My dear wife, I still love you more.

Eriri noticed Hasegawa's change in expression and blushed slightly: "Um, I, I'm a doujinshi artist, so it's normal to have these things in the room."

“Yes. I understand. I have quite a few similar things in my room too.” Hasegawa smiled gently, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Seeing this, Eriri breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out her artwork: "Let's quickly discuss the plot of the manga. There are a few parts that I'm not quite clear about, so Hasegawa, you can explain them to me in detail."

“Okay!” Hasegawa sat down next to Eriri.

On the other side, Aki Tomoya also sat down. The three of them sat around a square table.

"Although Tokyo Ghoul may seem like a rather gory light novel, it is mainly about..." Hasegawa began to explain from the beginning.

Eriri listened intently, a thoughtful expression on her face. Aki Tomoya, on the other hand, looked quite excited; learning about the novel's world and main style from the author was a rare opportunity.

"Hasegawa, if that's the case, then does that mean..."

"Eri, I think what you said might be a little wrong. It should be like this, like this, like this, right Hasegawa?"

“That’s right, Renya’s understanding is more profound. Actually, we can start from here…”

"I see. No wonder you can write novels like this, Hasegawa."

"That's why Tokyo Ghoul is so popular; it's not just a simple story, but also a reflection on life and human nature..."

The three of them engaged in a lively discussion. Eriri gained a lot, and her manga creation would definitely make great progress. Aki Tomoya also learned a lot and gained a deeper understanding of the novel.

As for Hasegawa, he also received a lot of advice and inspiration from Aki Tomoya, which will make the plot of his next novel even more exciting.

At the same time, Hasegawa also learned more about manga from Eriri, including how plots are handled in manga.

It can be said that all three of them gained a lot.

During this time, Sayuri Sawamura came in to ask the three of them if they wanted any drinks. After receiving the information, she brought up three drinks, along with some tasty snacks.

Later, she sat down next to Hasegawa and Eriri with a curious look on her face, tilting her head to listen to their discussion, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes, because she was also very interested in this kind of thing.

Chapter 102 New Friends (Mega Chapter)

"Take care, Hasegawa-kun. You must come back to visit again when you have time," Sawamura Sayuri said to Hasegawa as he was leaving.

"Okay, Auntie, I'll definitely come down when I have time," Hasegawa said politely.

“Yes, yes, and Tomoya too. You should come often too,” Sawamura Sayuri said to Aki Tomoya.

So far, Hasegawa and Aki Tomoya are Sawamura Sayuri's two potential partners, or more accurately, Eriri's potential partners.

"I'll pass. I have to work part-time all the time, so I don't have much free time. Besides, Eriri hates me. If I hadn't known Kenichi was coming and insisted on coming along, Eriri probably wouldn't have let me in. So I'll pass." Aki Tomoya quickly waved his hands, looking distressed.

"..." Sawamura Sayuri.

"..." Hasegawa.

"..." Eriri: "Hmph, if you're not coming, then don't come. But if you do come, I absolutely won't let you, you wretched guy, through the door. Absolutely!"

"See, I told you so. Okay, I have to go now. I've wasted so much time today, so I'll have to extend my work hours tonight. Goodbye." Aki Tomoya said, and he quickly ran out.

Hasegawa and Sawamura Sayuri exchanged a glance, both seeing the astonishment and helplessness in each other's eyes, and then turned to look at Eriri.

Eriri lowered her head, her face was gloomy, and her eyes were even slightly red.

"Ugh--"

Hasegawa and Sawamura Sayuri both sighed at the same time, clearly because of Eriri's tsundere personality.

Upon hearing each other's simultaneous sighs, Hasegawa and Sawamura Sayuri couldn't help but look up at the same time, seeing each other's astonished eyes.

"Pfft-"

Hasegawa and Sawamura Sayuri both laughed at the same time.

Eriri, who was already sad and angry, became even angrier when she heard the two laughing. She thought they were mocking her, so she stomped her foot, turned around and ran back to her room, slamming the door shut.

Hasegawa and Sawamura Sayuri's laughter stopped abruptly at the same time. Their laughter, almost perfectly synchronized, made them want to laugh again, realizing how incredibly in sync they had been for that moment.

"Auntie, I have to go back now. Goodbye." Hasegawa composed himself and said to Sawamura Sayuri with a smile.

"Okay, goodbye then. But remember to come visit sometime!" Sawamura Sayuri said to Hasegawa once again.

"Okay!" Hasegawa nodded, turned around and walked out.

On the way back, Hasegawa was in a pretty good mood, humming a little tune.

On one hand, the discussions with Eriri and Tomoya Aki gave Hasegawa considerable inspiration, making him feel he could write Tokyo Ghoul even more interestingly. He was also very satisfied with the artwork Eriri had created. And, of course, he had gained a new friend.

Sayuri Sawamura, yes, it's Sayuri Sawamura.

Sayuri Sawamura doesn't seem like the mother of a high school student at all, neither in appearance nor in personality.

Previously, when Hasegawa was discussing issues with Aki Tomoya and Eriri, Sawamura Sayuri initially just observed and found it quite interesting, but later she couldn't help but chime in. Surprisingly, some of her views were remarkably similar to Hasegawa's.

This was truly remarkable. Hasegawa could tell that this wasn't Sawamura Sayuri pandering to him; it was genuinely what she thought. Even though she and Eriri were mother and daughter, her views aligned more with Hasegawa's, to the point that Eriri couldn't help but yell at her, "Whose mother are you anyway?"

Unfortunately, Sayuri Sawamura is Eriri's mother, so despite their shared views, it's not really appropriate for Hasegawa and Sayuri Sawamura to exchange phone numbers or other contact information.

Therefore, Hasegawa's concept of a friend is limited to this one interaction.

Not only Hasegawa felt regret, but even Sayuri Sawamura felt a little regretful.

……

"Hasegawa, you're back." Yui Yuigahama looked surprised and delighted when she saw Hasegawa.

"Yes, I'm back. It's a bit late today. Let's continue with your story tomorrow." Hasegawa looked at Yui Yuigahama, thinking she still wanted him to tutor her. But considering the time, it was getting late; he hadn't yet updated his daily 5,000-word post. Of course, most importantly, he hadn't written down the inspiration he'd gotten from Aki Tomoya and Eriri.

"It's okay, it'll be fine tomorrow." Yui Yuigahama quickly shook her head.

"Thank you so much, Yui." Hasegawa smiled and went back to his room. Yui watched Hasegawa's retreating figure, hesitant to speak.

Hasegawa spent a lot of time that day recording some of his newfound inspirations, and even revising parts he had already written.

The next day, Hasegawa got up for his morning exercise and then taught Yui Yuigahama a class. Nothing else went wrong.

Good morning, Hasegawa.

Good morning, Kato.

Good morning, Kenichi.

"Good morning, Lun!"

They greeted each other casually with two people they knew well; everything was so relaxed and carefree.

Others did want to greet Hasegawa, after all, he was currently ranked first in his grade and was quite handsome. He was rather attractive to some. Unfortunately, Hasegawa's attitude towards them was completely different from how he treated Aki Tomoya and Kato Megumi.

As a result, Hasegawa earned the nickname "steel straight man" a few more times.

During class, Hasegawa noticed the look in Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes, a look filled with resentment. Clearly, Hiratsuka Shizuka's weekend hadn't been very pleasant.

Judging from Hiratsuka Shizuka's situation, this weekend she'll probably be shuttling between various matchmaking events, failing to find a partner, and then, she'll probably be rejected by her mother.

Thinking about all this, Hasegawa felt it was pretty good, so the more resentful Hiratsuka looked at him, the better Hasegawa felt.

Hiratsuka Shizuka probably noticed the hint of schadenfreude in Hasegawa's eyes, and she almost exploded.

"Hasegawa, come to my office." Hiratsuka Shizuka called out to Hasegawa with a gloomy expression as soon as get out of class ended.

"Forehead--"

"Mr. Hiratsuka, the rumors we had recently spread haven't completely subsided yet, and you've called me to your office again. Aren't you worried that things will get even worse?" Hasegawa said with a hint of exasperation.

"Heh, I don't care, so why do you?" Hiratsuka Shizuka sneered.

“Hiratsuka-sensei, you can’t say that. And even if you’re unhappy, you can’t choose to have me die with you.” Hasegawa couldn’t help but shake his head.

"Who would die with you? I called you here today because I have important business to discuss." Hiratsuka Shizuka huffed.

"Important business? Alright, Hiratsuka-sensei, what is it? Please tell me," Hasegawa said to Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"Of course it's about Hachiman Hikigaya. Didn't I already tell you before? I asked you to mentor him, to help him change, and to at least make some friends, or at least become friends with him. But, after all this time, I've noticed you haven't done anything at all? You've completely ignored what I told you?" Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Hasegawa with a cold smile, as if she had caught Hasegawa in a weakness.

"Uh." Hasegawa was stunned when he heard Hiratsuka Shizuka's words, then said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Hiratsuka-sensei, I really did forget about it."

"I knew you'd forgotten. This semester is almost over, and summer vacation is just around the corner. You, while there's still a little time left, hurry up and change that Hachiman Hikigaya guy. You have no idea how gloomy he is now. I don't want him to become a completely useless piece of trash after he enters society. That would make me, Hiratsuka Shizuka, look so incompetent." Hiratsuka Shizuka said to Hasegawa, and when she mentioned Hachiman Hikigaya's name, a headache appeared on her face.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, you're exaggerating. Hihikigaya Hachiman is a bit strange, but it's not as bad as you're making it out to be," Hasegawa couldn't help but shake his head.

Hasegawa knew a little bit about Hachiman Hikigaya. Of course, it was only a little.

It was because of this that Hasegawa knew that Hachiman Hikigaya was unlikely to go down the path of crime.

"Who knows what the future holds? You might even turn to crime. But now that you've already promised me, go and change that guy Hachiman Hikigaya's situation properly. Don't forget this time. Understand?" Hiratsuka Shizuka shouted impatiently at Hasegawa.

"I'll try. I can only say I'll try. If Hachiman Hikigaya is too stubborn and can't be changed, there's nothing I can do." Hasegawa shrugged and spread his hands.

"Anyway, it's up to you now. Try your best to change that Hachiman Hikigaya guy."

As Hasegawa walked out of the office, he felt a headache coming on as he thought about the task Hiratsuka Shizuka had given him. He felt that the reason Hiratsuka Shizuka brought up that guy Hachiman Hikigaya again at this time was definitely because he had ignored Hiratsuka Shizuka's resentful gaze during class and even laughed gleefully.

Back in the classroom, Hasegawa glanced at Hachiman Hikigaya. The guy was sitting alone in his seat, not talking to anyone or paying attention to anyone else. He just sat there quietly, like a well-bred young lady.

Unfortunately, this kind of personality doesn't quite suit Hachiman Hikigaya, especially since he also has dead fish eyes.

At lunchtime, Hasegawa thought for a moment, stood up, and walked toward Hachiman Hikigaya, who had taken out his bento box and was looking for a place to have lunch.

"Hikigaya."

"Hmm? Hasegawa-kun. Is something the matter?" Hachiman Hikigaya looked at Hasegawa with a hint of curiosity in his dead fish eyes.

To be honest, Hachiman Hikigaya did admire Hasegawa somewhat. He felt that Hasegawa was a bit like him. Of course, it was only a slight resemblance. More than anything, in his eyes, Hasegawa was more like a winner in life.

He excels in his studies and doesn't have any particular weakness in any subject, something that Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't do. He has a severe imbalance in his subjects, and if he didn't have that imbalance, he could at least be in the top five or even the top three in his class.

Then there's the fact that Hasegawa, while seemingly never actively seeking out others to talk to, does have a few friends—well, three in total. However, aside from that oddball Aki Tomoya, the other two are both girls, and both are rather cute-looking girls.

Hachiman Hikigaya saw the relationship between Hasegawa and Kato Megumi from the very beginning. That's right, while others couldn't notice Kato Megumi, Hachiman Hikigaya did see her from the start. Although he initially ignored it, later, when he was bored, he practically went through the class roster one by one, and in doing so, he discovered Kato Megumi's existence.

However, due to his personality, even though he noticed that Kato Megumi was acting strangely and that the situation was somewhat unusual, he never considered taking the initiative to talk to her.

So even now, Hachiman Hikigaya is still all alone.

Almost no one in the class talks to him. Even when they do, it's usually when the class representative collects homework or when he's on duty.

Thinking about it, it's actually quite pitiful. Especially compared to Hasegawa.

He clearly remembered that Hasegawa seemed pretty ordinary at the beginning, but at some point, Hasegawa suddenly seemed to have become handsome and good-looking.

Although Hasegawa himself refused, there were indeed other girls who tried to get close to him.