knew it would turn out like this? Who knew her mother would make such a fuss?

"Relatives? Well, then I definitely can't go, Hiratsuka-sensei." Hasegawa was starting to panic. Meeting the parents was already bad enough, but now he had to meet all sorts of distant relatives. If he were the real one, it wouldn't be so bad. But he was an imposter, and if he got caught, the consequences were unimaginable.

"So, you're planning to just stand by and watch me die? It was your idea, you caused this mess, and now you want to absolve yourself and let me die?" Hiratsuka Shizuka's big eyes seemed completely expressionless as she stared straight at Hasegawa.

"Gulp!" Hasegawa couldn't help but swallow.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, calm down, please calm down. I think our affair will be exposed sooner or later, so it's better to clarify things now before things get too complicated. Although your mother might be very angry, it's still better than finding out it's all fake when it comes time to discuss marriage." Hasegawa comforted Hiratsuka Shizuka and tried his best to persuade her.

“Hiratsuka-sensei, think about it. If you were to tell your mother that your boyfriend was a fake and that you hired someone to impersonate him when you were about to get engaged or even married, you would be truly doomed.”

Hearing Hasegawa's words, Hiratsuka Shizuka blinked, realizing with dismay that Hasegawa was actually quite right. Thinking about what Hasegawa described, if it actually happened, she would be utterly dead. She felt that even if she died, her mother would dig her up from her grave and grind her bones to dust again.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, you agree with what I said, right?" Hasegawa breathed a slight sigh of relief as he saw the change in Hiratsuka Shizuka's expression.

“Yes, you’re absolutely right to hit him. But, but this time, you absolutely have to go, at least to fool your relatives first. Otherwise, my mother has already invited those relatives, and if I tell her now that it’s fake, she’ll definitely skin me alive.” A hint of fear flashed in Hiratsuka Shizuka’s eyes.

"Um, Hiratsuka-sensei, you... you can't get any deeper into this mess. Confess sooner rather than later, so you can die sooner and be free from this burden," Hasegawa said with a wry smile.

“No, you don’t understand. This time, you come to my house with me first. After this family dinner, I’ll say we’re not compatible and break up. Although my mom might skin me alive, it’ll be over. But before the dinner, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely do not let it slip.” Hiratsuka Shizuka stared, her eyes filled with fear and panic, which then turned into determination.

"this--"

bump!

Hiratsuka Shizuka shoved Hasegawa against the wall, her right hand brushing against his ear as she pressed it against the wall, her eyes fixed on him: "If you dare refuse again, then you're dead. I swear!"

"Mr. Hiratsuka, this kind of thing—"

"I said I'd do it, and if you refuse, that's like asking me to die. Since that's the case, what else do I care about? I'll take you down with me." Hiratsuka Shizuka practically spat out these words through gritted teeth.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, you're exaggerating too much," Hasegawa said with a wry smile.

Hasegawa never dreamed things would get this complicated. If he had known, he would never have said or gotten involved.

"Hmph, you'll see if I'm exaggerating once you try. So, tell me, agree or die here right now?" Hiratsuka Shizuka threatened.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, it's not right for you to threaten your student," Hasegawa said, rolling his eyes.

"Hehehe, I'm about to die, and I'll die a really, really horrible death. Do you think I'd still care about these things?" Hiratsuka Shizuka sneered.

"Okay, okay, I agree. But, Hiratsuka-sensei, don't you think your current posture is weird? I'm clearly taller than you, yet you're still pinning me against the wall like this. Don't you get tired?" Hasegawa rolled his eyes, feeling rather helpless.

"Uh... Hmph! It's settled then, this weekend." Hiratsuka Shizuka blushed and awkwardly withdrew her arm.

Although she felt it was a bit too much to treat a student this way, Hiratsuka Shizuka had no regrets whatsoever. She absolutely couldn't give up on something like this. Even though she was doomed no matter what she did, at least this way she wouldn't die too horribly.

Chapter Eleven: Do you like Yui Yuigahama as she was before?

"Hiratsuka-sensei, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now." Hasegawa didn't want to stay here any longer.

"It's alright, you can get lost now." Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand casually.

Hasegawa didn't care about Hiratsuka Shizuka's tone, shrugged, and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Hasegawa had just turned around when he heard Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice.

"What's wrong now, Hiratsuka-sensei? Have you changed your mind? Don't you want me to attend your family dinner? If so, I'll be very happy," Hasegawa said casually.

"Don't even think about it. Give me your bank account." Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes.

"Bank account? Hiratsuka-sensei, what are you trying to do? Are you going to hire me? No need for that. It's just a favor, and only this once. I don't care." Hasegawa raised an eyebrow, a little curious as to why Hiratsuka Shizuka wanted his bank account.

"Hiring you? Dream on. It's the 800,000 you paid to the Black Dragon Group before. The matter has been resolved, and they've returned the 800,000. After all, it's your money. So naturally, I have to give it back to you." Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand and said.

"They returned the 800,000?" Hasegawa looked surprised, then a little delighted. In any case, it was good that the money was back.

"That's right, tsk tsk tsk. I didn't expect you to be so good at handling things. Although you beat them up, you only made them realize they should back down. Although the Black Dragon Group has plenty of manpower and could easily bring more people to cause you trouble, you deliberately gave them 800,000 yen, ensuring they received the money. This prevented them from having a legitimate excuse to cause you trouble again. After all, even a shady organization like the Black Dragon Group needs to abide by the law to some extent. You're really clever." Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Hasegawa with admiration. She increasingly felt that Hasegawa didn't seem like a naive high school student at all.

"I'm just trying to minimize trouble," Hasegawa said with a nonchalant smile.

"Alright, give me your bank account, and I'll transfer the money back to you." Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but purse her lips as she looked at Hasegawa's nonchalant demeanor.

"My bank account number is 123456789..."

"Your account number is easy to remember. Wait, I'll transfer the money to you after school."

Hasegawa was in an exceptionally good mood as he left the office. Although Hiratsuka Shizuka had dragged him into this again, it wasn't a big deal; it was just attending her family dinner. He might feel a little uncomfortable, but it wouldn't cost him anything.

Furthermore, Hiratsuka Shizuka's mother has a good attitude towards Hasegawa. Going there won't be a bad deal.

Then, the 800,000 yen came back. Although he's now living with Mrs. Yuihama, and doesn't need to buy the air conditioner and other appliances he'd planned to buy, it was still his own money. He had no choice before, but now that his money was back in his hands, it was undoubtedly something to be very happy about.

Moreover, the old laptop he bought for two thousand yen was really too old; it could only be used for typing and couldn't do anything else. He didn't even know if it was from typing too much, but now he occasionally experiences lag while typing.

Now that the money is back, he can finally get a new computer. As for whether to buy a desktop or a laptop, he'll decide when to buy it.

The only thing that made Hasegawa a little worried was that now that the 800,000 yen was back, his relationship with Mrs. Yuihama seemed to have become simple again. If that was the case, could he continue to live in Mrs. Yuihama's house?

It's not that Hasegawa is lustful or anything; he just finds moving around a bit of a hassle. That's all; he has absolutely no other intentions. Hasegawa thought to himself.

With a good mood, Hasegawa spent the whole day in a pleasant mood.

School was over, it was still early, and there was no financial pressure. Hasegawa thought about it and decided to go to the kendo club to practice kendo.

Previously, he had to work part-time due to financial reasons. To be honest, because he used to practice kendo every day, he had developed a habit of it. Suddenly not going made Hasegawa feel a little uncomfortable.

So now that all the pressure is gone, Hasegawa is thinking about practicing kendo.

"Yuigahama, I'm going to the kendo club. What about you? Still the same as before?" Hasegawa looked at Yuigahama Yui following behind him.

"Um, I..." Yui Yuigahama seemed a little confused.

"Why don't you find a club you like? I'll be here for about an hour or two at the kendo club, and it's not a good idea for you to stay outside all the time. It takes too long. Or you could go home by yourself. By then, those Shibuya gals and the like shouldn't bother you anymore," Hasegawa asked with a hint of concern.

In any case, Yui Yuigahama is, after all, Mrs. Yuigahama's daughter, and they are now living together, so she deserves more care.

“I…” Yui Yuigahama’s eyes were filled with confusion.

"Yuigahama, you need to be more confident. You weren't like this before. You're actually quite smart, even though your grades aren't great. But you can easily fit into any group. Now that your family's problems are resolved, you don't need to be afraid or feel inferior. You should go back to being the person you were before. I think you were amazing before, not like this now. It feels like you're not even yourself anymore." Hasegawa earnestly advised Yuigahama Yui.

Although he had no previous memories, he still remembered the description of Yui Yuigahama in the notebook. Yui Yuigahama was a very lively and cheerful girl, and she was also very good at interpersonal communication, as if she had a unique talent.

The Yui Yuigahama of today is completely different from the Yui Yuigahama of the diary.

"Hasegawa, do you... do you like... do you think I was better the way I was before?" Yui Yuigahama asked, blushing slightly and looking down.

"That's right, I still prefer the lively and confident Yui." Hasegawa nodded seriously. Of course, he was just saying that; he hadn't actually seen what Yui was like before. His "likes or dislikes" were just casual remarks, but if it could make Yui a better person, Hasegawa would be happy to do so.