My dear wife, I still love you more.

Meanwhile, it is said that after Hasegawa joined the kendo club, he also became very close to Saeko Busujima, a third-year high school student, and the two often practiced kendo together.

If you think about it this way, there are only a handful of the most famous girls in the school, and Hasegawa has already gotten to know most of them.

Hasegawa isn't exactly handsome, well, he does look kind of cute now. At most, he's just an excellent student, always first in his grade. He's also apparently a bit of an otaku who loves anime and manga.

This guy doesn't seem particularly outstanding, so how come so many excellent girls like him? No, maybe it's not just liking, but he still manages to get along with so many beautiful women. It's just so enviable.

Miura Yumiko was puzzled. She looked at Hayama Hayato, whose warm, sunny smile was captivating, and then at Hasegawa. Hayama Hayato seemed far more handsome and attractive. Why was Hasegawa more popular with those outstanding girls?

Puzzled and confused.

Chapter 85 A Date?

The second volume of Tokyo Ghoul is now on sale.

Hasegawa was still a little nervous and expectant, but much better than when he was with the first volume. This time, Hasegawa didn't drag Aki Tomoya to the bookstore to check things out; well, this time he wanted to go by himself.

However, when Yui Yuigahama heard what Hasegawa was going to do, she looked excited and said, "Hasegawa, I'll go with you."

Well, since that's the case, Hasegawa didn't feel comfortable refusing, and it wasn't a big deal anyway. So Hasegawa took Yuigahama Yui to the bookstore.

Unlike last time, this time, when Hasegawa entered the bookstore, he saw his book placed in a very conspicuous place.

"Here it is!" Yui Yuigahama ran over happily, picked up a copy of the second volume of "Tokyo Ghoul" and smiled at Hasegawa.

"Do you like Tokyo Ghoul too?" At this moment, a boy's eyes lit up when he saw Yui Yuigahama. Especially since they shared this hobby, the boy was even happier and ignored Hasegawa's presence, directly asking Yui Yuigahama.

"Um, yes, I like it." Yui Yuigahama turned to look at the boy. He was ordinary-looking, ordinary-looking, ordinary in every way, except that his face was a little red, as if he was a little nervous or excited. Of course, most importantly, Yui Yuigahama noticed that the boy was holding a copy of the second volume of "Tokyo Ghoul." So Yui Yuigahama responded to him politely.

"I love it too, I absolutely love it. 'Tokyo Ghoul' is the best light novel I've read in the last two years. Hasegawa-sensei's concept for the story is simply amazing—ghouls hiding beneath the city, feeding exclusively on humans. After reading this novel, for a while I wondered if there were ghouls around me, and sometimes I even worried that I might be attacked by a ghoul suddenly jumping out when I was walking alone at night..." The boy chattered on and on, his expression excited, even jubilant. Perhaps because he was talking about something he was good at, he showed no signs of nervousness.

Yui Yuigahama maintained her smile, but couldn't help taking two steps back, slightly increasing the distance between herself and the boy.

Yui Yuigahama suddenly felt that this boy was really scary. They didn't know each other at all, but he just grabbed someone and started rambling on and on, gesturing wildly as he spoke, and his spittle was almost splattering on the other person's face.

If this person hadn't been holding a novel written by Hasegawa and talking about content from a Hasegawa novel, she would have run away.

Seeing this, Hasegawa couldn't help but smile and shake his head, then went to Yui Yuigahama's side: "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm fine." Hearing Hasegawa's concerned words, Yui lowered her head, a faint smile of happiness on her face.

"...I predict that the content of the next volume will be—" The boy saw Hasegawa standing next to Yui Yuigahama, looked at the two of them, and suddenly stopped. His excitement was abruptly stopped, and he felt particularly uncomfortable, with chest tightness and even a feeling of wanting to vomit.

It's like a train that's moving along, and suddenly, without any warning, it just stops abruptly.

"Yes, I'm sorry!" The boy moved his lips and said "I'm sorry" in a dry voice, then turned around and ran away.

Hasegawa's expression was a little strange as he looked at the boy. He could roughly tell that the guy was probably a shut-in, and the kind who rarely talked to girls.

I guess it was because I saw Yui Yuigahama also had the book "Tokyo Ghoul" that I impulsively started rambling on. After seeing myself, I realized what was going on, and that typical otaku inferiority complex washed over me, which is why I ran away like that.

"Huh? Um, what's wrong with him?" Yui Yuigahama was a little stunned.

"It's nothing. He's probably the type who's not good at talking to girls. He didn't realize it before, and now that he has, he's probably just shy, so he ran away," Hasegawa explained with a smile.

"Is that so?" Yui Yuigahama didn't quite understand why someone who could talk so much would suddenly become shy. However, her confusion only lasted for a moment before she quickly put the boy out of her mind.

"Hasegawa, look, a lot of people like your books!" Yui Yuigahama said excitedly to Hasegawa.

"Shh!" Hasegawa raised an index finger: "It's better not to say these things here. If someone hears us, it might cause some trouble."

Yui Yuigahama quickly covered her mouth, but she noticed that people kept coming in, taking out Hasegawa's "Tokyo Ghoul," paying, and leaving. In just a short while, she saw many people doing this.

Yui Yuigahama was overjoyed, almost to the point of being delirious with happiness. It was as if she were the author of "Tokyo Ghoul."

I visited several bookstores, and the situation was similar in all of them, much better than when the first volume was first sold.

Hasegawa was in a good mood, while Yui Yuigahama had a big smile on her face, like a little fox who had stolen a chicken and was very happy.

"It's getting late, Yuihama. We should head back." Hasegawa glanced at the time and decided not to continue reading. After looking at these few books, Hasegawa knew in his heart that the sales of the second volume of "Tokyo Ghoul" would definitely be good.

"Huh? Are you going back so soon? Aren't you going to keep watching?" Yui Yuigahama asked, a little disappointed.

Yui Yuigahama's disappointment stemmed from the fact that she had gone to several bookstores with Hasegawa, and it felt as if they were on a date. Even though they were visiting bookstores, something still felt off. However, Yui Yuigahama didn't seem to care at all.

Being able to wander around Hasegawa, even just to a bookstore, is incredibly enjoyable.

"No need to look anymore, we already know the results pretty much. The sales of the second volume of Tokyo Ghoul are quite good, that's enough. As for the specific sales figures, we can ask Editor Machida about them tomorrow." Hasegawa stretched and said casually.

"Okay." Yui Yuigahama responded, then obediently followed Hasegawa home.

But once they started walking home, Yui Yuigahama cheered up again. They went out together, shopped together, and walked home together. They seemed very happy.

Chapter 86 You can call me Mom, Hasegawa-kun

"Mr. Hasegawa, do you know how many copies of the second volume of Tokyo Ghoul were sold yesterday?" Machida Sonoko asked Hasegawa happily.

"Judging from your tone, you've sold a lot?" Hasegawa asked with a smile, eager to hear the answer, but he readily played along with Machida Sonoko's quirk.

“Of course, that’s a lot, Mr. Hasegawa. Yesterday alone, the second volume of Tokyo Ghoul sold over 10,000 copies, to be precise, 12064 copies. I have a feeling that this print run of 50,000 copies will probably be almost sold out in less than a week. And the first volume of Tokyo Ghoul also sold over 3,000 copies yesterday. That’s amazing!” Machida Sonoko said excitedly.

"It's selling so well?" Hasegawa was also a little surprised. After all, the first printing of the first volume was only 10,000 copies. That was because Machida Sonoko was optimistic about it, so she specially printed more copies.

For some small publishing houses, the first print run of a novel's first volume might be only a thousand copies, or even less than a thousand copies.

Now, with over 10,000 copies of the wine sold daily, even by the standards of Shinazugawa Bookstore, this is considered a remarkably good result.

"That's right, it's selling that well. Hahaha, it looks like I'm going to be promoted to deputy editor-in-chief today, Hasegawa-sensei." Machida Sonoko was especially happy, not only because the novel was selling very well and she would receive a bonus, but also because she was very likely to be promoted this year.

"Then congratulations to Editor Machida! Does that mean I should start calling him Chief Editor Machida?"

"Well, well, well, it's a bit early for 'Editor-in-Chief Machida,' yes, it's a bit early. Hehe, hehehe, but 'Editor-in-Chief Machida' does sound nice."

After ending the call with editor Machida, Hasegawa couldn't help but check his phone's text messages again. In just over two months, his previously emptied bank account had suddenly grown to over four million yen. Although the unit was Japanese yen, Hasegawa still felt his heart race a little at that amount of money.

The original price was two million yen, but later the first print run of the second volume of Tokyo Ghoul was 50,000 copies, which was also two million yen, and the first volume was reprinted with additional money.

Hasegawa believed that if Tokyo Ghoul continued at this rate, publishing one volume every month, he would definitely make a fortune. He even thought that achieving a small goal every year was quite possible.

Although the units for these small goals are different, they are still an astonishing number.

"Maybe I could buy a house—no, no, if I bought a house, I'd have to move out of here. Although this isn't my home, it's still quite comfortable living here," Hasegawa muttered to himself.

"Perhaps I should buy a car? But without a driver's license, I can't drive it even if I do. Age is really a problem. If I were older, Mrs. Yuihama and I..."

"Forget it, why think so much? We don't have much money yet. Besides, I should at least let Hasegawa's parents know." Hasegawa's expression turned somewhat silent when he thought of the original owner's parents.

He neither accepted the original owner's memories nor her feelings. To Hasegawa, the original owner's parents were complete strangers.

But he is, after all, Hasegawa. And Hasegawa's parents—to put it responsibly, they are his parents.

Imagine occasionally receiving a call from Hasegawa's parents. Their voices on the phone carry a certain restraint and timidity, yet are full of love.

Every time they called, it was about Hasegawa's health or his financial situation; they seemed hesitant to ask about his academic performance.

Hasegawa could even sense their deep inferiority complex and profound guilt towards him from their tone, as if they felt guilty for not being able to provide him with a good family and a good future.

Hasegawa wasn't quite sure what his original self's attitude towards his parents was. From some snippets in his diary, it seemed that his original self hadn't been very good to his parents, and even had some complaints. He complained that his parents were from the countryside and that they hadn't been able to give him a good background.

It was probably because of the original owner's attitude that Hasegawa's parents spoke with such deep inferiority and guilt when they talked to him on the phone. But apart from that, there was truly only love left—the kind of love parents have for their son.

Although Hasegawa's tone was a little hesitant when he spoke to his parents, he tried his best to be very polite and caring towards them.

Hasegawa remembered that the first time he spoke to Hasegawa's parents in this tone, he could faintly hear crying coming from the other end of the line. Perhaps they were moved.

His tone was so awkward and stiff, yet Hasegawa's parents were still moved to tears. This gives you an idea of ​​how Hasegawa's original self truly treated his parents.

After thinking for a moment, looking at his phone, Hasegawa hesitated whether to call his parents.

Previously, they called each other about once a month, but it was always his parents who initiated the calls. Now, having him call back is something Hasegawa isn't quite used to.

It's really hard for me to call strangers "Mom" and "Dad," even just on the phone.

Hasegawa thought of the actors in TV dramas—the really good actors who could call strangers "Mom" and "Dad" so realistically. But in reality, it's really, really hard to do that.

"We can't just keep dragging this on like this," Hasegawa sighed.

After glancing at the phone number on his phone, Hasegawa dialed it anyway.

"Hello? Is this Kenichi? You, you called us on your own initiative?" Hasegawa's mother's hesitant, even somewhat incredulous tone came through the phone.

"Hmm." Hasegawa hummed in response, then didn't know how to continue.

"Um, Kenichi, did something happen? Do you need money? How much do you need? Mom will have your dad transfer it to you right away." Hasegawa's mother's voice held the joy of her son calling her, but also the worry that Hasegawa had suddenly called her, wondering if something had happened to him.

"No, I'm fine here. Um, I recently wrote a novel, it was published, and I made some money. I'll transfer the money to you in a bit. So don't panic if you notice an extra sum of money in your bank account."

"Huh? Send money home? Kenichi, your family doesn't need money. Keep your earnings for yourself. Tokyo is a big city, expenses must be high. Don't send us any money, keep it for yourself. If you need more, just let us know and we'll send you some..."

"Okay, that's settled. I'll transfer the money to you in a bit," Hasegawa said, hanging up the phone somewhat awkwardly.

After hanging up the phone, Hasegawa looked at his phone and then couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Before making the call, I had already thought about changing how I addressed her and calling her "Mom," but I just couldn't bring myself to say it.

Thinking about Hasegawa's mother's words and attitude, Hasegawa couldn't help but think of her parents from her previous life. Although they were different people, the love they had for their children was almost exactly the same.

Hasegawa couldn't help but sigh again.

He got up, preparing to go out and transfer the money to Hasegawa's parents. But as soon as he opened the door, he saw Mrs. Yui standing there.

"Mrs. Yuihama—"

"Hasegawa-kun!" Mrs. Yuihama hugged Hasegawa tightly, even pressing his head against her chest.

Although Hasegawa felt a little uncomfortable in the position because of the height difference between the two, he was stunned when he felt the touch on his cheek. It was as if he had been acupunctured and couldn't move at all.

Hasegawa breathed in the scent emanating from Mrs. Yuihama and felt his nostrils getting hot.

"Is Hasegawa-kun homesick? He must be. After all, he's studying away from home for so long and can't go back. He can only call his parents when he misses them, but he can't see them at all. It would be strange if he didn't miss home."

“But it’s alright, Hasegawa-kun. Although you can’t see your parents, I consider you family. If you don’t mind, you can call me Mom.” Mrs. Yuihama said very emotionally.

Hasegawa's eyes twitched violently after hearing Mrs. Yuihama's words. "Call you Mom? Are you kidding me, Mrs. Yuihama?"

Hasegawa wanted to refuse Mrs. Yuihama immediately, but his body was immobilized by pressure points, so he could only continue to press his face against Mrs. Yuihama's chest.

"Hasegawa-kun, your silence means you agree—"

"Mom, Hasegawa, what are you doing?" Yui Yuigahama ran over at some point and saw Hasegawa and Mrs. Yuigahama in this state. She felt her brain go blank, as if she had been hit hard with a hammer.

"Yui, Hasegawa-kun is homesick." Mrs. Yuihama said this to Yuihama without any other thoughts.

"Huh? Hasegawa's homesick?" Yui Yuigahama blinked.