My dear wife, I still love you more.

When Kenichi Hasegawa came out of the kendo club, he saw Yui Yuigahama standing not far away. When Yui Yuigahama saw Kenichi Hasegawa come out, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes, but she did not intend to approach him, and just stood at a distance.

Seeing this, Hasegawa Kenichi said nothing. Although he found Yuigahama Yui's behavior strange, he wasn't exactly a ninja who could talk his way out of things, nor would he try to comfort others.

Just like yesterday, they went home one after the other without even exchanging a word. Of course, Yui Yuigahama said thank you again when they parted.

Time passed day by day, each day the same as the last. There was no demon invasion, no divine descent, and no transfer students like angels or demons. The world remained peaceful. Hasegawa Kenichi's life remained uneventful.

However, his relationship with Yui Yuigahama had improved somewhat. Well, it should be said that it had improved somewhat. Although they still didn't talk much, the atmosphere between them was much better than before. In particular, Yui Yuigahama's face gradually began to show more smiles, and she gradually started to interact with other classmates.

Moreover, Yui Yuigahama seems to be very good at reading the room. Although most of the time she smiles and tries to please others, as if what others say is always right, even if it's an unpleasant joke, she will laugh and praise the other person.

To be honest, Kenichi Hasegawa felt that Yui Yuigahama's lifestyle was exhausting. Even with memories of his past life, he might not be able to achieve what Yui Yuigahama did. However, it's undeniable that such people are more likely to integrate into a machine. This is evident from the fact that the blonde girl named Yumiko Miura gradually started talking to Yui Yuigahama.

Although Kenichi Hasegawa finds this kind of life exhausting, he won't say anything since Yui Yuigahama has made this choice. Perhaps this is Yui Yuigahama's way of surviving.

Kenichi Hasegawa was quite willing to accept this situation, as it would at least reduce some trouble. Perhaps, after a while, Yui Yuigahama wouldn't have to go to and from school with him anymore.

Holding a pen, scribbling and drawing on the paper, Kenichi Hasegawa was trying to revise the outline of his novel. Lately, Hasegawa has been writing for at least two hours every day, and his improved typing skills have greatly increased his writing speed.

He would go to school during the day, while also thinking about plot points or revising the outline. He would then go home at night and immediately start writing. In two weeks, Hasegawa Kenichi had written approximately 100,000 words.

In general, a volume of a Japanese light novel is around 100,000 words. This means that Kenichi Hasegawa's current novel is almost complete and ready to be submitted for publication.

……

"Hasegawa-kun."

Just as Hasegawa Kenichi was thinking about how to make the outline more concise and the content more attractive, a voice suddenly rang out beside him.

"Huh? It's Kato-san. Is there something you need?" Hasegawa Kenichi looked up and saw a cute girl standing in front of him, looking pretty and charming.

"Huh? Hasegawa-san remembers me?" The girl's expression didn't change much, but her voice carried a slight hint of surprise.

“Kato is a classmate of mine, and her seat isn’t too far from mine. Besides, Kato is a rather cute girl. If Kato can’t even remember me, that would be too much,” Hasegawa Kenichi said with a smile.

Hasegawa Kenichi did pay some attention to this girl named Kato Megumi; after all, she was a relatively cute girl. Although Hasegawa Kenichi couldn't remember everyone's name in his class, he did remember Kato Megumi's.

"Huh? Cute? Hasegawa-san, you don't need to say that. After all, I'm just an ordinary, unremarkable girl. There's no need to flatter me like that. Although it does make me happy to be called cute," Kato Megumi said, her face remaining expressionless.

"I'm not trying to flatter you, Kato-san is really cute. So, Kato-san, what can I do for you?" Hasegawa Kenichi asked with a smile, while at the same time feeling that there was something a little strange about this Kato-san.

"Ah, it's a bit strange that Hasegawa-san remembered me, so much so that I almost forgot about the important matter. Hiratsuka-sensei asked me to call you to her office."

"Hiratsuka-sensei is looking for me?" Hasegawa Kenichi was a little surprised and confused. He didn't know why Hiratsuka Shizuka would contact him. He thought to himself, he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Hmm, it seems to be related to Aki Tomoya-kun," Kato Megumi reminded her.

"Is it related to Kazuya? I understand, thank you, Kato-kun." Hasegawa Kenichi felt a little relieved.

As Kato Megumi watched Hasegawa Kenichi's retreating figure as he headed to his office, a smile suddenly appeared on her face: "Hasegawa-kun actually remembers me."

Chapter 18 The Troublesome Aki Tomoya

Bang bang bang!

I gently knocked on the office door.

"Come in." Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice came from the office, but her voice sounded a little more annoyed and irritable than usual.

Upon entering the office, besides Hiratsuka Shizuka and Aki Tomoya, there were several other teachers. Some were working, some were drinking tea, and others were subtly observing Hiratsuka Shizuka's situation, looking like they wanted to watch the show.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, you wanted to see me?" Hasegawa Kenichi approached Hiratsuka Shizuka, looking at her sitting in a chair. She was undeniably a great beauty, but thinking of her iron fists and the practiced way she smoked, Hasegawa Kenichi understood why she was still single at her age.

"Hey, I have a feeling you're thinking about something bad." Hiratsuka Shizuka frowned. In this respect, her sixth sense was surprisingly sensitive, which might also be due to her extensive experience in this area.

"Um, Hiratsuka-sensei, is there something you need from me?" Hasegawa Kenichi asked again.

"Never mind. I'm looking for you because of Aki Tomoya. You seem to be his only friend." Hiratsuka Shizuka temporarily put aside the strange feeling coming from her sixth sense and pointed directly at Aki Tomoya, her eyes showing a slight disdain, as if she were pointing at something.

"Well, actually, Tomoya has a lot of friends too."

"They're all like him, always shouting that 2D is the best and 3D is terrible?" Hiratsuka Shizuka curled her lip.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, the two-dimensional world is definitely the best. The three-dimensional world is really super boring and super terrible." Aki Tomoya shouted loudly, completely disregarding the occasion.

bump--

Hiratsuka Shizuka threw a punch, which grazed Aki Tomoya's cheek. The force of the punch even messed up Aki Tomoya's hair.

"Gudong-"

Even Aki Tomoya's face turned pale at this moment: "Hiratsuka-sensei, even if, even so, I, I still stand by my opinion that the two-dimensional world is the best, and the three-dimensional world is simply terrible."

"Can't you be normal for once? There are plenty of people in school who like anime, but how many of them are like you, so brazenly declaring anime the best and harassing other students, trying to drag them into your so-called anime fandom?" Hiratsuka Shizuka looked exasperated. She could be ruthless and deal with thugs from outside school with her fists, but Aki Tomo was also her student, and she couldn't very well give her a lecture.

"Hmph, if you like it, why hide it? Just to care about what others think, you're willing to give up what you love most? That kind of person is disgusting. By the way, Hiratsuka-sensei, I think I just saw you reading Weekly Shonen Jump, and it was the latest issue. Hiratsuka-sensei, which story is your favorite...?"

"Shut up." Hiratsuka Shizuka looked like she had a headache.

"Hasegawa, you've seen it too. Aki Tomoya's obsession with anime has reached a pathological level. As his only friend, you should help correct him and make him a little more normal." Hiratsuka Shizuka said helplessly. She really felt helpless with Aki Tomoya.

Other students are more or less afraid of their teachers when they are around, even if they don't like something. When the teacher is around, they will at least put on a show of respect. But Aki Tomoya is the only one who doesn't care who he is or what the situation is. He is always the same and doesn't change at all. Hiratsuka Shizuka even thinks that if you insult the world of anime and manga in front of Aki Tomoya, he might go and fight someone.

"Well, although Tomoya did go a bit too far."

"No way! I'm perfectly normal, okay? Those guys who like anime but hide it are the abnormal ones. Besides, anime is so amazing, and reality is so terrible, why wouldn't they like anime?" Aki Tomoya retorted loudly.

"Shut up!" Hiratsuka Shizuka rubbed her temples; she had a headache.

"Well, anime and manga, it doesn't seem that different from other hobbies. Since Tomoya likes it, it's probably not a problem. The reason he's acting this way is probably because his feelings for anime and manga are too intense." Hasegawa Kenichi scratched his head, wanting to smile wryly, but still expressed his opinion.

“That’s right, that’s right, I have a very strong passion for anime and manga. Kenichi, you really understand me. By the way, Kenichi, that novel you wrote is absolutely amazing. You should have shown it to me sooner, so I could have given you some feedback while you were writing it, instead of waiting until the first volume was already finished before showing it to me.” Aki Tomoya said to Hasegawa Kenichi with a hint of complaint.

Hasegawa Ken's eye twitched. Aki Tomoya, that guy, completely disregarded the occasion when talking about what he liked. This was an office, and the teachers were here, you jerk! He actually blurted out that he was writing novels.

"Ghouls and humans, eaters and those who are eaten. Both are striving for survival, yet they have irreconcilable conflicts. The protagonist transforms from a human into a ghoul, caught in the entanglement between humans and ghouls—it's simply fantastic. To be honest, this idea is truly amazing. Even among all the light novels I've read, this is definitely in the top ten. However, there are some parts in the novel that don't quite seem right, for example..." Aki Tomoya perked up, and was about to launch into a long discussion with Hasegawa Kenichi.

"Enough, Aki Tomoya!!!" Hiratsuka Shizuka's head was throbbing with veins, and she finally couldn't hold back and shouted loudly.

“Uh.” Aki Tomoya.

"..." Kenichi Hasegawa.

"Hasegawa, you're writing a novel? I saw you paying attention in class before, and you did a good job with your homework. I thought you were a diligent student. I didn't expect you to be writing a novel. But then again, if you weren't like that, you probably wouldn't have become friends with someone like Aki Tomoya." Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Hasegawa Kenichi with a bit of helplessness.

Hiratsuka Shizuka's impression of Hasegawa Kenichi was generally good. He was warm-hearted, had a serious attitude towards learning, and completed his assignments well. Although he didn't seem to like interacting with peers and was friends with problem students like Aki Tomoya, he was still quite decent. At most, he was just a bit ordinary-looking and not particularly eye-catching, to the point that she sometimes overlooked paying attention to him.

"I won't stop you from writing novels, but you're a student now, so it's best to focus your energy on your studies. After all, your situation is different from other students. I feel that getting good grades and getting into a good university is the best way out," Hiratsuka Shizuka said calmly to Hasegawa Kenichi. She knew Hasegawa Kenichi's background—a boy from rural Tottori Prefecture whose parents sent him to Tokyo for schooling for his future. If he didn't study hard, he would most likely return to rural Tottori Prefecture, get into a good university, and stay in Tokyo. That was probably the best way for Hasegawa Kenichi to survive.

"Thank you for your concern, Hiratsuka-sensei. I will study hard." Hasegawa Kenichi fully accepted Hiratsuka Shizuka's kindness.

“That’s more like it. Unlike Aki Tomoya.” As she spoke, Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced at Aki Tomoya again. He looked like an ordinary high school student with delicate features and no particularly strong personality, but his stubbornness was unexpected.

"Teacher, you can't say that! Interest is the best teacher. I love anime and manga, and I'll dedicate my entire future to it. Even when I enter the workforce, my job will definitely be related to anime and manga. That's the perfect life!" Aki Tomoya retorted loudly.

"Heh." Hiratsuka Shizuka pursed her lips and gave a dry laugh without any expression.

Chapter Nineteen: Daily Life with My Wife

As soon as he left the office, Kenichi Hasegawa was once again entangled with Tomoya Aki.

"Kenichi, your novel is ready for publication, right? Have you decided which publisher to approach? Have you already contacted any editors?" Aki Tomoya looked at Hasegawa Kenichi with some enthusiasm.

"I do want to publish it, but I haven't decided on the specifics of how to publish it or which editor to contact. I plan to start taking action this weekend and look around to see where it's suitable for me," Kenichi Hasegawa said without hiding anything.

"Oh, in that case, how about you leave it to me? You know I'm a fairly well-known content creator online, having promoted quite a few novels and comics, so I have connections with editors at many publishing houses. If you leave it to me, I can help you find a suitable editor," Aki Tomoya said very solicitously. He wasn't trying to profit from it, nor did he want to taint his passion for anime and manga with money. He was absolutely 100% driven by love; otherwise, he wouldn't need to work to earn money and dedicate it to his passion for anime and manga.

Although Aki Tomoya claims to be a moderately well-known content creator on social media, he actually has a considerable number of followers, many of whom are genuine anime enthusiasts who want to learn about quality content through his comments. His target audience is not small. Therefore, if Aki Tomoya were to advertise on his platform, he could definitely earn a lot of money. However, because he works out of passion, he has refused all advertising and collaboration offers, thus gaining even more recognition.

"Hmm, I almost forgot. Aki Tomoya, you're quite knowledgeable in this area. In that case, I'll leave it to you." Hasegawa Kenichi readily accepted Aki Tomoya's help. This would save him a lot of trouble.

"No problem, leave it to me, there won't be any issues. You can rest assured," Aki Tomoya assured him, patting his chest.

With things handed over to Aki Tomoya, Hasegawa Kenichi no longer needed to worry too much, and so he resumed his ordinary and regular daily routine.

After school, he would find a quiet corner in the kendo club and begin practicing. His kendo proficiency steadily increased, and Hasegawa Kenichi felt that it wouldn't be long before he could level up again, reaching at least kyu level 4. Each time he swung his oak sword, he could see the proficiency number increase, and that feeling was wonderful.

He had already reached a level that others might not be able to achieve even after years of practice, after only half a month since the start of the semester. If those who had practiced hard for a long time knew this, they would definitely cry.

While Kenichi Hasegawa was practicing kendo alone in a corner, Saeko Busujima, the captain of the kendo club, happened to see him practicing. She paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. With her skill level, she could naturally tell that Hasegawa's kendo was quite good. However, the fact that she didn't know him at all struck her as odd.

After all, as the captain of the kendo club and its leader, she was the most skilled kendo player in the club. Generally speaking, she had seen and sparred with almost everyone in the club who had a decent level of kendo skill. She preferred sparring to regular practice, especially when she could play freely and unleash her full potential.

Even those who genuinely love kendo but join the kendo club can't resist getting closer to a beautiful girl like Saeko Busujima, who possesses both formidable strength and a captivating, yet subtly Yamato Nadeshiko-like aura. If given the chance, who wouldn't want to spar with her? And what high school boy wouldn't be tempted to spar with such a beautiful woman?

Therefore, Saeko Busujima was surprised that she had never met Kenichi Hasegawa, especially since his kendo skills were quite good.

Just as Saeko Busujima was about to go and spar with Kenichi Hasegawa, his training session ended, and he turned and walked away. By the time Saeko changed her clothes and went to look for him, he was already gone.

"Let's go." Hasegawa Kenichi said to Maruko Yuigahama Yui, who was still waiting for him outside.

"Okay." Yui Yuigahama nodded obediently, following behind Kenichi Hasegawa.

Because this had happened more than once, Yui Yuigahama's attitude towards Kenichi Hasegawa had changed significantly. At least she would smile at him or exchange a few words. She also seemed more cheerful than before, and when walking, she wouldn't keep as much distance from him.

"Hasegawa-kun, thank you for troubling me again today." Mrs. Yuigahama looked at Kenichi Hasegawa with a smile, her eyes even carrying a hint of ambiguity. At this moment, Yui Yuigahama's cheeks flushed slightly, and she ran straight into the house.

"No need to say that, Mrs. Yui. It was just a coincidence. I didn't actually offer any help." Kenichi Hasegawa didn't notice the change in Yui's expression and simply smiled as he spoke to Mrs. Yui.

"Mr. Hasegawa, you're too kind. I know about Yui's situation. By the way, these are some strawberry daifuku I made. I'd like to give some to Mr. Hasegawa to try." Mrs. Yuihama smiled gently.

"Um, thank you so much, Mrs. Yuihama. But you don't need to bring me food every day, that's too kind of you." Hasegawa Kenichi happily accepted the strawberry daifuku that Mrs. Yuihama brought him, but that's what he said.

“It’s not troublesome at all. Besides, Yui needs your care at school, so it’s just a little food. You don’t need to worry about it.” Mrs. Yuihama said, looking at the smile on Kenichi Hasegawa’s face, becoming even happier.

"It's not really about taking care of them, since they're classmates after all."

Almost every day, he could see Mrs. Yuihama and receive a small gift from her. Although it wasn't anything special and was mostly food, Hasegawa Kenichi was always in a good mood. In fact, every day, Hasegawa Kenichi looked forward to the time after school when he would go home.

Soon it was the weekend, and the time that Aki Tomoya and Hasegawa Kenichi had agreed upon was approaching. He had already arranged a time for Hasegawa Kenichi to meet the editor that Aki Tomoya had recommended to him.

Chapter Twenty: Publishing House Contract

Shinazugawa Publishing House. This is the publisher that Tomoya Aki recommended to Kenichi Hasegawa.

When Kenichi Hasegawa arrived at the Shinazugawa Library by train, almost two hours had passed. His residence was not very close to the Shinazugawa Library.

"Do you have an appointment?" the pretty receptionist asked in a gentle tone.

"Yes, my name is Kenichi Hasegawa, and I have a promise with editor Sonoko Machida."

"Ms. Machida? Yes, I do have an appointment, and it's around this time. Please come in. Ms. Machida is currently in the editorial department on the fifth floor. Her name is on her office desk; you can just go up there."