My dear wife, I still love you more.

Suddenly a voice rang in Hasegawa's ear.

"Kato! It's you again." Only Kato Megumi could appear out of nowhere and speak to him so suddenly. Hasegawa was gradually getting used to this.

"Hasegawa hasn't answered my question yet. You really do like Yui-chan, don't you? You've been staring at her ever since you arrived at school. Indeed, Yui-chan is very cute and pretty, and she has a great figure. It seems like none of the girls in the class can beat her in terms of figure," Kato Megumi said calmly.

"Don't talk nonsense. I only see Yuihama as my girlfriend—a female friend. There's nothing else involved."

Chapter Twenty: Hiratsuka Shizuka's Mother's Sister

Before you know it, it's the weekend again.

A lot has really happened this week. Yui Yuigahama has changed a lot since she listened to Kenichi Hasegawa. She has started to actively contact Miura Yumiko's circle, and although she may still be a little awkward, it seems that she is already integrating into their circle.

Yesterday after school, Yui Yuigahama told Hasegawa that she had accepted Yumiko Miura's invitation to go karaoke with them on Saturday. Hasegawa even noticed that Yui Yuigahama was trying to learn how to do makeup.

Yui Yuigahama seemed much more lively than before. You couldn't see any trace of her previous timidity. Hasegawa was especially pleased with this change in Yui Yuigahama. This way, all his hard work wouldn't have been in vain.

However, Hasegawa didn't have time to deal with Yui's situation right now, because he was pulled away by Shizuka Hiratsuka again.

"Ms. Hiratsuka, didn't you already buy a suit last time? I can just wear that one, right? There's no need to buy a new one. You know, I only wore that suit once, and it's exactly the same as a brand new one," Hasegawa said to Hiratsuka Shizuka with a bit of helplessness.

"Just accept the clothes I buy for you, why all the fuss? I already said I'll pay for them, you don't have to spend any money. You're the one getting a good deal, okay?" Hiratsuka Shizuka said, seemingly a little annoyed.

"Even if you say that, Hiratsuka-sensei, I still can't accept it. Last time it was because I genuinely didn't have any money, but now that I have money, how can I let you spend it?" Hasegawa shook his head, probably out of a man's pride.

"You have money? Didn't I get it back for you last time? And is that much money really that much? You might not even be able to afford high-end clothes. You should just keep that money to yourself." Hiratsuka Shizuka sneered, completely disregarding Hasegawa's little bit of money.

"That little bit of money? That's money I earned through hard work. Besides, Hiratsuka-sensei, your monthly salary doesn't seem to be more than mine," Hasegawa said, rolling his eyes.

"Can't I have money at home? Can't I have money at home? Can't I easily get money from home?" Hiratsuka Shizuka said confidently.

"At this age, you still ask your family for money, and you can even say it so confidently. Hiratsuka-sensei, don't you feel ashamed?" Hasegawa complained.

"Why shouldn't I take money from my family? Can't I spend my parents' money? Your thinking is really strange. This amount of money is nothing to my family, so why should I refuse? That's what's strange, isn't it?"

"..." Hasegawa.

It was still a high-end suit, but this time it wasn't black like before; instead, it was silver-gray, with a more casual style. Wearing it, it exuded a more vibrant feel compared to the previous all-black ensemble.

It looks very decent when worn, except that the shoulders are a little wide, but that's okay, with shoulder pads, it looks perfect.

When it came time to pay the bill, Hasegawa wanted to pay himself, but Hiratsuka Shizuka had already paid for it. Hasegawa had no choice but to accept it.

"Honestly, you're just a kid. I already told you, I only bought the suit to help me this time, so I can't let a kid like you pay for it. Consider it payment for this." Hiratsuka Shizuka said to Hasegawa.

He still wore silver-rimmed glasses, paired with a silver-gray suit. He really did look like a college student who had just entered the workforce.

They were still riding in Hiratsuka Shizuka's sports car, heading towards her house.

It's fortunate that he was just pretending to be her boyfriend; otherwise, most men would probably find it unacceptable to ride in her sports car to her house.

It was still a manor-style villa. After Hasegawa arrived, he met Hiratsuka Shizuka's parents again: "Uncle, Aunt, hello."

"Hasegawa, you've arrived. Please have a seat." Hiratsuka Shizuka's mother smiled happily as she looked Hasegawa over again, nodding in satisfaction at his appearance.

"Thank you, Auntie."

"How have things been going with Xiaojing lately? Xiaojing has a bit of a temper, so you two should be a little more accommodating to her when you're together."

"I get along very well with Xiaojing. Although Xiaojing does have a bad temper sometimes, I can accept it. Moreover, after spending some time together, I have discovered more of Xiaojing's good qualities. She has a charm that other women do not possess."

"Really? You really think Shizuka has good qualities? It's true love, absolutely true love." Shizuka's mother's face lit up with joy upon hearing Hasegawa's words. Clearly, she had been deeply concerned about Shizuka's marital situation.

……

Not long after they started chatting, Hiratsuka Shizuka's mother got up because her relatives from her side had arrived.

At this time, Hasegawa also met the relatives that Hiratsuka Shizuka had mentioned.

In reality, only relatives from Hiratsuka Shizuka's mother's side of the family would be attending this family dinner, and only that one family would come.

Because the only relative on Hiratsuka Shizuka's mother's side was her mother's younger sister. The two had a good relationship. After learning that Hiratsuka Shizuka had a boyfriend, they arranged to meet up on the weekend.

She is the younger sister of Shizuka Hiratsuka's mother. She looks very similar to Shizuka Hiratsuka's mother, except that she looks a little younger and has fewer crow's feet around her eyes.

However, compared to Hiratsuka Shizuka's mother, who always had a smile on her face, her younger sister's face was much more indifferent, even giving people the feeling of an iceberg. Well, it should be said that she appeared more serious.

Meanwhile, two girls were also with Hiratsuka Shizuka's mother and sister. One looked to be in her early twenties, the kind of girl who had already graduated from university and was about to enter the workforce. The other looked to be around Hasegawa's actual age, probably sixteen or seventeen.

These are clearly sisters. The older sister has a smile on her face, a smile somewhat similar to that of Hiratsuka Shizuka's mother, though it feels a bit formulaic, or rather, insincere. The younger sister, on the other hand, has a cold expression, much like her mother.

Chapter Twenty-One: Under the Snow

"Hey, Shizuka-nee, long time no see. I never expected you to have a boyfriend. I was quite surprised when I heard the news." The older of the two sisters greeted Hiratsuka Shizuka very casually, even with a hint of teasing.

"Hmph, can't I have a boyfriend?" Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Of course you can, but after all, Jing-jie, you're so—well, special, it seems like finding a boyfriend isn't an easy thing for you. Hmm, you look alright, you have a good temperament." The older sister looked Hasegawa up and down, very carefully, almost like a scanning machine, making Hasegawa feel particularly awkward.

"Alright, stop looking at him like that. You'll be mistaken for a pervert," Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but say.

"Okay, okay. I got it. Tsk tsk tsk, Shizuka-nee, I didn't know you liked older men dating younger women. I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, Shizuka-nee's cousin. This is my younger sister, Yukinoshita Yukino." Yukinoshita Haruno introduced herself with a smile and even tugged at her younger sister's arm. (Sorry, this is a fanfiction, I've made Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukinoshita relatives, I guess some people will criticize me again.)

"You bastard, what do you mean by 'an old cow eating young grass'? I'm not old at all. Not old at all. Hmph. Kenichi, be careful of Haruno. Don't be fooled by her smiling face; she's actually a thoroughly wicked person. Be careful not to get tricked by her." Hiratsuka Shizuka said with a snort.

However, it's clear that Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukinoshita Haruno have a good relationship, otherwise they wouldn't be teasing each other like that as soon as they meet.

"Hello." Hasegawa greeted Yukinoshita Haruno and Yukinoshita Yukino with a smile.

"Hello." Compared to her sister, Yukino Yukinoshita was much quieter, and her face even seemed expressionless as she greeted Hasegawa in a very calm manner.

However, Hasegawa felt that the way Yukino Yukinoshita was looking at him seemed a little strange.

Hasegawa found this a bit strange. Could it be that Yukino Yukinoshita had seen through some flaw in him? That shouldn't be the case, after all, Yukino Yukinoshita is only a sixteen-year-old girl with little experience, she shouldn't be able to see through his disguise.

Of course, all of this was just Hasegawa's inner thought; he didn't show any unusual behavior on the surface. Moreover, this was only Hasegawa's last act of pretense, and there wouldn't be any more afterward, so even if Yukino Yukinoshita saw through something, it probably wouldn't matter.

"Kenichi Hasegawa, can I call you Kenichi like Shizuka-nee?" Yukinoshita Haruno said to Hasegawa with a smile.

“Of course, Ms. Yukinoshita.” Hasegawa nodded politely.

"Well, since you're Shizuka-nee's boyfriend, you can just call me Haruno. Calling me 'Miss Yukinoshita' is a bit too formal. Shizuka-nee and I are really close." Yukinoshita Haruno continued to smile.

"Hmm—" Hasegawa glanced at Hiratsuka Shizuka subconsciously.

“Since Haruno told you to call her that, then you can just call her Haruno. After all, they are two sisters, and when you call Yukinoshita-san, it’s inevitable that you’ll get confused. Yukino. Kenichi, can you just call me by my name too?” Hiratsuka Shizuka said casually.

"Well, if it's your boyfriend, Shizuka-nee, then it's fine." Yukino Yukinoshita nodded calmly, but Hasegawa felt that there was something strange about Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes.

"Hey, Kenichi, can you tell me how you and Shizuka met?" Yukinoshita Haruno asked with a curious look.

"Actually, it was a coincidence. Back then, it should be considered a hero saving me—no, it should be a beautiful woman saving an ordinary person like me," Hasegawa said, looking quite shy.

"Oh? Can you tell me about what happened back then?" Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes seemed to be shining with curiosity.

Yukino Yukinoshita, who was standing nearby, also perked up her ears.

"At that time, I had just graduated from university, and then..." Hasegawa repeated the lie he had made up earlier.

"So that's how it is, tsk tsk tsk. Shizuka-nee, you're really amazing. You saved someone and they immediately became your boyfriend." Yukinoshita Haruno gave Hiratsuka Shizuka a thumbs up.

"Well, it's just a coincidence. I didn't expect things to turn out this way either, hahaha." Hiratsuka Shizuka laughed heartily, though her smile was somewhat forced.

Next, Yukinoshita Haruno started asking all sorts of questions: who pursued whom, what they did, how far their relationship had progressed, etc. She seemed particularly curious about why Hasegawa became Hiratsuka Shizuka's boyfriend.

Hasegawa answered all of Yukinoshita Haruno's questions with a smile. From beginning to end, everything seemed perfectly reasonable, as if that was how things were going to develop, and everything seemed to fall into place naturally.

Even so, Hasegawa couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after Yukinoshita Haruno finished asking her questions. This Yukinoshita Haruno was just too curious. If he hadn't been prepared to answer all sorts of questions, he might have given himself away.

After asking those questions, Yukinoshita Haruno seemed to still have some unsatisfaction. Seeing this, Hiratsuka Shizuka quickly pulled Hasegawa away. This gave Hasegawa a temporary respite.

It was only after Hiratsuka Shizuka led Hasegawa away that Yukinoshita Haruno's expression changed. Although she still had that smile, the feeling she gave off was somewhat different.

“Hey, sister.” Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly spoke up.

"What's wrong, Yukino?" Yukinoshita Haruno turned around and looked at Yukinoshita Yukino.

"Sister, don't you think that Hasegawa Kenichi is a little... strange?" Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes showed a subtle change.

"Strange? It is indeed a bit strange. After all, although I don't want to say anything behind her back, you know Jing-jie's personality. She's been on blind dates for so long and hasn't succeeded even once, but now she suddenly has a boyfriend, and it was even that guy who actively pursued her? It would be strange if there wasn't something fishy about this. I have a feeling that guy might not be so sincere towards Jing-jie. Perhaps, that guy has already inquired about Jing-jie's family background. That's why he approached Jing-jie." Yukinoshita Haruno said, squinting her eyes.

“Um, that’s not what I meant.” Yukino Yukinoshita was a little dumbfounded.

"Don't worry, it's also possible that I'm wrong."

"Becoming the Demon King in Demon Slayer" is a Demon Slayer fanfic, and it's pretty good. Those interested can check it out.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Haruno and Yukino

"However, if Hasegawa Kenichi is genuinely pursuing Shizue because he likes her, then that's for the best. If not, hmph, I'll expose him and make him understand that some people's interests are not for him to handle." Yukinoshita Haruno sneered.

Yukino Yukinoshita looked a little stunned. What Haruno Yukinoshita had told her seemed to be completely different.

"I was just a little suspicious, but Yukino, you actually feel something's off? It seems that guy might really be suspicious. Looks like I'll have to find a way to expose him. But Shizue might be heartbroken; he might be a professional conman," Yukino Yukinoshita remarked.

"Sister, you—" Yukino Yukinoshita's expression was a little strange.

"Yukino has grown up. She can see things like this at a glance. Not bad. As expected of my little sister." Yukinoshita Haruno gave Yukinoshita Yukino a thumbs up.

"No, no. I... I just—" Yukino Yukinoshita's expression was strange.

Well, Yukino Yukinoshita felt that Hasegawa's appearance was very familiar, not just in terms of his looks, but also in his name.

Yukino Yukinoshita has always been an excellent student, and she usually gets first place in most exams unless something unexpected happens.

However, in her first test after entering high school, she performed normally, or even somewhat exceptionally well, but in the end, she still only managed to get second place.

This situation made Yukino Yukinoshita a little concerned. The name of the person in first place was none other than Kenichi Hasegawa. In fact, because someone had surpassed her, Yukino Yukinoshita paid special attention to Kenichi Hasegawa.

Of course, I didn't specifically go looking for Kenichi Hasegawa; I just glanced at him from afar. That was all.

But this time, when she heard Hiratsuka Shizuka's boyfriend's name was Hasegawa Kenichi, her expression couldn't help but become a little strange. She didn't even know if it was just her subjective impression of the name, but she felt that the Hasegawa Kenichi in front of her looked a lot like the Hasegawa Kenichi from school.

However, one of them was a high school student, and the other looked like someone who had already entered the workforce. Therefore, Yukino Yukinoshita thought that she might have misjudged the situation.

However, the name Kenichi Hasegawa still bothered Yukino Yukinoshita a little. So much so that after Hasegawa was pulled away by Shizuka Hiratsuka, she couldn't help but ask Haruno Yukinoshita about it. Then she heard a long string of analyses from Haruno Yukinoshita, which made her expression turn strange.

"No matter what, we need to prepare properly and see if Hasegawa Kenichi is a conman. If he's not, I'll reluctantly accept him as my brother-in-law. If he is, well... I just hope Shizue doesn't get too deeply involved. If that guy takes advantage of her and then cheats her out of both money and sex, that would be terrible. I don't know if Shizue can handle that kind of blow." Yukinoshita Haruno couldn't help but sigh.

Yukino Yukinoshita remained silent, offering no comment. After all, she was just a high school student and didn't really understand the dirty adult world.

On the other side, Hiratsuka Shizuka pulled Hasegawa into her bedroom.