My dear wife, I still love you more.

"Yes, yes." Yui Yuigahama blushed slightly and put down the playing cards in her hand as well.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? I, I'm about to win! Damn it, you guys—" Eriri was furious.

So, are you a little disappointed after seeing such a pure chapter?

Chapter 128 Utaha Kasumigaoka's Disgust

Four girls—no, three girls plus a lady—were all wearing relatively loose yukatas. Hasegawa felt his nostrils getting slightly hot.

"How did you get into my room?" Hasegawa subtly wiped his nose. Hmm, he didn't see any red, so he was relieved.

"Well, we were bored, so Eriri suggested we find Kenichi to kill some time," Mrs. Sawamura said with a smile.

"Mom, don't talk nonsense. You only came to see Hasegawa because you were bored," Eriri rolled her eyes. This sentence made Sawamura Sayuri so angry that her liver hurt.

"I... I saw Sawamura-kun coming over, so... so I came over." Yui Yuigahama blushed slightly, a little embarrassed.

"I came to talk to Hasegawa about the Jade Dragon Flag. I just happened to run into these three." Saeko Busujima's reason was the most straightforward.

"I see." Hasegawa smiled. Looking at the four people in the room, Hasegawa felt a slight headache coming on.

Although Hasegawa is relatively oblivious to her feelings, she's not completely devoid of emotional intelligence; she can vaguely sense things. For example, Saeko Busujima and Yui Yuigahama seem to have feelings for her, though Hasegawa isn't entirely sure. Then, Hasegawa knows that Eriri likes Tomoya Aki, but Sayuri Sawamura seems to have a bit of a crush on her and wants to set her up with Eriri.

However, Hasegawa already has someone he likes, Mrs. Yuihama. From the moment he saw Mrs. Yuihama after being transported here, Hasegawa felt a slight flutter in his heart.

Later, he lived under the same roof as Mrs. Yuigahama. Although Hasegawa couldn't express anything because of Yuigahama Yui's presence, he was also rather passive and didn't know how to express himself. However, it was certain that he liked Mrs. Yuigahama, not only because of her appearance, but also because of the virtuous and gentle temperament she exuded, as well as the personality she showed after spending some time with her.

It can be said that Mrs. Yuihama is almost Hasegawa's ideal type.

However, Hasegawa is still too young, and Mrs. Yuihama even seems to be subtly considering him as a son-in-law. This makes Hasegawa even more hesitant to take any action.

Therefore, it can be said that Hasegawa seems to have made no attempt to win over Mrs. Yuihama, while some of the women around him seem to have some interest in him.

To be honest, this situation is quite a headache for Hasegawa.

They chatted briefly, and since everyone else was present, the three of them—or rather, the other three (excluding Eriri for the time being)—felt it was inappropriate to say or do anything, so they left Hasegawa's room. Of course, they left together.

Hasegawa opened the door and watched the four women leave. He let out a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Although they had only exchanged a few words, the three of them—no, the way they spoke—had created a tense, almost dangerous atmosphere, making Hasegawa a little uneasy. Now they were finally gone.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Hasegawa turned to go back to his room.

Just as Hasegawa turned around, he suddenly noticed that at the corner, a girl with long, straight black hair, who also seemed to have just finished soaking in the hot spring, was looking at him with great interest through her wine-red eyes.

This girl is beautiful. She's not as tall as Saeko Busujima, but her figure is equally stunning. Even wrapped in a loose yukata, Hasegawa could still vaguely see her rather voluptuous figure. Compared to Eriri, this girl's figure is slightly fuller, but frankly, this kind of fullness is the type men find most attractive.

Of course, Hasegawa wasn't thinking too much about it. He just noticed that the girl seemed to be observing him, which was a little strange, but he didn't dwell on it. He habitually smiled at the girl, then turned around, went back to his room, and closed the door.

……

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked with great interest at the door that Hasegawa had closed.

Kasumigaoka Utaha hadn't expected that Hasegawa, this guy, seemed to be quite the ladies' man, or rather, a scumbag. After all, four beautiful women in yukatas were walking out of his room together.

Kasumigaoka Utaha had to admit that any one of the four beauties was as beautiful as her, and their styles were completely different as well.

Four beautiful women were in a room with Hasegawa, and Kasumigaoka Utaha thought that Hasegawa might be a scumbag.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was initially quite curious about Hasegawa, a light novel author from her school who was even more talented than her. Her editor, Machida Sonoko, had said that Hasegawa was a nice person. So she made a point of inquiring about Hasegawa and learned that he was coming to participate in the Tamatsukuri Kendo Tournament. She even went so far as to find out which hotel Hasegawa and his team would be staying at at the school and made a reservation in advance. She almost missed out on the last room available at the hotel.

Out of curiosity, I paid special attention to Hasegawa, only to see four beautiful women leaving his room.

To be honest, Kasumigaoka Utaha's feelings towards Hasegawa had soured. She didn't even want to get to know him anymore. It's better not to know a jerk like that.

In fact, if she hadn't already paid for the room, she might have even considered leaving. But since she was already here, and there was going to be a Jade Dragon Flag Kendo tournament later, she decided to stay and watch. It would be even better if she could see Hasegawa, that scumbag who was cheating on four women, get defeated, or even beaten badly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha even considered adding a scumbag male supporting character to her novel, who cheats on four women, gets caught, and is ultimately censored by the four women who confront him. Of course, she only thought about it and wouldn't actually add it to her novel; if it affected the readability, it would be a loss.

Thinking this, Kasumigaoka Utaha turned and went back to her room.

Meanwhile, Hasegawa, who had just tidied up his room, was unaware that he had already become a scumbag in Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes, and that she was even looking forward to seeing him get humiliated in the Tamatsubune tournament. Of course, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care much, even though Kasumigaoka Utaha was Kasumiko, an author under the same editor as him.

Chapter 129 The Great Demon King

The Jade Dragon Flag Kendo Competition has finally begun.

Hasegawa and Saeko Busujima arrived at the competition venue and went straight to the changing room to change into their uniforms. As they emerged, screams erupted from the audience: "Saeko Busujima! It's Saeko Busujima!"

"Saeko-chan!"

"Saeko Busujima, the best in the world!"

"The Great Demon King of Kendo, Saeko Busujima!"

Almost all the cheers were for Saeko Busujima.

Hasegawa was taken aback when he first heard that voice, but then it dawned on him. Saeko Busujima was an incredibly beautiful woman, and in addition, she possessed exceptional talent and skill in kendo. She had participated in the High School Tamahyugi Kendo Tournament twice, winning the championship both times, and in fact, winning by a crushing margin.

Hasegawa would have found it strange if Saeko Busujima weren't cheering and screaming for her. However, he hadn't expected her to be so popular here, almost like a celebrity.

"Captain, you're amazing! You're so popular!" Before Hasegawa could say anything, a female member of the kendo club couldn't help but whisper, her face beaming with excitement.

"Isn't this normal? Since the beginning of the Jade Dragon Flag competition, the Minister has always been first place, always the champion, and has never gotten second place. Especially that time in the first year of high school, when all the other members were wiped out, but there were still four opponents left, the Minister took on all four of them and won the championship. From that time on, the Minister started to be called the Great Demon King. This is a huge honor. Isn't it only natural that he is popular?"

"Really? That's amazing!"

"That's really amazing! No wonder you're the minister!"

Hearing the whispers of the surrounding members, Hasegawa's gaze towards Saeko Busujima couldn't help but show a hint of amazement. Indeed, Saeko Busujima was truly a genius, one in a hundred or even a thousand years.

Hasegawa still found the title "Great Demon King" a bit strange. Saeko Busujima was so beautiful, yet she was being called "Great Demon King."

However, considering the situation in Japan, whether it's anime, dramas, or even variety shows, exaggeration is the norm. So it seems quite normal for a genius like Saeko Busujima to be called the "Great Demon King," much like how table tennis in China was often referred to as such in Japan.

That's just how Japanese customs are; they're used to being immature and exaggerated.

It's just a bit strange. Even though this mainstream aspect of life seems particularly childish in Japan, people who like anime and manga are often looked down upon and discriminated against in junior high and even high school.

But that's just how Japan is, so Hasegawa only felt a little strange in his heart, and nothing else.

"Hasegawa, as the captain this time, if you win the championship, you will definitely receive just as much admiration and applause." Saeko Busujima smiled as she looked at Hasegawa, who seemed to be thinking about something, and whispered to him.

"Uh, really? But I don't really care about these things." Hasegawa shook his head with a smile.

Of course, the glory of being the center of attention, receiving cheers and applause every time you appear, would inevitably excite anyone, and Hasegawa was no exception. However, while he was excited, Hasegawa didn't quite want it. It was a very contradictory feeling. It was like that conflicting feeling of wanting to be admired, yet not wanting to be the focus of others' attention.

……

Meanwhile, in the audience, Yui Yuigahama, Eriri, and Sayuri Sawamura sat together, watching how popular Saeko Busujima was as soon as she appeared. The screams were simply astounding. They also noticed that right next to them, a man couldn't help but shout things like "Great Demon King," and even excitedly ripped open his collar, shouting loudly with his face flushed red.

That fervor made the three of them very uncomfortable. Especially Sayuri Sawamura and Yui Yuigahama, who felt that Saeko Busujima was incredibly threatening at that moment. Compared to the dazzling Saeko Busujima, Yui Yuigahama and Eriri seemed like complete nobody.

How can they possibly be as competitive as Saeko Busujima?

Sawamura Sayuri looked at Eriri, who was frowning and covering her ears, and couldn't help but sigh. But thankfully, Eriri and Hasegawa shared some common interests because of the novels and manga, so there should still be some chance for them.

Yui Yuigahama felt even more threatened. Not only was Saeko Busujima the highly anticipated captain of the kendo club, but there was also Eriri, a well-known doujinshi artist who was adapting Hasegawa's novels into manga; she might become a very famous manga artist in the future.

Whether it's Saeko Busujima or Eriri, they both have huge popularity and may even achieve great success. Only she is nothing now. Yui Yuigahama suddenly felt very inferior, so inferior that she felt she was nothing and completely unworthy of Hasegawa.

At this moment, a certain thought that Yui Yuigahama had held in her mind was firmly confirmed by her.

A determined glint flashed in Yui Yuigahama's eyes as she looked intently at Hasegawa, who seemed to be whispering something to Saeko Busujima below.

Leaving those three aside, not too far from them in the audience, a beautiful woman with long, straight black hair sat with her wine-red eyes filled with curiosity as she looked down at Saeko Busujima and Hasegawa.

The main focus should be on Saeko Busujima. She never imagined that Saeko Busujima, whom she considered a scumbag and one of his women, would have such immense popularity. It's rather strange that someone with such popularity would like a scumbag like Hasegawa.

Looking closely at Hasegawa, while he could be described as handsome, it's a stretch. He's not the kind of super handsome guy. Even though Hasegawa is a relatively famous light novel author, he shouldn't be this popular with girls, right?

"What kind of charm does Hasegawa have that makes him so popular with girls? And he's clearly juggling several relationships, and it seems like all of them have already met, yet nothing's happened. It's unbelievable." Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a surge of curiosity about Hasegawa at this moment.

Chapter 130

At this moment, Soubu High School's opponents also made their appearance. However, compared to Saeko Busujima's overwhelming popularity, they seemed utterly unpopular, especially the female members, who were all pale and looked quite unwell. Clearly, they knew they had no chance of winning against Saeko Busujima.

Saeko Busujima was an insurmountable mountain for all the girls' kendo club members in the high school.

The situation in the women's group even affected the men's group, and their condition seemed relatively poor.

First up is the women's group. As the top performer, Saeko Busujima is naturally the last to appear. Therefore, there are four other women who will appear before her.

Under Saeko Busujima's influence, these four individuals had already achieved a considerable level of swordsmanship. Therefore, in the first match, Saeko didn't even have a chance to make a move; the first four directly defeated the opposing five, securing victory in the first round.

The audience was both happy and disappointed to see Saeko Busujima's team win. They were happy that her team had won, but disappointed that she hadn't even appeared on stage and they hadn't been able to see her.

On the men's side, Hasegawa, as the captain, was also the last to compete, but unlike Saeko Busujima in the women's group.

While the men's team members were also quite skilled in kendo, they couldn't dominate like the women's team. Even though the men's opponents were affected to some extent, it wasn't as severe as for the women's team.

In addition, although Hasegawa is a senior member, it is his first time participating in a kendo competition. Therefore, after the four members in front of Hasegawa defeated their opponents, they still left Hasegawa with an opponent. This can be regarded as a test for Hasegawa, allowing him to familiarize himself with the rules and procedures of kendo competition.

Of course, with Hasegawa's strength, even though his opponent was also a general and arguably the strongest in the opposing team, Hasegawa still cleanly and decisively shouted "Men!" and his bamboo sword struck the opponent's mask, taking it and thus winning the victory.

(The author is not very familiar with the Jade Dragon Flag, so the writing will be rather brief, with many aspects mentioned only briefly. I hope you will understand.)

"Not bad, Hasegawa-kun, that's a really clean and efficient paper." Saeko Busujima praised Hasegawa.

Hasegawa smiled and said, "It's alright. The opponent's general isn't very strong. Although it's our first time participating in the Jade Dragon Banner, winning should be relatively easy."

"That's because Hasegawa-kun's own strength is strong enough. Hasegawa-kun, how about a one-versus-five battle? If you're interested, I can get the kendo club members to help you." Saeko Busujima asked Hasegawa with a smile.

"Well, forget it. One against five is a bit too arrogant. Besides, the others are also here to participate in the competition. We can't just disqualify them directly." Hasegawa shook his head and rejected the suggestion outright.

Although the suggestion was indeed very exciting, and Hasegawa even felt a little excited just thinking about his own one-versus-five victory, he decided against it. Hasegawa felt that he might not be used to that kind of situation. After all, Hasegawa's mental age was no longer that of a hot-blooded and arrogant person.

Seeing Hasegawa's refusal, Saeko Busujima remained silent. After all, she knew Hasegawa's personality; he wouldn't accept this situation anyway. She had only made the suggestion on a whim.

Meanwhile, in the audience, Yui and her two friends were cheering for Hasegawa's first victory.

"I knew it. Kenichi is very strong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have participated in the Jade Dragon Flag competition when he was a freshman and would have become the captain of the kendo club." Sayuri Sawamura said with a proud look on her face.

“Yes, Hasegawa is a genius. There’s almost nothing he can’t do.” Yui Yuigahama looked at Hasegawa with admiration.

"Well, I didn't expect Hasegawa to be so strong." This was Eriri.

However, seeing Saeko Busujima and Hasegawa together again after the match, chatting and laughing, made the three of them feel a little uncomfortable. Even Eriri felt a little uneasy seeing this scene.

Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka Utaha pouted. Although Hasegawa had won cleanly, she was a little unhappy. After all, a large part of the reason she came to visit the Jade Dragon Flag was to see Hasegawa get beaten up.

The first day of the Jade Dragon Flag competition has come to an end, and half of the schools that came to participate in the Jade Dragon Flag competition were eliminated on the first day.

Normally, at this point, Hasegawa and his kendo club should be gathering information on members from other schools. After all, knowing your enemy is half the battle. Understanding your opponent's true situation increases your chances of victory.