My dear wife, I still love you more.

So when he was thinking about a theme, Kenichi Hasegawa occasionally thought of an anime called "Tokyo Ghoul" that he had heard a colleague mention before he time-traveled.

To be honest, due to factors like energy and age, he hadn't watched the anime. So, he only knew the world of *Tokyo Ghoul*: a world where humans eat people, ghouls and humans are in conflict, and the story of the protagonist who gets caught between the two and becomes half a ghoul. He didn't know the specifics.

Although he didn't know the specifics, Kenichi Hasegawa felt that the subject matter was excellent. He even felt that this kind of inner conflict and human choice was more suitable for him, and if written well, it could be explored with considerable depth.

With that in mind, Hasegawa Ken began working on the outline: Tokyo Ghoul. Well, Tokyo Ghoul would be a bit more fitting. After all, the impression of ghouls is probably that of corpses in anime, stealing and eating bodies from graveyards. But the ghouls in this novel not only eat corpses, but also people, capturing and devouring living beings.

The name "Tokyo Ghoul" has been decided.

The world is a place where ghouls and humans coexist. Ghouls feed on humans, while humans hunt ghouls in order to protect themselves.

The protagonist of the novel is an orphan whose parents died at the hands of ghouls. He forms a family with his older sister, who also has a similar experience. They are siblings without any blood relation.

The protagonist is accidentally transplanted with ghoul organs and becomes a ghoul himself. However, due to his fear and hatred of ghouls, he refuses to eat human food. Even when he is starving and on the verge of losing his mind, he still doesn't attack humans. His older sister discovers his situation and secretly cuts off pieces of her own flesh to feed her brother.

Because they are siblings, the sister will not abandon her brother even if he becomes a ghoul. After learning the truth, the brother has to go out to find food to prevent his sister from cutting flesh from his own body again. Afterwards, the protagonist steps into the vortex of ghouls and humans. At the same time, the protagonist also begins to have a deeper understanding of ghouls. Although ghouls are a synonym for horror, in reality, ghouls are just trying to survive.

Kenichi Hasegawa outlined a somewhat vague synopsis of the story, starting with the protagonist's transformation into a ghoul and his acceptance of his identity.

Looking at the outline he had written, Kenichi Hasegawa nodded in satisfaction, put down his pen, and rubbed his tired eyes. He was starting to feel sleepy. So he went to bed.

He slept soundly, but when Hasegawa Kenichi woke up the next day, he found himself waking up a little late. It was almost seven o'clock. Although he could still get to school before eight, arriving an hour early as he had hoped was impossible.

I quickly tidied up and went out without making breakfast, probably buying some bread or something similar on the way to fill my stomach.

However, as Kenichi Hasegawa walked toward the school, he unexpectedly ran into Mrs. Yuihama at the corner of the road.

Mrs. Yuihama didn't look too well; she had faint dark circles under her eyes that even makeup couldn't conceal. But that was understandable, given what happened at her house yesterday; it would be strange if she hadn't slept well last night.

"It's you?" Just as Hasegawa Kenichi was wondering whether to greet Mrs. Yuihama, Mrs. Yuihama recognized Hasegawa Kenichi instead. After exclaiming in surprise, a hint of gratitude appeared on her face: "Thank you so much for last night. It was just a bit chaotic last night, and I forgot to ask your name. I was so rude."

"Uh, it's nothing. We're neighbors. I'm Kenichi Hasegawa. Mrs. Yuihama, you can just call me Hasegawa." Kenichi Hasegawa stopped, a calm smile on his face, and spoke to Mrs. Yuihama in a composed manner.

"Huh? Neighbor? Hasegawa-kun lives around here too?" Mrs. Yuihama looked at Kenichi Hasegawa in surprise.

"Yes, because I'm going to study here, I rented a room in the apartment building next door." Kenichi Hasegawa pointed to the apartment building not far away.

"Oh, I see. No wonder Hasegawa-kun looked so familiar. It turns out you really are my neighbor. I'm so sorry, we're neighbors, but I didn't even remember Hasegawa-kun. How rude of me." Mrs. Yuihama apologized again.

"No, no, no, it's normal that Mrs. Yuihama hasn't seen me much because I rarely go out. By the way, Mrs. Yuihama, last night—" Hasegawa Kenichi asked with some concern.

Hearing Hasegawa Kenichi mention what happened last night, Mrs. Yuihama's eyes dimmed again: "He's my husband. He used to be a very good person, but unfortunately, he got involved in gambling, and then he became like this." She was probably willing to tell Hasegawa Kenichi these things because he had helped her last night. Of course, it wasn't really a secret; if someone really wanted to, they could easily find out by asking.

"Is that so? That's really unfortunate. Well, as a neighbor, if Mrs. Yuihama needs any help, she can come to me. I can help with small things, though, if it's something important."

"Thank you, Hasegawa-kun. You're such a kind person," Mrs. Yuihama said gratefully.

"Well, they're neighbors after all."

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P.S.: On the first day of uploading the new book, it was on another new book list, so the number of favorites was pretty good. However, the growth rate of favorites dropped sharply yesterday, and it will probably be the same today. If, if you think it's good, please consider adding it to your favorites!

Chapter Seven: Mrs. Yuihama in a Panic

Although chatting with Mrs. Yuihama was quite pleasant, Kenichi Hasegawa hadn't forgotten that he had to go to school. Even if he might be a little late, he couldn't skip it.

"Mrs. Yuihama, it's getting late, I have to go to school now."

"Oh? I'm so sorry, I completely forgot that Hasegawa-kun has to go to school. Well then, goodbye?"

"Goodbye, Mrs. Yuihama." Kenichi Hasegawa smiled, then turned and continued on his way to school.

At that moment, Mrs. Yuihama's cell phone rang behind him, and she let out a gasp after answering the call.

"Mrs. Yuihama, what's wrong? What happened again?" Hasegawa Kenichi, who was about to leave, turned around and asked with concern when he heard Mrs. Yuihama's voice.

"My daughter, Yui, was in a car accident..." Mrs. Yuihama's face was filled with panic, helplessness, and pity, making her even more endearing.

"What? Yuihama was in a car accident? Mrs. Yuihama, don't panic. How is Yuihama? Has she been taken to the hospital? Where is she now?" Kenichi Hasegawa asked calmly.

"Ah, she's already, she's already at the hospital. I, I—" Mrs. Yuihama said hurriedly upon hearing Kenichi Hasegawa's words, but she was still flustered.

"Let's go to the hospital quickly. We can talk about everything else when we get there."

"Yes, yes, let's go to the hospital first, let's go to the hospital first." Mrs. Yui nodded quickly.

They hailed a taxi, and Hasegawa Kenichi took Mrs. Yuigahama straight to the hospital. As for school and such, they could deal with that later.

"Yui, Yui, is she alright? How could she suddenly get into a car accident? If I had known, if I had known, I shouldn't have let her go out. I... I just wanted Yui to take Sabre for a walk, to help her clear her head. If I had known, if I had known, I would never have let Yui take Sabre for a walk." Mrs. Yui cried and lamented to herself after getting into the car.

"Mrs. Yuihama, don't worry, everything will be alright. They didn't mention anything about Yuihama's condition on the phone, did they? She must be fine." Kenichi Hasegawa held Mrs. Yuihama's hand to comfort her, as if he wanted to lend her strength.

Mrs. Yuihama's hands were not large, her fingers were slender and long, soft to the touch, yet cool to the touch.

Kenichi Hasegawa's actions gave Mrs. Yuihama a little more sense of security. She held Kenichi Hasegawa's hand tightly, and her expression softened slightly: "Yes, yes, yes, the phone call didn't say how Yui was doing. She'll definitely be alright, yes, she'll definitely be alright."

And so, they rushed to the hospital. When Mrs. Yuihama got out of the car, she realized that she was still holding Hasegawa Kenichi's hand. She blushed and quickly let go of Hasegawa Kenichi's hand. She got out of the car in a panic and rushed straight to the hospital.

"Here's the fare, keep the change." Kenichi Hasegawa tossed the fare to the driver and rushed inside.

However, when Kenichi Hasegawa and Mrs. Yuigahama rushed into the hospital, they found Yuigahama Yui standing outside the ward holding a dachshund named Sabre, her face pale and panicked.

"Yui." Mrs. Yuigahama saw Yui and immediately hugged her tightly. "Yui, Yui, are you alright, Yui...?"

Kenichi Hasegawa secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yui Yuigahama was standing outside the ward, holding her dachshund; she was clearly alright. It was truly fortunate; otherwise, after what happened last night, if something had happened to Yui Yuigahama today, Mrs. Yuigahama might not have been able to hold on.

After finding out what had happened, Hasegawa Kenichi learned that Yuigahama Yui was indeed alright; she had probably just been slightly frightened.

"If I hadn't been distracted, Sabre wouldn't have run off, and if Sabre hadn't run off, this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault." Yui Yuigahama looked guilty. Because of what happened last night, Yui Yuigahama was still dizzy and probably not very clear-headed, which led to the accident.

“Yuigahama-san, you don’t need to feel so guilty. The student inside isn’t in serious condition; he can be discharged after three weeks of rest at most. If you feel guilty, just apologize to him,” Hasegawa Kenichi said to Yuigahama Yui with a smile.

"I...I understand, but...but..." Yui Yuigahama, with her kind heart, still looked uneasy.

Mrs. Yui Hama had calmed down by this time. Since Yui Hama was alright, she no longer felt panicked. Of course, like Yui Hama, Mrs. Yui Hama also felt guilty, even believing that it was all her fault—that she had let Yui Hama take Sabre for a walk, which led to the incident.

This mother and daughter are truly kind-hearted. But it is precisely because of this that Kenichi Hasegawa finds Mrs. Yuihama so beautiful and captivating. Inner beauty is true beauty. Of course, physical appearance is also very important, after all, humans are visual creatures.

Actually, although the accident was indeed caused by Yui Yuigahama's dachshund, the matter is now largely resolved. The Soubu High School student who was hit by the car was unharmed and will not be pursuing the matter, and the driver has also made compensation. Therefore, Yui Yuigahama is essentially unharmed.

After apologizing to the other parents, everything was over, and Kenichi Hasegawa and his daughter Yui left the hospital.

However, Kenichi Hasegawa went to school, while Yui and her mother went home. Given Yui's current condition, it wasn't suitable for her to go to school directly.

Watching Mrs. Yuihama's figure disappear from sight, Kenichi Hasegawa turned and walked towards the General Affairs High School.

Although he missed a lot of things, he arrived at school not too late. In addition, it was the first day of school, and many new high school students were looking for their assigned classes. So, it wouldn't really matter if Hasegawa Kenichi arrived a little late.

"Kenichi, you're finally here." As soon as Hasegawa Kenichi arrived at school, he heard someone calling his name loudly. He instinctively turned his head to look and saw an unfamiliar face.

Of course, although the face was unfamiliar, based on the condition of Hasegawa Kenichi's body, he probably recognized who was calling him.

After all, Kenichi Hasegawa came from the countryside and felt completely out of place in Tokyo. Therefore, he only had one friend in Tokyo, and the person calling him was naturally that one.

Chapter 8 Aki Tomoya

"Kenichi, you're finally here! I thought you weren't coming. I've been looking for you the whole time, but I couldn't find you anywhere." As he spoke, Hasegawa Kenichi's only friend ran over.

Kenichi Hasegawa watched the person running towards him. The person appeared to be of average appearance, much like Hasegawa himself, the only difference being that this person wore glasses and looked slightly more delicate. However, judging from his voice and manner of movement, he didn't seem like a typical otaku. Furthermore, if he took off his glasses, he was actually quite handsome, but the black-rimmed glasses he always wore made him look somewhat unsophisticated.

Aki Tomoya, Hasegawa Kenichi's only friend before, may not seem like an otaku, but in reality, he's an absolute hardcore otaku. To put it simply, while Hasegawa Kenichi did read anime and novels before, he truly became a fan after meeting Aki Tomoya last year.

It was Aki Tomoya who dragged Hasegawa Kenichi into the world of otaku.

Back then, Kenichi Hasegawa was a country bumpkin who came to a big city like Tokyo from the countryside. His clothes were unfashionable, his style was unfashionable, and even his Kansai accent was very rustic. He was ridiculed and ostracized. At this time, Tomoya Aki appeared in front of him. He took the initiative to talk to him, although they only talked about things related to anime and manga.

To be honest, Aki Tomoya was the only person who showed kindness to Hasegawa Kenichi back then. So, in order to become friends with Aki Tomoya and to have common ground when talking, Hasegawa Kenichi also started getting into anime and manga and paying more attention to the world of anime.

Meanwhile, Hasegawa Kenichi also went to work part-time with Aki Tomoya to earn money, which they then used to buy anime and manga items such as figurines, novels, and comics. It was fortunate that it was Aki Tomoya. Actually, working part-time wasn't encouraged in middle school, but Aki Tomoya had plenty of ways to do it, managing to get Hasegawa Kenichi to work and earn money, which they then spent on anime and manga.

Fortunately, this is the case, which is why Kenichi Hasegawa rarely asks his family for money to buy anime and manga merchandise. Otherwise, his family might have been financially ruined. After all, making money in the countryside is really difficult; you have to cover tuition, living expenses, and so on. If you add anime and manga to that, Kenichi Hasegawa's parents back home really wouldn't be able to support them.

Despite still being ostracized and looked down upon after becoming a recluse, at least Kenichi Hasegawa gained a friend. It was thanks to Tomoya Aki that Hasegawa was able to live in Tokyo. Otherwise, he might have long since slinked back to his hometown to farm, or even worse, perhaps committed suicide. After all, it's not uncommon for students who are frequently bullied at school to choose suicide.

Therefore, Kenichi Hasegawa felt deeply grateful to Tomoya Aki.

"Tomoya. Long time no see. Actually, something happened yesterday, so I went to bed a little late and couldn't get up early this morning. But it's not too late now." Hasegawa Kenichi greeted Aki Tomoya with a smile.

"Is that so? Hey, Kenichi, your tone of voice... it's completely devoid of the Kansai accent now?" Aki Tomoya looked at Hasegawa Kenichi in surprise.

"Well, well, people look down on those with a Kansai accent, so I've been practicing my spoken Kansai dialect a lot during this holiday," Hasegawa Kenichi said frankly. Actually, he had read in Hasegawa Kenichi's diary about how he was ridiculed for his Kansai accent and how he worked hard to change his speech. So, Hasegawa Kenichi's reason for using this was perfectly reasonable.

"Is that so? Well, it doesn't really matter. But I still feel like you've changed, Kenichi." Aki Tomoya looked Hasegawa Kenichi up and down, saying it with a bit of a puzzled expression.

"Has it changed? I didn't notice." Hasegawa Kenichi realized that Aki Tomoya was quite perceptive.

"It's just a feeling. But how was your holiday? Did you buy any new novels? Let me tell you, I bought all the new books that came out during the holiday. The most amazing one was 'Even If I Become a Girl, I Still Love My Sister.' Seriously, it's a gem. The author's writing isn't superb, but it's just right. The handling of some plot points is also fantastic..." When talking about anime and manga, Aki Tomoya became very excited, gesturing wildly with his hands, completely oblivious to what others thought of him. He was completely immersed in his own world.

Kenichi Hasegawa had seen similar entries in his diary, but at the time he thought Hasegawa might have exaggerated. However, looking at them now, he realized that what was written in the diary was not exaggerated at all.

Aki Tomoya really loves anime to the core.

"...So, this book is really amazing. Isn't it, Kenichi?" After finishing his long speech, Aki Tomoya looked at Hasegawa Kenichi with expectant eyes.

"Um, I'm sorry, Tomoya. After hearing what you said, I'm quite tempted and eager to buy it. But, as you know, I come from the countryside. So I'm not well-off. I've been working during the holidays, and I'm also considering earning my own living expenses after starting high school. I don't want to be a freeloader and ask my family for money anymore. So I don't have much money left over to buy the novel. I'm really sorry." Hasegawa Kenichi's words were honest, and he was also trying to change the impression Aki Tomoya had of him.

As for the friendship, Hasegawa Kenichi wouldn't mind maintaining it, since Aki Tomoya was Hasegawa Kenichi's only friend in Tokyo, after all.

"Huh? Is that so? Kenichi, you've really matured since entering high school. It's a great decision to work and support yourself; I support you. But that means you won't have much money left to buy anime and manga stuff. That's a bit of a shame." Although Aki Tomoya was always immersed in his own world, and many of his actions and decisions seemed completely incomprehensible to others, he wasn't entirely unreasonable. He understood and supported what Hasegawa Kenichi was saying, but he still felt a sense of regret.

"There's nothing we can do about it. But I'll still buy the book you mentioned, 'Even If I Become a Girl, I'll Still Love My Sister,'" Kenichi Hasegawa said with a smile.

"Well, Kenichi, given your situation, you don't need to buy it if you want to read it. I'll lend you my book. Although I can't buy it for you, I can still lend it to you. I can lend you any good works I have in the future." Aki Tomoya was quite generous.

"Really? Thank you so much, Tomoya." Hasegawa Kenichi expressed his gratitude. Of course, Hasegawa Kenichi was like this now, but he wouldn't always be like this. Once he could earn money in the future, he would naturally spend his own money to buy it. Of course, the prerequisite was that he could earn money, and earn enough money.

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P.S.: According to the author's outline, this book will include the anime series *My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU* and *Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Boy*. Nothing else will be added. At least that's the current outline.

Chapter Nine: Totsuka Saika the Little Angel

"By the way, Kenichi, you haven't checked which class you've been assigned to yet, have you?"

"Yes, I just arrived at school and haven't had time to check yet."

“I checked for you. You and I are in the same class, both in the first year, group F. We're still classmates.” Aki Tomoya patted Hasegawa Kenichi on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Oh, that's wonderful." Kenichi Hasegawa smiled as well.

Although they arrived late, Kenichi Hasegawa didn't find it too troublesome because Aki Tomoya was there to help.